Ode to Gallantry
.jpg) Cover of a 1980 edition of the novel. | |
| Author | Jin Yong |
|---|---|
| Original title | 俠客行 |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Chinese |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Publisher | Ming Pao |
Publication date | 1965 |
| Media type | |
| Ode to Gallantry | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 俠客行 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 侠客行 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Ode to Gallantry is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in Hong Kong from 11 June 1966 to 19 April 1967 in the newspaper Ming Pao.[1] The novel shares the same Chinese title as a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, which was used as its epigraph.
Plot
The plot revolves around a case of mistaken identity between a pair of identical twins. In the afterword, Jin Yong acknowledges that the story resembles some of the works of William Shakespeare (cf. Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors).[2]
The protagonist, who refers to himself as "Gouzazhong" (狗雜種; lit. "mongrel dog", a colloquialism for "bastard"), first appears as a young beggar roaming the streets of Kaifeng in search of his lost mother. He witnesses a fight between several jianghu figures[3] and meets the Shi couple and members of the Snowy Mountain Sect (雪山派). An accident causes him to be taken away by Xie Yanke, an eccentric martial artist, to his secluded home on Motian Cliff. Xie Yanke, who is frequently bothered by Gouzazhong, decides to teach him martial arts. Gouzazhong learns qi cultivation techniques under Xie Yanke's tutelage for six years, but is unaware that Xie actually harbours ill intentions and has been teaching him the wrong methods, in the hope that he will sustain internal wounds and eventually die.[4]
At the same time, the leader of the Changle Sect, Shi Potian (real name Shi Zhongyu), mysteriously disappears.[5] The greater part of the novel deals with the complications that arise as Gouzhazhong is mistaken for Shi Zhongyu, not only by members of the sect (for ulterior motives), by also by Shi Zhongyu's parents, the Shi couple, Shi Zhongyu's lover Ding Dang, and members of the Snowy Mountain Sect. Although the two bear a splitting resemblance, their characters cannot be more different: Gouzhazhong is simple, honest and clever, while Shi Zhongyu, the son of the Shi couple, has a bad reputation for being a lewd and sly womaniser. Gouzhazhong acquires consummate combat skills in the process. He is hounded by members of the Snowy Mountain Sect who mistake him for Shi Zhongyu, who molested A'xiu, the granddaughter of the Snowy Mountain Sect's leader. He acquires A'xiu as his girlfriend after various incidents, during which the misunderstandings are gradually resolved.
The novel culminates in an episode when the leaders of various sects are coerced into visiting a secluded island by a pair of mysterious, highly skilled messengers to celebrate the Laba Festival. The story then leads to a surprising conclusion: revelations on the island and more revelations concerning Gouzhazhong's true parentage.
Characters
Adaptations
Films
| Year | Production | Main cast | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Shaw Brothers Studio (Hong Kong) | Philip Kwok, Wen Hsueh-erh | See Ode to Gallantry (film) |
Television
| Year | Production | Main cast | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | CTS (Taiwan) | Max Mok, Chao Yung-hsin, Chao Chia-jung | See Ode to Gallantry (1985 TV series) |
| 1989 | TVB (Hong Kong) | Tony Leung, Sheren Tang, Chan Ka-pik | See Ode to Gallantry (1989 TV series) |
| 2002 | Mainland China | Wu Jian, Zhou Li, Zhang Yanmin | See Ode to Gallantry (2002 TV series) |
| 2017 | Mainland China | Cai Yida, Jenny Zhang, Li Jingyang | See Ode to Gallantry (2017 TV series) |