Jin Yong

Jin Yong (1924 – now) is Hong Kong’s most famous writer.

He places emphasis on the idea of self-determination and identity, and many of his novels are set in the time periods when China was occupied or under the threat of occupation by non-Han Chinese peoples such as the Khitans, Jurchens, Mongols and Manchus. Chinese nationalism or patriotism is a strong theme in his works. However, he gradually evolved his Chinese nationalism into inclusionist concept which encompasses all present-day non-Han Chinese minorities.

He was also one of the “Three Legs of the Tripod of Wuxia”, along with Gu Long and Liang Yusheng.

He wrote 14 novels and 1 short story. First character of his 14 novels can be join together to form a couplet with 7 characters on each line.

~ 飛狐外傳 (The Young Flying Fox)
~ 雪山飛狐 (Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain)
~ 連城訣 (A Deadly Secret)
~ 天龍八部 (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils)
~ 射鵰英雄傳 (The Legend of the Condor Heroes)
~ 白馬嘯西風 (White Horse Neighs in the Western Wind)
~ 鹿鼎記 (The Deer and the Cauldron)
~ 笑傲江湖 (The Smiling, Proud Wanderer)
~ 書劍恩仇錄 (The Book and the Sword)
~ 神鵰俠侶 (The Return of the Condor Heroes)
~ 俠客行 (Ode to Gallantry)
~ 倚天屠龍記 (The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber)
~ 碧血劍 (Sword Stained with Royal Blood)
~ 鴛鴦刀 (Blade-dance of the Two Lovers)
~ 越女劍 (Sword of the Yue Maiden)

飛雪連天射白鹿
笑書神俠倚碧鴛

Shooting a white deer, snow flutters around the skies;
Smiling, [one] writes about the divine chivalrous one, leaning against bluish lovebirds (or lover)

Of these, the novels (The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, and The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber) make up the Condor Trilogy and should be read in that order; a number of his other works are also linked to this trilogy (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is a precursor to the Condor Trilogy). Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain and The Young Flying Fox are companion works with the same protagonist and characters from The Book and the Sword appear. A few major characters from Sword Stained with Royal Blood also appear in his final novel The Deer and the Cauldron as minor characters.