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Jin Yong

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Jin Yong was a legendary Chinese and Hong Kong novelist.

Chinese novelist Jin Yong
Chinese novelist Jin Yong

He is most famous for writing wuxia fiction. Wuxia is a genre of literature centered on martial arts heroes. These stories often feature characters with incredible combat skills. Cha's writing reached a massive global audience. He sold over 100 million copies of his books. This total excludes many widespread pirated editions. His characters are so iconic that they are well known in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. People in these regions can allude to his characters with ease. His stories have been adapted into many TV dramas, films, and video games.

Writing these epic tales required immense discipline and skill.

Sculpture of Jin Yong
Sculpture of Jin Yong

Cha often published his novels in daily installments within newspapers. This method created great anticipation among his readers. To maintain this pace, he was incredibly productive. He could write approximately 10,000 Chinese characters in a single day. Between 1955 and 1972, he authored 15 major novels. He did not stop writing after his initial success. He spent the rest of the 1970s editing and revising his literary works. The first complete definitive edition of his work appeared in 1979.

His novels follow specific structures and types. Most of his wuxia works are interconnected. For example, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes" are linked. He also wrote standalone novels like "White Horse Neighs in the Western Wind." His collection includes novellas and novelettes as well. One of his works, "Blade-dance of the Two Lovers," is a novella. He also wrote "Sword of the Yue Maiden," which is a novelette. Only one of his 16 fictional works is a non-wuxia autobiographical short story titled "Yue Yun." This variety shows the breadth of his storytelling ability.

Louis Cha was born on March 10, 1924, in Haining, Zhejiang.

Chinese novelist Jin Yong
Chinese novelist Jin Yong

He was the second of seven children in a scholarly family. His ancestors included notable literati from the Ming and Qing dynasties. His grandfather, Zha Wenqing, was a third-class graduate in the imperial examination. His interest in wuxia began through his father, Zha Shuqing. His father read him excerpts from "Woman Warrior of the Wild River" every day. This sparked a lifelong passion for the genre. Later, Cha read classics like "Water Margin" to build his foundation.

His youth was marked by significant challenges and transitions. In 1938, the Japanese army invaded Zhejiang. This forced his school to move hundreds of miles south to Lishui. Cha had to trek on foot for 60 to 70 miles every day. He later faced expulsion from school in 1941 for a satirical article. This event was a major crisis that affected his food and housing. However, he eventually graduated from Quzhou No. 1 Secondary School in 1943. He later studied international law at Soochow University. He eventually earned a doctorate in Asian Studies from the University of Cambridge in 2010.

Cha's professional life extended into journalism and media.

Sculpture of Jin Yong
Sculpture of Jin Yong

He began working as a journalist and translator in 1947. He moved to Hong Kong in 1948 for work. In 1959, he co-founded the Ming Pao newspaper with Shen Baoxin. He served as the editor-in-chief for many years. His career also included work as a scriptwriter for film companies. He was also involved in Hong Kong politics during the late 1970s. He was a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law drafting committee. He resigned from this role following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

His impact on culture and science is quite profound.

Sculpture of Jin Yong
Sculpture of Jin Yong

Many governments honored him for his literary achievements. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the UK. The French government awarded him the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. His influence even reached the stars. An asteroid, numbered 10930, was named Jinyong in his honor. He was also an honorary professor at many prestigious universities. These institutions include Peking University and the University of Cambridge. He remains a central figure in modern Chinese literature.

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