Chivalry rules

Generations of Chinese people have grown up on Jin Yong’s martial-arts-themed novels, drawing life lessons from stories that celebrate valor and moral rectitude. Mariella Radaelli reports on the lineup of tributes planned in honor of the writer’s centenary this year.

Jin Yong (1924-2018), a leading exponent of the wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) genre of novels, was born Louis Cha Leung-yung in China’s Zhejiang province. The extent of his influence on Chinese popular imagination can be gauged from the saying: “Wherever you see Chinese people, watch out for Jin Yong’s world of wuxia.”

In 1948, Jin Yong moved to Hong Kong, where he spent the rest of his life. It’s in this city that he built his career as a journalist, co-founding the Ming Pao newspaper in 1959. Fittingly, the government of his adoptive hometown is hosting a yearlong program titled A Path to Glory — Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial to mark the writer’s birth centenary this year. The celebrations kicked off on March 15, with the unveiling of massive sculptures inspired by some of Jin Yong’s iconic literary creations. A total of 36 bronze and stainless steel pieces sculpted by Ren Zhe are on display at two ongoing exhibitions — in Edinburgh Place and at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

“This is the first time that Jin Yong’s fictional characters have been liberated from the pages of storybooks and presented to an audience in the form of sculptures,” says William Fong, curator of A Path to Glory, of which the exhibitions are a part. “Jin Yong’s works are literary treasures, immortal classics and beacons guiding readers through their lives,” Fong adds. “The festival provides us an opportunity to pass on his legacy and spirit to the next generation.”