Chivalry rules

The marks of a true hero

Jin Yong wrote 15 wuxia novels between 1952 and 1972. These have been translated into 14 languages and sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Embraced by both lovers of popular and critically acclaimed literature, Jin Yong’s works have been adapted into innumerable TV series, movies, stage shows, audio dramas, comics and video games.

The compelling nature of Jin Yong’s stories, especially the sensitivity with which the writer navigates the depth of human emotions, struck a chord with generations of Chinese readers. Many of them see the old-world chivalry embodied by Jin Yong’s protagonists as an essentially Chinese virtue that’s worth cultivating.

The title of the centenary celebration program, A Path to Glory, references an aphorism from the book The Return of the Condor Heros: “To serve is a path to glory.” In other words, serving one’s country and its people is hailed as the ultimate heroic achievement.

The celebrations include reading sessions, painting workshops, film screenings, lectures, and concerts. For instance, Scarlett Chan, a Chinese concert pianist, has composed new music inspired by The Legend of the Condor Heroes, to be performed at both exhibition sites. “My contribution to the event is providing a musical element that pays tribute to Jin Yong’s impactful work,” Chan says.

Award-winning film score composer Tommy Wai, who has rearranged the music from much-loved films and television series based on Jin Yong’s works for a memorial concert, remembers being an avid watcher of shows based on The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Deer and the Cauldron during his growing-up years. “They left a deep impression on me. Each character has a unique personality and represents different mentalities and ways of dealing with difficulties,” says the musician, adding how watching them on screen has always made him reflect on his own life and situation.