Jin Yong, the dean of martial arts novels, passed away at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on the afternoon of October 30, 2018. He was 94 years old. His death means the end of a generation of legends in the Chinese literary world.
Jin Yong's original name was Cha Liangyong . The name "Jin Yong" was his pen name after splitting the "Yong" in his name.
In 1924, Jin Yong was born into the famous Cha family in Haining, Zhejiang. He was the 22nd generation grandson of the family. Haining's Cha family is a family that "takes literature as its profession and has a scholarly legacy". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, 22 Jinshi were produced. During the Kangxi period, the imperial examination myth of "ten Jinshi in one discipline and five Hanlins for uncles and nephews" was created. However, during the Yongzheng period, Zha Siting, the ancestor of Jin Yong and the chief examiner of the Jiangxi Provincial Examination at that time, was involved in a literary prison case that shocked the government and the public. Not only was Zha Siting murdered, but many of his relatives and disciples were also implicated.
Later, the Cha family, a heirloom of poetry and calligraphy, rose up through the imperial examination. The last Jinshi in the family was in the 12th year of Guangxu, and the person who passed the examination was Jin Yong's grandfather.
In modern times, the Cha family is still a shining star. The translator Mu Dan is Jin Yong's cousin, and he also has a cousin who is the famous poet Xu Zhimo . However, Jin Yong seems to be quite dissatisfied with Xu Zhimo's suave style. The images in martial arts novels, such as his cousin Murong Fu, are relatively negative. In addition, Jin Yong's cousin Zha Liangmin married Qiong Yao's third uncle Yuan Xingyun, and Qian Xuesen's father-in-law and the first wife of Baoding Military Academy principal Jiang Baili Cha Pinzhen and Jin Yong are aunts and nephews of the same clan.
Jin Yong received a good education since he was a child. His original ideal was to be a diplomat. In 1944, he was admitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs of Chongqing Central Political University, but later dropped out. In 1948, he graduated from the Law School of Soochow University in Shanghai, and was subsequently transferred to the Hong Kong branch of Ta Kung Pao, where he worked as a colleague with Liang Yusheng.
Jin Yong's writing of martial arts novels began in 1955, when he, Liang Yusheng, and Chen Fan opened the column "Essays on the Three Sword Towers" in Ta Kung Pao. In the same year, he wrote his first martial arts novel "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "The Legend of Heaven and the Dragon Slayer" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". Eight "", "The Swordsman", " The Deer and the Cauldron", "Flying Fox in the Snow Mountain" and other works. By the time he finished writing in the 1970s, he had written a total of 14 martial arts novels.
Like Teresa Teng’s singing voice, Jin Yong’s martial arts novels are truly household names, and it is considered that “wherever there are Chinese people, there must be Jin Yong’s martial arts novels.” Some people commented that Jin Yong inherited the writing tradition of classical martial arts novels, and carried out unprecedented technical and ideological revolutions on this tradition in the modern reading atmosphere, creating a "new martial arts" style. Over the past sixty years, while his works have become popular in the Chinese world around the world, they have also brought the creation of unique Chinese martial arts novels to an unprecedented peak.
In the postscript of "The Swordsman", Jin Yong's words can be used as a summary of his career in martial arts novels: "Suggestive novels are of little significance. The political situation will change soon. Only by depicting human nature can we Longer-term value. "
In addition to his widely circulated works, Jin Yong can also be called the most "financially intelligent" writer. Ni Kuang, a long-time friend and famous science fiction novelist Ni Kuang, who is ranked alongside Jin Yong as one of the "Four Greatest Talents in Hong Kong", once broke the news that Jin Yong was the richest scholar in China for five thousand years. According to incomplete estimates, the global circulation of Jin Yong's novels has exceeded 300 million copies, and rough statistics have exceeded 100 movies and TV shows that have been remakes or related to his works. It can be called "China's No. 1 IP" in the novel industry. In the era of self-media, any topic related to Jin Yong is equally eye-catching. In 2014, former Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xiaolei opened the WeChat public account " Six Gods Leile Read Jin Yong" to interpret Jin Yong's martial arts novels from a humorous and unique perspective. Soon Wang Xiaolei became a famous big V in the self-media and once expressed his gratitude to Jin Yong. "Feed themselves".
In addition, Ming Pao, founded by Jin Yong, is still an influential media in Hong Kong. When Ming Pao was founded in 1959, its capital was only HK$100,000. By the time Ming Pao was listed on the stock market in 1991, its market value had reached HK$870 million, with Jin Yong owning 60%. In 1992, Ming Pao's annual profit reached HK$100 million.
Whether it is Qiao Feng or Guo Jing, the heroes in Jin Yong's works "serve the country and the people", and he himself does the same in real life. Before the return of Hong Kong, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invited Jin Yong to meet with the Hong Kong Governor's Office when passing through Hong Kong. She hoped that Jin Yong would support the British and not return Hong Kong, but Jin Yong refused. In 1985, the Basic Law Drafting Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was established. Jin Yong served as the Hong Kong head of the political system drafting group of the Basic Law and a member of the economic system drafting group. In 1988, he and Cha Jimin proposed the "Double Inspection Plan", which made an indelible contribution to the smooth return of Hong Kong.
Whether it is Qiao Feng or Guo Jing, the heroes in Jin Yong's works "serve the country and the people", and he himself does the same in real life. Before the return of Hong Kong, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invited Jin Yong to meet with the Hong Kong Governor's Office when passing through Hong Kong. She hoped that Jin Yong would support the British and not return Hong Kong, but Jin Yong refused. In 1985, the Basic Law Drafting Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was established. Jin Yong served as the Hong Kong head of the political system drafting group of the Basic Law and a member of the economic system drafting group. In 1988, he and Cha Jimin proposed the "Double Inspection Plan", which made an indelible contribution to the smooth return of Hong Kong.
