One#
Qian Zhongshu said, "If you eat an egg and find it delicious, why bother getting to know the mother hen that laid it?" If that's the case, where did the Index School and the Textual Research School of Dream of the Red Chamber come from? Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang often allude to real people in their novels, such as in Fortress Besieged, Bathing, and We Three, but they hide the true events and thoughts, perhaps only familiar people know who or what they are alluding to. Ordinary readers have no way of discerning, but they can vaguely feel that they have encrypted a layer of code that is impossible to decipher, including Pipe and Cone and Qian Zhongshu's poetry. Qian Zhongshu wrote Pipe and Cone in classical Chinese to feed the spread of toxins."
Italian writer and literary critic Umberto Eco said that the ideal reader can stand in the author's perspective and understand what the author was thinking when writing. Although the author sets up maze obstacles, in the end, they can still see the ingenuity of setting up the maze. The maze is meant to be deciphered by someone, and the author's efforts are not in vain.
Jin Yong is familiar with scriptwriting and often sets up a MacGuffin, as Alfred Hitchcock said, such as the Dragon Slaying Saber, Nine Yin Manual, and Wu Mu's Legacy, which serve as motivation and rewards for the challenges. But that's just the surface. Jin Yong also sets up a true narrative story line that often involves emotional entanglement in seeking revenge for one's father. This is the hidden Easter egg in Jin Yong's maze.
Avenging one's father is a classic theme in drama, and the most famous examples in tragedy are Oedipus Rex, which tells the story of the plague in Thebes and the oracle's command to find the killer of the former king (who is actually his father), and Hamlet, in which Hamlet hesitates in seeking revenge for his father, famously contemplating "to be or not to be."
An ambitious author would never be satisfied with self-repetition. The reason Jin Yong constantly repeats this theme can only be attributed to the unresolved emotional conflict within him. I haven't seen anyone analyze it, but if you don't analyze it, you are really not doing justice to the author's efforts. It's like Linghu Chong not going to the Cliff of Reflection to see Feng Qingyang, or Xuzhu not deciphering the intricate chess game of Wu Yazi. It is unsatisfactory for both parties.
The Cha family in Haining is a prominent family, and their ancestor Cha Shenxing was a famous poet in the Qing Dynasty who studied under Huang Zongxi. Huang Zongxi never served in the Qing Dynasty and wrote books criticizing the flaws of the Qin Dynasty's governance for 2,000 years, saying, "The greatest harm to the world is the ruler alone." Cha Shenxing, on the other hand, served as a literary official in the Southern Study Room, with seven members of his family becoming Hanlin scholars. During the Yongzheng period, Cha Shenxing's younger brother, Cha Siting, went to Jiangxi to become an examiner and set a question that said "for the people to stop." He was accused of removing the characters "Yongzheng" from the question. Cha Siting and his son died in prison, and their family members were exiled. Scholars in Zhejiang Province were not allowed to take the imperial examinations for six years. Cha Shenxing was also implicated and was ordered to lead his entire family to Beijing to be imprisoned.
In the era of national crisis, Jin Yong wanted to become a diplomat who could make a difference. In 1950, he went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing to apply for a job, but was unsuccessful. In 1951, his father passed away. Regarding his father's death, Jin Yong wrote, "I cried for three days and three nights in Hong Kong and was heartbroken for half a year." He said he had no resentment, "Thousands of landlords were executed, this was a great upheaval." (From his memoir "Moon Cloud")
Huang Zongxi met the enemy who killed his father, took out a hidden dagger from his sleeve, and publicly attacked Cui Yingyuan, pulling out his beard to pay tribute to his father's spirit. Jin Yong came from an intellectual family and was deeply influenced by traditional culture. Overcoming the grudge of the heart is not so easy. We can see his inner journey from his novels.
Two#
In The Book and the Sword, Chen Jialuo and Emperor Qianlong are brothers. Chen Jialuo understands the righteousness of the nation, but Qianlong is unmoved. In order to persuade Qianlong, Chen Jialuo gives him Kasi Li (Concubine Xiang) with the reason that "national affairs are important, personal feelings are trivial." We should note that in traditional culture, the literati take the world as their responsibility, and the family and the country are intertwined. Qianlong is essentially recognizing the enemy as his father, but his behavior is completely understandable, while Chen Jialuo's behavior is inexplicable, as if sleepwalking. Why did the story turn out this way? Readers should interpret it themselves. I think it is Jin Yong's resistance to the plausibility of the story. The novel regards the actions of the heroes of the Red Flower Society as a joke and highly praises the literary and martial achievements of the Kangxi and Qianlong eras, even though it was Qianlong who exterminated the tribe of the female protagonist. In terms of national perspective, this first novel by Jin Yong, although it seems similar to Liang Yusheng, is quite different. Liang Yusheng had a firm stance on national issues.
In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Yuan Chengzhi needs to consider who is responsible for his father's death and how to avenge him. Emperor Chongzhen died tragically, sacrificing himself for the nation. The people who tortured Yuan Chonghuan to death were ignorant and misguided. In the end, he can only escape overseas.
In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing and Yang Kang are opposing characters. Guo Jing is simple-minded and does not need to think too much about national enmity and family hatred. He just needs to fulfill the expectations of his teachers. Yang Kang recognizes the enemy as his father and ultimately brings destruction upon himself. This novel, with its limited intelligence of the protagonist, presents a clear distinction between good and evil.
In The Return of the Condor Heroes, Yang Guo painfully discovers that the one who killed his father is a chivalrous hero who fights for the country and the people. After much struggle, Yang Guo finally lets go of his hatred and chooses the righteousness of the family and the nation. In the climax of the novel, the Condor Heroes appear, and Yang Guo gives three great gifts to Guo Xiang: first, he annihilates two thousand Mongolian troops; second, he burns the Mongolian army's food supply; third, he exposes the conspiracy of Prince Huodu, who wants to become the leader of the Beggar Sect. Guo Xiang understands that personal feelings and personal grievances are insignificant compared to the righteousness of the family and the nation.
In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the six major sects are responsible for the death of Zhang Wuji's parents. Zhang Wuji chooses to give up revenge, which many readers may not understand. Jin Yong himself said, "Tolerance is a very important spirit in Chinese national character, and it is also a necessary condition for the nation. Speaking of tolerance, my Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber can be said to concentrate on this spirit. In my other works, I also intentionally or unintentionally express this point."
In Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, Hu Yidao is killed by Miao Renfeng's sword, but it was not Miao Renfeng's intention. It was a plot by a treacherous person. Can this grudge still be avenged? The story ends abruptly.
In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, everyone is looking for their fathers, which is different from other novels. Perhaps because Qiao Feng is of a different ethnicity, he is different from the other protagonists in Jin Yong's novels. Like Oedipus, he is full of enthusiasm in his search for his father, but in the end, there is no revenge to be sought, except death.
In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, unlike other novels, Linghu Chong kills his father figure in his mind and realizes the hypocrisy, selfishness, and despicableness of his master. This novel was written in 1967, during the turmoil in Hong Kong. Jin Yong faced personal threats and went to Switzerland to hide. For his safety, he even planned to move the newspaper to Malaysia.
In Jin Yong's last novel, The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao has no father, so there is no question of seeking revenge. But as a literati, the family and the country are intertwined. During the upheaval of the nation, Huang Zongxi went barefoot and buried his father without wearing the clothes of the Manchus. The family of Zhang Taiyan continued to wear masks when burying their family members until the end of the Qing Dynasty, to show their shame in front of their ancestors. Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, and other great scholars advised Wei Xiaobao to become emperor, but Wei Xiaobao refused, thinking that Kangxi was doing a good job. The novel begins with a tragic event in Ming history, but the main culprit, Ao Bai, has already been executed, and it will be a few decades before the Cha family is affected. The brothers of the Heaven and Earth Society ask him to go home and ask his mother, "Did you receive any guests before I was born?" The following conversation is quite interesting:
Wei Xiaobao said, "Were these guests all Han Chinese?" Wei Chunfang said, "Of course there were Han Chinese, as well as Manchu officials, and even Mongolian military officers." Wei Xiaobao said, "What about foreign devils?" Wei Chunfang angrily said, "Do you think your mother is a prostitute? Even foreign devils came to the brothel, I drove them out with a broom. Those demons, red-haired devils, came to the Lichun brothel, and I chased them away with a big broom." Wei Xiaobao was relieved and said, "That's good!" Wei Chunfang looked up and recalled the past, saying, "There was a Hui Muslim who often came to see me. He was very handsome, and I often thought to myself that my little treasure's nose looks like his." Wei Xiaobao said, "Were there Tibetans?" Wei Chunfang proudly said, "Of course! There was a Tibetan lama who had to recite scriptures before getting on the bed. While reciting, his eyes would roll around and look at me. Your eyes are mischievous, just like that lama!"
This is the reconstruction of national identity, which is crucial. Jin Yong finally found solace.
Three#
In the 1997 film "The Thirteenth Master of Nanhai," the Thirteenth Master is already insane in his old age. He calls the police to report that his shoes have been stolen. When the police officer, played by James Wong, arrives and asks what was stolen, the Thirteenth Master replies, "Shoes! The left shoe was stolen by the British, and the right shoe was stolen by the Japanese. Are you brave enough to catch them?" The Thirteenth Master's life experiences are similar to Jin Yong's. His father, Jiang Kongyin, studied under Kang Youwei and assisted the revolutionary party. In 1951, he went on a 41-day hunger strike and died. In the film, upon hearing the news of his father's death, the Thirteenth Master becomes mentally disturbed, but even in his destitution, he still remembers the Japanese invasion and British colonization.
The intellectuals who fled to Hong Kong had a strong sense of patriotism for various reasons. I believe the most important reason is that the intellectuals relied on culture, and the search for cultural roots was their way of finding their place in the world.
In 1954, there was a dispute between the Tai Chi and White Crane schools in the martial arts community in Hong Kong. They had a showdown at the New Garden in Macau to determine the winner. The stage effect of this showdown is similar to the one between Master Yan Fang and Tai Chi Lei Lei, but it caused a huge sensation in Hong Kong. Liang Yusheng wrote "Dragon Tiger Duel in Beijing" and Jin Yong wrote "The Book and the Sword." This opened up a new era of martial arts. Like Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng had worked for Ta Kung Pao and Xin Wan Bao. In 1950, his father was mistakenly killed, and he was a patriot throughout his life.
Jin Yong answered why so many people like martial arts novels, saying, "I think the most important thing is that martial arts novels are based on Chinese tradition. They depict Chinese society, and more importantly, their values are acceptable to the Chinese. They depict the moral and ethical values of the Chinese people and have a strong national color, which is why they attract Chinese readers." The Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, anti-Manchu revolution, and the profound traditional Chinese medicine in martial arts novels represent the longing of the people in the colony to find their cultural roots. Hong Kong intellectuals created national heroes such as Huo Yuanjia, Ma Yongchun, Ip Man, Wong Fei-hung, Hong Xiguan, and Hua Yingxiong.
The patriotism of Hong Kong intellectuals is most subtly and elegantly portrayed in "Shanghai Bund." Xu Wenqiang is a student at Yanjing University and is arrested and imprisoned for three years due to his involvement in patriotic student movements. He loses his like-minded girlfriend and ends up in Shanghai's underworld. Due to killing a Japanese spy, he loses Feng Chengcheng and eventually his own life. Every time he shows patriotism, he has to make great sacrifices, but his patriotic heart remains unchanged. This also involves many untold stories of Hong Kong.
Jin Yong loves his motherland and his hometown. "If you have been to Jiangnan, you will think of those swallows, willows, apricot blossoms, and small boats in the drizzle." In his later years, Jin Yong went into politics after working in the newspaper and business, and he worked tirelessly for the peaceful handover of Hong Kong. He said, "China is vast! How can a few people's intentions control the great China and overturn the world? The situation naturally inspires and resonates with people's hearts and minds. From literature, art, or philosophical and metaphysical thoughts, we can glimpse some clues to the historical development. People must step by step towards the ideals of freedom, enlightenment, tolerance, and democracy. Based on my personal observations over the past three years, the general mentality of the people on the mainland tends to have the above tendencies and trends. From a certain perspective, this can be regarded as the foundation of progress." (From Zhang Dachun's "Jin Yong Talks about Art")
His thoughts had a great influence on the young people in mainland China during the early stages of reform and opening up. He even had enthusiastic fans who compared themselves to Jin Yong, from business to newspapers to politics.
Mr. Cha described his life as follows: "I came from the south as a young man with nothing, and I established myself and enjoyed peace and prosperity in Hong Kong. The praise and criticism I received are insignificant. Success and failure in a hundred years are not light matters. Listen, gentlemen, I will proclaim my wisdom and sincerity to the nation. In the face of wind and rain, we must work together and dare to face difficulties and cherish our humble reputation." Huang Zongxi said, "A great man's actions are based on right and wrong, not on personal gain or loss; they are based on what is right or wrong, not on success or failure; they are based on the long term, not on one's own lifetime."
History will have a fair evaluation of everyone and everything. For Huang Zongxi, there will be a wise king three hundred years later. This kind of evaluation is not immediate, perhaps it will take a hundred years. Excessive praise or defamation by those in power cannot withstand the test of time.