Huashan Sect

The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox sects in the '' wulin'' (martial artists' community). It is named after the place where it is based, Mount Hua. The sect appears in three of Jin Yong's novels.

There exists a real-life Mount Hua Sect, but it has scarcely any association with martial arts. It was founded in the Song dynasty by Hao Datong, one of the "Seven Immortals of Quanzhen", who also appears as a character in Jin Yong's ''Condor Trilogy''.Cha, Louis. ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' (射鵰英雄傳). ''Ming Pao'', 1957. However, in wuxia fiction, these two sects do not appear to have any connection at all.

History

In ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'', set in the Yuan dynasty, the Mount Hua Sect is briefly mentioned to be one of the six leading orthodox sects in the ''jianghu''.Cha, Louis. ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. ''Ming Pao'', 1961. Its leader is the morally bankrupt Xianyu Tong.

In ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'', the sect's leader Yue Buqun is the sect's 13th-generation leader.Cha, Louis. ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer''. ''Ming Pao'', 1967. The Mount Hua Sect is part of the Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance and Yue Buqun becomes the alliance's chief after defeating his predecessor, Zuo Lengshan of the Mount Song Sect. The novel's protagonist, Linghu Chong, is Yue Buqun's most senior apprentice. In the novel, the Mount Hua Sect is inferior to only three sects: Shaolin, Wudang and the Sun Moon Holy Cult.

In ''Sword Stained with Royal Blood'', set near the end of the Ming dynasty, the protagonist, Yuan Chengzhi, is a member of the Mount Hua Sect. His master, Mu Renqing, is the sect's leader and is reputed to be the best living swordsman in the ''jianghu'' (martial artists' community) at that time. The Mount Hua Sect is one of the Four Great Sword Sects alongside Emei, Kunlun and Diancang.Cha, Louis. ''Sword Stained with Royal Blood''. ''Ming Pao'', 1956.

Skills and martial arts

In ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'', the martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect mainly comprise swordplay techniques and inner energy cultivation skills. The sect is split into the Sword and Qi factions, which focus on swordplay techniques and inner energy cultivation respectively. The division is caused by an internal conflict arising from a dispute over the Sunflower Manual by the founders of the factions. The Qi faction seized control of leadership of the sect and forced the Sword faction into exile. Since then, the Qi faction, headed by Yue Buqun, has been teaching the sect's members inner energy skills and other forms of martial arts while placing little focus on swordplay, for which the Mount Hua Sect is better known in the ''jianghu'' (martial artists' community).

Linghu Chong becomes famous after he learns the Nine Swords of Dugu from the Sword faction elder Feng Qingyang. Linghu Chong's generation sees the revival of the Sword faction. In ''Sword Stained with Royal Blood'', Mu Renqing is highly revered in the ''jianghu'' for his outstanding swordplay techniques, as his nickname "Divine Sword Immortal Ape" suggests. Yuan Chengzhi inherits Mu Renqing's swordplay skills, while Mu Renqing's two other apprentices, Huang Zhen and Gui Xinshu, specialise in unarmed combat martial arts.

List of skills and martial arts

: ''Note: Although the skills listed here are entirely fictional, some may be based on or named after actual martial arts.''

* Unarmed combat styles:
** Tiger Subduing Palm ()
** Primordial Chaos Palm ()
** Rock Splitting Fist ()
** Jade Smashing Fist ()
** Iron Finger ()
** Leopard's Tail Kicks ()
* Inner energy skills:
** Violet Mist Divine Skill ()
** Primordial Chaos Skill ()
** Hugging Energy Skill ()
** Mount Hua Steel Armour Breathing Skill ()
* ''Qinggong'' styles:
** Ten Rolls of Silk ()

* Armed combat styles:
** Mount Hua Swordplay ()
** Nineteen Styles of Jade Maiden Sword ()
** Wild Wind Swift Sword ()
** Reverse Dual Saber Style ()
** Gentleman Swordplay ()
** Virtuous Lady Swordplay ()
** Self-Cultivation Sword ()
** Mysterious Sword ()
** Life Taking Linked Three Immortals Sword ()
** Eagle and Serpent's Battle for Survival ()
** Mount Hua Three Deities Peak ()
** Nine Swords of Dugu ()

See also

*Mount Hua

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Hua Sect
Organizations in Wuxia fiction