''Ode to Gallantry'' () is a

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in Hong Kong from 11 June 1966 to 19 April 1967 in the newspaper ''

Ming Pao ''Ming Pao'' () is a Chinese-language newspaper published by Media Chinese International in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, ''Ming Pao'' established four overseas branches in North America; each provides independent reporting on local news and colle ...

''. The novel shares the same Chinese title as a poem by the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

poet

Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...

, which was used as its epigraph.

Plot

The plot revolves around a case of mistaken identity between a pair of identical brothers. In the afterword,

Jin Yong Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia (" martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong d ...

acknowledges that the story resembles some of the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(''

cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

'' ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...

''). The protagonist, who refers to himself as "Gouzazhong" (literally "

mongrel A mongrel, mutt or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized Dog breed, breed and including those that are the result of intentional Dog breeding, breeding. Although the term ''mixed-breed dog'' is sometime ...

"; a

colloquialism Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...

for "

bastard Bastard may refer to: Parentage * Illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents ** Bastard (law of England and Wales), illegitimacy in English law People People with the name * Bastard (surname), including a list of people with that na ...

"), first appears as a young beggar roaming the streets of

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

in search of his lost mother. He witnesses a fight between several notable figures in the ''wulin'' (martial artists' community) and meets the Shi couple and members of the Snowy Mountain School. An accident causes him to be taken away by Xie Yanke, an eccentric martial artist, to a secluded location on Motian Cliff. Xie Yanke, who is frequently bothered by Gouzazhong, decides to teach him martial arts. Gouzazhong learns '' qi'' cultivation techniques under Xie Yanke's tutelage for six years. He is unaware that Xie actually harbours ill intentions and has been deliberately teaching him the techniques wrongly in the hope that he will sustain internal wounds and eventually die. At the same time, the leader of the Changle School, Shi Zhongyu, mysteriously disappears.Chapter 15
The greater part of the novel deals with the complications that arise when Gouzhazhong is mistaken for Shi Zhongyu, not only by members of the school (for ulterior motives), by also by Shi Zhongyu's parents, Shi Zhongyu's lover Ding Dang, and members of the Snowy Mountain School. Although the two bear a spitting resemblance, their characters cannot be more different: Gouzhazhong is simple, honest and clever; Shi Zhongyu, the son of the Shi couple, has a bad reputation for being a lewd and sly womaniser. Gouzhazhong acquires consummate combat skills in the process. He is hounded by members of the Snowy Mountain School who mistake him for Shi Zhongyu, who had molested Axiu, the granddaughter of the Snowy Mountain School's leader. He acquires Axiu as his girlfriend after various incidents, during which their misunderstandings are gradually resolved. The novel culminates in an episode when the leaders of various schools are coerced into visiting a secluded island by a pair of mysterious, highly skilled messengers to celebrate the

Laba Festival Laba Festival () is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the month of La (or Layue 臘月), the twelfth month of the Chinese calendar. It is the beginning of the Chinese New Year period. It is customary on this day to ea ...

. The story then leads to a surprising conclusion: revelations on the island and more revelations concerning Gouzhazhong's true parentage.

Characters

Adaptations

Films

Television

References

{{Jin Yong's Wuxia novels Novels by Jin Yong Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in Ming Pao Novels set in the Northern Song Chinese novels adapted into television series