Qijian Xia Tianshan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Qijian Xia Tianshan'' 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 ...
novel by
Liang Yusheng Chen Wentong (5 April 1924 – 22 January 2009), better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng, was a Chinese writer. Credited as the pioneer of the "New School" (新派) of the ''wuxia'' genre in the 20th century, Chen was one of the best known ...
. It was first serialised between 15 February 1956 and 31 March 1957 in the Hong Kong newspaper ''
Ta Kung Pao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...
''. It is also closely linked to two of Liang Yusheng's other novels, '' Saiwai Qixia Zhuan'' and ''
Baifa Monü Zhuan ''Baifa Monü Zhuan'' is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng. It was serialised between 5 August 1957 and 10 December 1958 in the Hong Kong newspaper ''Sin Wun Pao''. It is closely related to ''Qijian Xia Tianshan'' and '' Saiwai Qixia Zhuan''. The no ...
''.


Plot

The prologue serves as a continuation of Yang Yuncong and Nalan Minghui's love story in '' Saiwai Qixia Zhuan'', which is set in the 17th century during the early
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
. Nalan has been forced to marry the Manchu prince
Dodo The dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest genetic relative was the also-extinct Rodrigues solitaire. The ...
even though she loves Yang and has given birth to their daughter. Yang shows up on the night before Nalan's wedding and seizes their infant daughter from her. After he is mortally wounded in a fight against Prince Dodo's henchmen, he entrusts his daughter to Mulang, a youth who was attempting suicide after being mistakenly accused of betraying his friends. Mulang brings Yang's daughter back to Yang's
master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
, Reverend Huiming, on Mount Heaven. Mulang spends 18 years training under Reverend Huiming's tutelage and becomes a formidable swordsman. He returns to the ''
jianghu ''Jianghu'' () is a term that generally refers to the milieu, environment, or sub-community in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set. The term is used flexibly, and can be used to describe a fictionalized version of Historical China (usually ...
'' (martial artists' community) under the alias "Ling Weifeng" and performs several heroic deeds. Yang Yuncong's daughter, Yilan Zhu, has mastered the Mount Heaven Swordplay, and she swears to kill Prince Dodo and avenge her father. On Mount Wutai, members of the anti-Qing secret society Heaven and Earth Society and some
Southern Ming The Southern Ming (), also known as the Later Ming (), officially the Great Ming (), was an imperial dynasty of China and a series of rump states of the Ming dynasty that came into existence following the Jiashen Incident of 1644. Shun force ...
rebels attempt to assassinate Prince Dodo, but their plans are interrupted by Yilan Zhu's untimely appearance. During the ensuing chaos, Yilan Zhu unintentionally causes Zhang Huazhao, one of the rebels, to be captured by Qing soldiers. Later, She breaks into Prince Dodo's residence to rescue him. Meanwhile, Fu Qingzhu and Mao Wanlian discover that the Shunzhi Emperor is still alive and has become a monk on Mount Wutai. The Shunzhi Emperor's son and successor, the
Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...
, secretly murders his father to safeguard his throne. Meanwhile, Ling Weifeng meets his old crush, Liu Yufang, who wrongly accused him of betrayal years ago. Even though his appearance has changed, she notices that he bears some resemblance to Mulang, but he refuses to admit that he is indeed Mulang. Ling Weifeng and Liu Yufang travel to Yunnan later and befriend Li Siyong, a descendant of
Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...
. They also encounter Fu Qingzhu and Mao Wanlian, as well as others such as Gui Zhongming and Wu Qiongyao, who become their allies. Gui falls in love with Mao after she helps him recover from a mental condition. Gui Zhongming and Mao Wanlian go to
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
later to find Yilan Zhu and they meet the scholar Nalan Rongruo. In the meantime, Nalan Minghui recognises Yilan Zhu as her daughter and she pleads with Prince Dodo to spare her daughter's life. After much difficulty, Yilan Zhu and Zhang Huazhao escape from danger and they fall in love. Yilan Zhu avenges her father later by assassinating Prince Dodo, but ends up being captured and imprisoned. Nalan Minghui is unable to save her daughter so she commits suicide in despair. Hamaya, Nalan Minghui's former love rival, shows up with Ling Weifeng in the nick of time and they rescue Yilan Zhu. Ling Weifeng suddenly experiences a seizure in a duel against Chu Zhaonan, his treacherous senior. Chu turns the tables on Ling and captures and imprisons him in an underground labyrinth in Tibet. Ling attempts to escape but fails and finds himself on the verge of death. He writes a letter to Liu Yufang, admitting that he is indeed Mulang. Liu is heartbroken upon reading Ling's letter. Han Zhibang, who has a secret crush on Liu Yufang, bravely sacrifices himself to save Ling Weifeng and dies at the hands of Chu Zhaonan. Fu Qingzhu and the other heroes break into the labyrinth to rescue Ling. Yilan Zhu defeats Chu Zhaonan, who then commits suicide. Ling Weifeng, Zhang Huazhao, Gui Zhongming, Yilan Zhu, Mao Wanlian, Wu Qiongyao, and Hamaya become known as the "Seven Swords of Mount Heaven", with Liu Yufang as their close ally. They leave behind a heroic legacy of upholding justice and helping the poor and oppressed.


Characters


Adaptations


Films

In 1959, Hong Kong's Emei Film Company produced a film titled ''Seven Swordsmen Leave Tianshan'' based on the novel. It starred Cheung Wood-yau, Law Yim-hing, Lam Kau, Hoh Bik-gin,
Shek Sau Shek Sau (, born Chan Shek-sau, Bill, 21 November 1947) is a Hong Kong actor working for TVB. His son Sam Chan also works for TVB as an actor. In 2005, they appeared in a cooking show together for a Father's Day Father's Day is a holiday o ...
, Yeung Fan and Yeung Yip-wang.
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as '' Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
's 2005 film '' Seven Swords'' features seven sword fighters, each wielding a special sword, departing from Mount Heaven to save a village under attack by a ruthless warlord. The seven swords are: The Dragon (由龍), wielded by Chu Zhaonan; The Transience (青干), wielded by Yang Yuncong; The Star Chasers (競星), wielded by Xin Longzi; The Celestial Beam (日月), wielded by Mulang; The Deity (舍神), wielded by Han Zhibang; The Heaven's Fall (天瀑), wielded by Wu Yuanying; and The Unlearnt (莫問), wielded by Fu Qingzhu. Except for some characters' names, the story and the seven swords are not related to ''Qijian Xia Tianshan''.
Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...
,
Leon Lai Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the " Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...
,
Charlie Yeung Charlie Yeung Choi-Nei (born 23 May 1974), is a Hong Kong actress. She was first noticed after appearing in a commercial with Aaron Kwok. Since then she has participated in the music videos of artists such as Hacken Lee, Jacky Cheung and made a nu ...
, Lu Yi and
Sun Honglei Sun Honglei (; born 16 August 1970) is a Chinese actor. Early life Sun was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on 16 August 1970. Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the ...
starred in the leading roles.


Television

In 2006,
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as '' Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
produced '' Seven Swordsmen'', a television series derived from the 2005 film '' Seven Swords''. It starred
Vincent Zhao Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (born 10 April 1972), sometimes credited as Vincent Chiu or Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known for playing the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the '' Once Upon a Time in China'' film ...
, Wang Xuebing, Ray Lui,
Ada Choi Ada Choi Siu-fan (; born 17 September 1973) is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, as an evil empress in the Chinese television series '' Empresses in the Palace'' (甄嬛傳), and to a lesser extent, for her film work. ...
,
Qiao Zhenyu Qiao Zhenyu (, born 1 November 1978) is a Chinese actor who is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy. Career In 2000, Qiao made his debut in the film ''Soaring Dragon Leaping Tiger''. The same year, he filmed his first television drama ''Xin ...
, Li Xiaoran, Wang Likun and
Bryan Leung Bryan Leung Kar-yan (Chinese: , born 20 January 1948) is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial ...
. The story is based more on '' Saiwai Qixia Zhuan'', the novel preceding ''Qijian Xia Tianshan'', even though it shares the same Chinese title as the latter.


Comics

In 2006, Chinese artists Guangzu (光祖) and Niu Tongxue (牛同學) released a
manhua () are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ''Cu ...
series of the same Chinese title as the novel. {{DEFAULTSORT:Qijian Xia Tianshan Novels by Liang Yusheng Novels set in the Qing dynasty Novels set in the 17th century