The Mount Heaven School, also known as the Tianshan School, is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in works of ''

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 ...

'' fiction, most notably Liang Yusheng's ''

Qijian Xia Tianshan ''Qijian Xia Tianshan'' is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng. It was first serialised between 15 February 1956 and 31 March 1957 in the Hong Kong newspaper ''Ta Kung Pao''. It is also closely linked to two of Liang Yusheng's other novels, '' Saiwai ...

''. It also appears in

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 da ...

's '' Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' as a minor school that plays an important role in the story line of one of the three protagonists, Xuzhu. The school is named after the place where it is based, the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

mountain range in western China.

History

In Liang Yusheng's ''

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 ...

'', the Mount Heaven School is founded during the late

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

by Reverend Huiming, a Buddhist monk who was formerly a

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

under the general Xiong Tingbi.Liang, Yusheng. ''Baifa Monü Zhuan''. 1957. Reverend Huiming resides on Mount Heaven for several years and spends his time practising and studying martial arts. Huiming has three apprentices (Yang Yuncong, Chu Zhaonan and Ling Weifeng) who later play important roles in the novels '' Saiwai Qixia Zhuan'' and ''

''.Liang, Yusheng. ''Qijian Xia Tianshan''. 1956. By 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-speak ...

, Reverend Huiming has made his name as one of the most powerful martial artists in the '' jianghu'', while his three apprentices are also renowned swordsmen. In

's '' Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'', the Mount Heaven School has a different history and plays an important role in the story of Xuzhu, one of the novel's three protagonists.Cha, Louis. ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils''. ''Ming Pao'', 1963. The Mount Heaven School is established by Tianshan Tonglao and it is based in Lingjiu Palace () on the Ethereal Peak () of Mount Heaven. In the novel, it is first introduced as a mysterious school which very few people in the '' jianghu'', except the Lords of the 36 Caves and 72 Islands, know about. The Lords have been implanted with a deadly poison, the Life and Death Talisman (), and forced into submission by Tianshan Tonglao. They are bound to serve Tianshan Tonglao for eternity and will be given an antidote once a year to ease the suffering caused by the poison if they fulfil her wishes. After succeeding Tianshan Tonglao as the ruler of Lingjiu Palace, Xuzhu frees the Lords from their suffering and they willingly pledge allegiance to him out of gratitude.

List of skills and martial arts

: ''Note: The skills and martial arts listed here are entirely fictional.'' * Mount Heaven Swordplay () * Divine Light of Mount Heaven () * Six Suns Palm of Mount Heaven () * Plum Twisting Hand of Mount Heaven () * Life and Death Talisman ()

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Heaven School Organizations in Wuxia fiction

History

List of skills and martial arts

See also

Notes