The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several 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. 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 Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about east of Xi'an. It is the "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified ...

. The sect appears in three of

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 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 The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

by Hao Datong, one of the "Seven Immortals of Quanzhen", who also appears as a character in Jin Yong's ''

Condor Trilogy The ''Condor Trilogy'' (射鵰三部曲) is a series of three wuxia novels written by Hong Kong-based Chinese writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha). The series is amongst the most popular of Jin Yong's works. The novels in the trilogy are: * ''The Legend ...

''.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 ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (), also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the third and final installment in the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes ...

'', set in the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...

, 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 Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in Hong Kong in the newspaper ''Ming Pao'' from 20 April 1967 to 12 October 1969. The Chinese title of the novel, ''Xiao Ao Jiang Hu'', literally m ...

'', 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 The Five Mountain Sword Schools Alliance is a fictional alliance formed by five "orthodox" martial arts schools in the ''wuxia'' novel ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' by Jin Yong.Cha, Louis. ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer''. Ming Pao, 1967. The fi ...

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 ''Sword Stained with Royal Blood'' is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in the Hong Kong newspaper '' Hong Kong Commercial Daily'' between 1 January 1956 and 31 December 1956.The date conforms to the data published ...

'', set near the end of the

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 ...

, 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 ''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) at that time. The Mount Hua Sect is one of the Four Great Sword Sects alongside

Emei Mount Emei (; ), alternately Mount Omei, is a mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Mount Emei sits at the western rim of the Sichuan Basin. The mountains west of it are kn ...

Kunlun The Kunlun Mountains ( zh, s=昆仑山, t=崑崙山, p=Kūnlún Shān, ; ug, كۇئېنلۇن تاغ تىزمىسى / قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى ) constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the bro ...

and Diancang.Cha, Louis. ''Sword Stained with Royal Blood''. ''Ming Pao'', 1956.

Skills and martial arts

In ''

'', the martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect mainly comprise

swordplay Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

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 ''

'' (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 ''

'', 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 Qinggong is a training technique for jumping off vertical surfaces from the Chinese martial art Baguazhang. The practitioner runs up a plank supported against a wall. The gradient of the plank is increased gradually over time as the training progr ...

'' 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 ()

Notes

References

External links