The Return of the Condor Heroes

周末“废寝忘食”一口气看完了06央视41集《神雕侠侣》，虽然本人并不是很喜欢武侠的东西，对央视武侠剧一向的感觉也是重景轻人，重武轻文，剧本台词包括配音粗糙生硬，对演员的要求也只是讲靓不讲神。只是偶尔碰到一个高速下载，画质不错，拿来试试我的新硬盘而已。不很喜欢武侠的原因，一个，因为它本身和现代生活甚至古代生活都隔得太远，非得抛开加速度的现代生活节奏去融入武侠的文化世界里才有可能去理解其中人物匪夷所思的各种行为；二个，若仅从文学角度讲，你说是它是神话吧，它又不是菩萨神仙妖魔鬼怪，能将现实的概念“无厘头”地神化，说它是是写实吧，却又根本沾不到边，顶多只是借助一些特定的历史人物来装点一下，不会涉及很有探讨价值的社会和历史问题，所以它就夹在中间，不免让人感到似乎武侠生来就是仅供娱乐消遣，用摸不着边的武功招式和毒药解药博君一笑，亦或是让一段有情人始终无法成眷属的生死恋博君一哭，再深一点也许就是寄托一下人们对中国传统文化的“仁义礼智信”的信奉和对纯洁无瑕的爱情的理想了。

95古李版神雕断断续续似乎记得点点，但无法想出来和黄刘版的做一个比较。83刘德华版似乎也太遥远了。83港版射雕是本人的武侠启蒙篇，至今倒是仍念念不忘，是提到经典不得不去想的。除却布景有限，演员的演绎和音乐配乐再怎么比较个人感觉实在有难出其右者，其中特别喜欢郭靖和洪七公，还有让人又恨又怜的杨康。

说归说，贴归贴，既然看完了，怎么也该宣扬一下中国武侠里积极一点的东西，至少copy一下English剧情，让看过之后不至于太快忘掉：

The Return of the Condor Heroes

The Return of the Condor Heroes (Traditional Chinese: 神鵰俠侶; Simplified Chinese: 神雕侠侣; pinyin: shén diāo xiá lǚ) is a classic wuxia novel by Jinyong, first published on May 20, 1959 in the first issue of Ming Pao and ran for about three years. This is the second novel of the Condor Trilogy. The story revolves around Yang Guo the son of Yang Kang and his lover Xiaolongnü in their struggle of finding their own destiny in an unfamiliar world.

Chapters

Jinyong revised the novel in 1970 and again in 2004. There are 40 chapters in the 2nd and 3rd revisions of the novel. Each chapter has a 4-character title. Most of the revisions are either clarifications or minor alterations of character motivations. These are the titles for 3rd revision, slightly different from 2nd revision of the novel.

風月無情 — No Love Under the Wind and the Moon
故人之子 — A Friend's Son
投師終南 — Seeking Tutelage at Mount Zhongnan
全真門下 — Under the Teaching of Quanzhen Sect
活死人墓 — The Tomb of Living Dead
玉女心經 — Heart-Manual of the Jade Maiden
重陽遺刻 — Chongyang's Markings
白衣少女 — White Clothed Girl
百計避敵 — A Hundred Ideas to Avoid Enemy
少年英俠 — The Young Hero
風塵睏頓 — A Pause from Roaming
英雄大宴 — The Heroes' Feast
武林盟主 — The Chancellor of Martial Clans Wulin
禮教大防 — Defending against Custom and Tradition
東邪門人 — The Disciples of Eastern Heretic
殺父深仇 — Avenging a Father's Death
絕情幽谷 — The Secluded Passionless Valley
公孫谷主 — Valley Master Gongsun
地底老婦 — The Old Woman of Underground
俠之大者 — A Hero's Top Imperative
襄陽鏖兵 — Battle at Xiangyang
危城女嬰 — The Baby Girl of a Falling City
手足情仇 — Sibling Rivalry
驚心動魄 — Turbulent Emotions
內憂外患 — Domestic Strife, Foreign Aggression
神雕重劍 — Divine Eagle's Heavy Sword
鬥智鬥力 — Fighting Strength with Wisdom
洞房花燭 — Wedding Festivities
劫難重重 — Ultimate Disasters
離合無常 — Strange Encounters
半枚靈丹 — The Other Half of the Antidote
情是何物 — What Entity is Love
風陵夜話 — Tales in the Night
排難解紛 — Settling a Dispute
三枚金針 — The Three Golden Needles
生辰大禮 — The Birthday Celebration
三世恩怨 — Gratitudes and Grudges of Three Generations
生死茫茫 — Life and Death are Boundless
大戰襄陽 — Battle of Xiangyang
華山之巔 — The Summit of Mount Hua

Background and Summary

The novel is set in mid-13th century at a time when the Song Dynasty is on the brink of demise. Hoards of Mongolian armies under the legacy of the late Khagan, Genghis Khan, raided their way across the northern plains planning on conquering the Han empire of Song.

The integrity of Song was at its weakest during that time. Official corruptions and famine runs rampant throughout the empire. Uncounted people are killed by the Mongolians and hundreds of settlements burned. The government was too weak to send out efficient military support and could only watch as cities one after another get sacked by Mongolian hoards.

It was during this time that Guo Jing and Huang Rong, main characters of the previous sequel, with their uncontestable reputation and skill, rallied hundreds of Martial Clans and defended Xiangyang, the last stonghold that stands in the Mongolians' way.

The main characters are Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü. Yang Guo is the orphaned son of Yang Kang and Mu Nianci, both characters of the previous sequel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. He never knew his father and could barely remember his mother. But their legacy, especially his father's, made him an outsider in the Martial World.

Xiaolongnü is a mysterious girl of unknown origin and whose past is slowly revealed in the plot.

Raised by, Guo Jing, Yang Guo and later sent to train under the Quan Zhen Sect martial arts (All True Religion), he met Xiaolongnü of Ancient Tomb Sect (Gumu Bai), who became his teacher. When they first met, Yang Guo was an impetuous and mischievous 14-year-old while Xiaolongnü was a cold, unemotional 18-year-old. After years of living together in the Ancient Tomb and training in kung fu, they eventually fell in love with each other.

Storyline Summary

The orphan

The story sparks off with Li Mochou, who took massacred the whole Lu family. She hated He Yuanjun for marrying her beloved many years ago - Lu Zhanyuan. It was during this time, Lu Zhan Yuan's daughter Lu Wushuang escaped along with her cousin Cheng Ying. Despite hiding away, Lu Wushuang was abducted by Li Mochou while Cheng Ying was saved by East Heretic, Huang Yaoshi.

Yang Guo was an orphan, living the life of a scavenger and was accidentally hurt by one of Li Mochou's poisonous needles. In the nick of time, the insane Ouyang Feng helped him plunge the poison under a condition which was to be Yang Guo's god-father. In his insanity, he taught Yang Guo the Toad Leap and had a good time together.

One day, Guo Jing and his family met Yang Guo, and found the little boy resembling his sworn brother, Yang Kang. On learning that Yang Guo is Yang Kang's son, Guo Jing brought him to Peach Blossom Island and took care of him. However, things did not went well for Yang Guo as he was unable to get along with Guo Fu and the Wu brothers. Guo Jing's wife, Huang Rong hated Yang Kang and did not teach Yang Guo any martial arts, afraid that he would end up like his father, thus she only taught Yang Guo the teachings of the sages.

A fight broke out one day and as Yang Guo was not taught of any martial arts, he was at the losing end. At the critical moment, he unexpectedly used the Toad Leap and hurt Wu Xiuwen badly. He refused to reveal how he learnt the Toad Leap but Guo Jing and Huang Rong both knew the culprit. Yang Guo was sent to Quan Zhen Sect. for better guidance, and because Ke Zhen'e would vent his anger on Yang Guo as he's an archenemy of Ouyang Feng.

Quanzhen sect

Upon reaching the foot of Mt. Zhongnan, Guo Jing broke a stone carving out of frustration when Yang Guo asked about his father's death. Because of this, Quanzhen prists thought Guo Jing was barging into Mt. Zhongnan and had conflicts. Halfway up the mountain, Yang Guo was abducted by a priest and upon discovering this, Guo Jing fought his way up to the Chongyang Palace. It was in total chaos and Guojing defeated the haughty Mongolian Prince, Huodu. Guo Jing then entrusted Yang Guo to Quanzhen Sect but was ill-treated by Zhao Zhijing and his disciple. By mistake, Yang Guo escaped and ended up in the Tomb of the Living Dead and was taken in by Dragon Girl (Xiaolongnü) after Granny Sun's death caused by Hao Datong.

Tomb of the Living Dead

Dragon Girl imparted her skills to Yang Guo and they eventually ended up practising the Maiden Finesse. At one point, they had to strip their bodies to practice but was chanced upon by Yin Zhiping and Zhao Zhijing. With her energy disrupted, Dragon Girl was injured severely. At this critical moment, Li Mochou returned to look for the Maiden Finesse.

By chance, Dragon Girl learnt a skill from the art of nine negations left behind by Wang Chongyang and escaped with Yang Guo through a secret passage as the exit/entrance was sealed by a large boulder.

(Incomplete storyline)

Flower of Love

In the novel, there is a flower called the flower of love (情花) which although beautiful, has hidden thorns. The thorns are very poisonous and if you are pricked by even one of them, it could be lethal. Upon any thoughts of love, the victim would be hurt by the poison. Years ago, the love flowers were supposed to be extinct but it seemed that they still continue to thrive in a hidden place called the Passionless Valley, whose master is the ruthless Gongsun Zhi. There is only one antidote to the poison of this flower, the passion pill, which is a tiny square-shaped tablet.

Yang Guo was poisoned by this flower when he came to the valley while Xiaolongnü was badly injured in the later part of this novel. Because there was no cure for Xiaolongnü she jumped off a cliff, leaving a message to Yang Guo, who could still be saved; The message read: She was taken by Nanhai Nun (a fabricated role) to cure her disease, she would meet Yang Guo 16 years later; so he would take the antidote and wait for her. Her original plan was to make him forget about her, this caused them to separate for sixteen years.

Characters

The Condor

The Condor (神鵰) is a giant eagle living alone in a valley. It used to have a companion but he was long dead before it met Yang Guo. The Condor's companion was actually a great sword master, nicknamed the Sword Devil (劍魔), by the name of Dugu Qiu Bai (獨孤求敗) or The Only Lonely One-Who-Begs-For-Defeat. After roaming China in search for someone to rival his great swordmanship, Dugu Qiu Bai came to a cave in the middle of a forest and lived there as a hermit. No one could defeat him so he became known as 'Great' but in the process, he also became a solitary person, living alone with only the condor for a companion. In doing so, he took on the name "Qiubai (求敗)" ("begging for defeat"), perhaps out of arrogance, or more likely as a dogged quest to find the limit of his skills. After his death, the Condor lived alone, and only came to encounter Yang Guo one night during a fight with a giant snake...

From the condor, Yang Guo learned his swordsplay. Because his right arm had been cut off by Guo Fu, the spoiled daughter of his surrogate uncle, Guo Jing in a fit of anger, Yang Guo trained relentlessly with his one arm under the waterfalls to wield the great sword of Dugu Qiu Bai. Eventually, when he achieved high skills in kung fu, he and the condor ventured out to search for his lover and kung fu master, Xiaolongnü (小龍女).

Protagonists

Yang Guo (楊過) - the main hero of the story. He is the orphaned son of Yang Kang (楊康) and Mu Nianci (穆念慈) who are both characters of the first part of the trilogy, The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Xiaolongnü (小龍女) - is Yang Guo's love interest. She is a disciple of the secret kung fu sect, Gumu Bai (Ancient Tomb Sect, 古墓派).

Guo Jing (郭靖) - is the sworn brother of Yang Guo's father, Yang Kang. He took care of Yang Guo when his mother died.

Huang Rong (黃蓉) - is Guo Jing's clever wife and Yang Guo's surrogate aunt. She refused at first to teach martial arts to Yang Guo, fearing that he would turn out to be like his father.

Lu Wushuang (陸無雙) - is the spirited daughter of the Lu House, which is a prominent family in Jiang Nan. When she first saw Yang Guo, she thought he was half-mad and called him "Sha Dan." Later on, she began to develop strong feelings for him.

Cheng Ying (程英) - is Lu Wu Shuang's mild-mannered cousin and a disciple of Island Master Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師), the East Heretic and Huang Rong's father. She helped Yang Guo rescue Lu Wushuang from the evil clutches of Li Mochou (李莫愁). Like her cousin, she also has affectionate feelings for Yang Guo.

Wanyan Ping (完顏萍)- is a member of the royal family of Jin Dynasty. Her whole family was killed by the Yelü (耶律) Family and to avenge their deaths, she swore to kill Yelü Chuchai (耶律楚才) who was the prime minister of Mongolia. She reminded Yang Guo of Xiaolongnü and because of this, he taught her martial arts to defeat the prime minister's son, Yelü Qi (耶律齊).

Guo Fu (郭芙) - is the spoiled daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. She used to look down on Yang Guo when they were younger but eventually came to admire him for his kung fu .She later made her peace with Yang Guo after he saved her husband Yelü Qi and sister at the end of the novel). She grew up with Wu Dunru (武敦儒) and Wu Xiuwen (武修文). They were sons of Wu Santong (武三通) and later became her first suitors. Since Guo Fu had trouble choosing which of the brothers to marry, Dun Ru and Xiu Wen fought a duel to the death. In order to prevent this fratricide, Yang Guo lied to the Wu brothers saying that Guo Jing and Huang Rong had already betrothed Guo Fu to him. This lie really offended Guo Fu. She intended to kill Yang Guo with the Shunü Sword which Xiaolongnü gave her but, fortunately, only severed his right arm.

Gongsun Lü'e (公孫綠萼) - is the daughter of the evil valley master, Gongsun Zhi (公孫止) and the cruel Qui Qianchi (裘千尺) who was known as the Iron Palm Lotus Blossom. She fell in love with Yang Guo but he could not return her love. Eventually, she made the ultimate sacrifice and gave up her life to save him.

Guo Xiang (郭襄) - is the gentle daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong and Guo Fu's younger sister. As a baby, she was kidnapped first by Xiaolongnü who wanted to use her in exchange for the antidote to the poison that affected Yang Guo. She was snatched away from Xiaolongnü by her apprentice sister, Li Mochou. Later, the evil Tibetan monk, Jinlun Fawang (金輪法王) also tried to kidnap her when she was on her way to persuade Yang Guo not to commit suicide. It was Yang Guo who finally saved her and returned her to her parents.

Antagonists

Jinlun Guoshi (金輪國師) / Jinlun Fawang (金輪法王) - is known as the Living Buddha of Tibet and Mongolia's Defense Master. At the heroes' gathering in Da Shen Guan, he tried to take the title of "Head of Wulin" to stop the South Song Song Dynasty (960-1279) citizens from raising arms against the Mongolians. He was later defeated by Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü who teamed up and used the Jade Maiden Heart's Swordplay.

Li Mochou (李莫愁) - is known as the Serpent Deity. The apprentice sister of Xiaolongnü, she was expelled from the sect because of her love for a man who later betrayed her. She roams Jiang Hu, striking fear in men's hearts and ruthlessly causing trouble when the mood strikes her.

Gongsun Zhi (公孫止) - is the merciless master of Passionless Valley. His ancestors were once important officials of Tang Dynasty who fled to a fortress in the hidden valley to avoid prosecution. While gathering some herbs, he chanced upon the unconscious form of Xiaolongnü and fell in love with her.

Qui Chianchi (裘千尺) - is Gongsun Zhi's wife and known as the Lotus Blossom of Iron Palm Sect. Everyone thought she was dead but in truth, Gongsun Zhi imprisoned her in a deep pit under the Passionless Valley.

Zhao Zhijing (趙志敬) - is a third-generation disciple of Quan Zhen Sect (全真教) and also the master of Yang Guo when he was still studying there. He nearly destroyed his own school when he enlisted the Mongolian conquerors to help him become master of Quan Zhen Sect. He finally died from poison bees.

Huo Du (霍都) - is a prince of Mongolia and a disciple of Jinlun Fawang.

Möngke Khan - is a Mongolian ruler who personally lead the attack on the city of Xiangyang. He was killed by Yang Guo at the end of the novel. His death temporary halted the Mongolian invasion, caused by the internal conflict of succession within the Mongol empire in which Kublai Khan won.

The Five Greats

Here are the five martial arts fighters, known as the Five Greats (Wu Gao Shou) in Yang Guo's, decided by Huang Rong at the end of the novel:
Zhou Botong (周伯通) - is known as the Old Mischievous Child (老頑童). At the end of the novel, he reluctantly took Center Position of the Five Greats as 'Zhong Wantong' (中頑童) which used to belong to his apprentice brother, Wang Chongyang (王重陽) aka Zhong Shentong.

Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師) - is known as the East Heretic (東邪), a man who dislikes the rules of that era and has a mercurial disposition. Also respectfully called TaoHua Daozhu (Master of the Peach Blossom Island) for where he lives, though he tends to wander around in this novel (as opposed to in Shediao Yingxiong Zhuan, where he stayed primarily in Taohua Dao) because his daughter and son-in-law has taken over the island.

Yang Guo (楊過) - is known as West Uncontrollable (西狂), in reference to his uncontrolled flaunting of the conventions forbidding marriage to his master. As the name suggests, he gets along well with East Heretic Huang Yaoshi. Successor of Ouyang Feng (歐陽鋒), the West Poison (西毒) who is also his foster father. Ouyang Feng is one of the guest stars from The Return of the Condor Heroes because he only appears on Chapter 2, 8, & 11 out of 40 chapters in the novel, mentioned about 280 times in 3rd revision of the novel.

Yi Deng Dashi (Master Yi Deng, 一燈大師) - is known as the South Monk (南僧). He used to be called the South Emperor (Nan Di, 南帝), because he was the king of the Kingdom of Dali (大理國) but he gave up that title and entered the monastery to become a monk.

Guo Jing (郭靖) - is known as the North Hero (Bei Xia, 北俠), for his compassion and devoted efforts in helping defend fort Xiangyang over the years against Mongolian invasion. A successor of North Beggar Hong Qigong (北丐, 洪七公), who is also one of his teachers. Ouyang Feng dies with Hong Qigong on Chapter 11. Hong Qigong considers as guest star from The Return of the Condor Heroes because he only appears on Chapter 10 & 11, mentioned about 187 times in 3rd revision of the novel.