Wuxia Novelist Jin Yong Passes Away at Age 94|武俠小說泰斗金庸病逝香港 享壽94歲

Jin Yong, renowned Chinese Wuxia novelist, passed away on October 30 at the age of 94. The news has saddened many in the Chinese speaking communities around the world.


The "Dragon 18 Palms" is one of the signature martial art moves in Jin Yong's Wuxia, or martial-arts and chivalry, novels.

This is Huang Rong, the leading female character in the Legend of Condor Heroes who's known for her bright and colorful personality. To create another classic character, the Little Dragon Maiden, Jin Yong had drawn inspiration from his own life.

When I lived at school, away from home, I used to nap on a long bench. I could sleep on the narrow bench for a whole hour and not fall off. I brought that experience into the creation of the character, the Little Dragon Maiden.

Jin Yong passed away in the afternoon on the 30th at the Hong Kong Sanatorium＆Hospital at the age of 94. He was born in China, in Haining City, Zhejiang Province, in 1924. He began reading Wuxia novels when he was 8. And in 1955, he began publishing his first novel, The Book and the Sword, in the New Evening Post in installments. That novel marks the beginning of his Wuxia universe. He has written a total of 15 novels, and garnered worldwide recognition. Jin Yong is hailed by many as the most influential Wuxia novelist of the 20th century. The saying goes, where there is a Chinese-speaking community, there are Jin Yong novels. Many of his novels were adapted into movies and television series. Besides writing novels, Jin Yong also co-founded Min Pao, a daily newspaper in Hong Kong. He said the most important element in Wuxia novels is chivalry.

The important element Wuxia novels is not the martial art, or fancy techniques, but chivalry, which is embodied by the character "Xia". It means to sacrifice oneself in order to uphold justice for others. Such value will always exist in our society.

Jin Yong has created countless memorable characters and epic stories. His stories have accompanied millions of readers through different stages in their life. He is widely considered a legend in the Chinese-speaking world, and his novels will forever be hailed as classics.