Blade-dance of the Two Lovers
Encyclopedia
Blade-dance of the Two Lovers is a wuxia
novella by Jin Yong. It was first serialized in 1961 in Ming Pao
.
. A pair of precious blades known as "Lovers' Blades" (鸳鸯刀) are transported by an escort agency commissioned by provincial officials to the Forbidden City
. The blades are said to hold the secret to invincibility, and thus become a highly sought-after artifact by pugilists in the jianghu
. To ensure that the escort agency chief does not keep the blades for himself, the officials detain his family members under the pretext of offering protection.
Amidst attempts by various parties to seize the weapons, the blades fall eventually, through serendipity, into the hands of two couples: Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui; and Lin Yulong and Ren Feiyan, a married pugilist couple with an infant who is forever bickering. They are defeated by a highly skilled imperial guard, Zhuo Tianxiong, who disguises himself as a blind man and hides in the convoy to protect the blades. Hunted by Zhuo Tianxiong, the couples are forced to seek refuge in a dilapidated temple. Out of desperation Lin Yulong and Ren Feiyan teach the younger couple Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui a type of swordplay known as the "Couple's Saber" (夫妻刀法). The saber movement covers the two partners' weaknesses while multiplying their combat lethality, making them virtually invincible. The couple defeat Zhuo Tianxiong using this new technique.
Later, Yuan Guannan visits Xiao Zhonghui's manor during her father's 50th birthday celebration and receives a warm welcome. He meets Xiao Zhonghui's father, Xiao Banhe, a respected pugilist, and Xiao's wives Madam Yang and Madam Yuan. At the dinner, Zhuo Tianxiong and his men appear to seize the blades. Concurrently, another group of soldiers appear, but for a different purpose. They denounce Xiao Banhe as a traitor to the emperor and announce that he is one of their most wanted renegades.
Fighting their way out, the young couple's combined prowess is seriously compromised when it is revealed that the Yuan Guannan is Madam Yuan's long-lost son, thus making him Xiao Zhonghui's half-brother. The group takes refuge at a nearby cave while Xiao Banhe tells his story.
Xiao Banhe reveals his true identity as an anti-Qing resistance fighter, who infiltrated the palace and became a eunuch. He met Yuan and Yang, two other resistance fighters who were imprisoned in the palace jail along with their wives and young children. Xiao Banhe rescued the widows and their children after their husbands were executed. While fleeing, Yuan's son was separated from Madam Yuan. Xiao Banhe took care of the widows and Yang's daughter as though they were his own family, pretending to be the widows' husband. Hence, Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui are not related at all.
Zhuo Tianxiong is captured by the "Four Heroes of Taiyue" (four lucky and not-so-highly-skilled comic figures) coincidentally, and the imperial forces retreat. Xiao Banhe reveals the blades' "secret", which is an inscription - "the merciful are invincible" (仁者无敌).
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
novella by Jin Yong. It was first serialized in 1961 in Ming Pao
Ming Pao
Ming Pao is a Chinese language newspaper published by Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, Ming Pao established four overseas branches in North America, each provides independent reporting on local news and collect local advertisements. Currently, only the two Canadian editions remain: Ming...
.
Plot
The story is set in the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. A pair of precious blades known as "Lovers' Blades" (鸳鸯刀) are transported by an escort agency commissioned by provincial officials to the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
. The blades are said to hold the secret to invincibility, and thus become a highly sought-after artifact by pugilists in the jianghu
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
. To ensure that the escort agency chief does not keep the blades for himself, the officials detain his family members under the pretext of offering protection.
Amidst attempts by various parties to seize the weapons, the blades fall eventually, through serendipity, into the hands of two couples: Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui; and Lin Yulong and Ren Feiyan, a married pugilist couple with an infant who is forever bickering. They are defeated by a highly skilled imperial guard, Zhuo Tianxiong, who disguises himself as a blind man and hides in the convoy to protect the blades. Hunted by Zhuo Tianxiong, the couples are forced to seek refuge in a dilapidated temple. Out of desperation Lin Yulong and Ren Feiyan teach the younger couple Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui a type of swordplay known as the "Couple's Saber" (夫妻刀法). The saber movement covers the two partners' weaknesses while multiplying their combat lethality, making them virtually invincible. The couple defeat Zhuo Tianxiong using this new technique.
Later, Yuan Guannan visits Xiao Zhonghui's manor during her father's 50th birthday celebration and receives a warm welcome. He meets Xiao Zhonghui's father, Xiao Banhe, a respected pugilist, and Xiao's wives Madam Yang and Madam Yuan. At the dinner, Zhuo Tianxiong and his men appear to seize the blades. Concurrently, another group of soldiers appear, but for a different purpose. They denounce Xiao Banhe as a traitor to the emperor and announce that he is one of their most wanted renegades.
Fighting their way out, the young couple's combined prowess is seriously compromised when it is revealed that the Yuan Guannan is Madam Yuan's long-lost son, thus making him Xiao Zhonghui's half-brother. The group takes refuge at a nearby cave while Xiao Banhe tells his story.
Xiao Banhe reveals his true identity as an anti-Qing resistance fighter, who infiltrated the palace and became a eunuch. He met Yuan and Yang, two other resistance fighters who were imprisoned in the palace jail along with their wives and young children. Xiao Banhe rescued the widows and their children after their husbands were executed. While fleeing, Yuan's son was separated from Madam Yuan. Xiao Banhe took care of the widows and Yang's daughter as though they were his own family, pretending to be the widows' husband. Hence, Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui are not related at all.
Zhuo Tianxiong is captured by the "Four Heroes of Taiyue" (four lucky and not-so-highly-skilled comic figures) coincidentally, and the imperial forces retreat. Xiao Banhe reveals the blades' "secret", which is an inscription - "the merciful are invincible" (仁者无敌).
Main characters
- Yuan Guannan (袁冠南)
- Xiao Zhonghui (蕭中慧)
- Lin Yulong (林玉龍)
- Ren Feiyan (任飛燕)
- Xiao Banhe (蕭半和)
- Zhuo Tianxiong (卓天雄)
- Four Heroes of Taiyue (太岳四俠)
Adaptations
- In 1961, Hong Kong's Emei Film Company produced a two-part Cantonese-language film based on the story. The film was directed by Lee Fa and starred Lam Fung and Chow Chung as Xiao Zhonghui and Yuan Guannan respectively.
External links
Blade-dance of the Two Lovers on Baidu BaikeBaidu Baike
Baidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....