Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance is a fictional alliance formed by five Chinese martial arts sects that appears in the wuxia
novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
by Jin Yong. The five sects specialize in swordplay and they are based on the Five Sacred Mountains of China
(Mount Hua
(華山), Mount Tai
(泰山), (South) Mount Heng
(衡山), (North) Mount Heng
(恆山) and Mount Song
(嵩山)). It is in fact a loose alliance as the five sects compete among themselves for power.
and Sword) after a dispute over the Sunflower Manual by the respective founders of the factions. The Qi faction uses a scheme to divert away Feng Qingyang, the best swordsman in the Sword faction, and seize the opportunity to take control of the sect. Since then, the Qi faction has remained in dominance until Yue's time. The Qi faction focuses on inner energy
cultivation techniques as part of their martial arts training while the Sword faction places emphasis on swordplay techniques.
Zuo Lengchan instigates the exiled members of the Sword faction to return to Mount Hua to challenge Yue for the position of leadership, as part of his plan to cause turmoil within the sect. Linghu Chong
defeats the aggressors and forces them back into exile. Subsequently, the seemingly gentlemanly Yue reveals his true colours during the election for chief of the alliance. He uses the "Bixie Swordplay" to defeat and blind Zuo, taking over the alliance's leadership position. Yue attempts to lure his rivals from the four sects into a cave in the back-hill of Mount Hua and trap them inside. Linghu appears in time and defeats his hypocritical teacher, who is killed by Yilin, and frees the trapped pugilists.
but they are situated on different peaks. The ambitious and ruthless Zuo wishes to consolidate power by calling for the alliance and forcing the other sects to submit to him. He sends his spy Lao Denuo to infiltrate Mount Hua Sect
to steal Yue Buqun's "Violet Mist Divine Skill" manual and instigates the exiled Sword faction members to challenge Yue for power. He bribes members of the Mount Tai Sect to turn against their leader, Tianmen, who is betrayed and killed by them during the election. Zuo also sends his lackeys to assassinate Dingjing, one of the three leaders of the (North) Mount Heng Sect. In the earlier part of the novel, Zuo confronts Liu Zhengfeng of the (South) Mount Heng Sect during the latter's retirement ceremony, to force him to surrender. Zuo is eventually defeated during the election by Yue, much to everyone's surprise, and blinded. He is killed by Linghu Chong amidst the chaos when they are trapped by Yue inside the cave.
, in which his sword is hidden. Liu Zhengfeng, second to Mo in the sect, befriends Qu Yang of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. The duo share the same passion for music and they compose the titular musical piece Xiaoao Jianghu together. Zuo Lengchan leads his men to confront Liu during the latter's retirement ceremony and eventually Liu commits suicide together with Qu. Mo is the only survivor from the sect after the trapped pugilists are rescued by Linghu Chong at the end of the novel.
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...
novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, first published as a serial in Ming Pao from April 20, 1967 to October 12, 1969. The term "Xiaoao Jianghu" means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife...
by Jin Yong. The five sects specialize in swordplay and they are based on the Five Sacred Mountains of China
Sacred Mountains of China
The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into two groups, one associated with Taoism and the other with Buddhism. The group associated with Taoism is known as the Five Great Mountains , whereas the group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism .The sacred...
(Mount Hua
Mount Hua
Mount Hua or Hua Shan in Chinese is located in Shaanxi Province, about 120 kilometres east of the city of Xi'an, near the city Huayin in China. Also known as Xiyuè, Western Great Mountain, it is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance...
(華山), Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
(泰山), (South) Mount Heng
Mount Heng (Hunan)
Mount Heng , also known as Nan Yue , is located in Hunan Province, People's Republic of China and is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism in China. Heng Shan is a mountain range long with 72 peaks and lies at 27.254798°N and 112.655743°E...
(衡山), (North) Mount Heng
Mount Heng (Shanxi)
Heng Shan or Heng Mountain in Shanxi Province is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. At 2,017 m, it is one of the five tallest peaks in China Proper. Heng Shan in Shanxi Province is sometimes known as the Northern Heng Shan, and the one in Hunan Province as Southern Heng Shan...
(恆山) and Mount Song
Mount Song
Mount Song, known in Chinese as Song Shan , is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism and is located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River in China...
(嵩山)). It is in fact a loose alliance as the five sects compete among themselves for power.
Mount Hua Sect
The Mount Hua Sect (華山派) is headed by Yue Buqun. It is divided into two factions (QiQi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
and Sword) after a dispute over the Sunflower Manual by the respective founders of the factions. The Qi faction uses a scheme to divert away Feng Qingyang, the best swordsman in the Sword faction, and seize the opportunity to take control of the sect. Since then, the Qi faction has remained in dominance until Yue's time. The Qi faction focuses on inner energy
Neigong
Neigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts...
cultivation techniques as part of their martial arts training while the Sword faction places emphasis on swordplay techniques.
Zuo Lengchan instigates the exiled members of the Sword faction to return to Mount Hua to challenge Yue for the position of leadership, as part of his plan to cause turmoil within the sect. Linghu Chong
Linghu Chong
Linghu Chong is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong.-Biography:Linghu is an orphan and was taken into Yue Buqun's care as a child. Yue accepted him as a disciple and Linghu became a member of the Mount Hua Sect as Yue's most senior disciple. He...
defeats the aggressors and forces them back into exile. Subsequently, the seemingly gentlemanly Yue reveals his true colours during the election for chief of the alliance. He uses the "Bixie Swordplay" to defeat and blind Zuo, taking over the alliance's leadership position. Yue attempts to lure his rivals from the four sects into a cave in the back-hill of Mount Hua and trap them inside. Linghu appears in time and defeats his hypocritical teacher, who is killed by Yilin, and frees the trapped pugilists.
Mount Song Sect
The Mount Song Sect (嵩山派) is headed by Zuo Lengchan, who leads the alliance. It is based on the same mountain as the Shaolin SectShaolin Sect
The Shaolin Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several wuxia works. It is one of the largest, most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is at present-day Shaolin Monastery in Henan...
but they are situated on different peaks. The ambitious and ruthless Zuo wishes to consolidate power by calling for the alliance and forcing the other sects to submit to him. He sends his spy Lao Denuo to infiltrate Mount Hua Sect
Mount Hua Sect
The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is featured in three of Jin Yong's wuxia novels as one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu. As its name implies, the sect is based on Mount Hua. In reality, a Mount Hua Sect exists but it has nothing to do with...
to steal Yue Buqun's "Violet Mist Divine Skill" manual and instigates the exiled Sword faction members to challenge Yue for power. He bribes members of the Mount Tai Sect to turn against their leader, Tianmen, who is betrayed and killed by them during the election. Zuo also sends his lackeys to assassinate Dingjing, one of the three leaders of the (North) Mount Heng Sect. In the earlier part of the novel, Zuo confronts Liu Zhengfeng of the (South) Mount Heng Sect during the latter's retirement ceremony, to force him to surrender. Zuo is eventually defeated during the election by Yue, much to everyone's surprise, and blinded. He is killed by Linghu Chong amidst the chaos when they are trapped by Yue inside the cave.
Mount Tai Sect
The Mount Tai Sect (泰山派) is affiliated to Taoism and is headed by Tianmen. Tianmen refuses to comply with Zuo Lengchan's power-hungry ambitions and Zuo bribes Tianmen's followers to turn against their leader. Tianmen is betrayed and murdered by conspirators during the election ceremony and Taoist Yuji is nominated by Zuo to succeed Tianmen. All the best pugilists of Mount Tai are killed when the pugilists are trapped inside the cave by Yue Buqun.(North) Mount Heng Sect
The (North) Mount Heng Sect (恆山派) is affiliated to Buddhism and is headed by the Three Elder Nuns (Dingjing, Dingxian and Dingyi), with Dingxian as the primary leader. Its members are all female and mostly nuns. Dianxian refuses to submit to Zuo Lengchan and Zuo sends his lackeys to ambush and assassinate the leaders. Dingjing is killed in the ambush while Dingxian and Dingyi are murdered secretly by Yue Buqun in Shaolin Monastery later. Dingxian names Linghu Chong as the new leader of their sect before her death. Linghu is more liberal and he allows other pugilists, including some jianghu lowlives and male pugilists, to join the sect. He leads the sect well and earns the respect of other sects.(South) Mount Heng Sect
The (South) Mount Heng Sect (衡山派) is headed by a mysterious man called Mo Da. Its swordplay skills are customised to suit musical themes. Mo is known for playing melancholic tunes on his huqinHuqin
Huqin is a family of bowed string instruments, more specifically, a spike fiddle popularly used in Chinese music. The instruments consist of a round, hexagonal, or octagonal sound box at the bottom with a neck attached that protrudes upwards...
, in which his sword is hidden. Liu Zhengfeng, second to Mo in the sect, befriends Qu Yang of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. The duo share the same passion for music and they compose the titular musical piece Xiaoao Jianghu together. Zuo Lengchan leads his men to confront Liu during the latter's retirement ceremony and eventually Liu commits suicide together with Qu. Mo is the only survivor from the sect after the trapped pugilists are rescued by Linghu Chong at the end of the novel.
External links
Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance 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....