Yang Guo
Encyclopedia
Yang Guo, style name
Gaizhi (改之), is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia
novel The Return of the Condor Heroes
by Jin Yong.
Yang is a personification icon in wuxia culture for rebellious youth. His love affair with his teacher Xiaolongnü
is one of the classic love stories in wuxia fiction. One of the main themes in the novel is his personal development from an immature and rebellious youth into a legendary hero as he gets older. He bears a striking resemblance to his father Yang Kang
for his cunning and mercurial nature, but also shares traits of the kindness and devotion of his mother Mu Nianci
.
and Mu Nianci
. He traces his lineage to Yang Zaixing, a Song Dynasty
general who participated actively in the war against the Jin Dynasty invaders. His father is the primary antagonist in the prequel novel, The Legend of the Condor Heroes
, and was notorious for having committed several acts of depravity.
Yang's birth was briefly mentioned at the end of the prequel. His mother met Guo Jing
and Huang Rong
shortly after giving birth to him. Guo, who was Yang Kang's sworn brother, hoped that Yang's child will not follow in his father's footsteps. He named the baby boy "Guo" (過), which means "wrong" or "fault", and gave him a style name "Gaizhi" (改之), which means "to correct it". Guo hopes that Yang Guo would redeem his family's honour, which had been tarnished by Yang Kang's past actions, and promised Mu Nianci that he will teach Yang martial arts when the boy becomes older.
's former leader, Hong Qigong
. He wanders around the land after his mother's death, and meets Guo Jing
and Huang Rong
. They recognise him as the son of Yang Kang and Mu Nianci, after noting that he resembles to his late parents. Their suspicions are confirmed when Yang demonstrates some combat skills that only his mother knew, and the couple take him into their care. Huang is suspicious of Yang as she feels that he bears an uncanny resemblance to his late father. She opposes her husband's decision to teach Yang Guo martial arts and only teaches him literary arts such as poetry and the classics.
Guo brings Yang to Mount Zhongnan for better guidance and tutelage in the Quanzhen Sect
in orthodox martial arts and moral ethics. In an earlier misunderstanding, Guo fought and defeated several Quanzhen students, who mistook him for an enemy. The students use the opportunity to vent their frustration on Yang after Guo leaves, picking on him and bullying him all the time. Even Yang's teacher, Zhao Zhijing, is prejudiced against him and he does not teach Yang any practical martial arts. Yang is unable to withstand the ill treatment and flees from Quanzhen after injuring one of the bullies.
Yang ventures into the nearby Tomb of the Living Dead and meets Xiaolongnü
and Granny Sun. Xiaolongnü refuses to let him stay in the tomb and asks Sun to send him back to Quanzhen. Sun likes the boy and she defends him from the bullies. The scuffle gradually escalates into a fight between Sun and the Quanzhen members. Sun is killed by Hao Datong of Quanzhen accidentally during the fight. Xiaolongnü appears at the critical moment and rescues Yang.
of the Ancient Tomb Sect
and they live together in the Ancient Tomb for many years. Throughout these years, they develop a romantic relationship and their teacher-student relationship is merely a superficial one. When Yang meets Guo Jing and Huang Rong later, they immediately oppose his decision to marry his teacher. Their relationship is viewed as highly taboo in the Confucianist
Chinese society of that era. Yang's impulsive personality and lack of respect for other senior pugilists, compounded by the rebellious streak in him, made the situation worse and he leaves with Xiaolongnü after the quarrel.
Yang becomes an outcast of the wulin and he is despised by his fellow pugilists. However, he saves Guo Jing's family from danger time and time again as he still respects Guo and Huang as his surrogate uncle and aunt. He is separated from Xiaolongnü for numerous times in the story briefly over misunderstandings but they are always reunited again later.
, Ouyang Feng
and Hong Qigong of the Five Greats and learn some of their skills. He employs those skills he learnt to his advantage and uses them for greater purposes as he gradually matures. He creates a new palm technique called the "Melancholic Palms", a hybrid skill incorporating elements of all he had learnt earlier.
Yang initially suspects that Guo Jing and Huang Rong are responsible for the death of his father. He meets Jinlun Guoshi of Mongolia and agrees to help the Mongols kill Guo. However, he becomes more impressed with Guo's loyalty to his country and race and strong sense of righteousness, that he refrains from killing Guo on a few occasions when he had a chance to. He eventually gives up his desire to avenge his father after hearing about his father's villainy and misdeeds. Yang still maintains respect for his father despite learning of his father's depravities. He replaces the original headstone (marked by Qiu Chuji) on his father's grave, with a new one bearin the words "Yang Kang - The Honorable Father. Erected by his unworthy son, Yang Guo" (先父楊府君康之墓，不肖子楊過謹立). He joins Guo Jing's side and aids the Han Chinese in defending the city of Xiangyang
from Mongol invaders. At the end of the novel, he reunites with Xiaolongnü, kills Mongke Khan
and halts the Mongol invasion temporarily, becoming a national hero in the eyes of the people.
During the 16 years of separation from Xiaolongnü, Yang further improves on his martial arts and progresses swiftly under the tutelage of the Condor. He travels around the land and does a series of chivalrous deeds to help the common people. He is hailed as the "Condor Hero" (神雕俠) and his deeds become legendary. At the end of the novel, Yang becomes the "Western Eccentric" of the new Five Greats, replacing his late godfather Ouyang Feng
.
, taught him some of the martial arts she learnt from Yang Tiexin and Hong Qigong
before her death. However, due to his young age and his mother's demise, Yang was unable to fully master those skills or utilize them in combat. When Yang first met Guo Jing
and Huang Rong
, the latter managed to deduce that he is the son of Yang Kang
and Mu Nianci by observing his movements.
, who has become insane. Ouyang likes Yang and makes him his godson. Ouyang teaches him the basics of his "Toad Skill" (蛤蟆功) as a form of self-defence. Yang used this skill once in his childhood on the Wu brothers when he was bullied by them and he injured Wu Xiuwen severely. He uses the skill again when he is bullied in Quanzhen Sect and he knocks out one of the bullies.
He meets his godfather for the last time while his godfather is fighting with Hong Qigong
. Ouyang teaches him the Serpent Staff techniques before his death.
Yang only learnt how to apply those verses in martial arts after he joined the Ancient Tomb Sect. He uses the verses to help himself and Xiaolongnü
master the "Swordplay of Jade Maiden".
The manual is also a legacy of Yang and Xiaolongnü. In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the mysterious Yellow Dress Maiden defeats Zhou Zhiruo
's evil "Nine Yin White Bone Claw", an unorthodox derivation of the manual's skills, with an orthodox version of the Claw. Her surname is briefly mentioned to be "Yang" and she hints to Zhang Wuji
that she is a descendant of the Condor Hero Couple (Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü), by saying: "Behind Mount Zhongnan in the Tomb of the Living Dead, the Condor Hero Couple disappears from the jianghu" (終南山後, 活死人墓, 神雕俠侶, 絕跡江湖).
and Ouyang Feng
on Mount Hua
. Hong and Ouyang have been rivals for a long time and they fight each other again on the summit of Mount Hua. Neither emerges the victor after several rounds of fighting. After several days, both of them are physically weakened after pitting their inner energy
against each other. Both of them thought of new techniques to counter each other's moves but their low energy levels prevent them from doing so. Yang has been an observer for the past few days and they decide to use him as an intermediary, performing each technique for the other to see. Yang learns the "Dog Beating Staff Technique" (打狗棒法) from Hong.
once while he is escaping with Lu Wushuang and Cheng Ying from Li Mochou's pursuit. Huang helps them defeat and drive away Li. After that, Huang chats with Yang and discovers that they both shared similarities in their personalities. Huang likes Yang Guo and teaches him his "Finger-flicking Skill" (彈指神通) and "Jade Flute Swordplay" (玉簫劍法). Huang also teaches Yang how to employ his strong inner energy
to his advantage.
's daughter, Guo Fu, attacks Yang in a fit of anger and slices off his right arm. Yang is weakened and delirious from losing too much blood from the wound, but he manages to stagger away and subsequently saved by the Condor. The Condor is once a companion of Dugu Qiubai
, a great swordsman who lived long ago and whose swordplay skills were unparalleled in the jianghu
.
The Condor helps Yang recover from his wound and leads him to the items left behind by Dugu. Yang inherits Dugu's Heavy Iron Sword (玄鐵重劍) and learns Dugu's swordplay techniques from the Condor. Dugu's swordplay skills are advantageous to the handicapped Yang as they focus on great strength rather than fancy swordplay moves. Yang trains with the Condor and overcomes his handicap to wield the Heavy Iron Sword with one arm.
Yang confronts a group of pugilists on Mount Zhongnan later and defeats them easily using the Heavy Iron Sword. After his separation from Xiaolongnü again, he returns to join the Condor and continues with his training for another seven years.
Yang spars with Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong
using his new skill and they are impressed. Huang praises Yang, commenting that Yang's new palm techniques can rival his son-in-law's "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms". Zhou even goes down on his knees to beg Yang to teach him the Melancholic Palms.
Chinese style name
A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...
Gaizhi (改之), is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia
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 Return of the Condor Heroes
The Return of the Condor Heroes
The Return of the Condor Heroes is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, and the second part of the Condor Trilogy. It was first serialized between May 20, 1959 and July 5, 1961 on Ming Pao. The story revolves around Yang Guo and his lover Xiaolongnü in their adventure in the wulin fraternity, which does not...
by Jin Yong.
Yang is a personification icon in wuxia culture for rebellious youth. His love affair with his teacher Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
is one of the classic love stories in wuxia fiction. One of the main themes in the novel is his personal development from an immature and rebellious youth into a legendary hero as he gets older. He bears a striking resemblance to his father Yang Kang
Yang Kang
Yang Kang is the fictional antagonist and the foil to the protagonist, Guo Jing, in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.-Birth and heritage:...
for his cunning and mercurial nature, but also shares traits of the kindness and devotion of his mother Mu Nianci
Mu Nianci
Mu Nianci is a character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She is the love interest of the primary antagonist Yang Kang and the mother of Yang Guo, the protagonist of the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
.
Birth and heritage
Yang is born in 1224 to Yang KangYang Kang
Yang Kang is the fictional antagonist and the foil to the protagonist, Guo Jing, in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.-Birth and heritage:...
and Mu Nianci
Mu Nianci
Mu Nianci is a character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She is the love interest of the primary antagonist Yang Kang and the mother of Yang Guo, the protagonist of the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
. He traces his lineage to Yang Zaixing, a Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
general who participated actively in the war against the Jin Dynasty invaders. His father is the primary antagonist in the prequel novel, The Legend of the Condor Heroes
The Legend of the Condor Heroes
The Legend of Condor Heroes is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, and the first part of the Condor Trilogy. It was first serialized between January 1, 1957 and May 19, 1959 in Hong Kong Commercial Daily...
, and was notorious for having committed several acts of depravity.
Yang's birth was briefly mentioned at the end of the prequel. His mother met Guo Jing
Guo Jing
Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well...
and Huang Rong
Huang Rong
Huang Rong is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. She plays a supporting role in the sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes.-Character description:...
shortly after giving birth to him. Guo, who was Yang Kang's sworn brother, hoped that Yang's child will not follow in his father's footsteps. He named the baby boy "Guo" (過), which means "wrong" or "fault", and gave him a style name "Gaizhi" (改之), which means "to correct it". Guo hopes that Yang Guo would redeem his family's honour, which had been tarnished by Yang Kang's past actions, and promised Mu Nianci that he will teach Yang martial arts when the boy becomes older.
Early life
Yang becomes an orphan at the age of 11 after the death of his mother. His mother taught him some of the martial art skills she learnt from his grandfather, Yang Tiexin, and the Beggars' SectBeggars' Sect
The Beggars' Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured prominently in works of wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect has also found its way into some Hong Kong martial arts films such as King of Beggars....
's former leader, Hong Qigong
Hong Qigong
Hong Qigong is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
. He wanders around the land after his mother's death, and meets Guo Jing
Guo Jing
Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well...
and Huang Rong
Huang Rong
Huang Rong is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. She plays a supporting role in the sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes.-Character description:...
. They recognise him as the son of Yang Kang and Mu Nianci, after noting that he resembles to his late parents. Their suspicions are confirmed when Yang demonstrates some combat skills that only his mother knew, and the couple take him into their care. Huang is suspicious of Yang as she feels that he bears an uncanny resemblance to his late father. She opposes her husband's decision to teach Yang Guo martial arts and only teaches him literary arts such as poetry and the classics.
Guo brings Yang to Mount Zhongnan for better guidance and tutelage in the Quanzhen Sect
Quanzhen School
The Quanzhen School of Taoism originated in Northern China. It was founded by the Taoist Wang Chongyang in the 12th century, during the rise of the Jin Dynasty...
in orthodox martial arts and moral ethics. In an earlier misunderstanding, Guo fought and defeated several Quanzhen students, who mistook him for an enemy. The students use the opportunity to vent their frustration on Yang after Guo leaves, picking on him and bullying him all the time. Even Yang's teacher, Zhao Zhijing, is prejudiced against him and he does not teach Yang any practical martial arts. Yang is unable to withstand the ill treatment and flees from Quanzhen after injuring one of the bullies.
Yang ventures into the nearby Tomb of the Living Dead and meets Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
and Granny Sun. Xiaolongnü refuses to let him stay in the tomb and asks Sun to send him back to Quanzhen. Sun likes the boy and she defends him from the bullies. The scuffle gradually escalates into a fight between Sun and the Quanzhen members. Sun is killed by Hao Datong of Quanzhen accidentally during the fight. Xiaolongnü appears at the critical moment and rescues Yang.
Love relationship with Xiaolongnü
Yang becomes a student of XiaolongnüXiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
of the Ancient Tomb Sect
Ancient Tomb Sect
The Ancient Tomb Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. It plays a significant role in the character development of the protagonists, Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü...
and they live together in the Ancient Tomb for many years. Throughout these years, they develop a romantic relationship and their teacher-student relationship is merely a superficial one. When Yang meets Guo Jing and Huang Rong later, they immediately oppose his decision to marry his teacher. Their relationship is viewed as highly taboo in the Confucianist
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
Chinese society of that era. Yang's impulsive personality and lack of respect for other senior pugilists, compounded by the rebellious streak in him, made the situation worse and he leaves with Xiaolongnü after the quarrel.
Yang becomes an outcast of the wulin and he is despised by his fellow pugilists. However, he saves Guo Jing's family from danger time and time again as he still respects Guo and Huang as his surrogate uncle and aunt. He is separated from Xiaolongnü for numerous times in the story briefly over misunderstandings but they are always reunited again later.
From rebellious youth to legendary hero
Throughout the story, Yang encounters several elite pugilists. He meets Huang YaoshiHuang Yaoshi
Huang Yaoshi is a fictional character in Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy. He appears in the first two novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes as a supporting character....
, Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
and Hong Qigong of the Five Greats and learn some of their skills. He employs those skills he learnt to his advantage and uses them for greater purposes as he gradually matures. He creates a new palm technique called the "Melancholic Palms", a hybrid skill incorporating elements of all he had learnt earlier.
Yang initially suspects that Guo Jing and Huang Rong are responsible for the death of his father. He meets Jinlun Guoshi of Mongolia and agrees to help the Mongols kill Guo. However, he becomes more impressed with Guo's loyalty to his country and race and strong sense of righteousness, that he refrains from killing Guo on a few occasions when he had a chance to. He eventually gives up his desire to avenge his father after hearing about his father's villainy and misdeeds. Yang still maintains respect for his father despite learning of his father's depravities. He replaces the original headstone (marked by Qiu Chuji) on his father's grave, with a new one bearin the words "Yang Kang - The Honorable Father. Erected by his unworthy son, Yang Guo" (先父楊府君康之墓，不肖子楊過謹立). He joins Guo Jing's side and aids the Han Chinese in defending the city of Xiangyang
Xiangyang
Xiangzhou District is a district of Xiangyang, Hubei, China. The district itself was formerly known as Xiangyang. It was a city famous for the Siege of Xiangyang by invading forces of the Mongol-founded Yuan Dynasty...
from Mongol invaders. At the end of the novel, he reunites with Xiaolongnü, kills Mongke Khan
Möngke Khan
Möngke Khan , born Möngke, , was the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from July 1, 1251 – August 11, 1259. He was the first Great Khan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to improve the administration of the Empire during his reign...
and halts the Mongol invasion temporarily, becoming a national hero in the eyes of the people.
During the 16 years of separation from Xiaolongnü, Yang further improves on his martial arts and progresses swiftly under the tutelage of the Condor. He travels around the land and does a series of chivalrous deeds to help the common people. He is hailed as the "Condor Hero" (神雕俠) and his deeds become legendary. At the end of the novel, Yang becomes the "Western Eccentric" of the new Five Greats, replacing his late godfather Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
.
Mu Nianci
Yang's mother, Mu NianciMu Nianci
Mu Nianci is a character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She is the love interest of the primary antagonist Yang Kang and the mother of Yang Guo, the protagonist of the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
, taught him some of the martial arts she learnt from Yang Tiexin and Hong Qigong
Hong Qigong
Hong Qigong is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
before her death. However, due to his young age and his mother's demise, Yang was unable to fully master those skills or utilize them in combat. When Yang first met Guo Jing
Guo Jing
Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well...
and Huang Rong
Huang Rong
Huang Rong is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. She plays a supporting role in the sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes.-Character description:...
, the latter managed to deduce that he is the son of Yang Kang
Yang Kang
Yang Kang is the fictional antagonist and the foil to the protagonist, Guo Jing, in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.-Birth and heritage:...
and Mu Nianci by observing his movements.
Ouyang Feng
At the beginning of the story, Yang encounters Ouyang FengOuyang Feng
Ouyang Feng is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
, who has become insane. Ouyang likes Yang and makes him his godson. Ouyang teaches him the basics of his "Toad Skill" (蛤蟆功) as a form of self-defence. Yang used this skill once in his childhood on the Wu brothers when he was bullied by them and he injured Wu Xiuwen severely. He uses the skill again when he is bullied in Quanzhen Sect and he knocks out one of the bullies.
He meets his godfather for the last time while his godfather is fighting with Hong Qigong
Hong Qigong
Hong Qigong is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
. Ouyang teaches him the Serpent Staff techniques before his death.
Quanzhen Sect
In Quanzhen, Yang becomes a student of Zhao Zhijing, one of the senior students of the "Seven Immortals". However, Zhao harbours a grudge against Guo Jing after being defeated by him earlier in a misunderstanding. When Guo entrusted Yang to Quanzhen and left, Zhao vents his frustration on Yang. Zhao is determined not to instruct Yang at all in martial arts and merely teaches him the literary and verbal forms to disguise his negligence. Yang is able to recite the verses of the martial arts smoothly but has not been taught at all on how to apply them in actual combat.Yang only learnt how to apply those verses in martial arts after he joined the Ancient Tomb Sect. He uses the verses to help himself and Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü
Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. The author describes her physical appearances as "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent" .-Name:It is...
master the "Swordplay of Jade Maiden".
Ancient Tomb Sect
While in the Ancient Tomb, Yang learnt the graceful and elegant martial arts and skills of the sect from Xiaolongnü. Some of those are as follows:- Qinggong of the Ancient Tomb Sect (古墓派輕功)
- "Fist of Beauties" (美女拳法)
- "Palm of Infinity Web" (天羅地網式)
- "Swordplay of Jade Maiden" (玉女素心劍法) aka "Jade Maiden Heart Manual" (玉女心經)
Nine Yin Manual
Once, Yang and Xiaolongnü are fleeing from Li Mochou and they stumble upon a secret chamber in the Ancient Tomb. They discover carvings of the Nine Yin Manual on the stone walls and practise them. Although Yang does not manage to fully master all the skills of the Nine Yin Manual, he integrates the fragmental knowledge he gains from those carvings into his own martial arts and his prowess improves tremendously.The manual is also a legacy of Yang and Xiaolongnü. In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the mysterious Yellow Dress Maiden defeats Zhou Zhiruo
Zhou Zhiruo
Zhou Zhiruo is one of the two female lead characters in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Jin Yong describes Zhou's physical appearance as "beautiful, pure and free of worldly traits" .-Biography:...
's evil "Nine Yin White Bone Claw", an unorthodox derivation of the manual's skills, with an orthodox version of the Claw. Her surname is briefly mentioned to be "Yang" and she hints to Zhang Wuji
Zhang Wuji
Zhang Wuji is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong.-Early life:Zhang was born on Ice Fire Island to Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu. He is named by his godfather, Xie Xun, in memory of Xie's deceased son, Xie Wuji...
that she is a descendant of the Condor Hero Couple (Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü), by saying: "Behind Mount Zhongnan in the Tomb of the Living Dead, the Condor Hero Couple disappears from the jianghu" (終南山後, 活死人墓, 神雕俠侶, 絕跡江湖).
Hong Qigong
Yang meets Hong QigongHong Qigong
Hong Qigong is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
and Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng
Ouyang Feng is a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes...
on 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...
. Hong and Ouyang have been rivals for a long time and they fight each other again on the summit of Mount Hua. Neither emerges the victor after several rounds of fighting. After several days, both of them are physically weakened after pitting their 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...
against each other. Both of them thought of new techniques to counter each other's moves but their low energy levels prevent them from doing so. Yang has been an observer for the past few days and they decide to use him as an intermediary, performing each technique for the other to see. Yang learns the "Dog Beating Staff Technique" (打狗棒法) from Hong.
Huang Yaoshi
Yang meets Huang YaoshiHuang Yaoshi
Huang Yaoshi is a fictional character in Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy. He appears in the first two novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes as a supporting character....
once while he is escaping with Lu Wushuang and Cheng Ying from Li Mochou's pursuit. Huang helps them defeat and drive away Li. After that, Huang chats with Yang and discovers that they both shared similarities in their personalities. Huang likes Yang Guo and teaches him his "Finger-flicking Skill" (彈指神通) and "Jade Flute Swordplay" (玉簫劍法). Huang also teaches Yang how to employ his strong 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...
to his advantage.
Dugu Qiubai
In a dramatic twist of events, Guo JingGuo Jing
Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. He plays a supporting role in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes as well...
's daughter, Guo Fu, attacks Yang in a fit of anger and slices off his right arm. Yang is weakened and delirious from losing too much blood from the wound, but he manages to stagger away and subsequently saved by the Condor. The Condor is once a companion of Dugu Qiubai
Dugu Qiubai
Dugu Qiubai is a fictional character appearing in three of Jin Yong's wuxia novels. He is considered to be one of the most powerful characters in Jin Yong's wuxia world. He is nicknamed "Sword Devil" to reflect his prowess in and devotion to the practice of swordplay...
, a great swordsman who lived long ago and whose swordplay skills were unparalleled 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...
.
The Condor helps Yang recover from his wound and leads him to the items left behind by Dugu. Yang inherits Dugu's Heavy Iron Sword (玄鐵重劍) and learns Dugu's swordplay techniques from the Condor. Dugu's swordplay skills are advantageous to the handicapped Yang as they focus on great strength rather than fancy swordplay moves. Yang trains with the Condor and overcomes his handicap to wield the Heavy Iron Sword with one arm.
Yang confronts a group of pugilists on Mount Zhongnan later and defeats them easily using the Heavy Iron Sword. After his separation from Xiaolongnü again, he returns to join the Condor and continues with his training for another seven years.
Melancholic Palms
Yang's agony and misery from being separated from Xiaolongnü spurs him to create a new set of palm techniques, known as the "Melancholic Palms" (黯然銷魂掌), which incorporates elements of all the martial arts and skills he had learnt in his lifetime. The palm techniques are based on Yang's emotions, as the more dejected he feels, the greater the power of the skill.Yang spars with Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong
Zhou Botong
Zhou Botong is a fictional character in the wuxia novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong....
using his new skill and they are impressed. Huang praises Yang, commenting that Yang's new palm techniques can rival his son-in-law's "Eighteen Dragon-subduing Palms". Zhou even goes down on his knees to beg Yang to teach him the Melancholic Palms.
External links
Yang Guo 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....