Martial arts novelist Cha dies at 94
Print Edition
CHINESE martial arts writer Louis Cha Leung-yung, widely known by his pen name Jin Yong, died at the age of 94 in Hong Kong yesterday.
Cha was regarded as one of the greatest and most popular martial arts writers with over 300 million copies in book sales. His most successful writing period was between 1955 and 1972, many of them popularized even further by films, TV series and video games.
The West only heard of him early this year after one of his popular series “Legends of the Condor Heroes” was published in English.
Carrie Lam, chief executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Cha. “A learned man and an acclaimed writer of martial arts novels, Cha’s works inherited the tradition of Chinese classics with the integration of history and culture, and are very popular among Chinese in various parts of the world,” she said.
“On behalf of the HKSAR government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family,” she said.
Cha was awarded the Order of the British Empire by the British government, and the Legion of Honor and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. He was also honorary fellows at renowned universities including Cambridge and Oxford.
Cha created a fantasy world where real historical celebrities and fictional characters met and their lives got entwined. His works epitomized traditional Chinese thoughts, showcased the glittering Chinese history and culture and were filled with the charm of Chinese language.
It made him stand out, but at the same time, it became a major stumbling block in popularizing his works to the Western world. According to UK-based Guardian, the task of translation had defeated several translators, and finally Anna Holmwood, 32, from Edinburgh, managed to translate the first volume of “Legends of the Condor Heroes.”
Cha was born on March 10, 1924, in a prominent family of scholars and officials in Haining City in Zhejiang Province. He left his hometown in 1937 due to the war against Japanese aggression. In 1944, he went to Chongqing, then capital of the Kuomintang government, for further studies.
But he was expelled from the school after he complained about the wrongdoings of the Kuomintang members. He became a librarian and later a journalist in 1946. In 1947, he moved to Shanghai and a year later to Hong Kong, where he started his writing career.
In 1955, he published his first novel “The Book and the Sword” under the pen name Jin Yong. The book was an instant success. He went on to write 14 more works ending with “The Deer and the Cauldron” in 1972.
Cha co-founded the Hong Kong daily newspaper Ming Pao in 1959. He wrote editorials, essays and reviews of films and dramas for about two decades.
“Jin Yong is a genius in the world of wuxia fiction. It was fate that led me to play Yang Guo, a character he penned,” said Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau, who played the hit character Yang Guo in the 1983 TV adaptation of “The Return of the Condor Heroes,” according to sina.com.
“His death is a huge loss to the wuxia world. I hope he rests in peace and I send my condolences to his family.”
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan also expressed his grief as the passing of Cha.
“I am very saddened to hear the sad news of Mr Louis Cha passing away. His book “The Deer and the Cauldron” gave me a lot of joy. I read it just a few months back. I wish I could have met him. He has given so much joy to so many generations. I am his big fan.”
An asteroid was named after Jin Yong in 2001.
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