Three Heroines of the Jianghu (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Liang Yusheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Liang Yusheng's martial arts novels connect the heroic tales following The Story of the Heroic Parents and the old martial arts novels of the Republican era, pioneering a new school of martial arts literature. They also paved the way for Jin Yong and Gu Long's literary world. He once described his position in the realm of martial arts fiction: "The pioneer of the genre is Liang Yusheng; the one who brought it to greater heights is Jin Yong." In the 1960s and 1970s, he and Jin Yong together carried the banner of the new school of martial arts fiction, earning the reputation of "Jin and Liang, rivals of their time." During their concurrent fame, Liang Yusheng advocated that "the hero is the embodiment of the wisdom and virtue of the lower laboring classes," grounding heroic actions in justice, dignity, and love for the people, while discarding the old school's tendency toward revenge and bloodlust. Jin Yong further elevated this to "The greatest hero is one who serves the nation and its people."
Liang Yusheng's novels are renowned for their rich historical and literary knowledge, as well as their incorporation of classical poetry and folk sayings. His prose is elegant and brimming with scholarly charm, often interspersed with poetic verses and folk expressions. His writing style primarily draws from tradition, frequently employing the chapter-based format of classical novels. The chapter titles are profound in meaning and skillfully balanced in parallelism, with plot developments exuding a rhythmic and harmonious flow. His narrative also carries a distinct storyteller's tone. The characters in his martial arts novels are deeply moralized, with clear distinctions between heroes and villains. Each of his works is set against a specific historical backdrop, with plots meticulously crafted and steady in complexity. Some critics argue that the flaw in Liang Yusheng's novels lies in their "tedium," though this may stem from his persistent adherence to a "conventional" scholarly demeanor. Liang Yusheng himself once remarked: "Perhaps I too have been guilty of being 'far-fetched,' but in my works, this is not the mainstream—it is not my style."