Glacier Fairy Legend (Volume 1, 2, 3)

Author: Liang Yusheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: When discussing wuxia novels, one cannot fail to mention Liang Yusheng and overlook the unique charm that emanates from his works. In the realm of modern wuxia fiction, Gu Long is considered the younger generation, Jin Yong followed him, while Liang Yusheng stands as the "big brother" in terms of timing. It was his accidental entry into the martial arts world that gave rise to the spectacular cultural phenomenon of the wuxia craze of this century—Glacier Maiden (Volume 1 and 2) is one of his works. A fallen celestial beauty in an ice palace, a wandering beggar with extraordinary deeds—classic portrayal of a beautiful martial artist! Liang Yusheng's wuxia novels connect the tradition of chivalrous tales since Children of Heroism and Chivalry and the old wuxia fiction of the Republic of China, while also pioneering modern wuxia literature. They paved the way for Jin Yong and Gu Long's literary worlds. He once described his position in the wuxia genre: "The pioneer of the trend is Liang Yusheng; the one who carried it forward is Jin Yong." During the 1960s and 1970s, he and Jin Yong jointly carried the banner of modern wuxia fiction, with the moniker "Jin-Liang, rivals of their time." When they were contemporaneous, they advocated that "the chivalrous embody the wisdom and virtue of the lower laboring classes," grounding chivalry in justice, dignity, and love for the people, while discarding the one-sided themes of revenge and bloodlust found in old wuxia fiction. Jin Yong further elevated this to "Chivalry is serving the nation and the people, the greatest chivalry." Liang Yusheng's novels are renowned for their rich historical and literary knowledge, as well as classical poetry and folk sayings. His prose is elegant and brims with scholarly charm, often interspersed with poetry and folk expressions. His writing techniques primarily draw from tradition, frequently employing the chapter-based structure 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 wuxia novels are deeply moralized, with clear distinctions between good and evil. Each of his works is set against a specific historical backdrop, with plots meticulously crafted and steady yet dense. Some critics argue that the flaw in Liang Yusheng's novels lies in being "tedious." The reason may stem from his persistent adherence to a "conventional" scholarly demeanor. Liang himself once said: "Perhaps I have also been guilty of being 'far-fetched.' But in my works, 'far-fetched' is not the mainstream—it is not my style."