Outlaws of the Marsh: A Chronicle of the Outlaws of the Marsh

Author: Wang Lianhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: If there were only Jin Yong without Gu Long, the Chinese-speaking world would be so lonely; if there were only Xiao Feng without Li Xunhuan, the martial arts world would lose its color. Martial arts, the fairy tale of adults, has captivated and moved so many. Wandering through it, with swords and daggers flying, one becomes intoxicated, mesmerized by the magnificent landscapes and diverse customs. Suffered, drunk, obsessed, laughed—upon waking, there is this Martial World Chronicles. This book is about martial arts, but also about the "Youthful Memories" of Peking University in the 1980s. Some argue that it contains the most exquisite and talented writing about Jin Yong and Gu Long online, while the author himself believes, essentially, that it is a book about the problem of life's path. If there were only Jin Yong without Gu Long, the Chinese-speaking world would be so lonely; if there were only Xiao Feng without Li Xunhuan, the martial arts world would lose its color. Martial arts, the fairy tale of adults, has captivated and moved so many. Wandering through it, with swords and daggers flying, one becomes intoxicated, mesmerized by the magnificent landscapes and diverse customs. Suffered, drunk, obsessed, laughed—upon waking, there is this Martial World Chronicles. This book is a brilliantly written work that uses characters from Jin Yong and Gu Long's novels to tell stories, as well as a book about the "Youthful Memories" of Peking University in the 1980s, and even a book that explores the problem of life's path. The author discusses Jin Yong, Gu Long, Borges, Hai Zi, Eileen Chang, Salinger, Benjamin, and others on an equal footing, weighs Xiao Feng, Li Xunhuan, Xu Zhu, Wu Hua, Linghu Chong, Ye Gucheng, and Lin Xian'er against ultimate questions, demonstrating astonishing versatility and generating endless wit. Some netizens call this book the most exquisite and talented writing online about Jin Yong and Gu Long. "This creates a strange text—while interpreting Gu Long and Jin Yong, it also recalls youth. Unconventional writers often blur genres but effortlessly produce masterpieces." When the author discusses Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Borges, Hai Zi, and others, it actually means elevating martial arts novels, which have long been marginalized by the mainstream literary world, to the status of classics. Martial arts culture has always been a hot topic in Chinese popular life, and 2006 could be called the "Year of Martial Arts." Xiao Ding, Feng Ge, Cang Yue, and Xiao Duan, among the new generation of martial arts writers, were on the rise. Jin Yong returned to the martial arts world with his revised edition, while Kong Qingdong, the "" () from Peking University, discussed The Book of Laughs and The Divine Sword and the Hero on The Hundred Schools Forum. Seven Swords Fall on Tian Mountain and The Legend of the Condor Heroes were wildly popular on television, and the comedic martial arts drama Martial World Outlaws became a hot topic for discussion after meals.