Flying Arcs: The Sequel Up and Down

Author: Jin Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: "Hu Yi Dao, Qu Chi, Tian Shu!" "Miao Ren Feng, Di Cang, He Gu!" A hoarse voice called out in a low tone, filled with resentment and anger. The voice burst out from between the teeth, as if it were a curse that had endured for millennia, every syllable stained with blood and hatred. Thump, thump, thump—four flashes of golden light appeared, and four golden darts were fired in succession, aimed at two wooden plaques.
The Legend of the Condor Heroes was written between 1960 and 1961 and originally serialized in the Wuxia and History magazine, with 8,000 words published in each issue. The serialized novels in newspapers were about 1,000 to 1,400 words per segment. The Legend of the Condor Heroes, however, was divided into segments of 8,000 words each, so the writing style was slightly different. I wrote one segment every ten days, completing it in one night—usually starting at midnight and finishing around 7 to 8 a.m. As a long, the rhythm of writing in segments of 8,000 words was definitely not ideal. The revisions made this time mainly focused on adjusting the rhythm to be smoother and removing unnecessary traces of segmentation.
The Legend of the Condor Heroes is a "prequel" to Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain, narrating Hu Fei's past deeds. However, these are two separate novels that are connected but not entirely unified. In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Hu Fei meets Miao Ren Feng multiple times and has other beloveds. These plot points were not forced into harmony during the revisions of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain. The writing style of this novel is relatively distant from the tradition of old Chinese novels, and it has not been changed back. However, two adjustments were made: first, words and concepts with a modern feel were removed from the dialogue, as well as from the characters' internal monologues. Second, sentences that were overly literary and resembled foreign grammar were rewritten.
The true protagonist of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain is actually Hu Yi Dao. Hu Fei's character is quite thin in Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain but gradually takes shape in this book. I aimed to write about a hero who helps others in distress and acts with righteousness. In wuxia novels, there aren’t many that truly portray such a hero. Most protagonists’ actions primarily harm others, and they harbor intense hatred toward those who killed them.