Jin Yong: Literary Legend of the Past Century

With great erudition, a singularly creative mind and an elegant writing style, Louis Cha (Jin Yong) wrote an essential chapter in the cultural development of Hong Kong.

Traditionally, the martial arts novel was regarded as mere leisure reading and not suitable for academic discussion. Jin Yong changed all that with his legendary storytelling skills. While gaining inspiration from traditional martial arts novels and foreign literary works, Jin Yong also strived for innovation and change: From the plots and characterisations to the use of language, he proved time and again that his works never fall into a set pattern and always have something new to offer. The novels demonstrate his devotion to character development and psychological portrayals. His descriptions of martial arts moves are unique, integrating a cinematographic narrative approach into his novels, resulting in heightened drama and more engaging stories.

Jin Yong was a learned man, and his works contain a large body of Chinese history and cultural knowledge, which has elevated the literary status of the martial arts genre. His novels have been translated into more than nine languages. Since 1998, international seminars have been held in the USA, Beijing, Taiwan, Japan, Zhejiang, etc., where academia have held in-depth discussions about his novels and the cultural phenomena that they have produced. At the same time, excerpts from his books have been used as texts for studying Chinese language and incorporated in school syllabuses by education bureaux across Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Many universities in Mainland China have created courses of study specialising in his novels, further proving that Jin Yong’s works have gained a place in academia.

Beyond the world of martial arts, Louis Cha showed great enthusiasm for social affairs: He was a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee as well as the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Hong Kong Government under British rule and the Grand Bauhinia Medal by the Government of the HKSAR. He was also made a Knight of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur) and Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Government in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the political and social fields and in arts and culture.

Louis Cha never tired in his pursuit of knowledge. In 2010, at the age of 86, he earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge. Prior to this degree, he had already been awarded honorary doctorates and fellowships by major local and overseas universities and was named honorary professor in recognition of his contributions to society and academia.

Upon settling in Hong Kong, armed with vast knowledge, talent, vision and dedication, Louis Cha authored many works in the unique cultural ambience and free, creative environment of his adopted home. By using mature publishing channels and distribution networks, he came to build a cultural enterprise that still crosses borders and exercises influence on generations of Chinese-language readers. He was in every sense a golden legend in the history of Chinese literary development and, not least, Hong Kong’s pride.