Jin Yong first published The Return of the Condor Heroes (神雕侠侣) on May 20, 1959 in the first issue of Ming Pao. The novel -- the pinyin for its title is Shen Diao Xia Lu -- ran for about three years.

Background

This is the second novel of Louis Cha's trilogy.

The novel is set in mid-13th century. In the novel, Yang Guo is the orphaned son of Yang Kang and Mu Nianci who are two of the main characters in The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Raised by Yang Kang's sworn brother, Guo Jing, Yang Guo trained under Quan Zhen Sect martial arts (All True Religion) and met Xiao Long Nuu of Ancient Tomb Sect (Gumu Bai), who eventually became his teacher. When they first met, Yang Guo was an impetuous and mischievous 14-year-old while Xiao Long Nuu was a cold, unemotional 18-year-old. After years of being together in the Ancient Tomb and training in kung fu, they fell in love with each other.

Flower of Love

In the novel, there is a flower called the flower of love(情花) which although beautiful, has hidden thorns. The thorns are very poisonous and if you are pricked by even one of them, it could be lethal. Years ago, the love flowers were supposed to be extinct but it seemed that they still continue to thrive in a hidden place called the Passionless Valley, whose master is the ruthless Gongsun Zhi . There is only one antidote to the poison of this flower, the passion pill, which is a tiny square-shaped tablet.

Yang Guo was affected by this poison when he came upon the valley and Xiao Long Nuu was also badly injured in the later part of this novel. Because there were no more antidotes to the poison, Xiao Long Nuu jumped off a cliff so that Yang Guo will forget his love. This caused them to separate for sixteen years.

The Condor

The Condor is a giant eagle living alone in a valley. It used to have a companion but he was long dead before it met Yang Guo. The Condor's companion was actually a great kung fu master by the name of Dugu Bai . After roaming China in search for someone to rival his great kung fu skills, Dugu Bai came to a cave in the middle of a forest and lived there to become a hermit. No one could defeat him and he became known as 'Great' but in the process, he also became a solitary person, living alone with only the condor for a companion.

From the condor, Yang Guo learned his swordsplay. In a fit of anger, his right arm had been cut off by Guo Fu , the spoiled daughter of his surrogate uncle, Guo Jing. To wield the great sword of Dugu Bai , Yang Guo trained relentlessly with his one arm under the waterfalls. Eventually, when he achieved high skills in kung fu, he and the condor ventured out to search for his lover and kung fu master, Xiao Long Nuu.

Characters

Protagonists

• Yang Guo - the main hero of the story. He is the orphaned son of Yang Kang and Mu Nianci who are both characters of the first part of the trilogy, Eagle-Shooting Heroes.

• Xiao Long Nuu - is Yang Guo's love interest. She is a disciple of the secret kung fu sect, Gumu Bai (Ancient Tomb Sect).

• Guo Jing - is the sworn brother of Yang Guo's father, Yang Kang . He took care of Yang Guo when his mother died.

• Huang Rong - is Guo Jing's clever wife and Yang Guo's surrogate aunt. She refused at first to teach martial arts to Yang Guo, fearing that he would turn out to be like his father.

• Lu Wu Shuang - is the spirited daughter of the Lu House, which is a prominent family in Jiang Nan. When she first Yang Guo, she though he was half-mad and called him "Sha Dan." Later on, she began to develop strong feelings for him.

• Cheng Ying - is Lu Wu Shuang's mild-mannered cousin and a disciple of Island Master Huang Yao Shi , the East Heretic and Huang Rong's father. She helped Yang Guo rescue Lu Wu Shuang from the evil clutches of Li Mo Chou . Like her cousin, she also has affectionate feelings for Yang Guo.

• Wanyan Ping - is a member of the royal family of Jin Dynasty. Her whole family was killed by the Yelu Family and to avenge their deaths, she swore to kill Yelu Chu Chai who was the prime minister of Mongolia. She reminded Yang Guo of Xiao Long Nuu and because of this, he taught her martial arts to defeat the prime minister's son, Yelu Qi .

• Guo Fu - is the spoiled daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. She used to look down on Yang Guo when they were younger but eventually came to admire him for his kung fu. She has two suitors, Wu Dunru and Wu Xiu Wen who are both sons of Wu San Tong .

• Gongsun Lu'e - is the daughter of the evil valley master, Gongsun Zhi and the cruel Qui Qian Chi who was known as the Iron Palm Lotus Blossom. She fell in love with Yang Guo but he could not return her love. Eventually, she made the ultimate sacrifice and gave up her life to save him.

• Guo Xiang - is the gentle daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong and Guo Fu's younger sister. As a baby, she was kidnapped first by Xiao Long Nuu who wanted to use her in exchange for the antidote to the poison that affected Yang Guo. She was snatched away from Xiao Long Nuu by her apprentice sister, Li Mo Chou . The evil Tibetan monk, Jin Lun Fa Wang also tried to kidnap her. It was Yang Guo who finally saved her and returned her to her parents.

Antagonists

• Jin Lun Fawang - is known as the Living Buddha of Tibet and Mongolia's Defense Master. At the heroes' gathering in Da Shen Guan, he tried to take the title of "Head of Wulin" to stop the South Song citizens from raising arms against the Mongolians. He was later defeated by Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nuu who teamed up and used the Jade Maiden Heart's Swordplay.

• Li Mo Chou - is known as the Serpent Deity. The apprentice sister of Xiao Long Nuu, she was expelled from the sect because of her love for a man who later betrayed her. She roams Jiang Hu, striking fear in men's hearts and ruthlessly causing trouble when the mood strikes her.

• Gongsun Zhi - is the merciless master of Passionless Valley. His ancestors were important officials of Tang Dynasty but after the reign was deposed, they fled to a fortress hidden in a valley. While gathering some herbs, he chanced upon the unconscious form of Xiao Long Nuu and fell in love with her.

• Qui Chian Chi - is Gongsun Zhi's wife and known as the Lotus Blossom of Iron Palm Sect. Everyone though she was dead but in truth, Gongsun Zhi imprisoned her in a deep pit under the Passionless Valley.

• Zhao Zhi Jing - is a third-generation disciple of Quan Zhen Sect. He later betrayed his people by helping the Mongolians conquer South Song

• Huo Du - is a prince of Mongolia and a disciple of Jin Lun Fa Wang .

The Five Greats

Here are the five martial arts fighters, known as the Five Greats (Wu Gao Shou):

• Zhou Bo Tong - is known as the Mischievous Old Man (Lao Wan Tong). Later in the novel, he reluctantly took the title 'Zhao Wan Tong' which used to belong to his apprentice brother, Wong Chong Yang.

• Huang Yaoshi - is known as the East Heretic (Dong Xie), a man who did not abide by the rules.

• Yang Guo - is known as West Crazy (Xi Kuang), a successor of Ou Yang Feng , the West Poison.

• Yi Deng Dashi - is known as the South Reverend (Nan Seng). He used to be called the South Emperor (Nan Ci), in the Kingdom of Dali) but he gave up that title when he entered the monastery.

• Guo Jing - is known as the North Hero (Bei Xia), a successor of North Beggar Hong Qi Gong .

Adaptations

This novel is one of the best known among Jin Yong's works. Many adaptations have been made and produced on the Condor trilogy. TVB has made several series on The Return of the Condor Heroes, including one as early as 1983. In 2001, Nippon Animation of Japan in conjunction with Hong Kong's Taiseng Entertainment produced the anime version of the Return of the Condor Heroes. The first part of the anime, entitled The Legend of Condor Hero contains 26 episodes of 20 minutes each. Lair of the Condor is a site dedicated to the anime adaptation of this work by Jin Yong.

Asiapac Publishing acquired the rights to produce an illustrated version of The Return of the Condor Heroes in 1995. Artist Wee Tian Biang, with the approval of author Jin Yong, produced an 18 volume series chronicling the adventures of Yang Guo. The lavishly illustrated series, which was translated by Jean Lim, won the Prestigious Award in 1997 during the Asian Comics Conference held in Korea.

External Links

• Return of Condor Heroes 神鵰俠侶 (1983 - TVB)
• Forgotten Heroes
• Lair of the Condor
• Jin Yong Reading Room