Liang Yusheng

Chen Wentong (5 April 1924 – 22 January 2009), better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng, was a Chinese writer. Credited as the pioneer of the "New School" (新派) of the wuxia genre in the 20th century, Chen was one of the best known wuxia writers in the later half of the century, alongside Jin Yong and Gu Long.

Chen Wentong
Born(1924-04-05)5 April 1924
Mengshan County, Guangxi, Republic of China
Died22 January 2009(2009-01-22) (aged 84)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Pen nameLiang Yusheng
OccupationWriter
GenreWuxia
Notable workssee below
Chinese name
Chinese梁羽生
Chen Wentong
Traditional Chinese陳文統
Simplified Chinese陈文统

Life

Chen was born in a family of scholars in Mengshan County, Guangxi Province, China. He was well-versed in ancient Chinese classics and duilian and could recite the Three Hundred Tang Poems by the age of seven. He started writing poems when he was attending Guilin High School in Guangxi. He was tutored by Jian Youwen, who specialised in the history of the Taiping Rebellion, and Rao Zongyi, who was well read in poetry, humanities, art and the history of Dunhuang. Chen learnt history and literature from both of them. Later, he was accepted into Guangzhou's Lingnan University, and he graduated in 1948 with a degree in economics. In 1949, he settled in Hong Kong and became an editor for the newspaper Ta Kung Pao and a member of its executive committee through a recommendation. The following year, he worked as a copyeditor for another newspaper, Sin Wun Pao.

In 1954, Chen made a breakthrough in his career when he wrote his first wuxia novel Longhu Dou Jinghua to entertain readers in the light of an ongoing contest between two martial arts schools, which was the talk of the town that year. This marked the start of a "new school" of the wuxia genre, with Chen as a pioneer alongside other writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. He included "yu" in his pen name "Liang Yusheng" to honour Gong Baiyu, another wuxia writer before him. Over his career, Chen wrote a total of 35 wuxia novels, of which Baifa Monü Zhuan and Yunhai Yugong Yuan are some of the better known ones. Many of his novels have been adapted into television series and films. As Chen was interested in history and literature, he also wrote columns, critiques and essays under different names, including "Liang Hueru" and "Fong Yuning".

Chen retired to Sydney, Australia, with his family in the 1980s.[1] In August 2004, he was granted an honorary Doctor of Arts by his alma mater, Lingnan University (which has moved to Hong Kong), for his contributions to the development of literature.[2]

In 2005, Tsui Hark adapted Chen's novel Qijian Xia Tianshan into the film Seven Swords and its derived television series counterpart, Seven Swordsmen. The 1993 film The Bride with White Hair is also an adaptation of Chen's Baifa Monü Zhuan.

After suffering a stroke during a visit to Hong Kong in 2007, Chen died in Sydney on 22 January 2009 of natural causes.[3]

Style of writing

The opening of Chen's novels are always marked with a poem, which indicated his interest in poetry. The protagonists of his novels are also talented in several aspects, versatile, and interested in literature. Chen also infuses historical elements into his stories, a style which was later followed by other wuxia writers such as Jin Yong. Unlike many other writers, Chen does not regard Shaolin and Wudang as the major orthodox sects in the jianghu (martial artists' community). Instead, he features the Mount Heaven Sect as the leading school, particularly in the novels set in the Ming and Qing dynasties.[4]

Works

TitlePublishedHistorical settingRelated works / Series
Nüdi Qiying Zhuan
女帝奇英傳
1961–1962c.7th century
(Tang dynasty)
Datang Youxia Zhuan
大唐游俠傳
1963–1964c.8th century
(Tang dynasty)
Datang Youxia Zhuan, Longfeng Baochai Yuan, Huijian Xinmo
Longfeng Baochai Yuan
龍鳳寶釵緣
1964–1966c.8th century
(Tang dynasty)
Datang Youxia Zhuan, Longfeng Baochai Yuan, Huijian Xinmo
Huijian Xinmo
慧劍心魔
1966–1968c.8th century
(Tang dynasty)
Datang Youxia Zhuan, Longfeng Baochai Yuan, Huijian Xinmo
Wulin Tianjiao
武林天驕
1978–1982c.13th century
(Song dynasty)
Wulin Tianjiao, Feifeng Qianlong, Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü, Hanhai Xiongfeng, Mingdi Fengyun Lu, Fengyun Leidian
Feifeng Qianlong
飛鳳潛龍
1966c.13th century
(Song dynasty)
Wulin Tianjiao, Feifeng Qianlong, Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü, Hanhai Xiongfeng, Mingdi Fengyun Lu, Fengyun Leidian
Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü
狂俠·天驕·魔女
1964–1968c.13th century
(Song dynasty)
Wulin Tianjiao, Feifeng Qianlong, Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü, Hanhai Xiongfeng, Mingdi Fengyun Lu, Fengyun Leidian
Hanhai Xiongfeng
瀚海雄風
1968–1970c.13th century
(Song dynasty)
Wulin Tianjiao, Feifeng Qianlong, Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü, Hanhai Xiongfeng, Mingdi Fengyun Lu, Fengyun Leidian
Mingdi Fengyun Lu
鳴鏑風雲錄
1968–1972c.13th century
(Song dynasty)
Wulin Tianjiao, Feifeng Qianlong, Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü, Hanhai Xiongfeng, Mingdi Fengyun Lu, Fengyun Leidian
Fengyun Leidian
風雲雷電
1970–1972c.13th century
(Song dynasty)
Wulin Tianjiao, Feifeng Qianlong, Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü, Hanhai Xiongfeng, Mingdi Fengyun Lu, Fengyun Leidian
Huanjian Qiqing Lu
還劍奇情錄
1959–1960c.14th century
(Ming dynasty)
Huanjian Qiqing Lu, Pingzong Xiaying Lu, Sanhua Nüxia, Lianjian Fengyun Lu, Guangling Jian
Pingzong Xiaying Lu
萍蹤俠影錄
1959–1960c.15th century
(Ming dynasty)
Huanjian Qiqing Lu, Pingzong Xiaying Lu, Sanhua Nüxia, Lianjian Fengyun Lu, Guangling Jian
Sanhua Nüxia
散花女俠
1960–1961c.15th century
(Ming dynasty)
Huanjian Qiqing Lu, Pingzong Xiaying Lu, Sanhua Nüxia, Lianjian Fengyun Lu, Guangling Jian
Lianjian Fengyun Lu
聯劍風雲錄
1961–1962c.15th century
(Ming dynasty)
Huanjian Qiqing Lu, Pingzong Xiaying Lu, Sanhua Nüxia, Lianjian Fengyun Lu, Guangling Jian
Guangling Jian
廣陵劍
1972–1976c.15th century
(Ming dynasty)
Huanjian Qiqing Lu, Pingzong Xiaying Lu, Sanhua Nüxia, Lianjian Fengyun Lu, Guangling Jian
Wulin Sanjue
武林三絕
1972–1976c.15th century
(Ming dynasty)
Wudang Yijian
武當一劍
1980–1983c.17th century
(Ming dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan
白髮魔女傳
1957–1958c.17th century
(Ming dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Saiwai Qixia Zhuan
塞外奇俠傳
1956–1957c.17th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Qijian Xia Tianshan
七劍下天山
1956–1957c.17th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Jianghu San Nüxia
江湖三女俠
1957–1958c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Bingpo Hanguang Jian
冰魄寒光劍
1962c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan
冰川天女傳
1959–1960c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Yunhai Yugong Yuan
雲海玉弓緣)
1961–1963c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Binghe Xijian Lu
冰河洗劍錄
1963–1965c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou
風雷震九州
1965–1967c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Xiagu Danxin
俠骨丹心
1967–1969c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Baifa Monü Zhuan, Saiwai Qixia Zhuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan, Jianghu San Nüxia, Bingpo Hanguang Jian, Bingchuan Tiannü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Binghe Xijian Lu, Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou, Xiagu Danxin
Jianwang Chensi
劍網塵絲
1976–1980c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Huanjian Lingqi
幻劍靈旗
1980–1981c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Youjian Jianghu
遊劍江湖
1969–1972c.18th century
(Qing dynasty)
Youjian Jianghu, Muye Liuxing, Tanzhi Jinglei, Juesai Chuanfeng Lu
Muye Liuxing
牧野流星
1972–1975c.19th century
(Qing dynasty)
Youjian Jianghu, Muye Liuxing, Tanzhi Jinglei, Juesai Chuanfeng Lu
Tanzhi Jinglei
彈指驚雷
1977–1981c.19th century
(Qing dynasty)
Youjian Jianghu, Muye Liuxing, Tanzhi Jinglei, Juesai Chuanfeng Lu
Juesai Chuanfeng Lu
絕塞傳烽錄
1975–1978c.19th century
(Qing dynasty)
Youjian Jianghu, Muye Liuxing, Tanzhi Jinglei, Juesai Chuanfeng Lu
Caomang Longshe Zhuan
草莽龍蛇傳
1954–1955c.19th century
(Qing dynasty)
Longhu Dou Jinghua
龍虎鬥京華
1954c.19th century
(Qing dynasty)

Adaptations

See also

References

  1. "Seven Swords novelist dies". Straits Times. Singapore. 28 January 2009. p. C7.
  2. Liang Yusheng granted Honorary Doctorate (21 August 2004). People's Daily Online.
  3. Martial arts novelist Liang Yusheng dies. Danwei. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  4. 梁羽生 (Liang Yusheng). Chinese Wusia Knight Errant. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
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