Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils  
Author(s) Jin Yong
Country Hong Kong
Language Chinese
Genre(s) Wuxia
Publisher Ming Pao
Nanyang Siang Pau
Publication date 3rd September 1963
Media type Print
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
Traditional Chinese 天龍八部
Simplified Chinese 天龙八部
Literal meaning The Heavenly Dragon and the Eight Sections

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialized concurrently from September 3, 1963 to May 27, 1966 in Ming Pao in Hong Kong[1] and Nanyang Siang Pau in Singapore.

It has since spawned several film and television series adaptations in both China and Hong Kong. The title of the novel has been a challenge for translators for years. It is based on the Eight Races of non-human entities[2] described in Buddhist cosmology.[3] In Buddhism, even though these Demi-Gods are ranked higher than mortals, they are still bound to the Samsara by their own passions and desires. It is said that Jin Yong originally modelled each major character after one of the Races. As he wrote on, the complexity of the story made it impossible for such a simplistic mapping.

Contents

Ni Kuang's additions

Jin Yong went on travel for a short period of time during the writing of the novel and Ni Kuang took over the serialization and added more than 40,000 words. One notable addition to the novel by Ni Kuang was the episode in which A'zi is blinded. Since the novel was published as a serial, Jin Yong had to continue from where Ni Kuang stopped after he returned from his trip. In his revision, Jin Yong excised most of Ni Kuang's additions but he retained the part about A'zi being blinded, since that chapter had become a crucial point in the plot's development.

Background

The main thematic element of the novel concerns the complex, troubled relationships between the great multitude of characters from various kingdoms and sects, and the inherent bond that underlies the struggles of each. Ultimately, the novel examines the cause and effect that forms and breaks these bonds on five uniquely corresponding levels: self, family, society, ethnic group, and country (dominion). The timeframe in which the novel takes place is historically based upon the era of the Northern Song Dynasty, and includes the non-Han Chinese empires of Liao, Dali, Western Xia and Tubo.

Characters

There are about over 230 characters in the novel, including those who are only mentioned by name.

  • Qiao Feng (喬峰) – birth name Xiao Feng (蕭峰). He is the chief of the Beggars' Sect and one of the most powerful and respected pugilists of his era. He becomes sworn brothers with Duan Yu and Xuzhu. He is despised by fellow pugilists after he is revealed to be a Khitan, and becomes an outcast after being wrongly accused of committing a series of mysterious murders. Xiao Feng becomes sworn brothers with the Khitan ruler by coincidence and is conferred a nobility title for his efforts in suppressing a coup. At the end of the novel, he forces the Khitan ruler to make an oath that he will not attack the Song Dynasty for as long as he lives. He commits suicide afterwards to prove that his actions are for the greater good of both countries and to keep his honour.
  • Duan Yu (段譽) – the nominal son of Duan Zhengchun. As a child, he is sentimental towards whatever that interests him. He refuses to learn martial arts to avoid hurting and killing others due to Buddhist influence. However, he still learns some powerful skills through a series of adventures. With these techniques, he becomes a formidable pugilist. He meets Wang Yuyan later, who looks like a statue that once mesmerized him, and becomes attracted to her, dutifully doing anything to win her heart. While on adventure, he meets Xiao Feng and Xu Zhu in two separate encounters and becomes sworn brothers with them. He becomes the ruler of Dali eventually.
  • Xu Zhu (虛竹) – originally a monk from the Shaolin Sect. He becomes the leader of the Carefree Sect after solving a weiqi puzzle by accident and inherits Wuyazi's 70 years' worth of inner energy. He meets Tianshan Tonglao, who teaches him more advanced and powerful martial arts. In a freak incident during Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui's last fatal duel, he manages to absorb the majority of their powers as well. He succeeds Tianshan Tonglao as ruler of Lingjiu Palace after her death. During the brief period of time he spent with Tianshan Tonglao, he develops an intimate relationship with a woman whose face he has never seen clearly before, known to him as "dream lover". The lovers are reunited again some time later when the woman is revealed to be the princess of Western Xia. Xu Zhu marries her and becomes a prince consort. He becomes sworn brothers with Duan Yu during their first meeting at Lingjiu Palace and with Xiao Feng later at Shaolin.

Plot

The plot is made up of several separate yet intertwining story lines, revolving around the protagonists Qiao Feng, Duan Yu and Xuzhu and also You Tanzhi. The complex narrative shifts from the initial perspective of Duan to the other characters' and sometimes back.

The story of Duan Yu

Duan Yu is a young, naive prince of the Kingdom of Dali. Despite the long tradition of the practice of martial arts in the royal family, he refuses to learn martial arts due to Buddhist influence and his disdain for bloodshed. When his father tries to force him to learn martial arts, he runs away from home. Ironically, he acquires three of the most powerful skills in the novel and becomes immune to poison after consuming the Zhuha, a poisonous toad known as the "king of all venomous creatures".

During his adventures, he encounters several beautiful young maidens, Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing, who falls in love with him. However, one by one, these maidens are revealed to be actually his half-sisters due to his father's past illicit affairs with several women, such as Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian. Of these maidens, he is extremely obsessed with Wang Yuyan, who resembles a statue of a fairy-like lady he chanced upon before. He tries to win her heart but she has no feelings for him as she has a crush on her cousin, Murong Fu. Duan Yu's love-life ends on a happy note when Wang Yuyan finally realises that he is the one who truly loves her and they are happily married and live together after.[4]

The story of Qiao Feng

Qiao Feng is the popular and charismatic chief of the Beggars' Sect, who possesses strong leadership qualities and exceptional prowess in martial arts. He falls from grace after he is revealed to be a Khitan, and after he is wrongly accused of murdering several fellow pugilists to conceal his identity. He becomes an outcast of the wulin and the prime enemy of all Han Chinese pugilists. He is forced to sever ties with the Han Chinese pugilists and engages them in a one-man bloody battle in which he kills many, including some old friends.

Qiao Feng leaves to verify the claims that he is a Khitan and investigate the mysterious murders. He is accompanied by A'zhu, who is in love with him and stands by him. After a long journey in disguise, he finally concludes that he is indeed a Khitan and he assumes his ancestral name "Xiao Feng". Tragically, he makes a major blunder after being tricked into believing that Duan Zhengchun (A'zhu's father) is responsible for his parents' death. He kills A'zhu by mistake, who is in disguise to defend her father.

Xiao Feng regrets and has since left Song territory with A'zi, A'zhu's younger sister, whom he had promised to take care of. A'zi has a strong crush on him, but Xiao Feng does not like her at all for her mischievousness and sadism. Xiao Feng wanders into Liao territory, where he becomes a powerful noble after forging a strong friendship with the ruler, Yelü Hongji. When Yelü Hongji decides to invade Song, Xiao Feng attempts to dissuade him as he still values his past relations with the Han Chinese. Ultimately, Xiao Feng commits suicide to prevent war between Song and Liao after taking Yelü Hongji hostage and making him swear that he will never invade Song.

The story of Xu Zhu

Xu Zhu is a monk from the Shaolin Sect, described to have a kind-hearted and submissive nature. He believes strongly in following the Buddhist code of conduct and refuses to break it even when faced with life-threatening situations. He follows his elders to a pugilist meeting once, which marks the start of his adventures. Coincidentally and by sheer luck, Xu Zhu breaks a weiqi formation and becomes the successor of the Carefree Sect and inherits the powers of Wuyazi. Subsequently, he encounters Tianshan Tonglao and other acquaintances of Wuyazi and learns martial arts from them. He becomes the leader of several unorthodox sects in the jianghu by chance again.

Overwhelmed by the sudden influx of heavy responsibilities and his major leapt in martial arts prowess, Xuzhu desires to detach himself from all these duties and return to his former monastic life. However, he is unable to wrench himself free from the various tribulations and dangers that lie ahead; he is no longer regarded as a Shaolin disciple and has no choice but to accept his fate. Xu Zhu has a pitiful parentage, as he is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Shaolin's abbot, Xuanci, and Ye Erniang of the Four Evils. His reunion with his parents is fated to be the first and also the last. Again by coincidence, Xu Zhu becomes the prince consort of Western Xia due to a previous affair with Princess Yinchuan, whom he is happily married to.

The story of You Tanzhi

You Tanzhi is the heir to Heroes' Gathering Manor, owned by his father and uncle. The manor hosts the a gathering for the Han Chinese pugilists to discuss their plans to counter Qiao Feng. Qiao Feng appears at the gathering and engages the pugilists in a bloody battle. The You brothers are defeated and commit suicide in shame. You Tanzhi becomes a pauper and orphan overnight and he bears a grudge against Qiao Feng for his plight.

You Tanzhi is captured by raiding Liao soldiers at the border and sold into slavery. He meets Qiao Feng (renamed to Xiao Feng) again and attempts to kill him and fails. Xiao Feng lets him go but A'zi had him captured again after his release. While A'zi tortures You Tanzhi for her personal sadistic amusement, You is so entranced by A'zi's beauty that he develops a strong crush on her and willingly succumbs to her commands and becomes her source of entertainment. You Tanzhi has an iron mask wielded on his head later to hide his identity and his face was marred, thus he is nicknamed "Iron Clown".

You Tanzhi masters the Sinew-changing Classic by chance and uses the skills in the manual to purge the poison from his body after allowing venomous creatures suck his blood. He is also bitten by the Icy Worm and masters a powerful skill that allows him to shoot streams of icy venom from his palms. Subsequently, he is manipulated by Quan Guanqing and becomes the new chief of the Beggars' Sect, and renames himself to Zhuang Juxian. He surrenders himself to Ding Chunqiu at the battle of Shaolin and becomes an outcast for his defection after Ding Chunqiu's downfall. You Tanzhi is still unwilling to give up his love for A'zi and follows her everywhere. He decides to offer his own eyes to the blinded A'zi, hoping to win some love and sympathy from her, but is despised by her even more. He follows suit after A'zi commits suicide.

Timeline

The following is a rough timeline of the events in the novel:



Adaptations

Films

Year Production Qiao Feng Duan Yu Xuzhu Additional information
1977 Shaw Brothers Studio (Hong Kong) N/A Danny Lee N/A See The Battle Wizard
1982 Hong Kong Norman Chu Kent Tong Felix Wong See Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1982 film)
1994 Hong Kong N/A Frankie Lam See The Dragon Chronicles – The Maidens

Television

Year Production Qiao Feng Duan Yu Xuzhu Additional information
1982 TVB (Hong Kong) Bryan Leung Kent Tong Felix Wong See Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1982 TV series)
1991 CTV (Taiwan) Austin Wai Eddie Kwan
1997 TVB (Hong Kong) Felix Wong Benny Chan Louis Fan See Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1997 TV series)
2003 Ciwen Film & TV Production Co. Ltd. (Mainland China) Hu Jun Jimmy Lin Gao Hu See Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (2003 TV series)

Video games

  • TLBB - a MMORPG launched in May 2007 with servers based in China and the European Union[1] TLBB is an award-winning 2.5D martial arts-style fighting and community-building game designed to give players the freedom to "choose their own destiny" and play the game in any way they decide. TLBB has been awarded the Most-liked Online Game by Game Players by ChinaJoy for five consecutive years from 2006 to 2010[2] and was ranked amongst the World's Top Five Most Profitable Game Franchises in 2009 by Forbes.[3] Since its initial launch in China, ChangYou.com has taken steps to sell TLBB on an international stage. TLBB now has servers in Europe, Malaysia, Vietnam and the U.S., where the game operates under the title Dragon Oath.
  • Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils - a single-player RPG released in 2002[4]

References

External links

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