Chapter 32 Literati Discuss Martial Arts—Hong Kong Academics Discuss Martial Arts Novels with Jin Yong

More than 40 professors and lecturers from New Asia College of Chinese University talked with Mr. Jin Yong about all aspects of his martial arts novels.First of all, Mr. Jin Yaoji, the dean of New Asia College and a famous sociologist, kicked off the prelude easily. Jin Yaoji: It's a pity that the place is too small, so many friends who want to come to participate have no seats. It can be seen that Mr. Cha is very attractive.Twenty years ago, when I saw it for the first time, I was immediately fascinated. Then I saw that the author's surname was "Jin" and I was from the same family. I admired it and immediately checked the author's biography. Only after I checked did I know that the author's surname was not "Jin". "The surname is "Cha".Mr. Cha Liangyong's novels, I'm afraid everyone has to admit that they have opened up a new look in martial arts novels, and they are outstanding.After I read it twenty years ago, I dare not read it. The reason is that I am afraid of being too fascinated.I don’t read the novel because it’s too fascinating, but I must read Mr. Cha’s editorial in the newspaper. It’s just a few hundred words long, rich in knowledge, excellent insights, strategies, tactics, and often foresight. The mystery is very high , showing a sharp news eye.I believe that those who can use Chinese novels and literary materials in the past so freely, to put it in Cantonese, Mr. Cha is "able to play" (meaning no one can compare).Today I am very grateful to Mr. Cha Liangyong for accepting our invitation to do a cultural gathering. We thank him.First of all, we would like to ask Mr. Cha to talk about the relationship between martial arts novels and literature.

Jin Yong: My personal dream is to buy a small house in Sha Tin after I retire, and come to Chinese University every day to study and study knowledge. It is a great honor and pleasure to have the opportunity to gather with you today. I started writing the first one in 1955.Are martial arts novels literature?People often ask this question. I personally think that no matter what kind of novel it is, whether it is a literary work or not, and what kind of novel it belongs to, it doesn't matter much.Some people also ask why so many people like to read martial arts novels. I think the most important thing is that martial arts novels are more based on Chinese traditions.Modern general literary novels seem to be more or less influenced by Western literature, but they are more distant from Chinese classical literature.Although he uses Chinese and writes about Chinese society, his skills, thoughts, diction, and habits are quite Westernized.Among the modern Chinese arts, those that are closer to the Chinese tradition are opera and traditional Chinese painting.Others, such as novels, new poems, music, dramas, not to mention movies, are closer to Western art forms, but farther away from traditional Chinese art.In fact, Chinese traditions are deeply rooted for Chinese people.For me, there are world-class concerts in one place, and Chinese Peking opera and folk songs in another place. I think listening to Peking opera and folk songs is closer to my interests, and most of them have something to do with tradition.

Martial arts novels, on the one hand, are similar in form to Chinese classical chapter novels, on the other hand, they describe Chinese society, and more importantly, their values ​​are traditionally acceptable to Chinese people.The concept of right and wrong, good and evil, the basic idea of ​​the Chinese people has not changed much for thousands of years.Therefore, if the plots of martial arts novels are outrageous, it will be difficult for ordinary people to accept them conceptually. Gao Mulin (Professor of Art Department): How should modern martial arts novels, martial arts movies, and modern social education cooperate?

Jin Yong: I think this is a big problem. Many people have many ideas about education. I can only express my own views. I know friends in the film industry very well, and I have worked in the film industry for a year or two before.Most people in Hong Kong think that movies are entertainment, there is no need for education to be added to it, and it is good not to teach people to be negative.In fact, actively trying to teach people well is not necessary for the film industry here. For a long time, there has been such a discussion about whether art should serve life, whether it is necessary for literature to convey truth, there are always disputes between the two schools, and it is hard to say which party is wrong.

I personally think that literary and artistic works do not necessarily need to be connected with educational functions. Art is mainly in the category of beauty, while morality is in the category of goodness. Beauty and goodness can be unified or not. This is always controversial. of.I think this is a matter of personal belief. Basically, novels and movies are in contact with the public, so it is good not to deliberately violate the morals recognized by society. Chen Fangzheng (Professor of Physics): In your novels, traditional morality is often questioned, and it seems that you intentionally or unintentionally explore traditional morality.Most of our readers, half accept Western thought, and half are influenced by traditional education.This is the charm of your novel: on the surface, it advocates martial arts, but it makes people think about various values.For example, the love between Yang Guo and the little dragon girl, for example, the struggle between the Han people and the Khitan people.Is this a stroke of genius, or a deliberate arrangement?

Jin Yong: Professor Chen, I can only talk about my own experience. For each novel, I first determine several main characters, and then match the plot.As for questions about Chinese tradition and the question of truth exploration, they are not the focus of my conception.Later, as it developed, my own ideas naturally merged into it. It seems that when I read Chinese history and other books, I often feel that no matter how the Han people in ancient China treated foreigners, justice will always be on the side of the Han people. I don’t think it’s fair, and this idea is naturally reflected in the novel.

I just mentioned that Chinese people always have many basic traditional ideas, but I have been in Hong Kong for many years about marriage and love.The views on many affairs are very modern.If martial arts novels purely reflect the old Chinese society, such as focusing on describing polygamy, modern Chinese still do not accept it. Li Du (Professor of Philosophy): Wudang school, Shaolin school, their kung fu is great in Chinese tradition.I read your, etc., and thought it was a bit interesting. It seems that Wudang and Shaolin are not doing well in the future, but in Persia and other places, there are still outstanding talents.I guess, do you think that with the development of our culture, the traditional things are lost, and we have to find other things, which is a bit of a denial of tradition.

Jin Yong: There are several novels. My starting point at that time was to deny dogmatism. I was more convinced of the rational thought structure, mainly the rationalist thought of modern Russell, Karl Popper and other philosophies.Reflection on Marxism and the absolutization of Confucianism, this kind of thinking is probably very common among modern intellectuals.I think the truth itself also has its relative meaning, as society changes, the truth may also change.The truth of some things will remain unchanged for thousands of years, and I personally never believe it.In fact, there are many ideological fanatics in China, not only in politics, but also in science. If many scientific theories are criticized from a philosophical point of view, they may not all be correct.

I thought about this question when I was writing certain novels.Whether the Shaolin School or the Wudang School is right or wrong is not certain, and it may change according to the environment.I believe that pluralism may be more reasonable, and things should not be absolute.Shaolin and Wudang are not bad, and there are many other good things as well. Qiao Jian (Professor of Anthropology): In the old novels, , etc. emphasize traditional chivalry, while "Fengshen Bang", , etc. win with gods and monsters.Your novels seem to combine the two, and the moves and martial arts far exceed its scope, which can be said to be very strange.May I ask the two types of old novels, chivalry and gods and monsters, which one is the most influential to you?

Jin Yong: I think , , are influential, and the recent martial arts novel writers Bai Yu and Huanzhuzhuzhu also have an influence on me.There is also a tradition from Western classical books, Dumas in France, Scott and Stevenson in England, which have influenced me in terms of story structure. As for the exaggerated story, it comes from modern martial arts novels.From the early years of the Republic of China to the present, there are many martial arts novels in Shanghai and the north. Although they are rough, they are inevitably influenced by them. On the contrary, "Feng Shen Bang", I believe the influence is not as good as modern martial arts novels, it is too mysterious

Liu Shuxian (Professor of Philosophy): There are two questions.First: Your novel breaks through the tradition, how do you break through yourself?Second: Which one is your most proud work? Jin Yong: I like to constantly try and change. I hope that the plots, characters, and writing styles will be different. I try to try new writing methods, and I don’t want to repeat the novels that have been written.I have written a total of twelve novels, which are generally not repeated. Now I can’t change new tricks, so I don’t write them anymore. When I started writing wuxia novels, I mainly entertained myself. Later, I wrote one novel for two or three years, and the characters in the book appeared every day, just like my friends.If you repeat it often, you don't want to read it, and readers won't be attracted. I like the last one better.The male protagonist Wei Xiaobao in the book is completely a rebellious character, lying and punishing others. The only skill he knows is to escape when he is beaten. No one can slip as fast as him.My purpose is to write realistically, to reflect the good and bad sides of Chinese characters to some extent, and to have some introspection.Most of my friends who are interested in literature also like this one. Hu Lingda (employee of the Academic Affairs Office): Speaking of Wei Xiaobao, I really can't think of where he has so many tricks. Did you experience it yourself? Jin Yong: I am not as capable as Wei Xiaobao. I sometimes think for days for the tricks that Wei Xiaobao thinks up in a few seconds. Zhang Qingru (Professor of the Department of Mathematics): I have read more than a hundred martial arts novels, but once I read yours, it seems that it is not very interesting to read other ones.You describe the twists and turns of psychological changes, I guess you don't know martial arts, but a lot of kung fu made up are reasonable and reasonable.Of course, some of the Taijiquan moves you wrote are modern Taijiquan, and they were put back five hundred years ago.But other tricks are also very appropriate. How you came up with it, I want to know. (Dean Jin Yaoji interrupted): Professor Zhang is a master of Tai Chi. Jin Yong: It's strange. Some mathematicians like to read martial arts novels, such as Mr. Chern Shiing-shen and Mr. Li Zhengdao. Mr. Zhang asked me how I came up with it, it was just nonsense!It doesn't make sense.There are some tricks to gather some nicer names, which seem to have something to do with poetry. You are right in your criticism. Taijiquan has been developed all the way, and I pushed some moves back to five hundred years ago.In fact, what it was called five hundred years ago may not be easy to know now. Liu Dianjue (Professor of the University of London, Visiting Professor of the Department of Chinese): Your writing is excellent. The characters used in the novel are almost not foreign at all. In the revised version, sometimes the more modern tone is deliberately changed.Are you interested in writing something on this issue?Give young people a concept to avoid using Europeanized sentences. Jin Yong: Professor Liu does not dare to be so appreciative. I think it is inappropriate to use modern terms in martial arts novels about ancient things.But in fact it is impossible to completely avoid it. We have no way of knowing how the people of Song and Ming spoke.We can barely understand the vernacular of the Yuan Dynasty.I use the ancient words of our imagination, not the ancient words of the ancients. In martial arts novels, I think it is okay to use modern grammar for the narration and description. If it is a dialogue between characters, it will destroy the atmosphere. The British use modern English instead of Old English to write historical novels, and Old English is no longer used at all.Nowadays, many Chinese characters are still used together with vernacular and classical Chinese, but if the ancients said: "I have a question to study with you", this way of saying it is not suitable. Some descriptions and narratives in my book also avoid using literary accents, but they are not very clean, and I am trying to avoid them.There are a few parts that are intentionally not avoided, such as with. Huang Weiliang (Professor of the Chinese Department): Most of your characters are not always as good as they are good, or as bad as they are bad. I don’t know if you have been influenced by the so-called “circular character” of Forster, a modern British literary critic. influences?In terms of writing, for example, Zhang Ailing and Bai Xianyong were greatly affected. Do you have such a situation? Jin Yong: It is not the theory of "round personality", but mainly life experience.It is difficult for many people to tell whether they are good or bad. This is not as clear as Beijing opera facial makeup.There have long been such descriptions in Western literature.Personally, I don't really believe in so-called literary theory, and I'm sorry that I haven't done much work in this area. As for the problem of writing, it is difficult to say what books were influenced by it, and it was formed naturally.For example, I always read with great interest. The simplicity and elegance of ancient prose and the beauty of its writing are what I have always hoped to learn.Of course it's not even close.