Chapter 21 postscript

Written between 1960 and 1961, it was originally serialized in the novel magazine "Martial Arts and History" founded by me, with 8,000 words per issue.The novels serialized in newspapers are about 1,000 to 1,400 words per paragraph.It is a paragraph every 8,000 characters, so the writing method is slightly different.I write a paragraph every ten days, and finish it overnight, usually starting at twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, and finishing work at seven or eight o'clock the next morning.For a novel, the rhythm of every 8,000 words forming a paragraph is definitely not good.This is the only time in my writing career.The modification made this time is mainly to adjust the rhythm more smoothly and eliminate unnecessary traces of paragraphs.

Yes, the "prequel", narrating Hu Fei's past deeds.However, these two novels are related to each other, but they are not completely unified.In the movie, Hu Fei met Miao Renfeng more than once, and Hu Fei had other lovers.These plots did not insist on coordination when modifying. The writing style of this novel is relatively far from the tradition of old Chinese novels, and it has not been changed now, but there are two situations that have been changed: first, the words and concepts that contain overly modern flavors have been deleted from the dialogue, and the characters’ hearts have been changed. The same goes for language.Second, rewrite sentences similar to foreign language grammar in Taixin Wenyiqiang.

The real protagonist of the film is actually Hu Yidao.Hu Fei's character is very thin in the book, and it gradually takes shape in the book.In this book, I try to write a chivalrous man who is in dire straits and acts chivalrously.In martial arts novels, there are not many who really write about chivalrous men. Most of the protagonists' actions are mainly martial arts rather than chivalry. Mencius said: "Wealth and honor cannot be promiscuous, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot be subdued. This is called a man of virtue." Martial arts characters don't care about wealth and poverty, and they don't give in to power. These three standards of a man of man are not difficult for them to achieve .In this book, I want to add some requirements to Hu Fei, asking him to "not be moved by beauty, not by sorrow, and not by face." , and fell in love with Hu Fei, begging softly when the two are in harmony, it is difficult not to agree to her.Heroes always take the soft but not the hard. Hu Fei doesn't take Feng Tiannan's gift of gold and silver as a gift, but it is even more difficult not to forgive him if he sincerely admits defeat and pleads for mercy.Face and loyalty are the most important things in the Jianghu. Zhou Tieyu and others gave Hu Fei enough face in this way, and humbly begged him to reveal the festival against Feng Tiannan, but Hu Fei still refused.Not giving people face is probably the most difficult thing for a hero to do.

The reason why Hu Fei is like this is only because of Zhong Asi's family of four, and he and Zhong Asi have never known each other and have no friendship at all. The purpose was to write such a character, but I couldn't write it with depth.It's just that among the many male characters I wrote, Hu Fei, Qiao Feng, Yang Guo, Guo Jing, Linghu Chong, Zhao Banshan, Wen Tailai, and Zhang Wuji are my favorites.It is one of the reasons why this book is not so successful artistically.Of course, if the author is talented enough, it's still barely doable. In martial arts novels, when a villain is killed by a positive character, the usual way to deal with it is to think "damn it", and not to pay any attention to it.The character of Mrs. Shang is written in this book in an attempt to express: the villain was killed, but his relatives did not think he deserved to die, they still worshiped him and loved him deeply. Death is always sad, and always has a fierce hatred for those who killed him.

January 1975 The second modification is mainly the modification of individual words and sentences.Although many texts have been changed, the basic backbone has not changed at all. April 1985 During the revision of this novel, Brother Zhang Jizhong, the TV producer of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, came to Hong Kong to discuss with me the script of the TV series "The Legend of Condor Heroes".I remember seeing in a report in a mainland newspaper that one of the screenwriters of "Shooting the Condors" believed that the original work of "Shooting the Condors" was incomplete. But he mentioned it in one stroke, the two were not balanced, so he added scenes where Qiu Chuji taught Yang Kang, thinking that in this way, the original work would be developed and enriched, and artistically improved.If this gentleman really knows how to write martial arts novels, why does he cherish ink like gold and not show off his skills?The happiest enjoyment in my life is to pick up a beautiful martial arts novel and enjoy it.Nowadays, I travel long distances by plane, and I have no choice but to carry old martial arts works by Bai Yu, Huan Zhu, Gu Long, and Sima Ling in my handbag.It is a pity that few people write new martial arts novels nowadays.However, judging from the grand theory of this screenwriter, he does not understand martial arts novels at all, he does not understand Chinese novels, he does not understand novels, he does not understand drama, and he does not understand the principle of omission in art, so when he sighed, he had no choice but to Do not send any expectations.Just as some people criticized Qi Baishi's paintings, saying that he only painted a part of the drawing paper, leaving a large blank, which is laziness.Fortunately, Brother Zhang Jizhong said that the screenwriter added a lot of "enrichment and development", and he deleted it in a big way and never appeared on TV.

From this experience, I think that if someone adapts a novel into a movie or TV series, it is best not to "enrich and develop", don't add the process of Tian Guinong seducing Nan Lan, don't add the scene of Hu Fei and Cheng Lingsu walking thousands of miles together, and don't add it. In addition to the scene of master Wu'an fighting poison with Shi Wan'an and Shi Wan'an, don't add the description of Shang Jianming and Yuan Ziyi.In recent years, Hong Kong has been vigorously promoting a kind of "additive-free" cosmetics. Ms. Gigi Leung showed her face in a delicate and beautiful way, saying that the "additive-free" cosmetics did not add any contaminating impurities.

There is a Cantonese saying that perfectly describes this kind of artistic stupidity, which is called "painting dolls and drawing intestines".Draw a picture of a man or a woman, for example, a beauty. In order to express perfection, besides her beautiful face and siblings, her liver, large intestine, small intestine, heart, stomach, lungs, Bold, I feel that if it is not this, it is not complete.I already know how to "add feet to a snake" and "draw a doll to draw the intestines". It has been done since ancient times, so I don't feel sorry for it. April 2003

What I wrote is a relatively plain story, some ordinary characters, and most of the martial arts and martial arts that appear in it are realistic and less exaggerated.Shaolin boxing, Tai Chi boxing, Bagua boxing, Wuji boxing, Xiyuehua boxing, Eagle claw and wild goose boxing, etc. are not only recorded in official books, but I have personally observed them and asked boxers for advice, so I know the real moves and fighting methods , not as exaggerated as the Eighteen Palms of Subduing the Dragon, the Excalibur of the Six Meridians, the Nine Swords of Dugu, and the Great Shift of the Universe.But realism is not a literary principle that martial arts novels must follow.His writing is quite realistic, but Cheng Lingsu's tricks are exaggerated.The novel has a little more realism than Thanh, but by no means is it a better novel.A good novel can be written according to realism, and a good novel can still be written without realism.Although, no matter what doctrine I follow, I can't write very good novels.Because whether a novel is well written or not has nothing to do with whether it follows any correct principles.

There is not much exaggeration in Cheng Lingsu. She is a lovely and respectable girl. Although she is not very beautiful, I like her very much.Her cuteness does not lie in her realism, but in her romantic and deep true feelings. Every time I write about her, I shed tears, just like Guo Xiang, Cheng Ying, Abi, and Xiao Zhao. Love them and hope readers love them too. September 2003