Wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) novels and films are very popular
in China, but while most people are content just reading or watching the
exploits of fictional heroes, some go to extremes in order to
experience these adventures themselves.
Jin Yong is considered one of the greatest and most popular wuxia
writers in history, and his novels have enjoyed massive success among
both Chinese communities around the world and have been translated in
several foreign languages. His works have inspired dozens of martial
arts movies and TV series, and if news reports in Chinese media are to
be believed, they’ve even pushed some die-hard fans to live their lives
behind, venture into the mountains, and train like Yong’s fictional
characters.
The first reported case of an obsessed fan of Jin Yong novels
retreating into the mountains to practice martial arts was reported back
in March of this year. According to an article on Chinese website Zhihu,
a 20-something man by the name of Xiaohao, who had been a big fan of
Jin Yong’s book since childhood, had retreated into the mountains to
live as a recluse and practice martial arts in order to become a
“generational hero”.
Photos posted online showed young Xiaohao practicing with a
traditional Chinese spear, reportedly fashioned after the one Lu Bu
wielded in the fictional masterpiece Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Apart from spear warfare, the would-be martial artist also practiced
unarmed combat, like boxing and kung-fu. Whenever he isn’t training, he
is reading wuxia novels, obviously.
So why didn’t Xiaohao just train at home? Well, apparently he felt
modern society was much too noisy, making it impossible to focus during
his training. He felt that he wasn’t progressing in his quest to become a
martial artist like the heroes of his favorite books, so he decided to
retreat into the mountain.
Xiaohao’s case is not a singular one, however. Back in September, Chinese media featured the story of another fan of Jin Yong’s novels, who had also retreated into the mountains to train in martial arts.
Surnamed Tai, the wuxia fan had apparently become so fascinated with
Jin Yong’s fictional stories that he wanted to recreate them in real
life. He had become so engulfed in these fantasies that he had started
identifying with Yang Guo, the protagonist of “The Return of the Condor
Heroes” by Jin Yong. His role play got out of hand when he hit and broke
the glasses of a workmate named Yin, because he associated him with Yin
Zhiping, another character in the novel. That cost him his job.
After becoming unemployed, Tai decided to immerse himself into Jin
Yong’s fantasy world even more, leaving behind society and going into
the mountains to train in martial arts. He even dug himself a hole in
the ground to mimic the Ancient Tomb where fictional hero Yang Guo
trained and met his love interest, Xiaolongnü.
In photos posted on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, Tai can be
seen reading Jin Yong’s novel in his hole in the ground, and pumping his
fist into the air in a victorious gesture. Like Xiaohao, he dreams of
becoming a real-life wuxia hero and potentially meeting his very own
warrior princess.
