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【提要】 One of the more widely acknowledged characteristics of Jin Yong's work is the remarkable backdrop of historical detail in his novels. However, studies of the influences on his work, and on the wu-hsia genre in general, tend to focus on literary antecedents, as reflected in early anecdotal literature such as the Yen-tan-tzu, poetry, Tang fiction, later vernacular fiction, and a wealth of popular tales, folklore, and performance genres (as in James Liu's famous study, The Chinese Knight-Errant). Much less studied has been the historical basis for the world portrayed in martial arts novels, to what extent the fiction is based on actual fact. This study will attempt to examine aspects of militarism and martial arts in traditional China from the standpoint of local society: the phenomenon of local militias and private armies (yi-ping), bandits and outlaws, the spread of fighting arts among the populace at large, and the existence of women fighters. The topic is a difficult one to study, and it is often impossible to disentangle reality from myth, but it will be argued that significant aspects of the counterculture world of the 'Rivers and Lakes' (chiang-hu) did exist, preserved in far greater detail in traditional fiction than in historical documents. To this day this counterculture world and its ethos are familiar throughout the Chinese world, deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and values. The detail and convincing realism with which Jin Yong has brought this world to life goes a long way toward explaining the enduring appeal of his novels to Chinese readers. |
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