Published : 2024-10-30
On October 30, 2018, Jin Yong (金庸), a master of Chinese martial arts novels, passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 94.
Jin Yong, originally named Louis Cha Leung-yung (查良鏞), was born in 1924 in Haining County, Zhejiang Province. He was the 22nd generation of the prominent Cha family in Haining.
Cha settled in Hong Kong in 1948 and had worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, scriptwriter, and director. In 1959, he founded "Mingpao" and published newspapers, magazines, and books. He retired in 1993.
Together with Ni Kuang (倪匡), James Wong Jim (黃霑), and Chua Lam (蔡瀾), they were known as the "Four Talented Individuals of the Hong Kong".
Louis Cha's most famous achievement was his series of martial arts novels, starting in the 1950s, which were incredibly popular to the point where it was said, "Where there are Chinese people, there are Louis Cha's martial arts novels".
His martial arts novels have been adapted into films and TV series several times, the most well-known among them are Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳), The Return of the Condor Heroes (神鵰俠侶), The Deer and the Cauldron (鹿鼎記), The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (笑傲江湖), Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龍八部), and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (倚天屠龍記).
In addition to being a literary figure, Louis Cha also ventured into politics. He visited Mainland China twice in 1981 and 1984 to meet with national leaders, becoming the first Hong Kong resident to be received by Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平).
Moreover, Cha was also one of the members of the drafting committee for the Basic Law before the handover of Hong Kong.
