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The White Horse in the West Wind (traditional Chinese: 白馬嘯西風; simplified Chinese: 白马啸西风; pinyin: Bái Mǎ Xiào Xī Fēng; Jyutping: Baak6 Maa5 Siu3 Sai1 Fung1) is a Wuxia novella by Louis Cha, who is better known as Jin Yong. The title in Chinese could be roughly translated to White Horse Neighing in the West Wind. It was first published in 1961 in Ming Pao. It was also the first time Cha featured a female protagonist in all his novels.
[edit] Plot summary
The protagonist Li Wenxiu (李文秀) lost her parents in the Gobi Desert while on the escape from a group of bandits who were after the map of the Gaochang labyrinth. Placed on a white steed, Li fled to the Kazakh territory and was taken into the care of an elderly Han Chinese man called Ji. While growing up, Li Wenxiu met a Kazakh boy named Su Pu (蘇普) and they gradually developed a love relationship. However, Su Pu's father did not approve of the relationship between his son and a Han Chinese girl so they were forced to separate.
Later, Li Wenxiu met a hermit named Hua Hui (華輝) in an oasis in the Gobi Desert and helped him cure his wounds. Hua was grateful to her and accepted her as his disciple, teaching her martial arts. She returned home amidst heavy snow and saw that Su Pu, his father and his new lover were taking shelter inside her house. Unfortunately, Chen Dahai (陳達海), the leader of the group of bandits who killed Li Wenxiu's parents, arrived at Li's home and suspected that the map they had been hunting for was inside the house. He proceeded to ransack the house for the map and eventually found it. The secret of the map was revealed when blood was spilled onto the cloth. Chen wanted to kill Su Pu and the others but was stopped by Li Wenxiu and she eventually defeated and wounded him.
Chen fled with the map and found his way to the labyrinth, while Li Wenxiu and Su Pu formed a new party of seven to pursue Chen Dahai and the bandits. The party found its way to the labyrinth but found ordinary items associated with Han Chinese culture in place of treasure and riches. To their horror, they encountered a "ghost" who haunted them by killing members of the party without leaving any traces. Just as they were about to leave, Su Pu discovered that his lover had been kidnapped by the "ghost" and he tracked down the "ghost" to its lair in the labyrinth, where it was revealed that the "ghost" was actually a martial arts expert in hiding.
The "ghost" retold his story and revealed that he had been betrayed by his former disciple, who was actually Ji, and forced into exile. His identity was also revealed later as the hermit whom Li Wenxiu had saved earlier. Ji and the hermit fought each other. Li Wenxiu was shocked to realise that the two, who were close to her, were actually enemies. Eventually, the "ghost" hermit died in his futile attempt to kill everyone present. Upon leaving the labyrinth, Li Wenxiu heard the true story behind the items hidden in the labyrinth and its origins. She decided to leave the land, feeling miserable after the loss of two of her loved ones and the marriage of her love interest Su Pu to another woman.
[edit] Characters
- Li Wenxiu (李文秀) - the protagonist of the novel.
- Old Man Ji (計老人) - the elderly Han Chinese man who raised the young orphan Li Wenxiu
- Hua Hui (華輝) - a hermit who became Li Wenxiu's martial arts teacher.
- Li San (李三) and Shangguan Hong (上官虹) - Li Wenxiu's parents who were killed at the beginning of the story.
- Su Pu - a Kazakh youth who was Li Wenxiu's childhood playmate. He was originally lovers with Li but was forced by his father to give up Li due to ethnic prejudice.
- A Man (阿曼) - a young Kazakh girl who became Su Pu's new lover.
- Chen Dahai (陳達海) - the leader of the bandits who killed Li Wenxiu's parents.
[edit] Adaptations
[edit] External links
