Xiaolongnü
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| Xiaolongnü (小龍女) | |
|---|---|
| The Return of the Condor Heroes character | |
 Angela Pan as Xiaolongnü in 1984 |
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| Created by | Louis Cha |
| Portrayed by | see below |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Long'er (龍兒) |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | May 1220 |
| Spouse(s) | Yang Guo |
Xiaolongnü (simplified Chinese: 小龙女; traditional Chinese: 小龍女; pinyin: Xiăo Lóng Nǚ; Jyutping: Siu2 Lung4 Neoi5) is the fictional female protagonist from the Chinese Wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Louis Cha.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
It is said that Xiaolongnü was abandoned as an infant outside Chongyang Palace (headquarters of the Quanzhen Sect) by an unknown figure. Her cries broke the silence of the night and drew the attention of the Quanzhen priests. Before the priests could decide what to do with the baby girl as the sect does not accept female members, a middle-aged woman known as Granny Sun appeared and took the baby girl away with her to the nearby Ancient Tomb.
Xiaolongnü is raised as a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect (Gu Mu Pai) by the disciple of the founder Lin Chaoying. As a child, she was taught all the sect's martial arts and mastered all of them after many years. She starts learning the sect's highest order skill Jade Maiden Heart Manual, but since her teacher's understanding of the skill was incomplete, her own understanding is even more limited.
Xiaolongnü has a elder disciple sister called Li Mochou who was expelled from the sect for poor conduct. After Li left, Xiaolongnü is made the successor to the sect's position of leader. Unlike the erratic Li, Xiaolongnü never left the Tomb and grows up to be an innocent, seemingly vulnerable great beauty with inborn calmness, coldness (to the point of being unsociable), incurious and emotionless characteristics. Evidently, these are the prerequisites to master the martial arts which Li lacked. She wears white long dresses which makes her pale and bloodless features appear even paler and distinctively prettier. All this make her seem icy, fairy-like and ghostly.
Xiaolongnü inherited the sect's leadership position when she was 14 after the death of her teacher. She is accompanied by the servant Granny Sun only. Meanwhile, Li Mochou spread rumours in the Jianghu that when Xiaolongnü turned 18, she will offer her hand in marriage to any man who can defeat her. In addition, the lucky man will claim possession of the tomb, rumored to contain great treasures and martial arts scriptures. The Mongolian prince Huo Du believes the tale and journeys to the Ancient Tomb, hoping to meet Xiaolongnü. He brings his disciple brother Da'erba and his lackeys and they raid Chongyang Palace along the way.
Just then, Guo Jing arrives at Chongyang Palace together with the young Yang Guo and defeats the Mongolians. Huo Du and his men flee towards the Ancient Tomb and encounter a swarm of jade bees which attacked them. The bees are believed to be directed by Xiaolongnü.
[edit] As Yang Guo's teacher and lover
The young Yang Guo is brought to Quanzhen Sect by Guo Jing for proper tutelage in martial arts and morals. At Quanzhen, his fellow disciples bully and ostracise him, and even his teacher Zhao Zhijing mistreats him. One day, he is unable to withstand the harsh treatment and flees Chongyang Palace after injuring a senior severely. He runs towards the Ancient Tomb and is rescued by Granny Sun who sympathises with him. As the Quanzhen priests are forbidden to enter the Ancient Tomb, Yang Guo is safe inside. For the first time, Yang Guo meets Xiaolongnü but she does not allow him to stay. Instead, she asks Granny Sun to send Yang Guo back to Quanzhen and tell the Quanzhen priests not to ill-treat Yang Guo anymore.
However, the Quanzhen priests begin insulting Yang Guo when they see him return. Granny Sun is furious and she fights with the Quanzhen priests. She is mortally wounded by Hao Datong of Quanzhen. At the critical moment, Xiaolongnü appears and defeats Hao by breaking his sword. Before her death, Granny Sun makes Xiaolongnü promise her to take care of Yang Guo. She wants both of them, orphans, to have each other as companions after her death. The Quanzhen priests oblige and allow Yang Guo to leave with Xiaolongnü.
Xiaolongnü formally accepts Yang Guo as her disciple and they live together in the Ancient Tomb for several years. During these years, Xiaolongnü imparts most of her martial arts and skills to Yang Guo. Both of them fall in love with each other but their love relationship is viewed as taboo in ancient Chinese society. They encounter several trials and tribulations after leaving the tomb and numerous tests of their love for each other. Once, Xiaolongnü leaves Yang Guo as she does not want him to become an outcast of society because of his love for her. She journeys to the Passionless Valley where she meets Gongsun Zhi and almost marries him. Yang Guo's sudden appearance disrupt the wedding. They are married in Chongyang Palace eventually but are separated for 16 years before their final reunion at the end of the novel.
[edit] Martial arts and skills
- Jade Maiden Heart Sutra (玉女心經)
- Jade Maiden Swordplay (玉女素心劍法)
- Fist of Beauties (美女拳法)
- Palm of Infinity Web (天羅地網式)
- Qinggong of the Ancient Tomb Sect (古墓派輕功)
- Technique of Ambidexterity (雙手互搏)
[edit] Inventory
[edit] Gloves of White Silver
Xiaolongnü wears a pair of gloves made from white silver. It is said that no sharp weapons and blades are able to penetrate them. As such, Xiaolongnü can grab hold of enemies' weapons and break them.
[edit] Long Sash of Gold Bells
Xiaolongnü's favourite weapon. She uses her skills to manipulate this long and flexible weapon for both long and short distance attacks. Two gold bells are tied at each end of the sash and hidden in the sleeves. The bells are only unsheathed by flapping the sleeves. The rhythmic and random ringing sound of the bells serve as distraction while the bells are used to attack the enemy's exposed acupuncture points and stun them. The speed of the weapon is beyond measurement.
[edit] Gold Needles of Jade Bee
This dart-throwing technique is one of the traditional martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect and Xiaolongnü learnt it from her teacher. The poison of a rare breed of bees known as the Jade Bees, is carefully coated onto needles made from heavy gold and steel. The needles are fired towards an enemy just like dart-throwing. The degree of poison is higher than Li Mochou's "Soul Freezing Needles" as the poison causes excruciating pain to the enemy and eventual death after a long period of time. The cure to the poison is the Jade Bee's honey, which has health benefits too.
[edit] Jade Bees
The Jade Bees (玉蜂) are Xiaolongnü's only "living" weapon. The special breed of bees can make formations and attack enemies when instructed by playing a musical instrument, rhythmic whistles and honey. Xiaolongnü plays the Guqin to instruct the bees and she also carries a bottle of honey with her.
[edit] Film and TV adaptations
- List of actresses who played Xiaolongnü
- Nam Hong (1960)
- Lee Tong Ming (1976)
- Yung Jing-Jing (1983)
- Idy Chan (1983)
- Angela Pan (1984)
- Anita Mui (1991)
- Rosamund Kwan (1992)
- Carman Lee (1995)
- Fann Wong (1998)
- Jacklyn Wu (1998)
- Crystal Liu (2006)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Characters' information at Wuxiapedia.com
- Jin Yong Reading Room - translations of Louis Cha's novels
- Forgotten Heroes - fansite of television adaptations of the "Condor Heroes"
- Lair of the Condor - fansite of the anime adaptation
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