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Nanzhao Kingdom - Dali and the Jinyong's Kungfu Novels
Jin Yong must be the most popular writer in China. His
Kungfu novels are loved by people from all walks of life.
In Jin Yong's Novels, Dali is undoubtedly an important place. It was
the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom from the 8th through 13th
centuries. "Yi Yang Finger" and "Magic Six-Finger Sword", which could
only be practiced and mastered by the members of royal family of the
Nanzhao Kingdom, represent one of the highest achievements of Chinese
martial arts. All members of royal families are not only
kungfu masters, but also camellia lovers. They can cultivate the most
beautiful and unusual species of camellia flowers in the world. In
"Tian Long Ba Bu", readers are fascinated by a lot of vivid depiction
of camellia flowers in Dali. One interesting thing about
Jin Yong is that in 1997, more than 20 years after he finished his 14
Kungfu novels, he had his first visit Dali. Why did Jin Yong have such
a fascination with Dali, a place he had never been, one will never
know. Maybe everything Jin Yong writes about Dali in his novels is
real. Why not go and discover it yourself? Western
readers may read Oliver Chang's "Of the popularity of Kungfu novels in
China" to familiarize yourselves with Chinese Kungfu novels. If you
get really interested, then read one of Jong Yong's Kungfu novels. The
book and the sword in English translated by Graham Earnshaw! |
