The Book and the Sword (traditional character: 書劍恩仇錄; simplified character: 书剑恩仇录; pinyin: ----) was first published in 1955 and written by Jin Yong, the pen name for Chinese author Louis Cha. Set in early Qing China during the rule of the Qianlong emperor, the story contains a large and varied cast of characters. It is of the wuxia, or martial arts, genre with extraordinary warriors performing amazing deeds.
Chapters
The 3rd edition of the book contains 20 chapters, listed below in Mandarin Chinese.
第一回 古道腾驹惊白发 危峦快剑识青翎
第二回 金风野店书生笛 铁胆荒庄侠士心
第三回 避祸英雄悲失路 寻仇好汉误交兵
第四回 置酒弄丸招薄怒 还书贻剑种深情
第五回 乌鞘岭口拚鬼侠 赤套渡头扼官军
第六回 有情有义怜难侣 无法无天振饥民
第七回 琴音朗朗闻雁落 剑气沉沉作龙吟
第八回 千军岳峙围千顷 万马潮汹动万乘
第九回 虎穴轻身开铁铐 狮峰重气掷金针
第十回 烟腾火炽走豪侠 粉腻脂香羁至尊
第十一回 高塔入云盟九鼎 快招如电显双鹰
第十二回 盈盈彩烛三生约 霍霍青霜万里行
第十三回 吐气扬眉雷掌疾 惊才绝艳雪莲馨
第十四回 蜜意柔情锦带舞 长枪大戟铁弓鸣
第十五回 奇谋破敌将军苦 儿戏降魔玉女□
第十六回 我见犹怜二老意 谁能遣此双姝情
第十七回 为民除害方称侠 抗暴蒙污不愧贞
第十八回 驱驴有术居奇货 除恶无方从佳人
第十九回 心伤殿隅星初落 魂断城头日已昏
第二十回 忍见红颜堕火窟 空余碧血葬香魂
Summary
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The first character introduced to the reader is Li Yuanzhi, the young daughter of a high official. Headstrong and physically adept, she learns the art of kungfu from her master-—Golden Needle Lu. The story revolves around the recovery of a copy of the Qu'ran by Uyghurs, as well as the designs of the leader of The Red Flower Heroes, a group of rebels against Manchu rule.
The code of the Red Flower Heroes is in direct opposition to the designs of Qianlong. The emperor wishes to be remembered as a great leader, like Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty or the acclaimed emperor Taizong. These are, technically, estimable pursuits for a Chinese emperor. The weight given to the manner in which history appraises an emperor's rule dates back to Sima Qian; Qianlong's own valuation of emperors Wu and Taizong matches the conventional Chinese interpretation.
But to become great, Qianlong starves his own people and oppresses the morally upright (Such as the Red Flower Heroes). He follows the letter of Chinese ideology while ignoring the spirit. Qianlong, like many of the major villains, is skillful but not wise. Throughout the novel, the antagonists' skill at music, calligraphy or, especially, kungfu, is not enough to overcome their failure to understand the difference between what is important and what people say is important.
Strong Female Protagonists
Li Yuanzhi is only one of three young, female warriors who appears prominently in the Cha's novel. Along with her are Zhou Qi and Huo Qingtong. The former is another headstrong daughter whose mother, lady Zhou, embodies a more mature ideal as a stubborn, loving and strong wife and mother. At one point, Zhou Qi points out that she cannot embroider, much to her mother's displeasure, who claims that no man would want a woman without such a necessary skill. Quickly, though, it is revealed that Lady Zhou never learned herself, and in that moment Cha provides a classic, and pan-cultural, moment between parent and child hearkening back to Jane Eyre's Pride and Prejudice.
Ethical Claims
There are often found within the novel light-hearted reminders of the universality of people's ideals and their acknowledgment that ideals are often unmet. The monolithic nature of Chinese culture, with its strict guidelines—Confucian, Communist and otherwise—seems in this light not nearly so monolithic. Like Zhou Qi and her embroidery, people don't always live up to them, and it's no great tragedy, not even to your mother. Instead, these supposedly important standards are treated as secondary to what would be considered in the West as more transcendent—the most common example being friendship despite religious, cultural or political differences.
If any kind of classical delineation could be made, it would seem that Cha believes in two kinds of people: those of naturally low character and those of high character. The former can have moments of clarity, and sometimes within the story a seemingly one-sided villain will recognize the truly valuable. The former, though, only seem subject to the failings associated with heroes; whether it be Lord Zhou's pride preventing him from apologizing for the accidental murder of his son or the Kungfu Mastermind's inability to acknowledge being in love with Zhou Qi.
This natural dichotomy is most evident in battle—as should be expected from a novel like this. Scoundrels may inflict some wounds, but only if they vastly outmatch their opponent or, more likely, overwhelm them with numbers or treachery. Even then, the Red Flower Heroes tend to cut their way through great swathes of enemies. Bravery and skill do not only exist on the side of the heroes, but it is in much greater quantity, seemingly indicating that the morally superior side will naturally attract the superior person.
Still, there is a certain disconnect present in The Book & The Sword that is not so evident in Western popular fiction, and that is between skill and ethics. Stereotypically, the Western hero would respect the intelligence and skill of his nemesis except that it's used for evil. The heroes in Cha's novel, however, respect their enemies' intelligence and skill but hold that the respect does not somehow conflict with a condemnation of their ethical stance. This separation lends plausibility to scenes such as the one where Chen, the leader of the Red Flower Society, meets with the Qianlong emperor and treats him in a cordial manner.
The question left unanswered is where this ethical stance originated. To claim that ideas of meritocracy are Western is to ignore the inspiration behind the bureaucratic reforms epitomized by the Chinese civil service exam. To claim that accepting the limitations of a human being, especially in regard to the strict ideals which society tends to place on that human being, is somehow foreign to China would mean ignoring its long Daoist tradition. Instead, it seems that the ethical system espoused within The Book & The Sword is simply the modern iteration of a long history of Chinese ideals.
Characters
Protagonists
Chen - Leader of the Red Flower Heroes and secret brother to the emperor Qianlong.
The Fragrant Princess - A beautiful Uyghur princess, sister to Huo Qingtong and love interest of Chen.
Li Yuanzhi
Zhou Qi
The Kungfu Mastermind
Antagonists
Fire Hand Zhou
The Qianlong Emperor
