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Gu Long's novels

Gu Long's novels

Gu Long wrote over seventy novels during his career.

Looking at the Gu Long article and comparing it with this novels listing, we could add two valuable sections that provide new information without duplication:

Publication context

Serialization history

Unlike Jin Yong who primarily published in Ming Pao, Gu Long’s works were serialized across multiple newspapers and magazines in Taiwan, including United Daily News,1 China Times,2 and Central Daily News.3

Publication challenges

Many of Gu Long’s early works were written under intense deadline pressure to earn a living. This led to him serialising multiple stories simultaneously, causing occasional plot inconsistencies between serialized versions.

These were corrected in later editions published as books, further highlighting the inconsistencies and quality issues.

Collaborative works and ghostwriting

Gu Long also collaborated with other writers to ghostwrite some of his works to help him meet deadlines.

The Carved Jade Dragon was ghostwritten by Shen Suimei4 and Xue Xingguo,5 who also ghostwrote The Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens《鳳舞九天》(1978–1979). The Poison of the Sword and Fragrance of Plum Blossoms was partially ghostwritten by Shangguan Ding.6

During his declining health, several works were completed by ghostwriters based on his outlines. These were published under his name through various arrangements with publishers.

The Six Shocking Tales series was mostly ghostwritten by Huang Ying.7

Gu Long dictated the stories for Ding Qing8 to ghostwrite Furious Sword, Mad Flowers, The Romance of that Sword, and Border Town Blade Sound.

Writing style and evolution

Early period (1960–1963)

In his early works like Divine Sword of the Sky and Legend of the Orphaned Star, Gu Long was still developing his signature style. These novels followed more traditional wuxia conventions while showing glimpses of his later psychological complexity.

Mature period (1963–1979)

Starting with the Lu Xiaofeng series, Gu Long developed his distinctive minimalist prose style with short, punchy sentences and extensive dialogue. His mature works like Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword and Heroes Shed No Tears showcased complex character psychology and Western literary influences.

Late period (1979–1985)

His later works saw increased use of ghostwriters and a decline in quality, though they maintained elements of his signature style.

Novels

Early experimental novels (1960–1964)

  • Divine Sword of the Sky《蒼穹神劍》(1960) – His first wuxia novel
  • Poison of the Sword and Fragrance of Plum Blossoms《劍毒梅香》(1960) – Only wrote 4 volumes, 14 chapters, partly ghostwritten by Shangguan Ding
  • Eerie Moon and Evil Star《月異星邪》(1960)
  • Tale of the Wandering Swordsman《遊俠錄》(1960)
  • Story of the Lost Soul《失魂引》(1960)
  • Journey of a Swordsman《劍客行》(1961)
  • Broken Gold, Incomplete Jade《殘金缺玉》(1961)
  • Sword Scholar’s Spirit《劍氣書香》(1960) – Only wrote 3 volumes
  • The Flower–Guarding Bell《護花鈴》(1962), also known as “Island of the Gods”
  • Consort Xiang’s Sword《湘妃劍》(1960–1963)

Early mature standalone novels (1963–1967)

  • Lingering Fragrance in a Rain of Swords《飄香劍雨》(1963–1965)
  • Lover’s Arrow《情人箭》(1963–1964)
  • The Legend of the Banner Heroes《大旗英雄傳》(1963–1965)
  • Cleansing Flowers, Refining the Sword《浣花洗劍錄》(1964–1966)
  • Dragon’s Song《龍吟曲》(1964)
  • The Sword and Exquisiteness《名劍風流》(1961–1967) – Written intermittently over 5–6 years
  • Unofficial History of the Wulin《武林外史》(1967)
  • Legendary Siblings《絕代雙驕》(1966)

Later standalone novels (1971–1979)

  • Happy Heroes《歡樂英雄》(1971)
  • The Celebrity《大人物》(1971)
  • Meteor, Butterfly, Sword《流星‧蝴蝶‧劍》(1971)
  • The Seven Killers《七殺手》(1973)
  • Never Bow Down《絕不低頭》(1973)
  • Sword, Flower, Rain Over Jiangnan《劍·花·煙雨江南》(1974–1975)
  • Sword of the Third Young Master《三少爺的劍》(1977)
  • The Jade Tiger《白玉老虎》(1976)
  • Flying Eagle over the Great Land《大地飛鷹》(1977)
  • Full Moon and Curved Saber《圓月彎刀》(1978)
  • The Seven Stars Dragon King《七星龍王》(1978)
  • Righteous Blood Cleansing the Silver Spear《碧血洗銀槍》(1976–1977)
  • Heroes Shed No Tears《英雄無淚》(1979)

Final period and posthumous works (1981–1986)

  • The Sounds of the Saber Accompanied by Wind Chimes《風鈴中的刀聲》(1981)
  • Carved Jade Dragon《白玉雕龍》(1985) – Ghostwritten by Shen Suimei and Xue Xingguo
  • Furious Sword, Mad Flowers《怒劍狂花》(1985) – Mostly ghostwritten by Ding Qing
  • The Romance of that Sword《那一劍的風情》(1985) – Mostly ghostwritten by Ding Qing
  • Border Town Blade Sound《邊城刀聲》(1986) – Mostly ghostwritten by Ding Qing
  • The Grand Era of Wuxia《大武俠时代》(1985)

Chu Liuxiang series (1967–1982)

This series features the sophisticated thief Chu Liuxiang and demonstrates Gu Long’s mature style with its complex characterization and exploration of morally ambiguous themes.

  • Iron Blood Legend《鐵血傳奇》(1967) – renamed 《風流盜帥》between 1971–1972, and later 《楚留香傳奇》 in 1977. Contains three stories:
    • Fragrance in the Sea of Blood《血海飄香》
    • The Vast Desert《大沙漠
    • The Thrush《畫眉鳥
  • The Legend of the Bat《蝙蝠傳奇》(1969) – later included The Continuing Legend of Chu Liuxiang《楚留香傳奇續集》
    • Includes Phantom Love and Heroic Romance《鬼戀俠情》, also known as Borrowing a Corpse to Return the Soul《借尸还魂》
  • The Legend of the Peach Blossom《桃花傳奇》(1971–1972) – for volumes 1–21, published as Chivalrous Name Lingers in Fragrance《侠名留香》for volumes 23–27
  • The Legend of the New Moon《新月傳奇》(1978)
  • The Midnight Orchid《午夜蘭花》(1982–1983) – written as a continuation of the film The Jade Ring, part of New Tales of Chu Liuxiang《楚留香新傳》

Little Li Flying Dagger series (1968–1981)

A series following the legendary swordsman Li Xunhuan, known for his deadly flying dagger skills and melancholic personality. The series established many of Gu Long’s signature themes, including tragic romance and the price of martial prowess.

  • Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword《多情劍客無情劍》(1968) – combined with its sequel Iron Courage and Hero’s Soul《铁胆大侠魂》in 1969 to form the current version
  • Bordertown Wanderer trilogy
    1. Bordertown Wanderer《邊城浪子》(1973) – originally titled First Blade of Wind and Cloud《風雲第一刀》, sequel to Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword
    2. Eagle Soaring in the Ninth Month《九月鷹飛》(1973)
    3. Horizon, Bright Moon, Saber《天涯‧明月‧刀》(1974) – threek nown versions: Wuxia Spring and Autumn version (incomplete), Nanqi version (with different ending), and the 1978 Wansheng abridged version
  • Flying Dagger, Flying Dagger Appears Again《飛刀，又見飛刀》(1981) – written after Gu Long’s injury, with Ding Qing recording his dictation

Lu Xiaofeng series (1972–1981)

One of Gu Long’s most popular and influential series, following the witty young martial artist Lu Xiaofeng as he solves mysteries in the jianghu. The series showcases Gu Long’s talent for combining detective fiction elements with traditional wuxia storytelling.

  • The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng《陸小鳳傳奇》(1973) – commissioned by Jin Yong for Ming Pao spanning 117 chapters with a planned sequel The Invisible Man《隐形的人》, published as The Great Wanderer《大游侠》 between 1973–1977
  • The Embroidery Bandit《繡花大盜》(1973–1974) – first published in Ming Pao’s Wuxia and History issue 640 as Phoenix Flies Southeast《凤凰东南飞》
  • Before and After the Duel《決戰前後》(1974–1975)
  • The Silver Hook Gambling House《銀鈎賭坊》(1975–1976) – serialized in Ming Pao issue 670–onwards, labeled as “Lu Xiaofeng Legend Part 4”
  • Phantom Manor《幽靈山莊》(1976–1977) – split into two parts: Strange World and Heaven’s Will is Like a Blade
  • The Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens《鳳舞九天》(1978–1979) – largely ghostwritten by Xue Xingguo with two versions: the Hong Kong Wugong version titled The Invisible Man and the Xue Xingguo ghostwritten version
  • Laughter of the Sword God《劍神一笑》(1981) – possibly dictated by Gu Long due to illness, adapted into the film Lu Xiaofeng: Laughter of the Sword God the same year with Gu Long as screenwriter

The Eleventh Son series

Centers on Xiao Shiyi Lang, a carefree wanderer whose life becomes entangled with political intrigue and revenge. The series is notable for its exploration of identity and betrayal themes.

  • The Eleventh Son《蕭十一郎》(1969) – first written for screenplay before adapting into a novel
  • To Destroy the Eleventh Son《火併蕭十一郎》(1973) – sequel to The Eleventh Son

Seven Weapons series (1974–1978)

A collection of interconnected stories, each focusing on a unique weapon and its wielder. The series demonstrates Gu Long’s skill at crafting distinctive martial arts styles and techniques while exploring the relationship between warriors and their chosen weapons.

  1. The Longevity Sword《長生劍》(1974)
  2. The Peacock Tassel《孔雀翎》(1974)
  3. The Green Jade Saber《碧玉刀》(1974)
  4. The Amorous Ring《多情環》(1974) – listed as the fourth when serialised, later on sometimes listed as fifth instead
  5. The Overlord Spear《霸王槍》(1974) – listed as the fifth when serialised, later on sometimes listed as fourth instead
  6. The Separation Hook《離別鉤》(1978) – replaced The Fist as the sixth weapon 7 The Fist《拳頭》(1975) – initially named Wolf Mountain《狼山》and later Angry Little Horse《憤怒的小馬》, before the current name, a spin–off from The Overlord Spear

Grand Era of Wuxia series (1985)

This ambitious series attempted to create a broader unified narrative across multiple stories.

  • Gamble, Wolf’s Teeth, Pursue–and–kill《賭局、狼牙、追殺》(1985)
  • Purple Fumes, Skulk of Foxes《紫煙、群狐》(1985)
  • Silver Condor, Sea Deity《銀雕、海神》(1985)

The Six Shocking Tales series (1974–1975)

A darker series featuring supernatural elements.

  • The Blood Parrot《血鸚鵡》(1974) – abandoned after 5 chapters,ghostwritten by Huang Ying
  • The Sky Demon Saber《天魔刀》(1974) – also published as Blood–sucking Moth《吸血蛾》, ghostwritten by Huang Ying
  • The Black Lizard《黑蜥蜴》(1974) – ghostwritten by Huang Ying
  • The Crystal Man《水晶人》(1974) – also published as Rain meets the Crystal Man《風雨奇譚》, ghostwritten by Huang Ying
  • The Powdery Skeleton《粉骷髏》(1974) – ghostwritten by Huang Ying
  • The Rakshasa Lady《羅剎女》(1974) – ghostwritten by Huang Ying
  • The Wingless Bat《無翼蝙蝠》(1974) – ghostwritten by Huang Ying

Footnotes

  1. 聯合報 – Liánhé Bào. A major Taiwanese newspaper founded in 1951. See Wikipedia. ↩

  2. 中國時報 – Zhōngguó Shíbào. One of Taiwan’s major newspapers. See Wikipedia. ↩

  3. 中央日報 – Zhōngyāng Rìbào. The official newspaper of the Kuomintang. See Wikipedia. ↩

  4. 申碎梅 – Shěn Suìméi. See Douban (Chinese). ↩

  5. 薛興國 – Xuē Xìngguó. See Baidu Baike (Chinese). ↩

  6. 上官鼎 – Shàngguān Dǐng. Pen name of Liu Chao-shiuan and two of his brothers. See Wikipedia. ↩

  7. 黃鷹 – Huáng Yìng. See Wikipedia (Chinese). ↩

  8. 丁情 – Dīng Qíng. See Baidu Baike. ↩