Lin Chaoying

Lin Chaoying (simplified: 林朝英, traditional: 林朝英, Jyutping: lam4 ciu4 jing1, pinyin: Lín Cháoyīng) was the founder of the Ancient Tomb School and one of the most accomplished martial artists in history, regardless of gender. She was a legendary figure whose martial arts abilities were considered equal only to Wang Chongyang, the “Central Divine” and founder of the Quanzhen Order, and superior to the other Four Greats of the martial world.

Despite her extraordinary abilities, Lin Chaoying remained largely unknown to the general public because she was a woman who did not seek fame or recognition in the martial world. However, her lifetime of chivalrous deeds was so renowned that a shrine dedicated to her was erected on Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua. Her tragic love story with Wang Chongyang shaped not only her own destiny but also the fundamental philosophy and techniques of the martial arts school she created, establishing a legacy that would influence the martial world for generations.

Lin Chaoying was described as not only extremely beautiful in appearance, but also a martial arts genius. Her martial arts cultivation was considered superior to the Four Greats, with only Wang Chongyang being her equal.

Biography

Early life and martial arts mastery

Lin Chaoying was born during the late Northern Song or early Southern Song period, a time of political upheaval and foreign invasion that created both challenges and opportunities for exceptional individuals. Her martial arts talents emerged early, and she developed into one of the most formidable fighters of her generation.

Her name “Chaoying” (朝英) means “morning flower” or “dawn brilliance,” suggesting both beauty and the promise of new beginnings. This name proved prophetic, as she would indeed create something new and brilliant in the form of the Ancient Tomb School.

Relationship with Wang Chongyang

Her most defining relationship was with Wang Chongyang, who would later become known as the Central Divine and founder of the Quanzhen Order. Their relationship began as a rivalry between two equally matched martial artists, but gradually developed into deep mutual respect and eventually love.

However, their love was complicated by Wang Chongyang’s dedication to resisting the Jin Dynasty invasion and his constant refrain that “the Xiongnu have not been destroyed, how can I establish a family?” His inability to commit to their relationship, while perhaps necessary for his spiritual and political development, devastated Lin Chaoying and shaped the rest of her life.

The stone carving contest

The defining moment of their relationship came when Lin Chaoying, frustrated by Wang Chongyang’s continued evasion of their feelings, challenged him to a contest that would determine their future. She proposed that they compete by carving words into stone with their bare fingers - an seemingly impossible task that would test not only martial arts skill but also ingenuity.

Lin Chaoying made Wang Chongyang a fateful wager: if she could accomplish this impossible feat, he would have to choose between becoming a Taoist monk or living with her in the Ancient Tomb. Wang Chongyang, believing such a thing was impossible, agreed to the terms. However, Lin Chaoying had secretly prepared by hiding a piece of fossil-dissolving powder in her left palm, which softened the stone surface just enough for her to carve the first eight lines of a poem about Zhang Liang, the famous Han Dynasty strategist who chose hermitage over worldly power.

When Wang Chongyang realized he had been outmaneuvered, he honored his word but chose to become a Taoist monk rather than live with her. He gave her the Ancient Tomb he had built and established the Quanzhen Temple nearby. This clever victory became Lin Chaoying’s greatest defeat, as she won the contest but lost the man she loved.

This pivotal moment was preceded by an earlier encounter where Lin Chaoying once stood outside the tomb and hurled all manner of insults at Wang Chongyang, who was hiding in the Living Dead Tomb, provoking him for seven days and seven nights. Wang Chongyang could no longer endure it and came out to fight her. Unexpectedly, Lin Chaoying laughed and said, “Since you’ve come out, you don’t need to go back!” Wang Chongyang suddenly realized that his opponent was actually acting out of good intentions, regretting that his great martial arts skills were being buried in the tomb, and had used this scheme to provoke him into leaving the tomb.

Founding the Ancient Tomb School

Lin Chaoying’s most significant contribution was the creation of the Ancient Tomb School, a martial arts tradition that would profoundly influence future generations. Her school’s techniques and philosophy were specifically designed to counter Quanzhen martial arts, reflecting her ongoing conflict with Wang Chongyang.

The school she founded became the refuge for her descendants and disciples, including Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo, whose relationship would echo and ultimately resolve the tragic love story between Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang.

Personality and traits

Lin Chaoying was characterized by her exceptional intelligence, martial arts genius, and passionate nature. Her personality combined the refined elegance expected of a woman of her social class with the fierce determination and competitive spirit of a great martial artist.

Her most defining characteristic was her capacity for deep emotion, both love and hatred, which gave power to her martial arts but also caused her great suffering. Her inability to accept Wang Chongyang’s rejection led to a lifetime of bitterness that influenced everything she created.

Martial arts abilities

Lin Chaoying’s martial arts achievements were extraordinary, representing some of the most sophisticated and innovative techniques in Chinese martial arts history.

Internal energy cultivation

Her greatest creation was the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra (玉女心经), a comprehensive martial arts manual containing ten chapters of techniques that represented the pinnacle of her martial arts innovation. This internal energy cultivation method emphasized coolness and tranquility while providing tremendous power, specifically designed to counter the hot, yang-oriented internal energy of Quanzhen martial arts.

The Heart Sutra was unique in its approach, focusing on speed rather than power. Lin Chaoying created these techniques with the specific goal of defeating Wang Chongyang without seriously harming him - she wanted only to touch him lightly or tap his acupoints to make him concede defeat. The manual taught practitioners to move with extraordinary speed, allowing them to execute three or four moves in the time it took an ordinary martial artist to complete one, though the individual power of each move was not correspondingly increased.

Signature techniques

Her Jade Maiden Swordplay was renowned for its elegance and effectiveness, featuring sword techniques that were sharp and swift beyond compare, emphasizing transcendent grace and elegant postures, with floating movements that appeared immortal in their beauty. Like her other techniques, these sword forms were designed to be not easily harmful to opponents, reflecting her desire to defeat rather than destroy her enemies.

The Beauty Fist Technique was one of Lin Chaoying’s most artistic creations, with each move modeled after a famous beauty from history. The technique incorporated the ever-changing charm and bearing of beautiful women throughout the centuries, allowing practitioners to advance with lotus-like steps or sway like willows, achieving victory through graceful and enchanting movements.

The Beauty Fist Technique was described as having each move simulate an ancient beauty, incorporating the ever-changing charm and bearing of beautiful women throughout the centuries, allowing practitioners to advance with lotus-like steps or sway like willows, achieving victory through graceful and enchanting movements.

Weapons mastery

Her Heavenly Net, Earthly Snare Technique was a hand technique of incredible speed and precision, creating an impenetrable net with the practitioner’s hands. When executed properly, this technique could block eighty-one sparrows without letting a single one escape, demonstrating the extraordinary speed and coverage of the hand movements.

The Silver Chain Golden Bell Technique utilized a special rope weapon with golden bells, featuring exquisite and ever-changing moves that primarily targeted enemy acupoints. The rope movements were described as sinuous as a spirit snake, flowing and flexible in all directions.

The Heavenly Net, Earthly Snare Technique was described as having hand techniques of incredible speed, creating an impenetrable net with the practitioner’s hands, with power not inferior to having a sword, able to block eighty-one sparrows without letting a single one escape. The Silver Chain Golden Bell Technique was described as utilizing a special rope weapon with golden bells, featuring exquisite and ever-changing moves that primarily targeted enemy acupoints, with rope movements sinuous as a spirit snake, flowing and flexible in all directions.

Notable achievements

Many of the techniques Lin Chaoying developed were specifically designed to counter Quanzhen martial arts, demonstrating her intimate knowledge of Wang Chongyang’s methods and her determination to prove her superiority over his school. The Heart Sutra represented not only technical innovation but also philosophical opposition to Quanzhen principles, embodying Lin Chaoying’s rejection of Wang Chongyang’s path while simultaneously expressing her deep love for him through martial arts.

These techniques included specific counters to Quanzhen sword work, internal energy methods, and philosophical approaches, creating a comprehensive system for defeating her former love’s martial arts.

Relationships

Romantic relationships

Her relationship with Wang Chongyang was the defining relationship of her life, combining deep love with bitter rivalry and ultimate rejection. This relationship shaped not only her personal destiny but also the martial arts tradition she created.

Their final bet, where Wang Chongyang won the right to live in the Ancient Tomb while Lin Chaoying was forced to leave, symbolized the ultimate failure of their relationship and Lin Chaoying’s lasting resentment.

Master-disciple relationships

Lin Chaoying’s relationship with her disciples, particularly her maidservant who would become the second generation leader of the Ancient Tomb School, was characterized by the transmission of both martial arts techniques and emotional patterns.

Her influence on her successors included not only technical instruction but also the psychological legacy of her bitterness and isolation, which would affect the school’s development for generations.

Behind the scenes

Lin Chaoying lived during a period of foreign invasion and political upheaval, when the Song Dynasty faced existential threats from the Jin Dynasty. This context influenced both her relationship with Wang Chongyang and her approach to martial arts development.

Her creation of the Ancient Tomb School represented a form of withdrawal from the world, paralleling but opposing Wang Chongyang’s approach of engaging with political and spiritual challenges through Taoist cultivation.

Lin Chaoying’s legacy extended far beyond her own lifetime, influencing the story’s events through her martial arts school, her techniques, and the psychological patterns she established. Her technical innovations, particularly the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and related techniques, represented significant advances in martial arts development and provided the foundation for the Ancient Tomb School’s continued influence.

Her rejection of conventional social norms and her creation of an alternative lifestyle in the Ancient Tomb provided a model for later generations of women who sought independence from traditional social constraints. The emotional patterns Lin Chaoying established—her bitterness, isolation, and rejection of conventional relationships—influenced her successors and created ongoing tensions that would only be resolved through Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü’s successful love story.

Lin Chaoying represents the tragic consequences of love denied and the ways that personal relationships could influence broader martial arts and philosophical developments. Her story demonstrates how individual emotional experiences could create lasting institutions and traditions, and illustrates the exceptional capabilities of women in martial arts and their ability to create innovative techniques and schools that could rival or surpass those created by men.

Her story is fundamentally tragic, as her great abilities and passionate nature ultimately led to a lifetime of bitterness and isolation. Her tragedy lies in her inability to accept Wang Chongyang’s choices and find happiness through alternative paths. Her creation of the Ancient Tomb School, while representing great achievement, was also a form of self-imposed exile that reflected her rejection of the world that had disappointed her.

The ultimate resolution of Lin Chaoying’s tragedy came through her successors Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü, whose successful love story demonstrated that the obstacles that had defeated her could be overcome through different choices and approaches.

Literary analysis has noted that Lin Chaoying dared to actively pursue love, yet love cannot be forced, and it was truly beyond her control. The analysis notes that Lin Chaoying was after all not an ordinary woman, and her disappointment in love did not turn her into a violent woman like Li Mochou or Liu Yinggu. Instead, she used her talents to express her longing for her beloved through an extremely elegant sword technique, creating the ‘Jade Maiden Pure Heart Sword’.

Portrayals

Lin Chaoying has been portrayed by various actresses in television adaptations:

The Legend of the Condor Heroes

1988 series – Chen Yulian

The Return of the Condor Heroes

1976 series – Ding Ying
1983 series – Guan Juying
1995 series – Feng Xiaowen
2006 series – Yu Ziyu
2014 series – Dong Xuan

Other series

1992 series – Liang Yiling