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Ode to Gallantry
Wuxia Wiki | Jin Yong | Novels

Ode to Gallantry

Ode to Gallantry (simplified: 侠客行, traditional: 俠客行, pinyin: Xiá Kè Xíng, jyutping: Haap6 Haak3 Haang4) is the twelfth wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialised in Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper from 11 June 1966 to 19 April 1967.

The novel is composed of 21 chapters and contains approximately 598,000 Chinese characters. The novel shares its title with Li Bai’s1 famous poem, which plays a crucial role in the story’s plot.

Like his other works, Jin Yong revised the novel when it was published as a book in 1975 as the Second Edition. A second revision was published in early 2003 as the Third Edition.

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Title translation

The title is taken from Li Bai’s famous poem of the same name that appears within the story. The most common translation Ode to Gallantry captures the essence of Li Bai’s celebration of the wandering knight-errant spirit.

Alternative translations include Tale of the Wandering Knights and Chronicles of the Gallant, but these lose the poetic connection to Li Bai’s work. The title reflects both the physical poem that appears in the story as well as the broader theme of what constitutes true chivalrous virtue.

Plot

Background

The story is deliberately set in an unspecified period during the Ming dynasty,2 similar to Laughing in the Wind. This allows Jin Yong to focus on the themes and characters without being constrained by historical events.

Summary

The story begins in Kaifeng3, where a perpetually hungry young beggar boy who goes by Mongrel Dog searches desperately for his lost mother and dog named Ahuang. While scrounging for food, he witnesses a dramatic confrontation between various martial arts figures.

During this incident, he encounters Da Bei Laoren, who before dying gives him a set of clay figures containing secret martial arts instructions. Shortly after, he meets the peculiar master Xie Yanke, who takes him to the remote Motian Cliff4 to learn martial arts.

Xie Yanke deliberately teaches the techniques incorrectly, hoping his student will suffer fatal internal injuries. However, through a series of coincidences, the boy instead develops extraordinary abilities. He becomes entangled in a complex web of mistaken identity when various groups mistake him for Shi Zhongyu, the missing leader of the Changle Guild.

The confusion deepens as both Shi Zhongyu’s parents and his lover Ding Dang believe the beggar to be their missing son and lover. While they share an identical appearance, their personalities could not be more different—the beggar is honest and kind-hearted, while Shi Zhongyu is known for being cunning and lecherous.

The story culminates at a gathering on Xiake Island during the Laba Festival,5 where the true identities and relationships between the characters are finally revealed.

Themes

Identity and authenticity

The novel explores questions of true identity through its mistaken identity plot. Despite their identical appearances, the protagonist and Shi Zhongyu represent opposing aspects of human nature – genuine virtue versus superficial charm.

Nature versus nurture

Through the contrasting development of the identical brothers, the story examines how character is shaped by upbringing rather than birth.

True gallantry

The novel questions what constitutes real chivalrous virtue, contrasting the protagonist’s natural, unaffected heroism with more calculated displays of gallantry by other characters.

Knowledge and wisdom

The story suggests that true understanding comes not from formal learning but from natural insight, demonstrated by how the illiterate protagonist ultimately surpasses educated martial artists.

Cast

See more: Ode to Gallantry characters

Protagonists

  • Shi Potian (石破天 – Shí Pò Tiān) – initially known only as Mongrel Dog
  • Shi Zhongyu (史中玉 – Shǐ Zhōngyù) – The missing young master of the Changle School
  • Axiu (阿秀 – Ā Xiù) – Granddaughter of Bai Zizai, who falls in love with Shi Potian
  • Ding Dang (丁当 – Dīng Dāng) – Shi Zhongyu’s lover who initially mistakes Shi Potian for him
  • Xie Yanke (谢烟客 – Xiè Yānkè) – The eccentric master who attempts to harm Shi Potian through incorrect teaching

Important characters

  • Shi Qing (石清 – Shí Qīng) – Father of Shi Zhongyu
  • Min Rou (闵柔 – Mǐn Róu) – Mother of Shi Zhongyu, wife of Shi Qing
  • Bei Haishi (贝海石 – Bèi Hǎishí) the Touch of Spring – The Changle School’s strategist
  • Bai Zizai (白自在 – Bái Zìzài) – Leader of the Snowy Mountain School
  • Reward Good Punish Evil Messengers (赏善罚恶使者 – Shǎng Shàn Fá È Shǐzhě) – Mysterious enforcers from Xiake Island

Martial arts

The novel features several distinctive martial arts:

  • Pure Yin Pure Yang Arts (纯阴纯阳功 – Chún Yīn Chún Yáng Gōng) – A dangerous technique taught incorrectly by Xie Yanke
  • Five Elements Six Combinations Palm (五行六合掌 – Wǔ Xíng Liù Hé Zhǎng) – Bei Haishi’s signature technique
  • Snowy Mountain Sword Style (雪山剑法 – Xuě Shān Jiàn Fǎ) – The signature style of the Snowy Mountain School
  • Arhat Subduing Demons Technique (罗汉伏魔功 – Luóhàn Fú Mó Gōng) – A powerful Buddhist martial art
  • Black Evil Palm (黑煞掌 – Hēi Shà Zhǎng) – A deadly technique leaving black handprints

Behind the scenes

In the afterword, Jin Yong acknowledges the influence of William Shakespeare’s comedies of mistaken identity, particularly Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors, on the novel’s plot structure.

The novel’s structure as a comedy of errors marked a departure from Jin Yong’s usual style, demonstrating his versatility as a writer and his ability to blend Western literary influences with the wuxia genre.

Adaptations

Film

Web film

  • Package Deal (2024) by GNP Films (Indonesia) and Vivamax (Philippines)

Television series

Manhua

Ode to Gallantry manhua adaptation by Lam Yip-hing,6 supervised by Wong Yuk-long,7 published by Jade Dynasty.8

Video games

The MUD game Peking University Ode to Gallantry,9 developed from Fang Zhouzi’s10 team’s original Ode to Gallantry game in 1996, maintains an active player base to this day.

Legacy

Ode to Gallantry stands as one of Jin Yong’s most structurally innovative works, successfully blending elements of Western comedy with traditional wuxia storytelling. Its exploration of identity and authenticity through the device of identical characters helped expand the thematic possibilities of the genre.

The novel’s lighter tone and comedic elements, while maintaining serious themes about true virtue and identity, demonstrated Jin Yong’s versatility as a writer and influenced later wuxia authors in their approach to genre conventions.

Philosophical elements

The novel incorporates Buddhist philosophical concepts about the nature of knowledge and enlightenment. Through the protagonist’s ability to master martial arts despite his illiteracy, the story suggests that true understanding comes from direct experience rather than intellectual analysis. This is particularly demonstrated in the way various educated martial artists fail to grasp the essence of techniques while the unschooled protagonist achieves mastery through natural insight.

The story’s conclusion leaves deliberate ambiguity about the protagonist’s true identity, with hints suggesting he might be Shi Qing and Min Rou’s second son, Shi Zhongjian. This uncertainty serves the novel’s broader themes about the nature of identity and authenticity.

See also

Footnotes

  1. 李白 – Lǐ Bái. Tang dynasty poet acclaimd as one of the greatest and most important in Chinese history. See Wikipedia. ↩

  2. 明 – Míng. A dynasty that ruled China from 1368 to 1644. See Wikipedia. ↩

  3. 开封 – Kāifēng. A major city in Henan province. See Wikipedia. ↩

  4. 摩天崖 – Mó Tiān Yá. Literally “Sky-touching Cliff”. ↩

  5. 腊八节 – Là Bā Jié. A traditional Chinese festival celebrating Buddha’s enlightenment, occurring on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. See Wikipedia. ↩

  6. 林業慶 – Lín Yèqìng. A Hong Kong manhua artist ↩

  7. 黃玉郎 – Huáng Yùláng. A prolific Hong Kong manhua artist and publisher. See Wikipedia. ↩

  8. 玉皇朝 – Yùhuángcháo. A Hong Kong comics publisher. See Fandom. ↩

  9. 北大侠客行 – Běidà Xiákè Xíng. A text-based multiplayer game based on the novel. Play here. ↩

  10. 方舟子 – Fāng Zhōuzǐ. A Chinese science writer and critic. See Wikipedia. ↩