Qiu Qianren

Qiu Qianren (simplified: 裘千仞, traditional: 裘千仞, Jyutping: kau4 cin1 jan6, pinyin: Qiú Qiānrèn), known as “Iron Palm Water Gliding”¹ (铁掌水上飘), was the fourteenth Guild Chief² of the Iron Palm Guild³ and one of the most formidable martial artists of his generation. His martial prowess approached that of the Five Greats⁴, particularly earning recognition for his devastating Iron Palm technique⁵ and exceptional qinggong⁶ abilities that allowed him to glide across water surfaces.

Biography

Early life and rise to power

Qiu Qianren received the leadership of the Iron Palm Guild from his shifu⁷ Shangguan Jiannan⁸ upon the latter’s deathbed. Despite inheriting a guild that had suffered significant damage, Qiu demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic acumen. Within several years, he restored the Iron Palm Guild to unprecedented prosperity and influence, establishing it as one of the most feared organisations in the jianghu⁹.

His most notorious early achievement was the “Iron Palm Annihilation of Mount Heng” campaign, where he led the guild in a devastating assault against the Mount Heng Sect, leaving the once-prominent martial arts school in ruins and unable to recover its former standing. This victory established Qiu’s reputation throughout the martial world and earned him widespread fear and respect.

The pursuit of supremacy

Qiu Qianren harboured ambitious dreams of achieving martial supremacy. When the first Huashan Sword Summit¹⁰ took place, Wang Chongyang¹¹ and the other masters invited him to participate. However, Qiu declined the invitation, recognising that his Iron Palm technique had not yet reached its ultimate level and that he was not ready to challenge Wang Chongyang for the title of supreme martial artist.

Following this realisation, Qiu retreated to Iron Palm Peak¹² and spent more than ten years in intensive training and seclusion. His goal was to perfect his martial arts sufficiently to claim the title of “World’s Greatest Martial Artist” at the second Huashan Sword Summit, planned for twenty-five years after the first competition.

The dark deed at Dali Palace

Driven by his ambition and willingness to use any means necessary, Qiu committed one of his most heinous acts approximately sixteen years before the main events of The Legend of the Condor Heroes. He secretly infiltrated the Dali Palace and discovered the infant son of Concubine Liu¹³ (known as Yinggu) and the Southern Emperor¹⁴ Duan Zhixing.

Understanding that injuring the child would force Duan Zhixing to exhaust his internal energy in healing attempts, Qiu struck the infant with his Iron Palm, leaving the baby near death. His calculated cruelty achieved its intended effect—Duan Zhixing spent enormous amounts of his cultivated neili¹⁵ trying to save the child’s life, significantly weakening himself for any future martial contests.

The child ultimately died despite all efforts, transforming Yinggu’s hair from black to white overnight from grief and trauma. This tragedy created a cycle of vengeance that would eventually return to haunt Qiu Qianren years later.

Alliance with the Jin Dynasty

Due to his formidable martial abilities and the Iron Palm Guild’s substantial influence, Qiu became a valuable target for political recruitment. The guild’s possession of the legendary Book of Wumu¹⁶—the military treatise written by the patriotic Song general Yue Fei¹⁷—made them particularly attractive to foreign powers seeking to understand Chinese military strategy.

Prince Wanyan Honglie¹⁸ of the Jin Dynasty¹⁹ successfully recruited Qiu and the Iron Palm Guild to serve Jin interests. Qiu’s willingness to collaborate with foreign invaders demonstrated his moral corruption and prioritisation of personal gain over patriotic duty, marking him as a traitor to his own people.

The fateful encounter at Qinglong Beach

Qiu’s past finally caught up with him during a crucial battle aboard a ship at Qinglong Beach²⁰. During an intense martial arts duel between his Iron Palm technique and Guo Jing’s²¹ Eighteen Palms of Dragon-subduing²², Qiu found himself evenly matched despite his superior technique refinement. While his palm methods demonstrated greater sophistication and subtlety than the straightforward power of the Dragon-subduing palms, Guo Jing’s raw force proved nearly equal to his own devastating capabilities.

The battle took a dramatic turn when Yinggu, who had spent years searching for her child’s murderer, recognised Qiu’s distinctive triumphant laughter—the same laugh she had heard sixteen years earlier when he struck down her infant son. Driven by maternal fury and grief, she launched herself at him with suicidal determination, seeking to destroy them both in a final act of vengeance.

Faced with her overwhelming hatred and the realisation that his past crimes had returned to claim him, Qiu leaped into the water to escape, demonstrating his superior qinggong but also revealing his moral cowardice.

The final confrontation and redemption

The climactic confrontation occurred at the summit of Mount Hua²³ during the second Huashan Sword Summit. Once again, Qiu encountered Yinggu, and her relentless pursuit and accusations forced him to confront the full magnitude of his evil deeds. The repeated encounters with his victim’s mother, combined with the weight of his accumulated guilt, finally broke through his psychological defences.

Overcome by genuine remorse for the first time in his life, Qiu experienced a profound spiritual awakening. He abandoned his pursuit of martial supremacy and his alliance with foreign powers, instead seeking redemption through religious devotion. He became a disciple of Reverend Yideng (the former Southern Emperor Duan Zhixing, ironically the father of the child he had killed) and received the Buddhist name Ci En²⁴ (慈恩), meaning “Compassionate Grace.”

Personality and traits

Physical appearance

Qiu Qianren presented a distinctive and somewhat unconventional appearance for a martial arts master. He was notably short in stature with greyish-white facial hair and typically dressed in simple yellow hemp clothing. His most characteristic accessory was a large palm-leaf fan²⁵ that he carried in his right hand, which he would wave casually while speaking. This seemingly innocent fan served both practical and psychological purposes, helping to disguise his true martial capabilities while providing a prop for his theatrical gestures.

After taking Buddhist vows, his appearance transformed dramatically. He adopted the traditional robes of a Buddhist monk, with his facial hair growing into a full greyish beard. However, his eyes retained an unsettling quality, occasionally flashing with an eerie light that revealed the difficulty he experienced in completely suppressing his violent nature.

Character traits

Qiu Qianren embodied a complex mixture of exceptional ability and profound moral corruption. He possessed remarkable intelligence and strategic thinking, demonstrated by his successful transformation of a damaged organisation into a dominant force within just a few years. His leadership abilities were undeniable, as was his tactical brilliance in both martial arts and organisational management.

However, these positive qualities were overshadowed by his willingness to commit unconscionable acts in pursuit of power. His decision to attack an innocent infant represented the depths of his moral bankruptcy, revealing a character capable of calculating cruelty that prioritised personal advancement over basic human decency. This combination of capability and corruption made him particularly dangerous, as he possessed both the means and the will to cause tremendous harm.

Values and principles

Throughout most of his life, Qiu operated according to a philosophy that prioritised personal power and achievement above all other considerations. He demonstrated no loyalty to his homeland, readily allying with foreign invaders when it served his interests. His ambition for martial supremacy drove him to commit increasingly heinous acts, suggesting a worldview that regarded other people as mere obstacles to be removed or tools to be used.

The transformation that occurred after his confrontation with Yinggu represented a complete reversal of these principles. His conversion to Buddhism reflected a genuine attempt to embrace compassion and non-violence, though his struggle to overcome his ingrained violent tendencies showed that redemption remained an ongoing challenge rather than an instant achievement.

Martial arts abilities

Iron Palm technique

Qiu Qianren’s signature martial art, the Iron Palm technique⁵, represented the culmination of centuries of development within the Iron Palm Guild. Under his mastery, this palm method achieved legendary status as one of the most devastating external martial arts in existence. The technique transformed his hands into weapons capable of shattering stone and metal, producing distinctive metallic sounds upon impact and leaving traces of dark energy²⁶ that marked his strikes.

The Iron Palm technique’s power derived from specialized training methods that incorporated various toxic substances to strengthen the practitioner’s hands and increase their internal energy reserves. While Qiu’s palms themselves did not carry poison, his training methods had imbued his strikes with tremendous destructive force that could prove lethal even through protective clothing or armour.

His mastery of the technique was so complete that he developed thirteen distinct ultimate moves, each designed for specific combat situations. These techniques demonstrated not only raw power but also sophisticated tactical applications that made him effective against opponents with diverse fighting styles.

Yin Yang Return to One

Among Qiu’s ultimate techniques, Yin Yang Return to One stood out as particularly ingenious and deadly. This technique involved striking his left palm against his right palm, using the impact to launch his right hand toward his opponent’s lower abdomen with tremendous force. The method represented a perfect fusion of internal energy manipulation and external technique application.

The technique’s effectiveness lay in its unpredictability and the way it multiplied the force of his attack through the initial palm-to-palm impact. Opponents typically expected direct attacks and found themselves unprepared for this indirect approach that could generate devastating power from an apparently innocuous starting position.

Water Gliding qinggong

Qiu’s qinggong⁶ abilities earned him the epithet “Water Gliding”²⁷ (水上飘) and represented some of the most advanced lightness skills in the martial world. His mastery allowed him to move across water surfaces as easily as solid ground, giving him tremendous tactical advantages in combat and pursuit situations.

These abilities proved superior to almost all contemporary martial artists, including the Old Wild Child²⁸ Zhou Botong, one of the Five Greats. Historical records indicated that even Zhou, despite his exceptional martial prowess, found himself unable to catch Qiu during extended pursuit sequences that covered thousands of miles from Central China to the Western Regions.

The qinggong techniques also enhanced his combat effectiveness by allowing rapid position changes, aerial manoeuvres, and escape options that few opponents could match. This mobility made him particularly dangerous in group combat situations where he could strike and withdraw before enemies could coordinate effective responses.

Training methodology and internal cultivation

Qiu’s martial development followed the traditional Iron Palm Guild training regimen but reached unprecedented levels of refinement under his dedication and natural talent. His internal energy cultivation²⁹ provided the foundation for both his devastating palm strikes and his extraordinary lightness skills.

The guild’s training methods required practitioners to condition their hands through repeated strikes against increasingly resistant materials while simultaneously developing their internal energy through specialized breathing and meditation techniques. Qiu’s mastery of these methods allowed him to achieve effects that bordered on the supernatural, making his techniques nearly impossible for ordinary martial artists to replicate or counter effectively.

Relationships

Ouyang Ke

Ouyang Feng’s relationship with his illegitimate son Ouyang Ke revealed the complexity beneath his villainous exterior. Though he publicly maintained the fiction that Ouyang Ke was his nephew to preserve family honor, he clearly favoured the young man above all others and invested considerable effort in his martial education and social advancement. His attempts to arrange Ouyang Ke’s marriage to Huang Rong reflected both genuine paternal concern for his son’s future and strategic calculation to forge alliances with powerful martial families.

The death of Ouyang Ke at Yang Kang’s hands devastated Ouyang Feng in ways that surprised even his enemies. His grief over losing his son demonstrated emotional depths that his ruthless reputation had concealed, revealing that his pursuit of power had never entirely suppressed his human connections. The loss marked a turning point in his character, intensifying his already ruthless nature and eliminating one of the few restraining influences on his behaviour.

His mysterious past involving Ouyang Ke’s mother remained largely unexplored, though hints suggested a complicated romantic history with his sister-in-law that contributed to his cynical worldview. This hidden emotional wound may have driven his later inability to form meaningful relationships outside his immediate family circle.

Yang Kang

Yang Kang represented Ouyang Feng’s first attempt at taking a formal disciple from outside his family circle. Their relationship combined mutual exploitation—Yang Kang sought power and protection to advance his ambitions amongst the Jin nobility, whilst Ouyang Feng gained a capable agent for his schemes within Chinese territory. However, their partnership revealed Ouyang Feng’s genuine skill as a teacher when he chose to invest effort in instruction, transmitting not only martial techniques but also tactical knowledge and strategic thinking.

Yang Kang’s conflicted loyalties between his Chinese birth parents and Jin adoptive father created complications that Ouyang Feng exploited ruthlessly. He encouraged Yang Kang’s darker impulses whilst providing the martial foundation necessary for the young man to pursue his goals, regardless of the moral cost. Their collaboration in the massacre of the Seven Eccentrics of Jiangnan on Peach Blossom Island demonstrated the depths of corruption their partnership could achieve.

Yang Guo

His later mentorship of Yang Guo occurred under dramatically different circumstances due to his mental condition. Despite his madness, his fundamental understanding of martial arts remained intact, and he transmitted profound techniques including the Toad Stance and reversed Nine Yin Manual methods whilst developing genuine paternal affection for the young man. This relationship was particularly complex—Yang Guo became both his adopted son and his disciple-grandson[^shigong] through the martial lineage established when Ouyang Feng taught Yang Guo’s father Yang Kang.

Unlike his calculating relationship with Yang Kang, Ouyang Feng’s connection with Yang Guo was marked by genuine care and protection. His madness stripped away his schemes, leaving only his sincere desire to nurture talent and protect someone he truly loved. This relationship provided the only source of joy and emotional connection in his final years, and Yang Guo’s devotion to him was demonstrated when he and Xiao Longnü were the only ones to pay respects at Ouyang Feng’s grave.

Hong Qigong

Ouyang Feng’s lifelong rivalry with Hong Qigong defined much of his character development throughout both novels. Their conflicts represented fundamental philosophical differences about martial arts’ proper purposes—Hong Qigong’s righteousness and protection of the innocent against Ouyang Feng’s ruthless pursuit of personal power. Each encounter tested both warriors whilst highlighting their contrasting approaches to power and responsibility.

Despite their enmity, both men maintained a grudging professional respect for each other’s abilities. Their battles were conducted with a certain martial honour, even when Ouyang Feng employed poison and deception. Their rivalry intensified after Ouyang Feng’s sneak attack severely injured Hong Qigong, crippling his martial abilities and creating a personal vendetta that lasted decades.

Their final reconciliation represented the only successful resolution of his conflicts. Their shared experience of aging, loss, and approaching death created common ground that transcended their historical enmity. In their final four-day battle on Mount Hua, they achieved perfect understanding, with Hong Qigong declaring they had “taken different paths but ended up in the same place—finally becoming sworn brothers.” They died together in mutual acceptance and peace.

Huang Yaoshi

His antagonism towards Huang Yaoshi stemmed from professional jealousy and territorial disputes over intellectual superiority. Both men possessed brilliant minds and unconventional approaches to martial arts, creating natural competition that escalated into active hostility through repeated confrontations. Their rivalry lacked the philosophical depth of his conflict with Hong Qigong, focusing more on pride and the desire to prove intellectual dominance.

Ouyang Feng’s schemes often targeted Huang Yaoshi’s family, particularly his attempts to force a marriage between Ouyang Ke and Huang Rong. His manipulation of events on Peach Blossom Island and subsequent attempts to frame Huang Yaoshi for the murder of the Seven Eccentrics demonstrated his willingness to employ any means to achieve psychological victory over his intellectual rival.

Guo Jing

His relationship with Guo Jing evolved from initial dismissal of a seemingly simple-minded youth to grudging respect as he recognised the young man’s moral character and rapidly growing abilities. However, their fundamental opposition over values and loyalties prevented any possibility of reconciliation, even as Ouyang Feng acknowledged Guo Jing’s achievements.

Guo Jing represented everything Ouyang Feng had rejected—selfless service, moral integrity, and genuine heroism—making their conflicts deeply personal despite their limited direct interactions. Ouyang Feng’s forced extraction of the Nine Yin Manual from Guo Jing led to the corrupted version that ultimately drove him to madness, creating an ironic twist where his victim inadvertently became the instrument of his downfall.

Zhou Botong

His interactions with Zhou Botong revealed a more playful side of his personality, as the Old Wild Child’s unpredictable nature and gambling challenges provided outlets for Ouyang Feng’s competitive instincts without the deadly seriousness of his other rivalries. Their wagers and contests demonstrated that Ouyang Feng, despite his ruthless reputation, maintained certain principles of honour when explicitly bound by agreements.

Zhou Botong’s childlike directness and lack of pretension seemed to disarm some of Ouyang Feng’s usual manipulative tendencies, creating one of the few relationships where he engaged relatively honestly, albeit still competitively.

Behind the scenes

Qiu Qianren represents one of Jin Yong’s most complex antagonist creations, embodying themes of ambition, corruption, and ultimate redemption that run throughout The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes. His character serves multiple narrative functions, acting as both a formidable martial opponent and a representation of how unchecked ambition can corrupt even those with exceptional abilities.

The character’s development from villain to redeemed monk reflects Jin Yong’s interest in Buddhist themes of karma, retribution, and the possibility of spiritual transformation. Qiu’s confrontation with the consequences of his past actions—particularly through his repeated encounters with Yinggu—demonstrates how past wrongs inevitably return to demand accounting.

His martial arts abilities, particularly the Iron Palm technique, have become iconic within the wuxia genre, representing the pinnacle of external martial arts development. The technique’s combination of devastating power and refined application has influenced numerous subsequent works in the genre.

Portrayals

Qiu Qianren has been portrayed by numerous actors in television and film adaptations of Jin Yong’s novels:

The Legend of the Condor Heroes

• 1983 television series – Lau Dan
• 1994 television series – Liu Dan
• 2003 television series – Wang Weiping
• 2008 television series – Zou Zhaolong
• 2017 television series – Wang Qingxiang

The Return of the Condor Heroes

• 1983 television series – Lau Dan
• 1995 television series – Hui Shiu-hung
• 2006 television series – Liu Jia

Other adaptations

• 1993 film The Eagle Shooting Heroes – Kenneth Tsang

Lau Dan’s dual portrayal in both 1983 series is widely regarded as definitive, capturing both the character’s menacing presence as a villain and his later spiritual transformation as the monk Ci En.

External links

• Qiu Qianren on Wikipedia
• 裘千仞 on Chinese Wikipedia
• 裘千仞 on Jin Yong Wang

Footnotes

Footnotes

1. 铁掌水上飘 – Tiězhǎng Shuǐshàng Piāo. Iron Palm Water Gliding. Qiu Qianren’s epithet combining his signature martial art and lightness skill. ↩

2. 帮主 – bāngzhǔ. Literally guild master. Supreme leader of a martial arts guild or organisation, such as the chief of the Beggars’ Guild, holding ultimate authority over all members. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 铁掌帮 – Tiězhǎng Bāng. Fortified mountain stronghold led by Qiu Qianren at Iron Palm Peak. Renowned for palm techniques. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 五绝 – Wǔjué. The five supreme martial artists who competed at Huashan Sword Summit for martial supremacy. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 铁掌功 – Tiězhǎng Gōng. Powerful palm technique that makes hands hard as iron with devastating striking power. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩ ↩²

6. 轻功 – qīnggōng. Literally lightness skill. The ability to move with superhuman agility, and weightlessness through qi redistribution to leap over trees and roofs, and skip over water. See Wikipedia. ↩ ↩²

7. 师父 – shīfū. Literally martial father. Teacher or master responsible for technical instruction and moral guidance. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

8. 上官剑南 – Shànggūan Jiànnán. The thirteenth guild chief of the Iron Palm Guild and Qiu Qianren’s martial arts teacher. ↩

9. 江湖 – jiānghú. The world of martial arts. A sub-society involving all who are related to the martial arts scene. What is jianghu? ↩

10. 华山论剑 – Huáshān Lùnjiàn. Martial arts competition held at Mount Hua to determine the supreme martial artist. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

11. 王重阳 – Wáng Chóngyáng. Leader of the Quanzhen Sect and victor of the first Huashan Sword Summit, recognised as the supreme martial artist of his generation. ↩

12. 铁掌峰 – Tiězhǎng Fēng. Mountain peak serving as the headquarters of the Iron Palm Guild. ↩

13. 刘瑛 – Liú Yīng. The Divine Mathematician, also known as Yinggu. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

14. 南帝 – Nán Dì. The Southern Emperor, one of the Five Greats. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 内力 – neìlì. Inner strength. The kinetic manifestation of cultivated qi. Generates tangible effects like weapon deflection or wall-running physics. ↩

16. 武穆遗书 – Wǔmù Yíshū. Military treatise written by Song general Yue Fei containing advanced military strategies. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

17. 岳飞 – Yuè Fēi. Patriotic Song general and military strategist who fought against foreign invaders. See Wikipedia. ↩

18. 完颜洪烈 – Wányán Hóngliè. Jin Dynasty prince who sought to conquer the Song Dynasty. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

19. 金朝 – Jīn Cháo. Foreign dynasty that ruled northern China and threatened the Song Dynasty. See Wikipedia. ↩

20. 青龙滩 – Qīnglóng Tān. Qinglong Beach, location of the crucial battle between Qiu Qianren and Guo Jing. ↩

21. 郭靖 – Guō Jìng. The main protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

22. 降龙十八掌 – Xiánglóng Shíbā Zhǎng. Eighteen Palms of Dragon-subduing. Legendary palm technique and signature martial art of the Beggars’ Guild. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 华山 – Huáshān. Sacred mountain in Shaanxi Province where martial arts competitions were held. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 慈恩 – Cí Ēn. Compassionate Grace. Qiu Qianren’s Buddhist name after becoming a monk. ↩

25. 大蒲扇 – dà púshàn. Large palm-leaf fan carried by Qiu Qianren as his signature accessory. ↩

26. 黑色气息 – hēisè qìxī. Dark energy or aura associated with Qiu Qianren’s Iron Palm strikes. ↩

27. 水上飘 – Shuǐshàng Piāo. Superior lightness skill that earned Qiu Qianren his nickname, allowing movement across water surfaces. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

28. 老顽童 – Lǎo Wántóng. The Old Wild Child, Zhou Botong’s epithet. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

29. 内力修养 – nèilì xiūyǎng. Internal energy cultivation methods used to develop martial arts abilities. ↩