Shiao Yi 萧逸

Shiao Yi (simplified: 萧逸, traditional: 蕭逸, pinyin: Xiāo Yì; 4 June 1935–19 November 2018) was a wuxia novelist and screenwriter known for his elegant writing style and romantic themes. He is considered one of the most influential authors of the new school of wuxia fiction alongside Jin Yong and Gu Long.

Often mentioned in the phrase “Jin of the South, Shiao of the North”,¹ Shiao Yi was also counted among the Five Tigers of the Taiwanese Wuxia Scene² along with Wolong Sheng, Sima Ling, and Zhuge Qingyun.

Early life

Born Shiao Ching-jen (萧敬人 – Xiāo Jìngrén) in Beijing on 4 June 1935, Shiao Yi was the son of Shiao Chichu,³ a general in the National Revolutionary Army who fought against the Japanese invasion. His ancestral home was in Heze,⁴ Shandong province.

Shiao had a difficult childhood. Born two months premature, he spent his first months in an incubator at Beijing Friendship Hospital.⁵

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, his family moved to Chongqing.⁶

At age five, while living in Chongqing, he fell from a three-story building when his elder sister dared him to run blindfolded on the rooftop, resulting in a six-month hospital stay.

The family moved to Nanjing⁷ when he was nine. In fourth grade, he contracted typhoid fever after spending a summer selling ice cream with his friend, forcing him to miss half a year of school. During his convalescence, he immersed himself in reading, particularly the wuxia novels of Huanzhulouzhu, Zheng Zhengyin,⁸ Zhu Zhenmu,⁹ and Wang Dulu.¹⁰

After the Communist victory in 1949, the family fled to Taiwan, leaving behind substantial properties in Nanjing, Hankou,¹¹ and Fuzhou.¹² His father, who had been ill for nine years, spent all their savings on medical expenses before passing away during Shiao’s sophomore year at the Naval Academy.

In Taiwan, Shiao attended Jianguo Middle School¹³ and later enrolled in the Republic of China Naval Academy.¹⁴ However, he left after two years to support his family. He briefly studied chemical engineering at Chung Yuan Christian College¹⁵ but left to pursue writing full-time.

Career

Shiao began his literary career at age 23 with his debut novel Iron Geese, Wings of Frost¹⁶ in 1960. The novel’s success led to immediate recognition and established him as a rising star in the wuxia genre. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Shiao worked exclusively as a writer throughout his career, never taking another profession.

During the 1970s, he wrote screenplays for Taiwan’s major television networks and serialised stories for numerous newspapers. His disciplined writing routine allowed him to maintain an impressive output, sometimes writing for over 20 newspapers simultaneously.

Later years

In 1977, Shiao immigrated to Los Angeles due to fears of a Communist invasion of Taiwan. The first three years in America were challenging as he struggled to maintain relationships with editors across the Pacific. Pre-internet communication made it difficult to work with newspaper editors who disliked dealing with long-distance calls and faxes.

A former colleague at Sin Chew Daily¹⁷ helped him secure work writing articles about American society under the pen names Xueni¹⁸ and Hongzao.¹⁹ He later obtained regular writing positions at United Daily News²⁰ (replacing Gu Long who often missed deadlines) and China Times²¹ (replacing Jin Yong’s serialization of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre).

In 1993, he founded the North America Chinese Writers’ Association and served as its chairman. Through this organisation, he worked to foster literary exchange between mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and overseas Chinese writers.

In his final years, Shiao collaborated with his second son Peter Shiao on adapting his works into an interconnected modern wuxia storyverse for English-language comics. The father-son project was announced in 2013 and received widespread media coverage in both China and the United States.

Tie Ning,²² chairwoman of the Chinese Writers’ Association, noted that “the death of Mr Shiao Yi is a huge loss to both Chinese literature and world literature. His achievements and contributions will be remembered in our hearts.”

Shiao Yi died from lung cancer at age 83 on 19 November 2018 in Los Angeles, just weeks after the passing of Jin Yong. His death marked the end of an era in wuxia literature, with several major Chinese media outlets commemorating the loss of “Jin of the South, Shiao of the North.”

Personal life

In 1964, Shiao married Liu Meiqing²³ and they had three sons: William Shiao (Peiyu),²⁴ Peter Shiao (Peihuan),²⁵ and Anthony Shiao (Peilun).²⁶

Shiao maintained close friendships with several prominent writers. He and Gu Long²⁷ attended the same middle school and became close friends, with Gu Long later serving as his best man. Despite their friendship, they had contrasting personalities and habits—Shiao was gentlemanly and abstemious while Gu Long was a womanizer and heavy drinker.

He was also friends with novelist and screenwriter Ni Kuang²⁸ whom he met while writing screenplays for Shaw Brothers Studio. Another significant relationship was with writer Liang Shih-chiu,²⁹ who served as both mentor and loyal reader.

Writing style

Shiao emphasised the concept of xia³⁰ (chivalry) over wu (martial prowess) in his works. He believed that without compassion, martial skill alone would produce villains rather than heroes. His interpretation of xia traced its origins to Mohism³¹ in the Spring and Autumn period, through Confucianism in the Warring States period, reaching its pinnacle in Taoism.

Unlike Jin Yong’s focus on Confucian values and social order, Shiao’s works emphasised Taoist self-cultivation and the pursuit of perfection through harmony with universal rhythms. Many of his heroes transcended human limitations to achieve sublime or immortal states.

Shiao’s work evolved through three distinct phases throughout his career:

His early works (1960s) showed strong influence from 1920s wuxia novelist Wang Dulu,¹⁰ featuring sentimental and melancholic themes.

His middle period (1970s) incorporated more fantasy elements and Taoist immortal themes, similar to the style of Huanzhulouzhu.³²

His mature period (late 1970s onward) developed a unique style emphasising atmosphere and human relationships while incorporating modern scientific principles into martial arts descriptions.

Literary Influence

Shiao’s early literary education was deeply influenced by Peking Opera³³ performances and artists like Ma Lianliang³⁴ and Shang Xiaoyun.³⁵ He was also exposed to private performances at home where a former soldier, Liang Yanquan,³⁶ who had been a Shandong clapper ballad³⁷ performer, told him stories that first introduced him to wuxia concepts.

Legacy

In 2009, Shiao donated his manuscripts and photographs to the National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature.³⁸ After his death, UCLA’s Research Library began efforts to house his entire literary collection, making him the first writer of Asian ancestry in their literary collection.

His works continue to influence the genre, particularly in their treatment of romance and female characters. Unlike his contemporaries who often relegated women to supporting roles, Shiao created strong female protagonists and treated them as equals to male characters. His novel Sister Gan Nineteen³⁹ remains particularly influential and has been adapted multiple times for television.

南金北萧 – Nán Jīn Běi Xiāo. A phrase used to describe the two most famous wuxia authors of the period. ↩
台湾武侠界五虎上将 – Táiwān Wǔxiá Jiè Wǔ Hǔ Shàngjiāng. A collective term for the five most prominent wuxia authors in Taiwan. ↩
萧之楚 – Xiāo Zhīchǔ. A Nationalist general who fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War. ↩
菏泽 – Hézé. A prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. ↩
北京友谊医院 – Běijīng Yǒuyì Yīyuàn. A hospital in Beijing with modern German medical facilities at the time. ↩
重庆 – Chóngqìng. A major city in southwestern China that served as the wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War. See Wikipedia. ↩
南京 – Nánjīng. The capital city of Jiangsu province. See Wikipedia. ↩
郑证因 – Zhèng Zhèngyīn. An early wuxia novelist. ↩
朱贞木 – Zhū Zhènmù. An early wuxia novelist. ↩
王度庐 – Wáng Dùlú. A prominent wuxia novelist of the 1920s and 1930s. ↩ ↩²
汉口 – Hànkǒu. A district of Wuhan city in Hubei province. See Wikipedia. ↩
福州 – Fúzhōu. The capital of Fujian province. See Wikipedia. ↩
建国中学 – Jiànguó Zhōngxué. A prestigious boys’ school in Taipei. ↩
海军军官学校 – Hǎijūn Jūnguān Xuéxiào. Taiwan’s naval officer training institution. ↩
中原理工学院 – Zhōngyuán Lǐgōng Xuéyuàn. Now known as Chung Yuan Christian University. ↩
铁雁霜翎 – Tiě Yàn Shuāng Líng. Shiao Yi’s debut novel that launched his career. ↩
星洲日报 – Xīngzhōu Rìbào. A major Chinese-language newspaper in Southeast Asia. See Wikipedia. ↩
薛尼 – Xuē Ní ↩
洪早 – Hóng zǎo ↩
联合报 – Liánhé Bào. One of Taiwan’s major newspapers. See Wikipedia. ↩
中国时报 – Zhōngguó Shíbào. Another major Taiwanese newspaper. See Wikipedia. ↩
铁凝 – Tiě Níng. A prominent Chinese writer and head of the Chinese Writers’ Association. ↩
刘美清 – Liú Měiqīng. Shiao Yi’s wife whom he met through his younger sister. ↩
萧培宇 – Xiāo Péiyǔ ↩
萧培寰 – Xiāo Péihuán. See Wikipedia. ↩
萧培伦 – Xiāo Péilún ↩
古龙 – Gǔ Lóng. A prominent wuxia novelist known for revolutionizing the genre. ↩
倪匡 – Ní Kuāng. A prolific Hong Kong writer known for science fiction and screenplays. ↩
梁实秋 – Liáng Shíqiū. A respected Chinese writer and translator. ↩
侠 -Xiá. A person adept in martial arts and conducts in a chivalrous manner. ↩
墨家 – Mò Jiā. An ancient Chinese philosophical school emphasising universal love and meritocracy. See Wikipedia. ↩
还珠楼主 – Huánzhūlóuzhǔ. An influential early wuxia novelist known for fantasy elements. ↩
京剧 – Jīngjù. Traditional Chinese opera form from Beijing. ↩
马连良 – Mǎ Liánliáng. A famous Peking Opera performer. ↩
尚小云 – Shàng Xiǎoyún. Another prominent Peking Opera artist. ↩
梁燕全 – Liáng Yànquán. A soldier who introduced young Shiao to martial arts stories. ↩
山东快书 – Shāndōng Kuàishū. A form of traditional storytelling from Shandong province. ↩
中国现代文学馆 – Zhōngguó Xiàndài Wénxué Guǎn. A museum dedicated to modern Chinese literature. ↩
甘十九妹 – Gān Shíjiǔ Mèi. One of Shiao’s most popular works, featuring a strong female protagonist. ↩