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The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre 2nd Edition changes
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The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre 2nd Edition changes

Then Jin Yong released The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre, also known as The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, for as a novel the first time, he made revised it to refine the original. When the story was serialised in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, he was unable to make changes to what had been published previously, resulting in discrepancies and errors in the First Edition.

The novel published in 1979 is known as the Second Edition, with change encompassing plot elements, character backgrounds, and technical details.

He later revised the novel again in 2005, resulting in the Third Edition that had even more extensive changes.

This analysis documents the comprehensive changes between the First and Second Editions.

Major plot changes

Removal of the jade-faced fire monkey

One of the most significant changes was the complete removal of the jade-faced fire monkey character from the story.

In the First Edition, this unique creature played several important roles throughout the narrative. Its removal necessitated substantial rewrites of multiple scenes:

Bear episode

  • First Edition:
    • Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu faced a dramatic encounter with thirteen bears in a cave on Ice Fire Island.
    • After killing one bear, they were forced to climb a tree to escape the rest.
    • The jade-faced fire monkey came to their rescue, attacking the bears and feeding on their brains.
    • The couple had to eat the bear brains to avoid offending their saviour.
  • Second Edition:
    • The scene was simplified to an encounter with only two bears, which Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu were capable of handling themselves.

Volcano scene

  • First Edition:
    • The monkey played a crucial role in helping Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu obtain fire from the volcano.
    • When the heat proved too intense for humans to approach, the fire-immune monkey carried their tinder to the crater and returned with fire.
  • Second Edition:
    • The characters instead used a more practical method, striking volcanic rocks with their swords to create sparks for fire.

Xie Xun’s storyline

  • First Edition: The monkey served as Xie Xun’s hunting companion, though their partnership ended when the monkey proved too efficient and diminished Xie Xun’s enjoyment of the hunt. The creature then became young Zhang Wuji’s playmate.
  • Second Edition: These scenes were removed entirely, streamlining Xie Xun’s character development.

Daiqisi subplot

  • First Edition: The subplot involving Daiqisi poisoning the monkey
  • Second Edition: The monkey’s role was eliminated

Young Zhang Wuji’s character

The Second Edition significantly altered Zhang Wuji’s early characterisation to portray a more sympathetic and less vengeful personality:

Vengeful nature

  • First Edition:
    • Young Zhang Wuji displayed a notably darker personality, vowing to kill Cheng Kun’s entire family to avenge his godfather Xie Xun.
    • He also harboured deep resentment towards those responsible for his parents’ death, meticulously memorising their faces and seeking martial arts training specifically for revenge.
  • Second Edition:
    • These vengeful elements were removed entirely.
    • Instead, when his parents committed suicide, Zhang Wuji explicitly rejected revenge, saying, “I do not want revenge! I just want Father and Mother to come back to life.”

The Nine Yang and Nine Yin manuals

The Second Edition made significant revisions to the origins and transmission of these crucial martial arts manuals:

Origin story

  • First Edition:
    • The manuals were definitively stated to be created by Dharma, the founder of Shaolin.
    • Zhang Sanfeng’s speculation about a complementary Nine Yin Manual was presented as brilliant intuition.
  • Second Edition:
    • Added sophisticated analysis suggesting the manual’s true origins might differ from accepted history.
    • New details about the manual’s Chinese writing style and philosophical alignment with Taoist rather than Buddhist principles cast doubt on Dharma’s authorship.

The Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing

The Second Edition made substantial changes to this significant martial arts technique, addressing several inconsistencies in the original text:

Zhang Wuji’s knowledge

  • First Edition:
    • Young Zhang Wuji learned three moves from his godfather Xie Xun: Tail Swipe of the Divine Dragon, Observing the Dragon in the Field, and Regret of the Proud Dragon.
    • He demonstrated these skills multiple times, including paralyzing a beggar with the Tail Swipe technique.
  • Second Edition:
    • Zhang Wuji never learned the actual moves, only memorising steps and mnemonics.
    • His early martial arts abilities were limited to the Wudang Long Fist taught by his father.

Historical continuity

  • First Edition:
    • The technique was described as lost because Guo Jing had no suitable candidates to pass it to, creating a contradiction when the Beggars’ Guild’s Elder of Training later used twelve of the eighteen moves.
  • Second Edition:
    • Removed references to the technique being lost, resolving the continuity error while maintaining the technique’s prestigious status.

Shaolin scene revisions

The entire sequence at Shaolin Temple underwent significant modifications to streamline the narrative and eliminate problematic plot elements:

Manual exchange

  • First Edition:
    • Featured a complex subplot where Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Wuji traded the Wudang Nine Yang Manual and Thirteen Stances of Taiji for Shaolin’s version of the Nine Yang Manual. This included Zhang Wuji making restrictive vows about using the technique.
  • Second Edition:
    • Simplified the encounter by having the Shaolin monks refuse the exchange entirely, removing the complicated vow system and subsequent moral dilemmas.

Chen Youliang’s role

  • First Edition:
    • Chen Youliang appeared early as Kongzhi’s student, creating controversy by claiming Wudang techniques were actually from Shaolin.
  • Second Edition:
    • Delayed Chen Youliang’s introduction to Chapter 31, recasting him as Yuanzhen’s disciple and streamlining his role in the story.

Modified ending

The conclusion underwent substantial revision to provide a different resolution for key characters:

Zhou Zhiruo’s fate

  • First Edition:
    • Zhou Zhiruo became a nun, and Zhang Wuji moved to Mount E’mei after agreeing to lead the E’mei Sect.
  • Second Edition:
    • Zhou Zhiruo retained her leadership of the E’mei Order, adding complexity to her character’s resolution.

Ming Order leadership

  • First Edition:
    • Zhang Wuji voluntarily relinquished his leadership of the Ming Order to focus on E’mei.
  • Second Edition:
    • His departure from the Ming Order resulted from Zhu Yuanzhang’s deception, adding political intrigue to the ending.

Character changes

Name changes

Several characters underwent name changes that reflected deeper meaning or adhered better to conventional naming patterns:

Zhao Min

  • First Edition:
    • Zhao Ming (simplified: 赵明, traditional: 趙明, pinyin: Zhào Míng), meaning “bright/clear”
  • Second Edition:
    • Zhao Min (simplified: 趙敏, traditional: 趙敏, pinyin: Zhào Mǐn), meaning “quick/intelligent”

Yin Liting

  • First Edition:
    • Yin Liheng (simplified: 殷立恒, traditional: 殷立恆, pinyin: Yīn Lì Héng), referencing a phrase in the Yi Jing, that means smooth profit
  • Second Edition:
    • Yin Liting (simplified: 殷立挺, traditional: 殷立挺, pinyin: Yīn Lì Tǐng), meaning “pear pavilion,” to follow the convention of Wudang disciples having poetic names

Yang Dingtian

  • First Edition:
    • Yang Potian (simplified: 杨破天, traditional: 楊破天, pinyin: Yáng Pò Tiān), meaning “breaking the sky,” which sounds more destructive
  • Second Edition:
    • Yang Dingtian (simplified: 杨顶天, traditional: 楊頂天, pinyin: Yáng Dǐng Tiān), meaning “holding up the sky,” which still suggests strength and aspiration while avoiding the destructive implications

Background Modifications

Character backgrounds were revised to better serve the narrative:

Zhou Zhiruo

  • First Edition:
    • Daughter of a failed Ming Order revolutionary, connecting her directly to the sect’s political intrigue
  • Second Edition:
    • Daughter of a simple boatman along the Han River, removing the political connection and focusing on her personal journey

Zhang Wuji

  • First Edition:
    • Named Zhang Nianci by his father, referencing Mu Nianci
  • Second Edition:
    • Named by his godfather Xie Xun in memory of the latter’s son, Xie Wuji, strengthening their relationship

Technical Changes

Martial Arts Techniques Technique names were modified to better reflect their nature and effects:

  • “Hand of Thousand Spiders and Ten Thousand Poisons” became “Exterminating Hands of a Thousand Spiders”
  • “Yin Finger of Illusion” was renamed “Dark Yin Finger”

Book Structure

The novel’s organisation was significantly streamlined:

First Edition:

  • 112 chapters spread across 28 volumes, with 4 chapters per volume Second Edition:
  • Condensed to 40 chapters in 4 volumes, with 10 chapters per volume

Title Change

The book’s title change reflected a deeper thematic significance:

First Edition:

  • Tiānjiān Lóngdào Second Edition:
  • Yītiān Túlóng Jí

While both titles translate to The Heavenly Sword and The Dragon Sabre, the new title carries additional meaning. The original title literally means “The Heavenly Sword and The Dragon Sabre.”

The new title literally translates to “Record of Drawing on Heaven’s Might to Slay the Dragon,” while cleverly incorporating references to the weapons.

Minor Changes

Environmental Details Several environmental elements were modified to streamline the story:

** Survival Elements**

  • First Edition:
    • Zhang Wuji survived in the nameless valley by eating red frogs from a pond, which helped reduce the toxicity of the Xuan Ming Palms Second Edition:
    • Simplified to Zhang Wuji catching and eating fish, removing the medicinal properties of the red frogs

These comprehensive changes reflect Jin Yong’s commitment to refining his work, improving narrative consistency, and deepening the thematic elements of the novel. The Second Edition represents a more polished and cohesive version of the story, though Jin Yong would later make even more extensive changes in the Third Edition.

He made another round of changes following feedback from readers.