Yuan Guangbo (simplified: 元广波, traditional: 元廣波, pinyin: Yuán Guǎngbō, jyutping: jyun4 gwong2 bo1) was the leader of the Haisha School (海沙派), a martial arts organization that dealt in illegal salt trading along the Chinese coast. He attended the Heavenly Eagle Order’s Wangpan Island gathering and was killed by Xie Xun.
Biography
Background
Yuan Guangbo led the Haisha School, which specialized in illegal salt trading. The school’s members were skilled in group combat, often using fishing nets, iron hooks, and other tools. They used poisoned salt as a weapon, which could paralyze nerves and corrode flesh.
Crimes
Yuan Guangbo was responsible for two major murders:
- The massacre of Zhang Dengyun’s entire family in Yuyao, Zhejiang
- The murder of Ouyang Qing in Haimen, Jiangsu
Wangpan Island gathering
Yuan Guangbo attended the Heavenly Eagle Order’s Wangpan Island gathering to compete for the Dragon Sabre. When Xie Xun arrived, he exposed Yuan Guangbo’s crimes and decided to punish him using his own methods.
Death
Xie Xun forced Yuan Guangbo to eat poisoned salt, using “the way of the person against the person” (以其人之道还治其人之身). Yuan Guangbo died from the poison, suffering the same fate he had inflicted on others.
Personality and traits
Yuan Guangbo was ruthless and willing to commit murder to achieve his goals. He was a typical example of a “one-time villain” character in Jin Yong’s works—appearing briefly to serve a narrative function and then being eliminated.
Behind the scenes
Source
Character information was drawn from docs/fetched-data/HSDS_20251027_082242/人物/元广波_20251027_004856.json and the novel.
See also
- Haisha School
- Xie Xun — Killed Yuan Guangbo
- Dragon Sabre
- Wangpan Island
- Zhang Dengyun — Victim of Yuan Guangbo
- Ouyang Qing — Victim of Yuan Guangbo
- The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre