Zhang Cuishan (simplified: 张翠山, traditional: 張翠山, pinyin: Zhāng Cuìshān, jyutping: zoeng1 ceoi3 saan1) was the fifth of the Seven Xias of Wudang and a disciple of Zhang Sanfeng. Known in the jianghu as “Silver Hook Iron Brush” (银钩铁划) for his paired weapons of silver tiger-head hook and iron judge’s pen, he was regarded as the most talented of Zhang Sanfeng’s seven disciples and was once favoured to inherit his master’s mantle.
Biography
Wudang disciple
Zhang Cuishan joined the Wudang Order as a young man and became one of the Seven Xias of Wudang. He excelled in both martial skill and scholarly cultivation, and Zhang Sanfeng often remarked that of his seven disciples, Cuishan alone combined wisdom and martial prowess to the fullest. His weapons—a silver tiger-head hook in the left hand and an iron judge’s pen in the right—gave rise to his nickname “Silver Hook Iron Brush.”
Investigating Yu Daiyan’s injury
When his third senior brother Yu Daiyan was attacked and crippled while escorting the Dragon-Slaying Sabre back to Wudang, Zhang Cuishan set out to find the culprit. His investigation led him to the Dragon Escort Agency massacre in Lin’an, where he met Yin Susu, master of the Violet Hall of the Heavenly Eagle Order. Unaware that Yin Susu had wounded Yu Daiyan with mosquito-whisker needles and arranged his transport, Zhang Cuishan tended her injuries and the two developed mutual affection.
Wangpan Island and Ice Fire Island
Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu attended the “Displaying the Sabre and Proclaiming Prestige” gathering on Wangpan Island, where Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King, seized the Dragon-Slaying Sabre and used his Lion Roar to overwhelm the assembly. Xie Xun took Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu captive and set sail, intending to find a remote island to study the sabre. After a storm, the three drifted to Ice Fire Island in the far north, where Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu married and had a son, Zhang Wuji, whose name was given by Xie Xun in memory of his own deceased son. Xie Xun and the couple swore brotherhood, and Xie Xun became Zhang Wuji’s sworn father.
Return to the Central Plains and death
Ten years later, Zhang Cuishan, Yin Susu, and Zhang Wuji returned to the Central Plains. On Zhang Sanfeng’s hundredth birthday, the major orthodox sects converged on Wudang Mountain to demand Xie Xun’s whereabouts and the Dragon-Slaying Sabre. Zhang Cuishan refused to betray his sworn brother. When Yu Daiyan recognized Yin Susu as the one who had wounded him years earlier—leading indirectly to his paralysis—Zhang Cuishan, torn between loyalty to his master and brothers and love for his wife, took his own life. Yin Susu followed him in death shortly after.
Personality and traits
Zhang Cuishan was upright, loyal, and principled. He valued righteousness and kinship highly and was reluctant to compromise either. His conduct earned him widespread respect in the jianghu. His tragedy arose from the clash between his obligations to his master and sect and his bond with Yin Susu, whom he could neither forsake nor fully reconcile with his martial family.
Martial arts
Zhang Cuishan was skilled in Wudang Long Fist, Cloud Ladder lightness skill, and the Dragon-Slaying Sabre brush-and-hook techniques derived from the twenty-four characters. He also practised the True Martial Seven Formations with his fellow Wudang Xias.
Behind the scenes
Source
Character information was drawn from docs/fetched-data/HSDS_20251027_082242/人物/张翠山_20251026_234926.json.
See also
- Yin Susu — Wife
- Zhang Wuji — Son
- Xie Xun — Sworn brother, Zhang Wuji’s sworn father
- Zhang Sanfeng — Master
- Seven Xias of Wudang
- The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre