Guo Jing
| Guo Jing | |
|---|---|
| Condor Trilogycharacter | |
 Guo Jing as appeared on a pin-up for the promotion ofThe Legend of the Condor Heroesmanhua series. Art byLee Chi Ching | |
| First appearance |
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| Created by | Jin Yong |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | "Northern Hero" (Bắc Hiệp) |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Peach Blossom Island |
| Family |
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| Spouse | Huang Rong |
| Children |
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| Sworn siblings | |
| Masters |
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| Apprentices |
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| Guo Jing | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | Quách Tĩnh | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Quách Tĩnh | ||||||||||
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Guo Jingis the fictional protagonist of thewuxianovelThe Legend of the Condor HeroesbyJin Yong.He also appears as a supporting character in the sequel,The Return of the Condor Heroes,and is mentioned by name inThe Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.He is a descendant ofGuo Sheng,one of the 108 outlaws fromMount Liangin the classical novelWater Margin.Guo Jing andYang Kangwere both named byQiu Chuji,who urges them to remember theJingkang Incidentand be loyal towards their native land, theSong Empire.Guo Jing is killed during theBattle of Xiangyangalong with the rest of his family except his younger daughter, Guo Xiang.
InThe Legend of the Condor Heroes
[edit]Guo Jing's hometown is in Niu Family Village. His father, Guo Xiaotian, was fromShandongbut moved to Lin'an (present-dayHangzhou) after theJurchen-ledJin Empireconquered the northern part of theSong Empirein theJin–Song Wars.Guo Xiaotian met Li Ping in Lin'an and married her. Two years after their marriage, Guo Xiaotian was killed by a group of soldiers led by Duan Tiande during a raid ordered by Wanyan Honglie. Li Ping, who was pregnant with Guo Jing then, was captured and held hostage by Duan Tiande, but managed to escape later. She fled north and arrived in Mongolia, where she gave birth to Guo Jing. Guo Jing and his mother are taken in by some nomads later and become part ofGenghis Khan's tribe. Guo Jing befriends the Khan's children and followers, and becomesanda(sworn brothers) with the Khan's fourth son,Tolui.He later meets the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" and learns martial arts from them. During battles between the Khan and his rivals, Guo Jing demonstrates his loyalty to the Khan by helping to fend off the attackers. The Khan sees Guo Jing as a loyal subject, places great faith and trust in him, and betroths his daughter, Huazheng, to him.
At the age of 18, Guo Jing leaves Mongolia to meetYang Kang,the son of his father's sworn brother, Yang Tiexin, for a contest arranged 18 years ago by the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" andQiu Chuji.He encounters several extraordinary martial artists, who teach him some of their skills. By chance, he finds two prized texts: theNine Yin Manualand theBook of Wumu.The knowledge he gained from the books turned him into a formidable martial artist and skilled tactician as he gradually matures in his beliefs and ideals. He also meets his future wife,Huang Rong,and they go on adventures together and are eventually married.
Guo Jing returns to Mongolia after his trip to the Song Empire and joins Genghis Khan in theMongol campaignagainst theKhwarezmid Empire.He plays a significant role in the capture of the city ofSamarkandand returns home in triumph. When he discovers later that the Mongols are planning to invade the Song Empire, he renounces his loyalty to the Khan and flees from Mongolia. Thereafter, he establishes a base of operations in the city ofXiangyang.Since then, Guo Jing has dedicated his life to defending his homeland from foreign invaders.
InThe Return of the Condor Heroes
[edit]Guo Jing appears as a supporting character in the sequel, which is set several years after the end of the first novel. The adult Guo Jing is now a prominent figure in thewulin(martial artists' community) and a highly revered hero inHan Chinesesociety. He faces the arduous task of raising the orphaned son of his late sworn brother,Yang Kang,and guiding him on the path of goodness. He had previously named the boy 'Yang Guo' in the hope that the boy would redeem his family's honour, which had been tarnished by Yang Kang's villainy. Guo Jing andHuang Rongalso raise Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen as their apprentices.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong play active roles in shaping Yang Guo's character. For example, Guo Jing's image as a fervently loyal and chivalrous hero inspires Yang Guo and serves as a role model for the boy to follow. However, Yang Guo also sees the couple as enemies because of the roles they played in his father's death, even though they did not kill him. He often harbours the intention of killing them. Yang Guo's anger and hatred gradually subsides when he discovers Guo Jing's humble and kind character, and when he learns the true details about his father's past from Ke Zhen'e.
Guo Jing becomes an active member in defending the city ofXiangyangfrom Mongol invaders. After successfully establishing a base of operations in the city, Guo Jing and Huang Rong work closely with Xiangyang's military forces and theirwulinallies to defend the city. The couple have three children; elder daughter Guo Fu and the twins Guo Xiang (girl) and Guo Polu (boy). Guo Xiang's name is inspired by the "Xiang" in "Xiangyang" while "Polu" means "defeat and drive away barbarians" (the "barbarians" refer to the Mongol invaders in this context).
Guo Jing uses his knowledge and experience from his earlier campaigns to counter the Mongol invasion. It is revealed inThe Heaven Sword and Dragon SaberthatXiangyang eventually falls to Kublai Khan's army,and that Guo Jing and his family died in the battle. Only Guo Xiang survived, and she founded theEmei Schoollater.
Character description
[edit]Guo Jing has thick eyebrows, large eyes, a sturdy and strong stature, and a complexion somewhere between dark and fair. He is described to be "dumb", slow in learning and inarticulate. His most outstanding trait is his constant strife for moral rectitude, as seen when he faces a dilemma afterGenghis Khanattempts to force him to lead the Mongol army to attack his native land.[1]Although he was born and raised in Mongolia, he is unwilling to side with the Mongols to attack the Song Empire.[1]InThe Return of the Condor Heroes,the adult Guo Jing dedicates his life to defending the Song Empire from foreign invaders.[2]
Martial arts and skills
[edit]Guo Jing is the most powerful martial artist of his generation, and one of the most formidable in thewulinin his lifetime. His profound mastery of several different types of martial arts and skills surpasses that of many others in thewulin.Towards the end ofThe Return of the Condor Heroes,Huang Rong names him the "Northern Hero" (Bắc Hiệp;běi xiá) of the new generation of the Five Greats to replace his master, "Northern Beggar"Hong Qigong.[3]His repertoire of skills and martial arts are described in the following sections:
Mongolia
[edit]Guo Jing is one of the finest archers in Mongolia. He was trained in his early days by the legendary archerJebe.[4]In his youth, he once shot down two eagles in the sky with a single arrow. The incident earned him fame and the admiration of Genghis Khan. In his childhood, he also played wrestling as a sport with the Khan's children and followers.
Seven Freaks of Jiangnan
[edit]Guo Jing was first introduced to Chinese martial arts by the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan", a group of seven martial artists fromJia xing.The Freaks find a six-year-old Guo Jing after a long search that brought them to Mongolia. They teach him all the skills they know to prepare him for an upcoming competition withYang Kang.[4]The Freaks did not teach him anyinner energycultivation techniques at all.
The skills taught to Guo Jing by the Freaks include:
- Demon Subduing Staff Skill (Phục ma trượng pháp;fúmó zhàngfǎ)
- Bare Handed Disarming Skill (Tay không đoạt dao sắc;kōngshǒu duó báirèn)
- Bone and Joint Dislocation Hand (Phân cân thác cốt tay;fēnjīn cuògú shǒu)
- Golden Dragon Whip Skill (Kim long tiên pháp;jīnlóng biānfǎ)
- Southern Mountain Saber Skill (Nam Sơn đao pháp;nánshān dāofǎ)
- Mountain Splitting Palm Skill (Khai sơn chưởng pháp;kāishān zhángfǎ)
- Huyan Spear Skill (Hô Diên thương pháp;hūyán qiāngfǎ)
- Yue Maiden Swordplay (Việt Nữ kiếm pháp;yuènǚ jiànfǎ)
Quanzhen School
[edit]Ma Yu,Qiu Chujiand Wang Chuyi of theQuanzhen Schoolteach Guo Jing some basics of their school'sinner energycultivation techniques. Guo Jing is able to understand the basis of Quanzhen'sBig DipperFormation (Thất tinh Bắc Đẩu trận;qīxīng béidǒu zhèn) after reading theNine Yin Manualand observing the formation being deployed in actual combat.
Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms
[edit]Guo Jing meetsHong Qigongby chance while out on adventure withHuang Rong.Huang Rong, worrying that her father will look down on Guo Jing due to his unimpressive mastery of martial arts, uses this chance to incite Hong Qigong to teach Guo Jing his most powerful skill. Tempted by Huang Rong's culinary skill, Hong Qigong agrees to teach Guo Jing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms (Hàng Long Thập Bát Chưởng;xiánglóng shíbāzhǎng) to repay Huang Rong's favours of preparing fine cuisine for him every day during the brief period of time he spent with them.
Zhou Botong
[edit]Guo Jing meetsZhou BotongonPeach Blossom Islandand becomes sworn brothers with him. Zhou Botong teaches him the Seventy-two Styles Vacant Fist (72 lộ không minh quyền;qīshíèrlù kōngmíng quán).
Zhou Botong also teaches him the Technique of Ambidexterity (Đôi tay lẫn nhau bác;shuāngshǒu hùbó), which allows him to use two different sets of martial arts simultaneously.[5]Unexpectedly, the slow learning Guo manages to master this technique in a short period of time, whereas his more intelligent wife is unable to grasp it at all.[6]
Nine Yin Manual
[edit]Zhou Botong has with him a copy of theNine Yin Manual,the most coveted martial arts manual of that era because of the incredible inner energy cultivation techniques and extraordinary skills it records. He has been forbidden byWang Chongyangto learn the skills described in the book so he lets Guo Jing learn.
Military strategy
[edit]Guo Jing learnt military strategy and tactics from theBook of Wumu,a military treatise written by the Song generalYue Fei.The book is coveted by many, as it is widely believed that whoever possesses it will conquer the world. TheJurchensandMongolsare among those actively seeking the book.
Guo Jing finds the book by chance on Iron Palm Peak. He reads it thoroughly and employs some of the strategies during the war with theKhwarezmid Empire,proving that he is not thick-witted as some believed, but actually smart if not having remarkable intellect because of his understanding of the complexity of the art of war. The experience he gained from theMongol campaignsand knowledge from the book turns him into a skilled military tactician.
Legacy
[edit]Before leaving for good,Yang GuoandXiaolongnügave Guo Xiang their Gentleman and Lady Swords and the Heavy Iron Sword. InThe Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,it is revealed that the swords were melted and reforged into the Heaven Reliant Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber.
Guo Jing wrote theNine Yin Manualfrom memory during thesiege of Xiangyang.He also wrote a martial arts manual for the 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms'. Guo Jing also recorded all his military experiences and knowledge from theBook of Wumuon a piece of cloth. Both the scroll and the cloth were hidden at Taohua Island, the home of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. The co-ordinates of Taohua Island and the map to pass the maze on Taohua Island were separately hidden inside the blade of the Dragon Slaying Saber. The Heaven Reliant Sword was brought out of Xiangyang by Guo Xiang before the city was conquered, while the Dragon Slaying Saber was lost and disappeared after Guo Polu's death. The heroic deeds of Guo Jing and Huang Rong becameGian ghulegends and were occasionally mentioned inThe Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
In other media
[edit]
Notable actors who have portrayed Guo Jing in films and television series includeCho Tat-wah(1958),Alexander Fu(1977–1981),Jason Pai(1976-1995),Philip Kwok(1982),Felix Wong(1983),Bryan Leung(1983),Julian Cheung(1994),Li Yapeng(2003),Wang Luoyong(2006),Hu Ge(2008),Zheng Guolin(2014),Yang Xuwen(2017), and Eddy Geng (2021).
Guo Jong is a main character in the 2000role-playing video gameShachou Eiyuuden: The Eagle Shooting Heroes,released bySony Computer Entertainmentfor thePlayStation.
Family tree
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Notes
[edit]- ^abSeeChapter 39Archived2010-01-19 at theWayback Machineof the first novel.
- ^SeeChapter 39Archived2010-07-20 at theWayback Machineof the second novel.
- ^SeeChapter 40Archived2010-07-20 at theWayback Machineof the second novel.
- ^abSeeChapter 5Archived2010-01-15 at theWayback Machineof the first novel.
- ^SeeChapter 17Archived2009-02-01 at theWayback Machineof the first novel.
- ^SeeChapter 25Archived2010-07-21 at theWayback Machineof the second novel.