#Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre

[silveremulsion]

Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (1978)

[velummortis]

Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre Ramble

In 2021, I started a crusade to watch every version of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre in existence. It was supposed to be every drama version in order, and that part at least I've stuck to, but I couldn't help watching the 1993 version with Jet Li (just don't.). So just to clarify, so far I've watched:

1978 HK TVB drama with Adam Cheng (with the horrible English dub, I'll watch it in the original Cantonese someday...)

1984 Taiwanese drama with Liu De Kai

1986 HK drama with Tony Leung

1993 HK movie with Jet Li

And now starting the 1994 Taiwanese version. It's... well, I'll get used to it...

List of best portrayals so far:

Zhao Min: Liza Wang (1978)

Zhou Zhiruo: Sheren Tang (1986)

Fan Yao: Michael Tao (1986)

Yang Xiao: Newton Lai (1986)

Flower Granny: Sih Ming (1978)

Other thoughts so far:

I don't have a favorite Zhang Wuji yet, but I'm damn sure it's not Jet Li lmfao

Is Yang Xiao a rapist? Absolutely. I heard he isn't in the 2019 version, and the 1978 English dub (which cut a good bit from the original) showed like only one scene between him and Ji Xiaofu.

Andy Liu's Zhang Cuishan (1984) can call me. Also Simon Yam's Zhang Cuishan (1986)... and Chen Xing's Xie Xun (1984)... don't @ me

Every Priest Miejue is badass but the 1978 version was the most practical and the 1986 version Gave the Most. I'm not vibing with the 1994 version. Or any character from that version tbh

What is Golden Girl's purpose why does she just fly in to say "I'm just here for the show~ ❤️"

1978 version is your SparkNotes HSDS

1984 version spends too much time in Wuji's head when there's clearly nothing in it

Every opening song is catchy so far (yes, even the 1984 version...)

The extra plots in the 1984 and 1986 versions interested me but the extra plot in the 1994 is grating on my brain

[nemainofthewater]

Best character surnamed: Yin

Come and vote for the best characters with the same surname!*

What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

*note, the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often there will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

Propaganda is very welcome! If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know in the notes.

This is part of a larger series of ‘best character with X surname’ polls’. The overview with ongoing polls, winners, and future polls can be found here

[tavina-writes]

CQL and Genre Intertextuality

I'm being bashed over the head with the "nhs's fan in CQL is made of xuantie/dark iron" thing again and @poorlittleyaoyao please understand that I am thinking of this constantly since you made that post talking about it because I'm just.

holding my head in my hands bc ye gods the cql show writers were genre savvy in ways that are hilarious but also make me feel like I've been hit upside the head with a waffle iron.

For those of us who are no longer damaged by the post or hadn't seen it (I don't actually know where it's gone bc the search feature doesn't work on this webbed site):

Xuantie/Dark Iron is a Jin Yong created metal that famously was used for the blade of the Dragon Slaying Sabre in the third novel of the Condor Trilogy, 倚天屠龍記/The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber.

The Heaven Reliant Sword 倚天劍 was created from Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv's Gentleman and Lady swords, whilst the Dragon Slaying Saber 屠龍刀 was created from Grandmaster Dugu Seeking-a-Loss's Dark Iron Sword.

Can we please all take a moment to appreciate how NHS's fan not his saber, NHS, from The Family With The Sabers, gets to shout about how his fan is made of xuantie. The most famous for being the metal that made up The Dragon Slaying Saber. His fan. Not his saber. his fan. dark iron. Dragon Slaying Saber. This is so funny I'm about to mcfucking lose it yet again while typing this.

Going back to Grandmaster Dugu Seeking-A-Loss (who appears in both Return of the Condor Heroes and Xiao Ao Jianghu) and his giant pet condor (sadly, only a ROCH feature) who might've been his one true soulmate for a second, this situation from episode 7, when the Yunmeng Siblings are leaving the Cloud Recesses:

Now, the subtitles here really DO NOT do this line justice because when I first saw it it took me FLAT THE FUCK OUT and I had to lie on the floor laughing for like, 80 seconds before I got my breath back.

Okay, what this line ACTUALLY says is "I am Dugu Qiubai (Grandmaster Dugu Seeking-A-Loss), what's wrong with seeking a match?"

Now, to understand this, we come to this backstory on Dugu Qiubai in XAJH:

“Senior master Dugu Seeking-A-Loss, who created this set of sword techniques, had a name ‘Seeking-A-Loss.’ He had been seeking a loss all his life and still couldn’t get one. Once the sword techniques were executed, he would become unmatched anywhere in the world. Why would he have to defend? If anyone could have forced him to draw his sword back and defend himself, the respectful master would have burst with joy and be delighted beyond measure.” Feng Qingyang said. “Dugu Seeking-A-Loss, Dugu Seeking-A-Loss,” Linghu Chong muttered as he imagined how the senior master had wandered about the Martial World, unmatched anywhere, with only his sword, and couldn’t even find a single one who was capable of forcing him into a defending stance. That was truly admirable.

from Chapter Ten of XAJH: Sword Training.

"If anyone could force him to draw his sword back to defend himself, the grandmaster would have burst with joy and be delighted beyond measure" DO YOU SEE WHY JC STARTED CALLING WWX SHAMELESS NOW. they're JUNIORS. WWX is calling himself "the greatest man of all, who'd sought the feeling of losing just ONCE being forced to defend himself just ONCE in a LIFETIME" and saying "LWJ might be my equal. my soulmate. the loss I was seeking my whole life."

All 15 years of it I'm sure, WWX.

I'm not going to get into finding martial arts manuals or a respected grandmaster who taught you incredible things in a cave bc 1) LHC and Feng Qingyang up there are sitting together, in a cave and LHC is being taught incredible things and 2) Duan Yu from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils once found the magic finger lasers of ultra laser in a cave. In front of the statue of a goddess. (don't talk about the dancing goddess statue now, Tav. We don't have time for that in this post.)

Not kidding the intertextuality of CQL and how much it plays with and against the tropes of its genre, especially other wuxia tv adaptations as well as wuxia novels is insane. There's other ones I'm missing for certain and these were just the most funny to me, personally, but! just! oh my god! insane! insane! SO funny, so clever in so many ways

[murderedbyhomework]

Zeng shunxi singing 一生所愛 (love in one lifetime) as his character song for the mlc concert is absolutely crazy, especially when his quote for his character was "你放心，只要有我在，沒人敢動你" (don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one will dare touch you), and we should all definitely go crazy over it.

But Cheng Yi's character song for llh was 刀劍如夢 (sword and life just like a dream) also has a fun fact. It's the theme song for Zeng Shunxi's show 倚天屠龍記 (the heaven sword and the dragon sabre) where zeng shunxi was zhang wuji lmao. Like this is probably a coincidence but it's still hilarious lol

[best-nun-tournament]

Round 1, Match 17

Zhou Zhiruo (Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre) vs Mercedes von Martritz (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Zhou Zhiruo is a Buddhist nun of the Emei sect.

Mercedes von Martritz is a nun of the Church of Saint Seiros at Garreg Mach Monastery.

Zhou Zhiruo

Arguably the central antagonist of HSDS, an epic novel adapted into multiple 40+ episode TV series. Most powerful female character in HSDS. Using Nine Yin White Bone Claw at a tournament for the position of leader of the Wulin she defeated every other martial artist who came and was crowned leader of the martial arts world.

Mercedes von Martritz

Mercedes was born to the fallen House Martritz and bore a minor Crest of Lamine, a special type of blood that gave it's bearer enhanced abilities. Her father died shortly afterwards and Mercedes' mother remarried into House Bartels, giving birth to Emile von Bartels, who also had a minor Crest of Lamine. Mercie's stepfather was uncaring and only married for his new wife's crest which led to said wife's departure from House Bartels. She ran away with only her eldest child to the Kingdom, where Mercedes would really start her own life as a student of Fhirdiad's Royal School of Sorcery. There, she befriended Annette Fantine Dominic and both girls would later attend Garreg Mach Monastery together. Mercedes is a kind soul with a soft voice and the ability to speak her mind. She's the eldest student attending the Officer's Accademy and takes it upon herself to be a shoulder of support for her classmates, no matter their origin. When the timeskip hits, Mercie returns in a nun's garb and expresses reinforced belief in the Church, even in the route where you fight against the Archbishop. I find her extremely fascinating due to her sub-plot with her brother, Emile. Mercedes held deep regret for leaving her brother behind in House Bartels despite not knowing that he had chosen to stay behind to protect her and her mother. Emile later returns as The Death Knight, a general under the Flame Emperor's command and his story with his sister changes depending on the player's route. Should the player oppose the Flame Emperor, Emile and Mercie can reunite briefly, with The Death Knight granting Mercedes a relic that can only be operated by their Crest before dying in her arms in a later battle, happy to be with his family once again. In the event that the player does side with the Flame Emperor, The Death Knight becomes playable alongside his sister, revealing thatthe years spent in House Bartels changed him, giving rise to two distinct personalities: Jeritza von Hyrm and The Death Knight. Jeritza had been a teacher at Garreg Mach, serving as a spy to the Flame Emperor while The Death Knight quelled his bloodlust under the Flame Emperor's orders. In this route, Mercedes reaches out to both Jeritza and The Death Knight as their elder sister and the exchanges they have are some of my favorites in Fire Emblem history. Also Mercie is bisexual and both M!player and F!player can marry her in the end, regardless of route. Love her for that

[lingshanhermit]

Lingshan Hermit: No Saints in the Eyes of the Lowly

In the year of Jiachen, month of Wuchen, I happened upon an interpretation of Jin Yong's work. The author used the example of the Seven Heroes of Wudang from "Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre" to argue that these heroes were engaged in a covert battle for the position of sect leader. He spoke of the rivalry between Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou, and the threat Zhang Cuishan posed to Song Yuanqiao's leadership. Even Zhang Wuji, despite his indifference to worldly affairs, was unwittingly drawn into this conflict as Song Yuanqiao's adversary due to his fame from the Bright Peak battle and his contributions to protecting Wudang Mountain. The author implied that from Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou at the top to Zhang Songxi and Mo Shenggu at the bottom, everyone in the Wudang sect coveted the position of leader. Those who lacked the qualifications to become leader themselves aligned with different factions, mimicking the ways of the secular world. This interpretation would surely invite ridicule from true experts.

In my view, these claims are utterly baseless. The Seven Heroes of Wudang share a bond as close as brothers and are as pure as the wind and clear as the moon. Yu Lianzhou may be taciturn, Zhang Cuishan clever, and Yin Liting passionate, but they are all fundamentally good-hearted without any trace of treachery. Yet under this author's pen, they have been reduced to petty men, no different from the likes of Yinzhen and Yinsi, harboring ulterior motives with every word and action. Alas, the serenity of Wudang Mountain is no more, the Hall of True Warrior now a place of intrigue, and the brotherly affection among the Seven Heroes has vanished. Even a transcendent figure like Zhang Sanfeng has not escaped unscathed, being portrayed as little more than the founder of a lucrative brand. These interpreters judge the noble with the hearts of the petty and measure saints with the minds of ordinary men. It is truly lamentable.

In recent times, many such individuals have emerged, claiming to see through everything and boasting of unparalleled intelligence. In reality, this is but a defense mechanism born of past wounds. Though I possess no supernatural powers, I can glimpse the misfortunes in their lives. Born in harsh lands and evil places, they have only witnessed people devouring each other, where every morsel and every sip must be fought for, where one must eat others or be eaten. Thus, they assume all people in the world are like this. They do not know that there are many in this world who are guileless and treat others with genuine sincerity.

These people are truly pitiful. In their youth, they were deceived by relatives and friends. As they grew, they encountered only those who revered power and status, heard only of palace intrigues and manipulations, and witnessed only base and shameless acts. Having never experienced true human emotion in their lives, they assume all people in the world are the same. In their eyes, sages, scholars, heroes, and champions are all merely actors.

Such people never sleep soundly, have no one they can trust by their pillow, and must keep one eye open even while sleeping. How can they not believe that there are no good people in the world, no saints among men, that the world is full of schemes, and that all human actions are driven by self-interest?

Written by Lingshan Hermit on May 11, 2024.

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灵山居士：下士眼中无圣贤

[mudwerks]

(via Acidemic - Film: The Swirling Mists of Chu Yuan: 70s Shaw Brothers Wuxia on Prime: SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN (Trilogy) HEAVEN SWORD AND DRAGON SABRE (1&2))

[optimarcus]

[Movie Review] 'New Kung Fu Cult Master 2 (倚天屠龙记之圣火雄风)' doesn't quite cut it without Louis Koo and Donnie Yen

[Movie Review] ‘New Kung Fu Cult Master 2 (倚天屠龙记之圣火雄风)’ doesn’t quite cut it without Louis Koo and Donnie Yen

Directors: Wong Jing and Keung Kwok Man Writer: Wong Jing Cast: Raymond Lam (Zhang Wuji), Janice Man (Zhao Min), Sabrina Qiu (Zhou Zhiruo), and Yun Qianqian (Xiao Zhao) Score: 3.4/5 New Kung Fu Cult Master 2 (倚天屠龙记之圣火雄风 ) is out in cinemas 12 February. Zhang Wuji (Raymond Lam) and Zhao Min (Janice Man) in New Kung Fu Cult Master 2 (Still: Shaw Organisation) If you haven’t read Jin Yong’s Heaven…

[silveremulsion]

Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 2 (1978)

[dangermousie]

Gotta say, two eps in, Side Story of Fox Volant is like peeking into a period version of a CrossFit gym - it’s full of intense, macho, muscular guys doing things I don’t get and that you couldn’t pay me enough to do but that look cool. And when they aren’t doing those things, they are talking about doing those things or obsessing about who could do those things better.

PS But it’s still not as fight-heavy as the first ep of HSDS2019, which I checked out yesterday and which would be a great choice for a person who can neither speak Chinese nor read English subs as literally 90% of it consisted of fight scenes. (I am watching for Lin Yu Shen, who from clips I’ve seen is as hot here as he is in Fox, clearly cornering the tragic wuxia DILF market.)

[nemainofthewater]

This is a series of polls looking at the best Jin Yong adaptation, separated by novel. The masterlist of Jin Yong Adaptation Polls can be found here.

[michelle-yim]

50 Years, 50 Gifs

Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre 2000 | 倚天屠龍記 [TVB, 2000]

29/50

[fuforthought]

Here’s the first look at Donnie Yen in his upcoming movie, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.

Filming has been put on hold due to COVID-19 so there’s no telling when we’ll see it. There’s also no word on whether Donnie is choreographing the action.

[best-nun-tournament]

Round 1

The Reverend Daughter Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb) vs Rosette Christopher (Chrono Crusade)

Sister Mary Patrick (Sister Act) vs Yumiko/Yumie Takagi (Hellsing)

Sister Mary Robert (Sister Act) vs Sister Lupe (Leverage)

M—'s Nun/Cristabel Oct (The Locked Tomb) vs Lebkuchen (Little Goody Two Shoes)

Sister Boniface (Sister Boniface Mysteries) vs Sister Mary Lazarus (Sister Act)

Sister Mary Loquacious (Good Omens) vs Clarice (THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls)

Sister Darcy (Misericorde) vs Sister Camila (Warrior Nun)

Sister Bertrille (The Flying Nun) vs Nun-Chuck (Minions: The Rise of Gru)

Sister Zdena of Tábor (Pentiment) vs Sister Moira (Misericorde)

Sister Hedwig (Misericorde) vs Nona Grey (Book of the Ancestor Trilogy)

Sister George Michael (Derry Girls) vs Abbess Morvenn Vahl (Warhammer 40000)

Sister Illuminata of Perugia (Pentiment) vs Iris (Fire Force)

Miss Clavel (Madeline) vs Sister Theresa Rapual (Black Clover)

Mother Abbess (Sound of Music) vs Sister Margaret (Misericorde)

Sister Eustace (Misericorde) vs Sister Peg (Law and Order: SVU)

Sister Iris (Ace Attorney) vs Sister Superior Augusta Santorus (Warhammer 40000)

Zhou Zhiruo (Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre) vs Mercedes von Martritz (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Sister Gertrude of Hof (Pentiment) vs The Nun (The Inquisitor's Tale)

Mother Superior (Sister Act) vs Saint Celestine (Warhammer 40000)

Rosaria (Genshin Impact) vs Kate Scott (Trinity Blood)

Sister Evangelina (Call the Midwife) vs Canoness Selena Agna (Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm)

Novice Hame (Doctor Who) vs Character Actress Margot Martindale (Bojack Horseman)

Adriana (The Demon Prince Goes To The Academy) vs Sister Helley (Wendell and Wild)

Sister Argenta (Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader) vs Clarith Netsuma (The Evillious Chronicles)

Canoness Veridyan (Warhammer 40000) vs Sister Monica Joan (Call The Midwife)

Mother Mildred (Call the Midwife) vs Silque (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)

Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun) vs Sister Julienne (Call the Midwife)

Mother Superion (Warrior Nun) vs Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun)

Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montagna (The 44 Scotland Street Series) vs Esther Blanchett (Trinity Blood)

Hot Pants (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run) vs Olivia Lanze (The Demon Prince Goes to the Academy)

Sister Mary Clarence/Deloris van Cartier (Sister Act) vs Canoness Junith Eruita (Warhammer 40000)

Sister Ruth (Black Narcissus) vs Sister Margarete of Krimml (Pentiment)