by Jin Yong
P. 360 MEANING OF MU YI’S NAME
While the “yi” in Mu Yi’s name means “change”, there is in fact another layer to the word game here. The Chinese character for the surname Yang is , which itself is composed of two “radicals” – that is, small components that themselves have meaning. These two radicals are “mu” , meaning “tree” and the very same “yi” , meaning “change”. Mu Yi’s new surname “mu” is therefore a homonym of the first radical, tree.
JIN YONG (pen name of Louis Cha) is a true phenomenon in the Chinese-speaking world. Born in Mainland China, he has spent most of his life writing novels and editing newspapers in Hong Kong. His enormously popular martial arts novels, written between the late 1950s and 1972, have become modern classics and remain a must-read for young readers looking for danger and adventure. They have also inspired countless T.V. and video game adaptions.
Estimated sales of his books worldwide stand at 300 million, and if bootleg copies are taken into consideration, that figure rises to a staggering one billion. International recognition has come in the form of an O.B.E. in 1981, a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (1992), A Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (2004), an honorary fellowship at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and honorary doctorates from Hong Kong University and Cambridge University, among others.
ANNA HOLMWOOD translates from Chinese and Swedish into English. She was awarded one of the first British Centre for Literary Translation mentorship awards in 2010 and has since translated novels and short stories for publication and samples for agents and rights sellers. In 2011 she co-founded the Emerging Translators’ Network to support early career translators, and served on the UK Translators Association committee in 2012. Anna was editor-in-chief for Books from Taiwan 2014–2015, and has previously worked as a literary agent, representing some of China’s top writing talent. She is now a producer alongside her translation work.
The Next Three Volumes of Legends of The Condor Heroes
VOLUME II: A BOND UNDONE
Yang Kang denies his Chinese roots, while Guo Jing grapples with the ramifications of breaking his betrothal to the daughter of Genghis Khan in order to pursue his love for Lotus Huang.
VOLUME III: A SNAKE LIES WAITING
Guo Jing is faced with the evil plotting of Venom of the West Viper Ouyang, who is determined to become the most powerful Master of the wulin and win Lotus Huang for his nephew Gallant Ouyang. The full extent of Yang Kang’s treachery is also revealed.
VOLUME IV: A HEART DIVIDED
Guo Jing’s love for Lotus Huang is tested when he becomes convinced that her father has murdered someone dear to him. Upon his return to Mongolia, he discovers Genghis Khan wants to enlist him to help conquer the Chinese. Guo Jing must prove his loyalty to the country of his birth if he is to be worthy of bearing the name of his patriot father, Skyfury Guo.
Available January 2019
