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Datang Youxia Zhuan
1963–1964 wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Datang Youxia Zhuan (大唐游俠傳), literally Story of the Wandering Hero of the Great Tang, is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng. It was first published as a serial in the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao from 1 January 1963 to 14 June 1964.[1] Set in China against the backdrop of the An Lushan rebellion in the mid-eighth century, it blends historical narrative with wuxia fiction to explore themes of loyalty, corruption, and the decline of the Tang dynasty. The novel follows the swordsman Tie Mole as he becomes entangled in political intrigue and the moral conflicts of the wulin (martial artists' community).
Datang Youxia Zhuan is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Longfeng Baochai Yuan and Huijian Xinmo. It is regarded as one of Liang Yusheng's most historically resonant works and an early example of the "historical wuxia epic" form that later influenced wuxia writers such as Gu Long and Huang Yi.
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Plot
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The story is set in eighth-century China during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. Corruption and nepotism are rampant in the Tang government under the influence of the grand chancellor Yang Guozhong, whose cousin Yang Yuhuan is the emperor's favourite concubine. In the north, the warlord An Lushan secretly raises an army in preparation for a rebellion while pretending to be loyal to the Tang Empire.
In the wulin (martial artists' community), rivalry brews between Dou Lingkan and Wang Botong for the position of chief. Dou Lingkan is supported by the swordsman Duan Guizhang, while Wang Botong secretly allies with An Lushan. An Lushan captures Shi Yiru, Duan Guizhang's friend, to force Duan to withdraw his support for Dou Lingkan. Duan Guizhang, accompanied by Dou's godson Tie Mole, attempts a rescue. Shi Yiru dies and Duan Guizhang is gravely injured, but they are saved by Nan Jiyun and Huangfu Song.
Wang Botong's followers kidnap Duan Guizhang's son to force Duan's submission, and the Dou clan is later wiped out by the Wangs. Tie Mole escapes with Nan Jiyun's help and vows to avenge his godfather. He trains under the reclusive master Bu Anqi for seven years before returning to find the Tang Empire engulfed by An Lushan's rebellion.
Tie Mole aids Tang loyalist forces, captures Wang Botong's stronghold, and clears Huangfu Song's name. He becomes torn between his love for Wang Botong's daughter Wang Yanyu, who had killed his godfather, and the maiden Han Zhifen, whom he meets on his adventures. Later, he saves Emperor Xuanzong during the fall of Chang'an and witnesses the Mawei courier station incident, where the emperor's troops kill Yang Guozhong and force the execution of Yang Yuhuan. The emperor, grieving over Yang Yuhuan's death, blames Tie Mole for inciting the mutiny and tries to poison him, but Tie Mole escapes.
The novel ends amidst the Siege of Suiyang between Tang forces and the rebels, where many heroes, including Nan Jiyun, sacrifice themselves in battle. Tie Mole and the surviving loyalists continue to rally the wulin in defence of the Tang Empire.
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Key characters
- Tie Mole (鐵摩勒) – the protagonist and a righteous swordsman who fights against An Lushan's rebels.
- Dou Lingkan (竇令侃) – chief of the wulin and Tie Mole's godfather.
- Wang Botong (王伯通) – a martial arts master and Dou Lingkan's rival who secretly allies with An Lushan.
- Wang Yanyu (王燕羽) – Wang Botong's daughter who falls in love with Tie Mole despite their families' enmity.
- Han Zhifen (韓芷芬) – Han Zhan's daughter who becomes Tie Mole's companion.
- Nan Jiyun (南霽雲) – a loyalist swordsman who befriends Tie Mole.
- Duan Guizhang (段珪璋) – an upright swordsman and ally of Dou Lingkan.
- Emperor Xuanzong (唐玄宗) – the ruler of the Tang Empire.
- Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環) – Emperor Xuanzong's beloved consort.
- Yang Guozhong (楊國忠) – the corrupt grand chancellor of the Tang Empire.
- An Lushan (安祿山) – an ambitious general who leads a rebellion against the Tang Empire.
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Reception and legacy
Datang Youxia Zhuan is widely regarded as one of Liang Yusheng's most historically grounded and politically resonant works. Set during the An Lushan rebellion, the novel combines the conventions of wuxia with historical fiction, portraying the decline of the Tang dynasty as a metaphor for moral decay and corruption within the wulin.
Modern reassessments view Datang Youxia Zhuan as a foundational work in the Datang trilogy (along with Longfeng Baochai Yuan and Huijian Xinmo), praising its large-scale storytelling and emotional depth, though some readers have critiqued its pacing and the density of its political subplots.[2]
Adaptations
In 2008 the novel was adapted into a Chinese television series Paladins in Troubled Times produced by Zhang Jizhong, starring Victor Huang, Shen Xiaohai, He Zhuoyan, Liu Tianyue, Sattawat Sethakorn and Lu Chen.
References
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