Chen Wentong (5 April 1924 – 22 January 2009), better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng, was a Chinese-born Australian novelist best known for being a pioneer of the "new school" of the wuxia genre in the 20th century. Along with Jin Yong and Gu Long, he was one of the best known wuxia writers in the later half of the 20th century. Throughout his career, he published a total of 35 wuxia novels. The more notable ones include Baifa Monü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan and Pingzong Xiaying Lu. Some of them have been adapted into films and television series, including The Bride with White Hair (1993) and Seven Swords (2005).
Pen name Chen's given name "Wentong" means "literary tradition". He chose Liang as the surname of his pen name to remind himself that he was inheriting the literary tradition of his ancestors in the same way the Chen dynasty (557–589) succeeded the Liang dynasty (502–557) during the Northern and Southern dynasties period (420–589). He chose "Yusheng" as the given name of his pen name to pay homage to Gong Baiyu, one of his favourite wuxia writers and sources of influence, because "Yusheng" means "born from (Gong Bai)yu".
Early life Chen was born in 1924 in a scholarly family in Tunzhi Village, Wenyu Town, Mengshan County, Guangxi Province in Republican China. His father, Chen Xinyu (; born 1896), was a member of the local scholar-gentry who used his knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine to treat the locals. Chen himself was well-versed in the Chinese classics and duilian, being able to recite the Three Hundred Tang Poems by the age of eight. While he was attending Guilin High School in Guilin, he enjoyed writing poems.
Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Chen left Guilin and returned to Mengshan County. During this time, he met two scholars from the neighbouring Guangdong Province who had taken shelter in Mengshan County, and studied history and literature under their tutelage: Jian Youwen, who specialised in the history of the Taiping Rebellion; and Rao Zongyi, who was well read in poetry, humanities, art and the history of Dunhuang.
After the war ended, Chen attended Lingnan University in Guangzhou and graduated in 1948, majoring in international economics.
Career in Hong Kong After the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949, Chen moved to Hong Kong and, through a recommendation from Lingnan University, became an assistant editor for the newspaper Ta Kung Pao. He was subsequently promoted to editor and became a member of the newspaper's editorial executive committee.
In 1950, when the Chinese Communist Party launched the Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries in mainland China, Chen's father was arrested and imprisoned after being accused of being a landlord under the Five Black Categories. When Chen heard that his father was in trouble, he rushed back to Mengshan County in an attempt to save his father. Along the way, he met his former classmate Peng Yingkang (), who told him about the ongoing Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries. At the same time, he received a letter from his family warning him not to return home, so he headed back to Hong Kong. Chen's father was subsequently executed by the Communist government.
Towards the end of 1950, Chen was reassigned to New Evening Post, the evening edition of Ta Kung Pao.
On 17 January 1954, two martial arts masters – Chan Hak-fu of the White Crane School and Wu Gongyi of the Tai Chi School – challenged each other to a lei tai match in Macau and attracted much attention in Hong Kong. Luo Fu, the chief editor of New Evening Post, wanted to take advantage of the sensationalism surrounding the lei tai match, so he asked Chen to write a wuxia story inspired by the match and publish it as a serial in the newspaper. This became Chen's debut wuxia novel – Longhu Dou Jinghua – and marked the start of a "new school" wuxia genre. During this time, Chen met Jin Yong, who was also working at New Evening Post and writing wuxia novels.
From 1954 to 1983, Chen wrote a total of 35 wuxia novels, of which most were originally published as serials in newspapers. Among his works, Baifa Monü Zhuan, Yunhai Yugong Yuan, Qijian Xia Tianshan and Pingzong Xiaying Lu are some of the better known ones and have been adapted into films and television series, including The Bride with White Hair (1993) and Seven Swords (2005). Besides wuxia novels, Chen also wrote columns, critiques and essays under different pen names, including "Liang Hueru" and "Fong Yuning".
In 1985, Chen Huiguang, the Chinese Communist Party secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Committee, visited Hong Kong and met Chen, who sought redress for his father. After returning to mainland China, Chen Huiguang ordered the United Front Work Department to publish a statement, which stated that Chen Xinyu had been wrongfully accused and executed. Chen thanked Chen Huiguang for his help and returned to Mengshan County in 1987 to visit his hometown and pay his respects to his ancestors.
Retirement and death Chen migrated to Australia with his family in 1987. At the time, he was a member of the China Writers Association and had been offered the position of honorary president of the Yinglian Society of China (YSC) in Shenzhen. He converted to Christianity in September 1994.
On 30 November 2004, Chen received an honorary Doctor of Arts from his alma mater, Lingnan University, which has moved to Hong Kong, for his contributions to the development of literature.
In December 2006, while attending an event in Hong Kong to celebrate Cosmos Books' 30th anniversary, Chen suffered a stroke. After that, he returned to Australia and spent his time recuperating at the Bernard Chan Nursing Home in Burwood, New South Wales. On 22 January 2009, he died of natural causes at the age of 84 in Sydney.Martial arts novelist Liang Yusheng dies. Danwei. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2010. Among those who wrote tributes to Chen were his mentor Rao Zongyi, his former boss Luo Fu, fellow wuxia writer Jin Yong, and professor Chan Yiu-nam.
Writing style Chen's novels always open with a poem – indicating his interest in poetry. The protagonists of his novels also tend to be multi-talented, scholarly and versatile. Besides that, he incorporates elements of Chinese history in his novels – a style also adopted by fellow wuxia writer Jin Yong. However, unlike Jin Yong and other wuxia writers, he does not regard the Shaolin and Wudang sects as the major orthodox sects in the wulin (martial artists' community). Instead, he makes the Mount Heaven Sect (Tianshan Sect) the leading sect in the wulin, particularly in the Tianshan series of novels set in the Ming and Qing dynasties.梁羽生 (Liang Yusheng). Chinese Wusia Knight Errant. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
Works Liang Yusheng's novels were primarily published as newspaper serials between the 1950s and 1980s. They are usually divided into major narrative cycles and standalone works. English titles below are descriptive translations rather than official ones. The publication dates listed as follows are from Liang Yusheng's biography.
Standalone novels These two novels are self-contained stories with no connection to any of Liang Yusheng's other novels. Nüdi Qiying Zhuan is set in the late seventh and early eighth centuries during Wu Zetian's reign, while Wudang Yijian is set in the 17th century towards the end of the Ming dynasty.
Title Chinese title Date of first publication First publication Notes Nüdi Qiying Zhuan(The Female Emperor and the Heroic Genius) 1 July 1961 – 6 August 1962 Hong Kong Commercial Daily alternative title Tanggong Enyuan Lu (; "Chronicle of Gratitude and Revenge in the Tang Palace"). It can be considered a prequel to the Great Tang trilogy. Wudang Yijian(The First Sword of Wudang) 9 May 1980 – 2 August 1983 Ta Kung Pao The serialised version is related to the Tianshan series but the author removed nearly 300,000 Chinese characters and many recurring characters from the series to fix discrepancies with Baifa Monü Zhuan, which precedes it chronologically and makes it a standalone novel in its book publication.
Qing Dynasty Duologies Liang Yusheng occasionally wrote two-part sagas set within a shared narrative arc. Jianwang Chensi and Huanjian Lingqi are set in the mid-18th century during the Qing dynasty and Longhu Dou Jinghua and Caomang Longshe Zhuan are set during the late Qing dynasty at the turn of the 20th century against the backdrop of the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901).
Middle Title Chinese title Date of first publication First publication Jianwang Chensi(Web of Swords and Dust) 1 September 1976 – 26 January 1980 Ta Kung Pao Huanjian Lingqi(The Phantom Sword and the Spirit Banner) 27 January 1980 – March 1981 Ta Kung Pao
Late Title Chinese title Date of first publication First publication Longhu Dou Jinghua(Clash of Dragon and Tiger in the Capital) 20 January 1954 – 1 August 1954 New Evening Post Caomang Longshe Zhuan(Dragons and Serpents among the Common Folk) 11 August 1954 – 5 February 1955 New Evening Post
The Great Tang Dynasty trilogy The Datang trilogy is set in the mid-eighth century during the Tang dynasty against the backdrop of the An Lushan rebellion (755–763).
# Title Chinese title Date of first publication First publication 1 Datang Youxia Zhuan(Story of the Wandering Hero of the Great Tang) 1 January 1963 – 14 June 1964 Ta Kung Pao 2 Longfeng Baochai Yuan(Romance of the Dragon and Phoenix Hairpins) 25 June 1964 – 15 May 1966 3 Huijian Xinmo(The Wise Sword and the Inner Demon) 23 May 1966 – 14 March 1968
The Song dynasty These works share overlapping timelines and characters in the 12th and 13th centuries against the backdrop of the wars (1125–1234) between the Song and Jin dynasties, and the rise of the Mongol Empire.
Title Chinese title Date of first publication Chronological Order First publication Notes Kuangxia Tianjiao Monü(Mad Hero, Proud Genius, and Demoness) 1 July 1964 – 23 June 1968 3 Hong Kong Commercial Daily alternative title Tiaodeng Kanjian Lu (; "Chronicle of Watching the Sword by Lamplight") Feifeng Qianlong(Flying Phoenix and Hidden Dragon) November 1966 2 Cheng Wu Pao Hanhai Xiongfeng(Mighty Winds over the Vast Desert) 15 March 1968 – 21 January 1970 4 Ta Kung Pao Mingdi Fengyun Lu(Chronicle of the Whistling Arrows) 24 June 1968 – 19 May 1972 5 Hong Kong Commercial Daily Fengyun Leidian(Wind and Cloud, Thunder and Lightning) 9 February 1970 – 31 December 1971 6 Ta Kung Pao Wulin Tianjiao(Proud Genius of the Wulin) 2 May 1978 – 9 March 1982 1 Hong Kong Commercial Daily
Pingzong series The Pingzong series is among Liang Yusheng's best-known series, chronicling successive generations of heroes across the 15th century during the Ming dynasty.
# Title Chinese title Date of first publication First publication 1 Huanjian Qiqing Lu(Tale of the Sword Returned and the Unusual Romance) November 1959 – May 1960 Hong Kong Commercial Daily 2 Pingzong Xiaying Lu(Chronicle of Wandering Heroes) 1 January 1959 – 16 February 1960 Ta Kung Pao 3 Sanhua Nüxia(The Blossom-Scattering Heroine) 23 February 1960 – 22 June 1961 4 Lianjian Fengyun Lu(Chronicle of the Allied Swords) 3 July 1961 – 25 November 1962 5 Wulin Sanjue(Three Supreme Experts of the Wulin) 1 October 1972 – 16 August 1976 6 Guangling Jian(Sword of Guangling) 3 June 1972 – 31 July 1976 Hong Kong Commercial Daily
Tianshan series The Tianshan series is Liang Yusheng's earliest series of novels, noted for its frontier settings and recurring heroes and heroines. Its historical setting spans from the end of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century to the mid-Qing dynasty in the 19th century.