Xiong Yaohua (Chinese: 熊耀華) (7 June 1938 – 21 September 1985), better known by his pen name Gu Long, was a Chinese novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. Xiong is best known for writing wuxia novels and serials, which include Juedai Shuangjiao, Xiaoli Feidao Series, Chu Liuxiang Series, Lu Xiaofeng Series and Xiao Shiyilang. Some of these works have been adapted into films and television series for numerous times. In the 1980s Xiong started his own film studio, Bao Sian, to focus on adaptations of his works. He graduated from Cheng Kung Senior High School in Taipei and from the Foreign Language Department of Tamkang University.
Xiong was born on 7 June 1938 in Hong Kong but his registered identity claimed that he was born in 1941. His ancestral home was in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China, and he lived in Hankou in his childhood. He moved to Taipei, Taiwan in 1952 with his parents, who divorced in 1956. With help from his friends and using the money he earned from part-time work to fund his education, Xiong graduated from the Foreign Language Department of Tamkang University. He found a job in the United States Army Advisory in Taipei later.
In 1960, Xiong published his first wuxia novel, Cangqiong Shenjian (蒼穹神劍), under the pen name "Gu Long". From 1960 to 1961, Xiong published eight novels but did not achieve the results he desired. He moved to Ruifang Town (瑞芳鎮) and lived there for three years, after which he changed his perspective and adopted a new writing style. Between 1967 and the late 1970s, Xiong rose to prominence in the genre of modern wuxia fiction for his works. As the sole representative of excellence in the wuxia genre from Taiwan for an entire decade, Xiong was named along with Jin Yong and Liang Yusheng as the "Three Legs of the Tripod of Wuxia".
While he was still in university, Xiong lived with a dance hostess, Zheng Yuexia (鄭月霞), and had a son, Zheng Xiaolong (鄭小龍), with her. However, later, he started a relationship with another dance hostess, Ye Xue (葉雪), who also bore him a son, Ye Yikuan (葉怡寬). Shortly after that, Xiong met a senior middle school graduate, Mei Baozhu (梅寶珠), who became his first legal spouse and bore him his third son, Xiong Zhengda (熊正達). Xiong's extramarital affairs with other women caused him to break up with Mei later.
In the later part of his life, Xiong suffered from depression and the quality of his works declined rapidly. He had to employ ghostwriters to co-write many of his later works because of his ailing health. He died on 21 September 1985 at the age of 48 due to illness wrought by alcoholism, namely cirrhosis and esophageal hemorrhage, at around 6pm. Xiong's friends brought him 48 bottles of XO at his funeral.
Xiong was said to be influenced not only by wuxia fiction, but also by the works of Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, John Steinbeck and Friedrich Nietzsche. His novels are usually made up of short sentences and paragraphs, and mostly dialogues between characters like a play script.
In contrast with Xiong, other writers such as Jin Yong and Liang Yusheng take an alternative route in writing wuxia fiction, incorporating Chinese history, culture and philosophical ideas in their works. Xiong initially intended to follow them but changed his decision after exposure to western works such as the James Bond series and The Godfather novels. The influence of these works, which relied on the idiosyncrasies of human life, razor-sharp wit, poetic philosophies, mysterious plots and spine-tingling thrills to achieve success, enabled Xiong to come up with a unique way of writing.
(source: wiki)
Gu Long and Khu Lung are the same person, the latter is the Hokkien pronunciation in Indonesia.
An unusual wuxia novel, even for author's style who considered as an anti-mainstream author in wuxia fiction. The story is using light theme for making cheerful mood. The main protagonists are four young, broke and carefree persons that live in a big but empty house. But there are more and more unusual factors in the story.
The novel contained some interlinked shorter stories. Actually it is the weak point because until the end there was no definite one great plot. This novel's selling point was on the setting, not on plot.
There was a little adventure in this story. The majority of the story happened around the house. The fights occurred because the antagonists came to the house/neighborhood. The enemies usually the ones who seek trouble. Although this story was worse than "Rear Window" of Alfred Hitchcock, the idea of stay at home was a fresh idea, especially in wuxia genre.
The protagonists were practically pacifists. They were good fighters, but they don't like to use violence to solve problems. The pacifism in this novel affect greatly until the last chapter. Maybe because the pacifism theme, this novel has no movie/TV series adaptation.
WANG Dong, Kouo Dalou, Lin Taiping et l'Hirondelle sont les Quatre brigands du Huabei, ou plutôt quatre larrons de fortune vivant au jour le jour de joyeuses et mémorables aventures, soudés par une grande et extraordinaire amitié. Amateurs d'imprévus autant que de vin de Shaoxing, experts en arts martiaux, joueurs, hâbleurs et matamores, leurs exploits se passent autant sur les routes que dans les gargotes contre de mystérieux adversaires - fantômes de leur passé - qui ont nom L’oiseau Soleil, Le Lion d'or, La Trique, ou l'Écorcheur... Ils auront à affronter des secrets, des voleurs, mais encore des fantômes. Car ne l'oublions pas, il s'agit ici de fantastique ou le surnaturel a la part belle. Ce roman qui vient en droite ligne des grands romans chinois de brigands puise largement dans la tradition des récits fantastiques de la Chine ancienne. Mais le conteur met souvent notre bon sens à rude épreuve. L'imprévu est la règle d'or de ces histoires qui fourmillent d'incidents cocasses ou incongrus, changent souvent de direction sans préavis et font - comme la vie elle-même - la part belle au hasard.
Gu LONG est un des plus populaires auteur de romans de « cape et d'épée », en Chine et dans toute l'Asie. Ses livres, sans cesse réimprimés a des millions d'exemplaires, ont donné lieu à de nombreuses adaptations cinématographiques
Cerita yang sangat meriangkan hati, tentang persahabatan antara Kwik Tay Lok si pendekar kita, Ong Tiong yang tukang tidur tapi bijak, Yan Jit yang cerdik dan misterius, dan Lim Tay Peng yang polos. Orang-orang pemalas dan pengangguran yang sering kelaparan, hanya makan kalau kebetulan ada rezeki atau ada barang yang digadaikan. Tapi, meski hidup prihatin yang merupakan pilihan sendiri, mereka tetap hidup senang karena pikiran tidak dipenuhi dengan mengejar uang dan senantiasa berkumpul dengan teman sejati. Masing-masing memiliki kisah pribadi yang terungkap satu per satu sepanjang cerita dalam berbagai peristiwa yang menguji persahabatan mereka.
I can say that, so far, this definitely had become my favourite Wuxia novel. It held a different air to any other book I have read in this genre. Characters felt alive, dialogues were captivating and entertaining and, more importantly, the book offered deep and meaningful lessons to learn from.
A delightful wuxia novel by Cổ Long with four very memorable leads alongside with some equally interesting supporting characters. I do think the pacing of the novel is a little bit intense without any “pause”/resting moments and jumping immediately instead from one climax/mystery to the next. But such pacing actually makes this action- and emotion-packed novel “tighter” except for few melancholic sequences that are a bit too cheesy for their own good, especially by the conclusion of the book. The “curt” writing style by Cổ Long might detract some readers as well, and indeed makes this novel and his other works seem to be less “elegant” than Kim Dung’s. I do not mind such style, though, as I find it is amazing that after more than two decades since the last time I read Cổ Long, I still find his books as fresh, entertaining, and relatable as ever (might be even more since I am now closer to the usual ages of his protagonists than the still-teenage me of more than two decades ago).
Ach, wie wird hier geseufzt. Soviel Seufzen habe ich noch nie in einem Roman gesehen. Dabei ist die Handlung doch gar nicht so traurig oder deprimierend: Mit guten Freunden an der Seite kann man jedes Hindernis überwinden, das ist die Lehre des Buchs, ein Loblied auf die Freundschaft.
Schwertkämpfe und übernatürliche Phänomene werden auf dem Klappentext angekündigt - doch gefunden habe ich sie in dem Buch nicht. Die Protagonisten sind keineswegs genreübliche Helden der Welt des Jianghu, der Flüsse und Seen; ihre Probleme mit Banditen lösen sie mehr mit Köpfchen als mit unglaublicher Kampftechnik oder Schwertkunst, und, wie oben erwähnt, eben durch ihre Freundschaft.
Wer das Genre kennt, zum Beispiel Werke von Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha) oder Wang Dulu, wird hier wahrscheinlich etwas enttäuscht werden. Sehr viel pseudo-introspektiver Dialog trägt die Handlung voran, die zerstückelt und chaotisch ist. Was wohl hauptsächlich an der Kürzung liegt - die ganzen offenen Handlungs- und Charakterisierungsfäden werden nie aufgelöst, da die Übersetzerin sich die Mühe, den eigentlich Schluss auch mit zu übersetzen, einfach gespart hat. Nach einigen Recherchen habe ich herausgefunden, dass nur ca. 2/3 des Originals übersetzt wurden. Und das spürt man außerordentlich.
Das Taschenbuch ist unauffällig was Material und Herstellungsqualität angeht - ein hübsches Coverdesign tröstet aber nicht über die allzu deutlich Übersetzungsmängel hinweg.
Bereits mit mittleren Französischkenntnissen sollte man das Buch verstehen - die Frage ist, ob es den Aufwand wert ist. Da es jedoch nur wenige Alternativen von übersetzten Werken dieses Genres gibt, sollten Wuxia-Freunde trotzdem einen Blick riskieren.