The Legend of the Condor Heroes () is a wuxia novel by Chinese writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the first part of the Condor Trilogy and is followed by The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. It was first serialised between 1 January 1957 and 19 May 1959 in the newspaper Hong Kong Commercial Daily. Jin Yong revised the novel twice, first in the 1970s and later in the 2000s. The English title is imprecise since neither species of the condor, the Andean condor and Californian condor, is native to China.
Plot summary
Set in 12th-century China during the wars between the Jin and Song empires and the rise of the Mongol Empire, the story follows the intertwined fates of two families.
Qiu Chuji, a Taoist priest of the Quanzhen Sect, befriends two warriors – Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin – and helps them name their unborn sons in remembrance of the Jingkang Incident. Soon after, the Jin prince Wanyan Honglie orchestrates an attack on the Guo and Yang families. Guo Xiaotian is killed while Yang Tiexin disappears. Guo Xiaotian's widow, Li Ping, flees to Mongolia, where she gives birth to Guo Jing and raises him under the protection of Genghis Khan. Meanwhile, Yang Tiexin's wife, Bao Xiruo, is taken in by Wanyan Honglie and gives birth to Yang Kang, who is raised as a Jin nobleman.
Years later, Guo Jing grows up in Mongolia. Though slow-witted, he becomes a competent martial artist after undergoing training by the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" and other masters. He also earns the favour of Genghis Khan, who betroths him to his daughter Huazheng. Guo Jing eventually travels south and meets Huang Rong, the intelligent daughter of Huang Yaoshi, one of the top five martial artists in the wulin. The two fall in love and go on a series of adventures together.
During his journey, Guo Jing encounters Yang Kang, who has grown up cunning and ambitious. Yang Kang refuses to acknowledge his Han Chinese heritage and aligns himself with his stepfather Wanyan Honglie. Their conflict intensifies after Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo are reunited but ultimately die while attempting to escape, leaving Yang Kang further entrenched in his loyalty to the Jin Empire.
While roaming the wulin, Guo Jing and Huang Rong encounter the other top martial artists, including Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng. They become the former's apprentices, learning his most formidable skills "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" and "Dog Beating Staff Skill". At one point, Huang Rong even succeeds Hong Qigong as the chief of the Beggar Clan. Meanwhile, a longstanding rivalry over a highly-coveted martial arts manual, the Jiuyin Zhenjing, continues to drive conflicts in the wulin.
Yang Kang's villainy culminates in betrayal and murder. All this time, he has been lying to his romantic partner, Mu Nianci, about his loyalty to the Jin Empire even though he genuinely loves her. His treachery is ultimately exposed and he dies after a failed attempt at hurting Huang Rong, leaving behind Mu Nianci and their unborn son.
Meanwhile, Guo Jing participates in the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire and avenges his father by killing Wanyan Honglie. However, when Genghis Khan sets his sights on conquering the Song Empire, Guo Jing refuses to fight for the Khan against his ancestral homeland. After Li Ping sacrifices her life to remind Guo Jing of his heritage, he parts ways with the Mongols and returns to the Song Empire.
The story concludes with Guo Jing and Huang Rong reconciling after various misunderstandings and getting engaged. The couple dedicate themselves to protecting the Song Empire from an impending Mongol invasion, and their story continues in the sequel.
Characters
English translation
The novel has been translated into English in four volumes:
- A Hero Born by Anna Holmwood
- A Bond Undone by Gigi Chang
- A Snake Lies Waiting by Anna Holmwood and Gigi Chang
- A Heart Divided by Gigi Chang and Shelly Bryant
Adaptations
Films
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Title !! Production studio !! Main cast !! Additional information
|-
|| 1958 || Story of the Vulture Conqueror || Emei Film Company (Hong Kong) || Cho Tat-wah, Yung Siu-yee, Lam Kau, Lai Kwan-lin ||
|-
|| 1977 || The Brave Archer ||rowspan=3| Shaw Brothers Studio (Hong Kong) || Alexander Fu, Tien Niu, Lee I-min, Kara Hui ||
|-
|| 1978 || The Brave Archer 2 || Alexander Fu, Niu-niu, Lee I-min, Kara Hui ||
|-
|| 1981 || The Brave Archer 3 || Alexander Fu, Niu-niu, Yu Tai-ping ||
|-
|| 1993 || The Eagle Shooting Heroes ||rowspan="2"| Scholars Limited (Hong Kong) || Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Jacky Cheung ||
|-
|| 1994 || Ashes of Time || Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Jacky Cheung ||
|-
|| 2021 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Dragon Tamer || rowspan="2"| Lajin, Media Asia Film, CFM, M&H Pictures (Mainland China) ||Eddy Geng, Lin Yu Rou, Alex To, Eddie Kwan, Lam Chi Chung, Yue Dong Feng ||
|-
|| 2021 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Cadaverous Claw || Kevin Yan, Ruan Ju, Tracy Wang, He Changxi, Tim Huang, Charles Lin ||
|-
|| 2025 ||Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants || China Film Group Corporation (Mainland China) || Xiao Zhan, Sabrina Zhuang, Vanda Margraf ||
|-
|}
Television series
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Title !! Production studio !! Main cast !! Additional information
|-
|| 1976 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1976 TV series) || CTV (Hong Kong) || Jason Pai, Michelle Yim, Bruce Leung, Mang Chau ||
|-
|| 1983 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983 TV series) || TVB (Hong Kong) || Felix Wong, Barbara Yung, Michael Miu, Sharon Yeung ||
|-
|| 1988 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1988 TV series) || China Television (Taiwan) || Howie Huang, Idy Chan, Poon Wang-ban, Chiu Shu-yi ||
|-
|| 1992 || Rage and Passion ||rowspan=4| TVB (Hong Kong) || Ekin Cheng, Fiona Leung, Gallen Lo, Eddie Kwan, Vivian Chow ||
|-
|| 1993 || The Mystery of the Condor Hero || Julian Cheung, John Chiang, Fiona Leung, ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 1994 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1994 TV series) || Julian Cheung, Athena Chu, Gallen Lo, Emily Kwan ||
|-
|| The Condor Heroes Return || Ekin Cheng, Marco Ngai, Wong Siu-yin, Charine Chan, Chan Wai-yee, Wayne Lai ||
|-
|| 1998 || The Return of the Condor Heroes (1998 Taiwanese TV series) || Taiwan Television (Taiwan) || Richie Ren, Jacklyn Wu, Sun Xing, Patricia Ha, Ji Qin, June Tsai, Chen Hong, Ben Lee||
|-
|| 2003 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003 TV series) || Ciwen Film & TV Production (Mainland China) || Li Yapeng, Zhou Xun, Zhou Jie, Jiang Qinqin ||
|-
|| 2008 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2008 TV series) || Chinese Entertainment Shanghai (Mainland China) || Hu Ge, Ariel Lin, Justin Yuan, Cecilia Liu ||
|-
|| 2017 || The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017 TV series) || Dragon TV (Mainland China) || Yang Xuwen, Li Yitong, Chen Xingxu, Meng Ziyi, Michael Miu ||
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|| 2024 || The Legend of Heroes: Hot Blooded (2024 TV series) || Tencent Video (Mainland China) || Ci Sha, Bao Shang En, Gao Weiguang, Meng Ziyi, Chen Duling, Hankiz Omar ||
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|}
Comics
In 1998, Hong Kong's Ming Ho Press () published a 38 volume manhua series illustrated by Lee Chi Ching. This was published in Indonesia by MNC Comics in 2000.
Video games
- Shachou Eiyuuden: The Eagle Shooting Heroes is a video game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation.
- Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation is a PC fighting game that included Mei Chaofeng and Zhou Botong as playable characters.