| Author | Liang Yusheng |
|---|---|
| Original title | 草莽龍蛇傳 |
| Language | Chinese |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Publisher | New Evening Post |
Publication date | 11 August 1954 – 5 February 1955 |
| Publication place | Hong Kong |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 9576457289 |
| Preceded by | Longhu Dou Jinghua |
| Caomang Longshe Zhuan | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 草莽龍蛇傳 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 草莽龙蛇传 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Chronicle of Dragons and Serpents among the Common Folk | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Caomang Longshe Zhuan,literally Chronicle of Dragons and Serpents among the Common Folk,is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng first published as a serial between 11 August 1954 and 5 February 1955 in the Hong Kong newspaper New Evening Post . It serves as a companion piece to Liang Yusheng's debut wuxia novel Longhu Dou Jinghua ,expanding on the backstories of existing characters while introducing new figures and narrative threads.
The story is set in China between the late 19th century and the early 20th century during the Qing dynasty. Ding Xiao,the son of Ding Jianming –the head of the Ding-style Taiji School in Baoding –struggles with his father's alienation from the wulin (martial artists' community). Ding Jianming's close ties with a corrupt former official Suo Shanyu have earned him the contempt of many in the wulin. One day,while hunting in the outskirts of the city,Ding Xiao saves a young woman from being harassed by gangsters. After he introduces himself as Ding Jianming's son,the woman not only does not thank him for saving her,but also accuses him of staging the incident to feign heroism and gain her favour.
Ding Xiao later learns that the woman is Jiang Fengqiong,the granddaughter of Jiang Yixian,a famous martial arts master in Baoding. He feels indignant about her wrongful accusation,so he attempts to enter the Jiang residence to clarify the misunderstanding. During this time,he encounters Jiang Yixian's apprentice Zhu Hongdeng,the founder of the Boxer movement. Through this experience,Ding Xiao gains insight into his father's estrangement from the wulin and also realises he has developed feelings for Jiang Fengqiong. Encouraged by Zhu Hongdeng and Jiang Fengqiong,Ding Xiao eventually runs away from home after resisting an arranged marriage imposed by his father.
After leaving home,Ding Xiao travels through the wulin,aspiring to reconcile the Ding and Chen schools of Taiji and further the development of the martial art. With some help,he manages to convince Chen Yongchuan,the leader of the Chen-style Taiji School,of his sincerity. Chen Yongchuan agrees to train Ding Xiao in Chen-style Taiji,allowing him to fulfil his wish.
While Ding Xiao is training under Chen Yongchuan,the Boxers shift their stance from opposing the Qing government to supporting it against foreign intrusion. When Zhu Hongdeng asks his master Jiang Yixian to join the Boxers,the latter refuses as he does not fully agree with what the Boxers do,and also because he wishes to lead a peaceful life away from the intrigues of the wulin. Later,Jiang Yixian runs afoul of Suo Shanyu but escapes with Ding Xiao's help and relocates to northwest China to live among the Hui people. Meanwhile,Ding Jianming,despite his partnership with Suo Shanyu,is eventually betrayed and poisoned to death by the latter.
After completing his training,Ding Xiao expresses a desire to join the Boxers. However,upon learning of his father's death,he returns to Baoding and succeeds his father as the leader of the Ding-style Taiji School. Throughout this time,he has not forgotten about Jiang Fengqiong and still hopes to be with her. Meanwhile,Zhu Hongdeng is killed in battle,leaving Ding Xiao and his companions to carry out his final instructions by finding his designated successors,Li Laizhong and Zhang Decheng.
During his journey to find Li Laizhong in northwest China,Ding Xiao sees Jiang Yixian being attacked by his enemies so he saves Jiang Yixian,who exhausts himself during the fight. With his final breath,Jiang Yixian blesses the union of Jiang Fengqiong and Ding Xiao,who later marry. On their return journey,they encounter Suo Shanyu,and Ding Xiao finally avenges his father by killing Suo Shanyu.
Caomang Longshe Zhuan is generally considered part of Liang Yusheng's early wuxia works,closely following his debut Longhu Dou Jinghua . Literary surveys treat it as one of the works that helped define his style in the 1950s:combining historical setting,emotional conflict,and martial arts themes in what came to be called the "new school" of the wuxia genre. [1]
Among readers,Caomang Longshe Zhuan receives moderate but generally positive reception. On the popular review platform Douban,it has an average rating of about 6.1/10 from over 200 ratings. Some readers praise Liang Yusheng's literary style —especially his use of classical allusion,poetic phrasing,and historical atmosphere —while others view the novel as less dramatic or less deeply developed in characterisation compared to his later,more mature works. [2]
In literary-historical terms,Caomang Longshe Zhuan is often discussed as extending the innovations of Longhu Dou Jinghua,particularly in fleshing out younger characters' moral development and including more nuanced emotional and relational dynamics among the key characters. The novel's emphasis on conflicting loyalties,romantic subplots,and the tension between tradition and personal desire is sometimes seen as foreshadowing the themes Liang Yusheng would explore in his later,more complex works. [2] [1]
While appreciated for historical setting and its lyrical prose,Caomang Longshe Zhuan is less commonly treated as one of Liang Yusheng's most celebrated works in academic or critical writing. It tends to be cited in overviews rather than as the subject of focused literary analysis.