Zhang Sanfeng refers to a legendary Chinese Taoist who many believe invented the Chinese martial art tai chi. However, other sources point to earlier versions of tai chi predating Sanfeng. He was purported to have achieved immortality.
The Wudang Mountains are a mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei, China. They are home to a famous complex of Taoist temples and monasteries associated with the Lord of the North, Xuantian Shangdi. The Wudang Mountains are renowned for the practice of tai chi and Taoism as the Taoist counterpart to the Shaolin Monastery, which is affiliated with Chan Buddhism. The Wudang Mountains are one of the "Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism" in China, an important destination for Taoist pilgrimages. The monasteries such as the Wudang Garden were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 because of their religious significance and architectural achievement.
Zhang Wuji is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong.
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, also translated as The Sword and the Knife, is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong and the third part of the Condor Trilogy, preceded by The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes. It was first serialised from 6 July 1961 to 2 September 1963 in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao.
The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts school featured in the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong, first published in serial form from 1961 to 1963. It is also briefly mentioned in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, another novel also by Jin Yong. It is loosely based on Manichaeism, an actual gnostic religion which originated in Persia in the 3rd century CE and later spread to other parts of the world, including China. The cult's headquarters is at Bright Peak in the Kunlun Mountains and it has several other bases spread throughout China. Its most powerful skills are the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" and the "Martial Arts of the Holy Flame Tablets".
Chen Wentong, 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 – and some have been adapted into films and television series, including The Bride with White Hair (1993) and Seven Swords (2005).
The Jiuyang Zhenjing, also known as the Nine Yang Manual, is a fictional martial arts manual in Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy. It was first introduced briefly at the end of the second novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. It plays a significant role in the third novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber after Zhang Wuji discovers it and masters the skills in the book.
Baifa Monü Zhuan is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng first published as a serial between 5 August 1957 and 10 December 1958 in the Hong Kong newspaper Sin Wun Pao. Considered the first part of the Tianshan series of novels by Liang Yusheng, it is closely related to the second and third parts of the series: Saiwai Qixia Zhuan and Qijian Xia Tianshan. The novel has also been loosely adapted into films and television series, such as The Bride with White Hair (1993) and The Romance of the White Hair Maiden (1995), and The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom (2014).
Shaolin Sect is a Shaolin school. It was founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, who wanted his followers to practice martial arts for improving health, and self-defense, as well as upholding justice and helping the weak. Shaolin members are expected to follow a Buddhist code of conduct in addition to having a good mastery of martial arts.
Chen Wangting (1580–1660), courtesy name Chen Zouting, was a Ming dynasty military officer who may have founded Chen-style tai chi, one of the five major styles of the popular Chinese martial art. He reputedly devised his style of tai chi after his retirement following the fall of the Ming dynasty.
The Emei School is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in several works of wuxia fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox schools in the jianghu. It is named after the place where it is based, Mount Emei.
The Kunlun School is a mostly fictional martial arts school mentioned in several works of wuxia fiction. It is usually featured as a leading orthodox school in the jianghu / wulin. It is named after the place where it is based, the Kunlun Mountains in western China, near modern Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces. Due to its geographical location, it was hardly known to martial artists in the jianghu before its rise to prominence.
The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is a non fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of wuxia fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox sects in the wulin. It is named after the place where it is based, Mount Hua. The sect appears in three of Jin Yong's novels.
The Kongtong School is a martial arts school mentioned in several works of wuxia fiction. It is commonly featured as a leading orthodox school in the jianghu. It is named after the place where it is based, the Kongtong Mountains.
The Mount Heaven School, also known as the Tianshan School, is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in works of wuxia fiction, most notably Liang Yusheng's Qijian Xia Tianshan. It also appears in Jin Yong's Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils as a minor school that plays an important role in the story line of one of the three protagonists, Xuzhu. The school is named after the place where it is based, the Tian Shan mountain range in western China.
Saiwai Qixia Zhuan is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng first published as a serial between 18 August 1956 and 23 February 1957 in the Hong Kong newspaper Chou Mo Pao (周末報). Considered the second part of the Tianshan series of novels by Liang Yusheng, it serves as a sequel to the first part, Baifa Monü Zhuan, and is closely related to the third part, Qijian Xia Tianshan.
Kung Fu Cult Master is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Directed by Wong Jing, it featured fight choreography by Sammo Hung and starred Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Chingmy Yau, and Gigi Lai in the lead roles.
Romance of the White Haired Maiden is a 1999 Taiwanese television series adapted from the wuxia novel Baifa Monü Zhuan by Liang Yusheng. Alternative Chinese titles for the series include Yidai Xianü (一代俠女) and Baifa Xianü (白髮俠女).
Wudangquan is a class of Chinese martial arts. In contemporary China, Chinese martial arts styles are generally classified into two major groups: Wudang (Wutang), named after the Wudang Mountains; and Shaolin, named after the Shaolin Monastery. Whereas Shaolin includes many martial art styles, Wudangquan includes only a few arts that use the focused mind to control the body. This typically encompasses tai chi, xingyiquan and baguazhang, but must also include bajiquan and Wudang Sword. Although the name Wudang simply distinguishes the skills, theories and applications of the internal arts from those of the Shaolin styles, it misleadingly suggests these arts originated at the Wudang Mountains. The name Wudang comes from a popular Chinese legend that incorrectly purports the genesis of tai chi and Wudang Sword by an immortal, Taoist hermit named Zhang Sanfeng who lived in the monasteries of Wudang Mountain. Wudang quan is often used synonymously with Neijia, but Neijia is a broader term that also encompasses Aikido and Qigong, which are not Wudang quan.
