Wang Chongyang - in Fiction - Condor Trilogy

Condor Trilogy

Wang is featured as a character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes. Although he is only mentioned by name, he is credited as the "Central Divine" (中神通) of the Five Greats (五絕), the top five champions of the first martial arts contest on Mount Hua. He is depicted as a patriotic Taoist of the predominantly-Han Chinese society of the Song Empire, and seeks to protect his people from the Jurchen invaders of the Jin Empire. He founds the Quanzhen Sect, based in Chongyang Palace on Mount Zhongnan, with the aim of grooming and nurturing Taoists, who are trained in martial arts, to serve the country and uphold justice. After Wang's death, his seven students, known as the "Seven Immortals of Quanzhen", inherit his legacy and promote Quanzhen to become one of the leading orthodox sects in the wulin (martial artists' community).

The sequel provides a glimpse into Wang's romance with Lin Chaoying, founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect. In his earlier life, Wang had an ancient tomb built at Mount Zhongnan, intended to serve as a secret base of operations for the battles against the Jurchens. He lost to Lin in a martial arts contest and had to abide by his promise to give up the tomb to her and become a Taoist. Wang and Lin remain rivals for the rest of their lives, constantly innovating new martial arts techniques to defeat each other. However Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü discover later that Lin apparently hates Wang but actually still loves him. This is evident from the fact that although Lin's martial arts seem to counter Wang's, they actually complement his skills.