The Return of The Condor Heroes
Casts:
Huang Xiao Ming 黄晓明 : Yang Guo 杨过
Crystal Liu 刘亦菲 : Xiao Long Nu 小龙女
Chapters:
Jinyong revised the novel in 1970 and again in 2004. There are 40 chapters in the 2nd and 3rd revisions of the novel. Each chapter has a 4-character title. Most of the revisions are either clarifications or minor alterations of character motivations. These are the titles for 3rd revision, slightly different from 2nd revision of the novel.
1風月無情 — No Love Under the Wind and the Moon
2故人之子 — A Friend’s Son
3投師終南 — Seeking Tutelage at Mount Zhongnan
4全真門下 — Under the Teaching of Quanzhen Sect
5活死人墓 — The Tomb of Living Dead
6玉女心經 — Heart-Manual of the Jade Maiden
7重陽遺刻 — Chongyang’s Markings
8白衣少女 — White Clothed Girl
9百計避敵 — A Hundred Ideas to Avoid Enemy
10少年英俠 — The Young Hero
11風塵睏頓 — A Pause from Roaming
12英雄大宴 — The Heroes’ Feast
13武林盟主 — The Chancellor of Martial Clans Wulin
14禮教大防 — Defending against Custom and Tradition
15東邪門人 — The Disciples of Eastern Heretic
16殺父深仇 — Avenging a Father’s Death
17絕情幽谷 — The Secluded Passionless Valley
18公孫谷主 — Valley Master Gongsun
19地底老婦 — The Old Woman of Underground
20俠之大者 — A Hero’s Top Imperative
21襄陽鏖兵 — Battle at Xiangyang
22危城女嬰 — The Baby Girl of a Falling City
23手足情仇 — Sibling Rivalry
24意亂情迷 — Turbulent Emotions
25內憂外患 — Domestic Strife, Foreign Aggression
26神雕重劍 — Divine Eagle’s Heavy Sword
27鬥智鬥力 — Fighting Strength with Wisdom
28洞房花燭 — Wedding Festivities
29劫難重重 — Ultimate Disasters
30離合無常 — Strange Encounters
31半枚靈丹 — The Other Half of the Antidote
32情是何物 — What Entity is Love
33風陵夜話 — Tales in the Night
34排難解紛 — Settling a Dispute
35三枚金針 — The Three Golden Needles
36生辰大禮 — The Birthday Celebration
37三世恩怨 — Gratitudes and Grudges of Three Generations
38生死茫茫 — Life and Death are Boundless
39大戰襄陽 — Battle of Xiangyang
40華山之巔 — The Summit of Mount Hua
Sypnosis:
The novel is set in mid-13th century at a time when the Song Dynasty was on the brink of demise. Hordes of Mongolian armies under the legacy of the late Khagan, Genghis Khan, raided their way across the northern plains, planning on conquering the Han empire of Song.
The integrity of Song was at its weakest. Official corruption and famine ran rampant throughout the land. Uncounted numbers of people were killed by the Mongolians and hundreds of settlements burned. The government was too weak to send out efficient military support and could only watch as cities were sacked by the Mongolian horde, one after another.
It was during this time that Guo Jing (郭靖) and Huang Rong (黃蓉) (the main characters of the previous installment The Legend of the Condor Heroes), with their unmatched reputation and skill, rallied hundreds of Martial Clans and defended the city of Xiangyang (襄陽), the last major stronghold still standing in the Mongolians' way.
The main characters are Yang Guo (楊過) and Xiaolongnü (小龍女). Yang Guo is the orphaned son of Yang Kang (楊康) and Mu Nianci (穆念慈), both characters of the prequel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. He never knew his father and could barely remember his mother. But their legacy, especially his father's, made him an outsider in the Martial World.
Xiaolongnü is a mysterious girl of unknown origin and whose past is slowly revealed in the plot.
Raised briefly by Guo Jing and Huang Rong, Yang Guo was later sent to train under the Quan Zhen Sect martial arts (All True Religion), he met Xiaolongnü of Ancient Tomb Sect (Gumu Pai), who became his teacher. When they first met, Yang Guo was an impetuous and mischievous 14-year-old while Xiaolongnü was a cold, unemotional 18-year-old. After years of living together in the Ancient Tomb and training in martial art, they eventually fell in love with each other.
