By Estelle Su
March 18 2024
Louis Cha Leung-yung, better known by his pen name Jin Yong, was a famous Chinese wuxia novelist. Considered one of the “Four Talents of Hong Kong,” Cha wrote 15 wuxia works between 1955 and 1972. To date, over 100 million copies of his wuxia works have been sold worldwide in multiple different languages.
Cha was born on March 10, 1924 in the Republic of China. Where he stayed until he moved to Hong Kong in 1948. He served as a journalist, co-founding the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao Daily News in 1959. After a long battle with liver cancer and dementia, Cha passed in 2018.
In celebration of 100 years since Cha’s birth, Chinese artist Ren Zhe was recruited to sculpt statues for the Jin Yong 100th anniversary celebration event aptly titled “A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial.”
This celebration features “The World of Wuxia” outdoor exhibition at Edinburgh Place, Central, and the “Sculpted by Ren Zhe” indoor exhibition at Hong Kong Heritage Museum. First opened to the public on March 15, 2024 and March 16, 2024, these exhibitions will remain open until July 2, 2024 and October 7, 2024 respectively.
“The World of Wuxia” features 10 sculptures of some of Cha’s most famous characters. Including a Mongolian yurt and various designated photo booth sets. Meanwhile, “Sculpted by Ren Zhe” features 22 sculptures of Cha’s most famous characters.
In “The World of Wuxia,” stories and descriptions of the statues can be found written in Traditional Chinese and English across the walls and lecterns. Additionally, there are free public guided tours offered in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board helped fund the exhibit as a part of its plan to build a mega events economy. This celebration of Jin Yong specifically received a grant from the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee. The same governmental committee that funded the Valentine-themed arts exhibit “Chubby Hearts Hong Kong” as well as the upcoming fashion carnival “ComplexCon Hong Kong.”
According to a presentation given by the Chairman of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee, “A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial” is expected to attract over 460,000 visitors.
Michelle Lam, a 20-year-old Hong Kong citizen currently studying in the United States, is a potential visitor. Lam plans on taking a trip back to Hong Kong sometime later this year with her family. Though she is not too familiar with Jin Yong, Lam expressed interest in seeing the exhibits when asked over text about her thoughts on the event.
“I love wuxia and xianxia so that looks very interesting,” stated Lam. “I think it’s a good [event] for people who wants [sic] to learn a bit more about a great writer, and a little about culture.”
Meanwhile, Lam’s father, who is also a citizen of Hong Kong residing in the United States, is a huge Jin Yong buff. Lam predicts that her father would be delighted to see the exhibit and would talk endlessly about his experience afterwards.
Lilia Su, a 20-year-old American foreign exchange student at the University of Hong Kong has already seen the outdoor exhibit.
When asked in-person on how she felt after strolling through “The World of Wuxia,” Su, who is not fluent in reading Traditional Chinese, stated, “I appreciated that they had English translations.”
“I liked the material that was used to make the statues. I really liked the silver and gold. It was very eye-catching in the sun,” continued Su. “I wish I went to the indoor exhibit too.”