In the January 1, 1978 issue of Taiwan’s 《時報週刊》China Times Weekly, wuxia author Dongfang Yu 東方玉 began serializing his new novel《金笛玉芙蓉》Gold Flute, Jade Lotus. To coincide with this release, Dongfang Yu wrote an autobiographical introduction called “Wuxia Fiction and Me”. I have translated that introduction below. The original article, as it was posted by another wuxia fan online in Chinese, is structured in a few very long paragraphs. I have broken these up somewhat to make it a bit easier to read (though they are still a bit long). Aside from that, I have interpolated a few illustrations that accompanied the weekly installments during the novel’s 47-week run.
Wuxia Fiction and Me
Author Introduction
Dongfang Yu, real name Chen Yu, courtesy name Hanshan, from Yuyao, Zhejiang province. Graduated from Shanghai’s Chengming College of Liberal Arts Department of Chinese, served in the military administration office for a number of years. Skilled in calligraphy, proficient in poetry, wrote several collections of poetry including Hanshan Poetry Anthology, Embracing Splendor, Southern Thunder, Sharp Peak Lodge, and Green Scented Studio Lyric Manuscripts, and he wrote wuxia novels under the pen name Dongfang Yu with such works as Release the Crane, Capture the Dragon, Seven Swords of Lanling, etc., about 30 or so works totaling tens of thousands of words. Now he is a contracted writer for the eight major newspapers inside and outside of the country.
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