The Characters in Qi Jian Xia Tian Shan

Yang Yun Cong, Male, 20-22 years old ... Wang Xue Bing
Most senior disciple of Dhyana Master Hui Ming (aka Mater Shadow Glow). Highly skilled and charismatic. It was not his ultimate choice to live in the mountain and practice the art of fencing. He wished to achieve some major accomplishments in life. When Fu Qing Zhu invited the Reverend Hui Ming to descend the mountain to resist the marauding Manchurians, he tried his best to persuade his master. Being someone of great forbearance, he always suppressed his real nature, to the extent of keeping quiet without grudges when being wrongly accused. When the campaign to drive out the Manchurians proved to be futile as a praying mantis stopping a chariot, he sought out Flying Red Shawl, for he wanted to prove that he was not unsuccessful. Flying Red Shawl is the first woman of his life. Facing a cryptic, stoic and hardy girl, he was not sure if his feelings were love, awe, fear, or hate. He found it hard to accept a tough lady like Flying Red Shawl. As such, when he met a Manchu lady, Nalan Ming Hui, his life was changed. On the instance he greeted Nalan Ming Hui with open arms, he had fallen into the vortex of tragedy.
 

Nalan Ming Hui, Female, 18 -20 years old ... Li Xiao Ran
She is not only beautiful, but also virtuous. Owing to her demure demeanour, her graciousness, her benevolence, she is immaculate in the eyes of most men. These were the virtues of Nalan Ming Hui that attracted Yang Yun Cong, an unyielding man. Yet, he disregarded the differences in race and status, giving her all his heart. However, they could only be together in the minds. Being of noble birth, and bounded by conventions, she was powerless to alter her fate and could only choose to sacrifice for her father and family, and was married off to Duo Duo, a Manchu general then. Thus, Nalan Minghui's relations with Yang Yun Cong were doomed to failure from the outset.

Yi Lan Zhu, Female, 18 years old
She is the fruit of the forbidden love between Yang Yun Cong and Nalan Ming Hui. She was destined to be ill-fortuned, since the the day she was born. She has never enjoyed the warmth of a mother's love. She receives all her love from her half-uncle, half-father Ling Mo Feng, who raised her. Growing up in Mt Tien, being nurtured by a recluse, she is forthright, naive, simple, and adorable. Her views on the world, be them good or bad, are all clearly written on her face.

Her affection is incomplete, due to her desire for motherly love. Longing for love yet also yet filled with detest at the same time, she is at sixes and sevens all the time. As eighteen years pass and she grows up, and the first thing she does on leaving Tianshan is to look for the murderer of his father. And this enemy is none other than her mother's husband Duo Duo. While Nalan Ming Hui does not love her husband, they still share the emotions of a married couple. This is something that Yi Lan Zhu could not come to terms with. Yi Lan Zhu falls for Zhang Hua Zhao when they first meet at Mt Wutai. This is not due only to his handsome appearance, but also his concern for her.

Ling Mo Feng, Male, 35 years old
Was called Mu Lang when young. A hero à la Ethel Lilian Voynich's The Gadfly (1897). Due to ignorance, he made a major mistake, leading to a disastrous outcome. The one who suspected him was none other than his sweetheart Liu You Fang. This was a major blow to his dignity. He committed suicide in sheer defiance to attest his innocence. However, due to a sudden change in circumstances subsequently, he had to collect himself. His second senior martial brother Chu Zhao Nan betrayed the sect, while first senior martial brother Yang Yun Cong met with a mishap. Before his demise, Yang Yun Cong entrusted Mu Lang with his daughter Yi Lan Zhu. On the way back to Mount Tian, Mu Lang was disfigured. Henceforth, he identified himself as Ling Mo Feng. He wants to wipe away the agonising memories of his past. Ling Mo Feng becomes a well-known and revered hero of the savannah by Mount Heaven. He has intended to remain in the region helping out those in needs but Yi Lan Zhu secretly leaves the mountain. So he goes off in search of her. Unexpectedly, he sees his old flame. In between him and Liu You Fang stands the dark shadows of  "betrayal." To further complicate the matter, now appears an honest Han Zhi Bang. He has always been trying to bury his irrepressible and growing passion for Liu You Fang. However destiny ensnares him back into it.

Liu You Fang, Female ... Wang Li Kun
She is Mu Lang's childhood friend, and carries a torch for him. Living in turbulent times, she became a strong and determined person. Ever since learning that Mu Lang betrayed the Resistance, Heaven and Earth Society, she fell into a world of anguish. While Mu Lang went missing after jumping into the river, she still keeps his "Spring and Autumn." Eighteen years has elapsed. She becomes reticent in character, yet decisive and firm in handling matters. On thinking of the words kindred spirit, her heart bleeds. When Ling Mo Feng sees that she is still carrying "Spring and Autumn", he understands that she still treasures their relationships.

Fortunately, she has Han Zhi Bang by her side, but she only treats him as an elder brother. She has always spurned his love, or feigned ignorance. Seeing Ling Mo Feng again opens old wounds, for she could not believe that Mu Lang was a traitor. She felt that she was the cause of Mu Lang's death. Eighteen years later, she feels a certain kinship for Ling Mo Feng, a feeling reminiscent of seeing the deceased Mu Lang again. This is like a mirror which constantly evokes her trauma. She hopes to rediscover that Mu Lang whom she knew, but this unwittingly hurts Han Zhi Bang.

Mao Wan Lian, Female, 18 years old
She is a bright, erudite and sincere girl. Owing to the uniqueness of her birth, she stands out above the rest. She partakes in activities of Heaven and Earth Society, partially being influenced by Fu Qing Zhu, and partially on the account of her background. She shares labyrinthine relations with the royal family. Her condition is similar to Yi Lan Zhu, yet unlike her, she has transcended the personal parochialism of vengeance. She has a more lofty ideal. They share similar emotions in some ways. While Yi Lan Zhu's mother is still around, Man Wan Lian has forever lost her mother, and a sense of emptiness always resides in her heart.

There are two very important man in Mao Wan Lian's life: one is the foolish Gui Zhong Ming, another is the well-read Nalan Rong Ruo. She meets Gui Zhong Ming by sheer fortuitousness. Facing one who has lost his memory, she develops something akin to maternal love. As she thirsts for maternal love, such love is easily kindled. So, she always obstinately insists on staying by Gui Zhong Ming's side so as to take care of him, insofar as of following him into the Prime Minister's residence as an undercover. And there, she meets the minister's son Nalan Rong Ruo, who is poetic and above worldly affairs.

Gui Zhong Ming, Male, 20 years old
Brash and boorish, dour and deadly, focused and fearsome, smart yet simple and of single-tracked mind. These are the traits of Gui Zhong Ming, who grew up in a remote mountainous region, far away from civilisation. He draws a clear demarcation between good and evil. Nonchalant and bereft of social etiquette, his harsh behaviour may seem rude, arrogant and disrespectful, yet it is simply because he is worldly-unwise, artlessly innocent and unaffectedly indiscreet. Possessing high level of comprehension, he masters difficult skills easily and is able to improvise and make up for the weaknesses in Five Fowl Fencing with Cloud Swordplay. Kungfu and Mao Wan Lian, the girl who cures him of amnesia, are his sole devotions. He is especially protective and possessive of Mao Wan Lian and gets jealous easily, inasmuch as sparing no effort in confronting anyone whom he thinks might harm her or snatch her away.

Fu Qing Zhu, Male, 55 years old ... Yu Cheng Hui
The brains of Heaven and Earth Society, and also the friend of Dhyana Master Hui Ming. When the Manchurians invaded the Central Plains, and ruled with despotism, he went to Tien Shan to enlist help from Hui Ming. He braved untold dangers to rescue the young Mao Wan Lian, and groomed her. On fighting against the Manchu, he came to the realisation that "We can never win them." He is a cut above other swordsmen, being the most level-headed.

Chu Zhao Nan, Male ... Zhao Wen Zhuo
Chu Zhao Nan is a treacherous person who is driven strongly by his ambitions. Extremely self-conscious, his catchphrase is achieving the best. He always strives to surpass everyone, to have the very best, including his master's bestowed sword, Gallivanting Dragon Sword, which, by right, belonged to Yang Yun Cong. Yet he coveted it. Having seen through him, Reverend Hui Ming gave him a discourse. However, those words raced faster through the other ear than what went into one ear. He can resist neither prestige nor women. His mind and morals are in a topsy-turvy state. He does not want to lead a repressive life like Yang Yun Cong. He wants to be glorified. In the officialdom, he seeks to outshine Duke Duo Duo and Nalan Rong Ruo. He submits to no one but the emperor. Sometimes, he feels a little queasy about his iniquities, however, this pitiable rue is quickly toppled by his insatiable rapacity.
 

Lu Zhu, Female, 18 ... Edell Ai Dai
Lu Zhu (aka Green Pearl) is an extraordinary girl, who is beautiful as fairy. She is a courtesan, who has romantic relations with Chu Zhao Nan and a few other characters. She is a bit of fluff, possesses a pair of bewitching eyes, is someone who has countless heroes bedazzled. Her tales are full of colours but nobody is aware of her painful background. She is someone who is beyond the grasp of anyone. (She is a "fictitious" character not in the original novel.)

Han Zhi Bang, Male ... Zhang Fu Chu
He is the present leader of Heaven and Earth Society, and a good friend of Liu You Fang. He greatly esteems the disciples of Mt Tian Sect, especially Yang Yun Cong and Chu Zhao Nan. His feelings for Liu You Fang grows from friendship to secret fondness. On witnessing Mu Lang and Liu You Fang getting along so well, he suffers silently from inner conflicts and pains.

Flying Red Shawl, Female, 21 years old ... Ada Choi
Aka Fei Hong Jin. Grows up in the prairie and desert. She has become a legendary figure. She is elusive, her whip is like a bullet, while she is like a swallow. Her feelings are inscrutable, leading her to losing Yang Yun Cong. She is in need of love yet rejects it, much like her master The Bride with White Hair. This adorable trait of this person is also her shortcoming. As some character in the novel said, "She is the hero of the desert, yet a loser in love." Her fiasco was due to her hard-headedness towards men, including Yang Yun Cong. She thought that Yang Yun Cong was as submissive as Ai Er Jiang, her fellow tribesman and childhood friend. Yet, this was where she was mistaken. Yang Yun Cong had a mind of his own. Love me, love my dog. And so, she shifts her love for Yang Yun Cong to his daughter Yi Lan Zhu. In front of Yi Lan Zhu, she regards herself as Yang Yun Cong's wife, and Yi Lan Zhu to be her daughter, without asking the latter if she's willing. Presumptuousness is another of her deficiencies. She is easily susceptible to emotional outbursts. She is someone who is pitiful.

Nalan Rong Ruo, Male, 21 years old
He is the first Manchu poet, and is being heavily influenced by the Han culture. In his eyes, the same type of blood flows in the bodies both the Manchu and the Han people, and they should be treated equally. Altruistic and broad-minded, accommodating and solicitous, he is the representation of peace and universal love. Among all the characters, Nalan Rong Ruo transcends the norm, including his love.

Third Princess, Female, 18 years old
She is understanding, open-minded, optimistic and clever. She yearns for to be free as a bird, due to the monotonous and restrictive life in the palace. She doesn't habour any grudges of the earlier generations, and looks at the world with openness and curiosity.

Info & Pictures: Oriental View