Where is the Ice Fire Island geographically located at?

[Extremer88]

Before Xie Xun, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu reached the Ice Fire Island, they clashed and met numerous icebergs and the temperature was also very cold. This means that they must have travelled north towards the direction of the North Pole, or probably somewhere in the Pacific Ocean?

The most interesting part is that the description of the Ice Fire Island does not fit with any of the Islands found in the world.

Now looking at the World Map, where is the Ice Fire Island geographically located at? Is it possible for the Ice Fire Island to be an island offshore Japan? Or did XX, ZCS and YSS bypass Japan and travelled towards the North Pole, and the Ice Fire Island was an island offshore Eastern Russia (Siberia)? Or is it an island stuck somewhere in the Pacific Ocean?

[Han Solo]

I can't tell you where the Ice-Fire island is, but the real Peach Blossom island is here:

http://community.webshots.com/album/68860343tUMXZz

Peach Blossom Island (桃花島 / 桃花岛) is an island in Zhejiang Province, East China.

[wkeej]

i did asked this question long time ago.
anyway, the fact that zwj and zm are able to find it after so many years seem to indicate it should not be very far from china. but then where with all the icebergs and volcanoes? .

[The Khan]

probably somewhere off the coast of siberia

[CC]

Maybe somewhere near Sakhalin or the Aleutians.

[Ken Cheng]

One of the more interesting mysteries in the geography of Jin Yong's wuxia world is the location of Ice Fire Island, where Cheung Mo Gei was born. Nobody knows precisely where this fictitious island was supposedly located, except that it was somewhere in the Pacific far north of the Chinese mainland.

I sort of wonder if it isn't located beyond the Arctic Circle, perhaps in the extreme north of what is today part of Canada. When Tse Tsun, Cheung Chui San, and Yan So So sailed away from Mt. Wong Poon, they traveled north for months...eventually arriving in an area of icebergs and glaciers. This was most likely in the Arctic Circle. Ice Fire Island, however, seemed to be a temperate place (actually, it was sort of weird in terms of climate - sometimes Arctic-like, other times practically tropical). There are no such islands in the Arctic Circle, so I'm guessing...beyond the circle.

It'd be interesting if the HSDS characters who traveled to Ice Fire Island were actually closer to the Americas than they were to China.

[PJ]

they traveled north for months

Although the exact # of days isn't spelled out, I don't think it was quite that long. I have just re-read the passages of their journey, and here is a timeline.

-boat sails East for 1 day, nearly tips over.
-boat sails North for ~13 days, sees first ice chunk.
-boat sails North for 4 days, gets sacked by iceberg.
-iceberg drifts North for 8 days, daylight gets longer. Xie Xun attacks Yin Susu, saved by aurora borealis (very uncommon in China, says narrator, suggesting they're north of China already).
-iceberg drifts North for ~4 days, Xie Xun attacks Yin Susu again, gets blinded by her needles.
-they lose track of days. One day, they land on Ice Fire Island.

Before they lost track of time, they were 30 days into the journey. For the remaining time, JY made no suggestion that it was a long time. Specifically, he says they traveled for a total of "several tens of days" (两人在大海中飘浮了数十日), So let's say 35-40 days total.

... of which only 1 day was east-bound, the other 30+ being northbound. Keep in mind they sailed from Hangzhou / Lin'an. Now, based on the direction we're told, they should have ended up around the border of Liaoning and North Korea. Obviously, given the ubiquitousness of icebergs and the comments about aurora, I think JY intended the destination to be farther north. Keep in mind when they left Hangzhou, it was warm weather, since they were wearing little clothing (and got cold as they sailed north), and the long daylight further confirms it should be summer time. For there to be ample icebergs in the summer, I think they were very, very north.

[Ken Cheng]

Although the exact # of days isn't spelled out, I don't think it was quite that long. I have just re-read the passages of their journey, and here is a timeline.

-boat sails East for 1 day, nearly tips over.
-boat sails North for ~13 days, sees first ice chunk.
-boat sails North for 4 days, gets sacked by iceberg.
-iceberg drifts North for 8 days, daylight gets longer. Xie Xun attacks Yin Susu, saved by aurora borealis (very uncommon in China, says narrator, suggesting they're north of China already).
-iceberg drifts North for ~4 days, Xie Xun attacks Yin Susu again, gets blinded by her needles.
-they lose track of days. One day, they land on Ice Fire Island.

Before they lost track of time, they were 30 days into the journey. For the remaining time, JY made no suggestion that it was a long time. Specifically, he says they traveled for a total of "several tens of days" (两人在大海中飘浮了数十日), So let's say 35-40 days total.

... of which only 1 day was east-bound, the other 30+ being northbound. Keep in mind they sailed from Hangzhou / Lin'an. Now, based on the direction we're told, they should have ended up around the border of Liaoning and North Korea. Obviously, given the ubiquitousness of icebergs and the comments about aurora, I think JY intended the destination to be farther north. Keep in mind when they left Hangzhou, it was warm weather, since they were wearing little clothing (and got cold as they sailed north), and the long daylight further confirms it should be summer time. For there to be ample icebergs in the summer, I think they were very, very north.

I get the feeling that Ice Fire Island might be here, PJ.

[PJ]

could be. Even though it doesn't match the direction JY said (straight up N from Hangzhou), the climate is pretty close I think. Not sure there's any real volcano though.

[Ken Cheng]

could be. Even though it doesn't match the direction JY said (straight up N from Hangzhou), the climate is pretty close I think. Not sure there's any real volcano though.

Due north from Hangzhou takes one towards the eastern end of Russia rather than into the ocean. I don't think it's possible to sail that far due north from Hangzhou.