Jin Yong interview link

[PJ]

I found the link to Jin Yong's interview in Traditional Chinese, comprised of 100 questions from fans.

http://jinyong.ylib.com.tw/lib/jynews33.htm

My favorite question is the one asking whether Xiao Feng is stronger than Sweeper Monk or not. We poked fun at it previously @ http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthre...per#post568122

[LuNaR]

I found the link to Jin Yong's interview in Traditional Chinese, comprised of 100 questions from fans.

http://jinyong.ylib.com.tw/lib/jynews33.htm

My favorite question is the one asking whether Xiao Feng is stronger than Sweeper Monk or not. We poked fun at it previously @ http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthre...per#post568122

translation please or if it is too much, translate a few that are interesting please

[GuGu]

If only someone can translate it for those that don't read Chinese.

[Wu Wudi]

My favorite question is the one asking whether Xiao Feng is stronger than Sweeper Monk or not. We poked fun at it previously @ http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthre...per#post568122

He mentioned XZ and DY also. That was possibly the most wasted oppurtunity ever. I bet JY was relieved that he didn't have to state specifically which of these 3 sworn brothers were most powerful.

●掃地僧的內力真的有那麼強嗎？（陳開元）
金庸：有吧！北京曾經開會討論到底有沒有什麼內力、外力，結果他們以科學看法來看，沒什麼內力外力之分，力 的來源和性質是一樣的。

Can you translate this question also? It seems that JY is suggesting that physical strenght is not any different from internal power, which is very interesting. It would suggest that old greats can lift heavier weights than most young men.

[PJ]

That was possibly the most wasted oppurtunity ever.

Yep

●掃地僧的內力真的有那麼強嗎？（陳開元）
金庸：有吧！北京曾經開會討論到底有沒有什麼內力、外力，結果他們以科學看法來看，沒什麼內力外力之分，力 的來源和性質是一樣的。

Can you translate this question also? It seems that JY is suggesting that physical strenght is not any different from internal power, which is very interesting. It would suggest that old greats can lift heavier weights than most young men.

Jin Yong was vague in the answer. But it does seem like he's indeed claiming that Beijing scientists found that there's no difference between internal and external power (scientifically).

Another interpretation could be that there's no scientific way (as scientists understand it) to describe internal energy yet.

[PJ]

Another interesting bit:

●葵花寶典（辟邪劍法）和獨孤九劍相較何者強？（蔡子正）
金庸：我想應該是獨孤九劍會贏吧！

Q: Sunflower Manuscript (Evil-Slaying Sword) -vs- Dugu 9 Swords, who would win?

JY: I think Dugu 9 Swords should win!

This definitely means that Dugu 9 Swords has better MA principles than Sunflower Manuscript and Evil-Slaying Sword. However, it's strictly talking about the art and doesn't necessarily mean that a master of Dugu 9 Swords would automatically defeat a master of Sunflower Manuscript. So even if Feng Qingyang truly mastered Dugu 9 Swords, he still might not be a match for Dongfang Bubai yet. However, I'd say if Feng Qingyang did master it, he has a good chance of beating Dongfang (considering that Dongfang doesn't have the complete Sunflower Script).

[Tom]

Yep



Jin Yong was vague in the answer. But it does seem like he's indeed claiming that Beijing scientists found that there's no difference between internal and external power (scientifically).

Another interpretation could be that there's no scientific way (as scientists understand it) to describe internal energy yet.

So what if Beijing scientists say that there's no difference? This is wuxia fiction...not reality. Heck, 99% of the kungfu are made-up too.

This question is so stupid

[PJ]

So what if Beijing scientists say that there's no difference? This is wuxia fiction...not reality. Heck, 99% of the kungfu are made-up too.

This question is so stupid

Actually, the question didn't allude to real life science at all. The question asked whether Sweeper Monk's internal energy is really insanely high. It was Jin Yong who replied yes, and then adding the scientific commentary.

[Wu Wudi]

DFBB also has a pretty big age advantage. FQY would be in trouble if he can't finish the fight quickly.

俠客行》部分，主角石破天因為意外獲得玄鐵令而捲入武林風波，石破天在學得太玄經之後，故事竟然就此畫下句 點了，完全出乎我意料之外，這到底是因為金庸先生掰不下去了？還是另有原因？（許神扶）
金庸：石破天學得當世無敵的武功之後，以白阿繡為妻，又有石清、閔柔兩大高人指教，他本性善良，行為必正， 結局必佳。人人可以想像得到，無甚好寫。

This question is also interesting. I've always found JY's endings to be somewhat lacking. Now I know why. He just feels like 無甚好寫 once the hero has resolved his conflicts.

[owbjhx]

http://jinyong.ylib.com.tw/lib/jynews33.htm

Nice find!

I was hoping somebody would challenge him with some proper 'literary' questions, although I guess that's just wishful thinking. But a couple of questions caught my eye (my translations):

Q: If you were invited to travel into outer space on a spaceship, and were only allowed to take a single book with you, would you choose one of your wuxia novels? And if you would, which one would you choose?

A: I wouldn’t choose my own work. Reading one of my own would be boring. If I were only allowed a single book...well, er, maybe 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare'!

Also:

Q: Have you ever studied martial arts, or associated with wulin experts or anyone who roams jianghu? And if you haven’t, how were you able to write so many epic wuxia tales?

A: Never studied martial arts, and never associated with martial artists. But that’s not important at all. For instance, you don’t need to be a woman to write a woman; to write a prostitute, there’s no need to go and become one. Just reading a lot, watching a lot, experiencing a lot...that’s enough.

This doesn't surprise me. Jinyong's fight scenes have always had the musty smell of academia rather than the visceral thrill of first-hand experience. The examples he uses to illustrate his point, however, are rather curious...

[Tom]

A: Never studied martial arts, and never associated with martial artists. But that’s not important at all. For instance, you don’t need to be a woman to write a woman; to write a prostitute, there’s no need to go and become one. Just reading a lot, watching a lot, experiencing a lot...that’s enough.

Read my bold parts.

[GuGu]

Read my bold parts.

you have a dirty mind.

[PJ]

The only Jin Yong answer that I don't agree with is (of course about the martial arts) this one:

●在所有的輕功身法中，何者是金庸認為最上乘最快跑最遠的？（穎璇）
金庸：韋一笑吧！我想他的輕功最厲害。

Q: Out of all of your lightness kung fu creations, who do you envision to have the fastest running speed?

JY: (Probably) Wei Yixiao. I think his lightness kung fu is the best.

I really doubt that Wei Yixiao is the fastest AND the one with the best lightness kung fu compared to Duan Yu, Reverend Kongjian, Xiao Longnu, the Yellow-dressed Lady, Dongfang Bubai, etc. I do think Jin Yong goofed this time.

But who can blame the man. He's over 90 years old, and he's being asked 100 questions on an ad hoc manner without much time to think thoroughly (that's just the interview format I imagine; I don't know if he had time to prepare the answers or not).

[Tom]

He's over 90 years old

You're wrong with this one. He's only 84! You're making him so much older than what he really is.

And yes, Wei Yixiao definitely does not have the best qinggong. He probably couldn't think about the others in time, and Wei Yixiao was probably the only one he could think of.

[PJ]

You're wrong with this one. He's only 84! You're making him so much older than what he really is.

I see. My apologies.
^_^

[Wu Wudi]

I think JY was thinking about agility in addition to speed. WYX performed some feats of agility that were very impressive. However, DFBB also moved in a similar manner and DFBB seemed to be even faster.

This seems to be another examle where there's a difference between what JY intends and what he actually writes. It's possible that WYX was the fastest character in JY's mind yet for the sake of plot, he chose to have the yellow dressed lady save Xie Xun instead. Another example is our long running joke about how the details showed that Zhuo Bufan was indeed a Sword God, even though JY clearly didn't mean for ZBF to have such a high status.

[Extremer88]

If I remember correctly, this interview has been published for quite some time already.

I'm eagerly awaiting for new JY interviews and Q&As.