Gwok Seung's birthday is also Gwok Por Lo's; why wasn't *his* birth celebrated?

[Ken Cheng]

People tend to forget about Gwok Por Lo because Jin Yong barely mentioned his character. Nevertheless, he was Gwok Seung's twin brother...born just minutes after his elder sister.

So during the big 16th birthday bash for Gwok Seung, why was Gwok Por Lo COMPLETELY IGNORED? Granted, he had none of his sister's charisma and charm, but he was a decent fellow who deserved to have his birthday noted as well. Was it because Yeung Gor was the party planner and didn't know Gwok Por Lo (they never really did meet until that birthday party)? I have the feeling that Yeung Gor didn't *mean* to leave Por Lo out, but like everybody else, Por Lo just slipped Yeung Gor's mind.

It'd have been kind of funny if in the middle of the party, Yeung Gor thought to himself, "Oh, crap! That's right! Seung-yee has a twin brother, and I didn't prepare anything for him! This is embarrassing!"

[pannonian]

From Chapter 35 - The Three Golden Needles:

Guo Xiang pulled herself together and returned another needle to Yang
Guo, saying, “I’ll tell you my second wish.”

Yang Guo smiled, “Telling me a few years from now will make no
difference, young lady, and you’re having childish wishes.” He did not
stretch out his hand to receive the needle.

Guo Xiang stuck the needle in his shirt and said, “My second wish is
that on the 24th of the tenth month, which is my birthday, I want you to
come down to Xiangyang to have a chat with me.”

This wish required more effort to complete, but was still rather
childish. Yang Guo said, “I promise, it’s not so difficult. But I will
only meet you alone; I won’t see your parents or your sister.”

[Ian Liew]

From Chapter 35 - The Three Golden Needles:

Guo Xiang pulled herself together and returned another needle to Yang
Guo, saying, “I’ll tell you my second wish.”

Yang Guo smiled, “Telling me a few years from now will make no
difference, young lady, and you’re having childish wishes.” He did not
stretch out his hand to receive the needle.

Guo Xiang stuck the needle in his shirt and said, “My second wish is
that on the 24th of the tenth month, which is my birthday, I want you to
come down to Xiangyang to have a chat with me.”

This wish required more effort to complete, but was still rather
childish. Yang Guo said, “I promise, it’s not so difficult. But I will
only meet you alone; I won’t see your parents or your sister.”

Haha, so he really forgot that she had a brother!

Anyway, it would be expected that Yang Guo only attended Guo Xiang's birthday because of a personal relationship with her, and not because of his relationship with her family, so it's quite understandable that he only visited her. What I'm surprised is that the rest of the Guo family didn't seem to notice about her brother's birthday either.

[Ken Cheng]

Haha, so he really forgot that she had a brother!

I don't think he ever knew (until that point), actually. Yeung Gor wasn't around for the birth of Gwok Por Lo, and until Por Lo was born, nobody knew that Wong Yung was going to have twins. I think Yeung Gor would have been surprised to learn that Gwok Seung had a twin brother.

What I'm surprised is that the rest of the Guo family didn't seem to notice about her brother's birthday either.

Yeah...Yeung Gor had a legitimate excuse, but the rest of Gwok Por Lo's family...WTF?!

Poor kid probably grew up with an inferiority complex.

[Doc Kwok]

I don't think he ever knew (until that point), actually. Yeung Gor wasn't around for the birth of Gwok Por Lo, and until Por Lo was born, nobody knew that Wong Yung was going to have twins. I think Yeung Gor would have been surprised to learn that Gwok Seung had a twin brother.

YG saw GPL when he sneaked back into Xiangyang intending to take his revenge on Guo Fu, and witnessed the heated argument between Guo Jing and Huang Rong before Guo Jing headed off to GF's room to chop her arm off.

[Ken Cheng]

YG saw GPL when he sneaked back into Xiangyang intending to take his revenge on Guo Fu, and witnessed the heated argument between Guo Jing and Huang Rong before Guo Jing headed off to GF's room to chop her arm off.

Ah...yes, you're right. Still, Gwok Por Lo was so easily forgettable that it's *still* not surprising if Yeung Gor completely forgot about him after sixteen years.

[Suet Seung]

Just how many scenes were Gwok Por Lo present in the novel and in the tv drama? I think even Jin Yong forgot he had given Gwok Seung a twin brother. That's probably how even his own family forgot about him. Maybe the reason GPL exists is to say Gwok Jing has a male heir to carry the family name.

[Ken Cheng]

Just how many scenes were Gwok Por Lo present in the novel and in the tv drama?

He has a very, very few speaking parts here and there. He's *barely* more than an extra/kelefeh.

I think even Jin Yong forgot he had given Gwok Seung a twin brother. That's probably how even his own family forgot about him. Maybe the reason GPL exists is to say Gwok Jing has a male heir to carry the family name.

Unfortunately, even that role is moot because he apparently died alongside his parents at Seung Yeung.

I really don't see Jin Yong's point in creating Gwok Por Lo. The character contributed *zero* to the story; ROCH would not have been any different if he didn't exist. He's the single most wasted character in the Jin Yong canon and a leading candidate for one of the most wasted in fiction.

[Banh Mi]

I don't think every offspring of a hero has to be significant and worthy own right. Great people produce medicore folks too.

[Ken Cheng]

I don't think every offspring of a hero has to be significant and worthy own right. Great people produce medicore folks too.

Perhaps, but did Jin Yong *really* need to introduce Gwok Por Lo just to make that point?

I mean: wuxia heroes take dumps too; we don't need to see it.

[kidd]

I think Jin Yong might have planned for the sequel to be directly after ROCH and focus on Guo Xiang and Zhang Shan Feng. But, somehow, the plan changed and the story took place 100 years later. If the story focus on GX, we might see more of Guo Po Lu.

[ToastedRossi]

While first chapter of HSDS seemed to be a nice lead-in to the main story of Zhang San Feng, I don't really see Guo Po Lu doing a whole lot in it. His role seems to be pretty clear - he provides some balance between Guo Gu and Guo Xiang. Without him, it becomes much more of a fight between the two sisters in ROCH, and that doesn't seem to be the kind of story that Jin Yong wanted to write about.

[PJ]

Maybe they did have a small celebration for him off screen (like, before YG showed up, while GX was in her room all day), but it wasn't important enough to have any on-screen time.

[ToastedRossi]

The Guos specifically said that they wouldn't have time for any kind of celebration at all. It makes sense as they should have been all caught up with the arrangements for the Heroes' Gathering. Po Lu is good at obeying his parents, so he went along with it without complaining. If there had been a smaller ceremony, Guo Xiang probably wouldn't have been so upset.

[PJ]

Maybe GPL finally got fed up with being invisible and left out, and turned to the enemy, enabling the fall of XY.

Very unlikely, but imaginable.

[Trien Chieu]

Maybe GPL finally got fed up with being invisible and left out, and turned to the enemy, enabling the fall of XY.

Very unlikely, but imaginable.

After GWM died, the Mongol side no longer have any great martial artist. I wonder why Gwok Jing and other greats didn't try to assassinate Kublai after ROCH. If they successfully able to get rid of Kublai, the entire Mongol invasion would be over. No more Mongol leaders dare to invade ever again.