The masks of East Heretic Wong Yerk See

[Ken Cheng]

East Heretic Wong Yerk See was characterized as inclined to wear a mask when out in public (perhaps for no other reason than his being eccentric). Dependng on what adaptations of LOCH or ROCH you go by, however, the mask takes on a number of different guises. In LOCH '82, it was a red devil mask with horns. In some later adaptations, the mask was a "Phantom of the Opera" style mask. Some versions, I think, even give him one of those "human skin" masks.

But did Jin Yong himself ever describe the mask? Why did Wong Yerk See wear it (other than being eccentric)? Did he stop wearing it after a time?

[pannonian]

IIRC he only ever wore a human skin mask that made him look like a corpse. Cheng Ying later wore one of those, and for some reason had another one lying around which Yang Guo took. The only theatrical masks I recall in the Condor novels were bought by Huang Rong for Zhou Botong on their return from the deserted island and Wanyan Honglie's ship, which ZBT wore while frightening the hell out of the Jin flunkies.