Reading Xiao Ao Jiang Hu

[sniffles]

I'm currently reading the translation of Xiao Ao Jiang Hu / Smiling Proud Wanderer. I'm about a third of the way through the novel so far. I decided to start this thread so I can comment on what I'm reading. I can't talk to my husband about it because he'll never read it, and he doesn't want me to spoiler it in case we see the tv adaptation sometime.

There was a thread a while ago comparing whether readers/viewers thought Guo Jing or Yang Guo had suffered the most hardships in life. At that time I thought no one could have a worse life that Yang Guo. Being poisoned seven times and losing an arm just seemed too awful to me.

But I hadn't experienced Linghu Chong's life yet.

My goodness, that man has a lot of terrible things happen to him! And I'm not even halfway done with the book!

Other impressions:
The Six Fairies of Peach Valley are amusing, but I wish the author hadn't detailed their arguments quite so thoroughly. Sometimes I think he was just trying to increase his page count.

Feng Qingyang is an interesting character. I hope I get to learn more about him and why he went into seclusion.

I wonder why all of Jin Yong's female martial arts masters tend to be strident. The masters of the Hengshan School are all pretty obnoxious. Poor Yilin.

I wanted to smack Linghu Chong when he turned down the offer to join the Shaolin Temple. Oh well, the story would have been pretty dull if he'd gone off to become a monk for a year or two.

I like Linghu Chong. He's a bit dim sometimes, but he's funny and loyal. Most of the people he's loyal to don't deserve it, though.

More to come when I've read a little further. Feel free to post your own comments, but try not to spoiler it too much. I've only just finished reading the part where Linghu Chong is imprisoned by the Four Playfellows of Jiagnan.

[jadebunny9]

I was going to read the novel too, but I thought I'd go through with the adaptations first just so if those are bad, I'd still have the novel to save the situation.

XAJH 2001 was the one I decided to watch first, having only caught glimpses of TVB's SOD 96 and deciding that I didn't like LHC's hairstyle there. I don't even remember the English title for XAJH 2001....Proud Hot, Blood Cold or something like that. But since I heard so many good things about it, the title didn't really turn me off too much. The beginning was excruciatingly slow. They made YLS more annoying much more quickly. Some parts didn't really connect, and it turns out that a lot of these were not canon. The story gets much better later on after they stopped talking about the Huashan people so much. I have yet to finish the last few episodes though.

I did read a small bit of it when my best friend decided that he was suddenly in love with LHC's witty character. The excerpt he showed me nearly made me fall asleep, so I might have to rethink about reading the novel.

[ChanceEncounter]

LHC had a pretty crappy life, but in the latter half of the novel, a lot of his misfortunes suddenly and directly turn into things that help him. So bear with him for a bit, it gets better.

[Han Solo]

LHC is pretty much one of my favourite JY character.

In spite of all his setbacks in life- loss of his huashan family, loss of his first love, loss of his martial arts etc- he still managed to be a true person. He is irrevelent too.

The scene where LHC first found out about RYY is still one of the sweetest in JY cannons.

The Six Fairies can be pretty annoying after a while- but they are funny if you have understanding of certain chinese characters.

SOD'96 is probably the better adaptation of the novel. Others might prefer the chinese version of 2001, but the TVB adaptation is closer to the spirit of the book.

Han Solo
P/s: I'm happy to discuss about this but let me know about which chapter that you are into.

[ChanceEncounter]

A lot of things are closer than the 2001 adaptation of XAJH, especially considering they switched everything up there.

[ChronoReverse]

That and Jackie Liu captured the spirit of LHC (hairstyle or not).

[Ren Ying Ying]

I wonder why all of Jin Yong's female martial arts masters tend to be strident. The masters of the Hengshan School are all pretty obnoxious. Poor Yilin.

i don't want to spoil it for you, but have you read "all of her" yet? otherwise, she does have some redeeming factors

[jhudsui]

i don't want to spoil it for you, but have you read "all of her" yet? otherwise, she does have some redeeming factors

I haven't read the book but in the 2001 series she's probably my favorite character.

[Ren Ying Ying]

I haven't read the book but in the 2001 series she's probably my favorite character.

i meant the masters of hengshan....

[Ren Wo Xing]

XAJH is my favorite book (with TLBB close behind), and I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[shenlong]

LHC is a great character but as much as he had suffered, I still don't think it compares to DGSD or HSDS. LHC is just a fun loving guy that I never really put on top of my tragic life in wuxia list.

[jhudsui]

i meant the masters of hengshan....

er... so did I. They got merged into a single character for the TV series.

[sniffles]

XAJH is my favorite book (with TLBB close behind), and I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I would never have guessed.

Now that I've read the parts where Sister Dingyi and Sister Dingxian of Hengshan figure more in the story, I don't think all of the Hengshan masters are so annoying. I like them now. They're the only people who seem to take Linghu Chong at face value without worrying about all the lies and rumors that have been circulated about him.

I'm just reading the scene at Shaolin where Linghu Chong is forced to fight Yue Buqun. I'm starting to think his life is even worse now. It was bad enough when he kept getting injured and lost all his internal energy, but now it seems like everyone in Janghu blames him for everything bad that has occurred recently, and he has no way to prove his innocence.

It's definitely keeping me engrossed. I've been having to recharge my Palm more frequently so I can read more!

[Han Solo]

Which part of SOD are you up to, sniff?

Han Solo

[Ren Wo Xing]

That scene is my favorite, and the one which made me fall in love with RWX.

[jadebunny9]

Please tell me the novel is much better than the 2001 adaptation. I'm losing hope here, and there's only one episode left. I don't even feel like finishing it. It always seems like something's missing.......could it be perhaps crappy editing? Things or people would just appear out of nowhere without explanation.

And why does LPZ seem so much cooler after he learned Bixie?

[Suet Seung]

Please tell me the novel is much better than the 2001 adaptation. I'm losing hope here, and there's only one episode left. I don't even feel like finishing it. It always seems like something's missing.......could it be perhaps crappy editing? Things or people would just appear out of nowhere without explanation.

And why does LPZ seem so much cooler after he learned Bixie?

Haha. Because the actor of LPZ is just so much cooler playing a bad guy. Just Kidding.

I like XAJH 2001 for its music and partly for RYY, but I will still love XAJH1996. 2001 seem to lack that fun feeling of it or something I don't know. I just liked TVB's version better. No matter what.

[Han Solo]

Please tell me the novel is much better than the 2001 adaptation.

Novel is better, i think.

So, go and read it in the wuxia translation forum.

Han Solo

[ChanceEncounter]

XAJH 01 seems to be really hit or miss. I've heard people say they loved it, and others say they couldn't watch it.

It's decidedly different from the novel though, and I feel it doesn't compare to the book.

[the.raven]

i could have directed a better xajh than xajh 2001.