Heroic image of Mongol princess reinterpreted in new kung fu movie

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the famous wuxia (martial arts) novel written by Jin Yong, is scheduled to embrace its new film adaptation on January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year.

A trailer for the kung fu movie directed by Hark Tsui, a leading figure in the Hong Kong film arena, revealed not only its release date in Chinese theaters, but also the heroic image of a female lead on the grasslands inhabited chiefly by Mongols.

The clip, which lasted just over a minute and garnered hundreds of millions of views, captured the attention of wuxia fans and moviegoers alike through the reimagined character of Hua Zheng.

Viewing the clip, many fans were quick to praise the role, with one commenting, "This is what a true grassland princess should look like!" Another fan complimented the female lead character's attitude, saying, "Far from being a fragile, love-struck character, but a spirited and heroic figure, Hark Tsui's interpretation of Hua Zheng is an exhilarating surprise that raises expectations for this new film."

In previous TV or film adaptations of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," Hua Zheng's uniqueness was often overlooked, with many previous portrayals reducing her to a timid girl whose eyes were solely focused on her love interest, Guo Jing. "But as the daughter of Genghis Khan, she should embody the essence of the steppe and its people," added another critic.  

In Hark Tsui's new Spring Festival release, Guo Jing, the straightforward and kind-hearted protagonist, is portrayed by actor Xiao Zhan.

As one of the world's best-selling authors, Jin Yong is also a well-loved writer in China for his wuxia novels, and one of his best-known works is "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," which saw the first volume published in English in 2018 by the UK's MacLehose Press under the title "A Hero Born."

The translation was undertaken by Anna Holmwood, a Swedish-British translator born in the 1980s. Her efforts introduced Jin Yong's iconic wuxia, or Chinese kung fu novels and brought the grand romance of heroism reflected in wuxia, a genre deeply rooted in Chinese culture, to a wider audience worldwide.