Renowned Chinese Wuxia novelist Jin Yong dies in HK

Jin Yong's works are displayed in a bookstore in Nanjing.

Renowned Chinese martial arts novelist Cha Leung-yung or Louis Cha, better known by his pen name Jin Yong, has passed away at a hospital in Hong Kong on Tuesday. He was 94.

Wuxia is a traditional Chinese novel theme, featuring martial arts and Chinese chivalry. Cha's Wuxia novels are regarded as one of the "three Legs of the Tripod of Wuxia" by Chinese communities around the world.

With 15 classic Wuxia works created between 1955 and 1972, Cha has been regarded as one of the three greatest Wuxia writers along with Gu Long and Liang Yusheng, both of whom had passed away.

His works were bestsellers among Chinese speakers, having sold more than 100 million copies around the world. They were also adapted in films, TV shows, comics and radio dramas, and even video games.

Cha's works have influenced generations of Chinese people. Chinese people from the 1960s to the present have read, enjoyed and remembered his novels.

His works were not just a hit among Chinese readers. Earlier this year, one of his most popular works, Legends of the Condor Heroes, was published in English for the first time. Translated by Anna Holmwood, the English version brought the spirit of Chinese Wuxia to the world.

For more on Jin Yong and his legacy, click on the audio bar to listen to the discussion between Ryan Price, Li Ningjing and Ding Heng.