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Guo Jing (郭靖) is the main protagonist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes and a supporting character in the second part of the Condor Trilogy, The Return of the Condor Heroes.

He is the only child of Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping, the husband of Huang Rong and father to Guo Fu, Guo Xiang, and Guo Polu.


Description[]

Guo Jing is described as having thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a sturdy build, and a complexion that is somewhere between dark and fair. Frequently described as dumb, slow, and inarticulate, Guo Jing is the complete opposite of his clever and witty wife, Huang Rong.

His most distinguishing characteristic, apart from mental slowness, is his constant fight for moral rectitude. In the Legend of the Condor Heroes, he was a simple boy raised in Mongolia, who considered personal loyalty to be the highest virtues, that gradually learned the importance of the sworn word and eventually compassion and the nature of violence. In The Return of the Condor Heroes, we see a matured Guo Jing, the very pinnacle of Confucian virtue and the Xia ideal. Indeed, his definition of the duty of a Xia, "To serve the nation and the people, that is true chivalry" remained the most accepted definition of the term, even outside Jin Yong novels. The matured Guo Jing is characterised by a supreme dignity, a complete unconcern for personal interests, magnanimity, generosity and an overriding desire to protect the people. His character, of course, is not without fault, for the flipside of his moral rectitude is his intolerance for things that run against traditions, and his sometimes rigid interpretation of what is right, such as wanting to cut off his daughter Guo Fu's arm after she cut off Yang Guo's right arm, but eventually his compassion won out.

He is widely considered to be the platonic ideal of the Confucian Xia, a somewhat ironic fact given that he is only barely literate, of lowly birth and is raised amongst the Mongols, and in no way the learned Confucian scholar.

Martial Arts[]

By the time Guo Jing entered his 30's, he was among the most accomplished and powerful martial artists of his era. His wide range of great martial arts skills was unmatched among the martial artists of the Central Plains.

His martial arts and combat repertoire included:

Archery[]

Guo Jing was among the finest archers in the Mongol Empire, trained by the greatest Mongolian archer of his era and military leader Jebe for over a decade. Guo Jing famously shot down two condors with a single arrow during his youth in Mongolia.

Mongolian Wrestling[]

Guo Jing was an accomplished wrestler in the Mongolian style of wrestling, a style of combat that would later help him in battle.

The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan Martial Arts[]

Guo Jing's first taste of Chinese martial arts came from the The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. These seven martial artists located Guo Jing at the age of six and trained him in their various martial arts because of a bet they had with Quanzhen Taoist Qiu Chuji where once Guo Jing turned eighteen years old, he would compete against Yang Kang, who would be trained by Quanzhen Taoist Qiu Chuji, to see who were the superior teachers.

The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan weren't elite martial artists and their teachings confused Guo Jing due to the seven of them contradicting each others' teachings, but their early training provided Guo Jing good crash course on basic martial arts.

Quanzhen Arts[]

Quanzhen Sect elders Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji, and Wang Chuyi each taught Guo Jing various aspects of the Quanzhen Sect's martial arts. However, they mainly taught the Quanzhen Internal Cultivation techniques, a superior form of internal cultivation due to its limitless growth. External arts weren't actually taught, but the external arts Guo Jing already possessed were greatly enhanced by his Quanzhen internal power base.

Guo Jing would later learn one of Quanzhen's top arts, The Big Dipper Formation by only looking at the stars. Guo Jing's ability to achieve this act however, was due to his knowledge of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, which shared many of the same ideas as Quanzhen martial arts.

18 Dragon Subduing Palms[]

Listed below are the 18 palms of the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms:

  1. 亢龍有悔 / 亢龙有悔
  2. 飛龍在天 / 飞龙在天
  3. 龍戰於野 / 龙战于野
  4. 潛龍勿用 / 潜龙勿用
  5. 利涉大川 / 利涉大川
  6. 鴻漸於陸 / 鸿渐于陆
  7. 突如其來 / 突如其来
  8. 震驚百里 / 震惊百里
  9. 或躍在淵 / 或跃在渊
  10. 神龍擺尾 / 神龙摆尾
  11. 見龍在田 / 见龙在田
  12. 雙龍取水 / 双龙取水
  13. 魚躍於淵 / 鱼跃于渊/笑言哑哑
  14. 時乘六龍 / 时乘六龙
  15. 密雲不雨 / 密云不雨
  16. 損則有孚 / 损则有孚
  17. 履霜冰至 / 履霜冰至
  18. 羝羊觸藩 / 羝羊触藩

The 18 Dragon Subduing Palms are one of the most famous, most powerful, and hardest Palm Arts in Wulin and along with the Dog-Beating Stick, the top level martial arts of the Beggars' Sect. The palms were taught to Guo Jing by one of the Five Greats Northern Beggar Hong Qigong. The 18 Dragon Subduing Palms became Guo Jing's most powerful skill and his default fighting technique. 18 Dragon Subduing Palms is also the martial art of Xiao Feng of Khitan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils series. It is believed that a single blow from this fist can shatter bone to dust and the strength of the fist only increases higher during combat.

Guo Jing would later use the Jiu Yin theories to further improve on the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms, including creating more variations, thirteen different power levels, and adding softness to the palms styles.

Vacant Fist & Left/Right Technique[]

The Vacant Fist and Left/Right Technique were taught to Guo Jing by his sworn brother Old Mischief Zhou Botong at Peach Blossom Island. Vacant Fist gave Guo Jing a soft style offensive skill to use, a vastly different style to the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms, one of the hardest style palms (before Guo Jing improved on the technique) in existence.

The Left/Right Technique, which allows the practitioner to use two different arts at the same time, enabled Guo Jing to simultaneously use a different martial art with each arm, often bewildering and overwhelming his enemies in the process. Guo Jing would often use the Left/Right Technique to use the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms and Vacant Fist at the same time. This combination allowed him to even last 300 stances with his teacher North Beggar Hong Qigong at the second Hua Shan Tournament.

Jiu Yin Zhen Jing[]

The most coveted martial art of his era, Guo Jing would find the second volume when Mei Chaofeng dropped it. Not knowing what he had in his possession, Guo Jing would memorize both the first and second volume (minus sanskrit portion) at Peach Blossom Island when Old Imp Zhou Botong, who had a copy of the first volume, forced him to. Guo Jing would learn several of the arts in Jiu Yin from Zhou Botong during their time at Peach Blossom Island and later learn the sanskrit portion when the Monk Yi Deng translated it for him.

The internal portions of Jiu Yin would greatly increase his power, bringing Guo Jing to a level not too far from the Greats by the second Huashan Tournament at around the age of 20 (About a little over a year of Jiu Yin training), making him the 7th greatest fighter at the end of The Legend of the Condor Heroes (Behind only Eastern Evil Huang Yaoshi, Western Venom Ouyang Feng, Southern Emperor Duan Zhixing, Northern Beggar Hong Qigong, Old Imp Zhou Botong, and tied with Iron Palm Sect Leader Qiu Qianren).

Guo Jing would continue to learn the Jiu Yin arts throughout The Legend of the Condor Heroes and is believed to have mastered them by the beginning of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Peach Blossom Island Martial Arts[]

After his marriage to Huang Rong, Guo Jing also learned the martial arts of his father-in-law, East Heretic Huang Yaoshi. It is uncertain whether Guo Jing learned his father-in-law's complete set of martial arts, as Guo Jing was only shown to know Huang Yaoshi's finest art: the Divine Finger Flick.

Fake Moves[]

Though non-lethal, fake moves can distract and frighten enemies. Guo Jing sometimes uses fake moves to frighten enemies. He performed several fake moves against Ouyang Ke and Ouyang Feng.

Life[]

Early Life[]

The young Guo Jing was born and raised in Mongolia. While still pregnant with him, his mother Li Ping fled the central plains in order to escape from enemies, who had killed his father Guo Xiaotian.

Being a pleasant-mannered child, Guo Jing befriended the youngest son of Genghis Khan and became sworn brothers with him. At the age of six, The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan would find him and teach him martial arts. Their reasons of teaching him had to do with a bet they had with the Quanzhen Taoist Qiu Chuji to see who could train the better student.

The same night The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan accepted him as a student, they encountered Mei Chaofeng, who was practicing Nine Yin White Bone Claw. She had previously blinded Ke Zhen'e and murdered his older brother. As the seven attacked Mei Chaofeng, she summoned her husband, Chen Xuanfeng to support her. Chen Xuanfeng gave Zhang A'Sheng, one of the The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, a lethal hit with Heart-Destroying Palm. He grabbed the little Guo Jing, trying to threaten the The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, but the frightened Guo Jing took out a dagger, stabbed Chen Xuanfeng in the navel and killing him.

Teen Years[]

Guo Jing had trained with The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan for around ten years, but he showed below average progress, to the chagrin of his teachers. His lack of progress wasn't his fault however, because when each of The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan taught him individually they would often contradict what Guo Jing had just learned from the previous teacher.

One day, Guo Jing encountered Quanzhen Taoist Ma Yu. Ma Yu would teach Guo Jing Quanzhen Internal Cultivation Techniques for two years, greatly improving his internal power. This internal power boost would result in an improvement in his external arts from his teachers as well.

Guo Jing would also help Genghis Khan in a crucial battle and gain his confidence and liking. Genghis Khan even made Guo Jing the fiancee of his daughter Hua Zheng, who had been a childhood friend of Guo Jing's. Guo Jing only felt the love between siblings for Hua Zheng, but he didn't decline the marriage proposal, instead he only said he needed to go to the central plains with his teachers.

Central Plains[]

Because of a bet made years ago by his teachers, Guo Jing left Mongolia and went to the central plains to meet Yang Kang, the lost son of his father's (Guo Xiaotian) sworn brother Yang Tiexin.

His teacher would later leave him and let him travel alone in order to gain some experiences in Jianghu. During this time, he would meet his future wife, Huang Rong who was disguised as a beggar boy.

They would go through many adventures, such as meeting Yang Tiexin and his adopted daughter Mu Nianci. Yang Tiexin would eventually reunite with his wife Bao Xiruo and run off together. Their son, Yang Kang would decide to stay with his adoptive father and Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo would commit suicide when there was no escape from Wanyan Honglie.

Disobeying his teachers, Guo Jing would continue to travel with Huang Rong, encountering different people and getting into many different adventures.

Hong Qigong[]

They would later meet North Beggar Hong Qigong, who through the bribery of Huang Rong's cooking would accept the two as students. Guo Jing would learn the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms while Huang Rong would learn the Dog-Beating Stick and become the 19th leader of the Beggars' Sect.

Guo Jing would learn the first 15 palms in one month. He would learn the remaining three later on.

Peach Blossom Island[]

Guo Jing later went to Peach Blossom Island to ask East Heretic Huang Yaoshi for Huang Rong's hand in marriage. There, he met Old Mischief Zhou Botong, who realized Guo Jing had the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. Guo Jing had picked it up when Mei Chaofeng dropped it, but never realized what it was. Zhou Botong forced Guo Jing to memorize the second volume and the first volume that was in his possession. Zhou Botong would also teach Guo Jing the Vacant Fist and Left/Right Technique, two extremely advanced forms of martial arts that would greatly help Guo Jing later on.

When asking for Huang Rong's hand in marriage, Guo Jing would have competition from Ouyang Ke, the son of West Poison Ouyang Feng. A competition was held to determine who would marry Huang Rong and Guo Jing was victorious. Afterwards, Zhou Botong and Huang Yaoshi got into an argument and in a fit of rage both destroyed their respective volumes of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, making Guo Jing and Zhou Botong (Subconsciously) the only ones to know it in its entirety.

Ouyang Feng would later capture Guo Jing and force him to write out the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. Guo Jing would write out a fake copy for Ouyang Feng. During their escape attempt, Hong Qigong would be severely injured by Ouyang Feng temporarily nullifying his martial arts. The boat they were on would sink and they would all wash up onto an island.

With Hong Qigong injured, Guo Jing was forced to do what Ouyang Feng told him. They would later escape the island, but eventually Ouyang Feng would get to them again.

Ox Village[]

Guo Jing would be severely injured after being stabbed by Yang Kang. To save him Huang Rong would use the healing techniques of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. The technique however, required seven days so they found a secret room in a house in Ox Village. It was there that they witnessed Yang Kang murdering Ouyang Ke by stabbing him.

The Quanzhen Taoists would later arrive in this location and encounter Mei Chaofeng. Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng would arrive later, and to save Huang Yaoshi, Mei Chaofeng took a blow from Ouyang Feng, killing her. The Seven Masters of Quanzhen also suffered casualties, when Tan Chuduan died during the battle.

Beggar Sect[]

Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Hong Qigong would later go back to the Beggars' Sect and officially name Huang Rong his successor, afterwards he went into seclusion to regain his internal power. Huang Rong, who had her Dog-Beating Stick stolen by Yang Kang would later be seen as an enemy of the Beggars' Sect when a corrupt Beggars' Sect elder killed the other elders and named Yang Kang as the official successor.

Eventually Guo Jing and Huang Rong were able to show the Beggars' Sect the truth and the corrupt elder was captured.

Iron Palm Sect[]

Guo Jing and Huang Rong would have encounters with Iron Palm Sect Leader Qiu Qianren, with Guo Jing and Huang Rong being trapped in the Iron Palm Sect Catacombs, where they would find Yue Fei's war manual. Huang Rong would also be severely injured by Qiu Qianren's Iron Palm, an injury so great, that even the Jiu Yin healing methods had no effects.

Yi Deng[]

They would find out from Zhou Botong that there was one person that could save Huang Rong, this person turned out to be South Emperor Duan Zhixing who had become a monk under the name Yi Deng. On their way to Yi Deng, they would encounter Ying Gu, the ex-wife of Duan Zhixing, who had an affair with Zhou Botong. Ying Gu blamed Yi Deng for the death of her child and gave a piece of cloth her child had worn when he died to Guo Jing in order to use guilt to make Yi Deng to save Huang Rong.

Yi Deng's disciples continuously tried to stop Guo Jing and Huang Rong from reaching Yi Deng, but eventually they did and Yi Deng saved Huang Rong. Yi Deng would also help the couple figure out the sanskrit portion of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing.

Back to Peach Blossom Island[]

Guo Jing and Huang Rong would return to Peach Blossom Island only to find Huang Rong's mother's tomb opened, and five of Guo Jing's masters dead inside. Assuming it was Huang Yaoshi that did it, he tried to end his relationship with Huang Rong and swore revenge against Huang Yaoshi.

Quanzhen vs. The East Heretic[]

The Quanzhen elders would seek out East Heretic Huang Yaoshi for the death of Tan Chuduan, with Yin Zhiping taking Tan Chuduan's place in the Big Dipper Formation. Yin Zhiping was quickly taken down and Guo Jing would take the spot in the formation, being much more effective.

They were later attacked by the Jin Empire and Ouyang Feng. Guo Jing, Huang Rong, the Quanzhen elders, and everyone else were seperated. Huang Rong escaped with Ke Zhen'e, who had wanted to kill her. They hid in a temple where Ouyang Feng and Yang Kang talked and revealed that it was them that killed Guo Jing's five masters. Huang Rong would later be captured by Ouyang Feng and Ke Zhen'e would tell Guo Jing everything he heard.

Mongolia[]

Guo Jing would spend months searching for Huang Rong, but would be unable to find her. He eventually returned to Mongolia, where he became a general for the Mongols and helped them defeat the Jin Empire.

Guo Jing used Yue Fei's war manual for the battles, Ouyang Feng would eventually come attack Guo Jing, attempting to capture him after losing Huang Rong. Huang Rong, who had stayed in the Mongol Camp, had been secretly helping Guo Jing the entire time. With the help of Huang Rong, Guo Jing was able to outsmart Ouyang Feng three times and win several crucial battles for the Mongols.

Ouyang Feng would eventually force Huang Rong into quicksand (presumably) and captured Guo Jing. Guo Jing eventually escaped and helped the Mongols defeat the Jin Empire. When Genghis Khan's plans for conquering China and kill Guo Jing were revealed, Guo Jing's mother Li Ping commited suicide to allow her son to escape.

Second Huashan Tournament[]

At the second Huashan Tournament, Guo Jing found out, Huang Rong was still alive. They were finally reunited and through the insistence of Huang Rong, instead of Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi facing each other,they would instead face Guo Jing for 300 stances. The one to win with the fewest stances would be considered the winner.

Guo Jing managed to last 300 stances with both Greats, when a crazed Ouyang Feng appeared. His unorthodox arts derived from the Reverse Jiu Yin Huang Rong had taught him had increased his power, but lost him his sanity. Eventually he ran off trying to figure out his own identity.

Mu Nianci[]

Guo Jing and Huang Rong would later run into Mu Nianci, who was now caring for her and Yang Kang's son. The child, who hadn't been named yet was given the name Yang Guo by Guo Jing and Huang Rong who told Mu Nianci to come live at Peach Blossom Island if she ever needed any help.

Mongols[]

Guo Jing and Huang Rong would go see Genghis Khan once more, before defending the Chinese army against the Mongols. Guo Jing and Huang Rong were victorious in the battle and returned to Peach Blossom Island when they got married and had children.

Thirteen Years Later[]

Thirteen years later, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, while searching for Ke Zhen'e would run find the orphaned Yang Guo, who's mother had died years earlier. Taking Yang Guo with them, Guo Jing would later encounter Ouyang Feng, who was the godfather of Yang Guo. The two warriors fought to a draw and Ouyang Feng fled.

They took Yang Guo back to Peach Blossom Island and Huang Rong taught him how to read and write instead of martial arts, fearing that he would one day avenge his father. Yang Guo, who had learned the Toad Stance from Ouyang Feng used it to injure one of the other children. Because of this, Guo Jing sent Yang Guo to the Quanzhen sect, hoping to change his ways. While going up, Guo Jing encountered 98 Taoists who didn't let him go up the mountain, mistaking him for the enemy. Guo Jing quickly subdued the 98 Taoist Big Dipper Formation and left Yang Guo in the care of the Quanzhen sect.

Another Four Years[]

The four years after Guo Jing left Yang Guo at Quanzhen weren't too eventful, he continued to train his daughter and the Wu Brothers in martial arts on Peach Blossom Island.

Sometime during this period, Huang Rong became pregnant once more.

Wulin Dahui[]

At the Wulin Dahui, which Yang Guo also attended. Guo Jing found out from the Quanzhen Taoists that Yang Guo had run off and became a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect. At the event, Golden Wheel Monk and his disciples interrupted, claiming that he should be the leader of Wulin, a battle ensued in which three wulin members would face Golden Wheel Monk and his two disciples.

Two disciples of Yi Deng lost the first two battles, leading to Yang Guo fighting against Golden Wheel Monk's disciple Huo Du. Eventually Yang Guo made another bet with Golden Wheel Monk, where Golden Wheel Monk would face his teacher Xiaolongnu for the leadership position. Guo Jing would have to intervene, matching palms with Golden Wheel Monk when it looked like Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu were on trouble.

Guo Jing would later almost kill Yang Guo, when he revealed he wanted to marry his teacher Xiaolongnu. The only thing holding Guo Jing back was how much Yang Guo looked like his father, Yang Kang.

Xiangyang[]

After the Wulin Dahui, Guo Jing went to Xiangyang to defend the stronghold against the Mongols. Yang Guo would later arrive, and believing Guo Jing was responsible for the death of his father, faked a fire deviation and attempted to kill Guo Jing. Guo Jing disarmed him and used his internal energy to help Yang Guo recover from his fake fire deviation.

Days later, Guo Jing went to the Mongol camp to free the Wu brothers and was attacked by Golden Wheel Monk, Xiaoxiang Zi, Yin Kexi, and Nimoxing. Guo Jing was able to fight these first class fighters all by himself and could have easily escaped if it weren't for Yang Guo, who caused Guo Jing to get injured. Yang Guo eventually had a change of heart and helped Guo Jing instead of trying to kill him. Guo Jing would then reveal to Yang Guo what kind of person his father was. Yang Guo instead of killing Guo Jing took him back to Xiangyang where he was able to recuperate.

Twins[]

With Guo Jing still injured, the Mongols stormed Xiangyang as Huang Rong gave birth. They hid away as she gave birth to twins, one girl and one boy, Guo Xiang and Guo Polu. Guo Xiang was then taken by Li Mochou, who believed it to be Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's child.

Yang Guo, Huang Rong and others looked long and hard for the child, while Guo Jing stayed to protect Xiangyang.

Guo Fu[]

When Guo Jing found out Guo Fu had cut off Yang Guo's right arm, he wanted to cut Guo Fu's arm off as punishment, he was stopped however, by Huang Rong who hit Guo Jing's acupoints, allowing her daughter to escape.

Sixteen Years[]

Throughout the sixteen years, Guo Jing had stayed and protected Xiangyang. His daughter, Guo Xiang was rescued by Yang Guo and returned to them. His daughter Guo Fu married Yelu Qi and there was peace for the most part in Xiangyang.

At the time of his daughter Guo Xiang's sixteenth birthday, Yang Guo presented her with three gifts, one of which being the ear of 500 Mongol soldiers. His daughter Guo Xiang, trying to reach Yang Guo and convince him not to kill himself, leaves Xiangyang, only to be captured by the Golden Wheel Monk.

The Mongols would put Guo Xiang on a burning platform and ask for Guo Jing's surrender for the life of his daughter. Unable to reach his daughter, Guo Jing had planned to sacrifice his daughter for the good of the nation. Using one of East Heretic Huang Yaoshi's formations, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Old Mischief Zhou Botong, South Emperor Yi Deng, and East Heretic Huang Yaoshi led a armies to attack the Mongols.

Yang Guo would arrive just in time to face off against the Golden Wheel Monk once more. The fierce battle concluded with Yang Guo dealing a fatal blow to Golden Wheel Monk, who in his last breaths saved Guo Xiang from the burning platform and handing her to Yang Guo.

With Guo Xiang safe, Guo Jing and the others led their armies to victory.

North Hero[]

With the battle concluded, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, South Emperor Yi Deng, Old Mischief Zhou Botong, East Heretic Huang Yaoshi, Yang Guo, Xiaolongnu, and others went to Mount Hua to visit the graves of West Poison Ouyang Feng and North Beggar Hong Qigong, who had died years earlier. It was there that the new Five Greats were named. It was here that Guo Jing took his place among the Five Greats as The North Hero, to succeed the spot of his deceased teacher North Beggar Hong Qigong.

Death[]

Guo Jing died on the day Xiangyang fell (January 31, 1273). He along with his wife, Huang Rong perished at the defeat of Xiangyang. Except for Guo Xiang, it is believed that the rest of their children Guo Polu, Guo Fu and their son-in-law Yelu Qi also perished at Xiangyang.

Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre[]

Prior to their deaths, Guo Jing copied out manuals of all his kungfu, including the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, and placed these into an indestructible sword and saber that he forged with the metal of his nephew Yang Guo's Heavy Iron Sword, and the metal of the Gentlemen and Lady Swords.

The Heavenly Sword became Guo Jing's legacy to his youngest daughter Guo Xiang, who decades later founded the E'Mei Sect.

Adaptations[]

Many actors have portrayed the character of Guo Jing. The following actors have played the roles in the following TV adaptations:

LOCH 1976 - Wong Man Biu

LOCH 1983 - Felix Wong

ROCH 1983 - Leung Ka Yan

LOCH 1988 - Howie Wong

LOCH 1994 - Julian Cheung

ROCH 1995 - Wong Man Biu

ROCH 1998 - Zhu Houren

LOCH 2003 - Li Yapeng

ROCH 2006 - Wang Lokyung

LOCH 2006 - Hu Ge

ROCH 2014 - Zheng Guolin

LOCH 2017 - Yang Xuwen

illustration[]

Relationship[]

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