In 1933, the Japanese was threatening to invade northern China. Wang Dulu left Beijing and started his life in travel and poverty. For the next four years, he changed many jobs, including editor and public servant. In 1934, he married Li Danquan and moved into his wife's uncle house in Qing Dao in 1937 . Several month later, the uncle lost all his fortune under the Japanese invasion. 

 

In 1938, he started to write The Tale of He Yue Hero for Qing Dao New People, a newspaper, using the penname Dulu. This is the beginning of his career as a Wuxia (warriorship) novel writer. His next novel is The Tale of Precious Sword and Gold Hairpin, which eventually became Precious Sword, Gold Hairpin as part II of the Crane - Iron Pentalogy. In 1941, The Tale of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon started to be posted on the paper. During the Japanese occupation, the income from writing novels was not enough for supporting his family. Wang Dulu had to take many part-time jobs, including substitute teacher for middle schools, bookkeeper for a vendor association and ticket-seller for horseracing. According to his wife, almost all his works were done during such hardship. 

 

Despite poor health, he continued to write until 1949. In the same year, Wang Dulu family moved to Liaoning Province and started his career as a full-time teacher. During the cultural revaluation (1966 - 1976), he and his family were sent down to the countryside. In 1975, Wang Dulu died from illness at age 68. 

 

Wang Dulu's other Wuxia novels include: Bao Dao Fei, Feng Yu Shuang Long Jian, Luo Yang Hao Ke, Xin Xue Di Zi, Yan Shi Xia Ling, Chun Qiu Ji, Zi Feng Biao, Xiu Dai Yin Biao, Zi Dian Qing Shuang, Jin Gang Yu Bao Jian and Long Hu Tie Lian Huan.

 

Wang Dulu said he wrote Wuxia novels only for making a living. He considered popular Wuxia fictions are just cheap entertainment for the lower class. Regretted to be such kind of novelist, he even said, "it's the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life". Among the four most famous Wuxia novelists of northern China (the other three are: Huan Zhu Lou Zhu, Gong Bai Yu and Zheng Zheng Yin), Wang Dulu was unique for his tragic love stories. 

 

Wang Dulu's novels were not well-known until they were published by Li Li Publisher in Shanghai after the war. After the founding of the People's of Republic of China, his works were depreciated and forgotten. 

 

 

Crane Precious Sword Crouching Iron Pentalogy

The title was formed by combing the first characters of all five parts and was known as Crane - Iron Pentalogy for short. The main plot of the pentalogy is a story of four couple of lovers. Part I, Crane Frightens Kunlun, is about Jiang Xiao He, later known as Jiang Nan He (and "he" means crane), and Bao A Luan. In the movie, Jen said "Be you Li or Southern Crane, lower your head and ask for mercy." while fighting inside the restaurant. Jiang Nan He means Southern Crane in Chinese. The story of Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) starts from Part II, Precious Sword, Gold Hairpin, continues throughout Part III, Sword Force, Pearl Shine and Part IV, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and ends in Part V, Iron Knight, Silver Vase. Story of Lo (Chang Chen) and Jen (Zhang Ziyi) starts from Part IV and ends in Part V. The last couple, Han Tie Fang ("tie" means iron) and Chun Xue Ping ("ping" means vase) can only be found in the last part. Among the four couples, only the last one had a happen ending, the other three ended up in tragedies. 

 

Part I: Crane Frightens Kunlun

Originally named The Tale of Dancing Crane and Singing Luan (Luan is a mythical bird like the phoenix) with twenty chapters. Story of the pentalogy started with the death of Jiang Zhi Sheng, who was killed by his master, Bao Kun Lun for breaking the rule of not having any affair with women. Jiang Zhi Sheng’s young son, Jiang Xiao He run away from home to learn martial art and returned as a well-know master, called Jiang Nan He. With the help of Li Feng Jie, he continued to seek revenge on Bao Kun Lun but was still in love his childhood lover, granddaughter of Bao Kun Lun, Bao A Luan. Also being in love with Bao A Luan, Ji Guang Jie was used by Bao Kun Lun against Jiang Nan He. Trapped between two sides, Bao A Lun killed herself for protecting his grandfather. Followed his granddaughter’s death, Bao Kun Lun took his own life. After sending Bao A Luan’s body to her hometown, Jiang Nan He asked Ji Guang Jie to teach Li Mu Bai (the character played by Chow Yun-Fat), son of Li Feng Jie. He moved to Mt. Jiu Hua and became a hermit.

 

Part II: Precious Sword, Gold Hairpin

Originally named The Tale of Precious Sword and Gold Hairpin with thirty-four chapters. Li Mu Bai was in love with Yu Shu Lien (Yu Xiu Lian / Yui Hsui Lien, played by Michelle Yeoh), but he was unable to move one step further after knowing that his sworn brother, Meng Si Zhao, had an unfulfilled arranged marriage with Yu Shu Lien. After Meng Si Zhao lost his life for protecting Li Mu Bai, he had decided that Yu Shu Lien and him could only be brother and sister. His relationship with another woman, prostitute Xie Cui Xian also finished because him. After killed a local tyrant, Huang Ji Bei, Li Mu Bai was arrested and was sentenced to death. Despite his strong will of facing the justice, Li Mu Bai was still  taken away by Jiang Nan He from the jail.

 

Part III: Sword Force, Pearl Shine 

Originally named The Tale of Sword Force and Pearl Shine with twenty-two chapters. After starting his life as a fugitive, Li Mu Bai got a precious sword, The Green Destiny. Without telling Jiang Nan He, Li Mu Bai received a martial art book from a Buddhist monk Jing Xuan and started to practice. Lived in Mt. Jiu Hua, Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien were still brother and sister because he had disobeyed Jiang Nan’s order of marrying her. This is the weak link of the pentalogy. Li Mu Bai from this part is quite different from the rest of the pentalogy, whose justice and loyalty seem vanished. However, some subplots are related to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, like Lo (Luo Xiao Hu)'s brother Luo Yang Bao stealing imperial pearl from the forbidden city.

 

Part IV: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon   

Cover of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Part II), Qunzhong Press, China, 2000

Originally named The Tale of Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon with fourteen chapters. It is about the story of Lo (played by Chang Chen) and Jen (Played by Zhang Ziyi). The full name of Lo is Luo Xiao Hu (Luo is his family name and "Xiao Hu" is his first name. "Xiao" means young, little or small and "hu" means tiger) The full name of Jen is Yu Jiao Long ("Yu" is her family name and means jade. "Jiao Long" is her first name. "Jiao" has multiple meanings: 1. tender, lovely, charming; 2. fragile, frail, delicate; 3. squeamish; 4. pamper, spoil. "Long" means dragon).   Ironfisted Governor of Xinjiang (in the northwest part of China) Yu had been called back to Beijing to be in charge of guarding nine city gates of Beijing. His proposal of cleaning up the capital immediately created a storm among the corrupted officials and gangs. Inside Sir Te’s home, in front of many masters, Master Di whowed the legendary Green Destiny Sword, which has been given by Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat), to  Governor Yu. Later that night, the Green Destiny disappeared and Master Di asked Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) to investigate.    Governor Yu’s daughter Jen (Zhang Ziyi) had been ordered to marry an ugly scholar Lu Bi Pei from the influential Lu family to preserve her father and brother’s reputation, but Jen, Naïve and spoiled, was unwilling to get married. To divert herself, Jen let street performer Cai and his daughter, who had been shouting Jade

Fox’s name outside of Governor Yu’s house for days, into her home to do some performance. Yu Shu Lien discovered that for many years Cai had chasing Jade Fox who killed his wife. One day, when Cai was about to finished off Jade Fox, a masked woman showed up and killed Cai. Even Yu Shu Lien was not able to defeat the mask woman because of her strange moves. The mask woman run away only after Li Mu Bai showed up. Li Mu Bai came for the lost sword and shocked discovered that the mask woman’s moves shared the same origin with his, Wu Dang. However, Yu Shu Lien asked Li Mu Bai to leave.    Yu Shu Lien visited Jen, who she had met at Sir Tei’s home, and advised her not to do anything stupid even though she was not happy about her marriage. What Yu Shu Lien did not know was that there was another person inside the room – Lo (Chang Chen). Four years ago in Xinjiang, bandit “Black Cloud” Lo attacked Governess Yu’s convoy. Jen chased Lo for three days and ended up with falling in love with him. To change Lo’s social status, Jen asked Lo to take the imperial exam (an open system of selecting government officials) in Beijing but Lo failed because of he was illiterate. Now Lo had asked Jen to run away with him. At that night, the Green Destiny mysteriously reappeared at Sir Te’s house.    Next day, Jen’s wedding ceremony was ruined by Lo and both Jen and the Green Destiny disappeared at that night. Right after, a lone warrior appeared in Giang Hu (the brotherhood of martial artists). The warrior was Jen who dressed in man's clothing. She often made killing without mercy, had become a public enemy and was chased by everybody. Years ago, Jiang Nan He drew The Illustrated Collection of Jiu Hua Fist and Sword (a martial art guidebook) for his fellow pupil Ya Xia (dumb warrior) based on the secret martial art of Taoist monk Jiu Hua. Ya Xia wanted to marry Jade Fox (Geng Liu Niang, played by Cheng Pei-Pei) and taught her some skills from the book. After Geng Liu Niang murdered Ya Xia, the book fell into the hand of Gao Lang Qiu. Later Gao Lang Qui pass the skills to Jen. Jen had to obey Jade Fox for her action of stealing the book.    When Jen’s identity was revealed, Governor Yu was blamed for her crime. After forcing Governor Yu to sign a document of condemning his daughter, the corrupters and gangs had got control of Beijing City. Worrying about her family, Jen secretly returned to Beijing but was arrested. Yu Shu Lien broke into the jail and took Jen away. While staying with Yu Shu Lien, Jen started to understand the true meaning of warriorship and the relationship between freedom and responsibility. However, Yu Shu Lien refused to share her secret with Jen. Jen thought she was not a real friend and run away again. Jen tried to stop a group of robbers but was besieged by them. Li Mu Bai saved her and send her to her husband’s and made her very angry. After knowing what her father had suffered, Jen hated Li Mu Bai even further. Lo rescued Jen from Lu’s house, but Governor still did not want to forgive her. Outside Beijing City, Jen and Lo encountered Li Mu Bai. Unwilling to fight, Li Mu Bai was wounded. Yu Shu Lien had no choice but to fight Jen. After the death of her mother and the end of her father's career, Jen faked her death by jumping of a cliff in order to have a new life. Even was in love with Lo, Jen still thought a bandit could not fit in her social status. For carrying out the promise she made to her mother, she run away again after only one night with Lo and vanished into the desert with a horse and a sword, the Green Destiny.

 

Part V: Iron Knight, Silver Vase

Originally named The Tale of Iron Knight and Silver Vase with nineteen chapters. Jen gave birth of Luo Xiao Hu's son. Right after, Fang secretly replaced her son with a baby girl, Chun Xue Ping ("ping" means vase). Later Fang was robbed and was rescued by armed escort Han Wen Pei and Fang’s maid started to live with Han Wen Pei. Yu Jiao Long’s son was took to Han Wen Pei’s home by the maid and was named Han Tie Fang (“tie” means iron). After growing up, Han Tie Fang traveled thousands miles to look for his parents. When he finally met Jen and Lo in a desert, he didn't recognize them until they were both killed in front of him. The pentalogy ended when Iron (Han Tie Fang) and silver (Chun Xue Ping) jointed together. In the end, Yu Shu Lian died from disease and Li Mu Bai forever lost his chance to joint her. But the biggest tragedy is the tiger (Lo) perished in the icy mountain and the dragon (Jen) lost in the desert.