The most prestigious but ineffective martial arts school in Jin Yong's novels.

Most traditional martial arts schools of Chinese kung fu have been greatly exaggerated through the writings of the late novelist Jin Yong. But the case of the Quanzhen School is perhaps the most exaggerated of all.

The Quanzhen School is considered a symbol of Central Plains martial arts in Jin Yong's novels - Photo: BAIDU

The Quanzhen School - a symbol of internal martial arts in Jin Yong's novels.

In the entirety of Jin Yong's novels, the Quanzhen Sect occupies an extremely important role, comparable to that of the Shaolin Temple.

While Shaolin Temple is described as the leading martial arts school in external training methods, with techniques that forge bodies as strong as steel, the Quanzhen School is described by Jin Yong as "the leading internal martial arts school, the origin of the orthodox Xuanmen school in Central Plains martial arts."

Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Quanzhen school of martial arts, is also portrayed as an invincible figure during the Southern Song dynasty, a grand master of Chinese martial arts.

Zhou Botong, the younger brother of Wang Chongyang, embodied the image of Lao Tzu, possessing a pure soul and boundless creativity in martial arts. Later disciples such as Qiu Chuji and Ma Yu were also highly skilled martial artists.

But in reality, the Quanzhen School is a completely different story. Chinese historians and martial arts researchers view it primarily as a Taoist sect, with martial arts playing only a supporting role in the process of cultivation and health preservation.

Wang Chongyang in a film - Photo: BAIDU

The Quanzhen School emerged at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, around the 12th century. Its founder was Wang Chongyang, whose real name was Wang Zhe, from Shaanxi Province.

According to historical documents cited by many Chinese scholars, Wang Chongyang was a minor official under the Jin dynasty before leaving office to become a monk in the Zhongnan Mountains.

After many years of ascetic practice, he founded the Quanzhen School, combining the spirit of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism into a new system of spiritual practice. Documents from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have stated that the Quanzhen School was one of the most influential branches of Taoism in northern China during the medieval period.

Real life is very different from fiction.

Contrary to the popular portrayal in martial arts novels, the real-life focus of the Quanzhen Sect was not on martial arts. Their guiding principle was "cultivating the mind and character," emphasizing the preservation of essence, energy, and spirit according to Taoist philosophy.

The Quanzhen Taoist practitioners typically live a life of asceticism, restraining desires, valuing meditation, health preservation, and the practice of internal alchemy. Some branches even require practitioners to be vegetarian and remain unmarried.

In his book "Daojiao Shi" (History of Taoism), scholar Khanh Hy Thai observed: "The Quanzhen school emphasizes inner cultivation more than mystical activities or combat. Martial arts, if present, are primarily intended to aid in harmonizing body and mind."

The Seven Disciples of Quanzhen in the film - Photo: BAIDU

That is also why modern martial arts circles do not consider the Quanzhen School to be a "combat martial arts school" in the conventional sense.

Professor Kang Guayu, a specialist in the history of Chinese martial arts at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (USA), once commented in a research paper on Taoist martial arts that many ancient Taoist schools practiced boxing and swordsmanship, but their main goals were health preservation and self-defense during travel, rather than building a professional military- style fighting system.

In fact, martial arts did exist within the Quanzhen sect. Some Taoist practitioners practiced swordsmanship, qigong, and various forms with Taoist characteristics.

However, what is described in Jin Yong's novels, such as the Innate Skill, the Heavenly Constellation Big Dipper Formation, or the Quanzhen Sword Technique, is largely a literary creation. Chinese martial arts researchers believe that Jin Yong strongly "martialized" the image of the Quanzhen sect to create a school that is both religious in nature and possesses a strong martial arts appeal.

In an analysis published in the journal Chinese Martial Studies , researcher Benjamin Judkins argues that the portrayal of highly skilled Taoist martial artists in Chinese literature reflects a "cultural ideal" rather than historical reality. According to him, while many ancient Taoist temples may have taught swordsmanship or qigong, their primary social role remained religious and spiritual.

The Quanzhen School's greatest influence in real life lay not in martial arts, but in politics and religion. After Wang Chongyang's death, his seven senior disciples, often referred to as the "Seven Quanzhen Disciples," continued to expand the sect's influence.

In real life, Khuu Xu Co is purely a Taoist practitioner - Photo: BAIDU

Among them, the most famous was Qiu Chuji. He was invited by Genghis Khan during his Western campaign in the early 13th century, with the aim of inquiring about methods of cultivating health and longevity.

This meeting was of great significance to the history of the Quanzhen School. Qiu Chuji impressed Genghis Khan with his philosophy of health preservation and his advice to limit killing.

Later, the Quanzhen sect received strong support from the Mongol dynasty, developing into a religious force with widespread influence throughout northern China. Many historians consider this to be the peak period for the Quanzhen sect, almost holding the status of a "state religion" during the early Yuan dynasty.

However, even during its most powerful period, the Quanzhen School was never a true martial arts school.

This is the core difference when comparing them to Shaolin, Wudang, or even Qingcheng. These schools all originated from religious foundations, but they have a well-established martial arts training system, a system for recruiting and teaching martial arts disciples, and have developed their martial arts philosophy into a distinct brand.

One of Jin Yong's most damaging fictional portrayals of the Quanzhen Sect is the Taoist monk Yin Zhiping, the third-generation disciple and sixth sect leader.

In the novel *The Condor Heroes* , Jin Yong depicts a very sensitive detail about Yin Zhi Ping: his unrequited love for the character Xiao Long Nu, even to the point of sexually assaulting her. Later, Yin Zhi Ping regrets his actions and commits suicide.

In real life, Doan Chi Binh, whose religious name was Thanh Hoa Tu, was considered an outstanding figure of the sect, famous for helping the poor and maintaining a pure and ascetic lifestyle.

In 2003, when Jin Yong attended an academic discussion at Mount Hua, he faced criticism from Taoist priests of the Shaanxi Province Taoist Association. He was even blocked from the road and severely criticized for tarnishing the reputation of one of the most renowned patriarchs of Chinese Taoism.

Finally, in a later revision, Jin Yong changed Yin Zhi Ping's name to Zhen Zhi Ping to lessen the criticism.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vo-phai-huu-danh-vo-thuc-nhat-cua-tieu-thuyet-kim-dung-20260519104353572.htm