Liuxing Hudie Jian
Liuxing Hudie Jian (traditional Chinese: 流星·蝴蝶·劍; simplified Chinese: 流星·蝴蝶·剑; pinyin: Liúxīng Húdié Jiàn; lit. 'Meteor, Butterfly, Sword') is a wuxia novel by Gu Long. It was first published in Taiwan in August 1973 by Laureate (桂冠) and subsequently reproduced by other publishing companies. It has been adapted into the 1976 film Killer Clans,[1] a 1978 television series produced by Hong Kong's CTS, the 1993 film Butterfly and Sword, a 2003 mainland Chinese television series, and a franchise of video games.
| Author | Gu Long |
|---|---|
| Original title | 流星·蝴蝶·劍 |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Language | Chinese |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Publisher | Laureate |
Publication date | 1973 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 617 |
| ISBN | 9787541002625 |
Plot
In the jianghu (martial artists' community), there are two major martial arts clans engaged in an intense rivalry. On one side stands the Dragon Gate Clan (龍門幫) led by "Old Uncle" Sun Yubo (「老伯」孫玉伯). On the other side is the Twelve Flying Peng Clan (十二飛鵬幫) led by "King of Ten Thousand Pengs" Fan Xuan (「萬鵬王」范璇).
Apart from the two clans, there is an assassin organisation led by "Boss Gao" Gao Jiping (「高老大」高寄萍), who pretends to operate a brothel called Forest of Delight (快活林). Gao Jiping has adopted and trained four orphans to serve as assassins under her: Ye Xiang (葉翔), Shi Qun (石群), Meng Xinghun (孟星魂), and Xiaohe (小何).
Lü Xiangchuan (律香川), Sun Yubo's deputy, has long wanted to kill his boss but he knows he cannot do so on his own. He secretly makes a deal with Gao Jiping, who sends Meng Xinghun to assassinate Sun Yubo. However, Lü Xiangchuan's plan ultimately fails and he dies at the hands of his friend who has remained loyal to the clan. Gao Jiping commits suicide after the loss of her four assassins: Meng Xinghun falls in love with Sun Die, marries her and joins Sun Yubo; Ye Xiang is killed; Xiaohe survives but becomes disabled; only Shi Qun is still alive and well.
Around the same time, internal conflict breaks out within the Twelve Flying Peng Clan. Although Fan Xuan emerges victorious, he also loses many of his loyal followers. After these incidents, the major clans have sustained heavy losses so they are forced to put aside their rivalry. Peace is restored in the jianghu.
Adaptations
| Year | Production | Main cast | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Shaw Brothers Studio | Cheng Ping, Ku Feng | See Killer Clans |
| 1978 | CTS | See Meteor, Butterfly, Sword (1978) | |
| 1993 | Chang-Hong Channel Film & Video Co. | Tony Leung, Jimmy Lin, Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh | See Butterfly and Sword |
| 2003 | Adam Cheng, Norman Chui | See Meteor, Butterfly, Sword (2003) | |
| 2010 | CCTV-1 | Baron Chen, Rebecca Wang, Ivy Chen | See Meteor, Butterfly, Sword (2010) |
References
- Odham Stokes, Lisa; Braaten, Rachel (2020). Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 227. ISBN 9781538120620.