‘So gorgeous’: pantheon of wuxia heroes crafted in bronze and steel draw Jin Yong fans to Hong Kong’s Central
- Admirers of late writer Louis Cha pose for selfies beside statues of some of his most famous characters at exhibition celebrating 100th anniversary of his birth
- ‘Growing up, we saw a lot of his work in films and in TV shows,’ one fan says. ‘We know all of them’
Imposing statues of characters drawn from the wuxia novels of Louis Cha Leung-yung drew hundreds of residents and visitors to Hong Kong’s Central on Saturday, the second day of an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated Chinese writer.
Crafted by a mainland Chinese artist, sculptures made of bronze or stainless steel loomed over the admirers, who ventured out in the humid and foggy weather to pose for selfies beside the characters who helped define their childhood.
“The sculptures are so gorgeous,” said 22-year-old Avery Gu Xin Yu, who hails from eastern mainland’s Suzhou and is studying business information systems at City University. She made the trip to Central with her friend Lachesis Li Han, the pair passionate fans of the late novelist also known by the pen name Jin Yong.
“[The exhibit] displays many different characters and we all really love them,” she said.
Widely considered the world’s most popular Chinese writer, Cha’s 15 volumes of works have been translated into 14 languages and his books about the exploits of martial artists and others have sold more than 100 million copies.