Three Heroes and Their Swords (Part II)

Name: Three Heroes and Their Swords (Part II)
ISBN: 9787510413384

张杰鑫Beijing Yanshan Press · ChinaSep 2025

4.1

Word count: 579K words
Chapters: 5
ISBN: 9787510413384

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Summary

Three Heroes and Their Swords is a long chivalric novel created by Zhang Jiexin, a famous ping-shu (folk storytelling) artist from Tianjin. Written in the 1920s, it comprises thirty-seven chapters and nearly six million characters. Serialized in New Tianjin in the 1930s, it won enormous popularity among people of all walks of life. This volume collects the first seven chapters for readers' enjoyment. The story is set in the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty: Sheng Ying leads a host of heroes across the thirteen provinces of north and south in pursuit of treasures, storming mountain strongholds amid old grievances and vendettas. Sheng Ying, the third of the Eight Righteous Sworn Brothers, accidentally wounded his eighth brother Qin Tianbao, the 'Silver-Faced Ghost with Butterfly Wings'. Qin's son Qin You, the 'Flying Rat', vows to avenge his father: he steals the pearl, jade and eight-treasure longevity lantern from the imperial palace, leaving a note that frames Sheng Ying for the crime.

Editor's review

Sanxia Jian (The Three Heroes and the Sword), Part Two, is a long martial-arts novel written in the 1920s by the Tianjin storyteller Zhang Jiexin. It was serialized in newspapers and won readers across social classes. This volume preserves the storyteller's distinctive voice and the chapter-by-chapter rhythm of traditional Chinese storytelling. Its appeal lies not only in swordplay but in the human logic of how grudges form and how they are resolved: Sheng Ying accidentally injures a friend, Qin You steals a lantern and frames others, and a band of heroes is forced to search north and south for a precious treasure, with brotherhood, sect rules and official pursuit all entangled. Reading such works offers a sense of the liveliness and directness of Republican-era popular fiction and shows how traditional storytelling uses suspense, digressions and character nicknames to hold an audience. It suits continuous leisure reading and can serve as an introduction to Tianjin storytelling and the martial-arts novel; researchers may also note its colloquial narration and regional flavor. One caveat: this volume is only part of a vast original work, with many characters and much backstory, so readers should first learn the basic cast of characters.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy traditional storytelling and chapter-style martial-arts tales
Researchers interested in Republican-era popular fiction and Tianjin storytelling
Readers who prefer fast-paced tales of feuds and treasure hunts
Adult readers comfortable with a large cast and old-fashioned narration

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern, concise prose and tight logical deduction
Readers hoping to get the complete original from this volume, which is only a fragment
Young children; the vendettas and old-fashioned terms need adult guidance

Reading tips

First sort out the feud among Sheng Ying, Qin Tianbao and Qin You, then enter the treasure-hunt plot.
Read chapter by chapter and note new characters and nicknames after each one to avoid confusion.
Slow down at storytelling formulas to appreciate the narrator's rhythm and suspense.
If starting with this volume, review earlier events or check a character list to avoid gaps.

About the publisher

Beijing Yanshan Press China · Founded in 1985

Beijing Yanshan Press is a publisher distinguished by its focus on cultural relics and museology, Beijing regional history and literature, fine literature, and classical documents and ancient books, forming a publishing direction known as the “four literary and one ancient” approach. According to in-house data, the press has published 190 titles, covering social psychology, inspirational growth, Eastern philosophy, popular science, martial arts fiction, and management. Representative books include Maslow’s Motivation and Personality, Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Chen Lisheng’s Wang Yangming’s “Unity of All Things”, Zhang Jiexin’s The Three Heroes and Five Gallants, and Peng Jianfeng’s Mechanisms Create Talent and Reimagining the Organization. Its author resources include Maslow, Carnegie, Fang Shihua, and Zheng Sijie. Public information is limited; its publishing features emphasize classic translations, academic research, and the organization and dissemination of traditional martial arts texts.

版权信息
第四回英雄店刘士英行窃碧霞山胜三爷遭殃
第五回胜子川二下南七省赵昆福逃亡双龙山
第六回僧道较艺梅花桩英雄暗探白莲寺
第七回隐逸楼胜英盗金印九龙山五子救三侠

FAQ

Can I read this without having read Part One of Sanxia Jian?

Yes, but with some preparation. This volume has many characters and dense backstory; the old feud between Sheng Ying and Qin Tianbao and Qin You's motive for revenge run throughout. Learn the main relationships first, then read the text; don't stop at unfamiliar names—follow the plot, as causes are often supplied later.

Is this a complete novel?

No. The original has thirty-seven chapters and is vast; this volume contains only part of it. To grasp the whole, read other volumes or related material; it is best treated as selected episodes from the original.

Is the storytelling-style language hard to read?

At first the sentences may seem jumpy and the nicknames numerous, but once you adjust, the pace is brisk and suspense dense. Don't dwell on every allusion; follow the narrator. Skim repeated set phrases and focus on conflict and character choices.

Is it suitable as an introduction to martial-arts fiction for children?

It is not very suitable for young children to read alone. It contains vendettas, theft and framing, and complex relationships. Interested middle-schoolers can read with an adult and discuss loyalty, revenge and the limits of rules, so they don't simply imitate reckless vengeance.

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About the author

张杰鑫 Author

Zhang Jiexin's personal details, including his life dates, nationality and English name, are very limited in publicly available sources and cannot currently be confirmed. According to the records available in the library, two works are listed under his name, namely Swords of the Three Heroes (Part One) and Swords of the Three Heroes (Part Two), commonly classified as wuxia fiction. It can therefore be inferred that his writing centres on traditional martial-arts themes, presented in multi-volume form with considerable length, and that his stories rest on the narrative framework of Jianghu knights, grievances and bonds of loyalty and enmity. Swords of the Three Heroes serves as the main basis for understanding his creative profile. Because biographical material about the author himself is lacking, his education, personal experience and writing background are difficult to ascertain; readers wishing to know this author should begin with the text of Swords of the Three Heroes itself and appreciate its narrative pacing and character portrayal within the wuxia tradition.