Liao Tianding
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Summary
During the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing dynasty, Taiwan was ceded to Japan. Young Liao Tianding loses his family: his father dies fighting in the anti-Japanese militia, his mother takes her own life after being insulted by Japanese police, and his sister sells herself to pay for their father's burial. With nowhere left to turn, he is taken in as a disciple by the monk Baiyun and learns letters and martial arts. Once trained, he roams the jianghu with his friend You Mukun, allies with forces such as the Sihai Gang to resist the Japanese army and their Chinese collaborators, and kills one enemy after another—the local tyrant Hong Maochuan, the Japanese policeman Kurokawa Kuma, and others—avenging his family and his compatriots. He outwits his foes to seize money for the militia, plots to take the Japanese armory, and matches wits with the Japanese invaders and underworld gangs across Taipei. How will this passionate anti-Japanese struggle change the fate of Taiwan's people?
Editor's review
Set against the backdrop of Taiwan's cession to Japan in the late Qing, this book lays out Liao Tianding's arc—from a boy whose family is destroyed to a trained fighter seeking revenge and uniting jianghu forces against the Japanese—with tight pacing and clear layers. The author interweaves personal grievance with national duty: the monk Baiyun's tutelage, the alliance with the Sihai Gang, the elimination of local tyrants and Japanese police, the clever seizure of funds for the militia, and the plot to take the armory all lock together. There is the satisfying give-and-take of a wuxia novel, yet the weight of the historical setting is preserved. Character motivations are clear, and the revenge and resistance threads drive each other forward, making for a rhythm best felt in continuous reading. For readers who want an accessible narrative entry into the subject of anti-Japanese resistance in Taiwan, this book offers a flesh-and-blood angle; wuxia fans will also find the multi-sided maneuvering among jianghu forces, the Japanese army, and collaborators compelling. Watch how personal revenge gradually gives way to collective fate—that is the key to the book's emotional ascent.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy wuxia and anti-Japanese resistance fiction set against historical backgrounds
- Readers who want to learn about the anti-Japanese memory of Taiwan's people through accessible storytelling
- Readers drawn to narratives that interweave personal growth with a revenge thread
- Readers interested in jianghu gangs, master-disciple traditions, and similar elements
Not a good fit for
- Readers who prefer pure historical scholarship and reject literary invention
- Readers sensitive to violent revenge scenes
- Readers looking for lighthearted, humorous, or urban fiction
Reading tips
- First sort out the timeline of Liao Tianding's family tragedy, apprenticeship, alliances, and revenge; the later resistance arc will then read more smoothly.
- When reading the sections on eliminating tyrants and Japanese police, notice how the author uses detail to portray motives rather than focusing only on the fights.
- Read alongside the historical background of Taiwan's cession in the late Qing to understand how individual fate relates to the upheavals of the era.
- For a book club, build discussion around how revenge is transformed into national duty.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 一、割让台湾 卖身葬父
- 二、牛刀初试 一鸣惊人
- 三、黑巷风云 赌局乾坤
- 四、初登仙境 风月无边
- 五、绝妙好计 血债血还
- 六、身入虎穴 大开眼界
- 七、变生肘腋 祸起萧墙
- 八、姐弟相会 咫尺天涯
- 九、过街老鼠 人人喊打
- 十、避灾入狱 弱肉强食
- 十一、招兵买马 奸情败探
- 十二、杀人偿命 欠债还钱
- 十三、以牙还牙 以眼还眼
- 十四、死亡游戏 鸡飞狗跳
- 十五、出奇致胜 搬家成功
FAQ
Is this book suitable for readers who don't know much about Taiwan's history?
Yes. The novel follows the characters' fates as its main thread and brings in the historical background naturally through the plot; readers are not expected to know detailed history beforehand. Grasping the basic background—the cession to Japan and the anti-Japanese militia—is enough to enter the story, and readers who want to go deeper can consult historical materials afterward.
What stages does Liao Tianding's growth go through?
From a boy whose family is destroyed, to being taken in by the monk Baiyun to study letters and martial arts, to roaming the jianghu with You Mukun and allying with forces such as the Sihai Gang against the Japanese army and collaborators, and finally to supporting the militia and seizing the armory. His growth extends gradually from personal revenge to collective resistance.
How are the wuxia elements combined with the anti-Japanese main line?
The novel uses wuxia narrative devices—master-disciple training, jianghu alliances, clever schemes and plots—to drive the resistance actions. The fights and maneuvering serve the goals of revenge and supporting the militia, and the two threads support each other as the plot advances.
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About the author
欧阳云飞
Author
Public information about Ouyang Yunfei is limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not recorded, and only five works under his name can currently be confirmed. Judging by subject matter, his writing spans two categories, social fiction and wuxia fiction. "Liao Tianding" and "Big Fish Eats Small Fish" lean toward social themes, while "Ice Sword, Cold Love," "Golden Sword and Dragon Pearl: Ghost-Faced Hero Story ②," and "Rose Nail: Ghost-Faced Hero Story ①" belong to the wuxia tradition; the numbered "Ghost-Faced Hero" titles suggest a series. He thus works in popular fiction across both contemporary social life and martial-arts legend. Though the number of works is small, they show a clear sense of genre and a tendency toward serialization. Given the limited material, his style and influence cannot yet be described in detail.
