The Golden Paper Fan cover

The Golden Paper Fan

Rating 3.3
Word count
648K words
Chapters
85

Tags

Summary

A martial-arts tale of patriotism and chivalry. During the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, a host of martial artists, under orders from the "Old Immortal," set out for the Liao kingdom on a secret mission. When the group reaches Renyi Manor in Hebei, the ninety-year-old arch-villain Zhuo Bufan suddenly appears, demanding to forcibly marry the manor master's young granddaughter. The assembled heroes, wanting to conserve their strength, are reluctant to help. Only Feng Zhangyu, arriving late, steps forward and outwits the villain—only to be carried off by Zhuo Bufan back to the Immortal Cave… After many twists and turns, Feng Zhangyu finally reaches the Liao capital and slips into the imperial palace, where the situation is eerily treacherous, forcing him to maneuver among the young and restless imperial consort, the widowed and hungry imperial aunt, the covetous resentful woman, and the Liao emperor Yanxi (Tianzuo).

Editor's review

This martial-arts novel by Ximen Ding blends patriotic chivalry with jianghu adventure. Set during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, the premise of heroes sent to Liao on a secret mission carries the tension of a nation in peril. The real highlight is not the usual good-versus-evil showdown but Feng Zhangyu, the man who arrives late: while the others hold back to conserve strength, he alone steps forward to outwit the ninety-year-old arch-villain Zhuo Bufan—only to be carried off to the Immortal Cave. That turn pushes the protagonist from bystander to the heart of the conflict, and his later infiltration of the Liao capital and maneuvering among the imperial consort, the imperial aunt, the resentful woman, and Emperor Yanxi make for a wonderfully treacherous situation, full of the jianghu flavor of surviving in the cracks of power. Published by Hong Kong's Wuxia World magazine, the prose has the briskness and streetwise charm of old-school wuxia: fast plotting, plenty of dialogue, suited to readers who love traditional chivalric tales. A note: the passages involving his dealings with women reflect the popular style of old-school wuxia and are best read as genre fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers who love traditional old-school wuxia, jianghu adventure, and patriotic themes
  • Those interested in the late Northern Song setting who want a popular chivalric story
  • Genre-fiction readers who enjoy fast plotting and characters maneuvering among many parties
  • Fans of wuxia published by Hong Kong's Wuxia World magazine

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who prefer rigorous historical accuracy and dislike popularized dramatization
  • Readers sensitive to the old-school wuxia treatment of relations between men and women
  • Readers expecting modern narrative technique or deep psychological characterization

Reading tips

  1. Read the Renyi Manor section first and grasp the difference in stance between the heroes and Feng Zhangyu; the Immortal Cave and Liao capital chapters will then flow more smoothly.
  2. Pay attention to Feng Zhangyu's dialogue as he maneuvers among the various figures in the Liao capital—much of the old-school wuxia wit lies in the verbal exchanges.
  3. Divide the book into three parts—Renyi Manor, the Immortal Cave, and the Liao palace—and pause briefly after each.

About the publisher

Hong Kong's Wuxia World Magazine is a publisher focused on martial arts fiction. Public information is limited, but the books in the database indicate that its publishing direction centers on wuxia themes and popular fiction with otherworldly-continent elements. Representative titles include Ximen Ding's Tears of Heroes (complete edition) and Tears of Heroes, as well as The Golden Paper Fan, which together reflect the publisher's sustained attention to traditional wuxia storytelling and themes of Jianghu恩怨. In terms of authors, Ximen Ding is the most representative figure in the database, and his works occupy a prominent place among the publisher's offerings. In terms of publishing features, the publisher presents wuxia works in both single-volume and complete-edition formats, balancing series publication with the need for complete reading, and its categories span both wuxia novels and otherworldly-continent fiction, showing an orientation centered on wuxia while extending into adjacent popular genres.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 一、神秘任务
  3. 二、最后一位
  4. 三、放眼天下
  5. 四、智者千虑
  6. 五、神龙玄功
  7. 六、神龙门主
  8. 七、红衣少女
  9. 八、身入虎穴
  10. 九、将军府内
  11. 十、识破奸计
  12. 十一、立功获信
  13. 十二、疑团难释
  14. 十三、视死如归
  15. 十四、暂渡危机
  16. 十五、明珠被掳
  17. 十六、心机莫测
  18. 十七、初战铩羽
  19. 十八、百杀不死
  20. 十九、急赴中京
  21. 二十、互逞机心
  22. 二十一、初露曙光
  23. 二十二、刺杀皇姑
  24. 二十三、进退从容
  25. 二十四、妙计救美
  26. 二十五、难卜祸福
  27. 二十六、再建一功
  28. 二十七、扭转乾坤
  29. 二十八、契丹国师
  30. 二十九、中途遇袭
  31. 三十、险死还生
  32. 三十一、成为英雄
  33. 三十二、会师辽京
  34. 三十三、辽京大内
  35. 三十四、半忧半喜
  36. 三十五、神秘人物
  37. 三十六、皇姑心事
  38. 三十七、捉拿奸细
  39. 三十八、自坠陷阱
  40. 三十九、人生如梦
  41. 四十、为帝分忧
  42. 四十一、饭店怪客
  43. 四十二、荒谬的错
  44. 四十三、酒后泄密
  45. 四十四、深情难负
  46. 四十五、国师设宴
  47. 四十六、柳暗花明
  48. 四十七、多方周旋
  49. 四十八、腹背受敌
  50. 四十九、狐狸的悲哀
  51. 五十、威镇狗官
  52. 五十一、再战扬威
  53. 五十二、左右逢迎
  54. 五十三、贺娘之秘
  55. 五十四、攀龙附凤
  56. 五十五、风云突变
  57. 五十六、动之以情
  58. 五十七、诚邀入伙
  59. 五十八、身世之谜
  60. 五十九、比武娱宾
  61. 六十、天大人情
  62. 六十一、不喜反愧
  63. 六十二、再立一功
  64. 六十三、后宫四妃
  65. 六十四、初为人父
  66. 六十五、初次上朝
  67. 六十六、废宅杀机
  68. 六十七、乍见宝物
  69. 六十八、紧锣密鼓
  70. 六十九、只欠东风
  71. 七十、整装待发
  72. 七十一、一波三折
  73. 七十二、危机在后
  74. 七十三、暴风雨前夕
  75. 七十四、狭路相逢
  76. 七十五、再生波折
  77. 七十六、危机迭生
  78. 七十七、塞翁失马
  79. 七十八、柳暗花明
  80. 七十九、望见曙光
  81. 八十、风起云涌
  82. 八十一、只争朝夕
  83. 八十二、脱困高飞
  84. 八十三、等待黎明
  85. 八十四、绝处逢生

FAQ

Why is Feng Zhangyu carried off by Zhuo Bufan?
At Renyi Manor, the heroes hold back from helping because they need to conserve strength for their secret mission; only the late-arriving Feng Zhangyu steps forward to outwit Zhuo Bufan. He fails to win and is instead carried off by Zhuo Bufan to the Immortal Cave—a turn that pushes him from bystander to the center of events.
Does the historical background affect reading?
The story is set during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song and involves a secret mission to Liao and figures such as the Liao emperor Yanxi, providing an atmosphere of national peril. But this is popular wuxia, and the historical elements mainly serve the plot; you can follow it without prior historical study, and a general sense of the period is enough.
Are there many chapters of Feng Zhangyu maneuvering in the Liao capital?
The Liao capital is a major section of the book. After Feng Zhangyu slips into the palace, the situation becomes eerily treacherous, and he must simultaneously maneuver among the young imperial consort, the widowed imperial aunt, the covetous resentful woman, and Emperor Yanxi. This section showcases the old-school wuxia pleasure of a jianghu man surviving in the cracks of power.

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About the author

Xi Mendin (Wang Yu) Author · China (Hong Kong) · 1949

Xi Mendin, whose real name is Wang Yu, was born in Quanzhou, Fujian, in 1949 and moved to Hong Kong with his mother in 1959. He is one of the important representatives of Hong Kong wuxia fiction. In 1980, he submitted "Troubles in a Small Town" to the magazine Wuxia World, formally entering the wuxia literary scene. He has since published more than ninety works, mainly wuxia novels with some forays into otherworldly fantasy. His representative "Double Eagle Divine Constables" series spans thirty volumes, and works such as "Cloud Swallow with a Leaning Saber" and "Tears of Heroes" are also widely read. Along with Huang Ying and Long Chengfeng, he is known as one of the "Three Musketeers of Hong Kong's Wuxia World," and has exerted a certain influence on the transmission of Hong Kong wuxia literature and the popular reading market. Besides Xi Mendin, he has also written under pen names such as Gao Jianting and Nangong Lie, showing a diverse range of writing.

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