The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

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Jin Yong

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-09-27

Jin Yong, born Zha Liangyong on February 6, 1924, in Haining, Zhejiang, China, and known internationally as Louis Cha, was a Chinese journalist and novelist widely regarded as one of the most influential wuxia (martial arts fiction) writers of the twentieth century. He studied international law at Soochow University and later earned a PhD in Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge in 2010. Jin Yong worked as a journalist for Ta Kung Pao in Shanghai and the New Evening Post in Hong Kong before co-founding the newspaper Ming Pao in 1959, where he served as editor-in-chief while serializing his novels daily. Between 1955 and 1972 he wrote fifteen wuxia novels that have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, including The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, and The Deer and the Cauldron, works that fused historical Chinese settings with martial arts adventure and remain foundational to the genre. His honors include appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1981, Hong Kong's Grand Bauhinia Medal, France's Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, and honorary professorships or doctorates at numerous universities. He died October 30, 2018, in Hong Kong at age 94.

Universe(s)

The Condor Trilogy

  • Core Canon books: 9
  • Current rank: #148 in the official ranking
  • Weighted average: 4.18
  • Award recognitions: None recorded

Books

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