Tianshan Series
#7193.66 adjusted 3.91 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 14 books Status Complete 1955–1977 Reading commitment High Liang Yusheng Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Tianshan series is the earliest cycle of wuxia novels by Liang Yusheng (Chen Wentong, 1924-2009), a pioneer of the 'new school' of wuxia fiction. The novels were serialised in Hong Kong newspapers between 1955 and 1981 and are set from the late Ming to the mid-Qing dynasty, mostly around the Tianshan mountains and the north-west frontier. They follow the Tianshan sect and its heroes across generations, including The White-Haired Demoness and Seven Swords of Mount Heaven. Sources list the cycle as ten or fourteen novels; this entry follows the fourteen-title list in the author's Wikipedia biography. The cycle is complete.
Historical fantasy, Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (14 works) counts toward ranking
Tianshan Series Liang Yusheng
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 塞外奇俠傳; English title: Legend of the Gallant Hero Beyond the Frontier. First serialized from 1955 in Chou Mo Pao. | 1955 | 1 | core | 3.07 (7 ratings) | |
| 七劍下天山; English title: Seven Swords of Mount Heaven. First serialized from 15 February 1956 in Ta Kung Pao. | 1956 | 2 | core | 3.62 (26 ratings) | |
| 白髮魔女傳; English title: The White-Haired Demoness (also Romance of the White Haired Maiden). First serialized from 5 August 1957 in the New Evening Post. | 1957 | 3 | core | 3.62 (21 ratings) | |
| 江湖三女俠; English title: Three Heroines of the Jianghu. First serialized from 8 April 1957 in Ta Kung Pao. | 1957 | 4 | core | 3.61 (7 ratings) | |
| 冰川天女傳; English title: Story of the Heavenly Maiden of the Glacier. First serialized from 5 August 1959 in the New Evening Post. | 1959 | 5 | core | 3.53 (9 ratings) | |
| 雲海玉弓緣; English title: Romance of the Cloud Sea and Jade Bow. Serialized from 12 October 1961 in the New Evening Post. | 1961 | 6 | core | 4.06 (18 ratings) | |
| 冰魄寒光劍; English title: Sword of the Icy Soul. Serialized in 1962 in Cheng Wu Pao; some sources give 1960. | 1962 | 7 | core | 3.88 (4 ratings) | |
| 冰河洗劍錄; English title: Chronicle of Washing the Sword in the Icy River. Serialized from 24 August 1963 in the New Evening Post. | 1963 | 8 | core | 3.90 (5 ratings) | |
| 風雷震九州; English title: Wind and Thunder Shake the Nine Provinces. First serialized from 22 September 1965 in the New Evening Post. | 1965 | 9 | core | 3.62 (4 ratings) | |
| 俠骨丹心; English title: Chivalrous Bones and Loyal Heart (Heroic Bones, Loyal Heart). Serialized from 5 October 1967 in the New Evening Post. | 1967 | 10 | core | 3.38 (4 ratings) | |
| 遊劍江湖; English title: Wandering Swordsman in the Jianghu (Youjian Jianghu). Serialized from 1 July 1969 in the New Evening Post. | 1969 | 11 | core | 3.33 (3 ratings) | |
| 牧野流星; English title: Shooting Stars over the Grasslands (Muye Liuxing). First serialized from 16 February 1972 in the New Evening Post. | 1972 | 12 | core | 3.55 (5 ratings) | |
| 絕塞傳烽錄; English title: Chronicle of the Frontier Beacons (Juesai Chuanfeng Lu). First serialized from 12 February 1975 in the New Evening Post. | 1975 | 13 | core | 3.67 (3 ratings) | |
| 彈指驚雷; English title: A Flick of the Finger, Startling Thunder (Tanzhi Jinglei). First serialized from 1 May 1977 in Chou Mo Pao. | 1977 | 14 | core | 5.00 (1 ratings) |
Fourteen Liang Yusheng wuxia novels centred on the Tianshan sect from the late Ming to mid-Qing eras.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Tianshan Series? Tianshan Series's Core Canon is 14 books.
- What is the reading order for Tianshan Series? Publication order, starting with 塞外奇俠傳. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Tianshan Series finished? Complete (1955–1977).
- How much reading does Tianshan Series take? High reading commitment (estimated from 14 Core Canon books).
- How is Tianshan Series ranked? #719 in this site's official ranking, based on 117 reader ratings across 14 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #719?
Ranked #719 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.66 across 14 core books.
- A smaller readership (117 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.07 to 5.00.
- 0.16 behind #718, Night Flying.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 14 books · Complete · 117 ratings · Ranks #719 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (14 Core Canon books)
- 塞外奇俠傳 (1955)
- 七劍下天山 (1956)
- 江湖三女俠 (1957)
- 白髮魔女傳 (1957)
- 冰川天女傳 (1959)
- 雲海玉弓緣 (1961)
- 冰魄寒光劍 (1962)
- 冰河洗劍錄 (1963)
- 風雷震九州 (1965)
- 俠骨丹心 (1967)
- 遊劍江湖 (1969)
- 牧野流星 (1972)
- 絕塞傳烽錄 (1975)
- 彈指驚雷 (1977)
Documented internal/story order
- 塞外奇俠傳 (1955)
- 七劍下天山 (1956)
- 白髮魔女傳 (1957)
- 江湖三女俠 (1957)
- 冰川天女傳 (1959)
- 雲海玉弓緣 (1961)
- 冰魄寒光劍 (1962)
- 冰河洗劍錄 (1963)
- 風雷震九州 (1965)
- 俠骨丹心 (1967)
- 遊劍江湖 (1969)
- 牧野流星 (1972)
- 絕塞傳烽錄 (1975)
- 彈指驚雷 (1977)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.66 across 117 ratings on 14 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Sartorias-deles gains the Wren trilogy and Masques; Tianshan Series admitted; open synopses closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Liang Yusheng Tier 2
- Wuxia Society: Liang Yusheng's novels Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Qijian Xia Tianshan Tier 2
- Chinese Wikipedia: 白髮魔女傳 Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Muye Liuxing Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Juesai Chuanfeng Lu Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Tanzhi Jinglei Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = the fourteen Tianshan series novels from Legend of the Gallant Hero Beyond the Frontier (1955) to A Flick of the Finger, Startling Thunder (1977), as listed in the author's Wikipedia biography.