#few fictional characters come close to what GJ represents as the ideal of a male cishet partner

[teafiend]

As the new adaptation for another version of “Legend of the Condor Heroes” makes an appearance in 2024 (in honor of the centennial celebration of Jin Yong’s birth), I am moved to record this for myself.

Jin Yong, his Wuxia and love stories had a deep imprint on how I conceptualise love between a man and a woman, and no other pairing has managed to influence my world view as markedly and deeply as Guo Jing and Huang Rong did.

He fed me my “man feeds love interest”, “man is a major simp”, “man almost always defer to the smartness of his partner”, “man is kind and generous”, “man is a gentle protector” etc tropes to me, and I will always thank the master for letting me know an egalitarian romantic relationship is a desirable aim. Guo Jing is also one of the few male fictional characters I have continued to love over decades. Without his wonderful understanding and portrayals of noble masculinity, I think my instinctive dislike of men would be much worse 🫥

All that mush out of the way, I am looking forward to the latest adaption of this classic, though will likely just pick up the second half of the drama, when it appears the story will finally focus on GJ and HR and their arcs/journeys.

(Keeping fingers crossed it will be available on an accessible streaming platform for me)