Dongfang Bubai
| Dongfang Bubai | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jin Yong |
| Appearances | The Smiling, Proud Wanderer |
| Personal information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Romantic interest(s) | Yang Lianting |
| Affiliations | |
| Organisations | Sun Moon Holy Cult |
| Skills and abilities | |
| Qinggong | Sunflower Manual skills |
| Neigong | Sunflower Manual skills |
| Unarmed combat skills | Sunflower Manual skills |
| Armed combat skills | Sunflower Manual skills |
| Weapons | Needles |
| Dongfang Bubai | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 東方不敗 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 东方不败 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Invincible East | ||||||||||
|
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Dōngfāng Bùbaì |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Jyutping | Dung1-fong1 Bat1-baai6 |
Dongfang Bubai, literally "Invincible East", is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. He is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult (日月神教; Rì Yuè Shén Jiào), an "unorthodox" martial arts sect. In his quest to dominate the wulin (martial artists' community), he castrated himself to fulfil the prerequisite for learning the skills in a martial arts manual known as the Sunflower Manual (葵花宝典; Kuíhuā Bǎodiǎn), and became a formidable martial artist after mastering those skills. His castration and supreme prowess in martial arts make him one of the most memorable characters in Jin Yong's wuxia universe even though he appears in only one chapter of the novel. His name has also become virtually synonymous with homosexuality and LGBT sexual orientations in Chinese popular culture.
Dongfang Bubai makes his dramatic physical appearance in only one chapter of the novel, but his character is pivotal and indispensable to the essence of the story and is continually referenced in vital ways throughout the plot. For example, Ren Woxing ranks him first on a list of "three and a half" persons he most respects and admires. Dongfang Bubai's captivating and provocative character has enabled his role to be largely expanded in films and television series adapted from the novel. He is first mentioned by name in the novel as a deputy to Ren Woxing, the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Through a scheme, he ousts Ren Woxing from power, imprisons him in an underground dungeon in Hangzhou, and thereafter seizes the leadership position. He treats his subordinates cruelly and forces them to submit to him by making them consume poison pills. After taking the pill, the person will suffer a long and painful death. However, if the person submits to him and obeys his orders, they will be given an antidote to temporarily ease their suffering for a limited period of time.
Dongfang Bubai castrated himself to fulfil the prerequisite for learning the skills in the Sunflower Manual and became an extremely formidable martial artist after mastering those skills. However, his personality became more feminine as a consequence and he developed an intimate relationship with a male lover, Yang Lianting. He neglects the cult's affairs and leaves them to Yang.
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Wikipedia