Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (second right), Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung (third right) and other guests officiate the opening of an exhibition titled "A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe" at Edinburgh Place, in Hong Kong, March 15, 2024. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Louis Cha Leung-yung’s esteemed novels are the city’s “gilded brand” and a window for the world to learn about Chinese culture, Hong Kong leaders said on Friday at a sculpture exhibition commemorating the centenary of the late author, who was also known by his pen name, Jin Yong.

Friday would have been Cha’s 100th birthday, according to the lunar calendar, and was marked by the opening “A Path to Glory - Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial’’. The event was launched at a ceremony held in Edinburgh Place in Central.

Having been translated into many foreign languages including English, French, Japanese and Korean, Cha’s novels have also become a window for the world to understand China and learn Chinese culture

Addressing the ceremony, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stressed that Hong Kong is the birthplace of Cha’s martial arts fictions, therefore the literary magnate’s works are a “gilded brand” of Hong Kong.

READ MORE: FILMART, Huawei partner conference, celebrating Jin Yong & women artists

Cha’s 15 popular novels also turned him into a household name. “Wherever there are Chinese, there are readers of Jin Yong,” Lee said.

He also called Cha’s works an encyclopedia of excellent traditional Chinese culture as the titles incorporate poetry, calligraphy, painting, Confucianism, geography, architecture, traditional Chinese medicine, cooking and much more.

Having been translated into many foreign languages including English, French, Japanese and Korean, Cha’s novels have also become a window for the world to understand China and learn Chinese culture, Lee added.

Lee noted that many characters in his works reflect long-standing Chinese virtues and values such loyalty, modesty, wisdom and patriotism. These characteristics have been conveyed all over the world through his books, which is a great example of telling good Chinese stories, the chief executive added.

Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, chairman of the government’s Mega Cultural and Art Events Committee— one of the event’s sponsors —, said Cha’s influence has been extended to the whole world, becoming an important window for the world to understand Chinese culture.

The commemorative event comprises two sculpture exhibitions. The one in Edinburgh Place, which will run until July 2, displays 10 statues of roles from Cha’s works, including Guo Jing, Xiaolongnu, Genghis Khan and Zhou Botong. The other one, staged in Shatin’s Hong Kong Heritage Museum from Saturday to Oct 7, will exhibits another 22 statues of Cha’s characters.

By 1969, Cha had written 15 novels based on ancient Chinese history with martial arts and romance elements, which won him commercial success and an unmatched reputation in literacy circles

In addition, four statues will be displayedin four transportation hubs — Sheung Wan’s Hong Kong Macao Ferry Terminal, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the West Kowloon Cultural District near the high-speed railway station, and Hong Kong International Airport — to welcome Cha’s fans upon their arrival in the city.

All the sculptures were designed by the Chinese mainland artist Ren Zhe.

A tour group from Shenzhen came to the Edinburgh Place on Friday to visit the exhibition. 

Fifty-nine-year-old Li Haoxue brought his family to admire the sculptures. He said that he has been a fan of Cha’s books since he was young, and his favorite is the chivalrous spirit embedded in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils — a title published in 1963.

READ MORE: Jin Yong's martial arts novel published in English for 1st time

Born in Haining, Zhejiang province in 1924, Cha moved to Hong Kong in 1948 and spent most of his life in the city. His maiden martial arts fiction, The Book and the Sword, was published in 1955, amid the high tide of the booming martial arts genre, also known as wuxia.

By 1969, he had written 15 novels based on ancient Chinese history with martial arts and romance elements, which won him commercial success and an unmatched reputation in literacy circles.

Cha passed away in Hong Kong in 2018, at the age of 94.