:Ni Kuang

{{Short description|Hong Kong-American writer (1935–2022)}}

{{Family name hatnote|Ni|lang=Chinese}}

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{{Use Hong Kong English|date=July 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Ni Kuang

| image = Ni_Kuang_2007.jpg

| caption = Ni at Hong Kong Shue Yan University in 2007

| birth_name = Ni Cong

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|5|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Shanghai, Republic of China

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|07|03|1935|5|30|df=y}}

| death_place = Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong, China{{cite news |title=【倪匡離世】媳婦周慧敏:倪匡遺體已火化 一切從簡|url=https://news.mingpao.com/ins/港聞/article/20220705/s00001/1657010662517/ |accessdate=2022-07-12 |work=Mingpao |date=2022-07-05}}

| native_name = {{zh|t=倪匡}}

| occupation = Novelist, screenwriter, actor

| module = {{Infobox writer

|embed=yes

|genre = Wuxia, science fiction

|period = 1956–2005

}}

}}

{{Chinese

| c = 倪匡

| p = Ní Kuāng

| j = Ngai4 Hong1

| altname = Ni Cong
{{small|(birth name)}}

| t2 = 倪聰

| s2 = 倪聪

| p2 = Ní Cōng

| j2 = Ngai4 Cung1

| altname3 = Yiming
{{small|(courtesy name)}}

| c3 = 亦明

| p3 = Yìmíng

| j3 = Jik6-ming4

}}

Ni Cong{{Cite web |title=Ni+Kuang_c.pdf |url=https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/18995340/19057017/Ni%2BKuang_c.pdf |website=Hong Kong Film Archive}} (30 May 1935 – 3 July 2022), courtesy name Yiming, better known by his pen name Ni Kuang (also romanised Ngai Hong, I Kuang and Yi Kuang),{{cn|date=October 2022}}{{clarify|reason=Any reliable sources stating he himself and his official records used the Ni spelling, giving his sister uses Nee and his son Nieh?|date=October 2022}} was a Hong Kong-American novelist and screenwriter. He wrote over 300 Chinese-language wuxia and science fiction novels, and more than 400 film scripts.

Life

Ni was born on 30 May 1935, in Shanghai, China, to a family of intellectuals.{{cite web | url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%80%AA%E5%8C%A1%E9%9B%A2%E4%B8%96-%E6%9B%BE%E5%9B%A0%E9%80%83%E5%85%B5%E5%90%83%E8%9F%BB%E6%9E%9C%E8%85%B9-%E5%9B%9E%E9%A1%A7%E8%8F%AF%E6%96%87%E7%A7%91%E5%B9%BB%E5%B7%A8%E6%93%8E%E7%94%9F%E5%B9%B3-085031106.html | title=【倪匡離世】曾因逃兵吃蟻果腹…回顧華文科幻巨擎生平 | date=5 July 2022 }} He was the fourth child out of seven, and one of his younger siblings is novelist Yi Shu.{{cite web | url=https://www.yzzk.com/article/details/%E5%B0%81%E9%9D%A2%E5%B0%88%E9%A1%8C/2014-29/1405567669036/%E5%80%AA%E5%8C%A1%E5%BE%9E%E5%85%A7%E8%92%99%E9%80%83%E5%88%B0%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E7%A7%98%E8%BE%9B | title=亞洲週刊 }} His parents, who worked as insurance agents, left Shanghai for British Hong Kong in 1950 with his three younger siblings, although Ni and his three older siblings remained in mainland China. In 1951, at the age of 16, he joined the People's Liberation Army, and was employed as a security officer by Jiangsu provincial public security department in 1952 after receiving training at East China People's Revolution University. In 1955, he volunteered to be assigned to Jalaid Banner, a region in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia, as a guard of a local laogai camp.

In 1956, Ni was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment as a counter-revolutionary after he was charged for destruction of public property. Ni claims that he removed wooden planks off a bridge with other soldiers and burned them to keep warm in the winter, and he escaped because he thought he would receive a death sentence after his dog bit the commanding officer who frequently targeted him because of his outspokenness against the political system.{{cite web | url=https://m.dw.com/zh/%E5%85%B3%E4%BA%8E%E5%80%AA%E5%8C%A1-%E4%BD%A0%E8%A9%B2%E7%9F%A5%E9%81%93%E7%9A%84%E4%B8%89%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B/a-62350097 | title=关于倪匡 你該知道的三件事 | Dw | 04.07.2022 | website=Deutsche Welle }} In mid-May 1956, Ni fled Inner Mongolia and first went to Anshan to stay with his older brother Ni Yifang, an engineer and a member of the

Chinese Communist Party. He left a month later and returned to Shanghai, where his remaining family members paid a human smuggler for him to travel to Hong Kong. Ni arrived in Kowloon on 5 July 1957,https://www.facebook.com/pazukong/posts/pfbid021C1CCmTuvk5ozEs2SBSRSjnioQcuam1X1WSEVPcuTAnM34ySV7ioHRD8LU2rpWuvl {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=July 2022}} having passed through Guangzhou and Portuguese Macau.{{cite web | url=https://www.rthk.hk/tv/dtt31/programme/siumei | title=香港電台電視 薇微語 }} Since then, Ni had never set foot in mainland China.

Ni's science fiction novels usually take the form of detective/mystery stories featuring extraterrestrial life as a deus ex machina to explain the impossible and implausible. His best known works are the Wisely Series (Wai See-lei 衛斯理) and Dr Yuen (Yuen Chun-hap 原振俠) novel series, both of which have been adapted into films and television series. His criticism of communism is evident in some of these works.

Ni also co-wrote scripts with Chang Cheh for the Shaw Brothers Studio, including for the films One-Armed Swordsman, The Assassin and Crippled Avengers. As the screenwriter for the 1972 film Fist of Fury, he did not receive credit for creating the protagonist, Chen Zhen, who was played by Bruce Lee. The credits listed director Lo Wei as author. Chen Zhen became a popular Chinese culture hero and the subject of numerous remakes and adaptations of Fist of Fury. Notable actors such as Jet Li and Donnie Yen have portrayed Chen Zhen on screen after Bruce Lee. Ni wrote the screenplay for China's first superhero film Inframan.

Ni was a friend and fan of the wuxia writer Louis Cha. He wrote at least one extended segment in Cha's novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils when Cha was on holiday in Europe, although much of his additions were excised in Cha's first revision. Ni, while helping Cha write nearly 40 days of serialisation while Cha was abroad, made A'zi, a character in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils that he didn't like blind in the story.Ni Kuang, 我看金庸小说 (I Read Jin Yong's Novels). Cha had gone through a lot of trouble to revert this event in his novel afterwards.

In 1992, Ni immigrated to the United States and settled in San Francisco, where he continued his writing career.{{cite web | url=https://news.sina.cn/sa/2006-08-24/detail-ikftssap2709715.d.html | title=再见倪匡:人生总有配额 | date=24 August 2006 }} However, he remigrated to Hong Kong in 2006 because his wife could not adjust to the lifestyle in the United States.

Personal life

Ni was a Protestant Christian convert from Buddhism. He was baptized in 1986 at {{ill|Taipei Christian Lin Shun South Road Church|lt=Lin Shun South Road Church|zh-tw|林森南路禮拜堂}} in Taipei.{{cite web |url=https://ct.org.tw/html/news/3-3.php?cat=15&article=1391158 |title=追思知名科幻作家倪匡 半百信主後戒掉菸酒惡習、全家蒙恩 |trans-title=In memory of well-known science fiction writer Ni Kuang, who quit smoking and drinking after becoming a Christian |last=Hung |first=Chia-wei |date=4 July 2022 |website=ct.org.tw |language=zh-hant |access-date=2 August 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://chinese.christianpost.com/news/%E4%BD%9C%E5%AE%B6-%E8%A1%9B%E6%96%AF%E7%90%86-%E5%80%AA%E5%8C%A1-%E6%88%91%E7%82%BA%E4%BD%95%E6%A3%84%E4%BD%9B%E4%BF%A1%E8%80%B6%E7%A9%8C.html |title=作家「衛斯理」倪匡:我為何棄佛信耶穌? |trans-title=Ni Kuang, the creator of Wisely: Why did I abandon Buddhism and believe in Jesus? |author=The Christian Post Reporter |date=24 July 2013 |website=chinese.christianpost.com |language=zh-hant |access-date=2 August 2022}}

Ni had four brothers and two sisters: Ni Yifang (倪亦方), Ni Yixiu (倪亦秀), Ni Yijian (倪亦儉), Ni Yiping (倪亦平), Isabel Nee (倪亦舒) and Ni Yijing (倪亦靖). He was married to Li Guozhen (李果珍) while his younger brother, Ni Yiping, was married to Li's younger sister.{{clarify|reason=Pinyin names not generally used in Hong Kong.|date=October 2022}}

Ni and Li Guozhen{{clarify|reason=Pinyin names not generally used in Hong Kong.|date=October 2022}} had a son and daughter. Their daughter is Ni Sui (倪穗).{{clarify|reason=Pinyin names not generally used in Hong Kong.|date=October 2022}} Their son, {{ill|Joe Nieh|yue|倪震}} (倪震), works in the Hong Kong entertainment industry and is married to actress Vivian Chow. He reportedly died from skin cancer at a cancer rehabilitation center in Hong Kong on 3 July 2022 at the age of 87.{{Cite news |last=May |first=Tiffany |date=2022-07-07 |title=Ni Kuang, Prolific Hong Kong Novelist and Screenwriter, Dies at 87 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/books/ni-kuang-dead.html |access-date=2022-07-07 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last=Rahman |first=Abid|date=2022-07-04 |title=Ni Kuang, Prolific Hong Kong Writer Behind Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury,' 'Big Boss,' Dies at 87 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ni-kuang-dies-at-87-1235175267/ |access-date=2022-07-07 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

Political views

Ni was a known anti-communist. In an interview, when asked about his feelings regarding injustice in China, he stated that the people would continue suffering as long as the Chinese Communist Party remains in existence. He mentioned that the most important value in the world was individual freedom, which includes respecting others' personal freedom as well. His books have been banned in mainland China.{{cite web |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E7%8D%A8%E5%AE%B6%E9%96%8B%E7%AE%B1%E5%80%AA%E5%8C%A1%E9%90%B5%E7%B2%89%E6%9B%B8%E6%AB%83-%E6%95%B4%E9%9D%A2%E7%89%86%E9%83%BD%E6%98%AF%E5%B0%8F%E8%AA%AA%E9%82%84%E6%9C%89%E8%A6%AA%E7%AD%86%E7%B0%BD%E5%90%8D-112415631.html |title=獨家開箱倪匡鐵粉書櫃!一整面牆都是小說還有親筆簽名 |trans-title=Exclusive "unboxing" of the bookcase of a Ni Kuang stan! An impressive array of Ni's novels and autographs |last1=Hung |first1=I-ting |last2=Hsiao |first2=Ming-cheng |date=July 4, 2022 |website=tw.news.yahoo.com |language=zh-hant |access-date=April 18, 2023}}

Filmography

= Films =

This is a partial list of films.{{cite web |url=https://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=3459&display_set=eng |title=Ni Kuang |website=hkmdb.com |accessdate=July 10, 2021}}

  • 1967 One-Armed Swordsman – Screenwriter.{{cite web |url=http://www.hkcinema.co.uk/Reviews/One_Armed_Swordsman_Jimmy_Wang_Yu.htm |title=The One Armed Swordsman |website=hkcinema.co.uk |date=1967 |accessdate=July 10, 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=4705&display_set=eng |title=One-Armed Swordsman |website=hkmdb.com |date=July 26, 1967 |accessdate=July 10, 2021}}
  • 1969 The Invincible Fist – Writer
  • 1979 Writing Kung Fu – Writer
  • 1986 The Seventh Curse – Dr Yi. The film is an adaptation of author Ni Kuang's Dr. Yuen series of novels.{{cite web |url=https://goombastomp.com/tom-watches-movies-seventh-curse/ |title='The Seventh Curse' is a Baffling, Genre-Mixing Horror Adventure |website=goombastomp.com |first=Thomas |last=O'Connor |date=January 26, 2017 |accessdate=July 10, 2021}}
  • 1988 Profiles of Pleasure – Yi
  • 1992 The Cat – Mr Chen

Works

This is a partial list of books:

References

{{Reflist}}