On December 25, 2018, Wen Ruian, a well-known Wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) novelist lectured on “God Is Doing; Man Is Watching” at Tianjin University, in which he illustrated the influence of science and technology on “Chivalry culture”.

Wen Ruian, a Chinese-Malaysian, studied in Taiwan and then went to Hong Kong. In 1987, his novel, “The Four” became all the rage when it was released in Chinese mainland. Wen Ruian, therefore, became one of the four new masters of martial arts literature.

Before the lecture, several Tai Chi masters demonstrated an amazing Tai Chi boxing performance. Together with the background music, the performance transported the audience into a martial arts world.

Though 66 years old, Wen Ruian goes on national speaking tours, promoting the spirit of chivalry. In the lecture, he addressed his understanding of chivalry and explained, “For the swordsman, it is most important to die for a just cause”.

Wen Ruian also interpreted the topic, “God is doing; man is watching”. He said: “People tend to associate their life with destiny. When there is injustice and inequity in life, people always hope God can quell the evil and safeguard justice. In fact, people should keep improving their ability, so they can be a real swordsman no matter what God arranges for them. Thus ‘God is doing; man is watching’”.

With the influence of science and technology on “chivalry”, Wen Ruian explained, the novel has entered a new world. Nowadays, many game companies are buying the copyrights to martial arts novels to design their games. That means, novels are intellectual property, which can bring a fortune. However, novelists should not write to cater to games companies, but to create classics.

During the lecture, Wen Ruian beat the drums and recited poems. In the Q&A section, he said, swordsmanship is China’s unique culture, which is something the Chinese nation should be proud of. His wish is to keep carrying forward the spirit and culture of chivalry.