The Book and the Sword is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). First serialised between 8 February 1955 and 5 September 1956 in the Hong Kong newspaper The New Evening Post, it is also Jin Yong's debut novel. Set in 18th-century China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, the novel follows the quest of the Red Flower Society, a secret society aiming to overthrow the Qing government, and their entanglements with a Uyghur tribe in southern Xinjiang. The "book" in the title refers to a Quran that was stolen from the tribe while the "sword" refers to a sword given to the protagonist, Chen Jialuo, by his first romantic interest, Huoqingtong. Historical figures such as the Qianlong Emperor, Zhaohui, Heshen, Zheng Banqiao and Fuk'anggan also make appearances or are mentioned by name in the novel. One of the protagonists, Princess Fragrance, is loosely based on the Fragrant Concubine. Alternative English titles of the novel include Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge and The Romance of the Book and Sword. Source: Wikipedia (en)