Tianjin-style swordsman fictions: a return to popularity

Brief introduction：

This book tells the story of the heroic wrestlers led by master Hua Renlong. Brave and righteous， they help the distressed， defy threats and assume full responsibility. Through wrestling and joining in open contests， they have courageously crushed the conspiracies of the Japanese invaders and defeated Japanese warriors and judo masters， which shows the national integrity and patriotism of Chinese wrestlers.

About the author：

Yao Zongying， born in 1943， is a member of the Chinese Writers Association and a member of the Tianjin Wrestling Association. He graduated in 1962 from a high school and was engaged in farming in Zengxingyao Village， a suburb of Tianjin， for 13 years. He successively worked as a middle school teacher， manager of the school-run enterprise， curator of the Dongli District Cultural Center and head of the administrative department of the newspaper Dongli Today. Yao Zongying has won many national， provincial and municipal literary awards.

Published by Tianjin People’s Publishing House Co.，Ltd.， Betting on Wrestling is written by the author who is also a wrestler， Yao Zongying. It is another masterpiece on the wrestling master， following the “Wrestling Circles Trilogy”. At first glance at the title of the book， Betting on Wrestling， readers might think it is a story about “betting and wrestling”： gambling， blind hookey， cricket fighting， etc. However， the light suddenly dawns after readers work their way through the book. It turns out that this is another long martial arts novel， which describes the ups and downs of the wrestling circles， the wrestlers’ kindness and grudge， their resistance against Japanese aggression and how good triumphs over evil. The opening chapter of Betting on Wrestling clearly points out its origin and details about where the story took place. Just likes jianbing guozi （deep-fried dough sticks rolled in a thin pancake） in A Bite of China， this book has won the hearts of countless fans. But things readers love deeply in Mr. Yao Zongying’s book are even more abundant.

The Tianjin-style novel is a local folklore novel with Tianjin regional characteristics. Based on the fact that nine rivers flow through the city of Tianjin， the novel highlights regional characteristics， local customs and the personalities of industry icons， presenting the spirit and lifestyle of Tianjin people in the 1940s.

The moving and heroic stories in this book shapes the images of humorous Tianjin people with history， martial arts， struggles， folklore， life as well as the historical facts of the Chinese resistance against the Japanese invaders. Not only does this work represent the strong comeback of martial arts novels， it is also a positive novel that reflects the characteristics of the times. As General Secretary Xi Jinping points out， “To remain firmly confident in the path， theory and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics， in the final analysis， is to strengthen cultural confidence. ‘Cultural confidence’ is the most fundamental， deep-rooted， and long-lasting power.” Yao Zongying’s Betting on Wrestling has conveyed the strength of national confidence to us.

Betting on Wrestling

Yao Zongying

Tianjin People’s Publishing House Co.，Ltd.

May 2018

58.00 （CNY）