Emei Sect

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The Emei Sect is a fictional martial arts group in wuxia stories, based on Mount Emei. It’s often shown as one of the top orthodox sects in the jianghu, the world of martial artists. It was founded in the early Yuan dynasty by Guo Xiang, around the same time as the Wudang Sect. Guo Xiang, the last survivor of the Guo family from The Return of the Condor Heroes, escaped the Battle of Xiangyang with the Heaven Reliant Sword, became a wandering fighter, and later became a Buddhist nun who started the Emei Sect on Mount Emei.

In Jin Yong’s novels, the sect’s leaders are usually Buddhist or Taoist nuns, and most members are women. In other writers’ works there are male members as well. In Sword Stained with Royal Blood, Emei is mentioned as one of the four great sword sects and has male members. In Gu Long’s stories, Emei is led by Dugu Yihe. Jin Yong’s writings also emphasize that Emei martial arts are especially good for women.

The martial arts of Emei trace back to Guo Xiang and come from her family, including Huang Yaoshi. She learned part of the Nine Yang Manual from Jueyuan. Some elements are considered unorthodox, as Zhou Zhiruo uses the Nine Yin White Bone Claw after finding the Nine Yin Manual.

Emei fighting styles cover inner energy, weapons, and unarmed combat, and include the Twelve Movements and the Six Specially Mastered Skills. Members mainly use swords, but they also throw needles and hairpins as projectiles, called the Prick of Emei or Jade Maiden Hairpin. The top skills are the Emei Swordplay and the 36 dianxue. Like Wudang, Emei blends soft and hard, long- and short-range techniques, with deceptive and direct attacks, making the style effective for women against stronger opponents. Some moves have feminine names inspired by beauties from Chinese history and idioms.