Who Forged the “Yitian Sword” During Jin Yong’s Visit to Longquan?

“Ruler of the martial world, the Dragon-Slaying Saber commands all. If the Heaven-Reliant Sword does not appear, who can challenge it?”

The Yitian Sword—often translated as the Heaven-Reliant Sword—is a fictional weapon from Jin Yong’s novels.

In 2004, however, swordsmiths in Longquan transformed a collection of weapons from his stories into physical objects that could be seen and handled.

The workshop commissioned to create the real-world interpretation of the Yitian Sword was Shen Guang Long.

What happened during the 2004 Longquan sword event?

A September 2004 report by the *Metropolitan Express* stated that Longquan swordsmiths were producing 24 swords and seven sabers described in Jin Yong’s novels.

The report specifically identified the Shen Guang Long workshop as responsible for the Yitian Sword, with swordsmith Shen Xinpei leading its design and production. Contemporary report from September 2004

Jin Yong visited Longquan a little more than a month later.

A report dated October 26 records that he toured displays of Longquan swords and celadon before attending a public presentation ceremony. During the event, he was specifically recorded receiving the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

The same report states that he spoke with Shen Xinpei and asked about differences between historical and contemporary swordmaking. Report on Jin Yong’s Longquan visit

The available records therefore support a more careful account:

• Shen Guang Long was commissioned to make the Yitian Sword for the event.
• Jin Yong saw weapons from his novels recreated as physical objects in Longquan.
• Contemporary reporting specifically records him receiving the Dragon-Slaying Saber during the ceremony.
• The statement “Shen Guang Long made the Yitian Sword” should not automatically be rewritten as “Jin Yong received a Shen Guang Long Yitian Sword.”

This distinction may appear minor, but it is important for preserving the credibility of the brand’s history.

How could a swordsmith design a weapon without  dimensions?

The contemporary report noted that Jin Yong’s novels provided relatively limited physical detail about the Yitian Sword.

Shen Xinpei therefore needed to convert a literary image into practical dimensions, proportions, materials, and decoration.

The report recorded several design decisions:

• the blade was set at 90 centimetres in length;
• the word *Yitian* was interpreted as suggesting a long, imposing sword;
• the blade was reported as using materials associated with traditional wrought iron and *caogang* steel;
• the overall design incorporated Shen Xinpei’s personal interpretation of the novel’s characters and the idea of a “female sword.”

These statements should be understood as artistic decisions made for this particular literary interpretation. They are not universal standards for classifying historical Chinese swords.

In particular, the explanation linking blade grooves with male or female swords belongs to the design story reported at the time. It should not be presented as a general rule of historical arms classification.

From fictional weapon to physical craftwork

Transforming the Yitian Sword into a physical object was not simply a matter of copying a prop from film or television.

The swordsmith first had to answer practical questions:

• How long should the sword be?
• What proportions would make the complete design visually coherent?
• How should its weight and balance be controlled?
• What structure should be used for the blade?
• What motifs should appear on the guard, pommel, and scabbard?
• How could the atmosphere of the novel be expressed through real materials?

This is where traditional sword-making techniques intersect with literary storytelling.

The novel provides characters, events, and imagination. The swordsmith must use material, proportion, line, texture, and fittings to turn the abstract idea of *Yitian* into a complete physical work.

Why was Shen Guang Long chosen?

The official China Intangible Cultural Heritage database identifies Shen Xinpei as a representative inheritor of the national-level Longquan sword-forging tradition. It also records his important role within the Shen Guang Long workshop tradition. Official profile of Shen Xinpei

A separate article written by Shen Xinpei records that he began learning swordmaking from members of his family in 1961. He later restored the Shen Guang Long workshop and its historical *Ren Zi Hao* brand while continuing to protect, develop, and communicate traditional swordmaking knowledge. Official heritage article by Shen Xinpei

Shen Guang Long’s involvement in the 2004 event was therefore more than the production of a fantasy prop.

The project required a swordsmith capable of constructing a real sword while also understanding the cultural language of traditional Chinese sword design.

What does the Yitian Sword story prove?

The surviving records support several conclusions:

• Longquan organized swordsmiths to recreate weapons from Jin Yong’s novels in 2004.
• Shen Guang Long was responsible for the Yitian Sword made for the event.
• Shen Xinpei converted limited literary descriptions into a physical design.
• Jin Yong publicly visited Longquan and discussed swordmaking with local craftspeople.

The story does not prove that:

• the Yitian Sword existed as a historical weapon;
• the 2004 object was an “original” version of the fictional sword;
• its design represents all traditional Chinese swords;
• every modern Shen Guang Long sword uses the same materials or construction.

Separating verifiable facts from later retellings makes the history more credible rather than less impressive.

Why is this story still worth telling?

For international readers, Chinese swords are connected not only with weapons, but also with literature, ceremony, craftsmanship, and shared cultural memory.

The Yitian Sword originally existed only in the world of fiction. In 2004, Longquan swordsmiths used real materials and traditional skills to transform that literary image into a physical craftwork.

The value of the sword is not that it proves a fictional weapon once existed.

Its value lies in showing how traditional craftsmanship can interpret literature—and how literature can introduce new audiences to Longquan swordmaking.

This is why the study of ancient weapons and weapon culture should include more than dimensions, steel, and hardness. Swords can also reveal how a society understands craftsmanship, heroism, identity, and cultural inheritance.