Local Pulp Fiction Before ‘Sanhaozi’: A Discussion of ‘Chinese Killer King

Abstract

<p>This paper examines the production, circulation, and characteristics of local pulp fiction before the popularity of the "Sanhaozi", using Zhou Baiping's "Chinese Killer King" and "Bull-headed Leung" series as examples. Zhou Baiping (1903-1976), also known as Ren Huhua, was a famous journalist and film screenwriter in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Her representative works include the "Chinese Killer King" series (1939-1949) and the "Bull-headed Leung" series (1942-1946). The former consists of about forty to fifty books, depicting the leaders of Chinese gangs nicknamed "Killer King" fighting against gangs from around the world, imagining Chinese defeating Westerns and Japanese’s bullies. The latter consists of about ten to fifteen books, with the story taking place in Hong Kong and Guangdong area during the Japanese occupation period. It depicts how the protagonist, “Bull-headed Leung”, transforms from a bandit who only wants to "win reputation" to a guerrilla fighter with a certain patriotic ideology, fighting against local gangs and Japanese invaders. Both series were very popular at the time. The former is characterized by its imagination of modern technology, while the latter is full of local flavor with many realistic details of people's lives and expressions during the Japanese occupation period.</p>