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Kho Ping Hoo's legendary tales of martial arts live on
A celebrated author, Kho Ping Hoo's martial arts stories continue to captivate readers.
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The iconic covers of Kho Ping Hoo's books depict warriors fighting. (JP/Stefanus Ajie)
T
he adventures began with a tiny, thin book. The cover was simple, with only two colors and bearing an illustration of a fight between Chinese warriors. But inside the book’s covers, ancient China appeared, a time when mighty warriors reigned. On its pages, readers met Bu Kek Siansu and Kwa Sin Liong and followed them on their adventures on Mount Jeng Hoa San.
The imaginary journeys of martial artists in ancient China, or Wuxia, were born out of Asmaraman Sukowati’s mind. With the pen name Kho Ping Hoo, Asmaraman created some of the most famous stories in Indonesia in the 1970s and 1980s. His tales inspired movies, television series and radio shows. Throughout his career, he wrote 116 books of Wuxia stories and 24 books taking place in Indonesian kingdoms.
He was especially celebrated for the ways he described each tale, character and the minute details of every weapon and clothing item. He also had a penchant for incorporating Chinese terms in his writing, a new insight for Indonesian readers.
Asmaraman was born in Sragen, Central Java, on August 17, 1926. In his youth, he would often move from place to place and change jobs, from selling traditional medicines to providing transportation services. He began writing in the 1950s, during his time in Tasikmalaya city, West Java. His short stories appeared in local magazines, such as Liberty, Star Weekly and Pancawarna.
His first foray into martial arts tales began in 1959 with The Heirloom Sword of the White Dragon, a series he wrote for Teratai magazine. The stories became more popular when they were republished by Analisa magazine. After his first success, Kho Ping Hoo set his eyes on martial arts stories. In 1965, he founded CV Gema, a publishing house in Surakarta, Central Java, to help him produce and distribute the books.
More than 50 years later, CV Gema is still in the business. Bunawan Sastraguna, the oldest son-in-law of Kho Ping Hoo, is the head of operations. The company is located at the house where Kho used to live in a small alley in Gandekan, Surakarta.
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A picture of Kho, who died in 1994, hangs on the main wall of the house, amid thousands of books ready for distribution. The books are arranged based on the titles, and people are welcome to purchase them at the company or through their website. Bunawan said several book stores in Jakarta and Tangerang still routinely ordered Kho’s books.
“For direct sales, there is no fixed number. In one month sometimes we can sell up to 5 books or none at all,” Bunawan said. He added that the business was maintained purely as a moral obligation to fans of Kho Ping Hoo, who wished to buy the books. Most of them are people who grew up with Kho’s tales and collect the books.
Currently, Bunawan is collaborating with several parties in a bid to introduce Kho Ping Hoo to a younger audience. He plans to present the stories on a website, in e-books and through an animated series. With the recent trend of popular superhero movies inspired by local classics, there is hope that the tales created by Kho Ping Hoo will receive a similar treatment. (wng)
