One of the defining features of the novels of the legendary author Jin Yong is the depth of their engagement with history. As historical romances, they weave into their historical settings elements of classical Chinese literature, religions, medicine and culture, resulting in a rich, multifaceted literary fabric that has captured the imaginations of generation after generation of Chinese-speaking communities around the world. This talk seeks to examine the nature of historical time in some of the various threads of these constructed settings, particularly their incorporation and use of Chinese literature. It will also seek to make preliminary explorations of the poetics of temporality in the interactions between these threads, making occasional comparative reference to British authors of historical romance such as Walter Scott and J. R. R. Tolkien to demonstrate the effect of these interactions. In so doing, the talk aims to shine further light not only on the complex composition of the historical past in Jin Yong’s fiction, but also on the unique appeal that these constructed historical settings have held for Chinese-speaking readerships, diasporic and homeland alike, from the very first Hong Kong readers to the present day.