Wuxia: Difference between revisions

[[File:wuxia 9192.jpg|frame]]

 

 

Although some ''wuxia'' stories are set in modern times, or even the future, most take place in the "Martial Arts World" of ''Jiānghú'' (江湖—literally "rivers and lakes") a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] of [[Imperial China]]. The ''Jianghu'' is a "shared universe", populated by martial-artists and monks, [[Knight Errant|wandering knights]] and beautiful princesses, thieves and beggars, priests and healers, merchants and craftsmen. The best ''wuxia'' writers draw a vivid picture of the intricate relationships of honour, loyalty, love and hate between individuals and between communities in this milieu. It is implicit that law and government are unjust, ineffective and/or corrupt, requiring the ''xia'' to settle differences by force moderated only by their chivalrous code, and often forcing them to live as outlaws despite their noble characters. In modern Chinese, perhaps as a result of these connotations of a separate world with its own rules, the term ''jianghu'' has taken on other meanings, including [[The Triads and the Tongs|the underworld or criminal gangs]].

Compare [[High Fantasy]], [[Heroic Fantasy]], and [[Swashbuckler]]. For the 2011 movie titled ''Wu Xia'', see ''[[Swordsmen]]''.

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* [[Academy of Evil]]: If the story leans heavily toward martial-artists, expect one or more of it to exist in the settings.

* [[Action Girl]]

* [[Wire Fu]]: Used in films to perform exaggerated feats of ''qinggong'' ("light body skill").

* [[Worthy Opponent]]

 

* ''[[Chinese Hero]]'', the epic ''[[Manhua]]'' saga by the author of ''[[The Storm Riders]]'', starting with Chinese fighters defending Chinese pride against racists in America with martial arts before moving on to other settings.

* ''[[G Gundam]]'' was heavily inspired by ''wuxia''. In fact the director, Yasuhiro Imagawa, [[Author Appeal|rather likes ''wuxia'']], which also shows up to a greater degree in ''[[Giant Robo]]'' and less so in ''[[Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen]]''.

 

== [[Film]] ==

* ''[[Once Upon a Time in China]]'', set in the twilight years of Imperial China, chronicling the saga of historical hero Wong Fei Hong (played marvelously by Jet Li), greatest Doctor and Warrior of Canton. Singlehandedly revitalized the genre as one worthy of artistic respect and capable of conveying political meaning.

* ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' brought the classical form of the genre to the mainstream in the West.

* ''[[Hero (film)|Hero]]'' is notable for coming out a few years later than ''Crouching Tiger'', with a lot more controversy. It was a big Wuxia production relatively soon after the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong, which made some critics see the [[Historical Hero Upgrade]] of the king as a way to win the approval of the Chinese government, while others insisted that variants of this "Emperor And Assassin" story had been told in China for centuries, even in Hong Kong under British rule.

* ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]''

* The entire ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise is arguably a ''wuxia'' saga disguised as a space opera.

* The ''[[Kill Bill]]'' films were at least heavily influenced by ''wuxia''.

* ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]''

* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' is either an [[Affectionate Parody]] or a slightly more comedic example of the genre. Either way, even the Chinese thought it was a worthy addition to the genre.

* ''Swordsmen In Double Flag Town'' is a "down and dirty" hybrid of ''wuxia'' and [[The Western|western]] set in China's own Wild West.

* The ''[[Chinese Ghost Story]]'' series has more of a fantasy element than most stories in the ''wuxia'' genre.

* The ''[[Dragon Series]]'' by Laurence Yep.

 

* [[Short Sabre Story]]: A comedy variant.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCu2A20S1Vw Geico's "Wuxia" commercial], a parody of ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''.

* ''[[Juuken Sentai Gekiranger]]'' is heavily inspired by the genre, and is [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff|quite popular outside Japan.]]

* 神鵰俠侶 or Return Of The Condor Heroes by Jin Yong has been adapted several times for television, most recently in 2006 (see image above).

* The not-yet-released ''[http://intothefarwest.com/ Far West]'' is essentially a Wuxia setting... modeled after the [[Wild West]].

 

* [[Cirque Du Soleil]]'s ''KA'' owes a lot to this genre, especially in its visuals.

 

* Taito's ''[[Legend of Kage]]'' and ''Demon Sword'', although the latter also has Western medieval fantasy elements.

 

* ''Kikokugai -The Cyber Slayers-'' combines wuxia with cyberpunk and send it DEEP to the cynical territory. It's from [[Nitroplus]].

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

 

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[[Category:Fiction]]

[[Category:Speculative Fiction]]

[[Category:Film Genres]]

[[Category:Hollywood History]]

[[Category:Literature Genres]]

[[Category:Useful Notes/China]]