Wuxia (or ‘wuxia pian’) literally means ‘martial heroes’, and refers to a traditional story telling device used in Chinese films, literature and television. In genre terms, ‘wuxia’ is a blend between ‘wushu’ (Chinese martial arts) and the philosophy of ‘xia’ (the code of honour for the righteous, noble person, or knight-errant)...

Although the term is used mostly to describe mythical stories of China’s past, a western comparison would be the famous knight stories of Britain’s folklore, Japan’s samurai heritage or America’s Wild West.

Early examples of wuxia in literature include The Water Margin, written during the Ming Dynasty and considered to be the first full length wuxia text, although wuxia themes had been explored in writing during the Tang Dynasty and as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC.

In filmic terms, the ‘wuxia’ genre predates the kung fu film, which centres on realism and focuses on the empty-handed serials of Cantonese Hong Kong (often featuring real life folk heroes like Wong Fei-hung, Fong Sai-yuk or Hou Yuen-chia). In stark contrast, ‘wuxia’ films are often mythical and fantasy-led, and focus on the more exotic elements of the martial arts. It is not uncommon for heroes to possess the ability to fly in wuxia. A wuxia fighter is also more likely to use bladed weapons, rather than the trait of focusing on empty-handed combat which is used in Hong Kong’s later kung fu stories. There is also less of a gender divide in wuxia, where female ‘knight warriors’ are often depicted as equals to their male counterparts. Other wuxia traits include magic, warring clans, fantasy weaponry, poisons and treachery, all enveloped in a story which underlies Chinese nationalism, pride, and the right to retain order in the ‘martial world’ and fight against injustice.

There is also keen emphasis on the jiang hu in wuxia story-telling – a mythical world made up of martial warriors who belong to large clans and sects. The wandering warriors of the jiang hu encounter thieves and bandits as well as rival schools and formidable adversaries, often in order to protect the ‘martial world,’ or to confront a tale of revenge, or to protect a crime of passion. Good wuxia authors often paint vivid portraits of the jiang hu and its strong traditions of honour and respect.

Long-running serials in Chinese newspapers helped to propel the wuxia story into popular culture in the 19th century. These stories would later make the transition onto the stage with the growing popularity of touring Peking Opera schools who would adapt the magical elements and acrobatics for the theatre. When China entered the film industry in the 1930s, Shanghai (the former apex of Mandarin film production) focused on the popular wuxia stories already prevalent in literature and Peking Opera. Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery (1928) is often cited as the first wuxia film ever made.

Wirework was introduced to elevate the performers in the style of the flying wuxia warriors from China’s literal past. These filming techniques progressed further following the growth of Taiwan and Hong Kong as the Far East’s major exporters of Cantonese martial arts films following the Communist takeover of China. In the 1960s, big budget production companies like Shaw Brothers continued the trend of wuxia films by using strong female characters in lead roles, and reducing the fantasy elements of the storyline while still expanding on the thematic traits of sword fighting and martial chivalry. Directors like Chang Cheh and King Hu made their name in the wuxia genre before following the trend in the 1970s of producing kung fu films. The films of this period would later influence the post-modern revisionist work by Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero – the former being based on a novel by Wang Du-lu, a popular wuxia writer from the early 20th century.

Wuxia films have remained a perennial favourite amongst Chinese filmmakers despite the growth of the kung fu film and Hong Kong’s latter day gangster films. ‘New wave’ directors like Tsui Hark and Tony Ching Siu-tung have continually returned to the wuxia formula by borrowing its thematic structure for their kung fu films, as well as adapting wirework techniques for supernatural movies and traditional martial arts films.

Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) sparked renewed interest in wuxia in the West, and helped to produce a resurgence in big budget wuxia filmmaking which continues to perform well in Western cinemas.

Video

A classic example of the wuxia film genre is the Jet Li film Swordsman II. Click here to see a montage of clips which vividly demonstrate the recurring themes of wuxia cinema.

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