Wǔxiá ( Traditional Chinese: 武俠, Simplified Chinese: 武侠), or "martial arts chivalry", is a distinct genre in Chinese literature and cinema. Wuxia figures prominently in the popular culture of all Chinese-speaking areas, and the most important writers have devoted followings.As a phenomenon wuxia genres are confined and peculiar to Chinese culture; even within East Asian cultures like Japan and Korea there is no equivalence with the Chinese concept of xia (俠), or "chivalry". Samurai bushido traditions share some aspects of with Chinese martial xia philosophy, but most attributes of xia are specific to Chinese society alone.
1 Themes
Fantasy is an important theme in wuxia. Whether applied to movies or books, the wuxia genre is characterized by its fantasy component. The heroes in the movie practice martial arts to reach a state where they attain any number of superhuman powers, so that they can, among other things:
- fight, usually using a codified sequence of movements known as zhāo (招), at lightning fast speeds
- use improbable objects, such as ink brushes, abaci, and musical instruments, as lethal weapons
- the adept use of assassin weapons (ànqì 暗器) with improbable accuracy
- use qinggong ( T: 輕功 S: 轻功), or the ability to circumvent gravity, and scale walls or fly about with ease
- use nèilì (内力), which is the ability to control mystical inner energy ( qi), to do things like suck an opponent inwards, throwing them, or forcing out poison from oneself
- engage in diǎnxué ( T: 點穴 S: 点穴), the skill of paralyzing or killing opponents by hitting their acupressureAcupressure is a traditional Chinese medicine technique based on the same ideas as acupuncture. It involves placing physical pressure, by hand, elbow, or with the aid of various devices, on different pressure points on the surface of the body (which may b points (xué 穴) with a finger or weapon
These are not just sleights of hand or magic tricks; often they are justified with strongly abstruse philosophical underpinnnings, with allusions to TaoismFor other uses of the words "tao" and "dao", see Tao (disambiguation) and Dao (disambiguation). Taoism or Daoism is usually described as an Asian philosophy and religion, although it is also said to be neither but rather an aspect of Chinese wisdom. The T, BuddhismTian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of Siddhrtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; in Pli, Siddhattha Gotama , who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE., and Chinese medicine. These skills are usually also described as requiring talent and many years of study. The details of these skills are often to be found in abstrusely written and/or encrypted manuals known as mìjí (秘笈), which may contain the secrets of an entire sect, and are often subject to theft or sabotage.
Jiang HuThe jiang hu world is the fictional environment in which many wu xia stories are set. The term jiang hu can be translated literally as "rivers and lakes"; metaphorically, it refers to any wild or unsettled region. In medieval China, outlaws often fled to, or the wuxia underworld, is another strong theme. In the world known as Jiang Hu, both favours (恩 en) and revenge (仇 chóu) are not taken lightly at all; an entire story may revolve around the single-minded pursuit of a single protagonist for revenge, which may take decades. Characters are also incredibly concerned with face, trustworthiness, and honour, over all of which they are willing to take life (including their own), and this system of Jiang Hu moral code is usually idealized to such a level that would be considered unrealistic in real life. Love is also an overarching theme in wuxia; the relationship between young lovers (who are also unparalleled wuxia masters) may drive an entire story forward.
Another strong theme in wuxia is that the powerful skills must be trained and practiced with the purity in heart. Impatience and improper control of the mind and qi during the training would result in bodily and/or mental injuries (走火入魔 lit. lost control and fell to the dark side).
