Part One: Introduction
If you've read a few Hong Kong film reviews or similar material you've probably
encountered the term wuxia. The explanation offered of wuxia in such a context is
usually along the lines of "flying swordsmen flicks". That's a very modern
interpretation specific to HK films and doesn't reflect the depth or history of wuxia.
Wuxia has a rough literal translation as martial knight/adventurer (wu is
things pertaining to warfare and xia are a form of chivalric person). Hence wuxia
fiction might translate as tales of martial adventure or chivalry. That's only scratching
the surface though; search the web for a more detailed explanation of the meaning, history and
character of wuxia. (See Eric
Yin's article "A definition of wuxia and xia"
for more on the subject.)
Key-traits of the characters in wuxia fiction are generosity honour, martial prowess,
honesty, sense of duty, sense of justice, and courage. These are the characteristics of a
hero regardless of time-frame: they're just as important for the cops and triad members of
modern fiction as for the sword-wielders of period pieces. Not only do these traits drive
much of the action found in HK films, they also drive much of the drama: loyalty to a
corrupt boss or a friend?, honesty even when it might cause personal harm?; you can no
doubt recall dozens of such dilemmas from the films you have seen.
The good news is that wuxia fiction is an old, but still living art form. The earliest
work can be traced back over 2,000 years, and while HK cinema is the most well-known
modern source to most westerners there are still exponents of the written work. Indeed, it
went through a true renaissance period in the second half of the twentieth century.
If you can read Chinese characters you're in for a feast. But if you're just limited to
English don't despair. Many of the great classics are available in translated form and
there is a sporadic trickle of more appearing from time to time. Indeed, some of the best
works can be found for free on the internet!
Index
This article is an introduction to the world of wuxia stories, with particular emphasis
on works which are available in an English translation.
The sections are: |
Stephen Chow in
A Chinese Odyssey 2
Leslie Cheung in
Chinese Ghost Story
Leslie Cheung in
Ashes of Time
Ekin Cheng/Aaron Kwok
in The Storm Riders
|
