Wuxia Fiction: Key Inspiration for HK Action Films
by Spike
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Part Two: Classics
While there has been a great resurgence in wuxia literature in the last 50 years, some
of the most famous and best is centuries old, having fired and enriched the imagination of
scores of generations.
Numbered amongst the list of all-time classics of Chinese literature are three works
that are undoubtedly wuxia. These are Romance of Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of
the Marsh and Journey to the West.
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Romance of Three Kingdoms
Romance of Three Kingdoms is a historic-fictional account of the Three
Kingdoms Period: 168-265 A.D. An epic in the true sense of the word it tells the tale of
the warfare, intrigue, and conflict in which the three states (Wei, U, Su) of the time
battle for preeminence and control of a unified China. |
| A huge work weighing in at over 750,000 characters it was originally a
set of word-of-mouth stories passed down by performers before being collected together by Luo
Guan Zhong in the fourteenth century. The huge cast of the story are the
generals, statesmen and warlords from the period. The Confucian and wuxia themes of
honour, loyalty, justice and self-sacrifice drive the characters and play out against the
back-drop of the titanic battles. An excellent free
online translation of Romance of Three Kingdoms is available. The site
features a downloadable version, individual chapters, supporting material such as essays
on the work and history of the time, even an audio version. There are also two different
translations available in book form (the online version is based on the Brewitt-Taylor
translation). One peculiarity is that the default version has Latin (western) names
substituted for all characters and places! Be sure to read the Pinyin version which uses
the original names.
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Romance of
Three Kingdoms
Moss Roberts trans.
Image from China Guide.
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Outlaws of the Marsh
Outlaws of the Marsh, also variously known as Tales of the Water Margin
and All Men are Brothers is another acknowledged classic. Written in the
fourteenth century by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guan Zhong and
set in the final years of Emperor Hui Zhong's reign (Song Dynasty, 1101-1125) it tells the
tale of 108 virtuous men and women who became "bandits", chiefly due to
oppression and corrupt officials. Another huge work with larger than life characters where
the themes of fraternity, honour, justice, prowess and hospitality act as drivers. The
work is available in a couple of different translations and also has been the inspiration
for a TV series and a roleplaying
game.
I have the Shapiro translation (pictured), a 3-volume set available
from Foreign Language Press in Beijing with an ISBN of 7-119-01662-8. I recommend it.
There are other versions, including a graphic novel (manga). China Books in Melbourne (mail order
available) has a number of the alternate versions.
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Outlaws of the Marsh
Shapiro translation.
Image from China Guide.
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Journey to the West
Journey to the West is well known in Australia due to the 1979-81 Japanese TV
series by the name of Monkey (shown on the ABC). The original story was written
in the sixteenth century by Wu Ch'eng-en and is also numbered amongst the
literacy classics of China. It tells the story of a Buddhist priest's journey from China
to India to obtain sacred scriptures (Tripitaka- the same name as the priest bears).
Tripitaka is accompanied on his journey by three special disciples: supernatural animal
spirits. The most famous and senior of these is Monkey (also known as Aware of Vacuity and
Great Sage Equal of Heaven), an immortal monkey spirit who is the archetype prankster of
Chinese mythology (easily equalling Loki or Coyote in my opinion). The priest and his
disciples are beset by many obstacles on their way; usually by demons and other spirits
who wish to thwart their mission. |
Journey to the West
Jenner translation
Image from China Guide.
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| While the tone of Journey to the West is somewhat
more supernatural legend than the previous two the recurring themes of brotherhood, duty
and honour are strong motivators for the characters of Tripitaka and Monkey. The full
story is long and divided into many chapters, each of which describe an obstacle
encountered. |
| The Japanese TV version starring Masaaki Sakai as Monkey
does quite a decent job of telling parts of the story though adding unique elements of
Japanese comedy and Chanbarra action. There is a fantastic site dedicated to this series (of
related interest, Siren
Visual Entertainment in Australia has released the series in 13
3-episode instalments on Zone 4 DVD and PAL VHS video. Fabulous Films in the UK has also released the whole series on PAL VHS video). Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chow also gives a
remarkable interpretation of the furry trickster in Jeff Lau's two-part
film about the reincarnation of Monkey, entitled A Chinese Odyssey 1: Pandora's Box
and A Chinese Odyssey II: Cinderella (1995). |
Monkey TV series.
Image from Monkey!
site
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| There are many translations of the original Journey to
the West story available ranging from children's books through to complete
translations of the entire work. The most easily found of these is the Arthur
Waley translation going by the name of Monkey and available as a
paperback from Unwin (there is said to be a 2nd revised edition coming out shortly). This
is a greatly abridged version of the story. A search on the web will likely turn up a
number of interesting resources. |
Strange Tales
On the theme of the supernatural there are a wide range of folktales and legends
available in translation, often as collections. Some of these definitely cross over into
the wuxia genre. For instance Pu Songling's stories served as the
inspiration for both Ching Siu Tung's Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
and King Hu's Painted Skin (1992). These stories are available
as a number of translated collections: Strange Tales from the Lianoxhai Studio or
Strange Tales from the Make-Do Studio. These, and a comic/manga version are all
available from China Books. Similarly, searches
on the web for Chinese fairytales, myths, legends and folktales will turn up a number of
stories.
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Strange Tales
of Liaozhai
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