What is Wuxia?

Wuxia is an interesting Asian genre. If you are familiar with martial arts or grew up watching old kung-fu films, you may be familiar with the term Wuxia. If you did not, rest easily. Wuxia is the Chinese version of the old chivalry Western novels.

In fact, Wuxia is a composed word from Wu (martial) and Xia (chivalry).

Except instead of armored knights with swords fighting bandits, evil lords or infidels, you have Chinese soldiers or warrior monks fighting evil with swords and kung fu techniques, of course.

So, you may ask, why are we discussing Wuxia in a speculative fiction blog? Because there is a subgenre of Wuxia in which the stories are about impossible kung fu moves (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon‘s wire-fu), the enemies are evil wizards, and the battles include dragons, spirits, demons and other fantastical beasts from Chinese mythology.

There are magic spells, prophecy, and magical weapons too!

By the way, Wuxia novels are not an all-boys afairs, women are prominent heroes and capable with swords and hand to hand combat.

Magic Land of Rivers and Lakes

Wuxia can be both, high and low fantasy. It can take place in the past or a more contemporary setting.

Nevertheless, the majority of Wuxia novels take place in a mythical, fantasy version of Imperial China. Known by the Chinese name of Jianghu or ‘land of rivers and lakes’.

These are rural areas in which the law is corrupt (hmm, some things have not changed much) and there are wandering knights, beggars, Taoist monks with magical powers (and for some reason, it is usually Taoist, not Buddhist), beautiful ass-kicking princesses, thieves, evil warlords, wise men and women, merchants, soldiers, hermits and, of course, masterless kung-fu warriors.

Just like in urban fantasy, in Wuxia, the setting is very important to the action. Perhaps not as a character itself, but as an alternative version of reality. A land that never was but could have been.

Warrior Code and Values

Like most martial arts, warrior codes and martial values are important to the narrative. They are embedded in the text itself of the stories.

Honor, respect towards elders, discipline, sacrifice, love of country and clan, loyalty, being a good citizen, hard work (the literal definition of the word kung fu), protection of the weak and oppressed, disregard for wealth, justice, courage and, of course, chivalry.

Chivalry is essential to the story. Unsurprisingly, Confucian values are emphasized. The hero is usually a peasant or a member of the lower class seeking revenge or repayment from a past offense.

The Confucian values are part of the themes and plot.

Martial Arts Meets Fantasy

Should I care about Wuxia? Yes, you should. You will sorry not to. Why?

Because Wuxia is what happens when martial arts meet fantasy. And because fantasy as a genre is not (and should not be) the providence only of Western society.

As a matter of fact, it is good to be exposed (as readers and writers) to other culture’s ideas and values in reference to magic and fantasy.

Whether the magic is the byproduct of qigong (training to project life energy) or years of training in obscure mystical arts, Wuxia has plenty to offer Western readers. Magical dragons, flying warriors, evil wizards and witches, magical powers, enchanted weapons…

Wuxia almost sounds like sword and sorcery but with a Chinese flavor.

Finally, if you are interested in reading Wuxia, I recommend The Iron-Crane series by Wang Du Lu; the Chinese classic Journey to the West by Cheng’en Wu; The Book and the Sword by Louis Cha and Cindy Pon‘s Silver Phoenix.

Granted, Wuxia is more prevalent in Asian films. Nonetheless, I think the fantasy elements and plots translate very well to the West. Perhaps it is time to discovered this Asian flavored fantasy genre.

Do you like Wuxia? Would you care to recommend other books or films?

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