Is Wuxia Fiction dorky?

[Diego0405]

I don't think so. Just like every culture has it's own heritage, like the story of King Arthur were left for generations to millions of westerns, and people still like it very much even now! You wouldn't consider King Arthur to be silly will you? And what attracted us the most about Arthur and his knights are their adventures and their noble deeds and spirits, and so does wuxia!! Wuxia is one part of the chinese culture. Maybe it seems a little bit silly for people nowadays, that's because we all under the influence of Hollywood! We all get use to the hero that beat and kill the monster or the bad guy, the great stunts a sci-fic movie brings or some belletristic movies that bewitch us with its cliche romance, for one couple met just now but have sex rightaway! Wuxia has its own value for the modern society to exam, to adore and to worship! Even if it's not realistic.

[shenlong]

exactly, like medieval is romanticised to westerners Wuxia is the romanticised version of china

[odbayarb2000]

I have just got to read this thread . Interesting
In some senses Wuxia is dorky .
But I really do enjoy it. Though I have no one to share my dorkiness.
All my friends interested in different things. Guys watch Hollywood movies and girls watch Korean dramas. Even some guys made me fun. Because I watch and read different thing from them. But I don't care . Since I truly enjoy with my dorkiness.

I wish to more novels to written and more novels to be translated. because I don't know Chinese . Hehe

[shenlong]

I have just got to read this thread . Interesting
In some senses Wuxia is dorky .
But I really do enjoy it. Though I have no one to share my dorkiness.
All my friends interested in different things. Guys watch Hollywood movies and girls watch Korean dramas. Even some guys made me fun. Because I watch and read different thing from them. But I don't care . Since I truly enjoy with my dorkiness.

I wish to more novels to written and more novels to be translated. because I don't know Chinese . Hehe

the way u worded that.... yeah, anyways you'll be able to enjoy it a lot more if u learn chinese but not everyone has the time

and whats so great about korean soaps? soaps suck

[Ghaleon]

Well it's been a while since I posted here...

I've been studying and trying to learn qigong. I think wuxia can be applicable to one's life beyond watching/reading wuxia :-)

Wuxia is kind of like an artistic representation of taoist and buddhist spiritual cultivation all in a dramatic fun engaging presentation.

Wuxia fiction is NOT dorky, it is cool!

[TobyZ]

I'm not saying it's going to take rocket scientists, but they'd certain have to pay more attention to wuxia movies than they would pay to something like xXx. Come on. You really think that someone who've never been exposed to wuxia is not going to go "HUH?" when a term like Wudang (sp?)comes up?

I think this is one of the main reasons why traditionel wuxia will never reach the state of mainstream, because in the first place it is real hard for foreigners, like me, to get all the ambitions...but everybody has the ability to learn. I started watching those movies in the 90's when HK Cinema became kind of popular, especially with the wuxia genre. I didn't get all of the plots, but all that over-the-top entertainment was so different and fascinating that the meaning of every act didn't really matter
Nowadays me and my girlfriend a both into this a lot. I'm more in reading and watching movies concerning the genre and my girl's into TVB and also some ATV stuff. We both like it, because it's entertaining, poetic, sometimes scratching real-life issues in a more ideal way and you've got a lot of Action. Another thing what it makes so appealing to me, is the extremity of emotions which get spread. Wuxia is a medium that keeps your heart beat raising, as long as you can let yourself go and feel the vibe...

btw wuxia has compared to the usual superhero outputs something like a teaching ambition, not in any special subjects, but the fact that nobody in jianghu is born with superpower! You have to learn and practise over and over again to rise to supreme power or something similar just like in real life imho...

so in the end I don't think wuxia is dorky. It's all over the top with everything it has to say, but still keeps social and human issues in its context alive and also initiates the thinking about oneself and the surrounding he/she is part of

[sarakoth]

I think this is one of the main reasons why traditionel wuxia will never reach the state of mainstream, because in the first place it is real hard for foreigners, like me, to get all the ambitions...but everybody has the ability to learn. I started watching those movies in the 90's when HK Cinema became kind of popular, especially with the wuxia genre. I didn't get all of the plots, but all that over-the-top entertainment was so different and fascinating that the meaning of every act didn't really matter
Nowadays me and my girlfriend a both into this a lot. I'm more in reading and watching movies concerning the genre and my girl's into TVB and also some ATV stuff. We both like it, because it's entertaining, poetic, sometimes scratching real-life issues in a more ideal way and you've got a lot of Action. Another thing what it makes so appealing to me, is the extremity of emotions which get spread. Wuxia is a medium that keeps your heart beat raising, as long as you can let yourself go and feel the vibe...

btw wuxia has compared to the usual superhero outputs something like a teaching ambition, not in any special subjects, but the fact that nobody in jianghu is born with superpower! You have to learn and practise over and over again to rise to supreme power or something similar just like in real life imho...

so in the end I don't think wuxia is dorky. It's all over the top with everything it has to say, but still keeps social and human issues in its context alive and also initiates the thinking about oneself and the surrounding he/she is part of

It already HAS reached the state of mainstream.
1 billion copies of Jin Yong alone !!!!!!!!
2nd best selling author in history!!!!!!!

[Ken Cheng]

It already HAS reached the state of mainstream.

In East Asia.

By "mainstream," I think we're meant to read "the Western world."

[sarakoth]

In East Asia.

By "mainstream," I think we're meant to read "the Western world."

Racist!!!

Yellow people count too you know.

[Ghaleon]

Any of you try applying your wuxia fascination to real-life? Like taiqiquan, qigong, or buddhist/taoist meditation principles?

[Ken Cheng]

Racist!!!

"Sigh." And I didn't even have to say that I hated Yeung Gor this time...

Yellow people count too you know.

Not saying we don't, but in the context of this conversation, "mainstream" is taken to mean the West...which still is the primary source of global popular culture. Not saying that it's inherently superior, but Western pop culture just has a greater global reach than Asian pop culture. More people have heard of STAR WARS than have heard of LOCH. I'm not going to go into the merits of that: I'm just pointing out that that's the situation.

[Son of Light]

Simplily not interested in the west.

[TobyZ]

It already HAS reached the state of mainstream.
1 billion copies of Jin Yong alone !!!!!!!!
2nd best selling author in history!!!!!!!

mainstream for me is when a medium gets sold all over the world and reaches plus is known by people who have no relations at all with the genre. Ask somebody in europe about Jin Yong. A lot of questionmarks is the impression you will receive, that's for sure!!

Any of you try applying your wuxia fascination to real-life? Like taiqiquan, qigong, or buddhist/taoist meditation principles?

it depends. I'm practising Wing Chun for many years now and of course all the wuxia-like-gong-fu for down-to-earth human is actually nonsense... but the context in the given thoughts which are transported in wuxia fiction is in its basics from time to time similar.

Like I said before wuxia themes often have social and human aspects which can be considered parallel to real life issues. Even when it comes to politics wuxia does not take a "paper in front of the mouth" (german saying) and comes very direct in its critisism imho.
btw..A scientifical study has proofed that readers of fantasy-like novels a generally more interested in politics and I think this is also a nice side-effect.

[Ghaleon]

Well I wouldn't say ridiculous or nonesense.... there are qigong masters in China that can do very crazy stuff... albeit not to the extent of jin yong's characters but still enough to consider it "supernatural". The hot stuff is in "qi cultivation", "kundalini" and "prana". I personally believe in those stuff and there are masters out there who can do wacky things with Qi.

Yes the wuxia fiction definitely tackles on real life issues head-on. The beauty of the stories from Jin Yong is that he brings the viewpoints from all angles and you can view the issue from left, right, or in-between. In general there is no right answer and the inclination of Jin Yong's stories usually favors spiritual cultivation (ala Taoism or Buddhism) whereas the world of politics is a messy web of moral ambiguity.

[odbayarb2000]

I would say that wuxia has so many stuffs to enjoy. Jing Yong novels have a plenty of characters, skills and adventures. When it comes to western superheroes like superman, we will be ended up only watching superman kicking one or two bad guys' *** off. That's all. But for example lord of the rings was different , there were enough characters to enjoy which makes it so popular. I think same goes for wuxia novels.

[Ghaleon]

I would say that wuxia has so many stuffs to enjoy. Jing Yong novels have a plenty of characters, skills and adventures. When it comes to western superheroes like superman, we will be ended up only watching superman kicking one or two bad guys' *** off. That's all. But for example lord of the rings was different , there were enough characters to enjoy which makes it so popular. I think same goes for wuxia novels.

Yes for sure! And besides the entertainment factor, there is lot of spirituality in his novels and lot of lessons in humanity. JY novels are actually considered literature. When I watch LOTR or superman, i mainly watch them for the entertainment factor. But when I watch JY TV series, I am watching great literature on screen!

I hate it when people consider Wuxia just a 'fad' or just a fantasy thing like LOTR. Jin Yong Wuxia is much more than that. It is almost like a way of life.

[TobyZ]

Well I wouldn't say ridiculous or nonesense.... there are qigong masters in China that can do very crazy stuff... albeit not to the extent of jin yong's characters but still enough to consider it "supernatural". The hot stuff is in "qi cultivation", "kundalini" and "prana". I personally believe in those stuff and there are masters out there who can do wacky things with Qi.

yes of course, there are some masters around the globe who have extraordinary abilities, but I think such martial arts i.e. braving the element of gravity or transporting immens energy from one man to another according to the given inner Qi is kind of exaggerative....but entertaining

[Ghaleon]

yes of course, there are some masters around the globe who have extraordinary abilities, but I think such martial arts i.e. braving the element of gravity or transporting immens energy from one man to another according to the given inner Qi is kind of exaggerative....but entertaining

Regarding those extraordinary abilities, yes that maybe a bit exaggerating. Then we are treading into religious beliefs ground But practically speaking in a normal modern sense, there are Qigong masters who could emit Qi from their palms and heal patients. Actually Harvard scientists did some experiments on Tibetan Tantra masters who could raise their body temperatures up to 15 degrees in a matter of seconds or minutes using mystic heat! There is actually lot of research going into these qigong arts right now and science doesn't understand it all. I say mind over matter

[TobyZ]

Then we are treading into religious beliefs ground

when it comes to flying? I always thought the Xia's are practising their gong fu that intensive, that afterwards they are able to brave the element of gravity

[sarakoth]

"Sigh." And I didn't even have to say that I hated Yeung Gor this time...



Not saying we don't, but in the context of this conversation, "mainstream" is taken to mean the West...which still is the primary source of global popular culture. Not saying that it's inherently superior, but Western pop culture just has a greater global reach than Asian pop culture. More people have heard of STAR WARS than have heard of LOCH. I'm not going to go into the merits of that: I'm just pointing out that that's the situation.

Maybe where you live.