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LOS ANGELES, CA NeueHouse Hollywood Third Floor Terrace At a time of geopolitical tension, superhero fatigue, and an escalating mental health crisis, Immortal Studios—a next-generation, AAPI-led entertainment company—is inviting audiences to reconnect with stories that awaken the hero within. On Wednesday, May 8 from 7:00–9:00 PM at NeueHouse Hollywood , Immortal will host “The Hero Re-Awakens”—a live multimedia celebration of Wuxia, the iconic Chinese martial arts fantasy genre centered on justice, transformation, and inner power. The event honors both AAPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, and spotlights Immortal’s five-year journey from indie comics to cinematic universe. Presented in partnership with NeueHouse, Digital LA, Asian Hustle Network, and Kung Fu Magazine, the evening will feature top creators, performers, and thought leaders celebrating Immortal’s mission—and its growing role as a cultural and commercial force. Event Highlights Include: Fireside Chat: Immortal VP of Content Kelly Sue Milano and renowned Kung Fu/pop culture journalist Gene Ching in conversation with Immortal Founder & CEO Payhuan Peter Shiao to discuss Wuxia’s global rise, Immortal’s mission and cross-cultural impact, and the company’s evolution from comics to a multimedia entertainment studio. Storyverse Showcase: A cinematic reel unveiling the evolving Immortal IP universe, including Fa Sheng: Origins and Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen. Live Performances: Lion dancing and martial arts by East Wind Foundation. Immortal Experience Zone: Step & repeat, exclusive merch tables, collectibles, and exhibits from the Immortal collection. Wuxia: The Genre of Now With traditional superhero franchises losing cultural momentum, Wuxia—long a cornerstone of Eastern storytelling—is now emerging as the next global super-genre. Rooted in personal mastery, purpose, and justice, Wuxia offers a refreshing antidote to nihilism and disconnection. At a time when cultural forms are often borrowed without full understanding, Immortal is bringing deep cultural authenticity to the forefront—honoring the origins of Wuxia while evolving it for today’s world. Immortal Studios is leading this resurgence, developing an interconnected, cross-platform Wuxia Storyverse rooted in the legendary works of Shiao Yi, one of the most influential modern masters of the genre. About Immortal Studios Immortal Studios is a creator-led, AI-powered, and fan-driven entertainment company reimagining the ancient Chinese genre of Wuxia for the global stage. With exclusive rights to the literary works of Shiao Yi—widely regarded as one of the top creators in modern Wuxia—and a slate of original, interconnected IPs, Immortal is building the first true Wuxia Storyverse for today’s audiences. The company has assembled a world-class team from both East and West—including veterans of Marvel, Riot Games, DC, 20th Century Fox, and Quibi—and has forged key partnerships with the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Kung Fu, and UCLA, where the Shiao Yi Wuxia Library was recently established. Together, these efforts position Immortal as the unparalleled platform for authentic Wuxia storytelling, blending mythology, technology, and meaning across comics, film, games, and immersive fan engagement. Press RSVPs, interview requests, and early access to Immortal’s IP slate available.📩  caseygatescreative@gmail.com

In honor of the upcoming Kickstarter for Fa Sheng: Origins #3 , I’m writing a short series of reviews for Immortal Studios on films shot on location at the original Shaolin Temple of China. Shaolin Temple   was truly groundbreaking film on every level so not surprisingly, many emulators followed in its wake. Two subsequent films have been included with the original Shaolin Temple  film in what is dubbed ‘The Shaolin Temple Trilogy,’ even though the successive two films were completely new storylines that had nothing to do with the original and the third was from a different production company altogether. Aside from reuniting the powerful cast of martial artists, the only aspect that all three films share is that Jet Li cross dresses in every installment. Nevertheless, in hopes of coat tailing on singular success of Shaolin Temple , these films were marketed as Shaolin Temple 2  and Shaolin Temple 3 . Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin  (1984) Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin  is from the same production company as Shaolin Temple , Chung Yuen Motion Picture, with the same director, Chang Hsin-Yen. It reunites the cast, but they are playing entirely different roles in a story completely unrelated to the original. And contrary to the theme of this special Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple  series, it was not filmed at Shaolin Temple. Instead, Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin  was shot in the gorgeous mountains and lakes of Guilin.  It’s a story about two Shaolin disciples, Tin Lung (Yu Hai) and Yee Lung (Hu Jianqiang), who rescue and raise a group of boys orphaned by bandits, the eldest of which is San Lung (Jet Li). Across the river is Pao Sheng Fung (Yu Chenghui), a Wudang master, who much to his dismay, has only sired girls. Ji Chunhua and Sun Jiankui also return from the original film, both playing villains. The story capitalizes on the age-old rivalry between Shaolin and Wudang, with a battle of the sexes added in for good measure. Shaolin Temple  only had one female character, the daughter of Sifu (Yu Hai), Bai Wu Xia (Ding Lan). To fortify the Wudang women, Shaolin Temple 2  added Huang Quiyan as San Feng, San Lung’s love interest. In real life, Huang was also a Wushu champion and trained alongside Li from childhood. The two married and had two daughters, however they divorced after only three years. Li broke up with Huang by phone, but they have allegedly remained friends.  The story focuses on kids, some rather annoying kids at that. The Shaolin boys are constantly teasing the Wudang girls, and despite their extraordinary Kung Fu skills, a lot of the humor falls flat today. There’s a running joke about split trousers and a lot of gratuitous shots of the naked butts of the young boys. Like the first film, there’s a musical interlude, but here, Jet Li sings (it’s dubbed – unlike Jackie Chan who is a trained traditional Chinese opera singer and has several pop music albums, Jet can’t sing). SPOILER ALERT The most challenging scene is when Master Pao finally fathers a son, he plays with the infant’s penis and even kisses it. This scene is edited out of most on the internationally distributed versions.  END SPOILER. Throughout the film, there are some fine choreographed fights, par for the cast of Wushu champions. The kids are good too and deliver some deft displays of Wushu skills. There is also a traditional Northern style lion dance segment that stands as an excellent exhibition of the art – no wire work, just pure talent. Lion dancing is rooted in Kung Fu. What appears to be a charming Chinese version of a pantomime horse is built upon extreme Kung Fu skills.  Ultimately, Shaolin Temple 2  redeems its shortcomings with the final fight, which is an all-out battle between a gang of villainous bandits and the united Shaolin and Wudang families. The bandits are armed with some weird weapons, most notably Ji Chunhua as the one-eyed bandit leader. Ji bears the nickname ‘Bald Eagle’ because in real life, he suffers from alopecia, so he has no hair or eyebrows. Consequently, his entire career has been playing villains. Nevertheless, his martial arts mastery is profound. Here, he is armed with a crazy bladed shield and a short pole with an eagle talon top. Ji’s battle with Yu Hai is fantastic, as is a thrilling sword fight between Yu Chenghui versus Sun Jiankui. To top it off, Li has an incredible 3-section staff battle with two opponents also wielding 3-section staffs. It’s an awesome finale, worth suffering through the rest of the film. Or you can just fast forward to the fight scenes. Despite its shortcomings, Shaolin Temple 2  did well at the Chinese box office. It was China’s highest-grossing film title for 1984. Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin  (1986) The third film was produced by the legendary Kung Fu grindhouse, Shaw Brothers Studio, the source point of countless classics of the genre. Lau Kar-leung, the unparalleled Kung Fu actor and fight choreography, took over the director’s chair. And it was filmed at Shaolin Temple, or at least parts of it were shot there.  The Chinese title of this film is Nanbei Shaolin (North South Shaolin) which refers to the southern Shaolin Temple in Putian. Lin Zhiming (Jet Li) and Shi Ren (Yu Hai) represent Shaolin monks from the original temple. Sima Yan (Huang Qiuyan) and Chao Wei (Hu Jianqiang) are from the Southern Putian Shaolin Temple. This gives Hu the opportunity to showcase his expertise in nanquan (southern fist), a form of Wushu that is based on southern Kung Fu methods. Also returning are Ji ‘Bald Eagle’ Chunhua, Sun Jiankui, and Yu Chenghui, once again as villains.  The film is another revenge tale, borrowing elements from the first two films. Along with the scenes shot at Shaolin Temple, there are scenes from Guilin, which doesn’t make much sense. There is no reason to pass through Guilin when going between the original Shaolin Temple at Songshan and Putian because Putian, Songshan Shaolin, and Guilin form a triangle. But it’s scenic, and this is far from the first film to distort geography for scenery. There’s another epic Northern style lion dance, but this one levels up with a mind boggling tightrope stunt. Like the original film, there’s more animal cruelty and Buddhists cheating their vegetarian vows as Lin Zhiming skins a snake and cooks it up (in Shaolin Temple’s sacred Pagoda Forest, same place he smuggled the dog head in the first film). He then covertly shares the meat with his monastic brothers in a scene meant to be comic relief. And once again, Jet Li disguises himself in drag to get past guards at a checkpoint.  The fight choreography is still excellent, but not quite up to the first two films. Lau Kar-leung is unquestionably one of the best fight choreographers ever, but he wasn’t as familiar with Wushu as he was with traditional southern Kung Fu and it shows. There is a contest between two teams of Shaolin monks competing to paint a large character for Buddha, which is very much in line with the imaginative Kung Fu contests seen in many other Shaw Brothers productions. The beats of this fight, along with the others, are akin to Shaw Brothers films of that era, which is excellent but somewhat restrictive for what Wushu can deliver. The fight scenes are still ridiculously precise, acrobatic, and complex, but Wushu doesn’t shine as much as it did in the first two films. The first two films were groundbreaking with their Wushu showcases, setting the bar so high that they are hard acts to follow, even to this day.  Nevertheless, there’s some fantastic fight choreography here, including one distinctive homage to Bruce Lee. When Jet Li tears some of Yu Chenghui’s beard away, and then blows it out of his hand, it’s a nod to Lee’s The Way of the Dragon  (1972) fight. Lee does the same thing after ripping out a patch of Chuck Norris’ chest hair.  For anyone who has been to Shaolin Temple recently, the first and third installments of the Shaolin Trilogy are postcards of what the monastery looked like in the early eighties. The tourist invasion has yet to affect the temple’s restoration, so it appears simpler and a bit wilder. It’s a treasure to see that era of Shaolin Temple preserved in these films. There was another film shot at Shaolin Temple in between Shaolin Temple 2  and Shaolin Temple 3 . We’ll explore that in our next installment of Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple . Until then, tune in, turn on, and support our Fa Sheng: Origins #3 Kickstarter , launching soon! By Gene Ching Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter  and join our community on socials! Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok YouTube

In honor of the upcoming Kickstarter for Fa Sheng: Origins #3 , I’m writing a short series of reviews for Immortal Studios on films shot on location at the original Shaolin Temple of China. Despite Shaolin Temple’s historical significance, very few films have been shot on location.  The Shaolin Temple of legend is the setting of Fa Sheng’s training. The Shaolin Temple is also a very real place. Nestled in the heart of China, atop the central holy mountain of Songshan, Shaolin Temple is included as part of ‘the Center of Heaven and Earth,’ one of 11 ancient locations in Dengfeng declared as a World Heritage site in 2010. Dengfeng is in China’s Henan province, a culturally rich region that served as a center for Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. According to legend, Shaolin Temple is where Bodhidharma founded Zen and Kung Fu.  The original Shaolin Temple fell into neglect during the Cultural Revolution of the 60s. And when the Cultural Revolution was over, only a few monks and folk masters survived to carry on the legacy. But one movie changed everything. In a cinematic example of karma, the real Shaolin Temple, which inspired countless Kung Fu films, was brought back to life by a Kung Fu film. That first one was immeasurably impactful.   When Shaolin Temple  debuted in 1982, it was a blockbuster on the level of Star Wars in China. Shaolin Temple  was the first martial arts movie to be made in the People's Republic of China. Previously martial arts films were mostly made in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Shaolin Temple  was among the very first films co-produced by Hong Kong and China. It allegedly sold a half billion tickets in China; when adjusted for inflation, Shaolin Temple  would be China’s highest grossing film ever. Shaolin Temple  was the first film shot at the Shaolin Temple. Through the film, audiences realized that the Temple had survived the Cultural Revolution, and flocked there to bear witness, pay homage, study, and train. Countless fans of the film were inspired and grew up to become modern masters of Chinese martial arts. Ask any master from mainland China’s present generation, and they will say just how influential Shaolin Temple  was to their journey. The growth of local martial arts schools and the influx of tourists brought economic power to Shaolin Temple. Consequently, it has grown to its well-deserved world stature, again thriving as a place of worship and a fiery forge for devoted kung fu practitioners.  Beyond the novelty of the location, Shaolin Temple  was the first cinematic showcase of the leading Wushu champions of the 80s, the first generation of Wushu champions. Although Wushu literally means ‘martial art,’ the term typically refers to a modern sport version of Chinese martial arts. Modelled after gymnastics, Wushu is scored on flamboyant and acrobatic skills, techniques developed for spectacle in hopes to capture a worldwide audience. China hoped to get Wushu accepted as an Olympic game. However, despite staging a special demonstration event at the 2008 Beijing Games, Wushu failed to get any global exposure, much less Olympic acceptance. While skills like 720 degree flying kicks aren’t practical for self-defense, they are perfect for the movies. Consequently, since the release of Shaolin Temple , the influence of Wushu-based fight choreography has penetrated everything from Star Wars to The Matrix. Although Wushu has yet to achieve the Olympic status it craves, it has conquered the world through action cinema.  Shaolin Temple was Jet Li’s first film. He plays Jue Yuan, a cliché wronged hero taking refuge at Shaolin Temple and training for revenge. Li, or Li Lianjie as he is known in China, is the greatest champion that the sport of Wushu has ever produced. He won the All-Around National Championship five times in a row from 1975 to 1979, competing against adults as a teenager. He was chosen to represent China in a historic cultural exchange with the USA where a delegation of 43 Wushu champions toured the nation and met with President Nixon. Unfortunately, that historic meeting was overshadowed by Watergate.  Alongside Li were some of Wushu’s other leading champions and masters: Hu Jianqiang, Ji Chunhua, Pan Qingfu, Sun Jiankui, Yu Chenghui, and Yu Hai. Each of them went on to have successful movie careers too, but none achieved the international recognition that Jet Li did. Few of them have been in movies that were distributed theatrically outside of Asia. Pan Qingfu garnered some attention from Hollywood with Iron & Silk  (1990), which was based on Mark Salzman’s autobiographic bestseller of the same name, but his part is very small in Shaolin Temple . The others have had lead roles in many successive martial arts films, as well as noteworthy achievements in the martial world. Yu Chenghui (Wang Renze) invented the two-handed sword method he demonstrates in the film and his teachings have spread all over the globe. Yu Hai (Sifu) created the unique fusion of Mantis Kung Fu also seen in the movie. Today, his form is still practiced by monks and students worldwide.  Shaolin Temple  retells a legend out of Shaolin’s 1500+ years of history when thirteen Shaolin monks rescued Li Shinmin, who would become the second emperor of the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). This event is documented in a prized mural inside White Garment Hall inside Shaolin Temple allegedly painted in 1820 CE, as well as on a commemorative stele gifted by Emperor Taizong, which was the imperial name that Li Shimin took upon his ascending the dragon throne.  Beyond the scenic locations, the fight choreography absolutely shines throughout the film. The sport of Wushu has a category called duilian (opposed practice) where two or more athletes face each other in choreographed combat routines. No martial art has produced anything as spectacular as duilian. And it’s a perfect fit for the silver screen. The fight scenes in Shaolin Temple remain some of the most brilliant ever shot. The speed, precision, and complexity of the fights are absolutely amazing.  However, be warned. There are scenes in Shaolin Temple  that don’t hold up well anymore. This was long before ‘no animals were harmed in the making of this film’ was a thing. SPOILER ALERT: There’s a scene where Li’s character accidentally kills a dog, cooks it, and shares it with the monks. In one scene, the dog’s decapitated head can be seen in a bucket, and it’s clearly not a prop. Even more disturbing is that the scene is played for comedy. There’s also a frog chopping scene, again for food, but that doesn’t hit as hard as the dog. END SPOILER.  Two thematic ‘sequels’ followed, one from the same production company, and another from Shaw Brothers studio, both reassembling the cast. We’ll explore those in our next installment of Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple. Until then, tune in, turn on, and support our Fa Sheng: Origins #3 Kickstarter , launching soon!  By Gene Ching Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter  and join our community on socials! Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok YouTube

Assassin G: She was trained by her master to avenge all wrongs committed against her, and the last thing she expected was to fall in love with the scion of a sworn enemy. Adapted from the best selling Wuxia novel by Shiao Yi that has been made into television 4 times. Published by Immortal Studios. Adapted from the Shiao Yi novel 甘 19 妹 (gan the 19th Assassin) Came in 2021

Immortal is an original content studio dedicated to telling authentic and contemporary Wuxia stories, with a mission to Awaken the Hero within each of us. The Adept, Assassins G and The Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen are cornerstones of our Storyverse. ABOUT An original content studio with an INTERCONNECTED STORY UNIVERSE dedicated to authentic, contemporary WUXIA ENTERTAINMENT Mission Awaken the Hero in everyone! Immortal is the global home for the Wuxia genre About Immortal Immortal is an original content studio dedicated to awakening the hero within each of us. We take a modern approach to the Wuxia tradition to share stories of empowerment, self-discovery and connection with the world around us. The martial arts fantasy genre, or Wuxia , is an embracing one. Though founded in ancient traditions, we believe the genre represents values critical to modern times. While our heroes certainly have "superpowers," these abilities are founded on the concept of qi, and are acquired through self-cultivation, training, willpower, and connecting to Nature/spirit. This means that literally everyone can become a hero. We want to create content that inspires discovery because we believe in each of us is a hero waiting to be awakened or reawakened. Our goal is to take Wuxia to the global mainstream. We want to do this with an authenticity and respect of the tradition that we believe is missing in other representations of the genre and by interacting with contemporary ideas and situations. It is also very easy to overly indulge in the martial component of Wuxia where there is just endless fighting, revenge and violence. Here, while we absolutely are committed to great martial capabilities, we want to “elevate” the genre by including the chivalrous, the self restraint, the anonymity, and transformation of the genre – ultimately the “Xia” archetype that has been missing from Wu (Martial) xia (Hero). We are also founded on principles of radical fan engagement. We believe community is critical to process of creating stories and the power of the communities to take those stories to the world. Thus our goal is to cultivate a community of fans that embody the ideals of Wuxia, inspire them to seek their own stories and even take part in the Immortal Storyverse. Ultimately, we envision Immortal as a lifestyle, an attitude and spirit, dedicated to the bringing about an environment for service, empowerment, representation, empathy, authenticity and enlightenment. Even though we are a company, the underlying reason for our existence is to elevate and unite our world in positive action through stories and culture through. We believe our vision for Wuxia can uniquely accomplish just that. Immortal's Mission Creation of an authentic and transformational Wuxia universe for the world through a vibrant direct to audience approach encompassing content, lifestyles and products. Awaken the Hero (Xia) in Everyone. To cause the remembrance of our inherent nobility as to undertake actions that are of benefit to oneself, and the world at large. Uniting the East and West – to bring the world together in positive common action through shared heroes and stories.

Welcome to Immortal: Home of Modern Wuxia Stories for Martial Arts Fantasy Fans What does being a hero mean? The Anatomy of a Wuxia Novel (C) 2010 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission. What is Wuxia? Our Favorite Wuxia Movies The Shaolin Phoenix Into the Badlands What is Wuxia Literature? Regardless of their cinematic tastes most martial artists are at least familiar with kung fu movies. The high-flying genre, with its clichéd plots and wire-assisted action sequences, is a ubiquitous component of martial culture. Fewer people may be aware of the Wuxia novel. This is unfortunate as the Wuxia novel is as significant an influence on kung fu cinema as the frequently mentioned source of Chinese Opera. Wuxia is a relatively modern genre of literature;; certainly it has its origins in the much more venerable tradition of the Chinese historical novel, but it is important to differentiate between the two. Wuxia is a relatively modern genre of literature;; certainly it has its origins in the much more venerable tradition of the Chinese historical novel, but it is important to differentiate between the two. Four classics of Chinese fiction literature have had a lasting influence. Each of these four classics contributed to the overall structure of the Wuxia genre while simultaneously missing components present in the modern genre. For its fundamental components, the Wuxia genre is indebted to "San Guo Yan Yi" and "Shui Hu Zhuan" (respectively known in the West as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and - variously - "The Water Margin", "Outlaws of the Marsh" or "All Men Are Brothers"). These novels contribute most of the elements used by Wuxia authors to create the basic structures of Wuxia literature, principally the Jianghu and the Wulin. However, it is equally in the debt of "Xi You Ji" ("Journey into the West") and "Hong Lou Men" ("Dreams of Red Mansions") - the other two classics of Chinese historical fiction - despite their less overtly martial focus. We begin to see the Wuxia novel develop out of these earlier historic novels during the latter half of the Qing Dynasty. A strong example can be seen in the work of Shi Yukun (???), who was responsible for "San Xia Wu Yi" ("Three Heroes and Five Gallants") - a book later expanded by other contributors to eventually settle on its modern form, renamed "Qi Xia Wu Yi" ("Seven Heroes and Five Gallants"). This novel was derived from folk stories of Bao Zheng, or Justice Bao, a judge of prodigious intelligence and incorruptible moral character. The story of "Seven Heroes and Five Gallants" is essentially a series of detective stories set against a backdrop of an empire where corruption has increasingly held sway in officialdom. Supported by a small band of martial artists, the brilliant Justice Bao seeks to purge the empire of corrupt officials and reinforce the rule of law and (largely Confucian) morality. These ideas later found a supportive home within the Wuxia genre. However, not until the twentieth century work of authors such as Gu Long and Jin Yong did the genre come to true fruition. In their work, and the work of their contemporaries, they combined elements of the four classics, of folk stories, and of early Xia novels (such as "San Xia Wu Yi") into an intricate and carefully detailed narrative structure, creating the influential and uniquely east Asian genre of Xuxia. Having now, in brief, outlined the evolution of the Wuxia genre, we will turn our attention to the structure and characteristics of the genre as it now stands. For reference, we will frequently cite examples from one of the most beloved books, "Sheng Diao Xia Lu" ("Return of the Condor Heroes"), by arguably the most famous Wuxia author, Jin Yong. "Return of the Condor Heroes" is the second novel of the Condor Trilogy. These three books, chronicle several generations of families and factions within the Jianghu from the fall of the Song dynasty through the Yuan dynasty and up until the founding of the Ming. In particular, this book focuses on the last vain defense of the city of Xiangyang by Song loyalists against the armies of Kublai Khan, using it as a backdrop to explore the growth from childhood into adulthood and to question the foundation of Confucial moral structures. The plot, setting, structure and characterization used within the novel make it the quintessential Wuxia novel and the perfect example for exploration of the genre as a whole. The Setting of Wuxia Literature A defining characteristic of the Wuxia genre is setting. This setting shares elements with the more familiar genres of historical and fantasy novels. However, it would be incorrect to call Wuxia novels historical;; for while they frequently make use of a historical backdrop (our example certainly does), they need not do so (another of Jin Yong's novels, "Xiao Ao Jianghu," literally "Laughing in the Rivers and Lakes," most pointedly does not), and the historical component of the setting, when used, rarely does more than provide a believable time and place in which the larger-than-life heroes and villains of these stories can act. It would be equally incorrect to refer to Wuxia novels as fantasy. Although elements of the supernatural certainly occur in these stories (not only in the form of fantastic and unrealistic martial arts but as fantastic creatures such as the giant condor who befriends, heals and trains Yang Guo in "Return of the Condor Heroes"), these are often downplayed more than in the fantasy novels of the western world. These stories may contain mystical elements, but the authors of the genre go to great lengths to remind us that they are based in our world and in a formulation of our world that if not entirely plausible does not require a total suspension of disbelief. There are two absolutely indispensable components of setting in the Wuxia genre. These are the Jianghu and the Wulin. Generally speaking, the Jianghu is the formulation of our world in which the Wuxia stories are set, while the Wulin is the culture in which the principal characters of Wuxia stories act. The Jianghu The word Jianghu literally means "rivers and lakes," but one should not let the aquatic translation of the term confuse them. Contextually, the Jianghu can have many specific meanings. Within the context of Wuxia literature, the Jianghu often refers to a world of complications where the dividing line between friend and foe, loyalty and betrayal, life and death is razor thin. As this genre originated in China, the setting is usually China and those nations historically within the Chinese sphere of influence. The Jianghu, as an element of setting, developed largely out of the settings of two of the four classic novels which we previously mentioned. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Outlaws of the Marsh" (the translation of the title we prefer and will use for all future references) present a world where social order has collapsed due to corruption, poor government, war and dynastic change. In a chaotic time such as this, the population is largely subject to the petty tyrannies of strongmen who, through force of arms or threat of punishment, extort whatever they wish from a subjugated populace. This provides a rich plethora of antagonists from all walks of society. Important antagonists within "Return of the Condor Heroes" include no less than Kublai Khan himself, as his army of Mongols oppresses the Chinese citizenry and attempts to conquer the strategically important city of Xiangyang. At an intermediate level, Gongsun Zhi does not command the massive army of Kublai Khan;; but while his petty plots may not threaten the stability of the nation, the tyrannies he visits upon his family, retainers and visitors to the estate he rules are no less odious for their smaller scale. Providing a third (and even more petty) example of antagonism within our chosen example is the character known as Li Mochou. Li Mochou does not use her carefully cultivated strength and cruelty to capture or command. This nihilistic bandit and assassin wanders the world seemingly seeking nothing more than to make everyone she encounters as miserable as she is herself. Frequently she disappears from the story after some minor setback only to pop up again at some inopportune moment like a bad weed. A population oppressed by such a variety of villains will inevitably see a strange cross section of protagonists emerge. The protagonists of the Jianghu are, in some cases, differentiated from the antagonists only by the finest of margins. The crux of the division between hero and villain is largely related to the quality of loyalty. Yang Guo's father, Yang Kang, is a major antagonist of the first novel of the trilogy despite being the sworn brother of the chief protagonist, Guo Jing. Yang Kang is intelligent but treacherous. The nearly moronic Guo Jing, however, is exceptionally loyal. Yang Kang's son Yang Guo is, in his turn, a heroic character because, despite misunderstanding and occasional conflict with other protagonists, he remains ultimately loyal. Many of the heroes of Wuxia stories are essentially vagabonds. Though some may have had noble upbringings (Guo Jing and his mother were guests of Ghengis Khan during his formative years), many more were orphans who lacked inheritance, property or wealth. These heroes frequently overcome entrenched and politically powerful rivals through physical strength (readily be seen as a metaphor for their moral strength) and through popularity with their peers and with the subjected population who see this bizarre assortment of robin hoods as liberators. Together the heroes and villains who populate the Jianghu form the second fundamental locus of the setting: the Wulin. The Wulin The Wulin is, as we mentioned previously, the name given to the collection of heroes and villains within the Jianghu. Certain structural elements occur in nearly all Wuxia novels, and these serve to differentiate the genre from others that share common elements. The Wulin is a loose collection of martial artists. These fighters are usually not government-trained or -equipped soldiers - though they may occasionally be bandits and rebels against governmental authority. Even when a member of the Wulin chooses to take up defense of the nation, they rarely do so with anything resembling support from the institutions of the nation. Guo Jing is repeatedly rebuffed by an emperor (not seen, but referred to obliquely) when he seeks reinforcements to break the siege on Xiangyang. The members of the Wulin are generally divided based on three structures of allegiance. The tension between these allegiances and the way in which the protagonists resolve the tensions is a major feature of the plot of Wuxia stories (as is the frequent failings of the antagonists to adequately resolve their conflicting loyalties). These three structures are factional loyalty, familial loyalty and romantic loyalty. Rarely are the tensions between these three forms of loyalty as pronounced as in "The Return of the Condor Heroes." Factional politics plays a role in most Wuxia stories. The Wulin seems perpetually divided into several antagonistic groups. In the Condor trilogy we see divisions among the "five divines" (five martial artists of exceptional skill), their students and their rivals. These divisions exacerbate conflicts that distract the Wulin from the otherwise central task of resisting the advances of the Jurchens. Even after the Jurchen threat is repelled, replaced with the threat of the Mongols (who easily transition from ally to enemy as the political landscape shifts), the factional rivalries continue and are, in fact, passed down from the aging five divines and from the survivors of Guo Jing's generation to the youngsters of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." The conflict between the Quanzhen sect and the Ancient Tomb sect does not lie in the actions of Yang Guo or Xiaolongnu any more than in the actions of Zhao Zhijing or Yin Zhiping;; however, mired in a conflict that predates any of them by nearly three generations, they find that their often contrary interactions are governed in part by handed-down grudges. In Jin Yong's stories, this conflict is often portrayed as quite petty. For all their lofty ideals, the martial masters of the Wulin are often guided by remarkably unimportant grudges. Zhao Zhijing largely falls to treason due to his resentment of Yang Guo for forsaking him as an instructor. Yang Guo in turn forsook him as an instructor because he felt the man's skills were inferior to those of his own uncle (Guo Jing) and his godfather, the detestable Ouyang Feng. The Ancient Tomb sect, a small faction of martial artists based geographically adjacent to the Quanzhen sect, has rules requiring them to express their dislike for Quanzhen - which Yang Guo is happy to accept even though the architects of the feud died long before he was born. When it is eventually revealed that the two became rivals because of a failed romantic relationship and that each sect is essentially incomplete without the other, the nature of this rivalry is exposed in all its pettiness and is ultimately resolved with the cross-pollination of Quanzhen and Ancient Tomb theories through a friendship that develops between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu on the one hand and Zhou Botong (the most senior surviving member of Quanzhen and one of the few characters in the story who could claim to have met the founders of the rivalry) on the other. Poised in conflict to factional loyalty is romantic loyalty. We have already hinted at this by suggesting a romantic source for one of the chief factional feuds within the Jianghu of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." But this is explored even further within the novel through the relationship between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu. The two youngsters are close in age and rapidly attain similar skills; however, much of the novel centers on the strife that arises from their romantic relationship. Although the conflicts this relationship creates are primarily familial for Yang Guo, the same does not hold true for Xiaolongnu, who has no family at all. However, this does not prevent Xiaolongnu from facing the ire of her martial sister, Li Mochou, who is scandalized both by Xiaolongnu's willingness to take Yang Guo on as a student and her willingness to allow the teacher/student relationship between the two to transform into a romantic (and martial) partnership. Conflicts of familial loyalty frequently provide the most divisive elements. Yang Kang and Guo Jing are bound by a compact between two families that predates the birth of either. The obligation of their families to fulfill this agreement thrusts the two otherwise dissimilar men together in a way that culminates in conflict as Yang Kang must choose between the adoptive family that raised him and the history of familial connections that ties him to his homeland. His failure to resolve this conflict and his eventual decision to side with the Jurchen prince who took his mother in establish his status as an antagonist and precipitate his eventual downfall. The fallout of this conflict is generational in scope as Yang Guo learns how he became an orphan who never had a chance to meet his father. Guo Jing, who is responsible for Yang Guo's upbringing until foisting the latter upon the Quanzhen sect, has remained silent on the issue of Yang Kang's villainy. As a result, Yang Guo has deep-seated issues of abandonment made worse by the various tribulations he undergoes throughout his tumultuous youth. When Yang Guo eventually discovers evidence suggesting that Guo Jing and his wife Huang Rong may have been responsible for his father's death, the bonds of familial loyalty are strained, and he must choose between the only family he has ever known and the father who sired him. The rigid adherence to Confucian ethics of Guo Jing further complicates matters for Yang Guo when he brings his girlfriend home to meet the family. Confucian morality forbids the transformation of a teacher/student relationship into a romantic one, and both Guo Jing and Huang Rong (Guo Jing's wife) go to some lengths to attempt to disrupt the burgeoning romance between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu. This is actually one point in which "The Return of the Condor Heroes" stands out from the pack. While it is true that Confucian ethics and morality play an important role in most Wuxia novels, it is a much rarer event to find a novel willing to engage and, in fact, challenge Confucian morality. This quirk helps propagate ambiguity between friend and foe within the Wulin by demonstrating that the clearly heroic Huang Rong shares common ground with the evidently villainous Li Mochou - as each independently expresses very similar sentiments regarding the inappropriateness of the relationship between Yang Guo and his teacher. These conflicting the Wulin loyalties create a tension not found in other genres of fiction. One would never expect Aragorn to sit down and have a chat with the Nazgul. And yet this is precisely the case within the Wulin - which is a small enough community that most of the protagonists and antagonists are aware of each other by reputation if not socially. The close nature of the Wulin and the factions and families within it is a defining characteristic of Wuxia. Within the Condor Trilogy, Jin Yong presents hope for the eventual resolution of these factional rivalries as, by the advent of "Yi Tian To Long Ji" (known in English as "the Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre"), the conflicts that drive the first two books have faded away. However, a cynic will note that though these conflicts have been resolved, this was done only to make way for new conflicts. The clever author then proceeds to allow the fallout of these rivalries to spill over into "Xiao Ao Jianghu" which, although not technically part of the series, occupies the same fictional history as the Condor Trilogy. Plot in Wuxia Jin Yong has a narrative style that informs the plot in all the books he writes. This plot structure has predecessors within Chinese historical fiction and is also present to a greater or lesser extent in the works of most of the other relevant modern Wuxia authors. These works usually begin with a first chapter that is very nearly a prologue, divorced by time, location or characters who may not make an appearance in subsequent chapters. A tragic event will occur (frequently costing the lives of many of the characters just introduced) and this will set events in motion that culminate in the primary action of the story. This pattern can certainly be seen in the Condor Trilogy. The first chapter of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" concentrates on the parents of Guo Jing and Yang Kang, who die or disappear in short order to establish the situation that leads to the two young men's very different development. Our main example is no exception. In this book the opening pages show Li Mochou arriving at a home to seek revenge on a former lover who spurned her in favour of another. Finding her lover and his wife already dead, she decides simply to kill everyone else at the house. This atrocity is largely irrelevant to the eventual outcome of the story (as Li Mochou exits the story years before the tale ends), but it serves two purposes. First, it introduces new factions previously absent in the earlier book, and second, it provides an understanding that there is no one starting point for the events of the Jianghu. One must approach a Wuxia novel with the understanding that the story will already be in progress. The authors understand that the passage of history is fluid, and they attempt to show an openness to the start of the action that compensates for the frequently definite endings of the stories. The use of returning characters within the first two novels of the Condor Trilogy furthers the idea that this is a story with no definite beginning or end. Even after the heroes vanquish their foes and get to live "happily ever-after," ever-after turns out to be only a short time. Ten short years later, Guo Jing and Huang Rong (the primary protagonists of the first book) return to action, albeit as secondary protagonists, when they decide to send Yang Kang's orphaned son off to school. The temporally distant conclusion of the trilogy furthers this sense of "open-endedness." It provides only the slightest of links to the action of the first two novels, by means of the first-chapter inclusion of the daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong (an early teenager smitten by hero worship for Yang Guo in the concluding chapters of the second book) and the presence of two swords forged from Yang Guo's iconic giant blade (which serve as major plot items throughout the novel). As the authors of Wuxia novels openly admit, they cannot capture the entire history of a course of events; so instead, they choose to structure the story along a different, and well-used, pattern - the progression from childhood to adulthood. In some examples this progression is symbolic rather than literal. Linghu Chong, the protagonist of "Xiao Ao Jianghu," is an adult when first encountered and the book spans only a few years of time. Linghu Chong is not much older at the end of his story than he was at the beginning. However, we still see the young man progress from childish concerns and dalliances into much more adult ones as his unwavering loyalty repeatedly thrusts him into the rocks of betrayal at the hands of his inhuman master. The maturation of the character is as marked as if he had progressed from a ten-year-old boy to a forty-year-old man. In "The Return of the Condor Heroes," the progression from childhood to adulthood is much more literal. Yang Guo is still a child when first encountered in the early pages of the novel. By the end of the story he is a battle-hardened and deeply wounded man in middle age. Decades pass as the hero develops from a rebellious boy to an exemplar of compassion, loyalty and forgiveness. The use of martial arts further reinforces this transformation. Kung Fu in Wuxia Literature It would be nearly impossible to discuss Wuxia literature without addressing kung fu. In fact, we have already been doing so at length with references to the teacher/student relationship, the factional rivalries that contribute to the tension within books of the genre, and even by simply mentioning the name of the genre and of the community of characters within the stories (as the "Wu" of Wuxia and the Wulin is the same as the "wu" of wushu). Martial arts is an indispensable part of the setting, a fundamental device employed in all Wuxia stories, that provides insight into the metaphysics of the genre and is a symbol for personal growth of the primary characters within a story. At the most basic level, martial arts enters the Wuxia novel as a part of the setting. The truth is that the characters who act in significant ways within the genre are, for the most part, martial artists. Pugilism is the primary career of the protagonists and is very frequently the obsession of antagonists. Some memorable characters (such as Ouyang Feng) become so obsessed with cultivating greater skill with fists and feet that they will take extremely cruel actions just in the off chance that their fighting abilities might improve. This obsession with martial arts by the characters in Wuxia manifests itself in a standard trope of the genre: selection of a leader by way of duelling. In "Return of the Condor Heroes," Huang Rong steps aside as head of the beggar's guild and a contest is held to select the new leader. When some otherwise ineligible candidates come forward and successfully claim the right to compete for the position, we can see the extent to which martial skill matters to the population. At this particular competition further involvement of fighters with little interest in leadership but significant interest in fighting against the interlopers disturbs matters further, and eventually a man is selected as leader who is most decidedly not the most powerful martial artist in attendance. This has later consequences when one of the pugilists who attempted to crash the party eventually murders the essentially defenseless man and the Beggar's Guild is forced to repeat the whole insane process over again. The Beggar's Guild is certainly not alone as a martially derived faction. Quanzhen sect (along with Wuxia mainstays such as Shaolin and Wudang - neither of which plays a significant role in the action of our example novel) was, in reality, a religious order in which martial cultivation, if present, would have played second-fiddle to spiritual cultivation. In the world of Wuxia, this dichotomy is turned on its head and suddenly the fact that the Quanzhen "sword sect" is actually an order of Taoist priests is seen as mere window-dressing for their famous pugilistic powers. In novels featuring Shaolin temple we see the same process occur. Furthermore, this process has been so successful that many people in the west may be likely to think of kung fu before Buddhism when Shaolin is mentioned. Of course, the martial arts of the Wuxia genre are not the mundane fighting arts of our modern world. Instead, it derives from a medical and metaphysical outlook rooted in Chinese traditional medicine and in folk stories of supernatural beings such as the Monkey King and semi-mythical folk heroes such as Guanyu and Zhang Fei. A few common features of Wuxia martial skills are sadly unavailable to those of us who practice our arts in the real world. One such technique - a favorite of kung fu cinema - is called Qinggong (or lightness skill). Masters of Qinggong can't quite fly, but it's a near thing. The Qinggong expert, able to propel himself effortlessly dozens of feet into the air, to run across the tops of tall grasses and even across the surface of water, is a mainstay of the Wuxia novel. Beyond the feats of near flight and generic "lightness," these masters can also move at exceptional speeds over great distances. Even if the hero is not an expert at Qinggong at the beginning of a book, one can expect that they will have obtained training in this fundamental skill by the end. Few people lay claim, in real life, to any real approximation of the Qinggong skill. However, people do claim efficacy in acupressure and neigong, which are two areas of martial arts seen in Wuxia literature and its predecessors. Acupressure points are carefully directed strikes that rearrange the flow of qi through the victim. These strikes can render a person unable to use their martial arts, can harm their "internal strength," and can paralyze or even kill. It seems like every pugilist in the world of Wuxia novels has at least some skill in these accurate pokes. Neigong is the family of "internal martial arts." Although pugilists in Wuxia stories can become skilful without the use of neigong techniques, the most effective and advanced of the martial artists in these stories are deeply skilled in some profound form of neigong. Within the context of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," the two pinnacles of profound neigong appear to be the neigong of the Quanzhen sect and the Nine Yin Manual. For the sake of brevity we will concentrate on one of these two martial arts, the Nine Yin Manual. This manual, stolen in the previous novel from Huang Yaoshi, is an object of much desire for the martial artists within the story. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu stumble upon a part of the manual which Yang Guo learns sufficiently to show Ouyang Feng the flaw in his own version of it. Ouyang Feng has been driven mad by practicing a flawed version of the manual and is so obsessed with mastering the manual that he allows other matters to fall by the wayside so that he can improve his skill. Fragments of the powerful skill are also in the possession of various other master martial artists within the book, including Guo Jing, his daughter Guo Xiang, and an eventual descendant of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu known only as the girl in the yellow dress, who appears in the third novel of the trilogy. Possession of martial skills, whether these supernatural ones or more down-to-earth systems of sword combat, boxing and wrestling, is a major motivator for protagonists and antagonists alike within Wuxia stories. However, martial arts play a symbolic role within the genre that combines with the more mundane role of plot device to give them even greater significance. Wuxia stories are, at their most fundamental level, about the development of a person from childhood to adulthood. The ability of the primary protagonist to employ martial arts and his position within the rankings of the Wulin provide a metaphor for this development. In "Xiao Ao Jianghu," Linghu Chong (with false modesty) claims in the early pages to be the eighty-ninth strongest martial artist presently active in the Wulin. Although we can disregard the specific position as spurious, certainly it positions him as a middling member of the community, strong in his own right but far from the pinnacle. By the end of the novel, with access to the superior neigong of Shaolin Temple and the sun-moon sect, and with the death of anybody who could have practiced the Pixie sword manual or the Sunflower manual, Linghu Chong is arguably the strongest pugilist remaining. We see a more striking parallel in the character of Yang Guo in our primary example. Yang Guo, when we first meet him, knows only a few basic techniques taught to him by his mother. These are insufficient to prevent him being bullied. Huang Rong was the primary care giver for Yang Guo between the time he comes to Peach Blossom Island following the death of his mother and when he was sent to Quanzhen. During that (admittedly brief) time she did little to improve his martial arts as she feared he would turn out like his father. Yang Guo goes on to study a hodgepodge of martial arts from the styles of the majority of the five divines as well as the Ancient Tomb sect's martial arts and those of the mysterious Dugu Qiubai. By the end of the story, he is able to single-handedly defeat Jinlun Dawang - a feat that even Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong cannot match. Wuxia Literature and Cinema In some ways, Wuxia literature has been poorly served by cinematic adaptation. Many films promote style over substance, stripping the novels down to a mere sequence of fights and training montages. As we have shown in this article, Wuxia literature is much more than simply an assortment of battles arranged into a plot. Wuxia is a complicated genre of literature which, standing at the crux of fantasy and historical literature, manages to create an independent identity that has made it one of the most dominant forms of popular literature throughout East Asia. Any martial artist who is interested in martial media would be well advised to read a Wuxia story. Translations can be found for some of the most famous novels through online services, although the list is far from complete. The good people at wuxiapedia have endeavoured to collect a group of translations of these stories, though many of these translations are incomplete. For those who are fortunate enough to be able to read Chinese well enough to enjoy a novel, the options are much greater for now; but in a few years time, who knows how much progress the volunteers of wuxiapedia or some other enterprising fan of the genre will have made in helping to expose the western world to this sometimes bizarre and always interesting genre of fiction. By Simon McNeil (C) 2010 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission.