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[[File:wuxia 9192.jpg|frame]]
One of the oldest genres in Chinese literature,
Although some ''wuxia'' stories are set in modern times, or even the future, most take place in the "Martial Arts World" of ''Jiānghú'' (江湖—literally "rivers and lakes") a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] of [[Imperial China]]. The ''Jianghu'' is a "shared universe", populated by martial-artists and monks, [[Knight Errant|wandering knights]] and beautiful princesses, thieves and beggars, priests and healers, merchants and craftsmen. The best ''wuxia'' writers draw a vivid picture of the intricate relationships of honour, loyalty, love and hate between individuals and between communities in this milieu. It is implicit that law and government are unjust, ineffective and/or corrupt, requiring the ''xia'' to settle differences by force moderated only by their chivalrous code, and often forcing them to live as outlaws despite their noble characters. In modern Chinese, perhaps as a result of these connotations of a separate world with its own rules, the term ''jianghu'' has taken on other meanings, including [[The Triads and the Tongs|the underworld or criminal gangs]].
A more romantic term known as ''Wulin'' (武林—literally "Warrior's Forests") is used when one wants to talk specifically about the world of martial artists and warriors ''specifically'', divorced from the ugly connotations of criminality that ''jianghu'' has come to embody. ''Wulin'' is basically a majestic way of saying "The World of Warriors."
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Compare [[High Fantasy]], [[Heroic Fantasy]], and [[Swashbuckler]]. For the 2011 movie titled ''Wu Xia'', see ''[[Swordsmen]]''.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Academy of Evil]]: If the story leans heavily toward martial-artists, expect one or more of it to exist in the settings.
* [[Action Girl]]
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* [[Blood Brothers]]
* [[Byronic Hero]]: Some stories have "heroes" with barely-controlled vices. Expect them to kill people in a fit of rage, and then lament upon it when their clarity return.
* [[Cast
* [[Cast From Lifespan]]
* [[Charles Atlas Superpower]]
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* [[Kung Fu Wizard]]
* [[Lady of War]]
* [[Lonely
* [[Love Dodecahedron]]
* [[Love Triangle]]
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* [[Sweet Polly Oliver]]
* [[Three-Point Landing]]
* [[Training
* [[Treacherous Advisor]]: A must-have in stories of palace intrigue.
* [[Tsundere]]: If [[The Hero]] is a guy, expect every martial-arts-capable lady he meets to be like this. ''Every single one of them''.
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* [[Wire Fu]]: Used in films to perform exaggerated feats of ''qinggong'' ("light body skill").
* [[Worthy Opponent]]
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]]
* ''[[Chinese Hero]]'', the epic ''[[Manhua]]'' saga by the author of ''[[The Storm Riders]]'', starting with Chinese fighters defending Chinese pride against racists in America with martial arts before moving on to other settings.
* ''[[G Gundam]]'' was heavily inspired by ''wuxia''. In fact the director, Yasuhiro Imagawa, [[Author Appeal|rather likes ''wuxia'']], which also shows up to a greater degree in ''[[Giant Robo]]'' and less so in ''[[Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen]]''.
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== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[
* ''[[Once Upon a Time in China]]'', set in the twilight years of Imperial China, chronicling the saga of historical hero Wong Fei Hong (played marvelously by Jet Li), greatest Doctor and Warrior of Canton. Singlehandedly revitalized the genre as one worthy of artistic respect and capable of conveying political meaning.
* ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' brought the classical form of the genre to the mainstream in the West.
* ''[[Hero (film)|Hero]]'' is notable for coming out a few years later than ''Crouching Tiger'', with a lot more controversy. It was a big Wuxia production relatively soon after the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong, which made some critics see the [[Historical Hero Upgrade]] of the king as a way to win the approval of the Chinese government, while others insisted that variants of this "Emperor And Assassin" story had been told in China for centuries, even in Hong Kong under British rule.
* ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]''
* ''[[
* The entire ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise is arguably a ''wuxia'' saga disguised as a space opera.
* The ''[[Kill Bill]]'' films were at least heavily influenced by ''wuxia''.
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* ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]''
* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' is either an [[Affectionate Parody]] or a slightly more comedic example of the genre. Either way, even the Chinese thought it was a worthy addition to the genre.
* ''[[Kung Pow! Enter the Fist]]'' is a straight up [[Widget Series|exceptionally weird]] parody.
* ''Swordsmen In Double Flag Town'' is a "down and dirty" hybrid of ''wuxia'' and [[The Western|western]] set in China's own Wild West.
* The ''[[Chinese Ghost Story]]'' series has more of a fantasy element than most stories in the ''wuxia'' genre.
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* ''[[Heroic Trio]]'' is this genre mixed with the [[Superhero]] genre.
* ''[[The Bride with White Hair]]''
* ''[[Curse of the Golden Flower]]'' has elements of this during fight scenes.
* ''[[Detective Dee]]''
* ''[[
== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[Water Margin]]'', a novel dating from the fourteenth century, is probably the earliest example, although it is clearly based on even earlier folk stories. Especially influential in defining the ''Jiānghú'' world.
* ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'', again probably written during the fourteenth century, but based on earlier histories.
* ''[[Journey to the West]]'', still another classic novel, probably fifteenth century in this case, also based on earlier folk stories.
* The novels and short stories of [[Jin Yong]], [[wikipedia:Gu Long|Gu Long]], and [[wikipedia:Liang Yusheng|Liang Yusheng]], the great masters of modern ''wuxia'' literature.
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* The ''[[Dragon Series]]'' by Laurence Yep.
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* [[Short Sabre Story]]: A comedy variant.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCu2A20S1Vw Geico's "Wuxia" commercial], a parody of ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''.
* Several Korean dramas like ''Jumong'' and ''Emperor of the Sea'' have similarities to this and some take place at least partly in China.
* ''[[Juuken Sentai Gekiranger]]'' is heavily inspired by the genre, and is [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff|quite popular outside Japan.]]
* 神鵰俠侶 or Return Of The Condor Heroes by Jin Yong has been adapted several times for television, most recently in 2006 (see image above).
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* The [[Dungeons
** 3.5 edition had the ''Tome of Battle'' sourcebook, with new classes (similar to the fighter, monk and paladin) which drew on Wuxia influences to soften the effects of [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]]. Often regarded as the best 3.5 book ever printed.
** 4th Edition mentions this as one of the various campaign styles you can run.
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* The not-yet-released ''[http://intothefarwest.com/ Far West]'' is essentially a Wuxia setting... modeled after the [[Wild West]].
== [[Theatre]] ==
* [[Cirque Du Soleil]]'s ''KA'' owes a lot to this genre, especially in its visuals.
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* Taito's ''[[Legend of Kage]]'' and ''Demon Sword'', although the latter also has Western medieval fantasy elements.
=== Visual Novels ===
* ''Kikokugai -The Cyber Slayers-'' combines wuxia with cyberpunk and send it DEEP to the cynical territory. It's from [[Nitroplus]].
== [[Western Animation]] ==
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Speculative Fiction]]
[[Category:Trope Names
[[Category:Film Genres]]
[[Category:Hollywood History]]
[[Category:Literature Genres]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/China]]
▲[[Category:Wuxia]]
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