Behind the Scenes: Movie
Wuxia: Unraveling the Flying in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
by Shao Chen, Staff Writer

It is generally considered that martial arts originated in India and later spread to China when the legendary Bodhidharma traveled to China to spread Zen Buddhism in 520 A.D. Finding the monks at the Shaolin Temple too weak and lethargic to follow his practice, Bodhidharma taught them a set of breathing and conditioning exercises, which became the foundation of Chinese martial arts. Zen philosophy, in its emphasis on achieving enlightenment, a state of transcendence, through meditation complemented the discipline required in martial arts training and was adopted by many warriors of the past. Martial arts eventually spread and developed into many forms in other Asian countries, including Japan and Korea.

The martial arts film genre has always been a signature of Eastern culture, appealing to Western audiences with both its grace and poetry. However, underneath the cinematic aesthetics also lies a culturally embedded history. A category of literature called wuxia-wu accounting for the martial arts part and xia referring to knight-errant heroes who were usually rebellious in nature-is probably the most influential factor in the development of martial arts films.

Wuxia first emerged in Chinese literature, its earliest stories relating the deeds of men who were not necessarily good or bad, but people who were strong, of healthy character, and skilled in martial arts-commonly warriors who stood up against the law that protected only the few. The qualities of righteousness and honor were later depicted in the xia as a means of glorifying the central characters. The martial arts in these novels, referred to as wugong, were often exaggerated, if not purely made up by literary imagination, combining philosophy and religion, and is different from real-life kung-fu. Usually set in a pugilistic world, the characters are sometimes endowed with super-human abilities that allow them to break the natural limitations of gravity. Called cinggong, the people of these novels who learn it are able to leap or "fly."

The wuxia genre evolved further as Eastern culture progressed to meet the modern world and works by writers such as Louis Leung-yung Cha (pen name Jin Yong) helped to popularize wuxia fiction by catering to the tastes of both intellectuals and commoners. Wuxia's immense popularity, extending to all groups, from young teenagers to adults, has made it an integral aspect of Chinese culture. Television series and movies have based many of its plots on these fantasy martial arts stories, the most recent being director Ang Lee's, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, which is based on one part of a multi-volume wuxia novel by Wang Dulu.

Martial arts films, like the wuxia literature, are frequently characterized by heroes who must take revenge on an antagonist for some violent act done to those dear to him or to his society. The heroes must use their martial skills to achieve justice when there is no other means of attaining it. The direction of many martial arts films have taken this course, and true to all action-hero films, the lines between good and evil are very clearly drawn out. Many of these plots are set in a warring period, a time when the government was generally corrupt and oppressive. Local folk legends about heroes such as Fong Sai Yuk were popular up to the 1950's but they lacked personality and depth and followed a similar formula. As the demands from the general audience for intricate story lines in cinema grew, one-dimensional plots about a good guy versus the villain were simply not sufficiently attention holding. Writers like Jin Yong and Gu Long incorporated many new themes that combine old traditions and new thoughts into wuxia. Hong Kong martial arts movies were some of the first to change in accordance with society's progression, adding fleshed out characters and bringing in artistic perspectives to the genre. Its influence permeates throughout Southeast Asia.

Perhaps because the image of government today is no longer "bad" and can usually be relied on for justice, police-action films have been increasing in popularity. Martial arts films have become more anachronistic, depicting past worlds where social outlaws were needed instead of cops to preserve justice.

Western audiences tend to find the concepts of martial arts films alien because they did not grow up with wuxia in their culture. Thus, when Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the first wuxia film with heavy dosed "flying," hit major Western theatres, the response was one of awe, similar to a reaction a newborn baby might have on seeing something new for the first time, coupled with laughter.