Wuxia and the History of Kung Fu Movies: Legendary Tales of Chivalrous Martial Heroes of Ancient China
Those who are familiar with the Chinese word wuxiá (“martial heroes”) may associate the word with memories of martial arts films and television programs that portray a fanciful depiction of Chinese martial arts to audiences around the world. However, there is more to wuxia than meets the eye. Wuxia is in fact an entire literary genre that depicts the exploits of ancient Chinese martial artists. It has proven to be popular enough to be used in a number of modern cultural media, including Chinese opera, films, television series and video games.