''Xianxia'' ( zh, s=, t=仙俠), directly translated to 'immortal heroes', is a genre of Chinese
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
heavily inspired by
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
and influenced by
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions.
Much of t ...
,
Chan Buddhism,
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
,
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...
,
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
,
Chinese alchemy
Chinese alchemy is an ancient Chinese scientific and technological approach to alchemy, a part of the larger tradition of Taoist / Daoist body-spirit cultivation developed from the traditional Chinese understanding of medicine and the body. Acc ...
and other traditional Chinese elements.
Etymology
The characters forming ''xianxia'' are ''xiān'' (
仙) and ''xiá'' (
侠). A ''xiān'' is an immortal, a kind of
transcendent being from Chinese mythology. ''Xiá'' is usually translated as "hero", but specifically implies a person who is brave, chivalrous, and righteous.
History
There are many ancient Chinese texts that could be classified as xianxia, such as the ''
Classic of Mountains and Seas
The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shan Hai Jing'', formerly romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed sin ...
'' from the
Warring States period
The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
, or the
Legend of the White Snake
The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese legend. It has since been presented in a number of major Chinese operas, films, and television series.
The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story in printed form appears to be ''The White Maiden ...
. ''Xianxia'' novels were popularized during the
Republic of China period, but it was the 1932 novel ''
Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu
''Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu'' ( zh, t=蜀山劍俠傳, s=蜀山剑侠传, first=t, w=Shu3-shan1 chien4-hsia2 chuan4, p=Shǔshān jiànxiá zhuàn) is a 1932 novel written by the Sichuanese writer Huanzhulouzhu. The book was ...
'' that sparked the modern popularity of the genre.
Characteristics
The stories usually include elements such as
gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
,
immortals
Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life.
Immortal or Immortality may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film
* ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
, ''
yaoguai
Yaoguai (妖怪 pinyin yāoguài) is a term for monsters or strange creatures. Yaogui (妖鬼 yāoguǐ, lit. "strange ghost"), yaomo (妖魔 yāomó, lit. " daemon") or yaojing (妖精 yāojīng, often translated as " sprite" or " faerie") are l ...
'',
ghosts,
monsters
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
.
Cultivation
Xianxia also includes the popular subgenre known as 'Cultivation' (; ; ; ). In the 21st century, this subgenre became popular with the advent of online publishing, with sites such as Qidian.com, Zongheng.com, and 17k.com giving a platform for authors to reach wide audiences with high-volume, serialized content. It was popularized outside of China primarily by fan translations in the early 2000s. Novels such as ''Stellar Transformations'', ''Coiling Dragon'', ''Martial God Asura'', and ' led to a boom in such fan translations. This genre is also a staple of Chinese television shows, films, ''
manhua
() are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ''Cu ...
'' (comics),
''donghua'' (animation), and games.
In these stories protagonists are usually "cultivators" (; ; ; or ) who seek to become immortal beings called ''
xian
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...
''. Along the way, they attain eternal life, supernatural powers, and incredible levels of strength. The fictional cultivation practiced in ''xianxia'' is heavily based on the real-life meditation practice ''
qigong
''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation
used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...
''.
In Chinese Web novel, Xianxia is one of the biggest genres and is mostly liked by male readers. Xianxia novels are often contain action themes.
Films and television
Perhaps one of the earliest successful ''xianxia'' films was the 1983 Hong Kong film ''
Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain
''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' ( zh, t=新蜀山劍俠) is a 1983 Hong Kong supernatural ''wuxia'' fantasy film directed by Tsui Hark and based on the xianxia novel '' Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu'' by Huanzhulouzh ...
'', which was followed up by the 2001 film ''
The Legend of Zu
''The Legend of Zu'', also known as ''Zu Warriors'', ( zh, t=蜀山傳) is a 2001 Hong Kong film produced and directed by Tsui Hark. The film starred Ekin Cheng, Cecilia Cheung, Louis Koo, Patrick Tam, Kelly Lin, Wu Jing, with special appeara ...
''. Other film adaptations of novels have been well received, such as the 2017 romantic ''xianxia'' film ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...
'' and the 2019 ''
Jade Dynasty''.
Overall, television shows are more numerous than films when it comes to ''xianxia'' adaptations.
Some of the most popular and successful Chinese TV series in recent times are of the ''xianxia'' genre, such as ''
Ashes of Love'', ''
Eternal Love'', ''
The Journey of Flower
''The Journey of Flower'' () is a 2015 Chinese television series starring Wallace Huo and Zhao Liying. It is based on the fictional novel of the same name written by Fresh Guoguo, which is inspired from Daoist legends regarding the path to immo ...
'', ''
The Untamed'' and ''
Love Between Fairy and Devil''. It is worth noting all four dramas are adapted from popular novels published on the website . In addition, there are ''
Swords of Legends'', ''
Noble Aspirations'', ''
Love of Thousand Years'', ''
Love and Redemption
''Love and Redemption'' () is a 2020 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Liu Li Mei Ren Sha'' () by Shi Si Lang (). It premiered on Youku and Mango TV on August 6, 2020. It stars actors Cheng Yi as Yu Sifeng and Yuan Bingyan as Chu X ...
'' and other films and TV series. The already existing fandom of ''xianxia'', and other fantasy novels has led to most new television and film titles to be adaptions and their warm reception by fans, along with increased exposure and high rates of anticipation.
Relationship with other genres
''Xianxia'' is often compared to the ''
wuxia
( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted ...
'' genre, and often shares many similarities - being set in a quasi-historical ancient China, featuring larger-than-life protagonists, and so on. The main difference is that ''xianxia'' generally has a much larger focus on spiritual growth and powers, multiple realms of reality, interacting with spirits and immortals, and so on; while ''wuxia'' is somewhat more grounded. Crude Western approximations might be that ''wuxia'' is loosely similar to the
(American) Wild West as a genre, where vigilantes, feuding factions, and gunfights / martial arts duels are common; while ''xianxia'' is closer to European
high fantasy
High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, ...
in tone, except with a vaguely ancient China-like setting. Other variants exist as well; ''xuanhuan'' generally refers to Chinese fantasy works that dispense with Taoist elements and have a less China-like setting; and ''qihuan'' are Chinese works set in a more explicitly Western-fantasy style setting, although generally keeping Chinese influence.
Influence
As ''xianxia'' novels have become more popular worldwide, other genres have been influenced by it, such as
progression fantasy, including authors such as
Will Wight.
In popular culture
See also
*
''Xian'' (Taoism)
*
Chinese philosophy
Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Warring States period (), during a period known as the " Hundred Schools of Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural develop ...
*
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions.
Much of t ...
* – ancient Chinese-style costume, typically used in and
References
{{Reflist
Chinese fantasy
Chinese literary genres
Fantasy genres