| The Chinese have always referred to a place within their history as "Jiang Hu" (Gong wu - in Cantonese). This age is a part of China's mythical past, and is the time when heroes, anti-heroes, and villains feature prominently. The term, "Jiang Hu", which literally means "rivers and lakes", but actually describe the martial world, is where sword-bearing men and women embark on their self-quests for honor, power, and respect. These incredible people are an entity wholly different than their national countrymen. They have their own rules, fights, disputes, and ideology. They may go into seclusion for many years simply to learn a more powerful martial art, so that they can challenge another. Defeating a worthy opponent would lead to respect, and a name for themselves to be remembered throughout history. Wuxia xiaoshuo (martial arts novels) is consumed eagerly by the readers in Asia, thrilling the young and old alike with their stories of powerful romantic swordsmen, and their adventures to rid evil. It is a phenomenon that is comparable to the popularity of science fiction and fantasy novels read by Westerners. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between sci-fi / fantasy and wuxia xiaoshuo: Chinese heroes usually have unimaginable power, learnt by ancient scrolls of text, and utilised through their inner energy. This is comparable to the powers learnt by magicians, wizards and sorcerers; and of which only talented people can learn them. What differs between the two is the way both of the worlds are viewed. There is more of a grand epic feeling in fantasy worlds, woven into a rich tapestry of characters, political intrigue, and save the world quests. Wuxia novels are more about individual characters in their own quests for revenge, honour and respect. Taking revenge for a wrongdoing is often a recurring feature in wuxia novels, and is mostly the basis of a whole novel. |