The Influence of Wuxia on the Early Chinese Film Industry Media Essay

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The Influence of Wuxia on the Early Chinese Film Industry
Introduction
Wuxia now refers to a martial hero in Chinese culture (Teo et al., 2003). Xiake or Yuoxavia is a martial artist who follows the Xia code (Ho, 2003). Wuxia is a traditional form of literature embraced in different kinds like Manhua, television series, Chinese Opera, films, and video games (Kong, 2007). Wuxia fiction heroes do not serve in a military class or power but belong to a low social rank bound by a chivalry code that requires them to fight oppression, recompense wrongdoings, and fight for righteousness.
The Burning of The Red Lotus Temple the first Wuxia film broadcasted in ancient China. The film's storyline is from a novel called The Tale of the Extraordinary Swordsman (Ho, 2003). The film was among the longest ever produced with 16 parts and running for 27 hours. The film and other martial arts films were banned in the early 1930s by the Kuomintang government amid claims that they advocated for superstition and feudalism. As a result, the Shanghai film industries relocated to Hong Kong because the restriction of the Chinese government did not apply there. The authorities lifted the ban in the early 1980s.
Wuxia Film Influence on Chinese and Hong Kong Film Industries.
Wuxia Facilitated International Recognition
Hong Kong cinema gained intense popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Local studios began producing films and movies at a quick pace. In a short time, they outperformed Hollywood movies. In 1970, Bruce Lee came into the limelight. Since he had studied Kung Fu while he was a child and with legendary tactics, he rose to become the best martial artist. In 1973, a film known as Entering the Dragon made Bruce Lee a household actor and elevated Hong Kong cinema to international standards (Ho, 2003). Jackie Chan later came into the scene. In conjunction with Bruce Lee and film director Yuen Wo Ping, they introduced slapstick and comedy into the Kung fu cinema genre. Their first film was The Drunken Master in 1978. Jackie Chan played the role of the legendary Wong Hei Fung as a cunning and lazy scamp who discovered that he performs well while drunk (Kong, 2007). King Hu was also another hero who was significant in the development of martial arts films made of Wuxia traditions and brought the female protagonist into the film industry. In1966, he directed an influential and the classic Come Drink with Me movie and later found the breakthrough in Taiwan and directed the film Dragon Gate Inn in 1967 and Touch of Zen of 1967. 
 
Wuxia Films and Nationalism
Wuxia films were regarded by the people of China as a symbol of nationalism and strengthened them in times of national challenges. The movies gained status as a state instrument since it facilitated worldwide recognition of the Chinese film industry. It maintained myths and concepts of knight-errantry and chivalry that justified impressions of nationalism (Ho, 2003). And because many Chinese nationals viewed it as a national instrument, they embraced it all over the country with several local studios established to produce W...