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Crouching Sensibility Hidden Meaning
JennyC:
--- Quote from: starboardlight on July 18, 2006, 09:21:55 pm ---they were translated to Thai. as well as the movies dubbed to Thai. There are some Thai martial art, but nothing as spectacular as Chinese.
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That's good to know that those martial art stories reached outside of just Chinese culture. I understand how ridiculous it can sound to people at times. But it’s a wonderful fantasy world that they created. Many well known Chinese scholars said they read and enjoy those martial art stories. The most famous martial art author is a well respected historian and scholar himself. After all, many of the great martial art stories/novels are a combination of many elements including fantasy, historical events, human struggle between good and evil, love and lost, etc. I read some of my favorite martial art novels as many times as I read “A Dream of the Red Chamber” (which is considered by many to be one of the greatest Chinese novels ever written).
We have to talk about the martial art stories that you like sometimes, Nipith. Maybe when we are all back from our vacation. ;)
Front-Ranger:
I hope I don't go on and on about this, but recently I mentioned that I thought Brokeback Mountain carried on the Wuxia tradition in Chinese arts in a new milieu, and I was just about drummed off the board. People were debating about it for days!! So, here is some information, and I would like to know what Nipith, Jenny, and all of you think about this. Wuxia=martial arts junk? or enduring archetype??
There is a long literary tradition in China called "Wuxia" that has to do with martial arts, chivalry, and historical epic storytelling. Wuxia novels and stories extend back to the early dynasties, and when the People's Revolution drove many Wuxia writers into exile the tradition was carried on in other places such as Taiwan, where Ang Lee was born. Wuxia stories have parallels to other cultures including the West. This is from Wikipedia:
--- Quote ---Jiang Hu (江湖) (Gong Woo), (literally means "rivers and lakes") is the wuxia parallel universe - the alternative world of martial artists and pugilists, usually congregrating in sects, disciplines and schools of martial arts learnings. It has been described as a kind of "shared world" alternate universe, inhabited by wandering knights and princes, thieves and beggars, priests and healers, merchants and craftspeople. It corresponds roughly to America's Wild West period, or to the era of the Book of Judges in the Bible. The best wuxia writers draw a vivid picture of the intricate relationships of honor, loyalty, love and hatred between individuals and between communities within this milieu.
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“The world these heroes created for themselves has since taken on a life of its own, has become a sort of "shared world" alternate universe in which, the mundane laws of physics are suspended, and men and women of spotless virtue roam the landscape searching for fresh challenges.[11] It is a world that is so well known to all Asian creators and consumers of wuxia stories that it even has a name: jiang hu.” From Heroic Grace: The Chinese Martial Arts Film by David Chute Editor's Introduction to the catalog of the landmark touring film series curated by Cheng-Sim Lim for the UCLA Film and Television Archive, 2003.
JennyC:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on July 20, 2006, 12:20:09 pm ---Wuxia=martial arts junk? or enduring archetype??
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First, Lee I should know that you know your Wuxia from your avatar. ;D
Wuxia (武俠) =martial arts junk? Of course not! It’s classic. Granted there are some junky Wuxia stories (just like any genre), but there are many that I would call classic Chinese literature. As mentioned in my post, I have read some Wuxia stories as many times as “A Dream of the Red Chamber”. That’s a statement that is not to be taken lightly. ;D
Many scholar also consider some Wuxia stories to be classic. I once read news that a chapter of Jin Yong (or Zha Liangyong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinyong)’s story is to be adapted into high school Chinese textbook. Given how controlled the content of the textbooks is, I will say it’s widely accepted as classic writing. Jin Yong is the most famous Wuxia writer and a national treasure considered by many in China. I am proud to say that I have read all his books and some of them many times.
Jianghu is a fantasy world created by Wuxia writers. It’s like J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. I think what some classic Wuxia novels to Chinese literature are like what Lord of the Rings Trilogy to the English literature. It’s may not be to your taste, but no one can deny that it's enduring archetype. In the heart of the stories, it’s about the struggle of human nature, good versus evil, courage, loyalty, love, friendship, revenge, mercy, salvation, greedy, betray, justice, etc.
I could go on and on about Wuxia stories :). Some people know their favorite Wuxia stories just like how we know brokeback mountain story. And I should add that some stories are longer than Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Front-Ranger:
Fascinating! We'll win Ray over yet!!
starboardlight:
--- Quote from: JennyC on July 19, 2006, 02:44:16 pm ---That's good to know that those martial art stories reached outside of just Chinese culture. I understand how ridiculous it can sound to people at times. But it’s a wonderful fantasy world that they created. Many well known Chinese scholars said they read and enjoy those martial art stories. The most famous martial art author is a well respected historian and scholar himself. After all, many of the great martial art stories/novels are a combination of many elements including fantasy, historical events, human struggle between good and evil, love and lost, etc. I read some of my favorite martial art novels as many times as I read “A Dream of the Red Chamber” (which is considered by many to be one of the greatest Chinese novels ever written).
We have to talk about the martial art stories that you like sometimes, Nipith. Maybe when we are all back from our vacation. ;)
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most of then created Thai titles that sometimes don't correspond to the chines titles. I read them as a child so I don't remember most of them anyway. I remember the stories of the Monkey King. I also really loved the stories about Kuan Yin. I remember a novel about a pauper with jade staff being really popular. I don't remember what the title was. The stories about the Great Judge Bao was also really huge in Thailand. We got lots of tv series from Hong Kong, so many of the stories that we got were through these.
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