115-413: Fire Dragon (火雲傳奇) is a 1994 wuxia film with comedy and action elements, which features Brigitte Lin in the lead. Ah Ha (Brigitte Lin) is an assassin known as Fire Dragon serving the evil Sixth Prince (Tan Lap-Man), who sent her on a mission to retrieve and destroy the incriminating letter but Yuen Ming (Max Mok), a wandering swordsman, manages to save it. Both Yuen and Fire Dragon go undercover in
230-499: A strategy game featuring several martial arts schools which commonly appear in wuxia fiction. The wuxia genre continues to be drawn as a pool of inspiration or source material for Chinese video game studios. In June 2022, Tencent's Lightspeed Studio released a demo trailer on Code: To Jin Yong . In the following month, Everstone Studio unveiled Where Winds Meet , a game compared to Ghost of Tsushima and Assassin's Creed . 2023 saw
345-620: A warrior ethos , knightly piety , and courtly manners , all combining to establish a notion of honour and nobility . The term "chivalry" derives from the Old French term chevalerie , which can be translated as " horse soldiery ". Originally, the term referred only to horse-mounted men, from the French word for horse, cheval , but later it became associated with knightly ideals. The French word chevalier originally meant "a man of aristocratic standing, and probably of noble ancestry, who
460-407: A backdrop. Elements of fantasy, such as the use of magic powers and appearance of supernatural beings, are common in some wuxia stories but are not a prerequisite of the wuxia genre. However, the martial arts element is a definite part of a wuxia tale, as the characters must know some form of martial arts. Themes of romance are also strongly featured in some wuxia tales. A typical wuxia story features
575-513: A certain pattern: a tragic event occurs, usually one that costs the lives of the newly introduced characters, and then it sets events into motion that will culminate in the primary action of the story. Other stories use different structures. For instance, the protagonist is denied admission into a martial arts school. He experiences hardships and trains secretly and waits until there is an opportunity for him to show off his skills and surprise those who initially looked down on him. Some stories feature
690-583: A corrupt government, played an influential role in the development of jianghu (Jianghu is the setting that wuxia stories inhabit. Literally meaning "rivers and lakes", Jianghu settings are fictionalized versions of China which focus on social underworlds and the marginalized figures which inhabit them." ) culture in later centuries. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is also seen as a possible early antecedent and contains classic close-combat descriptions that were later emulated by wuxia writers in their works In
805-399: A duel, and is determined to stay with her good side. With some help from a couple of chilvarous friends, she rises up, set on attacking and defeating her former master. Reviewer Andrew Saroch of fareastfilms.com gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "Taking a popular narrative and adding a unique sense of charm to it, Yuen Woo-Ping creates a strangely captivating atmosphere with
920-453: A familiar cast. Brigitte Lin is superb as the beautiful assassin who finds herself in a conflict between her head and her heart. It’s very refreshing to see her move away from the traditional ice-queen and portray someone with a slowly unravelled vulnerable side. Although very dependent on wires, Yuen Woo-Ping’s stellar choreography is of his usual high standard and there is still a few moments of genuine physicality that will have fans looking for
1035-438: A formidable martial artist and intelligent problem-solver, embarks on a quest to solve a mystery such as a murder case. Huang Yi's stories are blended with science fiction. Despite these genre-blending elements, wuxia is primarily a historical genre of fiction. Notwithstanding this, wuxia writers openly admit that they are unable to capture the entire history of a course of events and instead choose to structure their stories along
1150-606: A franchise of eight video games, two of which were adapted into the television series Chinese Paladin (2005) and Chinese Paladin 3 (2009). There are also MMORPGs , such as JX Online 3 , Heroes of Kung Fu and Age of Wulin , and hack and slash games, such as Bujingai and Heavenly Sword . Games adapted from the works of wuxia writers include Heroes of Jin Yong , an RPG based on characters in Jin Yong 's novels; Dragon Oath , an MMORPG inspired by Jin Yong's Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils ; and Martial Kingdoms ,
1265-405: A later period. Chen Yu-hui is a contemporary female wuxia novelist who made her debut with the novel The Tian-Guan Duo Heroes (天觀雙俠). There have also been works created after the 1980s which attempt to create a post-wuxia genre. Yu Hua , one of the more notable writers from this period, published a counter-genre short story titled Blood and Plum Blossoms , in which the protagonist goes on
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#17328439911131380-544: A martial artist attending underground fights. The Mulan remake in 2020 was Disney 's attempt in making a wuxia movie. In 2021, Marvel 's Shang-Chi opens with a wuxia sequence and has action sequences inspired by Jackie Chan. Some notable wuxia video games of the action RPG genre include The Legend of Sword and Fairy , Xuan-Yuan Sword , Jade Empire , and Kingdom of Paradise , all of which blend wuxia with elements of Chinese mythology and fantasy. The Legend of Sword and Fairy , in particular, expanded into
1495-681: A master or training with a group of fighters. Menpai is often translated as sect, school, society, church, house, or cult. Members of the same menpai follow the guidance and train under the same leader. If the members of the menpai are related, then it can be translated as clan. Since some of the menpai are religiously affiliated, "sect" has come to be a common translation for the non-family based menpai. However, it would be inaccurate to use sect to denote menpais that are not associated with religion. Notable modern wuxia writers include: New and original wuxia writings have dwindled significantly in modern times, particularly so as patronage and readerships of
1610-485: A mature hero with powerful martial arts abilities confronting an equally powerful antagonist as his nemesis. The plot will gradually meander to a final dramatic showdown between the protagonist and his nemesis. These types of stories were prevalent during the era of anti- Qing revolutionaries. Certain stories have unique plots, such as those by Gu Long and Huang Yi . Gu Long's works have an element of mystery and are written like detective stories. The protagonist, usually
1725-405: A more "ordered and peaceful society". The tripartite conception of medieval European society (those who pray, those who fight, and those who work) along with other linked subcategories of monarchy and aristocracy, worked in congruence with knighthood to reform the institution in an effort "to secure public order in a society just coming into its mature formation." Kaeuper says that knighthood and
1840-644: A new military ethos based on nationalism rather than "defending the faith against the infidel". Social commentators of the Victorian era advocated for a revival of chivalry in order to remedy the ill effects of the Industrial Revolution . Thomas Carlyle 's " Captains of Industry " were to lead a "Chivalry of Labour", a beneficent form of governance that is hierarchical yet fraternal in nature, rather than materialistic. John Ruskin 's "Ideal Commonwealth" took chivalry as one of its basic characteristics. From
1955-681: A part in the foundation of the Scouting movement. The Brownsea Island Scout camp , formed in 1907, began as a boys' camping event on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour , southern England, organised by British Army Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell to test his ideas for the book Scouting for Boys . Boy scouts from different social backgrounds in the U.K. participated from 1 to 8 August 1907 in activities around camping , observation , woodcraft , chivalry, lifesaving , and patriotism . According to William Manchester , General Douglas MacArthur
2070-410: A perceived codified law. The chivalric ideals are based on those of the early medieval warrior class, and martial exercise and military virtue remain integral parts of chivalry until the end of the medieval period, as the reality on the battlefield changed with the development of Early Modern warfare , and increasingly restricted it to the tournament ground and duelling culture. The joust remained
2185-498: A quest to avenge his murdered father. Wuxia as a genre has also spread to Korean literature. The shared themes in both culture seem to be honor, revenge, martial sects and mystical prowess. While Chinese wuxia stories incorporate Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, Korean adaptations tend to put more weight in Confucius principles. Korean historical dramas depict martial arts but tend to downplay the mysticism though there are stories where it
2300-533: A revival and elaboration of chivalric ceremonial and rules of etiquette in the 14th century that was examined by Johan Huizinga in The Waning of the Middle Ages , which dedicates a chapter to "The idea of chivalry". In contrasting the literary standards of chivalry with the actual warfare of the age, the historian finds the imitation of an ideal past illusory; in an aristocratic culture such as Burgundy and France at
2415-492: A social, not a military phenomenon, with its key features: generosity, fidelity, liberality, and courtesy. Chivalry was dynamic; it adjusted in response to local situations, and this probably led to its demise. There were many chivalric groups in England as imagined by Sir Thomas Malory when he wrote Le Morte d'Arthur in the late 15th century; perhaps each group created its own chivalric ideology. Malory's perspective reflects
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#17328439911132530-449: A sword, wherewith he sheds blood blamelessly, without becoming thereby a man of blood, and frequently puts men to death without incurring the name or guilt of homicide. From the 12th century onward, chivalry came to be understood as a moral, religious, and social code of knightly conduct. The particulars of the code varied, but codes would emphasise the virtues of courage, honour, and service. Chivalry also came to refer to an idealisation of
2645-617: A symbol of personal freedom, defiance to Confucian tradition, and rejection of the Chinese family system. Xiang Kairan (pen name Pingjiang Buxiaosheng ) became the first notable wuxia writer, with his debut novel being The Peculiar Knights-Errant of the Jianghu (江湖奇俠傳). It was serialised from 1921 to 1928 and was adapted into the first wuxia film, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928). Zhao Huanting (趙煥亭), who wrote Chronicles of
2760-399: A traveling acrobatic troupe led by Lyn Yu (Sandra Ng) while trying to draw each other out. However, when Ha becomes more involved with everyday people who welcome her into their homes, she transforms from a cold-hearted killer to a generous, heartwarming woman. The sixth prince, learning of the betrayal, orders her friend, Snow/Eagle Claw (Yeh Chuan-Chen) to kill Ha. Ha accidentally kills her in
2875-581: A way of life in which the military, the nobility, and religion combine. The "code of chivalry" is thus a product of the Late Middle Ages , evolving after the end of the crusades partly from an idealization of the historical knights fighting in the Holy Land and from ideals of courtly love. Pioneering French literary historian Léon Gautier compiled what he called the medieval Ten Commandments of chivalry in his book La Chevalerie (1884): In fact, there
2990-441: A young male protagonist who experiences a tragedy – such as the loss of his loved ones – and goes on to undertake several trials and tribulations to learn several forms of martial arts from various fighters. At the end of the story, he emerges as a powerful fighter whom few can equal. He uses his abilities to follow the code of xia and mends the ills of the jianghu . For instance, the opening chapters of some of Jin Yong's works follow
3105-555: Is a choreographer who achieved fame by crafting action-sequences in wuxia films. Wuxia was introduced to Hollywood studios in 2000 by Ang Lee 's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , though influence of the genre was previously seen in the United States in the 1970s television series Kung Fu . Following in Lee's footsteps, Zhang Yimou made Hero , targeted for the international market in 2002, House of Flying Daggers in 2004, Curse of
3220-404: Is a compound composed of the elements wǔ ( 武 , literally "martial", "military", or "armed") and xiá ( 俠 , literally "chivalrous", " vigilante " or "hero"). A martial artist who follows the code of xia is often referred to as a xiákè ( 俠客 , literally "follower of xia ") or yóuxiá ( 遊俠 , literally "wandering xia "). In some translations, the martial artist
3335-571: Is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity has caused it to be adapted for such diverse art forms as Chinese opera , manhua , television dramas, films, and video games. It forms part of popular culture in many Chinese-speaking communities around the world. According to Hong Kong film director, producer, and movie writer Ronny Yu , wuxia movies are not to be confused with martial arts movies . The word " wǔxiá "
3450-519: Is capable, if called upon, of equipping himself with a war horse and the arms of heavy cavalryman and who has been through certain rituals that make him what he is." Therefore, during the Middle Ages , the plural chevalerie (transformed in English into the word "chivalry") originally denoted the body of heavy cavalry upon formation in the field. In English, the term appears from 1292 (note that cavalry
3565-511: Is from the Italian form of the same word). The meaning of the term evolved over time into a broader sense, because in the Middle Ages the meaning of chevalier changed from the original concrete military meaning "status or fee associated with a military follower owning a war horse " or "a group of mounted knights" to the ideal of the Christian warrior ethos propagated in the romance genre, which
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3680-438: Is instead embraced like the seeries Gu family book . The influence of Wuxia can also be found in games, manhwa and light novel in which the settings are depicted in ancient times with distinct wuxia aesthetics. Modern wuxia stories are largely set in ancient or pre-modern China . The historical setting can range from being quite specific and important to the story, to being vaguely-defined, anachronistic, or mainly for use as
3795-403: Is no such medieval list. Gautier's effort was a series of moral bullet points he abstracted from his broad reading of 12th and 13th century romances. Supporters of chivalry have assumed since the late medieval period that there was a time in the past when chivalry was a living institution, when men acted chivalrously, the imitation of which period would much improve the present. However, with
3910-644: Is referred to as a jiànxiá ( 劍俠 ) or jiànkè ( 劍客 ), either of which can be interpreted as a "swordsman" or "swordswoman", even though they may not necessarily wield a sword. The heroes in wuxia fiction typically do not serve a lord, wield military power, or belong to the aristocratic class. They often originate from the lower social classes of ancient Chinese society. A code of chivalry usually requires wuxia heroes to right and redress wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove oppressors, and bring retribution for past misdeeds. Chinese xia traditions may be compared to martial codes from other cultures, such as
4025-448: Is the minister of the common interest and the bond-servant of equity, and he bears the public person in the sense that he punishes the wrongs and injuries of all, and all crimes, with even-handed equity. His rod and staff also, administered with wise moderation, restore irregularities and false departures to the straight path of equity, so that deservedly may the Spirit congratulate the power of
4140-407: The preudomme , which can be translated as a wise, honest, and sensible man. This uncodified code—referred to as the noble habitus —is a term for the environment of behavioural and material expectations generated by all societies and classes. As a modern idea, it was pioneered by the French philosopher/sociologists Pierre Bourdieu and Maurice Merleau-Ponty , even though a precedent exists for
4255-521: The Anglo-Irish Order of St. Patrick (1783), and numerous dynastic orders of knighthood remain active in countries that retain a tradition of monarchy. At the same time, with the change of courtly ideas during the Baroque period , the ideals of chivalry began to be seen as dated, or "medieval". Don Quixote , published in 1605–15, burlesqued the medieval chivalric novel or romance by ridiculing
4370-638: The Carolingian Empire from the idealisation of the cavalryman —involving military bravery, individual training, and service to others—especially in Francia , among horse soldiers in Charlemagne 's cavalry. Over time, the meaning of chivalry in Europe has been refined to emphasize more general social and moral virtues. The code of chivalry, as it stood by the Late Middle Ages , was a moral system which combined
4485-463: The De Re Militari of Ralph Niger (c. 1187) was written by the young man's former chaplain, in part as a moral defence of the knightly lifestyle. Crouch suggests another reason why chivalry coalesced as a noble code in the late 12th century in his analysis of conduct literature. He suggests that the courtly habitus underwent a crisis as its moral failure became obvious to writers, particularly in
4600-581: The Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The former is a romanticised historical retelling of the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, while the latter criticises the deplorable socio-economic status of the late Northern Song dynasty. Water Margin is often seen as the first full-length wuxia novel: the portrayal of the 108 heroes , and their code of honour and willingness to become outlaws rather than serve
4715-476: The High Middle Ages . Christianity had a modifying influence on the classical concept of heroism and virtue, nowadays identified with the virtues of chivalry. The Peace and Truce of God in the 10th century was one such example, which placed limits on knights to protect and honour the weaker members of society and also help the church maintain peace. At the same time the church became more tolerant of war in
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4830-605: The Libre del ordre de cavayleria , written by Ramon Llull (1232–1315), from Majorca , whose subject is knighthood; and the Livre de Chevalerie of Geoffroi de Charny (1300–1356), which examines the qualities of knighthood, emphasizing prowess . None of the authors of these three texts knew the other two texts, and the three combine to depict a general concept of chivalry which is not precisely in harmony with any of them. To different degrees and with different details, they speak of chivalry as
4945-613: The Qing dynasty (1644-1911), further developments were the gong'an (公案; literally "public case") and related detective novels, where xia and other heroes, in collaboration with a judge or magistrate, solved crimes and battled injustice. The Justice Bao stories from Sanxia Wuyi (三俠五義; later extended and renamed to Qixia Wuyi ) and Xiaowuyi (小五義), incorporated much of social justice themes of later wuxia stories. Xiayi stories of chivalrous romance, which frequently featured female heroes and supernatural fighting abilities, also surfaced during
5060-712: The Shaw Brothers Studio featured sophisticated action choreography using wire and trampoline assisted acrobatics combined with sped-up camera techniques. The storylines in the early films were loosely adapted from existing literature. Cheng Pei-pei , Jimmy Wang and Connie Chan are among the better known wuxia movie stars in the 1960s–70s, when films made by King Hu and the Shaw Brothers Studio were most prominent. More recent wuxia movie actors and actresses include Jet Li , Brigitte Lin , Michelle Yeoh , Donnie Yen , Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi . Yuen Woo-ping
5175-892: The Shi Ji , Sima Qian detailed several embryonic features of xia culture from his period. These popular phenomena were also documented in other historical records such as the Book of Han and the Book of the Later Han . Xiake stories made a turning point in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and returned in the form of chuanqi (傳奇; literally "legendary tales"). Stories from that era, such as Nie Yinniang (聶隱娘), The Kunlun Slave , Thirteenth Madame Jing ( 荊十三娘 ), Red String (紅線) and The Bearded Warrior (虬髯客), served as prototypes for modern wuxia stories. They featured fantasies and isolated protagonists – usually loners – who performed daring heroic deeds. During
5290-585: The Song dynasty (960–1279), similar stories circulated in the huaben , short works that were once thought to have served as prompt-books for shuochang (traditional Chinese storytelling). The genre of the martial or military romance also developed during the Tang dynasty. In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Luo Guanzhong and Shi Nai'an wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin respectively, which are among
5405-1037: The Spring and Autumn period . Some well-known stories include Zhuan Zhu 's assassination of King Liao of Wu , and most notably, Jing Ke 's attempt on the life of the King of Qin (who later became Qin Shi Huang ). In Volume 86 of the Records of the Grand Historian ( Shi Ji ), Sima Qian mentioned five notable assassins – Cao Mo , Zhuan Zhu , Yu Rang , Nie Zheng and Jing Ke – in the Warring States period who undertook tasks of conducting political assassinations of aristocrats and nobles. These assassins were known as cike (刺客; literally "stabbing guests"). They usually rendered their loyalties and services to feudal lords and nobles in return for rewards such as riches and women. In Volume 124 of
5520-484: The Teutonic Knights , who honored her as their patroness. The medieval development of chivalry, with the concept of the honour of a lady and the ensuing knightly devotion to it, not only derived from the thinking about Mary, but also contributed to it. Although women were at times viewed as the source of evil, it was Mary who as mediator to God was a source of refuge for man. The development of medieval Mariology and
5635-410: The early modern period , the term gallantry (from galant , the Baroque ideal of refined elegance) rather than chivalry became used for the proper behaviour of upper-class men towards upper-class women. In the 19th century, there were attempts to revive chivalry for the purposes of the gentleman of that time. Kenelm Henry Digby wrote his The Broad-Stone of Honour for this purpose, offering
5750-504: The jianghu , martial artists are expected to be loyal to their master ( Shifu ). This gives rise to the formation of several complex trees of master-apprentice relations as well as the various schools such as Shaolin and Wudang . If there are any disputes between fighters, they will choose the honourable way of settling their issues through fighting in duels. The martial arts in wuxia stories are based on wushu techniques and other real life Chinese martial arts . In wuxia tales, however,
5865-439: The knight 's character and the chivalric ethos were novel elements: revised social status, innovative military tactics, and fresh literary themes. Chivalric codes encompassed regulations such as pledging loyalty to the overlord and upholding warfare rules. These rules dictated refraining from attacking a defenseless opponent and prioritizing the capture of fellow nobles for later ransom instead of immediate harm, akin to adhering to
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#17328439911135980-554: The "sword against the enemy". In the 11th century the concept of a "knight of Christ" ( miles Christi ) gained currency in France, Spain, and Italy. These concepts of "religious chivalry" were further elaborated in the era of the Crusades , with the Crusades themselves often seen as a chivalrous enterprise. The military orders of the crusades which developed in this period came to be seen as
6095-563: The 15th century Christine de Pizan combined themes from Vegetius, Bonet, and Frontinus in Livre des faits d'armes et de chevalerie . In the 14th century Jean Froissart wrote his Chronicles which captured much of the Hundred Years' War , including the Battle of Crécy and later the Battle of Poitiers both of which saw the defeat of the French nobility by armies made up largely of common men using longbows . The chivalric tactic employed by
6210-571: The 1920s. Extant early wuxia films produced in China include Red Heroine (1929), Woman Warrior White Rose (1929), and Woman Warrior of the Wild River 6: Rumble at Deerhorn Gully (1930), the sixth film in a series. Hua Mu Lan (1939), another surviving film, is considered a representative of the second wave of wuxia films, during the Anti-Japanese War. Films directed by King Hu and produced by
6325-575: The Arabs as antecedents to the depiction of courtly love in medieval European literature. In the works of the Cordoban author Ibn Hazm , for example, "lovers develop passions for slave boys as well as girls, interchangeably, and the slave is recognized as now the master of his beloved." Ibn Hazm's The Ring of the Dove is a noteworthy depiction of a lover's extreme submissiveness. Medieval courtly literature glorifies
6440-524: The French armoured nobility, namely bravely charging the opposition in the face of a hail of arrows, failed repeatedly. Froissart noted the subsequent attacks by common English and Welsh archers upon the fallen French knights. Chronicles also captured a series of uprisings by common people against the nobility, such as the Jacquerie and The Peasant's Revolt and the rise of the common man to leadership ranks within armies. Many of these men were promoted during
6555-523: The Golden Flower in 2006 and Shadow in 2018. Western audiences were also introduced to wuxia through Asian television stations in larger cities, which featured miniseries such as Warriors of the Yang Clan and Paradise , often with English subtitles. Ash Is Purest White (Chinese: 江湖儿女; 'Sons and Daughters of Jianghu'), a 2018 Chinese drama directed by Jia Zhangke, is a modern film that refers to
6670-514: The Hundred Years' War but were later left in France when the English nobles returned home, and became mercenaries in the Free Companies , for example John Hawkwood , the mercenary leader of The White Company . The rise of effective, paid soldiery replaced noble soldiery during this period, leading to a new class of military leader without any adherence to the chivalric code. Chivalry underwent
6785-455: The Japanese samurai bushidō . Even though the term "wuxia" as the name of a genre is a recent coinage, stories about xia date back more than 2,000 years. Wuxia stories have their roots in some early youxia tales from 300–200 BC. The Legalist philosopher Han Fei spoke disparagingly of youxias in his book Han Feizi in the chapter On Five 'Maggot' Classes about five social classes in
6900-978: The Loyal Knights-Errant (奇俠精忠傳, serialised 1923–27), was another well-known wuxia writer based in Shanghai. Starting from the 1930s, wuxia works proliferated and its centre shifted to Beijing and Tianjin in northern China. The most prolific writers there were collectively referred to as the Five Great Masters of the Northern School (北派五大家): Huanzhulouzhu , who wrote The Swordspeople from Shu Mountains (蜀山劍俠傳); Gong Baiyu (宮白羽), who wrote Twelve Coin Darts (十二金錢鏢); Wang Dulu , who wrote The Crane-Iron Pentalogy (鹤鉄五部作); Zheng Zhengyin (郑証因), who wrote The King of Eagle Claws (鹰爪王); Zhu Zhenmu (朱貞木), who wrote The Seven 'Kill' Stele (七殺碑). Wuxia fiction
7015-606: The Qing dynasty. Novels such as Shi Gong'an Qiwen (施公案奇聞) and Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan (兒女英雄傳) have been cited as the clearest nascent wuxia novels. The term "wuxia" as a genre label itself first appeared at the end of the Qing dynasty, a calque of the Japanese " bukyō ", a genre of oft-militaristic and bushido -influenced adventure fiction. The term was brought to China by writers such as Liang Qichao and students who hoped that China would modernise its military and place emphasis on martial virtues, and it quickly became entrenched as
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#17328439911137130-494: The arena of professional infantrymen, with less opportunity for knights to show chivalry. It was the beginning of the demise of the knight. The rank of knight never faded, but Queen Elizabeth I ended the tradition that any knight could create another, making this exclusively the preserve of the monarch. Christopher Wilkins contends that Sir Edward Woodville , who rode from battle to battle across Europe and died in 1488 in Brittany ,
7245-639: The best protection in her lance and her sword. The chivalric ideal persisted into the early modern and modern period. The custom of founding chivalric orders by Europe's monarchs and high nobility peaked in the late medieval period, but it persisted during the Renaissance and well into the Baroque and early modern period, with e.g. the Tuscan Order of Saint Stephen (1561), the French Order of Saint Louis (1693) or
7360-536: The birth of modern historical and literary research, scholars have found that however far back in time "The Age of Chivalry" is searched for, it is always further in the past, even back to the Roman Empire . From Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi : We must not confound chivalry with the feudal system . The feudal system may be called the real life of the period of which we are treating, possessing its advantages and inconveniences, its virtues and its vices. Chivalry, on
7475-490: The bourgeoisie were educated at aristocratic courts, where they were trained in the manners of the knightly class. This was a democratisation of chivalry, leading to a new genre called the courtesy book , which were guides to the behaviour of "gentlemen". Thus, the post-medieval gentlemanly code of the value of a man's honour, respect for women, and a concern for those less fortunate, is directly derived from earlier ideals of chivalry and historical forces that created it. Japan
7590-413: The changing attitudes towards women paralleled each other. The works of Roman poets like Ovid and Cicero bore some similarities to the typical depiction of romance in chivalric literature during the Middle Ages. In Ovid's works, lovers "became sleepless, grew pale, and lost their appetite," while Cicero's works celebrated the "ennobling power of love". Some scholars also point to the romantic poetry of
7705-472: The close of the Middle Ages, "to be representative of true culture means to produce by conduct, by customs, by manners, by costume, by deportment, the illusion of a heroic being, full of dignity and honour, of wisdom, and, at all events, of courtesy.... The dream of past perfection ennobles life and its forms, fills them with beauty and fashions them anew as forms of art". In the later Middle Ages, wealthy merchants strove to adopt chivalric attitudes. The sons of
7820-403: The concept as far back as the works of Aristotle. Crouch in 2019 argued that the habitus on which "the superstructure of chivalry" was built and the preudomme was a part, were recognised by contemporaries as components of courtoisie (from Latin curialitas ) which was defined as superior conduct appropriate to the aristocratic hall ( court or curia ). He saw it as being taught within
7935-549: The condition of 15th-century chivalry. When Le Morte d'Arthur was printed, William Caxton urged knights to read the romance with an expectation that reading about chivalry could unite a community of knights already divided by the Wars of the Roses . During the early Tudor rule in England , some knights still fought according to that ethos. Fewer knights were engaged in active warfare because battlefields during this century were generally
8050-476: The confines of the hall by its senior figures to youths confided to the lord and his household for their social upbringing. Crouch suggested courtliness had existed long before 1100 and preceded the codified medieval noble conduct we call chivalry, which he sees as beginning between 1170 and 1220. The pre-chivalric noble habitus as discovered by Mills and Gautier and elaborated by Stephen Jaeger and David Crouch are as follows: The [warrior-]prince accordingly
8165-424: The contrary, is the ideal world, such as it existed in the imaginations of the romance writers. Its essential character is devotion to woman and to honour. Sismondi alludes to the fictitious Arthurian romances about the imaginary Court of King Arthur when taken as factual presentations of a historical age of chivalry. He continues: The more closely we look into history, the more clearly shall we perceive that
8280-442: The decline of the military ideals of duelling culture and of European aristocracies in general following the catastrophe of World War I , the ideals of chivalry became widely seen as outmoded by the mid-20th century. As a material reflection of this process, the dress sword lost its position as an indispensable part of a gentleman's wardrobe, a development described as an "archaeological terminus" by Ewart Oakeshott , as it concluded
8395-453: The defence of faith, espousing theories of the just war ; and liturgies were introduced which blessed a knight's sword, and a bath of chivalric purification . In the Grail romances and Chevalier au Cygne , it was the ethos of the Christian knighthood that its way of life was to please God, and chivalry was an order of God. Chivalry as a Christian vocation combined Teutonic heroic values with
8510-408: The definition: "Chivalry is only a name for that general spirit or state of mind which disposes men to heroic actions, and keeps them conversant with all that is beautiful and sublime in the intellectual and moral world." The pronouncedly masculine virtues of chivalry came under attack on the parts of the upper-class suffragettes campaigning for gender equality in the early 20th century, and with
8625-473: The earliest flowering of chivalry, and some of their opponents like Saladin were likewise depicted as chivalrous adversaries. It remains unclear to what extent the notable military figures of this period—such as Saladin, Godfrey of Bouillon , William Marshal , or Bertrand du Guesclin —actually did set new standards of knightly behaviour, or to what extent they merely behaved according to existing models of conduct which came in retrospect to be interpreted along
8740-517: The first three in The Matrix film series (1999–2003, the fourth film from 2021 was choreographed by Joshua Grothe ) and the Kill Bill films from 2003 to 2004, all of which were choregraphed by Yuen Woo-ping . Perhaps the most successful example was DreamWorks Animation 's media franchise Kung Fu Panda . Created as an earnest, if humorous, emulation by producers who were knowledgeable admirers of
8855-461: The founding of a "new school" of the wuxia genre that differed largely from its predecessors. They wrote serials for newspapers and magazines. They also incorporated several fictional themes such as mystery and romance from other cultures. In Taiwan, Wolong Sheng , Sima Ling , Zhuge Qingyun (諸葛青雲), Shiao Yi (萧逸) and Gu Long became the region's best known wuxia writers. After them, writers such as Woon Swee Oan and Huang Yi rose to prominence in
8970-457: The genre decimated due to readily available alternatives in entertainment such as DVDs, gaming consoles, and other newer forms of entertainment. However, the genre has persisted in the form of manhua (Chinese comics) in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the core essentials of the wuxia genre living on in weekly editions equivalent to the Japanese manga . Some notable comic artists are listed as follows: The earliest wuxia films date back to
9085-537: The genre, the series has been particularly hailed in China as an excellent contribution to the form. From the 1990s–2000s, Hong Kong stars Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung have worked with AMC Networks to bring wuxia to a US television audience with Into the Badlands , which premiered in 2015 and ran for three seasons. In 2013, Keanu Reeves directed and starred as the main antagonist in Man of Tai Chi , with Tiger Chen as
9200-408: The importance of vengeance is controversial, as a number of wuxia works stress Buddhist ideals, which include forgiveness, compassion and a prohibition on killing. While borrowing ideas from the better known Confucian values, the root of Xia originated from the lesser known Mohism , which in the Warring States period saw a few Mohists stood up to defend kingdoms being attacked by other kingdoms. In
9315-402: The itinerant playboy lifestyle of his son to distract him from meddling in his realms, and also to stake a claim to the cultural high ground over the other European princes of the day. Young Henry was nonetheless heavily criticised for his wasteful and hedonistic life, and Crouch finds it significant that the first known work which used the knight as a moral exemplar and as a definitive nobleman,
9430-462: The life and manners of the knight at home in his castle and with his court. The code of chivalry, as it was known during the late Medieval age, developed between 1170 and 1220. Courtliness remained a recognised form of superior conduct in medieval European society throughout the middle ages. Courtly behaviour was expected of all aristocrats and its norms were integrated into chivalric literature. But as Crouch demonstrated courtliness (unlike chivalry)
9545-542: The lines of the "chivalry" ideal of the Late Middle Ages. Nevertheless, chivalry and crusades were not the same thing. While the crusading ideology had largely influenced the ethic of chivalry during its formative times, chivalry itself was related to a whole range of martial activities and aristocratic values which had no necessary linkage with crusading. The Virgin Mary was venerated by multiple chivalric orders, including
9660-560: The literary cycles known as the Matter of France , relating to the legendary companions of Charlemagne and his men-at-arms , the paladins , and the Matter of Britain , informed by Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae , written in the 1130s, which popularized the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table . The code of chivalry that developed in medieval Europe had its roots in earlier centuries. It arose in
9775-752: The long period during which the sword had been a visible attribute of the free man, beginning as early as three millennia ago with the Bronze Age sword . During the 20th century, the chivalrous ideal of protecting women came to be seen as a trope of melodrama (" damsel in distress "). The term chivalry retains a certain currency in sociology, in reference to the general tendency of men, and of society in general, to lend more attention offering protection from harm to women than to men, or in noting gender gaps in life expectancy , health , etc., also expressed in media bias giving significantly more attention to female than to male victims. The promotion of chivalry played
9890-624: The mastery of such skills are highly exaggerated to superhuman levels of achievement and prowess. The following is a list of skills and abilities a typical fighter in a wuxia story possesses: In wuxia stories, characters attain the above skills and abilities by devoting themselves to years of diligent study and exercise, but can also have such power conferred upon them by a master who transfers his energy to them. The instructions to mastering these skills through training are found in secret manuals known as miji (秘笈). In some stories, specific skills can be learned by spending several years in seclusion with
10005-641: The materialism that motivated courtly society. Crouch sees the Roman des Eles of the poet-knight Raoul de Houdenc , as a critique of courtliness and its failures. Raoul's solution is to focus moral eminence on the figure of the knight, who is to be the avatar of a new moral nobility, set above all other males. A knight was to eschew materialism ( envie ) and to embrace noble generosity ( largesce ). In medieval literature , chivalry can be classified into three overlapping areas: Different weight given to different areas produced different strands of chivalry: Emerging with
10120-445: The militant tradition of Old Testament . The first noted support for chivalric vocation, or the establishment of a knightly class to ensure the sanctity and legitimacy of Christianity, was written in 930 by Odo , abbot of Cluny , in the Vita of St. Gerald of Aurillac , which argued that the sanctity of Christ and Christian doctrine can be demonstrated through the legitimate unsheathing of
10235-488: The pattern of the protagonist's progression from childhood to adulthood instead. The progression may be symbolic rather than literal, as observed in Jin Yong's The Smiling, Proud Wanderer , where Linghu Chong progresses from childish concerns and dalliances into much more adult ones as his unwavering loyalty repeatedly thrusts him into the rocks of betrayal at the hands of his inhumane master. The eight common attributes of
10350-429: The people, we are astonished to find the poets, after a long lapse of time, adorning the very same ages with the most splendid fictions of grace, virtue, and loyalty. The romance writers of the twelfth century placed the age of chivalry in the time of Charlemagne. The period when these writers existed, is the time pointed out by Francis I . At the present day [about 1810], we imagine we can still see chivalry flourishing in
10465-432: The persons of Du Guesclin and Bayard , under Charles V and Francis I. But when we come to examine either the one period or the other, although we find in each some heroic spirits, we are forced to confess that it is necessary to antedate the age of chivalry, at least three or four centuries before any period of authentic history. Prior to codified chivalry, there was the uncodified code of noble conduct that focused on
10580-519: The primary example of knightly display of martial skill throughout the Renaissance (the last Elizabethan Accession Day tilt was held in 1602). The martial skills of the knight carried over to the practice of the hunt , and hunting expertise became an important aspect of courtly life in the later medieval period (see terms of venery ). Related to chivalry was the practice of heraldry and its elaborate rules of displaying coats of arms as it emerged in
10695-489: The prince with the words, 'Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.' [ Psalm 23:4 ] His shield, too, is strong, but it is a shield for the protection of the weak, and one which wards off powerfully the darts of the wicked from the innocent. Those who derive the greatest advantage from his performance of the duties of his office are those who can do least for themselves, and his power is chiefly exercised against those who desire to do harm. Therefore not without reason he bears
10810-441: The professional horse warrior, the knight. Retained knights were a prominent feature of the households of barons, counts and princes, and were thought to be proper associates of their lords. As such knights adopted the fashions and behaviours of their lords. In many cases knights were often drawn from the younger sons of noble families so they would regard themselves as being noble too, if less noble than their lords. Crouch locates
10925-736: The release of " Hero's Adventure: Road to Passion " in November, a wuxia-inspired open world RPG as well as Wandering Sword in September, a RPG using HD2D pixel art style. Chivalry Chivalry , or the chivalric language , is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood , with knights being members of various chivalric orders , and with knights' and gentlemen's behaviours which were governed by chivalrous social codes. The ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature , particularly
11040-531: The rewind button. Overall then, 'Fire Dragon' offers a very pleasing evening’s entertainment that is unlikely to disappoint." Reviewer Cherycok of darksidereviews.com gave the film a rating of 5.5 out of 10. This article related to a Hong Kong film of the 1990s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a martial arts film is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wuxia Wuxia ( 武俠 [ù.ɕjǎ] , literally "martial arts and chivalry")
11155-577: The stubborn adherence to the chivalric code in the face of the modern world as anachronistic, giving rise to the term Quixotism . Conversely, elements of Romanticism sought to revive such "medieval" ideals or aesthetics in the late 18th and early 19th century. The behavioural code of military officers down to the Napoleonic era , the American Civil War (especially as idealised in the " Lost Cause " mythology), and to some extent even to World War I ,
11270-414: The system of chivalry is an invention almost entirely poetical. It is impossible to distinguish the countries in which it is said to have prevailed. It is always represented as distant from us both in time and place, and whilst the contemporary historians give us a clear, detailed, and complete account of the vices of the court and the great, of the ferocity or corruption of the nobles, and of the servility of
11385-535: The term used to refer to xiayi and other predecessors of wuxia proper. In Japan, however, the term "bukyō" faded into obscurity. Many wuxia works produced during the Ming and Qing dynasties were lost due to the governments' crackdown on and banning of such works. Wuxia works like Water Margin were deemed responsible for brewing anti-government sentiments, which led to rebellions in those eras. The departure from mainstream literature also meant that patronage of this genre
11500-503: The tipping point of the nobilising of the knight as in the households of the sons of King Henry II of England, and in particular his eldest son, the Henry the Young King (died 1183). Young Henry lived a lavish lifestyle of unprecedented expense focussed on the great northern French tourneying society of the 1170s and 1180s. Since Young Henry had no domains to rule, his father was willing to fund
11615-552: The underworld interpretation of jianghu. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. The story is loosely based on the leader of a gang from Jia Zhangke's childhood, whom he had admired as a role model. Like the rest of Jia's films, it opened to widespread acclaim. There have been Western attempts at the genre, such as the 2008 film The Forbidden Kingdom , which starred Jackie Chan , Jet Li and Michael Angarano ; other movies including wuxia elements are
11730-412: The valour, tactics, and ideals of both Moors and ancient Romans. For example, the ancient handbook of warfare written by Vegetius called De re militari was translated into French in the 13th century as L'Art de chevalerie by Jean de Meun . Later writers also drew from Vegetius, such as Honoré Bonet, who wrote the 14th century L'Arbes des batailles , which discussed the morals and laws of war. In
11845-443: The worldview of "those who fight" was pre-Christian in many ways and outside the purview of the church, at least initially. The church saw it as a duty to reform and guide knights in a way that weathered the disorderly, martial, and chauvinistic elements of chivalry. Royalty also clashed with knighthood over the conduct of warfare and personal disputes between knights and other knights (and even between knights and aristocracy). While
11960-685: The worldview of "those who work" (the burgeoning merchant class and bourgeoisie) was still in incubation, Kaeuper states that the social and economic class that would end up defining modernity was fundamentally at odds with knights, and those with chivalrous valor saw the values of commerce as beneath them. Those who engaged in commerce and derived their value system from it could be confronted with violence by knights. According to British historian David Crouch , many early writers on medieval chivalry cannot be trusted as accurate sources, because they sometimes have "polemical purpose which colours their prose". As for Kenelm Henry Digby and Léon Gautier, chivalry
12075-589: The xia are listed as benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth, and desire for glory. Apart from individualism, these characteristics are similar to Confucian values such as ren (仁; "benevolence", "kindness"), zhong (忠; "loyalty"), yong (勇; "courage", "bravery") and yi (義; "righteousness"). The code of xia also emphasises the importance of repaying benefactors after having received deeds of en (恩; "grace", "favour") from others, as well as seeking chou (仇; "vengeance", "revenge") to bring villains to justice. However,
12190-481: Was a chivalric warrior who fought a war with the intention to conquer the enemy, eliminating their ability to strike back, then treated them with the understanding and kindness due their honour and courage. One prominent model of his chivalrous conduct was in World War II and his treatment of the Japanese at the end of the war. MacArthur's model provides a way to win a war with as few casualties as possible and how to get
12305-558: Was a means to transform their corrupt and secular worlds. Gautier also emphasized that chivalry originated from the Teutonic forests and was brought up into civilization by the Catholic Church. Charles Mills used chivalry "to demonstrate that the Regency gentleman was the ethical heir of a great moral estate, and to provide an inventory of its treasure". Mills also stated that chivalry was
12420-507: Was banned at various times during the Republican era and these restrictions stifled the growth of the genre. In 1949, China also banned martial arts novels as vulgar reading. In Taiwan, the government banned several wuxia works in 1959. Despite this, wuxia prevailed in other Chinese-speaking regions. In Hong Kong, between the 1960s and 1980s, the genre entered a golden age . Writers such as Liang Yusheng and Louis Cha ( Jin Yong ) spearheaded
12535-414: Was becoming popular during the 12th century, and the ideal of courtly love propagated in the contemporary Minnesang and related genres. The ideas of chivalry are summarized in three medieval works: the anonymous poem Ordene de chevalerie , which tells the story of how Hugh II of Tiberias was captured and released upon his agreement to show Saladin (1138–1193) the ritual of Christian knighthood ;
12650-462: Was limited to the masses and not to the literati, which led to the stifling of the development of the wuxia genre. Nonetheless, the wuxia genre remained enormously popular with the common people. The modern wuxia genre rose to prominence in the early 20th century after the May Fourth Movement of 1919. A new literature evolved, calling for a break with Confucian values, and the xia emerged as
12765-401: Was not confined to noble society. There are examples of servants, merchants, clergy and free peasants being commended for their 'courtly' behaviour in medieval literature. His explanation for the appearance of chivalry as a recognisable and prescriptive code of behaviour is tied into the more exclusive definition of nobility that appears in the late 12th century. This had a particular impact on
12880-564: Was still strongly modelled on the historical ideals, resulting in a pronounced duelling culture, which in some parts of Europe also held sway over the civilian life of the upper classes. With the decline of the Ottoman Empire , however, the military threat from the "infidel" disappeared. The European wars of religion spanned much of the early modern period and consisted of infighting between factions of various Christian denominations. This process of confessionalization ultimately gave rise to
12995-460: Was the last knight errant who witnessed the fall of the Age of Chivalry and the rise of modern European warfare. By the time the Middle Ages came to an end, the code of chivalry was gone. Chivalry!—why, maiden, she is the nurse of pure and high affection—the stay of the oppressed, the redresser of grievances, the curb of the power of the tyrant—Nobility were but an empty name without her, and liberty finds
13110-477: Was the only country that banned the use of firearms completely to maintain ideals of chivalry and acceptable form of combat. In 1543 Japan established a government monopoly on firearms. The Japanese government destroyed firearms and enforced a preference for traditional Japanese weapons. Medieval historian Richard W. Kaeuper saw chivalry as a central focus in the study of the European Middle Ages that
13225-449: Was too often presented as a civilizing and stabilizing influence in the turbulent Middle Ages. On the contrary, Kaueper argues "that in the problem of public order the knights themselves played an ambivalent, problematic role and that the guides to their conduct that chivalry provided were in themselves complex and problematic." Many of the codes and ideals of chivalry were contradictory: when knights did live up to them, they did not lead to
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