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We invite you to learn more about the Immortal team. The team Meet the Immortal Leadership team and our Advisors and Partners . LEADERSHIP TEAM Payhuan Peter Shiao Founder, Creator, CEO Payhuan is our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, leading Immortal Studios in creating a new story universe to awaken the hero within everyone and defining a new business model centered around direct user engagement. Payhuan has a decades long career leading innovative entertainment and media ventures between the East and West, and has been active in empowering underserved communities. Payhuan’s favorite past time as a boy was reading Chinese Wuxia novels (many of them written by his father Shiao Yi who is an accomplished author in the genre), and drawing these martial heroes he read about. Because of these stories, he aspired to be a modern day Xia, the transcendent martial Knight who mastered themselves, and stood for righteousness and justice in a world of great stakes, poetry, romance and consequence. Payhuan pivoted from politics to a new career in media as a means of expressing his mission for social transformation through stories. He feels incredibly blessed to come full circle back to his original love with Immortal. In his own words. Hank Kanalz Head of Publishing Hank Kanalz has over 35 years of experience in the comics and entertainment industry. He’s worked at WarnerMedia and DC for 25 years, most recently as Senior Vice President of Publishing Strategy & Support Services for DC. Hank developed comprehensive content plans for both print and digital publishing across DC’s imprints, and oversaw DC’s talent services, marketing, sales, publicity, and creative services departments. Hank was first approached to join Immortal’s Advisory Board. After immersing himself in the team’s vision and goals, he signed on to lead their publishing efforts, aligning with the mission to unlock the hero inside everyone. Bob Harras Editor-at-Large Bob Harras is the only individual who has been editor-in-chief of both DC and Marvel Comics. At Marvel, Bob spearheaded best-selling titles such as X-Men, Avengers, Spider-Man, Hulk , and Deadpool , and his writing credits include the Avengers, Namor , and the limited series Nick Fury vs S.H.I.E.L.D. For over a decade at DC he oversaw editorial for all comics including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman . He also headed MAD Magazine , Black Label, and Vertigo publications, as well as spearheading DC's first YA and Middle Grade line of publications. Bob currently resides in New Jersey. Tomas Jegeus Immortal Motion Picture Group Tomas is a film and entertainment executive with experience in marketing, distributing, and producing content worldwide. A native Swede, he has lived and worked in Stockholm, London, and Hong Kong, and is currently based in Los Angeles. As Co-President of Global Marketing and Distribution at 20th Century Fox, he was in charge of the release of Avatar, Titanic, X-Men, Ice Age, Life of Pi , and more; most recently, he served as President of Fox International Productions. He was immediately drawn to Payhuan's vision for Immortal, and believes it will change the world. Tomas' hobby is composing, recording, and producing ambient electronic music, and he has released three albums on Spotify. Skip Kelly Company Storyteller Skip's whole life was transformed through watching Naruto once a week for the entirety of his childhood. It has always been a dream of his to create the next generation's stories that could inspire humanity, so contributing to Immortal Studios is a dream come true. Skip is a master storyteller, media and marketing strategist, and a super-fan of Fa Sheng. Gene Ching Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer Gene Ching is a 32nd generation layman disciple of the Shaolin Temple, a certified Provost at Arms in fencing through ROTC and SJSU Human Performance, and is part of the Programs Committee for the Chinese Historical Society of America. He is also the publisher of Kung Fu Tai Chi , the largest newsstand magazine dedicated exclusively to Chinese martial arts, as well as a staff writer for YMAA Publication Center, and a regular contributor to Den of Geek and UNESCO IM. He joined Immortal Studios after meeting Payhuan at the Shaolin Summit, and sees Immortal Studios as the perfect vehicle to help him bring Shaolin to the west. In his spare time, Gene does volunteer work in drug harm prevention, both in crises situations and as a speaker at schools. Kelly Sue Milano VP of Content & Executive Editor Kelly Sue Milano is the co-founder of HexComix, the all-female creative team behind HEX11, the critically acclaimed indie sci-fi/fantasy comic in development for television. Beyond comics, she has crafted spiritually driven narratives as a staff writer for the Kabbalah Centre and mentors emerging writers as a Comic Writing & Scripting Mentor at OTIS College of Art + Design. As VP of Content, Kelly Sue will work closely with writers, artists, and production teams to develop Immortal’s interconnected comics, films, television, and gaming projects. A core focus will be expanding Immortal’s adaptations of the Shiao Yi library, a collection of over 60 legendary wuxia novels that have inspired more than 30 film and TV adaptations worldwide. David Collins VP, Cinematic Storyverse Prior to joining Immortal Studios, David co-created the espionage drama series THE STASI FILES, optioned by Dynamic Television (GINNY & GEORGIA), as well as the sci-fi noir graphic novel CLEAN SLATE, purchased by Lionsgate-Regency. Previously David was head of development for filmmaker Duane Adler (STEP UP) at Connect Entertainment, where he worked on dance films including MAKE YOUR MOVE starring Derek Hough and K-pop superstar BoA. Prior to his time at Connect, David worked as director of development for Platinum Studios (COWBOYS & ALIENS) where he helped acquire, develop and produce a slate of feature films & television series based upon comic book IP, including projects at DreamWorks, Universal, Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures Animation, Fox TV Studios, and the Sy Fy Channel. Splitting his time between Los Angeles and Singapore, he is currently studying Mandarin and learning to cook with a wok. David Collins Company Storyteller Skip's whole life was transformed through watching Naruto once a week for the entirety of his childhood. It has always been a dream of his to create the next generation's stories that could inspire humanity, so contributing to Immortal Studios is a dream come true. Skip is a master storyteller, media and marketing strategist, and a super-fan of Fa Sheng. Bella Ortiz Creative Producer and Social Media Strategist Bella expands the company’s digital presence and fosters community engagement through social initiatives and content-driven outreach. Driven by a passion for amplifying diverse voices, they create opportunities for underrepresented creators to share their stories, ensuring new generations feel seen and empowered.A graduate of Otis College of Art and Design in product design, Bella specialized in board game creation and the intersection of storytelling and play, as well as developing products for neurodivergent students. Their journey into comics began in a class on comic book heroes taught by Kelly Sue Milano—now Immortal Studios’ VP of Content and Executive Editor. Inspired by the power of storytelling, Bella interned with the HEX 11 team, which eventually led them into the Immortal Studios universe. Advisors Joshua Malone Director of Operations Josh's gaming experience began at the age of 3 when he first held a controller, sparking a deep passion for virtual world spelunking. His love for games and search for meaning would eventually take on a deeper dimension as a lead editor at Atlus/SEGA. There, he blended his love for myths and mysticism in Shin Megami Tensei and Persona , while exploring heroism and redemption in Yakuza/Like a Dragon and Judgment . His path to infuse true spirit into storytelling then led him to Immortal Studios, where he now serves as Director of Operations, helping to build a transformative, transmedia powerhouse dedicated to Awakening the Hero in us all. Joshua Malone Director of Operations ADVISORY BOARD Immortal is proud to have an amazing group of advisors and appreciative of their expertise and support. Sam Ades - Award-winning digital strategist and brand building executive with experience at Warner Bros. and DC Comics. Adam Breivis - Digital Producer for Disney and NBC. Transmedia marketer. ARG and mobile game content developer. Arthur Chan - Award winning brand builder and marketer - co-founder of FC&A, clients include all major Hollywood studios and indies. Benjamin Chang - Serial entrepreneur, technologist, CEO of Skale Education. Bernard Chang - Leading Marvel & DC artist and former Disney Imagineer. Sandy Climan – President of Entertainment Media Ventures, founding Head of CAA’s corporate representation practice. Lindsay Conner - Attorney and chair of the entertainment practice at Manatt, Phelps and Philipps. Mike Corrigan - Corporate strategist, former head of entertainment and media at Pricewaterhouse and CFO of MGM Pictures. Dan Dingh – Co-Founder and CEO of TSM. Andre Fonseca - Digital marketer/co-founder of FC&A. As former VP, Digital for Disney oversaw major Disney titles including Marvel and Pixar. Rafe Fogel - Media and content investor. Investor/board members in Legendary Pictures. Village Roadshow. and Studio Canal. Jack Gao - CEO of Smart Cinema, past International CEO of Wanda, Head of News Corp and Microsoft in China. Jeff Gomez – CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment. Gordon Ho - Former Chief Marketing Officer of Princes Cruises and Executive Vice President at Walt Disney Studios. - Matt Leaf – Former Co-Head of Motion Pictures Business Affairs at CAA. Lilly Lee - Master calligrapher, lettering designer, uber connector. Patrick Lee - Founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes. Stu Levy - Founder of TokyoPop, vanguard content company that established the market for Japanese manga in North America. Justin KJ Lin - General manager of Tencent's Fanbyte, Chief Strategy Officer of Firefly Web Games. Benny Luo - Founder/CEO of Next Shark, largest Asian and Asian American news & information portal in market today. Rachel McAllister - Head of MPRM Communications, whose clients have included Disney, Netflix, and Skybound. Andrew Ooi - Global Asian talent manager and producer. CEO of Echelon management. Jack Pan - Leading theatrical and direct to consumer marketing executive at Disney, Summit, STX, and Global Road. Rick Porras - Co-Producer for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy; New media storytelling consultant for Video for Sony. Steven Ray - Music, film, connected technologies executive and executive producer. Charlie Stickney - Independent comics maven, co-publisher of Scout Comics, creator of White Ash. Mike Tankel - Leading marketing and engagement strategist, who works with brands to deliver memorable and sticky brand solutions. Rizwan Virk – Head of MIT Game Lab and Author of the Simulation Hypothesis. Michael Vorhaus - Digital, gaming, and new media expert with 25 years experience building a consulting and research practice at Magid before starting Vorhaus Advisors. Thomas Vu – Head of Franchise Development at Riot Games. Andrew Walters - CSO for RSVD, Former Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at MGM. Bill Wong – Principal, Bill Wong LLC. Former Chief of Staff to California State Legislature and California State Assembly. Brian Wong – Chairman of Radii and former Group VP of Alibaba. Partners PARTNERS Immortal Studios is proud to have strategic partnerships with industry leaders that support our Storyverse and our Mission !

Immortal is an entertainment company dedicated to creating modern martial arts fantasy stories in the Wuxia genre, and leading community activities to awaken the hero within each of us. HOME OF ESSENTIAL WUXIA Immortal Studio is dedicated to creating stories in the martial arts fantasy genre known as Wuxia & bringing it to the global pop culture stage. OUR COMICS & MERCH Digital Quick View Assassin G #1 - Digital Price $6.00 Digital Quick View Fa Sheng: Origins #1 - Digital Price $3.00 Digital Quick View The Adept #2 -Digital Price $6.00 Digital Quick View Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen #1 - Digital Price $5.00 Digital Quick View The Adept #1 - Digital Price $5.00 New Arrival! Quick View Assassin G #1 - Print - Gene Ha Cover Price $25.00 New Arrival! Quick View Assassin G #1 - Print Price $17.00 New Arrival! Quick View Assassin G #1 - Print - Jim Cheung Cover Price $25.00 New Arrival! Quick View Assassin G #1 - Print - Gian Galang Cover Price $25.00 New Arrival! Quick View Assassin G #1 - Print - Joyce Chin Cover Price $25.00 INSIDE We are bringing this beloved classic genre into the 21st century & introducing it to mainstream audiences by creating an interconnected storyverse of heroes, fantasy action, kung fu & empowerment. Artwork - Immortal Storyverse Artwork - Immortal Storyverse Artwork - Immortal Storyverse Artwork - Immortal Storyverse 1/7 NEWS Feb 24 Wuxia Review: 100 Yards 57 Feb 21 A Heartfelt Message from Payhuan Shiao and Kelly Sue Milano 14 Feb 13 HEX11 Co-creator Kelly Sue Milano Joins Immortal Studios as VP of Content & Executive Editor to Lead Expansion of Wuxia Storyverse 61 Feb 12 Immortal Arrives at New York City on 2/27! 10 Jul 24, 2024 Immortal Studios Launches Groundbreaking AI Story Engine in Collaboration with SingularityNET 118 Apr 26, 2023 Enter the Jianghu: A Glimpse into John Wick's World 541 Mar 15, 2023 Wuxia Puppetry Shows 358 Mar 1, 2023 Inner Peace in Wuxia 285 1 2 3 4 5 INVEST in Why Investors Invested in Immortal Studios INSIDE IMMORTAL STUDIOS Immortal Studios is inviting you! | Pre-Campaign page is now live on Kickstarter The Adept Co-Creator Q&A: Tasha Huo Drawing The Adept Yishan Li Draws Sasha True Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen Kickstarter Campaign Video Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen Animated Cover Drawing Immortal Swordsmen Bernard Chang Draws Variant Cover More videos OUR COMMUNITY Our Fans - Read their Reviews Our Squad - Premier Martial Artists Who Support Immortal's Mission Our Events - Fan Engagement Amplifying AAPI Representation in Entertainment & Media Summit - May 26, 2021 Live Reading of The Adept Immortal and Shaolin Masters discuss the Shaolin Temple's Mysticism & Legends

Into the Badlands (C) January + February 2016 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission. What is Wuxia? Our Favorite Wuxia Movies Anatomy of a Wuxia Novel " Into the Badlands is on Netflix and was an AMC TV series that was deeply rooted in Wuxia storytelling. It was a post-apocalyptic fantasy that mashed up many genres which ran from 2015 to 2019, and opened the door to several other Wuxia-derivative TV shows like YouTube's Cobra Kai , Netflix's Wu Assassins , Cinemax's Warrior , and the upcoming CW reboot of Kung Fu . I participated in two set visits to Into the Badlands for Season 2 and 3 when they were filming near Dublin, Ireland and reported on it extensively. " G - Gene Ching, Immortal Studios' Associate Editor & Action Choreographer If you don’t know the name Daniel Wu by now, he’s the martial artist to watch. Starring in AMC’s new series, Into the Badlands , Wu is an American-born Wushu champion and a founder of collegiate Wushu in the United States. He is also an award-winning Hong Kong leading man with over sixty films to his credit. With Into the Badlands , Wu ventures into something completely original, an unprecedented martial arts-laden television series from the same network that brought critically-acclaimed shows like Mad Men , Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead . “I’m so proud to be amongst those shows on the AMC roster,” says Wu. “They have a lot riding on this show. They’ve decided to go with something totally different, which is not like a formulaic list of things that they’ve gone through. Mad Men and Breaking Bad are two totally different shows and Into the Badlands is a totally ‘other’ different kind of show. They are willing to try and explore something completely different and try something fresh for television. I think that’s amazing. A lot of studios don’t have the balls to do that.” And Now for Something Completely Different “The show is martial arts drama but also has elements of Westerns, as well as steampunk, as well as all these other things mashed together,” explains Wu. Early press releases describe Into the Badlands as being loosely based on the Chinese classic Journey to the West. “I think it’s very, very, very, very loosely based on Journey to the West ,” admits Wu. “We’re not really trying to emulate the story exactly, because the story of Journey to the West on the surface is basically how the Buddhist scriptures got from India to China, how Buddhism arrived in China. But all these sort of little challenges that the Monkey King sees along the way are actually the story of his enlightenment and his development as a character, because in the beginning he is a very rebellious, crazy, out-of-control monkey. And then through his journey with the monk as they go to the west and come back, he becomes an enlightened figure and he changes completely along the way. So we took that idea of a journey of enlightenment, a journey of transformation, for the main character of Badlands, Sunny. There are some tributes, like Sunny’s name is actually Sun Wukong ( 孫悟空 ) the Monkey King’s name. And then M.K. kind of stands for ‘monk’ but it’s not meant to be a literal translation of that story in any way.” The production reunites Wu with his longtime associate, Hong Kong film maverick Stephen Fung. The two co-starred in Wu’s debut film Bishonen (1998) and continued to work together on many projects, such as Fung’s second directorial effort, the hilarious Kung Fu comedy, House of Fury (2005). “As soon as Stacey Sher [Executive Producer for Badlands] approached me to bring me on board, I brought him on board with me. We are already partners in our production company, Diversion Pictures, and we had produced Tai Chi Zero (2012), Control (2013), a couple of other films already. We’ve also worked with each other on Stephen’s directorial films for the past several years, so we’re very close in terms of creative thinking. Stephen became not only an Executive Producer, but he became the Fight Unit Director, and responsible for the whole look of all the martial arts of the show. Working with him, it was great because it was someone I could trust with all the technical side of making the martial arts of it. And having him direct all the action, we definitely got a certain level of quality out of all of it. That was an important thing – we wanted to bring that Hong Kong style to television and the only way to do that is to work with Hong Kong people. So we brought the Hong Kong action team, Master Dee Dee Ku’s action team as well, and then Stephen. Combined together, it was the three of us were responsible for the authenticity of the martial arts.” Dee Dee Ku, also known as Ku Huen Chu (谷軒昭), is a veteran fight choreographer who has worked on both sides of the Pacific to bring Kung Fu action to such notable films as Once Upon a Time in China (1991), Fist of Legend (1994), Kill Bill 1 & 2 (2003, 2004), Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Expendables 2 (2012) and dozens more. “Dee Dee, I’ve worked with him for a long time. On a couple of Yuen Woo Ping’s projects, he was Yuen Woo Ping’s right hand man. Going all the way back to The Banquet (2006), or the Curse of the Black Scorpion as they called it in the United States, I worked with him on that. I think the most recent was That Demon Within (2014). When we were thinking of choreographers that we could work with on Badlands, Dee Dee was the first one because of his experience with American projects, with the Matrix series, Crouching Tiger and all that stuff. So his English speaking communication was adequate enough to get along with American crews and he’s also experienced with working with American crews and working with unions and that kind of stuff that a lot of Hong Kong people don’t have to deal with. He ended up being one of the greatest parts of the show, I think, because his ability, his working crew, the people he brought on, they’re amazing.” Wu credits Ku as being able to transform the rest of the cast into martial artists. “We had a six-week fight camp and brought them in for intensive training.” Ku managed to get Aramis Knight (who plays M.K.) to do aerial cartwheels in that short period. “Emily Beecham (who plays Widow) had a lot of progress as well in her fight scenes. She has one fight scene that was pretty incredible. It’s mostly her on her own. This is all due to Dee Dee’s really great ability in picking what people are really good at and making that shine. He didn’t try to get her to do stuff that she wasn’t good at, or that she could do very well. He picked out stuff during the training sessions that he saw potential in and worked on moves that she could use.” Unlike the overdone Superhero genre, Into the Badlands made an effort to avoid relying too heavily on computer-generated image special effects. “There’s a little bit, you’ll see as the story develops, there’s a martial arts power that the kid develops. There’s a little bit of CGI there, but not much at all. Most of it is done with in-camera tricks and anything CGI is simple stuff like wiping away wires, things like that. We wanted to keep it as analog as possible so people could enjoy the action for the action’s sake.” The intention was to showcase the martial arts. “In several of our fight scenes, we have long shots, like a 20- or 30-second shot with 10 to 20 moves. We do try to keep it like Hong Kong action. If the performer is able to perform a long shot, we use them as long as we possibly can. If we can get them to do 20 or 30 moves in a row without cutting away, we let that happen. That’s always an amazing thing to see – a straight fight without any cuts in it.” For Wu, he had to dust off his old Wushu skills to make Sunny as authentic as possible, but he is quick to say he didn’t do all of his own stunts. “All the dangerous stuff the studio doesn’t allow me to do, stuff that looks like I might get hurt on, stuff like that. Most of the stuff I’m doing myself.” But the martial stuff was mostly him, especially the sword fighting. “At first, I hadn’t done sword-fighting in a long time so it was like, ‘Aw, this is going to be tough…on me’ – especially double sword because my left hand has always been my weaker point when I did double weapons in the past. So in the six-week fight camp I just focused on working on double weapon fighting the whole time. I actually got pretty good at it and got my old skills back. I ended up actually having more fun with that than with the fist and kick stuff.” What’s more, Wu was able to design his own swords. He got to work with Weta Workshops in New Zealand, the preeminent weapon designers for film today that came to prominence with the Lord of the Rings films. “There was a lot of thought about sword design. I really got excited about that because we wanted to make a sword that you could not necessarily pick out culturally. So it’s not really a traditional katana. It looks like double katanas. They’re single edged like the katana but they’re straight like the jian. But they actually work like a dao. But they look like katanas. They’re lighter like katanas. We actually gone through several renditions. This had been a dream of mine having done martial arts my whole life, being able to design your own sword based on experiences you had in the past, right?” Keeping that high production value of the fights is more difficult than it sounds. Television works much faster than film. “One thing we realized, why no one has done this before, it’s extremely difficult in terms of just scheduling. Trying to get all the fights and drama shot in the time we have allotted. It’s an average of 8 to 10 days per episode so we had very little time to do two major fight scenes per block of time. The way we did it is we had a fight unit and a main unit. The main unit is shooting all the drama. The fight unit is only shooting action stuff. And we’re shooting at the same time, so Monday through Friday is the drama unit and then Tuesday through Saturday is the action unit. In a lot of cases, I’d go to the drama unit for a couple hours and then rush over to the fight unit and fight all day long. A lot of times, what they had to do because I can’t be there for the fight, because I’m shooting drama, if they’re shooting say me and Emily fighting, they’ll put in my double while the shooting occurs for her side of the fight. She’s fighting my double not because I can’t fight it. It’s because I can’t be there physically. So she’s fighting with somebody else, and if I can get there in time, I’ll slip in and replace that person. But that’s strictly a time thing. It’s not about skills. It’s about being efficient and shooting as much as possible. “You need time. For example, we have a rain fight scene which you’ve probably seen in the trailer. It’s equivalent of The Grandmaster (2013) rain fight scene. We were going for that level. That Grandmaster rain fight scene took a month to film. We did it in six days. And so we’re doing incredible things that we’re jamming through very short amount of time. First of all, they can only be done with a Hong Kong crew. They can work that fast. And then secondly, the way we’re doing it splitting up the drama unit and the fight unit, splitting up the people like that. Otherwise it would be almost impossible to get it done.” From Wushu Pioneer to Asian American Pioneer With Into the Badlands , Wu is the first Asian male in the lead role of a non-comedic American TV show. Fresh Off the Boat is an ensemble cast and a comedy. John Cho’s failed Selfie and Ken Jeong’s failing Dr. Ken are also both comedies. Even Pat Morita’s short-lived 1976 show Mr. T and Tina (a derivation of the Karate Kid films) and even Sammo Hung’s two-season millennial show Martial Law (a derivation of Rush Hour films) were also comedies. Into the Badlands is all about action and drama, and Wu’s character Sunny even has a non-Asian romantic interest in Dr. Veil (Madeleine Mantock). However, Wu initially balked at taking the lead. “I was brought on board by Stacey Sher to bring authenticity to the martial arts side of the show. And the whole time I was thinking that we should be casting somebody in their late 20s early 30s, so I never really put myself into the equation. And then once the casting process started, which was like a year-and-a-half later after working on the project, we put our feelers out. I think they tested over a 100-something people, and we looked at all the tapes that they liked a lot. And everyone turned to me in the end and said, ‘Okay…can you do it?’ “And my major concern was that the proportion of fights per show is about two per episode – two major fights per episode. And I was thinking, first of all, I haven’t done martial arts action in a long time. I took a few years of time off from doing it. And secondly, I was already 40 at that point. Can I be able to do that for the next 5 or 6 years if the show does well? I’m not sure if I can do that, so let’s cast someone younger, someone who can last that 5 or 6 years. So we sent our feelers out there and they turned back to me because of multiple requirements. The studio definitely wanted the lead to be Asian. They wanted the person to be able to speak perfect English. And they had to know how to act already, to not be a new person, to have martial arts experience, and also have some name. So the number of people you can go to for that is very slim already. In the end, for them the acting was the most important. To me, the martial arts side was really more important, but to them, the acting was much more important. And so we had gone through a lot of martial artists that had no acting experience and they realized that person could not carry a show. And so eventually then, they turned back to me and said, ‘Well, can you do it?’ I’m like, ‘Okay, let me give it a shot.’ So when we were auditioning the kid, I read with the kid and the studio saw that and they said, ‘Daniel, just do it.’” Wu has already amassed a very eclectic filmography, even for an Asian star. He’s done drama, thrillers, rom-coms, quirky roles, and a wide range of diverse characters. “If you live in Asia, you understand that that’s the way things are. To be a successful actor here, you have to be able to do everything. But in the States, it’s not like that. Basically, if you do one thing, you do that your whole career. And so I’m out to show that I can do more than just one genre.” The only typical Asian star thing Wu doesn’t do is sing and dance. “That’s one thing I’ve avoided my whole career, except for when I made that film The Heavenly Kings. That was poking fun at that whole pop idol thing that happens here in Asia where almost every actor does sing and dance.” Wu directed that film and won the 2006 Best New Director at the prestigious Hong Kong Film Awards for it. He has also racked up two nominations in both the Hong Kong Film Awards and Taiwan’s coveted Golden Horse Film Awards. In 2001, he won the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actor for his role in Jackie’s New Police Story. However, it’s been hard for Asian male actors to break into Hollywood. Martial artists are the only ones who have really succeeded, but even that has been fraught with challenges and typecasting. Bruce Lee died young. Despite his iconic status today, he didn’t live to see the release of his only Hollywood effort, the now classic Enter the Dragon (1973). Jackie’s Hollywood debut came in 1980 with The Big Brawl (a.k.a. Battle Creek Brawl ). His film career actually started in 1962 as a child actor; he was credited in over two dozen films and uncredited in dozens more. Jet’s Hollywood debut was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). He had already been the lead in two dozen films. Donnie Yen had supporting roles in the Highlander and Blade franchises near the flip of the millennium, but he’s still not recognized outside the martial arts film genre. After over five dozen films, Donnie might finally catch Hollywood’s attention next year with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2 and Star Wars: Rogue One . Unlike Jackie’s and Jet’s struggle to be taken seriously as dramatic actors, Wu has already played many dramatic roles – with more to come – so he’s not worried about being typecast in Hollywood. “The reason why I haven’t done martial arts films in a while is because I’ve seen – you talk about Jackie and a lot of people who wanted to be taken seriously in drama – and I had already opened the path for myself doing drama, as my first film was a big dramatic challenge. I went that way rather than becoming the action star. Being more versatile. If you can play dramatic roles and also fight, then you have a much broader spectrum of things you can go to versus if you start off just doing action and you’re only perceived as an action star, it’s hard to go back. I ended up doing it that way, being taken more seriously as an actor that can also fight. And also making conscious choices making sure I do dramatic roles versus action ability or action skill, developing a career that way, so I’m not so worried about it. I know I have that talent and that ability behind me, so I can totally turn down roles. I can be stereotyped through Badlands , but I can always turn down the other offers that come after that and look for things that are more dramatically challenging. And that’s why I’m glad that Warcraft is going to come after Badlands because that character is really a dramatic role, a motion-capture role. It’s not an action-based role at all. So it shows more diversity in terms of my ability skills-wise. And then I go on to another movie, Geostorm , which is going to come out after Warcraft , which I finished already. It’s a big Gerard Butler end-of-the-world type of movie. I play another role that is very, very different than the Badlands character. So I’m coming out of the gates consciously choosing a wide range of roles to let people know that I have that ability and I’m not just an action guy.” Wu confidently looks forward to breaking into a brighter Hollywood spotlight. “It’s kind of awesome. I’ve made a couple attempts before in the past to try to come back home and work in the States. And I think at that time, maybe ten years ago, most people in Hollywood were not aware of the Asian market at all in general. In the past few years, you see movies like Transformers 4 make more money in China than it did in the States or anywhere else in the world. Then you have Hollywood paying attention and now that’s driven the catalyst of bringing Asian actors to the States. And I started seeing that happening with other actors, and I’m like, ‘Wait, that guy or that girl, she speaks no English and she’s doing American product. Maybe I should give this another chance.’ And being American-born Chinese, I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, I speak English fluently. America is my home. I really should be doing this. I should really be making an effort to come back home and work back home.’ I started seriously doing it maybe two years ago, Warcraft being one of the first projects. I think Badlands is a more amazing project because it kind of highlights everything that I’ve been trained to be good at in Asia, that I’ve spent almost twenty years building a career at. As well as being the lead in the project? That’s amazing too. AMC is willing to put an Asian-American in the lead of a big huge American show. It shows that their mentality shift has changed a lot. We’ve moved a long way since Sixteen Candles (1984) Long Duk Dong, I guess. So I’m proud to be part of that movement in the American media landscape. Let’s see if it works.” The Journey to the West Into the Badlands is a groundbreaking crossover project for AMC, not just for the West but for the East too. “I know it’s definitely being shown in Hong Kong for sure because they’ve already started asking me for interviews. In China, I’m not sure on what television platform but I know that through their internet portals, Walking Dead and all that stuff is all available over internet through subscription services there. It’s definitely one of AMC’s goals is to spread further into the Asian region.” Wu says that they’ve already begun work on Season Two, although AMC hasn’t yet green-lit that at this writing. What’s more, back here in America, AMC has launched Kung Fu Fridays as a warm-up for Into the Badlands . “That was kind of our idea, actually. When we pitched the show, they immediately asked us what would help audiences understand this genre a little better. Well, when I was a kid growing up [in the San Francisco Bay Area], we had Kung Fu Theater , on KTSF, with Tat Mau Wong. Remember that? I grew up watching that and that’s how I got my vocabulary of Kung Fu film. They said, ‘Yeah, we should do something like that.’ So then we suggested a whole bunch of titles for them to acquire and they started playing the Kung Fu Friday thing.” Despite Wu’s extensive dramatic background, ultimately Into the Badlands comes down to the martial arts. He is coming home, home to America and home to the martial arts that he loves. “At the highest level, we are definitely making the show for people who are enthused by this genre of filmmaking. We really hope that we are pleasing those people. We’re really making it for them. A lot of AMC executives had no idea of what martial arts is about so we went and took carte blanche and tried to do what we thought was right and what martial artists will think is cool. We’re trying to please the higher echelon of the audience – the people who know martial arts and have been watching this stuff since they were kids. If we can impress them, that’s our ultimate goal.” By Gene Ching (C) January + February 2016 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission.

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The Shaolin Phoenix (C) 2004 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission. What is Wuxia? Our Favorite Wuxia Movies Anatomy of a Wuxia Novel Into the Badlands Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did wonders for the Western kungfu movement. Now everyone is acknowledging this film genre that we have loved so dearly for so long. We all knew kungfu cinema was great cinema. It's so full of soul. Now, finally, the rest of the world is seeing it too. But of course we were there, before this new wave of interest, back in the day... While Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was new sensation for pop culture, we martial arts aficionados have seen this kind of film a hundred times before. It was a throwback to the old "old school" martial arts movies, pre-Shaw brothers, when romantic swashbucklers ruled the silver screen. These movies were called wuxia pian or "warrior-knight films." Wuxia pian were usually based on a popular genre of books known as wuxia xiaoshuo (warrior-knight novels.) Wuxia novels are the pulp fiction and comic books of Asia, packed with quixotic, inspiring legends about great martial arts masters with magic qi powers. Often, these fictional adventures were derived from folk legends about actual famous masters, just like our own tales of Robin Hood or King Arthur. In fact, the majority of period kungfu movies such as Wong Fei Hung, Hung Hay Kwun, Fong Sai Yuk and even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are based on classic wuxia stories. Despite their penchants for the absurdly fantastic, wuxia xiaoshuo preserves the spirit of the forefathers and foremothers of our cherished art of kungfu. And buried in those beloved novels remain countless legends about our martial ancestors yet to be translated. One of the many wuxia xiaoshuo heroes so far unsung in English is Gan Fengchi. Gan is recognized in the martial circles as the founder of Bak Sil Lum (northern Shaolin) and Hua Quan (Flower Fist.) Additionally, Chinese readers know his posthumous martial treatise Introduction to Hua Quan. Gan was a great kungfu master and the embodiment of wude, the warrior's code. He was known by the title Jiangnan Diyixia - Jiangnan means south of the river, a reference to southern China and Diyixia means "number one knight." The stories of his adventures are full of the impossible, just like the flying and leaping in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, nevertheless his esteemed legacy remains to this day. The Phoenix versus Plum Flowers and Bulls Gan Fengchi was a native of Ningxian County in Jiangsu Province who lived under the reign of the 4th Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1723-1735 CE.) His given name Fengchi means "phoenix pond." Gan was born with a small, skinny body, not at all what one might expect of a legendary master, but he loved kungfu from the very start and trained assiduously all his life. Through his devotion, he eventually became the layman disciple of a Shaolin monk name Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan was originally from the royal family of the previous Ming Dynasty, whose secular name was Zhu Fu. When the Qing overthrew the Ming in 1644, Zhu Fu renounced his family name and became a monk, in hopes of learning Shaolin kungfu to help restore Ming reign. He trained Gan for twelve years. Once, the Jin clan held a big party in honor of Master Gan. The Qing dynasty actually adopted the Chinese name Qing; they were really Manchurian, known as the Jin. As a show of respect, Master Gan sat at the highest seat of honor presented by the Jin head clansman. Everyone was drinking merrily when Master Gan noticed the beautiful flower garden outside on the Jin estate. Gan exclaimed, "Look outside! So many plum flowers are in bloom. We should appreciate their beauty but the window is closed." Without another word, Master Gan blew the window open, using only the qi of his breath. Everyone applauded with amazement. Noticing that the master was in a mood to demonstrate, another guest asked about Master Gan's legendary throwing skills. Gan obliged by instructing a maid to mark several of the plum flowers outside in the garden. He took a piece of napkin, crumpled it up into a tight wad, and flicked it from his seat. He hit every single mark dead on target. Later, after they had finished drinking, the partygoers all decided to take a stroll about the Jin estate. While walking, some teenage shepherds approached them in desperate need of help. Two of their biggest bulls had been fighting all day nonstop. When the party approached, they found the bulls were struggling because they had locked their horns together. Master Gan effortlessly separated the mad bulls and tossed them aside. Both bulls fell into mud so deep that they couldn't get up. Everyone laughed with astonishment. Then Master Gan went down to rescue the hapless bulls. Master Gan versus the Evil Emperor But still, a martial arts master seldom makes his reputation on flowers and bulls. Master Gan was best known for his opposition to the notorious Emperor Yongzheng. Later at that same Jin party was the first time they crossed paths. This was prior to Yongzhen usurping the throne. Before the party, a disciple of Gan named Bai Long Daoren (white dragon Taoist - a nickname) introduced the prince in disguise as Mr. Li. Bai Long told Master Gan that Mr. Li was his boss and had extended his invitation to Gan to return to the capital with him. The disciple praised Li for his generosity and his martial skill, but it was all just a ruse to get Gan to work as a fighter for the Qing. Master Gan agreed to meet Li for dinner at the party given by the Jin clan, which quickly became a test of each other's martial arts. The prince, posing as Mr. Li, went first. He was a master of Shaolin gecko skills. Li placed his back to the wall, focused his qi, and then walked up the wall just like a gecko. Master Gan smiled, and took the same position against the wall. He told Li to hit him in the stomach as hard as he could. Li gathered all his strength and struck. Gan used his qigong skills to flatten out his belly so his body was a thin as paper. When Li punched, it was as like his fist collided with the wall behind Gan. Then Gan used his qi to suck Li's fist into his stomach so it was stuck as if it were glued there. Li was powerless to remove his fist. Gan laughed then loosened his stomach, releasing Li. Later that night, Bai Long confided in Master Gan, revealing Mr. Li's true identity as the prince and his intentions to take the throne. He told Gan that Yinchen (Yongzhen's birth name before he became emperor) wanted Gan as one of his imperial guard, a very illustrious position indeed. Nevertheless, Gan refused. Bai Long begged, but Gan was adamant. Yinchen became very upset and grabbed Gan by the sleeve, but in one quick move, Gan turned and disappeared into thin air. Bai Long and Yinchen searched and searched. Finally, they found him hiding in a closet, using his qi power to stick high up on the wall. Neither Bai Long nor Yinchen could pull him down. Yinchen even used a Lama mantra to try and break the spell (the historical Yongzheng was in fact a devout Buddhist who converted the palace of his birth, Yonghe Gong, into a Lama Temple.) Yinchen was amazed by Gan's power, but he feared that Gan would join forces with the rightful heir to the throne, not him. So rather than lose Gan to his adversary, he drew his gun and shot him, then immediately fled back to Beijing with Bai Long. Guns were already dominant in China during Master Gan's time. The other party guests heard the gunshot and rushed out. Gan emerged from another room, unscathed and laughing. Somehow, the bullet had not injured him; it just blew him into the next room unharmed. The Jin head clansman asked Master Gan why he didn't accept the prince's offer in the first place. Gan replied, "The fourth prince has the look of the emperor. But still, his chin bone sticks out too much, which means he is very selfish, so I do not want to follow him." Master Gan versus the Begging Bowl Monk Gan Fengchi went to live in Nanjing and his reputation for wude and kungfu assured that no one dared make trouble there for some time. But eventually a challenger did come, a monk with a giant begging bowl. The bowl weighed several hundred pounds when filled with offerings and the mischievous monk would use it to block doorways and paths. If someone wanted to get by, they either had to pay the monk toll or move the bowl, but of course, no ordinary person could even budge it. The harassed citizens of Nanjing were powerless to challenge the monk, so they threatened him by saying Master Gan would take care of him. But the monk was undaunted. Gan did not appear, so he ridiculed Gan and publicly challenged him. As fate would have it, Master Gan had fallen very ill and was in no shape to face the monk. Furthermore, when people told him of the challenge, Gan knew immediately this was no ordinary monk. To carry such a huge begging bowl, this monk must be immensely powerful. He must have come looking for Gan with the intention of challenging him. Master Gan continued to avoid the monk so the monk's challenges grew in their offensiveness, but Master Gan was still sick. Then one day, Master Gan sought refuge at a nearby temple to meditate on how to deal with this monk. There the monk appeared, smiling at Master Gan. He said he wanted to present Master Gan with his begging bowl, then immediately lobbed the massive bowl at him. The bowl was filled with sharp coins, but Gan deflected everything with his wide sleeves. Master Gan retaliated by picking up a stone and chucking it at the monk, but due to his illness, his hand failed and he missed completely. Undaunted, Gan got another stone and said, "Since I missed your head, I'll hit your leg." The monk focused on defending his legs, but it was a feint. Gan threw the second stone with all his might at directly at the monk's baldhead. The second stone flew true, cracking the monk deeply on the skull. But the monk was unfazed. Master Gan was shocked. Such a blow would have killed most warriors. This monk's skill was superior then that of Master Gan. Gan humbly bowed down and begged forgiveness. The monk said, "You are uncommon and you favor me. I should return your stone, but I would like to bring it back to present to Zhao Yuan." The monk vanished immediately. Master Gan was worried when he heard his Shaolin Monk master's name, believing he had offended the monk with his trick, but he never heard from him again. Perhaps it was some sort of quality check, to make sure the Shaolin disciple had kept his skills up, but Gan never found out. Master Gan versus the Begging Bowl Monk - the Sequel Emperor Yongzheng summoned Master Gan soon after he took the throne. Yongzheng still wanted to enlist Gan as a bodyguard and Master Gan could not refuse an imperial invite. Besides, he thought he could learn something about the inner circle of the palace for the Ming resistance. So he went, but he found the palace too well guarded for him to look around. The emperor looked at Gan's slight build with contempt and asked, "What skill do you have?" Master Gan said, "Your subject can be a light as a sparrow or as heavy as a stone." Yongzheng ordered Gan to demonstrate. Master Gan focused his qi and then leaped up to perch on a flower bush. Yongzheng was delighted and exclaimed, "How light he is!" Before the words left his lips, Gan jumped down and his legs sank into the tiled floor up to his knees. "Supernatural!" cheered the emperor and he immediately ordered that Master Gan be rewarded. Gan quickly found an excuse then escaped the palace. Emperor Yongzheng never let go of Master Gan after that. In 1729, the seventh year of his reign, Yongzheng had Master Gan arrested by Qing officials. More than 100 others, many of who were also martial arts masters, were taken into custody in connection to a secret anti-Qing religious sect, led by the Monk Yi Nian. Like many such secret societies of China's turbulent history, Monk Yi Nian's followers espoused a doctrine of mysticism and martial arts with an undertone of rebellion. Such movements have always threatened the governments of China, so they are crushed quickly and mercilessly, even to this day. The Emperor versus the Girl from Shaolin According to the wuxia xiaoshou, it was another Shaolin disciple, a teenage girl named Lu Siniang, who assassinated Yongzheng. As common plot device in wuxia stories, young swordswomen are often the most lethal, just like Jen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lu Siniang and Gan Fengchi were both outstanding wuxia heroes of that era. Lu's father, Lu Liuliang was a great scholar from Shimen County in Zhejiang Province. He was sentenced to death for criticizing the Qing in his writings. When Yongzheng became Emperor, he further humiliated Lu. He had his body dug up, flogged and destroyed, as well as the entire surviving family killed. Lu Siniang escaped by fleeing to Shaolin Temple. There she became the disciple of a one-armed Shaolin nun named Guang Ci. Guang Ci was actually a Ming princess Chongping, daughter of the last Emperor of the Ming dynasty, Chongzhen (1628-1644.) Like Gan's master, Zhao Yuan, Guang Ci took refuge at Shaolin in hopes to learn kungfu and restore her fallen dynasty. There are two legends about how she lost her arm. The first is that she lost it to Yongzheng in a previous battle. The second is that she lost it to her father, the Emperor. According to the actual history, when the Qing troops began storming the palace, the emperor got drunk. He ran through the palace ordering all the women to kill themselves. While the Empress Zhou did just that, the Emperor killed his concubines and another daughter. In his madness, the Emperor also cut off the arm of one of his daughters before hanging himself on a locust tree. However, whether or not that daughter survived to go to Shaolin remains a mystery. Guang Ci poured all of her skill into Lu Liuliang. When she was ready, Lu snuck into the palace at night for a swordfight with Yongzheng, one-to-one, girl-to-emperor. Yongzheng was a highly skilled martial artist himself, but he was caught off guard by this beautiful young sword-wielding girl in his bed chamber. Lu took advantage and kicked his sword from his hand. The emperor scrambled to his bed to retrieve his pillow sword, but Lu was fast enough to catch him. She cut his head off with one blow, and then escaped to tell her master she was avenged. Wuxia Xiaoshou versus Real Kungfu In our paranoid age of school shootings, hate crimes and terrorist attacks, the ancient fighting systems of kungfu appear arcane for self-defense, so 'reality' is a big issue. In the face of such harsh realities, wuxia tales like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon become appealing escapist fantasies. But in the martial arts, our western 'scientific' perspective can reduce kungfu down to only what works in street combat and defines that as 'real.' All of the rest is disregarded as fake. Such a myopic viewpoint might deride the fantasy fights in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or read wuxia tales, saying it's not real kungfu because it fails to meet their expectations for a real fight. But if everything is kept in the context of being a story, the issue of reality is absurd. Of course it's not a real fight, it's a story. Expecting reality in such a story is a little silly. With the current trend of movie choreography towards more wire work, martial 'realists' should step back and look at the bigger picture. Was Yongzheng really assassinated by a teenage Shaolin disciple girl? Probably not, but it sure makes a great story. And within that story is something even greater. Beyond snubbing entertainment, the real-versus-fake dichotomy has a much greater cost. Exclusive focus on fighting techniques is quite literally amoral. Such scientific reductionalism sacrifices the most valuable lesson of kungfu - wude, the warrior's code. Unlike the Japanese warrior's code of Bushido, kungfu wude cannot be found in written an ancient etiquette treatise. Much of wude is unspoken, but you know it when you see it. It is buried in our legends and folk tales. It is demonstrated by examples in our books and movies, albeit in fantastic examples. It is what wuxia is all about. And wuxia speaks to everyone, martial artist and non-martial artist, about the values and ethics of the warrior way. The real quest of the warrior is not to learn how to fight, it's to discover when to fight and why. While these stories might not provide the best technique to kick someone's butt, there are far more meaningful lessons in kungfu. We preserve the legacy of masters like Gan Fengchi when we practice Bak Sil Lum or Hua Quan. We also honor them whenever we retell their stories. And just like the kungfu he created, the wuxia tales of Master Gan have valuable lessons that deepen in meaning with every recitation. By Gene Ching (C) 2004 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission.

Our Favorite Wuxia Movies Here are some of the favorite Wuxia movies of the Immortal team that we highly recommend you watch. There is a mix of contemporary movies and classics. Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li appear in many of these amazing movies from legendary and award-winning directors, Ang Lee, Tsui Hark and Zhang Yimou. HERO ( wiki | imdb ) CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON ( wiki | imdb ) SHADOW ( wiki | imdb ) THE ASSASSIN ( wiki | imdb ) ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA ( wiki | imdb ) HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS ( wiki | imdb ) THE GRANDMASTER ( wiki | i mdb ) SWORDSMAN II ( wiki | imdb ) ASHES OF TIME ( wiki | imdb ) MONKEY KING 2 ( wiki | imdb ) NEW DRAGON GATE INN ( wiki | imdb ) THE YOUNG MASTER ( wiki | imdb ) THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN ( wiki | imdb ) A TOUCH OF ZEN ( wiki | imdb ) If you are new to the Wuxia genre, we hope that you enjoy these videos and that they give you a wonderful introduction to this genre of heroism , m artial arts, fantasy and adventure. If you are already a fan of Wuxia, then you may have watched these already, but you'll probably enjoy rewatching them again and reliving the excitement, and hopefully discover something new to watch. Let us know if you have a Wuxia film that you really like that you think should be added to this list. Wuxia Literature and Cinema While there are many terrific Wuxia films like the ones in our list, in some ways, Wuxia literature has been poorly served by cinematic adaptation. Some films promote style over substance, stripping the novels down to a mere sequence of fights and training montages. Wuxia literature is much more than simply an assortment of battles arranged into a plot. Wuxia is a complicated genre of literature which, standing at the crux of fantasy and historical literature, manages to create an independent identity that has made it one of the most dominant forms of popular literature throughout East Asia. Read Article SWORDSMAN II (Jet Li, Brigitte Lin) Play Video Play Video Swordsman II (1992) TRAILER [HD] Directed by Siu-Tung Ching, Stanley Tong. With Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Michelle Reis, Waise Lee. Swordsman II DVD : https://amzn.to/3TCByFO Swordsman II Streaming : https://amzn.to/4dOd9pA AKA: A kard mestere 2. China Swordsman Mistrz miecza II Siu ngo gong woo: Dung Fong Bat Bai Swordsman 2 Swordsman: La légende d'un guerrier The Legend of the Swordsman Tieu Ngao Giang Ho: Dong Phuong Bat Bai Xiao ao jiang hu: Dong Fang Bu Bai Легенда о фехтовальщике スウォーズマン 女神伝説の章 笑傲江湖之东方不敗 동방불패 Play Video Play Video Swordsman II 1992 Blu Ray 1080p - Jet Li, Brigitte Lin Michelle Reis | Ninja Vs Kung Fu Master scene Epic battle in the the classic Swordsman 2 starring Jet Li and Brigitte Lin. Turn CC on for English Subtitle Play Video Play Video Swordsman 2 best scenes HERO (Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Zhang Yimou, Z... Play Video Play Video 01:56 Hero | Official Trailer (HD) - Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Maggie Cheung | MIRAMAX With supernatural skill, a nameless soldier embarks on a mission of revenge against the fearsome army that massacred his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he must take on the empire's most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat. Starring, in alphabetical order: Maggie Cheung, Jet Li, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, Ziyi Zhang About Miramax: Miramax is a global film and television studio best known for its highly acclaimed, original content. Connect with Miramax Online: Subscribe to Miramax on YOUTUBE: https://goo.gl/h47JXQ Follow Miramax on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/miramax Follow Miramax on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/miramax/ Follow Miramax on PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/Miramax/ Follow Miramax on TUMBLR: http://miramax.tumblr.com/ Visit Miramax on our WEBSITE: https://www.miramax.com/ Hero | Official Trailer (HD) - Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Maggie Cheung | MIRAMAX http://www.youtube.com/Miramax Play Video Play Video [1080p] Hero (2004) Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen - Chess Courtyard fight Nameless's re-telling of his fight with Sky. Play Video Play Video 03:38 Hero | ‘Fallen Masters, Falling Leaves’ (HD) - Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang | MIRAMAX Moon (Ziyi Zhang) is ready to avenge her master's death, but even with her sword raised, Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) is having a hard time taking her seriously. In this scene: Moon (Ziyi Zhang), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) About Hero: With supernatural skill, a nameless soldier embarks on a mission of revenge against the fearsome army that massacred his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he must take on the empire's most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat. Starring, in alphabetical order: Maggie Cheung, Jet Li, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, Ziyi Zhang About Miramax: Miramax is a global film and television studio best known for its highly acclaimed, original content. Connect with Miramax Online: Subscribe to Miramax on YOUTUBE: https://goo.gl/h47JXQ Follow Miramax on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/miramax Follow Miramax on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/miramax/ Follow Miramax on PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/Miramax/ Follow Miramax on TUMBLR: http://miramax.tumblr.com/ Visit Miramax on our WEBSITE: https://www.miramax.com/ Hero | ‘Fallen Masters, Falling Leaves’ (HD) - Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang | MIRAMAX http://www.youtube.com/Miramax CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Academy ... Play Video Play Video 02:04 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers Check out the official Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Trailer starring Yun-Fat Chow! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Watch on FandangoNOW: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-2000/1MVae032f0e762c9e0655fa109f682b91c3?ele=searchresult&elc=crouching%20&eli=0&eci=movies&cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up to date on all your favorite movies. Starring: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang Directed By: Ang Lee Synopsis: A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation. Watch More Classic Trailers: ► Horror Films: http://bit.ly/2D21x45 ► Comedies: http://bit.ly/2qTCzPN ► Dramas: http://bit.ly/2tefVm2 ► Sci-Fi Movies: http://bit.ly/2msyb5C ► Animated Movies: http://bit.ly/2HqZZ2c ► Documentaries: http://bit.ly/2Fs2zFd ► Musicals: http://bit.ly/2oDFckX ► Romantic Comedies: http://bit.ly/2qQVieQ ► Superhero Films: http://bit.ly/2FtNZgi ► Westerns: http://bit.ly/2mrOEXG ► War Movies: http://bit.ly/2qX4u18 ► Trailers By Year: http://bit.ly/2qTCxHF Fuel Your Movie Obsession: ► Subscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/2D01HJi ► Watch Movieclips ORIGINALS: http://bit.ly/2D3sipV ► Like us on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2DikvkY ► Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2mgkaHb ► Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2mg0VNU Subscribe to the Fandango MOVIECLIPS CLASSIC TRAILERS channel to rediscover all your favorite movie trailers and find a classic you may have missed. Play Video Play Video 02:42 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (7/8) Movie CLIP - Bamboo Forest Fight (2000) HD Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon movie clips: http://j.mp/1bUuPZ3 BUY THE MOVIE: http://bit.ly/2gUEJ8N WATCH ON CRACKLE: http://bit.ly/2cP0kze http://amzn.to/szy9z1 Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) battles stubborn Jen (Ziyi Zhang) on top of a bamboo forest. FILM DESCRIPTION: Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee took a break from making Western period dramas to fashion this wild and woolly martial arts spectacular featuring special effects and action sequences courtesy of the choreographer of The Matrix (1999), Yuen Woo Ping. In the early 19th century, martial arts master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he quietly longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei). He gives his sword, a fabled 400-year-old weapon known as Green Destiny, to his friend, fellow martial arts wizard and secret love Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), so that she may deliver it to Sir Te (Sihung Lung). Upon arrival in Peking, Yu happens upon Jen (Zhang Ziyi), a vivacious, willful politician's daughter. That night, a mysterious masked thief swipes Green Destiny, with Yu in hot pursuit -- resulting in the first of several martial arts action set pieces during the film. Li arrives in Beijing and eventually discovers that Jen is not only the masked thief but is also in cahoots with the evil Jade. In spite of this, Li sees great talent in Jen as a fighter and offers to school her in the finer points of martial arts and selflessness, an offer that Jen promptly rebukes. This film was first screened to much acclaim at the 2000 Cannes, Toronto, and New York film festivals and became a favorite when Academy Awards nominations were announced in 2001: Tiger snagged ten nods and later secured four wins for Best Cinematography, Score, Art Direction, and Foreign Language Film. CREDITS: TM & © Sony (2000) Cast: Yun-Fat Chow, Ziyi Zhang Director: Ang Lee Producers: Po Chu Chui, Ping Dong, Li-Kong Hsu, William Kong, Ang Lee, Philip Lee, David Linde, Er-Dong Liu, Kelly Miller, James Schamus, Wai Sum Shia, Quangang Zheng Screenwriters: Wang Du Lu, Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai WHO ARE WE? The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. Made by movie fans, for movie fans. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS: MOVIECLIPS: http://bit.ly/1u2yaWd ComingSoon: http://bit.ly/1DVpgtR Indie & Film Festivals: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYg Hero Central: http://bit.ly/1AMUZwv Extras: http://bit.ly/1u431fr Classic Trailers: http://bit.ly/1u43jDe Pop-Up Trailers: http://bit.ly/1z7EtZR Movie News: http://bit.ly/1C3Ncd2 Movie Games: http://bit.ly/1ygDV13 Fandango: http://bit.ly/1Bl79ye Fandango FrontRunners: http://bit.ly/1CggQfC HIT US UP: Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1y8M8ax Twitter: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt Pinterest: http://bit.ly/14wL9De Tumblr: http://bit.ly/1vUwhH7 Play Video Play Video 05:02 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Best Fight Scene) FullHD 1080p Scene: Yu Shu Lien Vs. Jiao Long (Mandarin version) /Jen Yu (English dubbed version) Story: In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level. Film: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) 卧虎藏龙 IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/ NEW DRAGON GATE INN (Donnie Yen, Maggie ... Play Video Play Video 01:30 Dragon Inn (1992) Trailer | Tony Ka Fai Leung | Brigitte Lin Dragon Inn (1992) This big hit at the Sundance Film Festival had audiences cheering. Set during the Ming Dynasty, this acclaimed production tells the story of a power hungry eunuch who employs an evil sect ... See full summary » Directors: Raymond Lee Writers: Tan Cheung, Xiao He Stars: Tony Ka Fai Leung, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung Play Video Play Video 09:33 New Dragon Inn 1992 Donnie Yen - Final Fight Bluray HD One of Donnie Yen early and iconic role to date. Epic wuxia fight scene. One of the better film directed by Tsui Hark. Subscribe and Share for more old action Hong Kong badass fight scene in bluray full HD quality. Play Video Play Video 01:49 New Dragon Gate Inn Trailer 1991 (新龍門客棧) [Donnie Yen] Sun lung moon hak chan 27 August 1992 (Hong Kong) Cast: Brigitte Lin Tony Leung Ka Fai Maggie Cheung Donnie Yen Shi-Kwan Yen Cheung-Yan Yuen Lawrence Ng Xin Xin Xiong ASHES OF TIME (Wong Kar-wai) Play Video Play Video 02:26 Ashes of Time Redux trailer english subtitles trailer by myself Play Video Play Video 01:53 Ashes of Time Redux Fight Scene 2 Ashes of Time Redux 2008 Play Video Play Video 02:19 Ashes of Time Redux - trailer For Ashes of Time, Wong Kar-wai swapped the conventions of the wuxia genre for his beloved theme of love and loss. The film can also be regarded as a wuxia version of Days of Being Wild. For Ashes of Time Redux, the whole film was put back in the post-production mill with a result that appeals to ear and eye. ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (Jet Li, Tsui ... Play Video Play Video 01:49 Once Upon A Time In China Trailer Once Upon A Time In China Trailer aka "Once Upon a Time in China" - Hong Kong (English title), UK, USA aka "Once Upon a Time in China - Olipa kerran Kiinassa" - Finland Wong Fei Hung Director:Hark Tsui Writers:Yiu Ming Leung (writer) Pik-yin Tang (writer) Play Video Play Video 04:30 [Trailer] 黃飛鴻 ( Once Upon A Time In China ) - Restored Version Once Upon A Time In China 黃飛鴻 (1991) 導演: 徐克 領銜主演: 李連杰, 元彪, 張學友, 關之琳 主演: 鄭則士, 邱健國, 任世官, 黃子揚 時值晚清「洋務運動」，朝廷以洋槍威嚇練武人士，衙門提督威迫寶芝林封館﹔鐵布衫嚴振東為揚名立萬，砸爛寶芝林招牌，黃飛鴻 (李連杰 飾) 左右受敵。少年梁寬 (元彪 飾) 欲拜黃為師不果，但對十三姨 (關之琳 飾) 一見鍾情，遂轉投嚴門下與黃作對。時逢出國掘金熱潮，不少無知人民受騙，嚴為金錢替人肉販子賣命，十三姨為救一名苦工，被捉拿後更險被送往金山當娼，幸黃及時趕至跟嚴決戰，終救出十三姨，寬正式拜黃為師。 Director: TSUI HARK Starring: JET LI, YUEN BAIO, JACKY CHEUNG, ROSAMUND KWAN Co-Starring: KENT CHENG, QIU JIAN GUO, YAN YEE KWAN, WONG CHI YEUNG Once Upon A Time In China is the film that defined Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4, Romeo Must Die) as an action star destined for the international stage. His definitive kung fu and the vivid imagery of Tsui Hark (Peking Opera Blues, Swordsman II) make this a true classic of the genre. A more contemporary take on the evergreen tale of wise kung-fu master and purveyor of justice Huang Fei Hong (Jet Li), OUATIC is set in 1875 China when hostilities between the Chinese and the invading foreigners are simmering to a boil. Huang and his disciples take on the unscrupulous dealers who are trying to entice gullible Chinese into slavery in America and save his Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) who is in danger of being shipped off to be a prostitute. Tsui Hark raises the bar on martial arts epics with OUATIC via imaginative technology and thrilling choreography. This created successful sequels – don’t be caught without this classic! http://www.fortunestarentertainment.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FortuneStarMedia © 2010 Fortune STAR Media Limited. ALL RIGHT RESERVED. Play Video Play Video 20:00 Fight scenes in once upon a time in China I did a short compilation of the fight scenes in Once Upon a Time in China. The movie is too long, so I had to leave some scenes out. Please, subscribe to my channel and leave comments about the scenes you would like to see. HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (Zhang Yimou, Zh... Play Video Play Video 01:58 House Of Flying Daggers Trailer House Of Flying Daggers Trailer. Director:Yimou Zhang Writers:Feng Li (writer). Bin Wang (writer) Release Date:14 January 2005 (USA) Genre:Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance Plot:A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem. Play Video Play Video 04:45 House Of Flying Daggers (The Echo Game Scene) Play Video Play Video 06:25 House of Flying Daggers - Bamboo Forest Fight SHADOW (Zhang Yimou) Play Video Play Video 01:52 SHADOW Official Trailer | Directed by Zhang Yimou | Starring Deng Chao, Sun Li, and Zheng Kai SHADOW: Watch Now On Digital, Blu-ray, 4K, and DVD | In a commander’s obsessive quest for a long-sought victory over a rival kingdom, he must execute an intricate plan involving his wife, the Shadow, and the kings of both kingdoms, leading up to a stunning invasion unlike any seen before. Directed by: Zhang Yimou Starring: Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai, Wang Qianyuan, Wang Jingchun, Hu Jun, Guan Xiaotong, and Leo Wu Visit the official movie site: https://wellgousa.com/films/shadow Watch Well Go USA films online: https://bit.ly/WellGoFilmsOnline ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT: Well Go USA, the studio behind TRIPLE THREAT, TRAIN TO BUSAN, and the IP MAN franchise, brings the best in martial arts, action, genre, and independent films from the U.S. and worldwide to North America. Visit our Website for the Newest Movies & Trailers: https://wellgousa.com Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/1GiflOZ Subscribe for email updates on new movies, sales, and more: https://wellgousa.com/subscribe Follow us on social media: FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/WellGoUSA_facebook TWITTER: http://bit.ly/WellGoUSA_twitter INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/WellGoUSA_instagram #shadow #dengchao #sunli #zhengkai #wangqianyuan #zhangyimou #actionadventure #martialarts #actionmovies #supportindiefilm #indiefilm #internationalfilm #indiemovies #watchnow #wellgousa Play Video Play Video 14:11 Chinese Movie Fight Scene || Shadow Play Video Play Video 01:22 SHADOW Trailer | TIFF 2018 Master filmmaker Zhang Yimou brings a completely original cinematic style to an epic battle story, contrasting visuals that draw on China's centuries-old tradition of ink-wash painting against next-level fighting sequences to dazzling effect. [Gala] https://www.tiff.net/tiff/shadow/ THE ASSASSIN (Canne Film Festival Winner... Play Video Play Video 02:34 The Assassin Official Trailer 1 (2015) - Hou Hsiao-Hsien Movie HD Subscribe to INDIE & FILM FESTIVALS: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYg Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt The Assassin Official Trailer 1 (2015) - Hou Hsiao-Hsien Movie HD In 9th-century China, Nie Yinniang is a young woman who was abducted in childhood from the family of a decorated general and raised by a nun who trained her in the martial arts. After 13 years of exile, she is returned to the land of her birth as an exceptional assassin, with orders to kill her former betrothed. She must confront her parents, her memories, and her long-repressed feelings in a choice to sacrifice the man she loves or break forever with the sacred way of the righteous assassins. Rich with shimmering, breathing texture and punctuated by brief but unforgettable bursts of action, THE ASSASSIN is a martial arts film like none made before it. You're quite the artsy one, aren't you? Fandango MOVIECLIPS FILM FESTIVALS & INDIE TRAILERS is the destination for...well, all things related to Film Festivals & Indie Films. If you want to keep up with the latest festival news, art house openings, indie movie content, film reviews, and so much more, then you have found the right channel. Play Video Play Video 02:53 THE ASSASSIN - Fight In The Woods - Film Clip Cannes 2015 ‘Best Director’ winner, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s critically acclaimed THE ASSASSIN is a beautifully crafted martial-arts epic set in 9th century China. The film follows an exceptional assassin as she is sent to kill the man she loves, forcing her to choose between her true feelings or risk breaking the sacred way of the righteous assassins. Yours to own now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Assassin-Blu-ray-Shu-Qi/dp/B01B1TZMN8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=THE+ASSASSIN&qid=1562143478&s=gateway&sr=8-4 Play Video Play Video 01:58 THE ASSASSIN Clip | Festival 2015 A beautiful assassin (Shu Qi) is sent to kill the powerful lord who was once her betrothed, in this sumptuous martial-arts epic from Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien (Flight of the Red Balloon). http://tiff.net/festivals/festival15/masters/the-assassin-1 THE GRANDMASTER (Wong Kar-Wei, Academy A... Play Video Play Video 02:05 The Grandmaster Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang Movie HD Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 The Grandmaster Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang Movie HD The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee. The Movieclips Trailers channel is your destination for the hottest new trailers the second they drop. Whether it's the latest studio release, an indie horror flick, an evocative documentary, or that new RomCom you've been waiting for, the Movieclips team is here day and night to make sure all the best new movie trailers are here for you the moment they're released. In addition to being the #1 Movie Trailers Channel on YouTube, we deliver amazing and engaging original videos each week. Watch our exclusive Ultimate Trailers, Showdowns, Instant Trailer Reviews, Monthly MashUps, Movie News, and so much more to keep you in the know. Here at Movieclips, we love movies as much as you! Comic-Con is coming and we will be there giving you the latest as it drops, so stay tuned. Play Video Play Video 01:25 THE GRANDMASTER | Table Fight THE GRANDMASTER is available now on Digital, Blu-ray Disc and DVD. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, THE GRANDMASTER is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary Kung FU master, Ip Man who mentored Bruce Lee. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China’s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Filmed in a range of stunning locations that include the snow-swept landscapes of Northeast China and the subtropical South, THE GRANDMASTER features virtuoso performances by some of the greatest stars of contemporary Asian cinema, including Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang. Written and Directed by Wong Kar Wai. Starring Ziyi Zhang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Hye-kyo Song, Cung Le, Chen Chang and Woo-Ping Yuen. © Annapurna Pictures, 2013 Play Video Play Video 03:45 THE GRANDMASTER | Train Fight THE GRANDMASTER is available now on Digital, Blu-ray Disc and DVD. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, THE GRANDMASTER is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary Kung FU master, Ip Man who mentored Bruce Lee. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China’s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Filmed in a range of stunning locations that include the snow-swept landscapes of Northeast China and the subtropical South, THE GRANDMASTER features virtuoso performances by some of the greatest stars of contemporary Asian cinema, including Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang. Written and Directed by Wong Kar Wai. Starring Ziyi Zhang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Hye-kyo Song, Cung Le, Chen Chang and Woo-Ping Yuen. © Annapurna Pictures, 2013 The Monkey King 2 (Journey to the West, ... Play Video Play Video 01:47 The Monkey King 2 : Baigujing - The White Bone Demon - VS - King Fei Xiang's soldiers - HD 'The Monkey King 2' Baigujing - The White Bone Demon - VS - King Fei Xiang's soldiers. I do now own this video. All rights belong to Filmko Entertainment. Play Video Play Video 02:41 Gong Li cast as Xian Lang in Mulan,Baigujing the White bone demon in Monkey King movie Gong Li cast as Xian Lang in Mulan 2020 live-action Baigujing the White bone demon in Monkey King movie Mulan Witch Play Video Play Video 03:34 The Monkey King 2 (2016) - Creeping Death Scene (5/10) | Movieclips The Monkey King 2 - Creeping Death: The Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) fights the White Bone Spirit (Gong Li). BUY THE MOVIE: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/the-monkey-king-2-2016/MMV4F03A2883515C2C0DF8678FE6609FDE3A?cmp=Movieclips_YT_Description Watch the best The Monkey King 2 scenes & clips: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZbXA4lyCtqoLVXFiBfM1_ukmG7efi0B2 FILM DESCRIPTION: The Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) must protect a traveling monk (William Feng Shaofeng) from White Bone Spirit (Gong Li), a demon who seeks immortality. CREDITS: TM & © Well Go USA (2016) Cast: Aaron Kwok, Gong Li, Him Law, William Feng Shaofeng, Xiao Shenyang Director: Soi Cheang Watch More: ► Fresh New Clips: http://bit.ly/2taDWqW ► Classic Trailers: http://bit.ly/2qTCxHF ► Hot New Trailers: http://bit.ly/2qThrsF ► Clips From Movies Coming Soon: http://bit.ly/2FrP8VL ► Indie Movie Clips: http://bit.ly/2qTZMRE ► Deleted Scenes: http://bit.ly/2ARbLPJ ► Bloopers: http://bit.ly/2qYmBnc ► Celebrity Interviews: http://bit.ly/2D4tzw4 Fuel Your Movie Obsession: ► Subscribe to MOVIECLIPS: http://bit.ly/2CZa490 ► Watch Movieclips ORIGINALS: http://bit.ly/2D3sipV ► Like us on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2DikvkY ► Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2mgkaHb ► Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2mg0VNU The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes, and lines from all your favorite films. Made by movie fans, for movie fans. THE YOUNG MASTER (Jackie Chan) Play Video Play Video 01:52 The Young Master - Trailer Trailer for The Young Master (1980) starring Jackie Chan. Visit my website at http://www.actionfanz.com Play Video Play Video Jackie Chan directs Jackie Chan in classic final fight scene | [HD] Clip from 'The Young Master' Stream the full movie on our app: http://bit.ly/mpApps Watch now on the web: http://bit.ly/theyoungmaster Or watch with Amazon Prime Video: https://amzn.to/2Huaxkr SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/mdntpYT About The Young Master 師弟出馬: Martial arts mayhem and mistaken identity silliness ensue when Dragon is sent to find his errant brother following a martial arts competition. Cast: Jackie Chan Yuen Biao Fung Fung Shih Kien Directed by Jackie Chan #FightScenes #PrimeVideo #MidnightPulp About Midnight Pulp: Midnight Pulp is the leading internet video entertainment service dedicated to celebrating all things strange. Our video streaming platform offers a diverse collection of feature films, documentaries and TV series that have been cultivating subcultures. From cyberpunk noir to psychedelic horror, we are a digital community for experimental and esoteric music and film. Connect with Midnight Pulp: Visit Midnight Pulp WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/mdnghtp Follow Midnight Pulp on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/mdnghtFB Follow Midnight Pulp on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/mdnghtIG Follow Midnight Pulp on PINTEREST: http://bit.ly/mdnghtPINT The Young Master | Midnight Pulp http://youtube.com/midnightpulp Play Video Play Video Jackie Chan can fight with anything! | [HD] Clip from 'The Young Master' Stream the full movie on our app: http://bit.ly/mpApps Watch now on the web: http://bit.ly/theyoungmaster Or watch with Amazon Prime Video: https://amzn.to/2Huaxkr SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/mdntpYT About The Young Master 師弟出馬: Martial arts mayhem and mistaken identity silliness ensue when Dragon is sent to find his errant brother following a martial arts competition. Cast: Jackie Chan Yuen Biao Fung Fung Shih Kien Directed by Jackie Chan #FightScenes #PrimeVideo #MidnightPulp About Midnight Pulp: Midnight Pulp is the leading internet video entertainment service dedicated to celebrating all things strange. Our video streaming platform offers a diverse collection of feature films, documentaries and TV series that have been cultivating subcultures. From cyberpunk noir to psychedelic horror, we are a digital community for experimental and esoteric music and film. Connect with Midnight Pulp: Visit Midnight Pulp WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/mdnghtp Follow Midnight Pulp on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/mdnghtFB Follow Midnight Pulp on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/mdnghtIG Follow Midnight Pulp on PINTEREST: http://bit.ly/mdnghtPINT The Young Master | Midnight Pulp http://youtube.com/midnightpulp THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Shaw Brothe... Play Video Play Video 06:32 The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) - Three Section Staff 少林卅六房 The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) Gordon Liu Chia-Hui, Lee Hoi-Sang Play Video Play Video 02:42 The 36th Chamber of Shaolin Play Video Play Video 04:17 Scene from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin A TOUCH OF ZEN (Cannes Film Festival Win... Play Video Play Video 01:43 A TOUCH OF ZEN (Master of Cinema) Dual Format 2016 Trailer Widely regarded as the greatest martial arts epic of all time, A Touch of Zen won awards worldwide (including at Cannes), smashed box-office records and had an incalculable influence on the genre as a whole. An unambitious painter named Gu (Shih Jun) lives with his mother in the vicinity of an abandoned mansion rumoured to be haunted. In actuality, the mansion has become a hiding place for the warrior Yang (Hsu Feng) and her own mother, both taking refuge following the assassination of their loyal minister father by the wicked eunuch Wei of East Chamber. After the eunuch sends an army to pursue the escapees, the group fortify the mansion with traps and false intimations of the terrifying ghosts within. But even after, things take yet more unsettling turns... Famed for its iconic set pieces, including the central bamboo forest battle, A Touch of Zen is one of cinema’s truly peerless action sagas and the precursor par excellence of such modern wuxia films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present King Hu’s masterpiece in a Limited Edition (2000 units) Three-Disc Dual Format edition for the first time in the UK. AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM: Amazon http://amzn.to/1Sothhd Zavvi http://bit.ly/1GZY43j Play Video Play Video 00:51 a touch of zen (俠女) 설명胡金銓 Play Video Play Video 05:18 俠女 [A TOUCH OF ZEN] : Yang Chu Jen คำอธิบายA Touch of Zen is a 1971 Taiwanese wuxia film directed by King Hu. The film won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival, claiming the Technical Grand Prize award.

Welcome to Immortal: Home of Modern Wuxia Stories for Martial Arts Fantasy Fans What does being a hero mean? The Anatomy of a Wuxia Novel (C) 2010 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission. What is Wuxia? Our Favorite Wuxia Movies The Shaolin Phoenix Into the Badlands What is Wuxia Literature? Regardless of their cinematic tastes most martial artists are at least familiar with kung fu movies. The high-flying genre, with its clichéd plots and wire-assisted action sequences, is a ubiquitous component of martial culture. Fewer people may be aware of the Wuxia novel. This is unfortunate as the Wuxia novel is as significant an influence on kung fu cinema as the frequently mentioned source of Chinese Opera. Wuxia is a relatively modern genre of literature;; certainly it has its origins in the much more venerable tradition of the Chinese historical novel, but it is important to differentiate between the two. Wuxia is a relatively modern genre of literature;; certainly it has its origins in the much more venerable tradition of the Chinese historical novel, but it is important to differentiate between the two. Four classics of Chinese fiction literature have had a lasting influence. Each of these four classics contributed to the overall structure of the Wuxia genre while simultaneously missing components present in the modern genre. For its fundamental components, the Wuxia genre is indebted to "San Guo Yan Yi" and "Shui Hu Zhuan" (respectively known in the West as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and - variously - "The Water Margin", "Outlaws of the Marsh" or "All Men Are Brothers"). These novels contribute most of the elements used by Wuxia authors to create the basic structures of Wuxia literature, principally the Jianghu and the Wulin. However, it is equally in the debt of "Xi You Ji" ("Journey into the West") and "Hong Lou Men" ("Dreams of Red Mansions") - the other two classics of Chinese historical fiction - despite their less overtly martial focus. We begin to see the Wuxia novel develop out of these earlier historic novels during the latter half of the Qing Dynasty. A strong example can be seen in the work of Shi Yukun (???), who was responsible for "San Xia Wu Yi" ("Three Heroes and Five Gallants") - a book later expanded by other contributors to eventually settle on its modern form, renamed "Qi Xia Wu Yi" ("Seven Heroes and Five Gallants"). This novel was derived from folk stories of Bao Zheng, or Justice Bao, a judge of prodigious intelligence and incorruptible moral character. The story of "Seven Heroes and Five Gallants" is essentially a series of detective stories set against a backdrop of an empire where corruption has increasingly held sway in officialdom. Supported by a small band of martial artists, the brilliant Justice Bao seeks to purge the empire of corrupt officials and reinforce the rule of law and (largely Confucian) morality. These ideas later found a supportive home within the Wuxia genre. However, not until the twentieth century work of authors such as Gu Long and Jin Yong did the genre come to true fruition. In their work, and the work of their contemporaries, they combined elements of the four classics, of folk stories, and of early Xia novels (such as "San Xia Wu Yi") into an intricate and carefully detailed narrative structure, creating the influential and uniquely east Asian genre of Xuxia. Having now, in brief, outlined the evolution of the Wuxia genre, we will turn our attention to the structure and characteristics of the genre as it now stands. For reference, we will frequently cite examples from one of the most beloved books, "Sheng Diao Xia Lu" ("Return of the Condor Heroes"), by arguably the most famous Wuxia author, Jin Yong. "Return of the Condor Heroes" is the second novel of the Condor Trilogy. These three books, chronicle several generations of families and factions within the Jianghu from the fall of the Song dynasty through the Yuan dynasty and up until the founding of the Ming. In particular, this book focuses on the last vain defense of the city of Xiangyang by Song loyalists against the armies of Kublai Khan, using it as a backdrop to explore the growth from childhood into adulthood and to question the foundation of Confucial moral structures. The plot, setting, structure and characterization used within the novel make it the quintessential Wuxia novel and the perfect example for exploration of the genre as a whole. The Setting of Wuxia Literature A defining characteristic of the Wuxia genre is setting. This setting shares elements with the more familiar genres of historical and fantasy novels. However, it would be incorrect to call Wuxia novels historical;; for while they frequently make use of a historical backdrop (our example certainly does), they need not do so (another of Jin Yong's novels, "Xiao Ao Jianghu," literally "Laughing in the Rivers and Lakes," most pointedly does not), and the historical component of the setting, when used, rarely does more than provide a believable time and place in which the larger-than-life heroes and villains of these stories can act. It would be equally incorrect to refer to Wuxia novels as fantasy. Although elements of the supernatural certainly occur in these stories (not only in the form of fantastic and unrealistic martial arts but as fantastic creatures such as the giant condor who befriends, heals and trains Yang Guo in "Return of the Condor Heroes"), these are often downplayed more than in the fantasy novels of the western world. These stories may contain mystical elements, but the authors of the genre go to great lengths to remind us that they are based in our world and in a formulation of our world that if not entirely plausible does not require a total suspension of disbelief. There are two absolutely indispensable components of setting in the Wuxia genre. These are the Jianghu and the Wulin. Generally speaking, the Jianghu is the formulation of our world in which the Wuxia stories are set, while the Wulin is the culture in which the principal characters of Wuxia stories act. The Jianghu The word Jianghu literally means "rivers and lakes," but one should not let the aquatic translation of the term confuse them. Contextually, the Jianghu can have many specific meanings. Within the context of Wuxia literature, the Jianghu often refers to a world of complications where the dividing line between friend and foe, loyalty and betrayal, life and death is razor thin. As this genre originated in China, the setting is usually China and those nations historically within the Chinese sphere of influence. The Jianghu, as an element of setting, developed largely out of the settings of two of the four classic novels which we previously mentioned. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Outlaws of the Marsh" (the translation of the title we prefer and will use for all future references) present a world where social order has collapsed due to corruption, poor government, war and dynastic change. In a chaotic time such as this, the population is largely subject to the petty tyrannies of strongmen who, through force of arms or threat of punishment, extort whatever they wish from a subjugated populace. This provides a rich plethora of antagonists from all walks of society. Important antagonists within "Return of the Condor Heroes" include no less than Kublai Khan himself, as his army of Mongols oppresses the Chinese citizenry and attempts to conquer the strategically important city of Xiangyang. At an intermediate level, Gongsun Zhi does not command the massive army of Kublai Khan;; but while his petty plots may not threaten the stability of the nation, the tyrannies he visits upon his family, retainers and visitors to the estate he rules are no less odious for their smaller scale. Providing a third (and even more petty) example of antagonism within our chosen example is the character known as Li Mochou. Li Mochou does not use her carefully cultivated strength and cruelty to capture or command. This nihilistic bandit and assassin wanders the world seemingly seeking nothing more than to make everyone she encounters as miserable as she is herself. Frequently she disappears from the story after some minor setback only to pop up again at some inopportune moment like a bad weed. A population oppressed by such a variety of villains will inevitably see a strange cross section of protagonists emerge. The protagonists of the Jianghu are, in some cases, differentiated from the antagonists only by the finest of margins. The crux of the division between hero and villain is largely related to the quality of loyalty. Yang Guo's father, Yang Kang, is a major antagonist of the first novel of the trilogy despite being the sworn brother of the chief protagonist, Guo Jing. Yang Kang is intelligent but treacherous. The nearly moronic Guo Jing, however, is exceptionally loyal. Yang Kang's son Yang Guo is, in his turn, a heroic character because, despite misunderstanding and occasional conflict with other protagonists, he remains ultimately loyal. Many of the heroes of Wuxia stories are essentially vagabonds. Though some may have had noble upbringings (Guo Jing and his mother were guests of Ghengis Khan during his formative years), many more were orphans who lacked inheritance, property or wealth. These heroes frequently overcome entrenched and politically powerful rivals through physical strength (readily be seen as a metaphor for their moral strength) and through popularity with their peers and with the subjected population who see this bizarre assortment of robin hoods as liberators. Together the heroes and villains who populate the Jianghu form the second fundamental locus of the setting: the Wulin. The Wulin The Wulin is, as we mentioned previously, the name given to the collection of heroes and villains within the Jianghu. Certain structural elements occur in nearly all Wuxia novels, and these serve to differentiate the genre from others that share common elements. The Wulin is a loose collection of martial artists. These fighters are usually not government-trained or -equipped soldiers - though they may occasionally be bandits and rebels against governmental authority. Even when a member of the Wulin chooses to take up defense of the nation, they rarely do so with anything resembling support from the institutions of the nation. Guo Jing is repeatedly rebuffed by an emperor (not seen, but referred to obliquely) when he seeks reinforcements to break the siege on Xiangyang. The members of the Wulin are generally divided based on three structures of allegiance. The tension between these allegiances and the way in which the protagonists resolve the tensions is a major feature of the plot of Wuxia stories (as is the frequent failings of the antagonists to adequately resolve their conflicting loyalties). These three structures are factional loyalty, familial loyalty and romantic loyalty. Rarely are the tensions between these three forms of loyalty as pronounced as in "The Return of the Condor Heroes." Factional politics plays a role in most Wuxia stories. The Wulin seems perpetually divided into several antagonistic groups. In the Condor trilogy we see divisions among the "five divines" (five martial artists of exceptional skill), their students and their rivals. These divisions exacerbate conflicts that distract the Wulin from the otherwise central task of resisting the advances of the Jurchens. Even after the Jurchen threat is repelled, replaced with the threat of the Mongols (who easily transition from ally to enemy as the political landscape shifts), the factional rivalries continue and are, in fact, passed down from the aging five divines and from the survivors of Guo Jing's generation to the youngsters of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." The conflict between the Quanzhen sect and the Ancient Tomb sect does not lie in the actions of Yang Guo or Xiaolongnu any more than in the actions of Zhao Zhijing or Yin Zhiping;; however, mired in a conflict that predates any of them by nearly three generations, they find that their often contrary interactions are governed in part by handed-down grudges. In Jin Yong's stories, this conflict is often portrayed as quite petty. For all their lofty ideals, the martial masters of the Wulin are often guided by remarkably unimportant grudges. Zhao Zhijing largely falls to treason due to his resentment of Yang Guo for forsaking him as an instructor. Yang Guo in turn forsook him as an instructor because he felt the man's skills were inferior to those of his own uncle (Guo Jing) and his godfather, the detestable Ouyang Feng. The Ancient Tomb sect, a small faction of martial artists based geographically adjacent to the Quanzhen sect, has rules requiring them to express their dislike for Quanzhen - which Yang Guo is happy to accept even though the architects of the feud died long before he was born. When it is eventually revealed that the two became rivals because of a failed romantic relationship and that each sect is essentially incomplete without the other, the nature of this rivalry is exposed in all its pettiness and is ultimately resolved with the cross-pollination of Quanzhen and Ancient Tomb theories through a friendship that develops between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu on the one hand and Zhou Botong (the most senior surviving member of Quanzhen and one of the few characters in the story who could claim to have met the founders of the rivalry) on the other. Poised in conflict to factional loyalty is romantic loyalty. We have already hinted at this by suggesting a romantic source for one of the chief factional feuds within the Jianghu of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." But this is explored even further within the novel through the relationship between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu. The two youngsters are close in age and rapidly attain similar skills; however, much of the novel centers on the strife that arises from their romantic relationship. Although the conflicts this relationship creates are primarily familial for Yang Guo, the same does not hold true for Xiaolongnu, who has no family at all. However, this does not prevent Xiaolongnu from facing the ire of her martial sister, Li Mochou, who is scandalized both by Xiaolongnu's willingness to take Yang Guo on as a student and her willingness to allow the teacher/student relationship between the two to transform into a romantic (and martial) partnership. Conflicts of familial loyalty frequently provide the most divisive elements. Yang Kang and Guo Jing are bound by a compact between two families that predates the birth of either. The obligation of their families to fulfill this agreement thrusts the two otherwise dissimilar men together in a way that culminates in conflict as Yang Kang must choose between the adoptive family that raised him and the history of familial connections that ties him to his homeland. His failure to resolve this conflict and his eventual decision to side with the Jurchen prince who took his mother in establish his status as an antagonist and precipitate his eventual downfall. The fallout of this conflict is generational in scope as Yang Guo learns how he became an orphan who never had a chance to meet his father. Guo Jing, who is responsible for Yang Guo's upbringing until foisting the latter upon the Quanzhen sect, has remained silent on the issue of Yang Kang's villainy. As a result, Yang Guo has deep-seated issues of abandonment made worse by the various tribulations he undergoes throughout his tumultuous youth. When Yang Guo eventually discovers evidence suggesting that Guo Jing and his wife Huang Rong may have been responsible for his father's death, the bonds of familial loyalty are strained, and he must choose between the only family he has ever known and the father who sired him. The rigid adherence to Confucian ethics of Guo Jing further complicates matters for Yang Guo when he brings his girlfriend home to meet the family. Confucian morality forbids the transformation of a teacher/student relationship into a romantic one, and both Guo Jing and Huang Rong (Guo Jing's wife) go to some lengths to attempt to disrupt the burgeoning romance between Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu. This is actually one point in which "The Return of the Condor Heroes" stands out from the pack. While it is true that Confucian ethics and morality play an important role in most Wuxia novels, it is a much rarer event to find a novel willing to engage and, in fact, challenge Confucian morality. This quirk helps propagate ambiguity between friend and foe within the Wulin by demonstrating that the clearly heroic Huang Rong shares common ground with the evidently villainous Li Mochou - as each independently expresses very similar sentiments regarding the inappropriateness of the relationship between Yang Guo and his teacher. These conflicting the Wulin loyalties create a tension not found in other genres of fiction. One would never expect Aragorn to sit down and have a chat with the Nazgul. And yet this is precisely the case within the Wulin - which is a small enough community that most of the protagonists and antagonists are aware of each other by reputation if not socially. The close nature of the Wulin and the factions and families within it is a defining characteristic of Wuxia. Within the Condor Trilogy, Jin Yong presents hope for the eventual resolution of these factional rivalries as, by the advent of "Yi Tian To Long Ji" (known in English as "the Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre"), the conflicts that drive the first two books have faded away. However, a cynic will note that though these conflicts have been resolved, this was done only to make way for new conflicts. The clever author then proceeds to allow the fallout of these rivalries to spill over into "Xiao Ao Jianghu" which, although not technically part of the series, occupies the same fictional history as the Condor Trilogy. Plot in Wuxia Jin Yong has a narrative style that informs the plot in all the books he writes. This plot structure has predecessors within Chinese historical fiction and is also present to a greater or lesser extent in the works of most of the other relevant modern Wuxia authors. These works usually begin with a first chapter that is very nearly a prologue, divorced by time, location or characters who may not make an appearance in subsequent chapters. A tragic event will occur (frequently costing the lives of many of the characters just introduced) and this will set events in motion that culminate in the primary action of the story. This pattern can certainly be seen in the Condor Trilogy. The first chapter of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" concentrates on the parents of Guo Jing and Yang Kang, who die or disappear in short order to establish the situation that leads to the two young men's very different development. Our main example is no exception. In this book the opening pages show Li Mochou arriving at a home to seek revenge on a former lover who spurned her in favour of another. Finding her lover and his wife already dead, she decides simply to kill everyone else at the house. This atrocity is largely irrelevant to the eventual outcome of the story (as Li Mochou exits the story years before the tale ends), but it serves two purposes. First, it introduces new factions previously absent in the earlier book, and second, it provides an understanding that there is no one starting point for the events of the Jianghu. One must approach a Wuxia novel with the understanding that the story will already be in progress. The authors understand that the passage of history is fluid, and they attempt to show an openness to the start of the action that compensates for the frequently definite endings of the stories. The use of returning characters within the first two novels of the Condor Trilogy furthers the idea that this is a story with no definite beginning or end. Even after the heroes vanquish their foes and get to live "happily ever-after," ever-after turns out to be only a short time. Ten short years later, Guo Jing and Huang Rong (the primary protagonists of the first book) return to action, albeit as secondary protagonists, when they decide to send Yang Kang's orphaned son off to school. The temporally distant conclusion of the trilogy furthers this sense of "open-endedness." It provides only the slightest of links to the action of the first two novels, by means of the first-chapter inclusion of the daughter of Guo Jing and Huang Rong (an early teenager smitten by hero worship for Yang Guo in the concluding chapters of the second book) and the presence of two swords forged from Yang Guo's iconic giant blade (which serve as major plot items throughout the novel). As the authors of Wuxia novels openly admit, they cannot capture the entire history of a course of events; so instead, they choose to structure the story along a different, and well-used, pattern - the progression from childhood to adulthood. In some examples this progression is symbolic rather than literal. Linghu Chong, the protagonist of "Xiao Ao Jianghu," is an adult when first encountered and the book spans only a few years of time. Linghu Chong is not much older at the end of his story than he was at the beginning. However, we still see the young man progress 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 inhuman master. The maturation of the character is as marked as if he had progressed from a ten-year-old boy to a forty-year-old man. In "The Return of the Condor Heroes," the progression from childhood to adulthood is much more literal. Yang Guo is still a child when first encountered in the early pages of the novel. By the end of the story he is a battle-hardened and deeply wounded man in middle age. Decades pass as the hero develops from a rebellious boy to an exemplar of compassion, loyalty and forgiveness. The use of martial arts further reinforces this transformation. Kung Fu in Wuxia Literature It would be nearly impossible to discuss Wuxia literature without addressing kung fu. In fact, we have already been doing so at length with references to the teacher/student relationship, the factional rivalries that contribute to the tension within books of the genre, and even by simply mentioning the name of the genre and of the community of characters within the stories (as the "Wu" of Wuxia and the Wulin is the same as the "wu" of wushu). Martial arts is an indispensable part of the setting, a fundamental device employed in all Wuxia stories, that provides insight into the metaphysics of the genre and is a symbol for personal growth of the primary characters within a story. At the most basic level, martial arts enters the Wuxia novel as a part of the setting. The truth is that the characters who act in significant ways within the genre are, for the most part, martial artists. Pugilism is the primary career of the protagonists and is very frequently the obsession of antagonists. Some memorable characters (such as Ouyang Feng) become so obsessed with cultivating greater skill with fists and feet that they will take extremely cruel actions just in the off chance that their fighting abilities might improve. This obsession with martial arts by the characters in Wuxia manifests itself in a standard trope of the genre: selection of a leader by way of duelling. In "Return of the Condor Heroes," Huang Rong steps aside as head of the beggar's guild and a contest is held to select the new leader. When some otherwise ineligible candidates come forward and successfully claim the right to compete for the position, we can see the extent to which martial skill matters to the population. At this particular competition further involvement of fighters with little interest in leadership but significant interest in fighting against the interlopers disturbs matters further, and eventually a man is selected as leader who is most decidedly not the most powerful martial artist in attendance. This has later consequences when one of the pugilists who attempted to crash the party eventually murders the essentially defenseless man and the Beggar's Guild is forced to repeat the whole insane process over again. The Beggar's Guild is certainly not alone as a martially derived faction. Quanzhen sect (along with Wuxia mainstays such as Shaolin and Wudang - neither of which plays a significant role in the action of our example novel) was, in reality, a religious order in which martial cultivation, if present, would have played second-fiddle to spiritual cultivation. In the world of Wuxia, this dichotomy is turned on its head and suddenly the fact that the Quanzhen "sword sect" is actually an order of Taoist priests is seen as mere window-dressing for their famous pugilistic powers. In novels featuring Shaolin temple we see the same process occur. Furthermore, this process has been so successful that many people in the west may be likely to think of kung fu before Buddhism when Shaolin is mentioned. Of course, the martial arts of the Wuxia genre are not the mundane fighting arts of our modern world. Instead, it derives from a medical and metaphysical outlook rooted in Chinese traditional medicine and in folk stories of supernatural beings such as the Monkey King and semi-mythical folk heroes such as Guanyu and Zhang Fei. A few common features of Wuxia martial skills are sadly unavailable to those of us who practice our arts in the real world. One such technique - a favorite of kung fu cinema - is called Qinggong (or lightness skill). Masters of Qinggong can't quite fly, but it's a near thing. The Qinggong expert, able to propel himself effortlessly dozens of feet into the air, to run across the tops of tall grasses and even across the surface of water, is a mainstay of the Wuxia novel. Beyond the feats of near flight and generic "lightness," these masters can also move at exceptional speeds over great distances. Even if the hero is not an expert at Qinggong at the beginning of a book, one can expect that they will have obtained training in this fundamental skill by the end. Few people lay claim, in real life, to any real approximation of the Qinggong skill. However, people do claim efficacy in acupressure and neigong, which are two areas of martial arts seen in Wuxia literature and its predecessors. Acupressure points are carefully directed strikes that rearrange the flow of qi through the victim. These strikes can render a person unable to use their martial arts, can harm their "internal strength," and can paralyze or even kill. It seems like every pugilist in the world of Wuxia novels has at least some skill in these accurate pokes. Neigong is the family of "internal martial arts." Although pugilists in Wuxia stories can become skilful without the use of neigong techniques, the most effective and advanced of the martial artists in these stories are deeply skilled in some profound form of neigong. Within the context of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," the two pinnacles of profound neigong appear to be the neigong of the Quanzhen sect and the Nine Yin Manual. For the sake of brevity we will concentrate on one of these two martial arts, the Nine Yin Manual. This manual, stolen in the previous novel from Huang Yaoshi, is an object of much desire for the martial artists within the story. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu stumble upon a part of the manual which Yang Guo learns sufficiently to show Ouyang Feng the flaw in his own version of it. Ouyang Feng has been driven mad by practicing a flawed version of the manual and is so obsessed with mastering the manual that he allows other matters to fall by the wayside so that he can improve his skill. Fragments of the powerful skill are also in the possession of various other master martial artists within the book, including Guo Jing, his daughter Guo Xiang, and an eventual descendant of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu known only as the girl in the yellow dress, who appears in the third novel of the trilogy. Possession of martial skills, whether these supernatural ones or more down-to-earth systems of sword combat, boxing and wrestling, is a major motivator for protagonists and antagonists alike within Wuxia stories. However, martial arts play a symbolic role within the genre that combines with the more mundane role of plot device to give them even greater significance. Wuxia stories are, at their most fundamental level, about the development of a person from childhood to adulthood. The ability of the primary protagonist to employ martial arts and his position within the rankings of the Wulin provide a metaphor for this development. In "Xiao Ao Jianghu," Linghu Chong (with false modesty) claims in the early pages to be the eighty-ninth strongest martial artist presently active in the Wulin. Although we can disregard the specific position as spurious, certainly it positions him as a middling member of the community, strong in his own right but far from the pinnacle. By the end of the novel, with access to the superior neigong of Shaolin Temple and the sun-moon sect, and with the death of anybody who could have practiced the Pixie sword manual or the Sunflower manual, Linghu Chong is arguably the strongest pugilist remaining. We see a more striking parallel in the character of Yang Guo in our primary example. Yang Guo, when we first meet him, knows only a few basic techniques taught to him by his mother. These are insufficient to prevent him being bullied. Huang Rong was the primary care giver for Yang Guo between the time he comes to Peach Blossom Island following the death of his mother and when he was sent to Quanzhen. During that (admittedly brief) time she did little to improve his martial arts as she feared he would turn out like his father. Yang Guo goes on to study a hodgepodge of martial arts from the styles of the majority of the five divines as well as the Ancient Tomb sect's martial arts and those of the mysterious Dugu Qiubai. By the end of the story, he is able to single-handedly defeat Jinlun Dawang - a feat that even Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong cannot match. Wuxia Literature and Cinema In some ways, Wuxia literature has been poorly served by cinematic adaptation. Many films promote style over substance, stripping the novels down to a mere sequence of fights and training montages. As we have shown in this article, Wuxia literature is much more than simply an assortment of battles arranged into a plot. Wuxia is a complicated genre of literature which, standing at the crux of fantasy and historical literature, manages to create an independent identity that has made it one of the most dominant forms of popular literature throughout East Asia. Any martial artist who is interested in martial media would be well advised to read a Wuxia story. Translations can be found for some of the most famous novels through online services, although the list is far from complete. The good people at wuxiapedia have endeavoured to collect a group of translations of these stories, though many of these translations are incomplete. For those who are fortunate enough to be able to read Chinese well enough to enjoy a novel, the options are much greater for now; but in a few years time, who knows how much progress the volunteers of wuxiapedia or some other enterprising fan of the genre will have made in helping to expose the western world to this sometimes bizarre and always interesting genre of fiction. By Simon McNeil (C) 2010 KungFuMagazine.com. Republished by permission.

The Immortal Storyverse (TIS) is an inter-connected universe of characters and stories that brings together all the wide-ranging influences and inspirations of the Wuxia genre, from Kung Fu to Immortals in one world. TIS is adapted from the library of Chinese Wuxia legend Shiao Yi. COMICS The Immortal Storyverse (TIS) is an inter-connected universe of characters and stories that bring s together all the wide-ranging influences and inspirations of the Wuxia genre , from Kung Fu to Immortals in one world . TIS is adapted f rom the library of Chinese W uxia legend Shiao Yi’s 60+ previously published titles along with contributions from other Immortal creators. All our stories will be published as comics and graphic novels first before considering other venues to further the stories. Key Tenets inclues: There Are No Radioactive Spiders In our world, everyone has the potential to develop heroic powers because ability comes from self cultivation and mastery. Everybody is the One in our world. Embracing the Ancient Future Immortal contemporizes the Eastern martial hero tradition, setting our stories in modern times amongst today’s social, political, and cultural contexts. Transformative Journies Wuxia is a transformational genre, and Immortal rem ains aut hentic to its traditions of empowe rment, self-discovery, elevation and connection with the world around us. Welcoming Believers, Purists and Neophytes Immortal embraces the deep historical, cultural, spiritual roots of the genre that has spanned 5000 years and is singularly focused on its continuation onto the world.