Prelimary Notes on Place in Wuxia

[forestofglory]

So recently I have been exploring wuxia, including watching some older movies. I always enjoy thinking about how fiction engages with space. Wuxia seems to have a very well defined vocabulary of spaces, which I’m enjoying a lot. Here’s a couple of things that I’ve noticed so far:

Rooftops Rooftops scenes generally take place at night. They give the sense of the characters being isolated above the world. Rooftops are great for showing off the long flowing jumps that are common in wuxia, so they are a fun place for fights and chases. But also for moon gazing. I’ve noticed that wuxia roofs are frequently just one layer of tile making it easy for characters to make holes for spying or jumping through the roof.

Restaurants Restaurants in wuxia tend to be multi-leveled with one level that looks down on another. Restaurants are often the site of planned and unplanned meetings. Characters frequently enjoy sharing food. But also restaurant fights are a classic trope of the genre! They are visually engaging, and often involve non-weapons being used as weapons.

Urban Waterways I’ve noticed that urban spaces in wuxia frequently have rivers and canals, generally with pretty arched bridges over them. These can be fun for fight scenes or just pretty to look at.

Market stalls/crowded streets In a couple of movies I watched a character had their own little market stall or shop, and these are very visually appealing to me. I also enjoy the frequent scenes of busy streets lined with stalls. It creates a sense of lively urban environment.

These are just some very preliminary observations. I’m excited to watch more wuxia and think more about how the genre uses space. I’d also love to read more about this topic. Does anyone have recommendations for further reading? Or for wuxia media that does interesting things with space?

Comments

[shipperslist]

Ohhh what an interesting post! I'd add (bamboo) forests right next to rooftops because acrobatics. And, of course, Cliffs for Dramatics.

(BTW, for some reason my brain turned the title into "Wuxia in Space" and I was so very, very intrigued. :D )

[forestofglory]

Yes, bamboo forests are good one!

Cliffs in wuxia exist for people to fall off of but not die.

(I think wuxia in space would be amazing!)

[shipperslist]

Cliffs in wuxia exist for people to fall off of but not die.
Yes, except that if they jump, they most likely die (although they probs come back later, cue: Wei Wuxian).

[wrote_and_writ]

While I am not disappointed in the least by your observations, the title of the post made me think of space as in the cosmos, and what would that look like? Presumably, the lovely, flowy robes would be a hazard. :)

[forestofglory]

You aren't the only one who thought that. I don't currently know of any space wuxia but I think it would be great

[wrote_and_writ]

I have Iron Widow on my TBR list, which has robots, I think, so kind of maybe space wuxia? I’ll see whenever I get around to reading it.

[forestofglory]

Well that's intriguing. I saw something about Iron Widow in passing but no one mentioned robots!

[libitina]

Hmmm... I feel like you maybe need two separate categories - wuxia filmed in Hengdian and wuxia filmed elsewhere.

Honestly, Legend of Fei was pretty creative with their use of landscape. And they dared to have daytime rooftop drinking!

But they had multiple drone shots of panning around the layout of Hengdian, linking groups of sets together that I feel aren't usually linked. Not just in chase scenes, but also in the ~here's what Disha is doing elsewhere in the city~ transitions.

(Duke University Press is having a 50% off sale for in stock books)

Re: Cliffs - my argument for why Shang-Chi is not wuxia is that they used their cliffs incorrectly. It's a superhero movie with wuxia elements.

[forestofglory]

Hengdian certainly has large impact on how space is portraid -- but I've seen all of these things in mid-20th century movies filmed in Hong Kong too.

This is bumping Legend of Fei up my to-watch list!

Thanks for the tip about the sale, I got this book about the relationship between cities and visual media in China.

[libitina]

Oh, interesting! I wonder if that book includes things like the tribute advertising for various actors.

LoF was good candy.

I need to watch more of the earlier shows. 2015 shows are about the oldest I've gone so far. Let me know if there's anything in particular you think I should prioritize.