Fantasy is where we go when we need an escape from the real world. It’s always been a mirror of ourselves, our cultures, imaginations, histories, ambitions, and dreams. This is true across all cultures, regardless of origin. While western readers often grow up with stories of knights and paladins, wizards and mages, chosen heroes and epic fights with dragons and kings, eastern audiences are raised with stories of wandering swordsmen, Taoist immortals, legendary martial sects, mythical creatures, and duels of honor and skill. 

But you know what they all have in common?

Really cool swords.

Actually, there’s a lot more than just that. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Despite the different cultural traditions fantasy stories come from, they share more in common than not. In recent years, eastern and western stories have begun to meet. Wuxia and Xianxia stories are translated for western audiences, while stories from authors like Tolkien, Sanderson and Jemisin are translated for eastern audiences.

But what exactly is wuxia? How is it different from xianxia? And how does it compare with western fantasy?

 In this ultimate guide, I’ll break down the origins, themes, tropes, storytelling styles so you’ll know the difference between these genres (and impress your friends). I’ll even throw in some recommendations so you can discover which ones might fit your tastes as a reader.

What is Wuxia?

Wuxia Origins in Chinese Literature and History

The word wuxia (武俠) is Chinese in origin.  It’s made of two components:

Wu (武) meaning martial.

Xia (俠) meaning heroes.

So what is wuxia? It’s right there on the tin. A story of martial heroes. At its heart, wuxia stories are about ordinary heroes who become extraordinary. This is usually done through martial arts, discipline, and a strong moral code.

Out of our three genres in this ultimate guide, wuxia is the oldest genre with its origins dating back to 2nd or 3rd century BCE.  That is OLD. Some of the first wuxia stories originated as far back as the unification (or pacification) of China under the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. In fact, if you’ve seen the movie HERO, you’ve seen a retelling of one of the oldest wuxia stories in existence.

Throughout Chinese history, stories of wandering heroes (youxia) and assassins were popular tales and legends. The historian Sima Qian makes mention of the exploits of legendary assassins that took on this ‘noble act’ of loyalty and honor.  At one point, wuxia stories were considered illegal and seditious. Government officials blamed these tales for growing rebellions, but the genre lived on and thrived. 

The history of wuxia is basically a study in Chinese culture. I wrote a brief history of it, detailing some of the cool moments in wuxia history.

Core Themes and Values

 The wuxia genre generally follows a few core elements:

• The Jianghu (江湖) : Literally translating to the ‘rivers and lakes’ of ancient China, this is the setting of all wuxia tales. In a sense, it’s like the lawless ‘wild west’ that’s seen in western movies. It’s less a physical location and more a culture, an underworld and scene for itinerant martial artists, merchants, traders, outlaws, gangs, craftsmen, adventurers, rebels and more. While the imperial court rules the world, the jianghu rules the underworld.  It’s not necessarily a shady place, though there are shady elements. There is a moral code that exists in the jianghu, a set of laws that exists in a world with no laws. For more on the jianghu, check out this guide.
  

• Wugong (武功) or Martial skill : You don’t get a martial hero without martial skill. The heroes of the genre are genrally people that rely on training, skill, and discipline rather than magic. They are ordinary people that attain legendary abilities through grounded human effort.  How these skills manifest is varied. Our heroes can weild things like swords, spears, fans, hook swords, or even their fists. If you can fight with it (and even if you can’t) odds are there is a martial hero who is a legend with that weapon.
  

• Chivalry or the Code of the Xia: The code of the xia is a chivalrous code that governs the actions of heroes. It is founded on honor and righteousness. It emphasizes  repaying acts of kindness, and violence and vengeance on villains.  Adherence to this code is what creates heroes and villains, and can create generational grudges and quests that continue for hundreds of years. For more on the code of the xia, check out this guide.
  

• Realism (sort of):  While the use of qi can result in some truly remarkable skills and techniques (like pseudo flying across rooftops, and fighting a dozen people at once), wuxia remains grounded in the world of what is considered more realistic. There’s no magic, casting spells, or fighting mythical beasts in this genre.

 I want to point out here that the first three points are also found in the Xianxia genre. In many ways, some of the basic settings, concepts, and tropes overlap. Of course, there’s a lot more nuance, which is what we’re going to get to in a moment.

Famous Wuxia Works and Authors

Sound interesting? Check out these authors and stories to experience the genre for yourself.

• Jin Yong’s Legend of the Condor Heroes — This is the OG of the modern era of wuxia. Sweeping romances, generational rivalries, long lost martial techniques, and the fate of an entire kingdom. The cultural impact that this series had in Asia is said to be like Lord of the Rings AND Star Wars put together. Wow.
  

• Gu Long’s The Eleventh Son — A contemporary of Jin Yong, this story is a little darker, with a focus on stylish sword work and assassins. Romance, revenge, and a legendary sword.
  

• Classic films: wuxia is a genre to be experienced visually. Some of my personal favorites include: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, Shadow, House of Flying Daggers, A Touch of Zen,  Once Upon a Time in China, and so many more. I always revisit these movies when I need inspiration.
  

• JF Lee’s Tales of the Swordsman — Revenge is a dish best served with dumplings. Li Ming, the last swordsman of Blue Mountain, has been on the cold trail of his master's killer for the last fifteen years. With no new leads, his search has become increasingly more futile...at least until he meets young Shu Yan, a spunky runaway from the pleasure houses. With the help of a ragtag group of heroes like a corrupt magistrate, a fearless spearwoman, a merchant princess, an icy assassin, and a cook's wife turned crime boss, they'll find the fate of an empire tangled in what was supposed to be a simple quest for revenge.

You definitely should check out that last one.

What is Xianxia?

Xianxia (仙俠) literally means immortal heroes. As a genre, it grew out of wuxia in that it shares similar settings and themes. But where wuxia is grounded in realism, xianxia is a fantasy mix of Taoist philosophy, alchemy, and myth. While our heroes in xianxia wander around righting wrongs and doing other hero things, these heroes are also primarily concerned with attaining immortality through the cultivation and refining of their qi. This has resulted in this genre being commonly referred to as the cultivation genre.

This genre is essentially eastern fantasy because it ties in a lot of mythical elements as well. Take the tropes of wuxia, add in a few gods, monsters, demons, dragons (!) etc. and it becomes xianxia.

Perhaps one of the most famous (and oldest) examples of this genre is Journey to the West, or the story of the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong. If this genre starts to sound familiar, it should. You see a lot of elements of this genre in shonen manga and anime.  Afterall, Dragonball once started as a retelling of the Monkey King’s adventure.

Taoism, immortality and cultivation

Taoism is the foundational belief/spiritual framework for the xianxia genre. Taoism seeks to find harmony with the tao (the way), understand the balance between Yin and Yang, and cultivate qi (life energy). Traditionally, this belief has led to practices like tai chi, meditation, and medicines that improve life. 

Xianxia focuses on the beliefs of Taoism and takes it to the next level. The protagonists believe that through Taoist ways like cultivation, medicinal skills, and the practice of martial arts, they can become immortal. It’s a beautiful concept that should resonate with modern audiences. In this case, through hard work, our heroes can become gods.

The quest for immortality is at the heart of every xianxia story, and the journey to transcend the mortal world and live in the heavenly realm with other gods and people that have ascended is the main point. Along the way, they might pick up a magical artifact, meet gods and demons, and split a mountain or two.

Key xianxia tropes, and world building

·      Cultivation and the quest for immortality: This is it. Characters refine their qi so that they can transcend mortality and become immortal gods. Think of cultivation as an Eastern magic system and you’ve got it.

·      The jianghu on magic: Take the jianghu from the previous section, add in a dash of magical, and you’ve got a xianxia setting.

·      Unbelievable powers: If the wuxia genre was grounded in ‘mortal’ abilities, then xianxia heroes have powers that rival gods. Flight, teleportation, manipulation of elements are almost commonplace. Astral projections, shattering of reality, martial techniques that destroy entire landmasses are par. If you like incredible, OP abilities, this is the place to go.

·      The young disciples journey: Often the main character of a xianxia series starts as a nobody and through hard work and discipline, comes to dominate the entire world.

·      Tribulations: Becoming a god isn’t easy. Protagonists often have to break into new realms by experiencing heavenly ‘ordeals’ to level up. These are often tests that prevent mortals from gaining too much power or challenging natural laws. It’s a pass fail test. Pass, and you attain the next level in cultivation. Fail and you’re fried by lightning.

·      Magical artifacts, alchemy and pills: no journey is complete without cool magical stuff. Expect magical weapons, cauldrons that refine souls, talismans that control elements, elixirs and pills that boost cultivation and more.

·      Complex social hierarchies: Clans, sects, empires, kingdoms? How about the different tiers of heaven and hell? Did you know that gods and demons have bureaucrats?

Popular xianxia stories

Oh man, this is a hot area of fantasy right now. Get ready for a whole lot of good recommendations. Many of these series have been adapted into manhua (comic) and donghua (animated) formats too.

·      Coiling Dragon by I Eat Tomatoes – empires rise and fall, Spells, swords, immortal beings of unimaginable power. A clan in disgrace rises from the ashes. A new hero reclaims the lost glory of his clan and beomes a new legend.

·      I Shall Seal the Heavens by Er Gen — A young scholar forced into a cultivator sect tries tod o good in a world that preys on the weak. Both comedic and dramatic, this series is a classic.

·      Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX) — Two parallel tales recounting past and present lives. Forced reincarnation with forbidden methods. A love story with a rabid fanbase devoted to the lead same-sex couple. It’s been adapted as a live action series The Untamed.

·      A Thousand Li by Tao Wong  —  A cultavtion series that follows the life of a farmer and his journey to immortality. This series spans 12 books and is on going.