#wuxia lady

[kungfuwushuworld]

Wuxia Lady Warrior

[danmeigirl]

I did NOT expect anything less from this BTS 😂😂😂

[mirimangarecs]

a common story of a lady’s new life - POOLMO, jin suyoon

a reincarnated noblewoman wants to be a genius mage in her new life, but gives up when her teacher instead delivers her an ominous death prophecy. 10 years later she’s engaged to a famous duke, who seems to have accepted a mysterious woman from another world into his home

the couple: the miscommunication and misunderstandings are frustrating, but it’s also the charm at the heart of it all. the gradual development is fun and rewarding

story & setting: wuxia and western historical fantasy have never looked so good together. it balances romantic drama and lighthearted comedy with apocalyptic stakes and serious themes regarding cross-cultural interactions

the art: i thought the characters looked vivid and charming, and get even more lively as the chapters progress. the dissonant tones of the two genres mixing together made it really unique to look at

this one might end up in my 2024 top 10 by virtue of its extremely unique premise and overall quality. i’ve never read anything else like it

slightly spoilery rambling

i’m a big fan of how this story manages to stand on its own as an isekai without the “i’m in a book/game” structure to rely on, while also having a very good cross-world justification for reincarnation and magic powers. seeing how the same fundamental phenomenon is interpreted differently both in wulin and a western historical fantasy was fascinating and still tied together shockingly well.

i actually wish it had more time to develop it’s plot. it was a tight story that trimmed the fat, and while it made for a quick and engaging read, i was yearning for further development and some glossed-over plot elements. the finale seemed rushed to me, without even a chance to see the normal lives of the characters. serena’s relationship also shocked me, but it was a bold choice by the author and not exactly out of nowhere. overall, i wish it could’ve had more time to dig just a little deeper

[5water-kohaku]

Chilian from Qin’s Moon

[bleuskais]

Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken / The Adventure of Dai ep 86

[alienturnip]

theoretically i am heavily inspired by wuxia and three kingdoms in my creative approach BUT I don't dare claim it because those memories are shaped during the childhood and I kinda forgot all the details only the vibes remain....

[michelle-yim]

The Formidable Lady from Shaolin | 少林與詠春 [TVB, 1987]

[wiz-writes]

In Out of the Yinshan, you play as a spy sent to infiltrate a well-known Manor in order to recover a legendary sword.

Yet the mission turns out to be more than you bargained for as you find yourself walking on thin ice and questioning your loyalties, all the while an invisible hand keeps pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Genre: wuxia, romance, mystery

Rating: 15 for some dark themes

Play as a man or woman.

Customise your appearance and shape your new persona.

Train and improve your skills to reach new heights of power.

Build friendships or start a romance with one of four characters.

Navigate your new life as a guard of a noble, explore the Manor and uncover its secrets.

Be mindful of both your words and actions to avoid suspicion and keep your head a little longer.

Let yourself be swayed by a desire for freedom; or remain steadfast and loyal to those who made you.

You are one of the Yinshan Society - a tool sharpened to perfection to be then used by your Elders as they see fit.

Your life is not your own, that much you know. However, that changes nothing about where your loyalties lie. For you, Yinshan has always been a light in the darkness.

So when your new mission brings you to the famous Hua Manor in search of a legendary sword, you take on the challenge of becoming someone else - someone you never had the chance to be.

You quickly adapt to the Manor's ways, training and fulfilling your duties while keeping a low profile as you begin your investigation. But the mysterious incidents that follow your arrival have everyone, including you, on edge.

Your past has taught you not to trust anyone, yet the more time you spend in the Manor and get to know its residents, the more your conviction starts to waver.

Is Yinshan truly all that your life amounts to?

DEMO

COG Forum || KO-FI

THE PRODIGY

Su Feixia (F)

The only child of the Su family, Su Feixia is considered to be both smart and beautiful. She excels in literature and music, and she has more than proven to be capable of taking over her parents' business. Yet despite her privileged upbringing, she continues to be humble and kind.

You are her guard, accompanying the young lady to the Hua Manor.

THE GUARDIAN

Wei Qing (M)

One of the residents of the Manor, Wei Qing is a high-ranking guard that has lived there for a few years, steadily climbing the ranks through training and hard work. He puts his duty above all else, which has earned him respect, as well as a rather fearsome reputation.

He is your superior in the Manor, overseeing your training.

THE HEIRESS

Hua Lingyun (F)

The oldest of three children of the Hua family and their only daughter, Hua Lingyun spends most of her days training with weaponry and running from her responsibilities. She is to become the head of the family, which is something she's having trouble coming to terms with as she enjoys having her freedom.

She takes care of the Manor guests this year, in place of her sick father.

THE TEACHER

Xu Yuan (M)

A bit of an enigma for most of the people living in the Manor, Xu Yuan is a master swordsman of few words. Nobody seems to know much about him, except that he's been staying in the Manor for a while and that he appears to be a good friend of Master Hua. However, his cold and distant personality manages to keep his many admirers at arm's length.

He is in charge of your weapon training.

[difeisheng]

“整个《莲花楼》大家只是在一个悬疑探案的，这样一个故事情节的大的框架里面，但更多地写的就是这些角色身上的爱恨情仇。我觉得这些是更重要的一点。因为现在的现实世界，没有更多能够感受得到武侠里面的那些情感。但我们反而可以从影视作品中，我们可以从故事里面，从角色身上体会到这种感觉。”

"In Mysterious Lotus Casebook, everyone is wrapped up in this overarching plot of suspense and mystery, but it's also about these characters and the love, hate, and sentiments they bear. I think all of that is a little more important. Because in today's real world, we don't have as many opportunities to feel the emotions we find within wuxia. But instead, we can experience them through film and television, through stories, through putting ourselves in the places of these characters." — Xiao Shunyao

“每个时代的侠都是不一样的，每个人都可以成为侠者。你包括出去，看到有一个老奶奶突然过马路，你去扶她一下，这都是侠。怎么说，就是江湖虽远，侠义永存。这个点我就觉得你自己只要相信有，那肯定就会有。”

"What a xia looks like is different in every era, and everyone has the potential to become a xia. Including, [for example], if you went out and saw an old lady suddenly trying to cross the street, and went to support her. That too, is xia. How do I put it? Although the jianghu is distant, xiayi is eternal. When it comes to this, I think that as long as you believe that it exists, then it will." — Cheng Yi

I adore the contrast in how CY and XSY view xiayi and the jianghu, and their roles acting as a part of it. For XSY, xiayi is experienced through the huge, sweeping emotions of these wuxia stories, while for CY it's about the mundane actions that still stem from a sense of chivalry and righteousness, however small. As well, to XSY wuxia media is a path for one to escape into the jianghu and live vicariously for a while, but for CY it's a way to bring part of the jianghu into one's own everyday life. It's interesting to see how their views differ, and how those understandings of wuxia translated to/shaped their characters (because if you look at DFS and LLH, they absolutely did). These two are such dedicated actors. I could listen to them talk forever about things like this.

[romanceyourdemons]

i wanted to say “the lady of shalott” as in the tennyson poem but i accidentally said “the lady of shaolin.” which first of all totally sounds like the title of an early 80s low budget hong kong wuxia film. and second of all gave rise to the very funny mental image of the novice in some generic shaolin film pointing at a tower in the middle of the monastery and asking what’s up there? and the other monks are like oh just some lady, she just weaves all the time, we don’t really know what she’s doing up there but she doesn’t bother us and we don’t bother her

[cravingforsweetsbooksandpurpose]

Idea!!! A Zosan modern AU (inspired by most ent c-novels/manhuas) where Sanji's an A-list actor and Zoro's a promising newbie actor.

They got to work together on a new wuxia tv series, Sanji's the male lead, while Zoro's character is the secondary antagonist. All is well, but Sanji finds the newbie obnoxious and annoying. That is until bloopers of them bickering & sparring/practicing fight scenes were posted for promotions went viral. Suddenly, they became one of the most popular CP. And they're forced to do promotions together (and fanservice that seems to be a little bit too real iyam).

Sanji could take it all. It's part of the job after all.

The problem with this is, Sanji's pissed that his stellar image and reputation as a charming ladies man is now in ruins, and also why is he the bottom?!

[kungfuwushuworld]

Wǔxiá (also Wu Xia), literally means "martial arts chivalry" or "martial arts heroes", in Chinese. Wuxia is a distinct genre in Chinese literature, television and cinema. The wuxia genre is popular in Chinese culture because it is the unique blend of martial arts philosophy of xia (俠, "chivalry", "a chivalrous person") developed throughout history, and the country's long history of wushu.

[joyburble]

The Swords

So I was watching, as you do, some videos by some very charming and passionate martials arts practitioners comparing and contrasting various designs of sword and their usage. And I remembered that I had vaguely, perhaps subconsciously, noticed something strange about the magical swords used in this show.

The first one we see is the Hellfire sword which Dongfang Qingcang materialises as he calls Shangque.

It's straight, with no curve to the blade at all, and both edges appear to be sharp. It's basically cross-shaped, with a large, decorated cross-guard extending parallel with both edges. And it has a fairly large roundish pommel, by which he holds it:

I think I semi-consciously noticed that this looks a lot more like a European longsword, except that it's not all that long. Chinese swords are usually curved, even if only slightly, are usually sharp on one side only, and usually have disc-shaped handguards. [Edit! see reblogs for information on jians, which are straight and double-edged but with tiny crossguards] They sometimes have pommels, but the kind you see in the Wuxia genre generally doesn't.

So I thought, is this one of the subtler ways in which they're setting out to make Dongfang Qingcang and the Moon Tribe seem a little bit foreign and therefore barbarous, "not-Han-coded", as someone on Discord put it?

But then I checked the other swords, and that's not it.

Changheng's is a bit ambiguous. It has a pronounced cross-guard, less elaborate but more fantastical - it seems to be thinking about morphing into a 16th-century European basket hilt, as that downturned curve wouldn't work to catch your opponent's blade, but it isn't quite there yet:

The blade also looks very straight, and we don't see the prop without the CGI for long enough to tell whether it's meant to be sharp on both edges. It might be more of a sabre, a design that pops up in martial arts traditions everywhere.

The third sword we see is Lady Chidi's battle sword, which is the same basic design as Dongfang Qingcang's:

As you can see in the closeup, it's cross-shaped, double-edged, straight, and symmetrical, with a pronounced pommel, a long hilt for two hands, and a large cross-guard parallel to the edges.

This shape is important, because scale is an optional setting for powerful immortal beings, and she will soon turn it into this mountain, with the cross-guard becoming a very convenient platform for conversation and sunbathing:

The other plot-relevant sword, in Episode 31, is the same cross-shape, with a really big cross-guard and a fairly pronounced pommel.

However! Intriguingly, to spar with Ronghao in the illusion-forest in Episode 32, Chidi uses a very simple blade, straight, but with neither cross-guard nor pommel, like a civilised Chinese lady:

It might be double-edged or single-edged, I can't tell, but it has virtually no hand guard at all, not even a round one like a katana:

But when in a later scene Ronghao confesses, it is her own, true sword she drops, as a sign that things are getting simultaneously more magic and more real:

In Ep34, she uses it to kill some unfortunate pikemen:

Meanwhile, back in Ep 16, Yannu's sword was the same plot-relevant shape, like Dongfang Qingcang's, and she holds it like a medieval warrior saint looking down from a Gothic arch:

He held it the same way when Shangque greeted him in Episode 2.

Danyin's sword, when she manifests it, is in a rather modest and perhaps youthful style. Still straight and symmetrical, but with a very small, sharply hooked cross-guard:

When Dieyi's whip-chain-flail-thing turns into a sword, it's even more European - it looks very like a rapier with a basket hilt! Kind of appropriate to her general look, actually, and her street-fighting personality.

When she changes stance we see this bonkers wiggly blade, which looks still rapier-ish (long, pointed, thrust more than cut), only insane. She doesn't use it like a rapier, though.

Ronghao's sword for killing is a curious design, still straight and with a pommel, but this curious sort of vestigial, bulbous thing that isn't really a guard of any kind. I don't know what's going on with this but the shape is a little bit like Theoden's sword in Return of the King. Not quite.

However, when Chidi eventually attacks him, they both use their simple sparring blades again:

Anyway! I was surprised to discover how nearly all of the swords used in this particular show visually followed styles I am familiar with both from western drama and from western historical collections, and none of them, except the ones in that last shot, looked at all like the most common styles of sword you see in Chinese dramas.

Obviously the weapons function exactly like the costumes in that they're primarily artistic visual references to various moods and ideas, rather than functional objects, but I think that makes this choice even more interesting. I don't know how usual it is for this genre, or what it means.

I haven't found where, if at all, we see Xunfeng or Shanque use a sword, and it's long past my bedtime so I'm stopping there.

[5water-kohaku]

Reposting some of Zinü’s official wallpapers.

[asian-drama-tropes]

A Year of Asian Drama Tropes 2024 - Wuxia Edition

A year long celebration of Asian tropes, this multi fandom event has a monthly selection of prompts for you to choose from!

The theme for 2024 is Wuxia! Rules and FAQ can be found here!

January

Riverbank

Sect/clan conflict

Blood sworn siblings

Amnesia

"When the Sandpiper and the Clam fight each other, it’s the Fisherman who benefits."

February

Go/Shogi/Xiangqi (politics optional)

Flirting through poetry/literature/music

Secret text training upgrade

Drinking under a full moon

"Heaven’s Net is wide, and none can escape its mesh."

March

Peach blossom forest (fight scene optional but likely)

Flying while flirting/fighting (is there even a difference?)

The master chef/burns water couple

Limited time left to live

"The weak are prey to the strong"

April

Big gathering (always ends badly)

Recovery from poisoning (either antidote or internal energy)

Pressure point activation for healing/bondage

Leader of the good aligned martial arts schools

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

May

Mountain pass (always an ambush)

Disguise that really shouldn't work (but somehow does)

Musical instruments as weapons

Going berserk (for revenge or protective impulses)

"Flying flowers and picking leaves can hurt people"

June

Roof (moonlit fight scene optional but likely)

Confession in the rain (bonus umbrella optional)

Revenge (bonus if intergenerational)

Aphrodisiacs

"No one is killing me but you"/ "No one is killing you but me"

July

Tavern (fight scene optional but likely)

Lovers fighting back to back

Prosaic objects as weapons

Sweeper monk

"2 jin (1.2kg) of cooked beef and a pot of alcohol"

August

Mountaintop

Falling off a cliff (assumed to be dead but actually not)

Reclusive master training upgrade

Ancestor worship

"In the world of martial arts, no technique is faultless, only speed is invincible."

September

Hidden room

Cross dressing

Soup and wound tending (go together)

Villain who has a point

"The prettier a lady, the better she is at lying."

October

Prison (always a rescue)

Coughing up blood

Sleeves as pockets

Harem politics

"The mountain is tall, the river is long, we will meet again."

November

Open windows (secret plan/confession optional but likely)

Repaying a debt (sometimes across generations/time/reincarnation)

Heartbroken alcohol consumption

Shifu

"The truth will eventually show itself."

December

Lake/mountain pool/hot spring (sex optional)

Kneeling in snow/storm as a show of penance/devotion

Gifts of hair care items as courtship

The student becomes the master

"The will of Heaven."

[silviakundera]

Dramas I watched in 2023

[Chinese Dramas]

My Journey to You - Wuxia. Spy games, badass ladies, subtextually homoerotic cousins. Gentle & sweet ML who melts the cold & calculated heart of FL assassin. Gorgeous setting and cinematography. Left me with a burning desire to see Zhang Ling He play more gentle babygirl MLs and Esther Yu to play more anti-heroes. Absolutely perfect to me.., if we just pretend the director didn't add a pointless cliffhanger in the last 5 min. Which is how I choose to live my life.

Story of Kunning Palace - 'rebirth' costume drama that I waited to air for like 2 years or something and then it... actually didn't disappoint? And was almost everything I wanted? 😳😲 This is THE couple for that post about the pair that need to be stuck in a neverending monogamous relationship with each other as a quarantine measure to protect everyone else.

A Journey to Love - wuxia perfection. The stand-out drama that I wasn't expecting. Murder mommy & murder daddy became an otp for the ages and all of the supporting characters were interesting and dynamic. I cared about so many more characters than I expected and never fast fowarded. Just immensely satisfying.

The Ingenious One - wuxia with a weak, scheming scholar protagonist on a revenge quest (yes, we've all heard that before!) who puts together a group to execute his cons, Leverage style. I love me a martial artist x weak scholar couple 👌. Some exciting twists & turns in this one. Both A Journey to Love and The Ingenious One are best enjoyed coming in with little to no information. Hell, skip the trailers and simply dive in!

Hidden Love - Modern drama. Top tier romance-novel-on-screen writing and acting. It felt honest and real. The coming of age arc for the FL was well done. Great brother & sister relationship that feels authentic. The ML's backstory was so heart breaking because it was never overplayed for melodramatics. Just a quiet pain, a distance and a burden he carried with him.

Road Home - Modern. "Do you remember who I am?" / "Yes. If I were to turn to ashes, I would still remember you." I am very weak for the "reunited exes", "second time around" trope when the actors are capable and the breakup wasn't a narratively convenient 'misunderstanding'. As a career woman who works very long hours, I also tend to appreciate modern drama relationships where the couple manages to stay functional & supportive while not having a lot of free time for each other. That's my version of wish fulfillment 😂. I felt like this narrative made me fully understand why they couldn't make a long distance relationship work as young adults but now they're ready and have experienced enough of the world to know that they are happier with their lives joined together than apart.

Love You Seven Times - xanxia. I wrote a whole review post (love letter) on this one, since it seems rather underrated. I feel like this one may actually end up one of my fav examples of the genre. I just sincerely bought into the couple and their mutual devotion.

The Last Immortal - xanxia. Terrible trailer but turns out to be a decent show. I'm a fan of the genre, so I'm enjoying it. (I think you do need to be, to enjoy it - it doesn't transcend or really subvert..just a solid representation of xanxia) I like both lead actors and they do a good job with the material. It's working better for me than Ancient Love Poetry and Ashes of Love. After being eager for Song of the Moon in 2022 but then being let down (I dropped that one quick), I'm very happy 2023 brought me 2 xanxia I liked.

Three Body - modern sci-fi. Book 1 of my fav sci-fi trilogy of recent years. As a novel fan first, I was pleased to see it on screen with talented actors. Eager for book 2.

Love Me, Love My Voice - modern drama with an unusual couple (2 introverts) and dubbing fandom hyper fixation. A laid back relaxation drama, to de-stress with. Minimal plot, no conflict. Just sweet slow burn relationship building, singing & audio performances. Supportive friendships.

Here We Meet Again - modern drama that suffered from sloppy editing. I mean almost incoherent editing in a couple places, like when they are counting down the days until getting married and then.. It's not mentioned again? 🙃 But I very much enjoyed the couple's chemistry. I can't say it was objectively good but it sure was compulsively watchable for some reason.

Royal Rumors - Costume drama that was so aggressively mediocre that I don't have any real explanation for not dropping it. Except I find the lead actress unspeakably alluring. Blame my hormones.

Dropped

Back to the Brink - xanxia. Great concepts but the execution didn't work for me. I'm not a fan of slapstick and wacky humor within serious subject matter. (It's the reason kdramas can be very hit or miss with me.) The amount of humor layered into AJourney to Love is basically my limit for tragicomedies. (Note: I did go read the book and it was very entertaining - the tone was much more to my taste.)

My Lethal Man - modern. Embarassing english name, but they had me in the first half, not gonna lie. Then after her identity was exposed, I wasn't feeling it idk. Sometimes it's just not that complicated.

Destined/Chang Feng Du - costume drama. idk really why I dropped. I watched about a 3rd of it and then was distracted by other shiny objects. I plan to come back to this one in 2024 and finish.

Romance of the Twin Flower - costume drama; unholy abomination of a great novel. I hope somehow, someday, the culprits pay for their crime. Need I say more?

[Korean Dramas]

Perfect Revenge Marriage - a modern rebirth tale. For the 90% of it, I was high on the love of a drama that is just what you didn't know you wanted. The camp, the dedication, the scenery chewing, the glorious evil step mother. It was magical. And then the last 2 episodes I found underwhelming. I can't really explain it, the climax just didn't hit for me. But that's very much a personal taste issue and I'd definitely recommend to all drama lovers who enjoy the genre. Seriously, the performance of evil step mommy was a master class.

King the Land - modern workplace romance. I've heard complaints that there wasn't much of plot. But tbh that was fine with me, because some dramas are simply character pieces. This was all about the personal growth of the FL and ML. I ended up invested and rooting for the ML to become a decent guy who isn't a gross classist like his dad.

Destined with You - modern reincarnation drama. I blame my lingering kdrama good feelings about King the Land for convincing me to keep powering thru this one. Such a strong start but then half-way in I began to realize it simply wasn't going to go into the direction I wanted it to. I still have no idea what they intended to communicate with that love potion subplot.

Vincenzo - modern crime drama. I was late to the party on this one. But after I got around to watching the delightful Kinnporsche, this was rec'd to me as another drama that embraced the bigger than life unreality of Fantasy Mafia™ and provides a rollicking good time. Absolutely ridiculous and compulsively watchable. 10/10.

[American]

House of the Dragon - Awful people doing awful things to each other, as a 1st act before everything goes straight to hell. Plus freaky dragon-riding fantasy incest. What's there not to like?

Fall of the House of Usher (YES i DO watch every horror drama by Mike Flanagan thx) - Was it as good as the first 3..? No. Did I still breathlessly binge it in 2 days? Yes. Awful things happening to awful people, poetically. 👌 👌