Jianghu
Encyclopedia
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese
wuxia
stories are set.
In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set. Each wuxia novel has its own jianghu setting, although in Louis Cha's Condor Trilogy
it will be one with continuity; whereas Gu Long
's jianghu would be distinct in every novel.
The concept of jianghu can be traced to the 14th century novel Water Margin
, in which a band of noble outlaws, who mounted regular sorties in an attempt to right the wrongs of corrupt officials, retreated to their hideout. These bandits were called the Chivalrous men of the Green Forests . The "green forest" was the antecedent to jianghu.
One of the earliest coinage of jianghu was by a dejected poet Fan Zhongyan
(989—1052) in the Song Dynasty
in his poem Yueyang Lou Ji (岳阳楼记), in which the context of jianghu was set out as distant to the courts and temples, meaning a world in its own right.
to Yuan Dynasty
, to Ming Dynasty
and to Qing Dynasty
, periods in time correlating to tremendous upheavals and turmoil in the society. In Louis Cha's novels the dysfunctionality can come in two levels: firstly, law and order broken down locally within China and secondly, the sovereignty of China came to be challenged by invaders. Localised disorder is the predicate where the chivalry and the code of xia will be much needed to mend the ills of the world. The second layer of dysfunctionality in Cha's works would then become setting to showcase the patriotism and loyalty of the protagonists to their epoch or their emperors.
Integral to jianghu is the smaller circle of martial arts practitioners usually including the protagonists called wulin.
's works, protagonist in wuxia novels usually represent the right side of the law and ethos, their nemesis the opposite. It is here that theories abound on Star Wars
's philosophy of the Jedi
were based on that of xia and the setting of jianghu in this genre. The absolute definition of morality in wuxia is understandably a reaction to the real world where it is not quite so clear what or who is purely good or otherwise, consider the context and the historicity of Hong Kong
at the time of Louis Cha's works.
There is one profession within jianghu where code of xia might become situational, which is the security-bodyguard equivalent biaohang (鏢行), who are for-hire xia for delivery of goods or escort services. This is the closest equivalent to the bushido
samurai
or the soldier of fortune in the jianghu world.
The standard of morality within wulin is less vigorous than that in jianghu or in the historical setting. It is common to split wulin into black and white "ways", denoting the criminous and virtuous. Killers, murderers and those less scruplous belong to the "black way" would live in wulin with a bad reputation, until someone would right their wrongs. The virtuous "white way" adherents are commonly represented by the major schools including Shaolin
, Wudang
, Emei
to name a few, who are the benchmark "good guys" of wulin.
The different schools are looked up to, and usually act as the elder advisors to the smaller elite circle within wulin. Every now and again wulin needs to have a champion, a general or a commander to lead the collective resources of wulin participants for China. A wulin mengzhu (武林盟主; alliance leader of the wulin) will sometimes be nominated and voted for this role. Typically but not always, the protagonist of a wuxia novel will become this leader and command the actions of wulin.
In many wuxia novels, many seemingly uprighteous masters harbour seedy ambitions eventually turning them into dark personalities. These characters are reflections of politicians and lobbyists.
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
wuxia
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
stories are set.
In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set. Each wuxia novel has its own jianghu setting, although in Louis Cha's Condor Trilogy
Condor Trilogy
The Condor Trilogy is a trilogy of three wuxia novels by Jin Yong.The novels in the trilogy are:*The Legend of the Condor Heroes *The Return of the Condor Heroes...
it will be one with continuity; whereas Gu Long
Gu Long
Xiong Yaohua , better known by his pen name Gu Long , was a Chinese novelist and screenwriter. Xiong is best known for writing wuxia novels and novel series, which include: Juedai Shuangjiao, Xiaoli Feidao Series, Chu Liuxiang Series, Lu Xiaofeng Series and Xiao Shiyilang...
's jianghu would be distinct in every novel.
The concept of jianghu can be traced to the 14th century novel Water Margin
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, in which a band of noble outlaws, who mounted regular sorties in an attempt to right the wrongs of corrupt officials, retreated to their hideout. These bandits were called the Chivalrous men of the Green Forests . The "green forest" was the antecedent to jianghu.
One of the earliest coinage of jianghu was by a dejected poet Fan Zhongyan
Fan Zhongyan
Fan Zhongyan , born in Wuxian , Suzhou , was a prominent politician and literary figure in Song dynasty China. He was also a strategist and educator...
(989—1052) in the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
in his poem Yueyang Lou Ji (岳阳楼记), in which the context of jianghu was set out as distant to the courts and temples, meaning a world in its own right.
Premises in jianghu
It is a tacit assumption in many wuxia novels that the law and order in the actual historical setting were dysfunctional or poor, like the change of dynastic China from Song DynastySong Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
to Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
, to Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
and to Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, periods in time correlating to tremendous upheavals and turmoil in the society. In Louis Cha's novels the dysfunctionality can come in two levels: firstly, law and order broken down locally within China and secondly, the sovereignty of China came to be challenged by invaders. Localised disorder is the predicate where the chivalry and the code of xia will be much needed to mend the ills of the world. The second layer of dysfunctionality in Cha's works would then become setting to showcase the patriotism and loyalty of the protagonists to their epoch or their emperors.
Integral to jianghu is the smaller circle of martial arts practitioners usually including the protagonists called wulin.
Morality in jianghu
A strong element in the structure of jianghu, is the line between good and evil, right and wrong, is crystal clear; it is absolute. With some exceptions in Gu LongGu Long
Xiong Yaohua , better known by his pen name Gu Long , was a Chinese novelist and screenwriter. Xiong is best known for writing wuxia novels and novel series, which include: Juedai Shuangjiao, Xiaoli Feidao Series, Chu Liuxiang Series, Lu Xiaofeng Series and Xiao Shiyilang...
's works, protagonist in wuxia novels usually represent the right side of the law and ethos, their nemesis the opposite. It is here that theories abound on Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
's philosophy of the Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
were based on that of xia and the setting of jianghu in this genre. The absolute definition of morality in wuxia is understandably a reaction to the real world where it is not quite so clear what or who is purely good or otherwise, consider the context and the historicity of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
at the time of Louis Cha's works.
Xia
Code of xia is absolute, and sometimes with no regard to the law or authority. It is righteousness taken to the extreme, in that the xia-adherents when righting a wrong would only be answerable only to his/her morality. The modus operandi, and the benchmark morality of all xia adherents in jianghu is on en (恩; good-deed or gracious deeds) and yuan (怨; feuds or misgiving).There is one profession within jianghu where code of xia might become situational, which is the security-bodyguard equivalent biaohang (鏢行), who are for-hire xia for delivery of goods or escort services. This is the closest equivalent to the bushido
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
or the soldier of fortune in the jianghu world.
Wulin
Wulin (武林) is a term referring to the smaller microcosm within jianghu. Inhabitants of wulin are clearly differentiated from those within jianghu, in that they all know some form of wushu or martial arts. And the way to differentiate the good from the bad within wulin is the code of xia, those who adhere to it are good, those who do not are bad.The standard of morality within wulin is less vigorous than that in jianghu or in the historical setting. It is common to split wulin into black and white "ways", denoting the criminous and virtuous. Killers, murderers and those less scruplous belong to the "black way" would live in wulin with a bad reputation, until someone would right their wrongs. The virtuous "white way" adherents are commonly represented by the major schools including Shaolin
Shaolin Sect
The Shaolin Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several wuxia works. It is one of the largest, most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is at present-day Shaolin Monastery in Henan...
, Wudang
Wudang Sect
The Wudang Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several works of wuxia fiction. It is one of the most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is in the Wudang Mountains...
, Emei
Emei Sect
The Emei Sect is one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu in several works of wuxia fiction. Its home base is on Mount Emei in Sichuan...
to name a few, who are the benchmark "good guys" of wulin.
The different schools are looked up to, and usually act as the elder advisors to the smaller elite circle within wulin. Every now and again wulin needs to have a champion, a general or a commander to lead the collective resources of wulin participants for China. A wulin mengzhu (武林盟主; alliance leader of the wulin) will sometimes be nominated and voted for this role. Typically but not always, the protagonist of a wuxia novel will become this leader and command the actions of wulin.
In many wuxia novels, many seemingly uprighteous masters harbour seedy ambitions eventually turning them into dark personalities. These characters are reflections of politicians and lobbyists.