Xianxia (), literally meaning "immortal heroes", is a genre of Chinese fantasy heavily inspired by Chinese mythology and influenced by philosophies of Taoism, Chan Buddhism, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese folk religion, Chinese alchemy, other traditional elements of Chinese culture, and the wuxia genre.
Etymology
The characters forming xianxia are xiān (仙) and xiá (侠). A xian is a being from Chinese mythology, particularly from Taoist legends, that can be one or more of these things: a powerful spirit, a god, a zhenren, and/or someone who has obtained immortality or extraordinary longevity through self-cultivation to become a kind of transcendent being.
Xiá is usually translated as "hero" or "vigilante", but specifically implies a person who is brave, chivalrous, righteous and defiant. The character was originally used as one of the characters in the word "wuxia" and was transferred to the word "xianxia" to make it apparent that the modern xianxia genre was inspired by the popularity and several other elements, including powers gained from qi manipulation, of wuxia.
Characteristics
The stories usually revolve around the adventure/growth of a magical practitioner or a mortal person who happens to get entangled into supernatural affairs, and include elements such as gods and immortals, spirits, monsters, ghosts and mythical creatures. These stories are usually "Chinese fantasy rooted in...Taoism, Buddhism", other Chinese mythological elements and tropes, and shenmo fiction.
Cultivation
The xianxia genre also includes the popular subgenre known as "cultivation" or "training" (; ; ; ). In the 21st century, this subgenre became popular with the advent of online publishing, with sites such as Qidian.com, Zongheng.com, and 17k.com giving a platform for authors to reach wide audiences with high-volume, serialized content. It was popularized outside of China primarily by fan translations in the early 2000s. Novels such as Stellar Transformations, Coiling Dragon, Martial God Asura, and I Shall Seal the Heavens led to a boom in such fan translations. This genre is also a staple of Chinese television shows, films, manhua (comics), donghua (animation), and games.
In these stories protagonists are usually "cultivators" or "practitioners" (; ; ; or ) who seek to become immortal beings called xian. Along the way, they attain eternal life, supernatural powers, and incredible levels of strength. The fictional theme of cultivation or immortal arts practice in xianxia is heavily based on the real-life meditation practice of qigong.
In Chinese web novels, xianxia, which often contain action themes, is one of the biggest genres and is mostly liked by male readers.
History
There are many ancient Chinese texts that could be classified as xianxia, such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas from the Warring States period, or the Legend of the White Snake. Xianxia novels were popularized during the Republic of China period, but it was the 1932 novel Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu that sparked the modern popularity of the genre.
In the 2010s and 2020s, many wuxia and xianxia novels have discussed topics such as neoliberalism and alternatives to what is seen as a stagnant world order brought about by magic and/or religious organizations.
Films and television
Perhaps one of the earliest successful xianxia films was the 1983 Hong Kong film Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, which was followed up by the 2001 film The Legend of Zu. Other film adaptations of novels have been well received, such as the 2017 romantic xianxia film Once Upon a Time and the 2019 Jade Dynasty.
Overall, television shows are more numerous than films when it comes to xianxia adaptations.
Some of the most popular and successful Chinese TV series in recent times are of the xianxia genre, such as Ashes of Love, Eternal Love, The Journey of Flower, The Untamed and Love Between Fairy and Devil. It is worth noting all four dramas are adapted from popular novels published on the website Jinjiang Literature City (晋江文学城). In addition, there are Swords of Legends, Noble Aspirations, Love of Thousand Years, Love and Redemption and other films and TV series. The already existing fandom of xianxia, and other fantasy novels has led to most new television and film titles to be adaptions and their warm reception by fans, along with increased exposure and high rates of anticipation.