#Wuxia #TaiwanMovie #TaiwanFilm
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Wuxia, as a particular genre of Sinophone cinema, projects a beguiling world filled with martial arts, rivalry, vengeance and moral conflicts. This hypermasculine world, however, is not without its heroines who embody exceptional glamour, courageously facing dangerous situations and fighting for what they believe to be just. These female wuxias challenge and complicate gender stereotypes within martial arts films by frequently cross-dressing in their missions.
The trope of female wuxia is derived from legends during Tang Empire in ancient China, which was a relatively liberal and open society. This is reflected in the many legends featuring female wuxia as protagonists, such as Nie Yin-niang (#聶隱娘), Hongxian, and Lady Jia. These characters with great panache defy the docile and pliant image of traditional women.
This online film festival contextualizes Wuxia cinema from a Taiwanese perspective, presenting local works and the development of the genre. Our curation revolves around four amazing actresses active during 1960s and 1970s, namely Shang-kuan Ling-feng, Hsu Feng, Yang Li-hua and Han Hsiang-chin.
In “Dragon Inn” directed by King Hu, Shang-kuan Ling-feng epitomizes female wuxia with her role as Flying Swallow, a fearless woman with keen observation and exceptional martial art skills. Shang-kuan later reprised Flying Swallow in “The Swordsman of All Swordsmen” trilogy, in which she and Han Hsiang-chin starred as two disparate yet equally mesmerizing swordswomen.
Hsu Feng rose to fame and became the synonym for female wuxia in “A Touch of Zen.” The contrast between a female Kung-fu master and a weak male literati made this film a classic, and Hsu Feng’s interpretation of a reticent, self-contained wuxia left a strong impression on the audience. In “Raining in the Mountain,” Hsu Feng reinvents herself as an insidious and alluring thief, showcasing different facets of female wuxia.
The image of female wuxia defined by Shang-kuan and Hsu has a lasting impact on martial arts cinema. Known for her versatile roles in Wuxia films, Han Hsiang-chin was the one who took up the torch and breathed new life into this image. Her performance is characterized by a unique blend of masculinity and femininity, which is best seen in romantic plot lines.
“Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters” starring Yang Li-hua is a rare gem that incorporates operatic elements into Wuxia genre. Actresses portraying male roles has been a tradition of Taiwanese opera, which corresponds to the cross-dressing of female wuxias. In addition, Yang Li-hua's portrayal of a sexually ambiguous wuxia signifies not only a progressive take on gender representation, but also the intersection of Taiwanese-language cinema with martial arts films.
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