This is the first comprehensive, fully-researched account of the historical and contemporary development of the traditional martial arts genre in the Chinese cinema known as wuxia (literal translation: martial chivalry) -- a genre which audiences around the world became familiar with through the phenomenal 'crossover' hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

Table of Contents

• Traditions in World Cinema
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Wuxia from Literature to Cinema
• 2. Reactions against the Wuxia Genre
• 3. The Rise of Kung Fu, from Wong Fei-hung to Bruce Lee
• 4. The Rise of New School Wuxia
• 5. The Wuxia Films of King Hu
• 6. Wuxia after A Touch of Zen
• 7. Wuxia between Nationalism and Transnationalism
• 8. Wuxia and Kung Fu in the Blockbuster Era
• Epilogue
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Filmography