Wu Xia (pronounced as woo shia) is the Chinese concept of chivalry in fighting, which conveys the complicated literary spirit and philosophical message of Chinese traditional Wu Xia novels. It fulfills people’s fantasy of being a Kong Fu master or a supernatural hero, who can walk on water, tiptoe on the treetop, fly in the air, and slice his or her opponent into a thousand silvers with breathtaking elegance.
The Chinese history is the history of five thousand years. While so many Chinese youths were struggling with history lessons at school, Wu Xia movies and novels came to entertain. They were dramatized closely with Chinese ancient history by the Wu Xia novelists, who created new stories and gave new birth to so many ancient mysteries. Wu Xia has become popular culture of the Chinese. Moreover, Wu Xia movies have been introduced to western audiences.
The technology of the new millennium has brought the genre of Wu Xia movies into a new level. The images of flying swordplay and Chi Kong have become visible and too real to be true. People are fascinated by the bright and dazzling visual effect, as well as the meditative and contemplative quality of these films. Some of the film’s ideas and symbolism won’t resonate with viewers. There are Eastern philosophies at work, as well as a respect for Chinese history, whose full import a non-Chinese audience can only guess at.
The series of Wu Xia indicates the vision of a Chinese artist, who has been deeply falling in love with Wu Xia movies since his childhood. I would like to convey my idolum of Wu Xia imagery through these vivid pastel paintings. “Seeing is believing…”