On 20 October, the Confucius Institute's Confucius Grand Auditorium was the venue for a public lecture on "Martial Arts Films in China: the Cinematic Tradition of Swords, Fists and Romance". The lecture was given by Dr Deimantas Valančiūnas, a researcher of cinema and popular culture in Asia at the Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies of Vilnius University, who gave a retrospective presentation of the martial arts genre from its origins to the present day.
Martial arts films are one of the most unique cinematic genres in the world. Born in China and then evolving in other regions of Asia, influencing film industries from Hollywood to Bollywood, the genre has been given a new lease of life with world-famous films such as „Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon“ and „Hero“.
In this lecture, we identified the main features of this genre and looked at the cultural context, how different contexts have influenced certain narratives and how this is reflected in cinema.
We learnt about the terms used to describe martial arts - Wuxia 武侠 and Gongfu 功夫 - and how they differ from each other. If wuxia has become more like cultural nostalgia, kung fu has always emphasised the bodily mastery that comes from practice. The use of the sword is also linked to the cinematic tradition of wuxia. Thus, kung fu films emphasise mastery in fighting techniques, whereas wuxia films emphasise the heroic figure.
Interestingly, when watching these films, the opinion of the audience was quite expert, as the fights were recognisable both thematically and technically (e.g. viewers debated which school used which techniques, etc.).
In his lecture, the speaker highlighted the main features of martial arts. First of all, at the very beginning, martial arts films were linked to the Peking Opera. Later, one of the most influential martial arts was Taoism, where the circulation of vital energy qi became an important element in Taoist practices, and the breathing and movement Qigong exercises became inseparable from martial arts, as it put the body above biological abilities (levitation, gravity etc.). In addition to Taoism, martial arts films were strongly influenced by the concepts of Buddhism (patience, discipline, virtue, compassion, restraint, justice, sense of duty) and Confucianism (loyalty to one's ruler, humility to parents and ancestors, brotherhood). For example, especially in later martial arts films, the father figure is transposed into the figure of the emperor.
Kung fu, on the other hand, was characterised by its realism, technical elements, use of extended shots, a medium-sized frame, and realistic sound effects.
Interestingly, different approaches were developed in different regions. The question of realism was raised. In the West, martial arts were considered to be from the realm of fiction, while in the East, on the contrary, it all referred to possible practices that were achievable on some level.
In this lecture, the participants became better acquainted with this unique genre, which is still only recognisable today by its inherent cultural codes and unique aesthetics.
