Written in May 2012 Wrote this as part of my independent study project on East Asian Cinema. WARNING: Possible spoilers for the films!

Clashing Swords: The War Between Nationalism and Commercialism in Zhang Yimou’s Wuxia Films

Wuxia, which roughly translates as “martial chivalry”, is a distinct genre in both Chinese literature and cinema. Typically, the heroes in Chinese wuxia fiction do not serve a lord or wield military power and are often from the lower social classes of ancient Chinese society. Usually they are bound by a code of chivalry that requires them to right wrongs, especially when the helpless or the poor are oppressed and are characterized by a flying fighting style. Along with international successes such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, director Zhang Yimou’s contributions to the wuxia genre, namely “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers”, have ignited a strong interest worldwide.

However, although both films share several similarities in terms of generic elements such as stylistic fighting and movement, Zhang Yimou’s wuxia films “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers” are very different from each other. This is most likely due to the contrasting objectives regarding each film’s respective target audience. While “Hero” projects a clear agenda of nationalism which is seen in not only the political setting but also the cultural richness associated with the warrior characters in the film, “House of Flying Daggers” aims more toward commercialism and consequently evokes a weaker national sentiment in regards to things such as historical context and overall theme. Despite this, “Hero” was ultimately the more successful film both financially and by critics, which it can be argued is due to Zhang Yimou’s emphasis on nationalism.

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