Chinese Martial Arts Film and the Philosophy of Action

<p>This book focuses on the philosophy of Chinese martial arts film arguing that philosophy provides a key to understanding the whole genre. It draws on Chinese philosophical ideas derived from or based on Confucianism Daoism Buddhism and other schools of thought such as Mohism and Legalism examines a cluster of recent Chinese martial arts films centering on the figure of the xia—the heroic protagonist the Chinese equivalent of medieval Europe’s knight-errant—and outlines the philosophical principles and themes undergirding the actions of xia and their narratives. Overall the author argues that the genre apart from being an action-oriented entertainment medium is inherently moral and ethical. </p>