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). The book unveils rich layers of the wuxia tradition as it developed in the early Shanghai cinema in the late 1920s, and from the 1950s onwards, in the Hong Kong and Taiwan film industries. Key attractions of the book are analyses of:*The history of the tradition as it began in the Shanghai cinema, its rise and popularity as a serialized form in the silent cinema of the late 1920s, and its eventual prohibition by the government in 1931.*The fantastic characteristics of the genre, their relationship with folklore, myth and religion, and their similarities and differences with the kung fu sub-genre of martial arts cinema.*The protagonists and heroes of the genre, in particular the figure of the female knight-errant.*The chief personalities and masterpieces of the genre - directors such as King Hu, Chu Yuan, Zhang Che, Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, and films such as Come Drink With Me (1966), The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), A Touch of Zen (1970-71), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006).

A brilliantly crafted picaresque novel, sensual, harrowing and even comic, of an Asian-American woman's exile

With the Westerners and their allies pressing in on all sides, the empire of Great Liang enters its darkest hour. Under these desperate conditions, Gu Yun leads the beleaguered Black Iron Battalion to hold the borders. Meanwhile, Chang Geng makes his move in the imperial court, sweeping corrupt officials aside in an effort to stabilize the nation before it's too late. As the two struggle to hold the tattered pieces of the empire together, Gu Yun uncovers a shocking truth about the curse slowly tightening its grip on Chang Geng's mind. But are the deepest secrets of Cheng Geng's past enough to move even the iron heart of the nation's most fearsome general?

You who have dreamed of finding the love worth fighting for, the friends worth fighting with, and the secrets of the martial arts: dream no longer. Welcome to Shen Zhou: a China that never was, a land of mysteries and adventures, appearing for the first time in the Legends of the Wulin Role Playing Game. Welcome to the Wulin itself to the "world of martial arts," where the dreams and ambitions of heroes collide. Become a wuxia hero, with a grander-than-life personality, capable of great joy and overwhelming melancholy. Step outside the accepted order of things: it cannot contain the immense passions and inspirations that move you. Take up your blade and join your martial brothers. Master an array of new and powerful kung fu styles and learn the deep mysteries of the secret arts. It's time to become a legend. Guard the Sun and Moon. Weave the Divine Iron Web. Invoke the Hell-Pattern Judgment. Practice the Hidden Execution Strike. Recite the Mantra of Immolation. Call upon the Iron Buddha's Disapproval. Fly like the Golden Crow. Wield the Lotus-Forged Needles. Master medicine, confound your enemies with the secret arts of intrigue, and read from the sacred registers. Inflict curses and blessings. Practice extraordinary Daoist techniques. Carry the lightning of Heaven hidden in your hand.

This book considers urban development in China, highlighting links between China’s history and civilization and the rapid evolution of its urban forms. It explores the early days of urban dwelling in China, progressing to an analysis of residential environments in the industrial age. It also examines China’s modern and postmodern architecture, considered as derivative or lacking spiritual meaning or personality, and showcases how China's traditional culture underpins the emergence of China’s modern cities. Focusing on the notion of “courtyard spirit” in China, it offers a study of the urban public squares central to Chinese society, and examines the disruption of the traditional Square model and the rise and growth of new architectural models.

In the aftermath of the May Fourth movement, a growing expectation of revolution raised important intellectual issues about the position of the individual within a society in turmoil and the shifting boundaries of political and sexual identities. The theme of "revolution plus love," a literary response to the widespread insurrections and upheaval, was first popularized in the late 1920s. In her examination of this popular but understudied literary formula, Liu Jianmei argues that revolution and love are culturally variable entities, their interplay a complex and constantly changing literary practice that is socially and historically determined. Liu looks at the formulary writing of "revolution plus love" from the 1930s to the 1970s as a case study of literary politics. Favored by leftist writers during the early period of revolutionary literature, it continued to influence mainstream Chinese literature up to the 1970s. By drawing a historical picture of the articulation and rearticulation of this theme, Liu shows how changes in revolutionary discourse force unpredictable representations of gender rules and power relations, and how women's bodies reveal the complex interactions between political representation and gender roles. Revolution Plus Love is a nuanced and carefully considered work on gender and modernity in China, unmatched in its broad use of literary resources. It will be of considerable interest to scholars and students of modern Chinese literature, women’s studies, cultural studies, and comparative literature.