Death knell for martial arts films not accepted by all forum experts

The wuxia, or martial hero, genre of film has passed its peak because society has changed and developed, speakers said during the Realism, Poetic, Chivalrous, Swordman Forum at Shanghai International Film Festival yesterday.

People now cared more about money and power rather than martial arts and heroes, speakers said. Most famous martial arts masters were aged and represented the passing era, they added.

But not everyone agreed and wuxia was defended as having values beyond martial arts action adventures.

Writer and director Xu Haofeng and film critic Zhou Liming mounted a strong defense of the genre, saying it was worth pursuing because it was based on ancient moral standards.

“Wuxia films describe beauty and heroic legends which existed only in ancient dynasties,” Xu told the forum, the last of this year\'s festival.

In most wuxia novels and films, he said, the Xia spirit includes high standards of virtue, natural courage and the pursuit of justice, all national treasures and assets.

Film critic Zhou said Chinese martial arts films have their own aesthetic values that are closely linked to Chinese culture and they offer unique charm to local audiences.

These values are the biggest differences between Chinese martial arts films and Hollywood’s super heroes like Spider Man and X-Men, Zhou added.

Chinese martial art is linked with local cultural sectors, including poetry, calligraphy, chess and dance.

Some martial arts movements, such as the fighting between two masters, can’t be captured well by computers, the forum was told. They still needed actors or people who really understood Chinese martial arts.