#hangzhou

Gameplay footage of Qinggong(lightness skill) from Jianxia 3, China's first wuxia MMORPG. The first one is Shaolin and the other is Wudu. The moves are designed to match each martial school's style. For Shaolin Sect (Buddhist martial monks, weapon: staff), their Qinggong shows powerful, solid movements. For Wudu Sect (from Miaojiang Five Immortals Sect in southwestern china, summons holy venomous insects, weapon: flute), their Qinggong is agile and mysterious, like controlling poisonous creatures.

Let me clarify a commonly confused pair of concepts 'Wuxia' (martial heroes/people) and 'Wulin' (martial world).

Here's a key distinction for everyone: 'Wuxia' refers to the genre of martial arts heroes and their code of conduct, while 'Wulin' is the entire community and world of martial artists.

'Wuxia' is the story – it's all about the heroic martial artists, their adventures, and their moral code.

'Wulin' is the world – the entire community of these fighters, with all its sects, rules, and rivalries. If you're learning Chinese, let's break it down:

武 (wǔ) means "martial" or "fierce," and can also refer to weapons.

侠 (xiá) describes a heroic person who helps the weak, fights for justice, and has a strong sense of loyalty and courage. It can also mean acting in a bold, free-spirited way, to command respect through formidable strength and virtue.

So, 武侠 (wǔxiá) is a genre that includes all of these elements — heroes, martial arts, and a chivalrous spirit. 林 (lín) means "forest" — a place where trees or bamboo grow together. When used in 武林 (wǔlín), it means "the world where martial artists gather" — like a community of fighters.

"Wulin" was originally the name of a mountain, later used to refer to a city. It first appeared in ancient texts from the pre-Qin to Han Dynasty. Simply put, it meant the West Lake hills in Hangzhou. After the Han Dynasty, "Wulin" gradually became another name for present-day Hangzhou — take it as the historic name for Hangzhou, a Chinese cultural city like Chengdu or Xi'an (All three cities have a recorded history stretching back over 2,200 years). It wasn't until the rise of wuxia culture that "Wulin" was adopted to mean "the world of martial artists" — the community where heroes gather.

People often mix up 'Wulin' and 'Jianghu'. Literally, 'Jianghu' means 'rivers and lakes'. But the difference is simple: 'Wulin' is part of 'Jianghu'. 'Jianghu' refers to the common people's world — where martial artists and ordinary folks live together. That's because 'Jianghu' is the opposite of the imperial court. Also, the term 'wushu' simply means 'martial arts'.

A friend asked me yesterday: "Is Murim the same as Wulin?" I didn't know what Murim was, so I looked it up. It turns out South Korean wuxia fans adapted the Chinese term "Wulin" into their pronunciation, "Murim."

So yes, Murim = Wulin. This word referred to Hangzhou, China.

This shows how closely Chinese martial arts culture is tied to real locations. Famous sects in wuxia stories correspond to actual Chinese landmarks:

Qingcheng Sect → Qingcheng Mountain, Chengdu

Emei Sect → Mount Emei, Sichuan

Tang Clan (stealth/poison) → Also around Chengdu

Shaolin → Song Mountain

Wudang → Wudang Mountain, Hubei

Even modern wuxia games follow this pattern. In JX3, Mingjiao明教 Sect reflects Persian Fire Worship culture in northwestern deserts, while Yaozong药宗(Medicine Sect) is tied to the herbal tradition of Changbai Mountain in northeast China.

West Lake Sunset, Hangzhou -- April 26th, 2024