Shaolin, wuxia novels, kung fu movies and national identity

Abstract

This chapter explains the role of Shaolin kung fu novels and movies in the construction of a national identity among the Chinese people. Wuxia novels and kung fu movies produced in the twentieth century functioned as important vehicles for the maintenance and reinvention of nationhood. They served two purposes: retrieving traditional Chinese culture and constructing a modern Chinese national identity. As the cradle of Chan Buddhism and a centre of Chinese martial arts, Shaolin was regarded as a symbol of indigenous virtue and strength and therefore became a popular theme in novels and movies. Chinese novelists and movie producers used legendary Shaolin heroes and Shaolin kung fu to invent a cultural identity, and aided the construction of a collective modern national identity among the Chinese.