Analysis of #HouMinghao’s Fight Scenes Pt. 2

“Next, let's look at the second fight scene. The look of fighting in an alley while blindfolded with a red cloth is clearly a tribute to the famous blindfolded battle scene in ‘The Legend 2.’

In that movie, Fong Sai-yuk is ambushed in a narrow alley by his former fellow disciples. The people blocking his path are martial brothers he grew up training with. Unable to bear watching himself kill old friends, he covers his eyes and fights blind.

Likewise, most of the soldiers surrounding #XiaoWuyi are former troops who once guarded the border alongside him. They have been manipulated and pressured by Crown Prince Li Mao and corrupt officials into carrying out orders to kill the heir of Prince Jing'an. He cannot bear to watch his comrades die by his own sword, so he covers his eyes to avoid seeing them.

Cross-step chain slashes, an outward arm control and push to neutralize the opponent's weapon hand, followed by a throat slash. A downward sword strike into a horizontal slash, followed by a grappling hold that forces the opponent's centerline open. In the instant he slashes across the opponent's abdomen, he also seizes the opponent's ring-handled saber.

With a sword in one hand and a saber in the other, does this scene remind you of #BailiDongjun's dual sword-and-saber technique?

For many years, wuxia dramas have been in decline. Formulaic visual effects became widespread, and slow motion was used to pad out runtimes. But after several years, wuxia dramas are gradually making a comeback. Works like ‘Mysterious Lotus Casebook,’ ‘The Journey of Legend,’ ‘Blood River,’ and ‘Zhan Zhao Adventures’ have appeared one after another. These productions have slowly helped audiences rediscover the feeling of classic wuxia. They have upheld the genre's standards.

A solid horse stance, lowered shoulders, and dropped elbows. Steady, grounded movements. Punches that carry an audible force. Every move feels powered by real muscular effort. The way weapons are held is stable rather than floaty. A saber has the weight and power of a saber; a sword has the lightness and agility of a sword.

These seemingly basic movements are actually the framework of wuxia. Without solid fundamentals, no amount of flashy visual effects can support the spirit of a true martial hero.

These productions have brought back the most fundamental skills of classic wuxia, and in doing so have gradually restored audiences' trust in the genre. It is works like these, which uphold the basics, that remind people wuxia is still alive and thriving.”

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