This is a Wuxia (historical fantasy) movie with Martial Arts element and not to be confuse with Kung Fu martial…
Listen, I'm not a fan of any kind of Cheng Yi or Feng Yi , and I don't watch any idol dramas or costume dramas. Trying to spin this into being about fandom is just a distraction from the fact that you cannot address the point I put forth.
My initial comment was centered on the objective reason as to why wuxia movies require an actors/actress who is trained and versed in martial arts. Instead of engaging in the matter of fact discussion, you wish to sidestep it by trying to turn it into a fan fight. lol.
Your reaction pretty much proved my initial point: that you criticize out of ignorance of these genres. When you can't speak about the art itself-things like the objective of choreography or genre conventions-you go for ad hominem attacks and cry 'fandom.' That speaks volumes about your knowledge of the subject, rather being a remark on mine." lol
This is a Wuxia (historical fantasy) movie with Martial Arts element and not to be confuse with Kung Fu martial…
You don't even know the meaning of Wuxia, Wuxia is not a fantasy, yes there are fantasy elements in Wuxia but Wuxia is not fantasy, "Wu" (武): Martial Arts and "Xia" (俠): Chivalry and Justice.
You Claim: "He can endure all the pain even better than a professional stuntman or a martial artist."
but Reality: Professional stuntmen and martial artists(lau kar leung, yuen woo ping, jackie chan , yuen biao....) train for years, often from childhood, to withstand extreme physical punishment as a core part of their job. They are the undisputed experts in pain endurance on a film set. An actor, no matter how dedicated, is a temporary visitor to that world.
and you say "he will hang from a wire all day without complaining", have you ever trained for Firefighters? No, you haven't. There too, you have to hang from a rope during training. I have training, so I'm saying, you have never practiced martial arts or know anything about martial arts choreography. I grew up watching Wuxia movies since I was little and I also learned martial arts, so I know that Wuxia movies require actors who know martial arts.
You're making a big deal about the fact that "Xiao Zhan hangs on a wire all day without complaining," but there's nothing extraordinary about that. Almost every actor in an action or wuxia movie has to do that; it's a basic part of the job. It's not something to be amazed by.
If you want to talk about real skill, look at legends like Lau Kar-leung. In Mad Monkey Kung Fu, he performed complete, authentic martial arts stunts. If you asked Xiao Zhan to do that kind of real martial arts, he will be blown away after seeing it lol
Another example is from a Tsui Hark film where Jet Li suffered an ankle fracture while choreographing a scene. Despite the injury, he still completed the choreography with his body double. That's the kind of next-level dedication and pain tolerance that defines a true martial arts star. What Xiao Zhan did is simply the minimum requirement.
This is exactly why for a true wuxia film, an actor/actress with a real martial arts foundation is essential. It's about the authenticity of the movement, not just the ability to tolerate a wire.
And regarding the series names you mentioned" The Untamed, Wolf, Jade Dynasty (movie), Doulou Continent(soul land) and The Longest Promise where he does all his wire fighting scene stunt and hardly use any body double. You should watch all those dramas and movie then you will know why he was selected for this role." There is no good martial arts anywhere in these shows; it's just slow wire-work, heavy makeup, and CGI. If you want to see what real wuxia fight choreography feels like, then watch Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, followed by House of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, The Forbidden Kingdom, 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and Return of the One-Armed Swordsman.
Watch these movies and you will understand what is truly called wuxia, and why actors need genuine martial arts skills in wuxia films. If you don't understand even after watching, then what can I say? LOL.
Anyway, you guys in the Cdrama community are always focused on which actor is the most handsome, how much makeup he wears, how nice his costumes are, how rich he is blah blah and day dreaming. You are all idol worshippers. You don't know much about acting or art. You just see saturated CGI and declare, "He is the best representative for the younger generation of actors in China."
Anyway, series like Soul Land and The Untamed are from the xianxia genre, which doesn't require much brain power to understand. Stop daydreaming after watching all these idol dramas and costume nonsense dramas and watch some good drama which has acting, art, philosophy, science, psychology etc.
its been quite a while since there was a good wuxia, recent condor heroes from tsui hark was a let down, last…
Wu Jing has become something of the propaganda poster boy of Chinese cinema mostly in this big military epics he's been starring in this last few years. It looks like he also consider himself more of an serious actor (he lacks charisma I must say now just look at his role in Meg 2) and has forgotten about his martial arts past. He's still planning to make Wolf Warrior 3 ( not that the other 2 were any good...), And look, brother, you may worship big idol stars, but not everyone does that. To you, how much box office a movie has earned, how good-looking someone is, how much income they earn, all these things matter.
its been quite a while since there was a good wuxia, recent condor heroes from tsui hark was a let down, last…
Tsui Hark made a decent movie from a very good Wuxia novel , with an actor who doesn't know gong fu or martial arts That actor also trained in choreography and wore a fur guard so that his hands wouldn't get hurt, lol. Tsui Hark took that actor in the lead role to make his movie a box office hit, for Wuxia movies, actors should be taken who have trained or know martial arts, only then will the Wuxia movie be good.
Tsui Hark made a decent movie from a very good Wuxia novel whose actor doesn't know Gong Fu or martial arts. That actor also trained in choreography and wore a fur guard so that his hands wouldn't get hurt, lol. Those actors should learn martial arts. Tsui Hark took that actor in the lead role to make his movie a box office hit, for Wuxia movies, actors should be taken who have trained or know martial arts, only then will the Wuxia movie be good.
I saw the tag of martial arts above and also of wuxia, but where is martial arts in it? yes if you only call CGI as martial arts then Jet Li , yuen woo ping, lau kar leung...... they dont know anything.
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua, donghua. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories(i am talking about c-drama). They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance or cgi , comedy and boring scenes.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
I saw the tag of martial arts above and also of wuxia, but where is martial arts in it? yes if you only call CGI as martial arts then Jet Li , yuen woo ping, lau kar leung...... they dont know anything.
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua, donghu. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories(i am talking about c-drama). They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance or cgi , comedy and boring scenes.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
I saw the tag of martial arts above and also of wuxia, but where is martial arts in it? yes if you only call CGI as martial arts then Jet Li , yuen woo ping, lau kar leung...... they dont know anything.
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua, donghu. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories(i am talking about c-drama). They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance or cgi , comedy and boring scenes.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
Now? They just pick the most popular actor with the prettiest face, whether they can act or throw a punch or not. The fight scenes are a joke. You can tell it's all CGI and wires. Their bodies don't even look right doing the moves. It's so fake it's almost funny.
And the makeup! They have so much makeup on, they look like plastic dolls. Even if they're in the middle of a battle or crawling through dirt, their face is flawless. Not a hair out of place. It completely kills any sense of reality. Everything is fake backgrounds and bad special effects. The industry seems to prioritize casting based solely on looks and popularity ("face value") rather than acting talent, dedication, or a willingness to train properly. This leads to a cycle of bland performances where stars are chosen for their ability to attract fans and revenue, not for their ability to do justice to the role or the genre.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories. They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance and boring scenes. It's such a disrespect to the fans who loved the original.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
The call is for a return to quality: less CGI, more practical work, proper training for actors, respect for the source material, and a focus on substance over superficial style.
My initial comment was centered on the objective reason as to why wuxia movies require an actors/actress who is trained and versed in martial arts. Instead of engaging in the matter of fact discussion, you wish to sidestep it by trying to turn it into a fan fight. lol.
Your reaction pretty much proved my initial point: that you criticize out of ignorance of these genres. When you can't speak about the art itself-things like the objective of choreography or genre conventions-you go for ad hominem attacks and cry 'fandom.' That speaks volumes about your knowledge of the subject, rather being a remark on mine." lol
You Claim: "He can endure all the pain even better than a professional stuntman or a martial artist."
but Reality: Professional stuntmen and martial artists(lau kar leung, yuen woo ping, jackie chan , yuen biao....) train for years, often from childhood, to withstand extreme physical punishment as a core part of their job. They are the undisputed experts in pain endurance on a film set. An actor, no matter how dedicated, is a temporary visitor to that world.
and you say "he will hang from a wire all day without complaining", have you ever trained for Firefighters? No, you haven't. There too, you have to hang from a rope during training. I have training, so I'm saying, you have never practiced martial arts or know anything about martial arts choreography. I grew up watching Wuxia movies since I was little and I also learned martial arts, so I know that Wuxia movies require actors who know martial arts.
You're making a big deal about the fact that "Xiao Zhan hangs on a wire all day without complaining," but there's nothing extraordinary about that. Almost every actor in an action or wuxia movie has to do that; it's a basic part of the job. It's not something to be amazed by.
If you want to talk about real skill, look at legends like Lau Kar-leung. In Mad Monkey Kung Fu, he performed complete, authentic martial arts stunts. If you asked Xiao Zhan to do that kind of real martial arts, he will be blown away after seeing it lol
Another example is from a Tsui Hark film where Jet Li suffered an ankle fracture while choreographing a scene. Despite the injury, he still completed the choreography with his body double. That's the kind of next-level dedication and pain tolerance that defines a true martial arts star. What Xiao Zhan did is simply the minimum requirement.
This is exactly why for a true wuxia film, an actor/actress with a real martial arts foundation is essential. It's about the authenticity of the movement, not just the ability to tolerate a wire.
And regarding the series names you mentioned" The Untamed, Wolf, Jade Dynasty (movie), Doulou Continent(soul land) and The Longest Promise where he does all his wire fighting scene stunt and hardly use any body double. You should watch all those dramas and movie then you will know why he was selected for this role."
There is no good martial arts anywhere in these shows; it's just slow wire-work, heavy makeup, and CGI. If you want to see what real wuxia fight choreography feels like, then watch Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, followed by House of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, The Forbidden Kingdom, 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and Return of the One-Armed Swordsman.
Watch these movies and you will understand what is truly called wuxia, and why actors need genuine martial arts skills in wuxia films. If you don't understand even after watching, then what can I say? LOL.
Anyway, you guys in the Cdrama community are always focused on which actor is the most handsome, how much makeup he wears, how nice his costumes are, how rich he is blah blah and day dreaming. You are all idol worshippers. You don't know much about acting or art. You just see saturated CGI and declare, "He is the best representative for the younger generation of actors in China."
Anyway, series like Soul Land and The Untamed are from the xianxia genre, which doesn't require much brain power to understand. Stop daydreaming after watching all these idol dramas and costume nonsense dramas and watch some good drama which has acting, art, philosophy, science, psychology etc.
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua, donghua. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories(i am talking about c-drama). They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance or cgi , comedy and boring scenes.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua, donghu. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories(i am talking about c-drama). They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance or cgi , comedy and boring scenes.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
Nothing special, just another crappy c-drama made from a good manhua, donghu. when young actors and actresses with no real martial arts background are cast in action roles. Their fight scenes, heavily reliant on CGI and body doubles, look unconvincing and often funny because their physicality doesn't match the movements. Even when they train, it's for a specific, safe style (like with guards on, example: Xiao Zhan in Tsui Hark movie) that lacks the raw, authentic feel of real combat . Remember the old school stuff? The fights choreography from guys like Bruce Lee or Jet Li, donnie yen, yuen yoo ping, lau kar leung, sammo hung, jackie chan, gordon uncle.... ? You could feel every hit. It was real. They trained for years to make it look that good.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories(i am talking about c-drama). They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance or cgi , comedy and boring scenes.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
Now? They just pick the most popular actor with the prettiest face, whether they can act or throw a punch or not. The fight scenes are a joke. You can tell it's all CGI and wires. Their bodies don't even look right doing the moves. It's so fake it's almost funny.
And the makeup! They have so much makeup on, they look like plastic dolls. Even if they're in the middle of a battle or crawling through dirt, their face is flawless. Not a hair out of place. It completely kills any sense of reality. Everything is fake backgrounds and bad special effects. The industry seems to prioritize casting based solely on looks and popularity ("face value") rather than acting talent, dedication, or a willingness to train properly. This leads to a cycle of bland performances where stars are chosen for their ability to attract fans and revenue, not for their ability to do justice to the role or the genre.
The worst part is what they do to the original stories. They take these amazing books and comics, especially the wuxia ones with such deep stories, and turn them into this garbage. They strip out all the good stuff the philosophy, the complex characters and just add a bunch of lame romance and boring scenes. It's such a disrespect to the fans who loved the original.
I wish they'd just learn from the past. Learn from the real masters who cared about the art. It feels like nowadays they only care about money and looking trendy. They've forgotten what made these stories great in the first place. Filmmakers need to look back at the masters like Lau Kar-leung, Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo-ping. Their films were legendary because they were built on a foundation of real, grueling training, practical stunts, and authentic martial arts. The focus was on skill, screen presence, and powerful story telling not just on being "so cute" or "so handsome."
The call is for a return to quality: less CGI, more practical work, proper training for actors, respect for the source material, and a focus on substance over superficial style.