Chinese Martial Arts Film and the Philosophy of Action
by Stephen Teo
(0 vote)Average rating:
| 0 | rating |  = We can do without |
| 0 | rating |  = Good book |
| 0 | rating |  = Excellent book |
| 0 | rating |  = Unique / a reference |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
This book focuses on the philosophy of Chinese martial arts film, arguing that philosophy provides a key to understanding the whole genre. It draws on Chinese philosophical ideas derived from, or based on, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and other schools of thought such as Mohism and Legalism, examines a cluster of recent Chinese martial arts films centering on the figure of the xia—the heroic protagonist, the Chinese equivalent of medieval Europe’s knight-errant—and outlines the philosophical principles and themes undergirding the actions of xia and their narratives. Overall, the author argues that the genre, apart from being an action-oriented entertainment medium, is inherently moral and ethical.
About the Author:
Stephen Teo is Associate Professor in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
See the publisher website: Routledge
> From the same author:
Eastern Approaches to Western Film (2021)
Asian Reception and Aesthetics in Cinema
by Stephen Teo
Subject: Sociology
Singapore Cinema (2018)
New Perspectives
Dir. Kai Khiun Liew and Stephen Teo
Subject: Countries > Southeast Asia
Director in Action (2007)
Johnnie To and the Hong Kong Action Film
by Stephen Teo
Subject: Director > Johnnie To
> On a related topic:
From Stage to Screen (2023)
The Legacy of Traditional Chinese Theatre in Chinese Martial Arts Cinema Soundtracks
by Shuang Wang
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
Martial Arts Ecology (2026)
Aesthetics, Philosophy and Cinematic Mediation
by Wayne Wong
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
These Fists Break Bricks (2025)
How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
Fighting Stars (2024)
Stardom and Reception in Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema
Dir. Kyle Barrowman, Mark Gallagher and Yiman Wang
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
Fighting without Fighting (2022)
Kung Fu Cinema's Journey to the West
by Luke White
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
Legacies of the Drunken Master (2020)
Politics of the Body in Hong Kong Kung Fu Comedy Films
by Luke White
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
The Martial Arts Cinema of the Chinese Diaspora (2011)
Ang Lee, John Woo, and Jackie Chan in Hollywood
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
From Kung Fu to Hip Hop (2007)
Globalization, Revolution, and Popular Culture
by M. T. Kato
Subject: Genre > Martial Arts
Back
