Xianxia

The characters forming are () and (). A is a being from Chinese mythology, particularly from Taoist legends, that can be one or more of these things: a powerful spirit, a god, a , and/or someone who has obtained immortality or extraordinary longevity through self-cultivation to become a transcendent being. A xia is sometimes translated as 'hero' or 'vigilante', but specifically implies a person who is brave, chivalrous, righteous and defiant. The character was originally used as one of the characters in the word and was transferred to the word to make it apparent that the modern genre was inspired by the popularity and several other elements, including powers gained from qi manipulation, of . ==Characteristics==

The stories usually revolve around the adventure/growth of a magical practitioner or a mortal person who gets entangled in supernatural affairs, and include elements such as gods and immortals, spirits, demons, ghosts and mythical creatures. These stories are usually "Chinese fantasy rooted in...Taoism, Buddhism", other Chinese mythological elements and tropes, and shenmo fiction. Cultivation The xianxia genre also includes the popular subgenre known as "cultivation" or "training" (; ; ; ). In the 21st century, this subgenre became popular with the advent of online publishing, with sites such as Qidian.com, Zongheng.com, and 17k.com giving a platform for authors to reach wide audiences with high-volume, serialized content. It was popularized outside of China primarily by fan translations in the early 2000s. Novels such as Stellar Transformations, Coiling Dragon, Martial God Asura, and I Shall Seal the Heavens led to a boom in such fan translations. This genre is also a staple of Chinese television shows, films, manhua (comics), donghua (animation), and games. In these stories protagonists are usually "cultivators" or "practitioners" (; ; or ) who seek to become immortal beings called xian. Along the way, they attain eternal life, supernatural powers, and incredible levels of strength. The fictional theme of cultivation or immortal arts practice in xianxia is heavily based on the real-life meditation practice of qigong. Chinese xianxia web novels often contain action themes and are one of the most popular genres among male readers. Such as the Web Novel then adapted to Donghua ''"A Record of Mortal's Journey to Immortality" by Wang Yu .'' There are novels with stories featuring female cultivators gaining popularity that could be popular with female readers. Powers • Swordsmanship (劍法) — martial arts and hand-to-hand combat skills similar in form to those in wuxia, but often infused with magic for enhanced effects upon a target. • Qi refining (煉氣) — manipulation and nourishment of qi inside the body via meditation and absorption of external energies, with the purpose of cultivating and enriching the internal core to enhance the practitioner's physical capabilities and accelerate one's spiritual elevation. • Pill refining (煉丹) — cooking and smelting of rare magical herbs and minerals in a cauldron to make various potions, elixirs and immortality pills, which can be subsequently used to enhance one's combat effectiveness, heal injuries and detoxify poisons, accelerate qi cultivation, or help ward off foul spirit incursions. • Fulu (符籙) — casting of notes, talismans, flags and other ritual equipment with inscribed asemic writings to project magical power upon a target. • Magic array (陣法) — The arrangement of magical implements into a formation that can either enhance one's own abilities, teleport individuals and/or structures, establish a force field, portal or alternate dimension, or create magical traps that confuse, weaken, imprison or even kill an enemy. • Fuji (扶乩) — theurgy that summons divine intervention onto one's body or instruments. == History ==

There are many ancient Chinese texts that could be classified as xianxia, such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas from the Warring States period. Xianxia novels were popularized during the Republic of China period, but it was the 1932 novel Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu that sparked the modern popularity of the genre. In the 2010s and 2020s, many wuxia and xianxia novels have discussed topics such as neoliberalism and alternatives to what is seen as a stagnant world order brought about by magic and/or religious organizations. Overall, television shows are more numerous than films when it comes to xianxia adaptations. Some of the most popular and successful Chinese TV series in recent times are of the xianxia genre, such as Ashes of Love, The Journey of Flower, Eternal Love, The Untamed, Love Between Fairy and Devil and Till The End Of The Moon. It is worth noting these notable dramas are adapted from popular novels published on the website Jinjiang Literature City. In addition, there are also dramas adapted from popular video games such as Chinese Paladin, Chinese Paladin 3 and Swords of Legends. The already existing fandom of xianxia source material has led to increased exposure and anticipation. == Relationship with other genres ==

is often compared to the wuxia genre, and the two share many similarities – both being set in a quasi-historical ancient China, featuring larger-than-life human protagonists, and struggles between good and evil. The main difference is that generally has much more metaphysical themes. The genre has a heavier focus on spiritual growth and mastery of superpowers, pursuit for eternal existence, fates and reincarnations, multiple realms of reality, and interaction with legendary creatures and spirits. , by contrast, is grounded in the human world with few supernatural elements and mainly emphasizes martial arts, personal vendetta, treasure hunting, social justice, Influences As xianxia novels have become more popular worldwide, other genres have been influenced by it, such as progression fantasy and litRPG. Authors such as Will Wight (Cradle) and Andrew Rowe (Arcane Ascension) draw on common themes found in xianxia. == In popular culture ==

Literature • Zhu Xian • "Beware of Chicken" • "Reverend Insanity" • "Martial Peak" • "Apotheosis: Ascension To Godhood" • ''Heaven Official's Blessing'' • ''A Record of Mortal's Journey to Immortality'' • "Renegade Immortal" • "Pursuit of the Truth" • "I Shall Seal the Heavens" • "A Will Eternal" • "Infinite Bloodcore" Manhua • Rakshasa Street Animated series • Jade Dynasty Film and television Video games • Xuan Yuan Sword series • The Legend of Sword and Fairy series • GuJian series • Black Myth: Wukong • Sword Heroes Fate Series • 凡人修仙傳M or Mortal Cultivation of Immortal M Android • Legacy of Divinity M Android ==See also==