Hip hop wuxia and the jianghu of breaking
News recently came out about the upcoming English translation of Jin Yong’s Condor Trilogy, a famous Chinese novel series and an influential piece in the ‘wuxia’ (Chinese martial arts historical fiction) genre. Aside from reminding me of my own lackluster Chinese language skills, this got me thinking about the parallels between wuxia and breaking.
Kung fu movies of the 1970’s, notably Bruce Lee, Lau Kar-leung, and Jackie Chan’s films, undoubtedly inspired the early generations of b-boys. A 2007 blog article titled “The Impact of Kung-fu Movies on Breakdancing” covers the history quite thoroughly. There’s also this Vulture article on kung fu influences in The Get Down.
It’s cool to see kung fu moves being used in breaking even today, but I am even more intrigued by the sociological similarities between wuxia and breaking.
The jianghu of breaking
‘Jianghu,’ literally translated as ‘rivers and lakes,’ is “a term used to describe a sub-society parallel to, and sometimes orthogonal to, mainstream society” (Wikipedia). If that doesn’t sound like the b-boy and b-girl community, I don’t know what does. Chinese fantasy novelists later established a more specific meaning for jianghu that involves martial artists and sects. This definition is closer to that of ‘wulin’ or ‘martial forest,’ which refers to a community of martial artists. Fun fact: The 武 (wu) in wulin means ‘martial,’ and is pronounced the same as 舞, which means ‘dance.’
Just as original jianghu is full of formidable fighters and famous sects, the jianghu of breaking has its skilled dancers and big name crews. Conflicts are resolved through combat/dance instead of conventional civil systems. Wuxia novels typically include good and evil sects battling for opposing ideals. While I wouldn’t call an all-star team like Monster Energy B-boys “evil,” it’s clear that they have different ideals than organic crews like Momentum or Flow Mo. On a large scale, these crews battle at events that are quite like martial tournaments. At a smaller scale, individual breakers often challenge each other for reasons ranging from personal honor (e.g. calling out the judges) to self improvement. These motives can be found in wuxia novels as well.
Martial sects are also similar to breaking crews because both typically have a signature style of fighting/dancing. Wuxia fans can tell you all the differences between Shaolin Sect’s Tiger Subduing Palm and Beggar Sect’s 18 Dragon-Subduing Palms. Likewise, I could gladly explain how Morning of Owl’s crew aesthetic is a departure from the serious and technical Korean breaking style of that time period. Knowledge of a style is passed down from master to student in wuxia novels, and the same can be said about lineage in breaking. My favorite example of that is Paranoid Android and Thesis — Thesis’ movement is evidence that he inherited PA’s dynamic puzzle-like style and made it his own.
The b-boy as a modern day wuxia
Even individual breakers resemble the characters of wuxia, which literally means ‘martial hero/heroes.’ Perhaps that’s because breakers want to be heroes in some way. Breaking is appealing because it promises an outlet for self expression, and the power to impress others and change their perception of oneself.
“Every kung-fu movie…people got they ass whipped and they went back and got revenge…maybe we saw this as kids in the hood, as something we dealt with every day in our lives.” -Ken Swift
I wouldn’t be surprised if those kids in the 70’s imagined themselves as warriors, not necessarily as members of the gangs of New York, but still battling in the streets and clubs. Nowadays, I’d conjecture that anime and video games form the cultural context for young breakers to imagine themselves as heroes through dance. Breaking is one, if not the only, activity that is simultaneously anarchistic, combative, artistic, and safe. It’s much easier to enter a dance competition than it is to physically fight others.
Still, a hero must have his signature weapon. Ye Kai possesses the Little Li Flying Dagger, Naruto has the Rasengan, and Issei boasts signature moves like the Swallow Reversal. Ask a random person on the street whether each of these is from wuxia, anime, or breaking, and they will probably have a hard time guessing.
Formidable heroes often have humble beginnings—typical wuxia protagonists come from a lower social class, as most of the first b-boys did. They also follow a chivalrous code. Its values include “benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth, and desire for glory” (Wikipedia). Some of these, especially the desire for glory, are also shared values in breaking.
Thoughts for the future
Breaking has the potential to attract a wider audience because of its parallels with wuxia novels. Many of our contemporary heroes are involved with politics and mainstream institutions, and people are always on the lookout for inspiring figures from outside of conventional society. That’s why it’s important to preserve the original values and underground facet of breaking, as well as to build an infrastructure for new b-boys and b-girls to develop.
Practitioners of this dance style should also know what their ideals are, and their reasons for dancing. It’s okay if your motive is something as simple as getting exercise. Not everyone has to be a martial hero. However, if you do want to earn a name in the scene, think about what might make you a ‘wuxia.’ The values you hold and the impact you have on others are many times more meaningful than your skills alone.
As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or feedback. Follow me on Instagram @glissando for the latest updates, and please share to spread the knowledge. Thanks for reading — peace!
