Professor Ning Ma presents an overview of the martial arts tradition in Chinese literature and culture across history, from Sima Qian’s Biographies of Assassin-Retainers to 21st-century blockbusters including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hero; and Kung Fu Hustle. Ma explains that an overarching theme in this long evolution is that the tradition persists as an “unofficial” cultural domain which tells stories about the outcast or the “underdog.” The literary motif of martial arts hence diverges from the elite scholarly culture in traditional China, and constitutes a rich site for rediscovering Chinese cultural history from the margins. Following this central theme, Ma considers forms of tragedy and comedy in the martial arts tradition, as well as how these forms engage with classical philosophies and religions including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
Ma concludes that beneath the veneer of pop culture spectacles, modern and contemporary works featuring the theme of martial arts are characterized by dynamic innovations and allegorical reflections of Chinese history, culture, and national identity. Insights into the substance of the tradition will reveal complex intersections between Chinese cultural history and modernity, as well as the wealth of creativity underlying the individual works which enact the martial arts theme in various historical contexts.
About the Speaker
Ning Ma is an associate professor of the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Beijing University and earned her PhD in Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies from Princeton University. She is the author of The Age of Silver: The Rise of the Novel East and West (Oxford University Press, 2016), which challenges West-centric theories of the novel and situates Ming-Qing Chinese literature within the context of global early modernity. Her courses taught at University of Minnesota include “Martial Arts in Chinese Literature and Films” and “Women Writers in Chinese History.” In addition to teaching and research, she serves as director of the Chinese Flagship Program at the University of Minnesota, a federally sponsored program that trains undergraduate students to achieve advanced fluency in Chinese language and culture.