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Jeremy Bai
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Understanding Chinese Fantasy Genres: A primer for wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan Kindle Edition

by Jeremy Bai (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 142 ratings
Do you love Chinese fantasy?

Do you want to understand it better?

Maybe you're a longtime fan who would like a handy reference guide. Maybe you're new to the genre and don't have the time to watch hours of videos to catch up. Or maybe you're an aspiring writer hoping to create authentic cultivation or xianxia content. Regardless, this is the book for you. Here's why.

I took some of the most popular videos in my Chinese Fantasy Novel FAQ YouTube series and put them into written form. 25 chapters, each packed with vital language and cultural information. I've also added examples from existing Chinese fantasy novel translations to make things more interesting, relevant, and understandable.

Get it now!

If you want to know exactly what content is inside, check out this complete chapter list:

Chapter 1: The Industry and the Genres
Chapter 2: Clans and Sects
Chapter 3: Alcohol and “Wine”
Chapter 4: Harems and Polygamy
Chapter 5: Sworn Brotherhood
Chapter 6: Courting Death
Chapter 7: “Beat You to Death”
Chapter 8: Forms of Address Among Family Members
Chapter 9: Forms of Address in Sects and Other Organizations
Chapter 10: “I, Your Father”
Chapter 11: Confusion About Stars and Planets
Chapter 12: Differences between Daoist Magics, Divine Abilities, and Magical Techniques
Chapter 13: "Devils" and "Demons"
Chapter 14: Clones
Chapter 15: Spirit Stones
Chapter 16: Qi Deviation, Fire Deviation, and Cultivation Deviation, etc.?
Chapter 17: Nascent Souls
Chapter 18: Breakthroughs and Bottlenecks
Chapter 19: Why Immortals aren't "Immortal"
Chapter 20: What is Cultivation?
Chapter 21: The Ruthlessness and Brutality of the Cultivation World
Chapter 22: What is the Jianghu?
Chapter 23: Unheroic Heroes?
Chapter 24: Unrealistic Sizes and Distances
Chapter 25: Why Immortal Cultivators often don’t “act their age”
Appendix 1: List of Chinese terms with pinyin
Appendix 2: References
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  1. Print length
    149 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 15, 2020
  4. File size
    3.4 MB
  5. Page Flip
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  6. Word Wise
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  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08NP119NH
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (December 15, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 15, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 149 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 142 ratings

About the author

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Jeremy Bai

Jeremy Bai

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Jeremy Bai grew up in San Diego reading things like Barsoom, Redwall, Shannara, Riftwar, and Foundation. His first published work came in 1995 in the form of a cyberpunk noir story about a digital bounty hunter. Later, he became obsessed with wuxia, especially the works of Jin Yong and Gu Long. He lived in China for eight years, where he made a name for himself translating under the moniker Deathblade. Now he's back in Southern California, trying to be a parent while simultaneously writing sci-fi and fantasy epics. His favorite foods are SoCal rolled tacos and Chongqing hotpot, and his favorite drinks are black coffee, IPAs, and whiskey.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
142 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be an awesome educational resource, with one noting how it expertly clarifies the world of Chinese fantasy. Moreover, the book is simple to understand, with one customer describing it as a very well-written reference. Additionally, they appreciate the Chinese fantasy content, with one review highlighting the fun breakdown of wuxia and another mentioning the connections drawn to different Chinese characters used.

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7 customers mention "Education value"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be an awesome resource, with one customer noting it serves as a great primer for both readers and authors, while another mentions it's particularly useful for game masters.

"Highly recommend this book for those who want a short and sweet introduction to the anatomy of Chinese fantasy stories. I read it in one sitting...." Read more

"...with tones, and not without them, I still think that it is the best part of the book. That helped me a lot." Read more

"...Awesome resource! And a great primer for readers and authors alike." Read more

"...expertly clarified a world that combines my two faves, emotion and excitement (English or Chinese) I'm eager to get back to the other half of the..." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and simple to understand, with one customer noting its conversational writing style.

"Highly recommend this book for those who want a short and sweet introduction to the anatomy of Chinese fantasy stories. I read it in one sitting...." Read more

"...But, I like the way the book is written, with every term you can find in the books/dramas written in Chinese characters with Latin pronunciation...." Read more

"This is a very well-written reference that helps explain many of the nuances in Chinese fantasy that those of us not familiar with Chinese culture..." Read more

"...bit of an aha moment since this book explains it well without being tedious or dragging with long explanations." Read more

4 customers mention "Chinese fantasy"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of Chinese fantasy genres, with one customer highlighting its fun breakdown of wuxia and another noting its connections to Chinese characters.

"This is a very well-written reference that helps explain many of the nuances in Chinese fantasy that those of us not familiar with Chinese culture..." Read more

"...I also appreciated the list of classics and newer works from the genre!" Read more

"Great intro to Chinese fantasy genres..." Read more

"Very fun breakdown of wuxia, xianxia genres!..." Read more

Really bad writing
1 out of 5 stars
Really bad writing
This book is really poor written. The author is not qualified and is writing about a literary genre from a culture he is not a part of. He also includes racist stereotypes in the book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Naomi Augustine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to Chinese fantasy genres
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Highly recommend this book for those who want a short and sweet introduction to the anatomy of Chinese fantasy stories. I read it in one sitting. Concepts are laid out in the table of contents and the author gets right to the point. Each chapter is a few pages long. I'm an American science fiction author who is writing their 2nd book set inside a Chinese themed MMO video game and it provided me with concepts and themes that resonate with Chinese audiences. I bought the book to give me more perspective on writing something that married western sci fi with Chinese fantasy. It does help if you're familiar with wuxia material, cultivation stories, or Chinese classics like "Journey to the West".
    One person found this helpful
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  • Abbigail Holmes
    4.0 out of 5 stars For Wuxia & Xianxa Beginners
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    When I bought this book I expected to learn much more than I know now about Chinese drama and books I watch/read lately. But, alas, obviously the author and I read/watch quite different books/dramas because very few of his examples are useful to me.
    But, I like the way the book is written, with every term you can find in the books/dramas written in Chinese characters with Latin pronunciation. Even though the pinyin could be written with tones, and not without them, I still think that it is the best part of the book. That helped me a lot.
    Helpful
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  • CBaatar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    More authors writing litrpg and prog fantasy should read this book. Awesome resource! And a great primer for readers and authors alike.
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  • Jennifer C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Whether you are new to Chinese fantasy or not, this will help you understand more.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very well-written reference that helps explain many of the nuances in Chinese fantasy that those of us not familiar with Chinese culture might otherwise miss. It is written very conversationally, which makes it a very easy read, and the connections drawn to the different Chinese characters used and how they affect translation was something I found fascinating.

    Long story short: If you read wuxia, xianxia, or xuanhuan stories, you will likely learn something new here, and that something new will only increase your enjoyment of those stories.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • dq
    5.0 out of 5 stars Educational and helpful
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I read HALF a Wuxia novel. I'm a woman of 'age' and thought I'd never 'get it.' This book expertly clarified a world that combines my two faves, emotion and excitement (English or Chinese) I'm eager to get back to the other half of the other novel. Thank you!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • PingMG.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect primer
    Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Informative and simple to understand
    Read this just because I wanted insight on all the historical danmei I’m planning to read, plus the BL ones I’ve already read & watched. There’s a bit of an aha moment since this book explains it well without being tedious or dragging with long explanations.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kylin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very fun breakdown of wuxia, xianxia genres!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I'd love to see a future work on how to write wuxia/xianxia novels!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Angela D Kot
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hands-on Recap of YouTube Series
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    "Deathblade" (YouTube handle) recaptures his most popular FAQs about the topic of Chinese novels. Very good for writing your own, as to take notes and make references without being plugged into videos. Undeniable primary source of respectable content authority. Easy read or chapter search as needed.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • anonyme
    5.0 out of 5 stars clair net et précis
    Reviewed in France on March 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Le livre est clair, l'auteur fait un effort pour rester neutre.
    Tout est dis dans le résumer !
    Report
  • Clarisse F
    5.0 out of 5 stars a quick concise guide
    Reviewed in Brazil on September 12, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    it's quick and straight to the point, makes a bridge between a specific part of Chinese literature and its english readers from a translators standpoint. It's a guide for specifics of wuxia and xianxia webnovels, but more than a book to consult in-between reads it functions better as a context provider for us amateurs. It gives a list of the webnovels mentioned in the book and encourages other readings for a more in-depth understanding. Made me even more conscious of how vast these fantasy genres really are.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating gateway
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A brief introduction to Chinese fantasy, ideal for westerners who have just recently encountered wuxia and would like to know more.

    Contains interesting information and discussion of the process of translation and the ways in which the Chinese and English languages and their associated cultures don't quite match up.

    Read it in an evening and gain a good foundation in what the genre is all about. It's a short book, but features plenty of quotations from a wide range of relevant works and suggestions for further research and so serves as a decent guide for where to go next after you finish reading it.
    Report
  • PH nath
    5.0 out of 5 stars Très bon livre
    Reviewed in France on April 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Bon livre
    Report
  • Carlos73
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this book. It sheds an insight into the mysterious genres and makes it easier to feel you understand a little more! Looking forwards to going into the wuxia world in the 'righteous blood ruthless blades' setting.
    Report

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