KICKING IT OLD SCHOOL

This is just one of the explosive fight scenes that light up director Yuen Wooping's latest martial arts epic, Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert.　

Yuen's fight choreography features in dozens of blockbuster films, from The Matrix (1999) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) to Kill Bill (2003), as well as countless Jackie Chan classics.　

At 81, he returns after nearly a decadelong hiatus to direct a star-studded cast, including Wu Jing, best known for the Wolf Warrior franchise, Nicholas Tse and Jet Li - who Yuen choreographed in films throughout the 1990s and 2000s.　

Released on February 17, the film adapts the popular comic series Biao Ren. Set against the sweeping dunes of the Silk Road during the turbulent final years of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the Ostory follows Dao Ma (Wu Jing), a skilled bounty hunter hired to escort wanted outlaw Zhi Shilang (Sun Yizhou) to the imperial capital. What begins as routine job soon turns perilous, with rival bounty hunters, assassins, corrupt officials and warlords on their trail.　

Wuxia, or martial arts cinema, once a prominent and lucrative genre in Chinese film, has been marginalized in recent years, losing ground to younger audiences raised on animation and CGI.　

This only compounds the film's triumph. By March 4, Blades had raked in over 1.16 billion yuan (US$168m), setting a new record as China's highestgrossing Chinese martial arts film. Critics and audiences alike praised its authentic, old-school martial arts filmmaking.

"Many years ago, I was deeply touched by the comic's characters... They were down-to-earth, each with a distinct personality, very much like modern youth. I was determined to bring this story of the late Sui Dynasty to the screen." Yuen said at a film seminar in Beijing on March 5.　

However, action lies at the heart of the film, with Yuen returning to old-school Hong Kong cinema's real physical combat and on-location shoots.　

The film's 10 major action scenes make up half its runtime, introducing characters and advancing the plot with diverse martial arts styles, weapons and settings.　

The desert itself also becomes a character. Filmed over 185 days in the dunes of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the vast desert creates a striking backdrop for the battle scenes.　

"As an ancient Chinese poem goes, ‘In boundless desert, lonely smoke rises straight. Over endless river, the sun sinks round.' We shot in Xinjiang to capture this poetic aesthetic. Nature is not just scenery, it reflects the story's mood and the characters' mindsets," Yuen said.　

Critics have hailed the sandstorm duel as a classic example of environmental storytelling. The very real sandstorm dictates the fight's rhythm, forcing actors Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse to perform in Force 8 winds, dust and flying gravel.

Beyond contemporary action stars Wu and Tse, it features legends of 80s and 90s martial arts cinema: Jet Li, 62, performs as the devious official Chang Guiren, delivering a fierce hand-to-hand fight with Wu that sets the tone for the film's gritty action. Tony Leung Ka-fai, a veteran of Hong Kong's wuxia genre, gives a nuanced performance as Lao Mo, Dao Ma's benefactor.　

The film also introduces a new generation. Pop idols from boy bands in supporting roles include Wen Junhui (SEV- ENTEEN), Dong Sicheng (NCT) and Liu Yaowen (TNT).　

Among the new faces, Yue opera actress Chen Lijun is the most-discussed performer of the cast. At 33, Chen stepped in for the role of Ayuya on short notice, completing her performance in just 11 days after the original actress, Nashi, a Mongolian ethnic, was removed following a June 2025 investigation that found she had falsified education records related to her college entrance exam and drama school admission in 2008. The scandal sparked public outcry against unfair opportunities in education. Despite the tight reshoot, Chen delivered one of the film's most memorable performances.　

In her first film role, Chen impressed critics and audiences with her emotional and physical performance, credited to her 20 years performing in Yue Opera's xiaosheng tradition, where women perform young male roles.　

In a dramatic battle, Ayuya furiously shoots arrows from horseback to avenge her father, performing 90-degree bow shots with precision and poise.　

"Ayuya is a woman full of personality and very strong values. She is pure and innocent yet bold and strong-willed," Chen told Women of China magazine. "Through her, I see a female figure with freedom, independence and high self-esteem."

Since the late 1960s, filmmakers like Chang Cheh and King Hu ushered in the golden age of Hong Kong wuxia cinema. But it was Bruce Lee that propelled the genre onto the world stage with films like Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972) and Enter the Dragon (1973).

　

Later, kung fu comedies pioneered by Yuen alongside Jackie Chan brought humor to martial arts with films such as Drunken Master (1978) and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978). Jet Li’s Shaolin Temple and Once Upon a Time in China series blended realism, history, nationalism and martial arts to set benchmarks for the genre. 　

The 2000s marked wuxia’s critical peak. Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, paving the way for blockbusters such as Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). 　

Yet in recent years, the genre has undergone a conspicuous decline marked by a decrease in output, dismal earnings and waning audience reception. In 2025, renowned martial arts filmmaker Tsui Hark’s big-budget Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants flopped, scoring 5.4/10 on Douban, China’s leading media review website.　

Blades of the Guardians offers hope for the genre’s revival. It received a 7.5/10 on Douban, where many praised the production’s efforts to present an “authentic” and “old-school” martial arts film compared with recent CGI-saturated wuxia releases. 　

“Cherish this film. There won’t be many filmmakers making wuxia films like this in the future,” commented Douban user Zou Ma.　

Beyond action, the film resonates with modern audiences through its themes and characters. 　

“What touched me most was the film’s portrayal of female characters,” Xia Yan, a martial arts movie fan from Shanghai, told NewsChina. “In traditional wuxia films, women are often depicted either as subjects of romance or marginal roles without any character development. In this film, women are independent, empowered and complex,” 　

“Ayuya, in particular, has her own arc of personal growth: from a rebellious daughter who boldly refuses an arranged marriage to a furious archer who avenges her father to a strong-willed, powerful woman who vows to be ‘queen of the desert,’” Xia said.　

The film embraces a cast of morally complex, anti-heroes that are relatable to contemporary viewers. Instead of fighting for nation or glory, their motivations are more utilitarian – money, personal freedom and self-respect. 　

“We didn’t want to make a costume film that masquerades as wuxia. We wanted to present a work that touches the minds and souls of modern audiences,” said the film’s screenwriter Yu Baimei in an interview with The Paper. 　

He likens Dao Ma to the delivery riders that work in China’s cities. “He chooses a life of self-imposed exile in the Gobi Desert, far away from the political center of Chang’an. To raise his nephew Xiao Qi, he has to make ends meet as a bounty hunter,” Yu said. “Dao Ma is a rather unnoteworthy bounty hunter using his exceptional martial arts skills just to make a living. He is not a superhero at all. He’s only protecting the people he cares about,” he added. 　

For Yuen Woo-ping, the wuxia spirit persists in everyday acts. “Times may change, but the core message does not,” he said at the Beijing seminar. “Today, this spirit means protecting people we care about, the faith and values we believe in, and the peaceful life we crave.”