Some Thoughts with ... Alice Poon

Welcome to my favourite section of the site, being able to talk with the authors. Today we are accompanied by Alice Poon, author of The Heavenly Sword, who also has published historical fiction.

Let's dive in!

1.- How would you define the wuxia genre? And the xianxia?
Presently in the English-language mainstream book market, the “Wuxia” genre doesn’t exist. If you look at the Amazon book categories, you won’t find such a genre. Books that belong in this genre are mostly categorized under “Asian Myth & Legend Fantasy” and/or “Action & Adventure Fantasy”.
As for the definition, I’d say the “Wuxia” genre is specific to Chinese culture and literature that dates back to at least the Tang dynasty (600-900AD) and has these three traditional hallmarks: (1) it has ancient historical settings; (2) the main characters are martial artists with superb kung fu skills; (3) the main plot is about violent conflicts. All “Wuxia” fiction shares some or all of these themes: knight-errant righteousness, brotherhood loyalty, resistance to tyrannical regimes, chivalric benevolence, and altruistic ideals.
In the last century, the iconic Hong Kong-based wuxia fiction writer Jin Yong (1924-2018) came to be celebrated as the godfather of modern wuxia fiction, with global sales of his books surpassing 100 million copies and countless multi-media adaptations.
Regarding “Xianxia”, this genre came about as a result of the huge popularity of webnovels written by mainland Chinese writers and of their equally sought-after multi-media adaptations. A prominent example is the globally acclaimed action drama series titled The Untamed based on the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. This genre is similar to the “Wuxia” genre but with a focus on Taoist cultivation aiming at reaching immortality.

2.- You previously were writing mostly historical fiction. What made you decide to write fantasy?
I have always been a dabbler in Chinese history thanks to my childhood passion for Jin
Yong’s wuxia novels (which all have historical settings), and one of my cherished dreams has
been to introduce to Western readers the true stories of spirited and resilient Chinese female historical figures. Having written and published two such novels (The Green Phoenix and Tales of Ming Courtesans) between 2016 and 2020, I found that while I immensely enjoyed writing such stories, I felt that the historical fiction genre is somehow a bit too restrictive for my imaginative capacity to have a full spin. Somewhere along the line, I began reminiscing on my childhood predilection for wuxia stories. The flash of an idea then became the impetus to engage fully with a new writing project, which eventually ends up as a wuxia-myth duology called Sword Maiden from the Moon.

3.- What would you say it's different in this genre from the classical occidental novel?
I think the main difference is in the form and style of storytelling. The classical occidental novel sets great store by story structure, whereas “Wuxia” fiction typically takes a more relaxed and rambling approach. Whereas the Western storytelling style insists on “show don’t tell”, the Chinese “Wuxia” genre or other literary genres for that matter uses a combination of showing and telling techniques.

4.- When did you start writing?
I worked as a full-time online business journalist from the year 2000 to around 2007. In 2005, I self-published my first full-length non-fiction book Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong. The Chinese translation was traditionally published in 2010 and became an instant bestseller. Then I began writing fiction upon my retirement in 2014. My first self-published novel was Fated and Fateless.

5.- To the people that are not familiar with it, could you talk a little about the traditional Chinese pantheon?
The Chinese Pantheons mainly have to do with the two major religions in the Chinese civilization—Buddhism and Taoism. Generally, Buddhist Deities are believed to inhabit the West Pantheon (mainly because Buddhism was imported into China from the far west) while Taoist Deities are taken to reside in the East Pantheon. The supreme leader of all Deities—the Jade Emperor—is said to be the occupant of the Central Pantheon. According to some ancient Chinese legends, the Warrior God Xuan Wu, represented by a Black Tortoise, rules the North Pantheon and the Longevity Deity rules the South Pantheon.
(Source: The Unofficial History of the Female Immortal by Lu Xiong)

6.- Is there any Chinese traditional myth that inspired the Heavenly Sword?
The first Chinese myth that inspired the story of Tang Sai’er (protagonist of The Heavenly Sword) is the folk legend of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. In the novel, Tang Sai’er is the Chang’e incarnate sent by the Deities to impede a tyrant on earth. Another Chinese myth that prompted a story within the main story is the fable of Nezha and the Green Dragon of the East Sea, which originates from the Chinese mythology classic Investiture of the Gods. There are a few anime movie adaptations of this well-known fable.

7.- What can we expect from Alice Poon in the future?
The sequel to The Heavenly Sword in my Sword Maiden from the Moon duology is a work- in-progress. When I finish writing this sequel, I plan to work on other wuxia-myth projects, because it’s great fun writing in this highly creative genre. Besides, we need more wuxia stories and Chinese myths under the fantasy umbrella.

By my side, that's all. I want to thank Alice for taking the time for explaining all these questions and the small differences that Oriental narration has in comparison with the Occidental tradition.