CCS China Studies Seminar Series: Rethinking Chinese Martial Arts Cinema: Ecology, Embodiment, and Cinematic Mediation
Date: December 1, 2026 (Tue)
Time: 15:30-17:30 (HKT)
Venue: CKB_UG04, CUHK
Speaker: Dr Wayne Wong (Lecturer in East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield)
Abstract:
How might Chinese martial arts cinema be understood not simply as a film genre, but as a distinctive aesthetic, philosophical, and cultural practice? Drawing on his recent book, Martial Arts Ecology: Aesthetics, Philosophy, and Cinematic Mediation (Edinburgh University Press, 2026), Dr Wayne Wong proposes a new approach to martial arts cinema through the concept of ‘martial ideation’. Shifting attention from familiar frameworks such as authenticity and expressivity to the quieter yet crucial motif of tranquillity in action, the talk explores how martial arts movements can function as embodied knowledge, connecting technique to aesthetics, philosophy, and ways of engaging with the world.
The event will also introduce Project Sifu (Wayne Wong, 2025) and Project Sifu 2 (Wayne Wong, 2026), two research-led filmmaking and public engagement initiatives that translate these ideas into collaborative practice through martial arts training, filmmaking, and community participation. Developed through workshops with students and young migrants in the UK, the project explores questions of identity, belonging, cultural memory, and intergenerational transmission. It has been presented internationally, including at UNESCO-ICM in South Korea, the 64th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development in New York, and events in Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Sydney, and London. It has also been incorporated into part of the Shaolin Temple UK curriculum.
The event includes a screening of Project Sifu 2, followed by a discussion on how Chinese martial arts cinema can serve not only as an object of study, but also as a method for research, pedagogy, and public engagement.
Brief Bio:
Dr Wayne Wong is a Lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield, where he is also Student Experience Lead in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies and Lead of Project Sifu. He received his PhD in Film Studies and Comparative Literature from King’s College London and the University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on martial arts cinema, screen aesthetics, embodiment, digital media, and Hong Kong cultural production. He is the author of Martial Arts Ecology: Aesthetics, Philosophy, and Cinematic Mediation (Edinburgh University Press, 2026) and has published widely in journals including Asian Cinema, Global Media and China, Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, Asian Ethnicity, and Martial Arts Studies. His current research and public engagement work explore Hong Kong diasporic identity through film, exhibition, performance, and community collaboration.