Asian SF/F (not Japan)

[oyceter]

Hi! I am lazy and depending on the goodwill of the internet to help with research!

So: tell me about Asian SF/F!

It must be:

• Created in Asia by Asians


• NOT from Japan


• Any medium


• Bonus points if I can get my hands on it (I am in the US and read/understand Mandarin Chinese)


• Extra bonus points for SF/F from and/or about Southeast Asia or South Asia

I have a slightly better sense of SF/F created in Asia and popular in the US, though if you have notes for your specific country, that would also be good! Please note: NOT from Japan.

For self: rachelmanija's notes on Indian SF/F

ETA:
Korea:
- Pahanjip (Korean folklore + Tang China ghost hunters, manhwa)
- Bride of the Water God (Korean folklore (?) + alternate world + beast bridegroom, manhwa)

China:
- Swordsman II

Comments

[calixa.livejournal.com]

There's a TVB drama adaptation of Wesley's Files from 2003 or so (I can't remember the exact year). TVB has done a few SF things over the years... that one and "To Get Unstuck In Time" (time travel) are two that come to mind (that I've seen and liked)

Fantasy is easy - wuxia (especially Jin Yong novels/adaptations) is available widely in china and taiwan (singapore also makes them). Tales of Liao Zhai is a good collection of fantasy/horror.

[oyceter]

Oh, huh, does Jin Yong's stuff usually have fantasy elements in it? Right now, I am not quite counting wuxia as fantasy per se (i.e. flying through the air and qigong seem to be genre tropes like cars that explode on touch in action movies), though shapeshifting or talking animals or demons definitely counts.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

In that case, you want "The Little Fairy" which is available in the US for a fairly decent price, though I think it's trimmed down from the original version. It's based on the myth of a goddess who falls in love with a mortal, and heaven Disapproves. There's all sorts of magic goings on every which way, including a cat from heaven trying to become human, and a character dying after being hit by a flying carpet.

[calixa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, perhaps not Jin Yong, then. Off the top of my head, here are a few period/fantasy dramas based on legends, etc: a good number of them are immortal/human love stories, which are the most popular.

- Little Fairy (as mentioned above)
- Chinese Paladdin
- Legend and Hero (http://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Legend_and_the_Hero)
- Fairy and the Chalice (http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Fairy_of_the_Chalice)
- Madam White Snake (http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Madam_White_Snake_%282001%29)

There are loads more, but I can't remember them all right now...