Editing ReignWulin:Wulin Culture (section)

== Meaning of Wulin ==

In the wuxia genre, the rigidly conservative culture of historical China has a chaotic and freewheeling counterpart - the "Jiang Hu" underworld. "Jiang Hu" literally means "rivers and lakes" and originated as reference to the lawlessness of far frontier regions of the empire, where bandit gangs and clans fought and kept their own rough idea of order in the absence of the officials. The term "Jiang Hu" has since evolved from its literal reference to the frontiers to a general idea of the underbelly of Chinese society - criminals, beggars, wandering performers, anyone who doesn't "fit in" the strict mainstream culture is considered part of the "Jiang Hu", which shouldn't be understood as implying unsavoriness so much as "wildness" or "separate from polite society". A brutal bandit who robs, rapes and kills travellers on the road is a member of Jiang Hu, but so is a pure-hearted itinerant monk who plays chess for his supper.

"Wulin" is a term for a subset of the Jiang Hu, that has been variously translated as "the world of martial arts", "the pugilistic fraternity" and "the circle of warriors". The Wulin is a counterculture of martial artists who are organized into gangs and sects, operate in a way totally removed from the official authorities (resolving their disputes amoung themselves), and prize their own specific code of honor. During times of foreign invasion and conquest many of the Wulin sects, which are already institutions organized around combat training, become the heads of popular rebellions against the foreign rulers. And for this reason, the Wulin as a whole is persecuted by the Yuan Dynasty when it comes to power.

Although there is much in-fighting between the various gangs and sects, the members of the Wulin generally feel a strong sense of brotherhood with each on the basis of their shared counterculture lifestyle. A Wulin fighter will often offer hospitality and assistance to another member of the Wulin simply on the basis of "since we are both in the world of martial arts". Anyone who competes in the Wulin and operates by its codes can be considered part of the Wulin - even Mongolian fighters compete in some tournaments! The Wulin does not care about your race (or sex - you would never see a woman in a Song, Jin or Yuan army but no one raises an eyebrow at the sight of a woman fighting in the Wulin), only about your skills and your respect for the code of the errantry.