From affective space to performative depth: Spatial aesthetics in 3-D wuxia films Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2010) and Sword Master (2016)

Chinese cinema has seen a rise in 3-D productions, most of which are wuxia films, between 2010 and 2018. To explore new spatial aesthetics in 3-D wuxia films, this article compares two 3-D wuxia remakes with their 2-D originals: Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011) with New Dragon Gate Inn (1992), and Sword Master (2016) with Death Duel (1977). It asks the following questions: how do 3-D spatial aesthetics differ from the spatial configuration of 2-D wuxia films? What does the stereoscopic space add to (or take away from) traditional wuxia films? How is the relationship between the knights-errant and jianghu represented in the 3-D space? This comparative study argues that the 3-D films largely rely on exploiting the positive parallax to create a more ‘voluminous’ and performative, but less affective, jianghu world, compared to their 2-D originals. It raises questions about how to incorporate depth-oriented aesthetics with narrative engagement in wuxia films.