Re-inventing Tianxia : Coming-of-Age in Xuanhuan Fantasy Fiction

Abstract

This chapter delves into the realm of xuanhuan f iction, sometimes translated as “Eastern Fantasy,” and explores its distinctive characteristics and thematic elements. Through a close reading of individual texts, this chapter pushes back against the dominant understanding of xuanhuan fiction as commercialised, digital escapism, and details how xuanhuan is focused on the creation of alternative worlds that might challenge the social and political status quo. More specifically, I focus on the ways the pre-modern concept of tianxia is re-vised and re-interpreted in xuanhuan world-building to offer readers a vision of an alternative world order. Overall, this chapter provides important insights into the cultural and philosophical underpinnings of xuanhuan fiction and explores the reasons for the genre‘s appeal to contemporary audiences.