The authors and creators of donghua
The self-taught master of drawn wuxiaBorn in 1984 in Yanbian, Jilin province, Xu Xianzhe had never taken a drawing class when he imagined Blades of the Guardians, now one of the most admired wuxia manhua.
Career
Xu Xianzhe first worked in advertising and as a literary translator. A comics lover with no artistic training, he spent four years conceiving and preparing his first project.
That first manhua, Blades of the Guardians (镖人), follows Dao Ma, an escort who convoys goods and people across Sui-dynasty China. A seasoned Japanese editor said of it: "From the first chapter, it completely grabs the reader."
The series was adapted into a donghua from 2023, then into a live-action film starring Wu Jing.
Life and behind the scenes
His is the path of a stubborn self-taught artist: no art school, a job in advertising, translations, and four years working alone on a project he gave everything to. Today he shares his work on Weibo and Bilibili.
Style and themes
Xu Xianzhe practises a realistic, brutal wuxia: no magic, but precisely choreographed fights, desert landscapes and a believable medieval China. His very cinematic line makes every duel readable and tense.
Their works on Donghua Fan
The donghua adapted from Xu Xianzhe's novels, with their guides, characters and watch orders.
Trivia
- He never had any training in drawing.
- He spent four years preparing Blades of the Guardians before publishing it.
- He worked as a literary translator before becoming a manhua creator.
Donghua Fan's take
Xu Xianzhe proves you can teach yourself anything. Blades of the Guardians is one of the finest manhua of its generation, and its move to the screen was inevitable.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan