SOFTNESS AND KUNG FU: Masculinities of Chinese Heroes in American Graphic Novels.
In American graphic novels such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Shadow Hero, and Kung Fu Panda, the depictions of Chinese heroes differ from those of Western heroic characters in mainstream American graphic narratives. These heroes embody a combination of soft masculinity and kung fu masculinity,...
| Published in: | Kritika Kultura no. 50; pp. 36 - 57 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Kritika Kultura
Jul2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=196277919&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 196277919 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 20946937 786B jtl: Kritika Kultura issn: 20946937 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 iid: 50 pid: 51553 pub: Kritika Kultura artinfo: ui: 196277919 ppf: 36 ppct: 21 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 3.3MB tig: atl: SOFTNESS AND KUNG FU: Masculinities of Chinese Heroes in American Graphic Novels. aug: au: Lian, Xu affil: Anhui University. sug: keyword: Chinese heroes graphic novels kung fu masculinity soft kung fu hero soft masculinity wen-wu ab: In American graphic novels such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Shadow Hero, and Kung Fu Panda, the depictions of Chinese heroes differ from those of Western heroic characters in mainstream American graphic narratives. These heroes embody a combination of soft masculinity and kung fu masculinity, creating a new type that might be called the "soft kung fu hero," exemplifying what Kam Louie refers to as "wen wu shuang quan" (accomplished in both cultural attainment and martial prowess)—the ultimate ideal of Chinese masculinity. Although the appearances of the protagonists are quite different from typical kung fu masculine heroes such as Bruce Lee and Shang-Chi, the martial abilities of these heroes nonetheless draw on elements of kung fu. The soft masculinity type of Chinese heroes in American graphic novels is not only a result of the influence of Chinese culture and caizi stories that deemphasize the physical dimension and highlight peace as well as spiritual cultivation, but is also the result of Western stereotypes and ideological impulse to treat China as the Other. The soft masculinity challenges the binary gender norms in American society by queering the protagonists as effeminate characters. Meanwhile, representation of kung fu masculinity in graphic narratives is influenced by kung fu films and television, especially those by Bruce Lee; this type is closer to the norms of Western hegemonic masculinity, but removes the aggressive and belligerent side of the latter. The fusion of these two in the heroic images of characters such as Aang and the Shadow Hero is not a simple combination, but involves a process of reorganization and transformation of its constituent elements. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Kritika Kultura is the property of Kritika Kultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Kritika Kultura holder: Kritika Kultura dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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