Xu Haofeng

Xu Haofeng was born in Beijing and began to learn Xingyiquan one of the major internal styles of Chinese martial arts in 1987 After studying fine arts for five years he went to the Department of Film Directing in Beijing Film Academy and graduated in 1997 Unlike his peers who were eager to make waves in the newly discovered film market Xu returned home and studied Taoism and the history of martial arts from two eightyyearold masters for eight years In 2006 his publication Shiqu de wulin In Search of the Lost Martial Arts World aroused nationwide attention He continued to write novels and nonfiction about the ecology of the martial arts sphere in the Republic of China In 2011 his first film The Sword Identity had its world premiere at the 68th Venice Film Festival and this marked the reincarnation of the Chinese martial arts film One year later his sophomore film Judge Archer premiered at the 7th Rome Film Festival Xu insists in presenting unusual values in traditional Chinese culture in an age celebrating outrageous slapstick comedies and restless performing monkeys and he investigates whether people could live in an alternative way other than following the conventional circle of life