Even martial-arts films face competition in the West

Martial arts is still the best-received genre of Chinese cinema in the West, but none has reprised the glory of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and challenges await those ambitious enough to try their luck.

Earlier this year, Time magazine critic Richard Corliss listed Hong Kong director Peter Chan's Dragon (also titled Wu Xia) as the eighth-best film of 2012, praising it as "a sophisticated, stand-alone delight".

"It is exciting news," says Jia Leilei, a researcher of Chinese National Academy of Arts and expert on wuxia cinema. "But I'm not surprised. Action is a universal language, and the dazzle of Chinese martial arts provides strong, direct visual impact."