This thesis offers a qualitative perspective on whether an increase in Chinese litigiousness—indicated by the passage of hundreds of new laws, the rise in the number of legal professionals and a statistical increase in the use of courts—that many scholars identify is truly indicative of a transformation of Chinese legal consciousness, or that the Chinese have faith in the law as a vehicle for eventual social and political reform. I conduct a close reading of wuxia film, a source neglected in discussions about legal consciousness despite expressing implicit commentary on the issue, by analyzing shifts between the 1980/1990s and post-2001 in the characterization of the protagonist and the visual composition of the films. I argue that changes in the contemporary films suggest Chinese skepticism of the transformative power of current legal reforms that is deeply rooted in the country's historical experience of being objectified by the West.

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