What is manhua?

Published on November 06, 2025 By niwo

Manhua (漫畫 or 漫画 in Chinese) is the term used to designate comics or graphic novels produced in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Its only real difference from the well-known Manga (Japan) and Manhwa (Korea) is its country of origin. But despite this being the primary difference, Manhua is very specific with tropes that are highly recurrent in its stories.

Another difference, which it specifically shares with Manhwa, is the fact that they are read in the Western format: from top to bottom and from left to right. This helped them quickly adapt to the very popular infinite scroll that webtoons have accustomed us to.

Recurrent Manhua Tropes

Manhua has some very recurrent tropes that are somewhat distinct from its other regional competitors. The two most recognized and popular, if I may call them that, are:

Xianxia (Immortal Heroes):

Based on cultivation, a real-life practice of Qigong and Taoist meditation, to summarize it in very broad strokes.
These are stories where the protagonist refines their Qi or vital force through the practice of martial arts and by taking elixirs.

Wuxia (Martial Arts):

This is a genre that focuses on the adventures of martial arts heroes and heroines who live by a strict code of justice.
This is a classic and is common in almost any type of story.
A martial focus on what would be the hero's journey in other types of comics, but always focused on stories without too much fantasy.
The hero always seeks to achieve combat mastery, pushing the limits of what a human can achieve.

Infinite Scroll Format in Manhua

You may have already encountered a Manhua without even realizing it, as many Manhua have also adopted the name Webtoons. They leveraged the popularity of the infinite scroll format achieved by Manhwa. This format helped them gain popularity, even in cases where users don't even know they are Chinese stories, but simply Webtoons.

The adoption of the infinite scroll format is linked to the widespread use of color. Unlike traditional print Manhua (which often does not have much commercialization outside of China), the digital version is almost always produced in full color, which is much more eye-catching to viewers than the simple black and white of traditional prints.