Editing Jianghu (section)

=== Current interpretations of the term ''jianghu'' ===
In more martial arts-centered stories, a common aspect of ''jianghu'' is that the courts of law are dysfunctional and that all disputes and differences (within the community) can only be resolved by members of the community, through the use of mediation, negotiation, or force, predicating the need for the code of ''xia'' and acts of chivalry. Law and order within the ''jianghu'' are maintained by the various orthodox and righteous schools and heroes. Sometimes these schools may gather to form an alliance against a common foe or organization.

A leader, called the ''wulin mengzhu'' ({{zh|c=武林盟主|l=master of the wulin alliance|labels=no}}), is elected from among the schools in order to lead them and ensure law and order within the ''jianghu''. The leader is usually someone with a high level of mastery in martial arts and a great reputation for righteousness who is often involved in some conspiracy and/or killed. In some stories, the leader may not be the greatest martial artist in the ''jianghu''; in other stories, the position of the leader is hereditary. The leader is an arbiter who presides and adjudicates over all inequities and disputes. The leader is a ''de jure'' [[chief justice]] of the affairs of the ''jianghu''.