Martial arts novels first appeared in the late Qing dynasty, and largely featured fight action. The time and place in which they were set differed little from those in which people at that time lived. But the 20th century brought enormous changes, with dramatic advances in civilization, science, technology and lifestyles, and as a result the setting of the martial arts novel lost its connection with everyday life.
武俠小說發生、出現於晚清時代，就是那時的技擊小說，講技擊、武打的東西，與當時的人的生活與小說裡的時空背景相去不遠，但是進入二十世紀後，人類變遷非常大，無論生活、文明、科技都進步的非常劇烈，這使得武俠小說失去了它的時空背景。