Wuxia isn't a hard and strict historical timeframe, these days, so much as a cinematic and storytelling convention. It has at its heart a wandering hero archtype, often with troubled ethical or moral norms, and feats of physical or mystical ability. It arose in multiple periods, most commonly with either a time of foreign invasion or civic unrest, when tales of roving bandits and brave bands of heroes would have been feasible in the absence of a strong central government. (Or, as in the case of Xiyouji, a long way from the Imperial center, where the bandits, monsters, and demons could skulk forth and harass the hero.)
Historically, the
xia themselves could even be said to have predated Qinshihuang. The assassin, Jing Ke, who famously attempted to kill Yingzheng before he became the famous First Emperor of China, has been characterized as a xia hero. And of course anybody who's familiar with the modern Chinese martial soap operas will see that "heroes of the resistance" TV dramas are often set in the safely pre-1949 movements against Qing/Manchu or against the Japanese.
I echo Fred Brackin that the actual Western-calendar dates can be safely ignored if you want to run a general wuxia campaign.
Some Martial Arts, some Chinese Elemental Magic, and some historical flavor from GURPS China (plus Low Tech and Action) would be enough to capture Sun Wukong and his hijinks.
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Originally Posted by One of my more troublesome PCs
Okay, okay, which would win in a match between Sun Wukong's "As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel" vs. the Highlander's Claymore? Oh, oh, oh! I know! How about against Darth Vader's lightsaber? Yeah! Yeah!
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