Clik here to view.
Facing Down a Wooden Dummy, and the Myth of “Perfect Practice”
Mr Bean Wins the Wing Chun Dummy, courtesy Snickers and Youtube. “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi The Bane of my Existence I have spent a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Bubishi Gets its Due: Returning the ‘Bible of Karate’ to its Chinese Roots
David S. Nisan and Liu Kangyi. 2016. The General Tian Wubeizhi: the Bubishi in Chinese Martial Arts History. Taipei: Lionbook Martial Arts Company. 136 pages of text, plus 128 pages of facsimile...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Li Pei Xian and the Evolution of Modern Chinese “Martial Arts”
Chinese Sword Dance. A refined and middle-class vision of the Chinese Martial Arts. Vintage postcard. Source: Author’s personal collection. ***Greetings! I am currently preparing for the upcoming...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Soldier, the Marketplace Boxer and the Recluse: Mapping the Social...
***As I mentioned earlier this week, I am currently preparing for the upcoming Martial Arts Studies conference in Cardiff. As such I have decided to revisit one of the earlier major essays that I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Imagining Ip Man: Globalization and the Growth of Wing Chun Kung Fu
***I am current on the road for the annual Martial Arts Studies conference at Cardiff University in the UK. As soon as I return home I will be posting a full report of the event and sharing the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lightsaber Combat and Wing Chun: The Search for Meaning in the Modern Martial...
The title slide of my keynote address at the July 2016 Martial Arts Studies Conference. ***I am current on the road for the annual Martial Arts Studies conference at Cardiff University in the UK. As...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Read it Now: Summer 2017 Issue of Martial Arts Studies!
Martial Arts Studies. Issue 4 (Summer) 2017. Get the Issue Now! The last week has been a whirlwind of travel, fieldwork and conferences. I am now back and cannot wait to tell you more about it. But...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the 44th Anniversary of Bruce Lee’s Death: Cult (Film) Icon
Bruce Lee with his favorite onscreen weapon. Introduction My original plan for the day included writing a conference report on the recent Martial Arts Studies gathering at Cardiff University...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Looking Forward and Looking Back: The 2017 Martial Arts Studies Conference
The dedicated core who stayed to the end of the Thursday afternoon workshop. Conference Report I recently had the chance to attend (and deliver a keynote at) the 3rd Annual Martial Arts Studies...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Five Years of Kung Fu Tea: Making Martial Arts Studies Matter
Happy Birthday Attentive readers may have noticed a few changes here at Kung Fu Tea. This blog launched its first post five years ago, on July 27th 2012. Since that point we have published...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 4, 2017: MMA, Shaolin and Wong Jack Man
Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News!” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media stories that mention or affect the traditional fighting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Five Tiger Stick Society: Pilgrimage, Local Religion and the Martial Arts
Daoist priests on Hua Mountain in the 1930s. Source: Photo by Hedda Morrison, Harvard digital archives. An Unexpected Lunch A friend from graduate school called during one of one of those terrible...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ma Liang’s “New Wushu:” Modernizing and Militarizing the Traditional Chinese...
Nationalist troops in a trench, Dadaos at the ready. Photo was probably taken sometime in the 1930s. Asking “What if?” Few things are more difficult to research than historical events that did not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Research Notes: Ma Liang’s 1923 Wushu Tournament and Charity Demonstration
Introduction The following research note is part of our ongoing series discussing the career and contribution of Ma Liang (187?-1947). As I mentioned in the first essay, Ma can legitimately be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Jiu-Jitsu Became a Traditional German Martial Art
Introduction One of my on-going projects is a co-authored study of Wing Chun’s history (and social meaning) within the German martial arts community. I will admit that in the crush of competing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chinese “Martial Arts” and the Problem of Presentism
Cross Big Knives, early 1930s. By Thomas Handforth. Source: Oregon State University Digital Collections. Introduction I would like to begin today’s post by noting that Joseph Svinth (whom most of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 28th, 2017: Dragon Girls, New Books...
Introduction Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News!” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media stories that mention or affect the traditional fighting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State, Education and Ma Liang’s New Wushu
The Snake River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. August 2017. Photo by Benjamin Judkins. Given that educational reform is not a very photogenic subject, I have decided to share some images from my recent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Research Notes: The Big Knife and Ma Liang’s Attempted Comeback
A captured Chinese dadao being held by a Japanese soldier. Note the unique saw back blade. Source: Author’s Personal Collection. Given that it is a holiday weekend, I will be keeping this research...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Do Martial Arts Create Just Societies?
For ten years I have been polishing this sword; Its frosty edge has never been put to the test. Now I am holding it and showing it to you, sir: Is there anyone suffering from injustice? -“The...
View Article