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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Chinese Martial Studies

Martial Mastery and Olympic Glory: A Winning Combination?

  Do you feel that?  Olympic fervor is once again in the air.  As we prepare for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio there has been a distinct uptick of Olympic advertising on the TV.  Athletes whom we have not... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 27th, 2016: The UFC, Shaolin and Your Summer Reading List

      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 arts.  In addition to... Continue Reading →

Feeling the Rhythm in Lion Dancing, the Wooden Dummy and Lightsaber Combat

      A Tricky Step   Darth Nihilus* was grinning as he stripped off his fencing helmet and strode over to the open section of floor where I, and one of his more senior students, had been working on... Continue Reading →

The Cultural Translation of Wing Chun: Addition, Deletion, Adoption and Distortion

  “In the case of Tai Chi however, the major defining feature of hybridity, the sense of mixture and the equal status of the different cultures involving in the mixture, is absent.  In the eyes of its UK practitioners Tai... Continue Reading →

Now Available: Spring 2016 Issue of Martial Arts Studies – The Invention of Martial Arts

      We are happy to announce that the Spring 2016 Issue Martial Arts Studies is now available, free of charge, to any reader or institution.  This open source, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journal is an imprint of Cardiff University... Continue Reading →

From the Archives: Ming Tales of Female Warriors – Searching for the Origins of Yim Wing Chun and Ng Moy.

  ***We are currently in the final push to prepare and release the second issue of the interdisciplinary journal Martial Arts Studies.  This will be a themed issue examining different aspects of the "invention of the martial arts" in a... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 6th, 2016: Taijiquan, Wing Chun and The Final Master

    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 arts.  In addition to discussing... Continue Reading →

The Chinese Repeating Crossbow, Double Swords and the “Oriental Obscene”

        Introduction: J. G. Wood and the Popularization of the “Oriental Obscene.”   The following post introduces a few accounts of the Chinese (and other Asian) martial practices taken from a book first published in the United... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (38): A Tale of Two Swordsmen

      Introduction   In a recent post discussing the portrayal of the Asian martial arts in early 20th century Western newsreels, I called for a “media archeology” of the early imagery surrounding these fighting systems.  The following post... Continue Reading →

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