Introduction: If Kung Fu is so popular, why can’t Wushu get into the Olympics? I am first and foremost a political scientist. When I look at the “traditional Chinese martial arts” what I see is emerging trends in civil... Continue Reading →
This is the second half of our two part discussion of Adam D. Frank’s ethnographic study of identity and the traditional Chinese martial arts. The first part of this review can be found here. The “Book Club” is a semi-regular... Continue Reading →
***Update*** (I recently found another old photograph that goes very well with this post. It shows an official riding a horse as part of procession in pre-1911 Shanghai. I have added it below with some additional comment.) Introduction: Romanticizing and... Continue Reading →
Introduction Much of our modern writing on the Chinese martial arts is premised on the examination of difference. Nor is this an abstract categorization of dry facts. Our discussions always seem to run along a similar track. Of all of... Continue Reading →
[This is the first post of the third installment of our "Book Club" series. The goal of this series is to provide a detailed discussion of some important books within the field of Chinese martial studies, similar to what you... Continue Reading →
(**Co-authorship credit for this post goes to my Sifu, Jon Nielson. This post grew out of a conversation that we had about the origins and implications of the Jo Fen almost one year ago.**) Introduction: Defining Community in the Traditional... Continue Reading →
Introduction This is the second part of our series on Sugong: The Life of a Shaolin Grandmaster (2012) by Nick Hurst. If you have not already done so, be sure to check out the review here. Nick is a great... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Addressing a Difficult Subject No topic is more difficult to approach than the varied roles that traditional Asian fighting systems have played in defining and strengthening nationalism during the 20th century. Governments in Japan, China and later Korea all... Continue Reading →
Nick Hust. Sugong: The Life of a Shaolin Grandmaster. Sports Books. 2012. pp. 291. Introduction: Summer Reading for Chinese Martial Artists It is that time of year again. It is the season when literally everyone I know packs a bag,... Continue Reading →
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