One of the most iconic images in the annals of Kung Fu training is that of the lone student, lost in the zen-like practice of his wooden dummy routine. Dummies of various sorts and sizes have a long history in... Continue Reading →
Defining Your Space In addition to researching the martial arts, I also practice Wing Chun (Ip Man/Ip Ching lineage for those who are interested). I recently started to teach a couple of people and things have been going well enough... Continue Reading →
We have an issue in the field of Chinese martial studies, and it tends to be more concentrated in the historical arguments. Our problem is “common sense.” It seems that in our discussions what “everyone says” quickly becomes “what no... Continue Reading →
Jingwu (sometimes romanized as Chinwoo) is one of the greatest movements to emerge in the modern (post-1850) history of the traditional Chinese martial arts. Casual observers will likely be aware of at least the broad outlines of the organization’s foundation... Continue Reading →
This is the first entry in what I hope will be a periodic series where we examine and discuss period ephemera (1850-1970) relating to Chinese martial studies. Ephemera is very interesting to me as it is closely tied to questions... Continue Reading →
The 1850s were a bad time to live in Guangdong. As a matter of fact, it would have been better for one to avoid the entire second half of the 19th century if one could arrange it. Multiple rounds of... Continue Reading →
I saw a documentary on the resurgence of interest in the western historical martial arts called “Reclaiming the Blade.” It is interesting stuff and I really enjoyed it. I think that there is a more general resurgence of interest... Continue Reading →
George Jennings, David Brown and Andrew Sparkes. “It can be a Religion if you Want: Wing Chun Kung Fu as a Secular Religion.” Ethnography. 11(4). 2010. Pp. 533-557. I have been meaning to read this paper for some time... Continue Reading →
Chinese Martial Studies is a new and interesting research area. It is exciting to read about as an explosion of new resources (both ancient and modern) is becoming available for the first time. I hope to introduce and discuss... Continue Reading →
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