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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Martial Studies

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 text... Continue Reading →

The Soldier, the Marketplace Boxer and the Recluse: Mapping the Social Location of the Martial Arts in Late Imperial China.

  ***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 wrote for this blog (all... Continue Reading →

Li Pei Xian and the Evolution of Modern Chinese “Martial Arts”

    ***Greetings! I am currently preparing for the upcoming Martial Arts Studies conference in Cardiff.  As such we will be taking a deep dive into the archives for today's post.  This essay and biographical sketch was first published four... Continue Reading →

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 reprint. $47.95 USD.   Introduction   Given... Continue Reading →

Facing Down a Wooden Dummy, and the Myth of “Perfect Practice”

  “Practice does not make perfect.  Only perfect practice makes perfect.”  - Vince Lombardi   The Bane of my Existence   I have spent a lot of time thinking about Vince Lombardi’s famous maxim on the value of practice.  I... Continue Reading →

Venezuelan Stick Fighting: What can we learn from the modernization of a vernacular fighting system?

    Introduction   The release of the Summer 2017 issue of Martial Arts Studies is fast approaching.  Paul and I have been quite busy over the last few weeks preparing the various articles and reviews for publication.  The contents... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (46): Two Scenes of Early 20th Century Muay Thai/Muay Boran

    As a researcher who focuses on the martial arts in modern China and North America, I do not claim any special expertise in the rich fighting traditions of South East Asia.  Still, one of the gratifying aspects of... Continue Reading →

Violence and the Martial Arts: Contagion or Cure?

      An Old Metaphor   Violence has many faces.  It may appear in an inter-personal, domestic, social or political form.  It’s physical aspects exist on a spectrum ranging from school yard fights all the way up to interstate... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 12th, 2017: London Attacks, Kung Fu in Hong Kong and Gene Ching is a Star!

  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 important events, this... Continue Reading →

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