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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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A Hung Gar Story: Community, Memory and Reality in Hong Kong.

  Introduction   The academic life has a sense of seasonality. In a world dedicated to the creation and multiplication of identical, homogeneous and interchangeable units of “work,” this is increasingly rare. I think that it is safe to say... Continue Reading →

Book Club: Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China.

    Robert J. Antony. 2003. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China. China Research Monograph 56. Berkeley, University of California: Institute of East Asian Studies. 198 pages.    ... Continue Reading →

From Battle Magic to Self-Actualization: Understanding the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts

    Introduction Most historical debates (both popular and academic) about the Chinese martial arts pit two opposing visions against one another. Sociologically informed theories tend to see the Chinese martial arts as a manifestation of fundamentally secular historical, economic... Continue Reading →

Will Universities Save the Traditional Asian Martial Arts?

    Douglas Wile. “Asian Martial Arts in the Asian Studies Curriculum.” JOMEC Journal 5 (2014): 60 pages.   Can universities preserve the traditional Asian martial arts? At the outset one must start by admitting that this is an audacious... Continue Reading →

The Problem of Doubt in the Traditional Martial Arts

    Sixt Wetzler. “Myths of the Martial Arts.” JOMEC Journal. Issue 5. June 2014. 15 pages.   Introduction Increasingly a wide range of academic students are contributing to the field of Chinese martial studies. We have seen important work... Continue Reading →

From the Archives: Spreading the Gospel of Kung Fu – Print Media and the Popularization of Wing Chun

***For my current writing project I am spending some time reconsidering the spread of Wing Chun onto the global stage.  As part of that effort I have been rereading some of the earliest literature on the art to see exactly... Continue Reading →

Sugong: Exploring a Shaolin Kung Fu Tradition

  ***As I mentioned last week I have received some good news regarding my manuscript on the social history of Wing Chun and the Southern Chinese martial arts.  Unfortunately that means that I need to free up some additional time... Continue Reading →

The Printing Press and the Sword: How Republic Era Periodicals Shaped the Chinese Martial Arts.

  William Acevedo with translations by Mei Cheung. 2014. “Republic Period Guoshu Periodicals.” Classic Fighting Arts. Vol 2. No. 26 Issue 49. pp. 56-68. Introduction: The Traditional Chinese Martial Arts and the Printed Word Despite frequent assertions to the contrary,... Continue Reading →

Zhang Sanfeng: Political Ideology, Myth Making and the Great Taijiquan Debate

  "For sheer contentiousness, the Zhang Sanfeng case can only be compared to the issue of racism, abortion and homosexuality in American culture. At the dawn of the 21st century, the pendulum has once again swung towards the myth-makers. Western... Continue Reading →

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