In January of 2013 I posted an essay titled "A Social and Visual History of the Hudiedao (Butterfly Sword) in the Southern Chinese Martial Arts." As a student of Wing Chun I have always been fascinated by these weapons, and... Continue Reading →
“The lightsaber has become an important touchstone, both within the films and within our culture…They serve as a source of identification and identity. They are the ultimate commodity: a nonexistent object whose replicas sell for hundreds of dollars. This... Continue Reading →
A New Pole I had been meaning to get a new “long pole” (or Luk Dim Boon Kwan) for a while. As the name implies, these are somewhat unwieldly training tools and (unless you own a... Continue Reading →
Greetings! If all has gone according to plan, I am now back in the United States and recovering after my recent trip to Germany. As such, I would like to share with you another keynote addresses... Continue Reading →
The Yin and the Yang of the Hudiedao Earlier this year I had the opportunity to participate in a day-long seminar on the Wing Chun swords taught by Sifu John Crescione. This was a great experience that provided... Continue Reading →
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 reader will probably notice that whatever may be their form, there is a nameless something which designates the country in which they were produced. No matter whether the weapon has belonged to a rich or a poor man,... Continue Reading →
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 →
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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