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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Wing Chun

Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (3): Chan Wah Shun and the Creation of Wing Chun.

Chan Wah Shun and his Place in the Modern Wing Chun Community. One of the biggest problems in researching the history of the martial arts is the martial artists themselves.  They love their styles (or the businesses that they support)... Continue Reading →

What Master T. T. Liang can Teach us about Wing Chun: Improving the Retention of Advanced Students.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter Thirty-three: Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength. He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of willpower. He who stays... Continue Reading →

Wing Chun and the Hakka Arts: Is there a connection?

  Categorizing the Martial Arts of Southern China As I have discussed here, there are a number of different ways that one can conceptualize the traditional martial arts of Guangdong province and the Pearl River delta.  One of the more... Continue Reading →

“Wing Chun: A Documentary” directed by Jon Braeley.

Empty Mind Films has produced some of the highest quality and most engaging martial arts documentaries seen anywhere in the last few years.  They are a small organization, and as a result they are selective about the projects they take... Continue Reading →

Zhang Songxi, Ming era Southern Boxing and the Ancient Roots of Modern Wing Chun.

Stanley Henning: Yongchun, Baihe and Wing Chun Boxing In issue #38 (Vol. 2 No. 15) of Classical Fighting Arts Stanley Henning published a wide-ranging paper entitled “Thoughts on the Origins and Transmission to Okinawa of Yongchun Boxing.” (pp. 42-47).  Henning... Continue Reading →

Did Ip Man Invent the Story of Yim Wing Chun?

Many of the debates in the Wing Chun world today focus on the question of lineage.  People want to know which expression of Wing Chun best captures its essential essence?  Which is truly “authentic”?  Often it is assumed that authenticity... Continue Reading →

Traditional Training Equipment in the Chinese Martial Arts (Part II): Attack of the Wooden Dummies!

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 →

How “Common Sense” Warps our Perceptions of Wing Chun and its Origins.

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 →

Wing Chun and the Problem of Origins: Why does it have to come from anywhere?

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 →

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