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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

Now Available: Spring 2016 Issue of Martial Arts Studies – The Invention of Martial Arts

      We are happy to announce that the Spring 2016 Issue Martial Arts Studies is now available, free of charge, to any reader or institution.  This open source, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journal is an imprint of Cardiff University... Continue Reading →

From the Archives: Ming Tales of Female Warriors – Searching for the Origins of Yim Wing Chun and Ng Moy.

  ***We are currently in the final push to prepare and release the second issue of the interdisciplinary journal Martial Arts Studies.  This will be a themed issue examining different aspects of the "invention of the martial arts" in a... Continue Reading →

Hunting a Tiger with a Kukri

  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 →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: June 6th, 2016: Taijiquan, Wing Chun and The Final Master

    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... Continue Reading →

The Chinese Repeating Crossbow, Double Swords and the “Oriental Obscene”

        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 →

Through a Lens Darkly (38): A Tale of Two Swordsmen

      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 →

Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (17): Chu Minyi – Physician, Politician and Taijiquan Addict

      Introduction: The Architects of Kung Fu Diplomacy   I recently had the opportunity to examine a very interesting series of magazine articles, produced in 1920, discussing the efforts of the (in)famous General Ma Liang to promote the... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: Kung Fu Public Diplomacy and a Visit with General Ma Liang

    Secrecy vs. Advertising in the Chinese Martial Arts I recently reviewed Charles Russo’s excellent work, Striking Distance, which discussed the spread of the Chinese martial arts on the West Coast of the United States during the middle of... Continue Reading →

Striking Distance: Charles Russo Recounts the Rise of the Chinese Martial Arts in America

  Charles Russo. 2016. Striking Distance: Bruce Lee & the Dawn of Martial Arts in America. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. 264 pages. $24.95 USD (Hardcover)   Anyone can tell you that it is easier to review a good book... Continue Reading →

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