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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: May 17th, 2016: Kung Fu Art, Brawling and New Books!

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 →

Who “Owns” Kung Fu? Intangible Cultural Heritage, Globalization and the Decentering of the Asian Martial Arts

    "Inoue said the Japanese style of judo traditionally focused more on quantity rather than quality, trying to instill a tough mentality. But in Europe, which Inoue describes as “the mainstream of judo today,” judoka train more efficiently. “A... Continue Reading →

The Professor and His Students: Taijiquan’s Complicated Journey to the West

    The Professor: Tai Chi’s Journey West.  First Run Films. 2016.  Directed by Barry Strugatz. 72 minutes.   Click here for the Webpage. Click here for Facebook. "The Professor" premieres in Los Angeles on May 6 and in New... Continue Reading →

Doing Research (6): Working the Beat – One Journalist’s Efforts at Perfecting the Fine Art of Hanging Out

  Introduction   Welcome to the sixth entry in our series of guest posts titled “Doing Research.”  If you missed the first essay by D. S. Farrer (which provides a global overview of the subject), the second by Daniel Mroz... Continue Reading →

The Creation of Wing Chun – Now in Paperback!

    I recently received a letter from SUNY Press letting me know that The Creation of Wing Chun: A Social History of the Southern Chinese Martial Arts, will soon be released in paperback.  This is wonderful news and due... Continue Reading →

Martial Arts History, Without Chronology

      Your mission, should choose to accept it…   Recently I have been invited to contribute chapters to a number of upcoming projects.  I am still attempting to decide what some of these should be, but in two... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: April 25th, 2016: Tourism, Weapons Based MMA and Old School Kung Fu

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 →

Star Wars: An American Martial Arts Film Franchise?

      “When there is a fake—hippopotamus, dinosaur, sea serpent—it is not so much because it would not be possible to have the real equivalent, but because the public is meant to admire the perfection of the fake and... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: The Chinese and Japanese Martial Arts as Seen on Western Newsreels

    “In the west, Asian martial arts are everywhere.  They are part of the texture of popular consciousness.  Nonetheless I want to argue that they remain marginal.  That is to say, although Westerners may see them often, and all... Continue Reading →

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