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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

“The Professor in the Cage”: Can Gottschall Bring Science to the Study of Violence?

    A Surprise at the Bookstore   A remarkable thing happened on the way to the airport. Knowing that I would be spending a disturbingly large amount of my summer on various airplanes, I decided to make the most... Continue Reading →

Can Donnie Yen Bring Kung Fu (Back) to the Star Wars Universe?

  1977 vs. 1978: A Banner Year for Martial Arts Films   Like all good blog posts dealing with popular culture and kung fu, this one starts by assuming the existence of time travel. In a sense this is what... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: “Advance of the Tigers” through Western Eyes

    Introduction   Tigers have long been a symbol of martial values in Chinese culture. Many martial arts styles make use of tiger-based symbolism. This symbolism may reflect the tiger’s long association with the imperial military. Warrior figures wearing... Continue Reading →

Discrepancy in Literacy and Spectatorship: Jet Li – Chinese Masculinity and Transnational Film Stardom by Sabrina Qiong Yu

Here is the latest essay from the Martial Arts Studies journal homepage. Jet Li fans may find this to be especially interesting!

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 10 2015: Trouble at Shaolin, the Philosophy of the Martial Arts and Meeting the Real Mr. Miyagi

  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... Continue Reading →

Guest Post: Grappling with History – Martial Arts in Classical Hollywood Cinema

      Introduction   Upon the gracious invitation from Dr. Judkins, I thought about what I could add to a historical perspective on the martial arts. After considering various topic ideas, I settled on the topic of martial arts... Continue Reading →

Stephen Chan Discusses the Life of Chan Wong Wah Yue: Swordswoman, Militia Member and Grandmother

    Introduction   Within the field of International Relations Stephen Chan (OBE) needs no introduction.  He is a Professor of Global Politics in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. He also served... Continue Reading →

Kung Fu Tea Turns Three! A Quick Look Back

    Happy Birthday! Earlier this week (on July 27th) I got a prompt from WordPress reminding me that it was a special day.  Kung Fu Tea first said "Hello World" three years ago to the day.  This anniversary is... Continue Reading →

Dream Factories: The Silver Screen and the Popularity of Close Range Fighting Styles

  “[…] In contemporary martial arts discourse, the most important distinction to be negotiated is not between the screen and street, but rather between the dojo and the street. Increasingly, in martial arts discourse, it is not the screen that... Continue Reading →

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