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Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Chinese Martial Arts

Who Benefits from the Traditional Martial Arts: Public Goods vs. Private Gains

  Introduction   Are the martial arts good?  I think that most people who spend a lot of time practicing any of these systems would reflexively answer “Yes.”  I know that I would.  Fewer of us would pause to ask... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (47): The Sword Shops of Beijing’s Bow and Arrow Street

  Looking over my posts from the last few months I realized that it has been too long since we discussed new (to us) images of the Chinese martial arts.  In this post our friend Sidney Gamble will help to... Continue Reading →

Martial Mythology (1): Yim Wing Chun and the Hero’s Journey

  Introduction For someone who doesn’t read classical Chinese, I spend a lot of time in seminars listening to presentations on ancient texts.  Cornell regularly invites visiting scholars to discuss their work.  While none of these individuals has ever given... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: September 11th, 2017: The Back to School Edition!

  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 column... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: The Big Knife and Ma Liang’s Attempted Comeback

  Given that it is a holiday weekend, I will be keeping this research note brief.  Still, the subject matter is quite interesting.  China’s Republic era dadao, or big knives, generate a good deal of interest among both historians and... Continue Reading →

State, Education and Ma Liang’s New Wushu

  The Nation and the Sword Seki Juroji may be one of the most important pioneers of the traditional Asian martial arts who no one has ever heard of.  Gainty (2013) notes that Seki was a successful farmer and swordsmanship... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 28th, 2017: Dragon Girls, New Books and the Rebirth of the Long Spear

    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 column... Continue Reading →

Chinese “Martial Arts” and the Problem of Presentism

  Introduction   I would like to begin today’s post by noting that Joseph Svinth (whom most of you will already know from his many contributions to Martial Arts Studies) really deserves to be listed as a co-author on this... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: Ma Liang’s 1923 Wushu Tournament and Charity Demonstration

  Introduction   The following research note is part of our ongoing series discussing the career and contribution of Ma Liang (187?-1947).  As I mentioned in the first essay, Ma can legitimately be considered a pioneering figure in the modernization... Continue Reading →

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