Introduction Anyone who has done much reading on the history of the traditional Chinese martial arts will be very familiar with the idea of “lineage politics.” Even the average practitioner, on either side of the Pacific, usually has more than... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Becoming Invulnerable in Southern Mantis Kung Fu The traditional Chinese martial arts are rich in animal symbolism. Tigers, dragons, cranes, snakes and monkeys are common fixtures in the legends and folklore of these systems. Some styles are imitative in... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Anti-Foreignism in Republican Guangdong Students of the traditional Chinese martial arts are frequently reminded that until very recently these systems were “closed” to outsiders. Then, in the wake of Bruce Lee, Kung Fu masters around the world decided... Continue Reading →
Introduction Welcome to our second annual discussion of the top webpages in Chinese martial studies. The purpose of this series is to acknowledge some of the individuals who have made great contributions to our understanding of the traditional martial arts... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Wu Song Beats the Tiger One of the fascinating, yet also frustrating, aspects of Chinese popular culture is the facility with which it generates rich new vocabularies to describe the everyday minutia of life. In some areas, most famously... Continue Reading →
Introduction At first individuals like Sun Lutang, Chan Wah Shun, Mok Kwai Lan, Li Pei Xian and Cheung Lai Chuen would not seem to have much in common aside from their love of the martial arts. Collectively they hail both... Continue Reading →
The impact of the Boxer Uprising was truly global. The political context for the uprising was significantly influenced by national trends. But in the end, the Boxers were really a regional movement. With the exception of a few officially inspired... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Why do we study ephemera? In many respects the study of the history of the traditional martial arts is the study of Chinese popular culture. Sometimes we approach the subject from the perspective of political or military history, and... Continue Reading →
Introduction The first half of the 20th century was a time of rapid transformation for the traditional Chinese martial arts. Early in the era these fighting systems tended to be associated with practical pursuits such as military or militia training,... Continue Reading →
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