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Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: December 28th 2015: Wing Chun, Taiji and Sanda goes Pro

    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 →

Research Notes on Southern China: Bound Feet, Popular Publishing and a Culture of Consumption

Introduction I have been working on a couple of projects that have taken me away from the blog over the last couple of weeks. One of the more challenging of these has been a review David Faure’s very detailed writings... Continue Reading →

The Political Economy of Southern Kung Fu: Thoughts on the Rise of Regional Identity within the Chinese Martial Arts.

Introduction Classification remains one of our central problems in the study and analysis of the traditional Chinese martial arts.  When thinking about the origin and relationship of these fighting systems most efforts begin with an attempt to create groups of... Continue Reading →

The “Wing Chun Rules of Conduct”: Rediscovering Ip Man’s Original Statement on the Philosophy of the Martial Arts.

(**This article was originally posted under the title "The Wing Chun Jo Fen" in May of 2014.  Co-authorship credit for this post goes to my Sifu, Jon Nielson. This post grew out of a conversation that we had about the... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (16): Capturing the Chinese Martial Arts Before the Camera, 1750-1850.

Introduction One of the most important, though often overlooked, events of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the creation and growth of the "Canton Trade System."  This highly regulated trade, carried out between Chinese and European merchants in... Continue Reading →

Cantonese Popular Culture and the Creation of Wing Chun’s “Opera Rebels.”

Introduction In September of 1850 a Major in the Imperial Army stationed in Guangdong took his own life.  Records indicate that he was older and struggling with a chronic illness.  Given the state of medicine in the middle of the... Continue Reading →

The Story of Ip Man’s Wooden Dummy

Introduction: A Very Brief History of the Wooden Dummy in the Southern Chinese Martial Arts. I have been shopping for a new wooden dummy (Mook Yan Jong).  Obviously Wing Chun has a long and fruitful association with the wooden dummy,... Continue Reading →

Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (7): Li Pei Xian and the Evolution of the Modern Chinese Martial Arts.

  Introduction: Critiquing the Conceptual Coherence of the Martial Arts.  In this installment of the “Lives of the Chinese Martial Artists” series we will be looking at the life and career of Li Pei Xian.  While a regionally important individual... Continue Reading →

The Wing Chun Jo Fen: Norms and the Creation of a Southern Chinese Martial Arts Community.

(**Co-authorship credit for this post goes to my Sifu, Jon Nielson. This post grew out of a conversation that we had about the origins and implications of the Jo Fen almost one year ago.**) Introduction: Defining Community in the Traditional... Continue Reading →

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