***I am currently in the middle of a more detailed research project, so for this Friday's post we will be looking back into the archives. The following essay was originally posted here at Kung Fu Tea in October of... Continue Reading →
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 →
Introduction: The Martial Arts and National Identity in the Popular Imagination While few people can really claim to be experts in either the history or practice of the martial arts, the last six decades of popular culture have given most... 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 →
Thinking about the Future of Kung Fu There are a number of conversations that seem to reoccur with some frequency in the Chinese martial arts. Recently people have been asking whether the traditional fighting styles can survive in the face... Continue Reading →
Introduction This is the third entry in my short series on the local opera traditions of southern China, particularly as they relate to the development of modern martial culture. The first essay addressed the persistent (but poorly understood) relationship between... 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 →
I found that I could not analyze ritual symbols without studying them in a time series in relation to other “events,” for symbols are essentially involved in social process. I came to see performance of ritual as distinct phases in... Continue Reading →
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