Introduction “Chinese Martial Arts in the News” is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea. In these posts I attempt to round-up and briefly discuss the major stories affecting the Chinese hand combat systems. I always pay special attention... 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 →
***I am very happy to welcome Rob Argent back to Kung Fu Tea. This is the second post in his ongoing series introducing some of the essential Kung Fu films which have helped to define the genera. In his previous... Continue Reading →
Introduction No subject has been more romanticized among students of Guangdong’s martial arts (and Wing Chun practitioners in particular) than the “Red Boat” companies of the Cantonese regional opera tradition. Late 19th and early 20th century martial arts folklore claimed... 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 →
Introduction "Chinese Martial Arts in the News" is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea. In these posts I attempt to round-up and briefly discuss the major stories affecting the world of the traditional Chinese fighting systems. I always... Continue Reading →
By Rob Argent ***I am very happy to welcome Rob Argent back to Kung Fu Tea. Rob's first guest post was a study of the martial arts in video games which he contributed to the 2013 Web Symposium on Chinese... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Informants and the Problem of Reliability The study of the traditional martial arts has tended to rely rather heavily on interviews with “participant informants.” Cultivating relationships with informants and learning about their worldview consumes much of a... Continue Reading →
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