A Recent Find Chinese martial arts themed (or simply adjacent) postcards from the pre-WWII era are not very common. These things certainly existed and circulated, but they are now difficult for most researchers to find. That is one of... Continue Reading →
Romanticizing the Chinese Martial Arts Vintage postcards or other ephemera may be interesting to students of martial arts studies for a variety of reasons. When assessing this material, we are often drawn to photographic images that might... Continue Reading →
The Assignment Interested readers will have to wait a little longer for the article promised in the title. A few months ago I was contacted by an editor for a new ABC-CLIO encyclopedia (on popular culture in Asia)... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Race and the Invisibility of the Chinese Martial Arts There is some debate as to which statesman can rightfully claim the honor of being the “first” American advisor employed by China’s new Republican government.... Continue Reading →
Introduction We all know the story (and those who do not may want to quickly review the most popular version of it here). With the destruction of the Shaolin Temple at the hands of a fearful... Continue Reading →
The Kukri in Three Symbolic Registers As regular readers will know, I have a keen interest in both the history of bladed weapons and vintage postcards. The kukri, a type of fighting knife from... 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 July 20th is the 40th anniversary of the death of Bruce Lee. Prof. Paul Bowman, an expert on both his life and cultural influence, has been kind enough to sit down with us to discuss Lee's continuing significance. ... Continue Reading →
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