Search

Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

Tag

public diplomacy

Berlin 1936: Chinese Martial Arts on a Global Stage

Introduction The Olympics are once again being hosted by China and the eyes of the world are on Beijing.  Martial arts don't really play any role in the Winter Games, but there seems to be more political discussion surrounding this... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: September 21, 2020: Mulan Struggles, Return of the Guandao, and the Future of Kung Fu Tea

  Introduction It has been over a months since our last news update. For new readers, this is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media stories that mention the traditional fighting arts. In addition... Continue Reading →

Research Note: General Ma Liang’s ‘New Wushu’ Comes to America (1924)

Introduction I am always on the look out for vintage newspaper accounts of Chinese martial arts for my database. While it takes some digging, it is not that difficult to get a sense of what is happening in the English... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: May 22, 2020 – Epidemic, Closure and The Loss of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine

  Introduction It has been way too long since our last news update. We are fortunate to have had such a rich series of guest posts exploring the ways that COVID-19 has impacted both our personal training and the field... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: An Ancient Form of Physical Culture (1955)

  Introduction I have been reviewing every issue of China Reconstructs as part of my ongoing research on how successive governments attempted to use martial arts (and traditional culture more generally) to generate soft power and shape the image of China within... Continue Reading →

Research Notes: The Katana Invades America

    Why is the Katana more popular than the Jian A good friend recently sent me a link for a YouTube video asking why Chinese swords are not as well known in Western popular culture as their Japanese counterparts. ... Continue Reading →

The Top Five Stories that Defined a Decade in the Chinese Martial Arts

  Introduction 2020 is now a few days old, and that means that it’s time to reveal our top picks for the news stories, people and trends that shaped the popular discussion of the Chinese martial arts in the last... Continue Reading →

Contesting Kung Fu’s Soft Power: What Modern Chinese History Can Teach Us About Public and Cultural Diplomacy

  Introduction On May 24th I was asked to deliver the closing keynote address for the 2019 Martial Arts Studies meetings at Chapman University.  A special note of thanks must be extended to both Andrea Molle and Paul Bowman for... Continue Reading →

“Glory Days” and the Twilight of the Guoshu Movement

  ***My last update hinted at a couple of sources that I will be addressing in my upcoming keynote for this years (quickly approaching) martial arts studies conference.  But there is never enough time to get through everything you want... Continue Reading →

Up ↑