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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Star Wars

A Year in the Chinese Martial Arts: How the Chinese Martial Arts Amazed and Surprised Us in 2016

      Happy New Year! New Years is always a good time to sit back and reflect on recent events.  Of course it is hard not to note that public opinion on 2016 (at least here in the United... Continue Reading →

Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Lightsaber: Fetishism and Material Culture in Martial Arts Studies

  “The lightsaber has become an important touchstone, both within the films and within our culture…They serve as a source of identification and identity.  They are the ultimate commodity: a nonexistent object whose replicas sell for hundreds of dollars.  This... Continue Reading →

Star Wars: An American Martial Arts Film Franchise?

      “When there is a fake—hippopotamus, dinosaur, sea serpent—it is not so much because it would not be possible to have the real equivalent, but because the public is meant to admire the perfection of the fake and... Continue Reading →

Five Social Dimensions of Lightsaber Combat as a Martial Art (Episode II)

***This is the second half of our exploration of lightsaber combat as a martial art.  Reader who have not yet read Part I are strongly encouraged to do so before going on. In the last essay we considering some of... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 31, 2015: Masculinity, a Tiger General and the Forgotten Kung Fu Village

    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... Continue Reading →

Can Donnie Yen Bring Kung Fu (Back) to the Star Wars Universe?

  1977 vs. 1978: A Banner Year for Martial Arts Films   Like all good blog posts dealing with popular culture and kung fu, this one starts by assuming the existence of time travel. In a sense this is what... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: July 13, 2015: The Passing of Yu Chenghui and the Birth of a Chinese Jedi?

      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... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: July 1, 2013: New Documentaries, “Enter the Dragon” Turns 40 and Ip Man Comes out on Top.

Introduction Welcome to another edition of Chinese Martial Arts in the news.  This is a semi-regular feature in which we review a roundup of media stories dealing with the martial arts over the last three to four weeks.  We try... Continue Reading →

How Yoda Helped to Invent Kung Fu: Star Wars and the Martial Arts in the Western Imagination.

Introduction: The only Star Wars post on WordPress this week not about Disney or Lukas. Admit it, you have all done it.  At one point or another each of you has looked at your Sifu or Sensei and thought “Its... Continue Reading →

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