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Kung Fu Tea

Martial Arts History, Wing Chun and Chinese Martial Studies.

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Wushu

Rituals of the Red Spear Movement: Invulnerability, Spirit Possession and Battle Magic

      ***This is the third entry in our occasional series on the Red Spear movement.  For the first two parts of this project see here and here.***     Introduction   The Red Spears are a forgotten moment... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (27): The Historical Record and China’s Missing Martial Artists

      Introduction   This occasional series of posts is dedicated to the display and discussion of vintage images of the Chinese martial arts. While occupying an important place in popular culture, the martial arts were traditionally associated with... Continue Reading →

Why is Ip Man a Role Model?

      Introduction: A Question from a Reader     The title (and subject) of today’s post is borrowed from a google query that brought a reader to this blog last week. WordPress has an incentive to encourage writers... Continue Reading →

Tai Hsuan-chih Remembers “The Red Spears, 1916-1949”

    Introduction   This is the second entry in our ongoing study of the Red Spear movement in northern China during the first half of the twentieth century. For a brief overview of the origins of this movement and... Continue Reading →

Chinese Martial Arts in the News: September 29th, 2014: Protests in Hong Kong, Cotton Boxing in Shanghai and Trouble at Shaolin

  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 the traditional fighting arts.  In addition to discussing... Continue Reading →

1928: The Danger of Telling a Single Story about the Chinese Martial Arts

        1928: What Happened in the World of Kung Fu?   -The Central Guoshu Institute was established by the Nationalist (KMT) government and subsequently held its first national martial arts tournament in Beijing.   -Cheung Lai Chuen... Continue Reading →

The Red Spear Society: Origins of a Northern Chinese Martial Arts Uprising

    Introducing the Red Spear Movement     There can be no doubt that Chinese martial studies has made substantial strides in the last decade. Still, to understand the nature and direction of this research area it is important... Continue Reading →

Through a Lens Darkly (26): Taking a Second Look at “A Group of Chinese Boxers”

    A Second Look at a Rare Photograph   It would be an understatement to say that period photographs of Qing-era martial arts activities are rare.  For a variety of reasons these themes were less popular with both western... Continue Reading →

Kung Fu is Dead, Long Live Kung Fu: The Martial Arts as Voluntary Associations in 20th Century Guangzhou

  Introduction   Daniel M. Amos is one of the less appreciated, but more important, voices in the academic study of the southern Chinese martial arts. In 1983 he deposited a doctoral dissertation at the University of California, Los Angeles,... Continue Reading →

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