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Local Resistance and Guoshu: The Foshan Zhong Yi Martial Arts Athletic...
The images in this post are taken from Daniel Mak and Alex Jung’s excellent documentary “The Origins of Macau Wing Chun.” Its well worth watching and you can read more about it here. Guoshu in...
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Seasons Greetings!
When not collecting images of the traditional Chinese martial arts, I occasionally hunt for vintage Christmas cards. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of Kung Fu Tea’s readers! Thanks so...
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Events and Trends that Shaped the Chinese Martial Arts in 2018
This is the time of year when it is only natural to pause and reflect on where we have been and what may be coming next. 2018 has been a busy year in the Chinese martial arts. Progress has been in...
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The Martial Arts Studies Reader: 2018’s Essential Book
An Essential Book This is a time of year to sit back and reflect on our achievements and struggles. I suspect that within the broader historical record 2018 will be remembered for its...
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Individualism, Art and Craft: Reading Bruce Lee by the Numbers
Interpreting Bruce Lee We may debate lists of the 20th century’s most influential martial artists,* but when it comes to written texts, there is simply no question. “Liberate Yourself from...
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Through a Lens Darkly (57): The Asian Martial Arts and Modern Primitivism
This advertisement is from the 1970s, but it hits many of the same notes as the one discussed in this post and I love its graphic nature. Introduction My ongoing research on the public diplomacy of...
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Play and Learning in the Martial Arts
Three unidentified children practice Kung Fu near the Shaolin Temple. This newswire photo was taken in 1982 and it captures the first moments of the “Golden Age” of Kung Fu in mainland China. The...
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Wang Ziping and the Early Days of Wushu: Two Important Films
Introduction Wang Ziping (1881-1973) was an iconic figure within the world of the Republican martial arts. Having gained fame through his many feats of strength and public fights, the Muslim...
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Meditations on the Blade, Ultra-Modernity and the Fine Art of Self-Promotion
The Unexpected Giant Some of the essays at Kung Fu Tea are the result of several days of careful research and thinking. This is not going to be one of those pieces. I started out with a great...
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Issue 7 of Martial Arts Studies Now Available: Wing Chun, Collectivism and...
We are happy to announce that the seventh issue of Martial Arts Studies is now freely available. Martial Arts Studies is the premier scholarly source for interdisciplinary work on a wide variety of...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: January 20th 2019: Jingwu, Chinese Armor...
A Chinese historical reenactor in traditionally inspired armor. Source: Sixthtone. Introduction Its been over a month since our last news update, which means that there is no better time to get...
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The Research Expedition: What is the Value of Short Duration Study?
A vintage french postcard showing military uniforms from various Asian countries. Source: Author’s personal collection. A New Hoplology Over the last few weeks I have been thinking quite a bit about...
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Give Me Those Old Time Kung Fu Villains
Introduction Antagonists seem to be the critical ingredient that make the martial arts possible. Yet to understand why that is the case we need to start by unpacking a few things. An immense...
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Research Note: A Visit with the Jingwu Association in 1928
At the moment I am working on a guest editorial project examining Afro-Caribbean and New World martial arts. It will pose a number of interesting questions and I hope to discuss some of these...
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Hawkins Cheung and the Making of Modern Wing Chun History
Regrets As many readers will already know, Master Hawkins Cheung Hok Jin passed away on Sunday February 3rd 2019, in Los Angeles. Within the martial arts community regrets take many forms. One...
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Violence and Peace: Reconsidering the Goals of Martial Arts
Lau Bun (top center) with senior students in his Hung Sing School of Choy Li Fut in San Francisco’s Chinatown, one of the oldest martial arts schools in America. During the summer of 1959, 18-year-old...
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A Short List of Women Who Shaped the Southern Chinese Martial Arts
Introduction Friday morning posts are usually written the day before, and it just so happens that this week’s Thursday falls on Valentine’s Day. That complicates things for reasons that are both...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: February 16th, 2019: All the World’s a Stage
Introduction I hope that everyone enjoyed their Lunar New Year. Its always a time of many public exhibitions and celebrations. They, in turn, generate an uptick in news coverage of local martial...
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Paradoxes of Success in Lightsaber Combat
A competitor at the recent tournament in Paris. AP Photo/Christophe Ena. Lightsabers Go Legit What follows is a meditation on recent events. It is not every day that you sit down, open your phone,...
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From the Journal: Psychological Collectivism in Traditional Martial Arts
Greetings! I am currently traveling for some fieldwork on duanbing (short weapons training). As someone who spends a lot of time researching the Republic era Chinese martial arts, I am excited to...
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