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Meeting Ma Yue and the Limits of Description
Ma Yue, demonstrating basic techniques on the first day of the workshop. Source: TPLA. An Unexpected Invitation A friend recently extended an invitation that I couldn’t refuse. A couple of weeks ago...
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Nonviolence and Martial Arts Studies
I have seen this image circulating the internet as a wallpaper, but I believe its original source is here: http://www.nyaikikai.com/ ***One of my goals in creating Kung Fu Tea was to inspire more...
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Judo in Taiwan, 1895-1945: The Dark Side of Martial Arts Politics
Rafu Dojo team at the Southern California Judo Tournament, April 1940. Collection of Yukio Nakamura. Source: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2014/5/2/more-than-a-game-2 Dong Jhy and J. A....
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“Old Sports” in New China – Reporting the 1953 National Exhibition and...
A poster from 1957 showing various Chinese national sports. The Source As part of my ongoing research on the role of the traditional martial arts within the creation of China’s public diplomacy...
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The New Hoplology: Stick, Machete and Whip Fighting in the Caribbean
A Special Issue of Masters magazine. Introduction Masters magazine has just released a free special issue that I think will be of great interest to the readers of Kung Fu Tea. Late last year Prof....
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Martial Arts and Politics: Silat in Defense of Religion and the Malay Nation
Silat at a Malay Wedding. Source: Wikipedia. Lawrence N. Ross. 2017. “Demi Agama, Bangsa dan Negara: Silat Martial Arts and the ‘Third Line’ in Defense of Religion, Race and the Malaysian State.” In...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: March 22, 2019: Kung Fu and its Discontents
Introduction Its been over a month since our last news update, which means that there is no better time to get caught up on recent events! For new readers, this is a semi-regular feature here at...
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Research Note: Kung Fu Diplomacy During the Cultural Revolution
An advertisement for a “revolutionary opera.” Many such shows were staged during the Cultural Revolution. The History of Practice vs. The History of an Idea This post continues an occasional series...
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Subcultures and Neo-Tribes: Contesting the Meaning of Martial Arts
A fictionalized remembrance of Ip Man’s early class photos. Introduction While most of my own writing focuses on the Chinese martial arts, I tend to read rather widely. In part this is simply a...
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Through a Lens Darkly (58): Contesting Wushu
Introduction I recently noted that it is necessary to begin historical discussions by specifying whether we are examining events (or practices) as they actually happened, or the evolution of ideas...
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When Did Wing Chun Become “Intangible Cultural Heritage”?
Ip Chun, Ip Man’s eldest son, at the wooden dummy. Source: SCMP. Social media is rarely surprising. Its popularity derives from administering small doses of reassuring comfort, most of which...
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Research Note: Organizing the Women’s Section of the Jingwu Association, 1920.
Two senior students outside Sage Hall at Yenching University, March 1928. Source: http://findit.library.yale.edu An Unexpected Find It is basically a truism to say that the Western public didn’t know...
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Revisiting Alfred Lister: A Forgotten Observer of the Southern Chinese...
Plate with Dragon and Carp. Qing Dynasty. Walters Art Museum. Source: Wikimedia. ***We have now come to the point in the semester that I call “deadline season.” As such, we will be dipping into...
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Revisiting Alfred Lister: The Noble Art of Self-Defense in China (Part II)
Vintage photography, circa 1860-1900. Photographer unknown. Introduction This is the second half of our two part series on the life and writings of Alfred Lister. A civil servant in Hong Kong during...
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Through a Lens Darkly (59): John S. S. Leong and Southern Kung Fu in 1969.
“It’s Done With Sticks,” Feb. 13, 1969. A Local Newspaper Photograph. Source: Author’s Personal Collection. A Quick Note Last week I noted that I would be taking a short break from blogging to finish...
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Butterfly Swords and Long Poles: A Glimpse into Singapore’s 19th Century...
19th century Chinese painting. This image is part of a larger set that shows scenes of a gentry led militia in training. Note the individual in the foreground with long pointed hudiedao. Special thanks...
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The 19th Century Hudiedao (Butterfly Sword) on Land and Sea
Image taken from a vintage french postcard showing soldiers gambling in Yunnan province. Note that the standing soldier on the left is holding a hudiedao in a reverse grip. Source: Author’s personal...
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Ng Chung So – Looking Beyond the “Three Heroes of Wing Chun”
Gates of the Foshan Ancestral Temple. Photo Credit: Whitney Clayton. Source: Authors Personal Collection. Note: this article originally appeared as a guest post at “Wing Chun Geeks.” Ng Chung So:...
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Zheng Manqing and the “Sick Man of Asia”: Strengthening the Nation through...
Zheng Manqing with sword, possibly on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. Introduction: Zheng Manqing Accepts a Challenge While doing some preliminary historical research on Zheng...
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Research Notes: The Chinese and Japanese Martial Arts as Seen on Western...
“Chinese Reoccupy Great Wall Area.” 1933. Still taken from Vintage Newsreel. ***Greetings! I have spent the last week putting the finishing touches on my keynote for the (fast approaching) 2019...
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