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Kung Fu Tea Selects the “Best” Book of 2016 – And Suggests a Reading List for...
Working class patrons of a stall selling or renting sequentially illustrated martial arts novels. This 1948 AP photo illustrates the importance of heroic martial arts tales in southern China, even for...
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Chinese and European Fight Books: The Value of a Comparative Approach
A print from the Gold Saber Illustrated Manual of Saber Swordsmanship, published in 1725. Posted and translated by Scott M. Rodell. Source: http://steelandcotton.tumblr.com Introduction The Acta...
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Through a Lens Darkly (42): Chinese Martial Arts in the University, 1928
Two senior students outside Sage Hall at Yenching University, March 1928. Source: http://findit.library.yale.edu Introduction At the end of the last class at the “Central Martial Arts Academy”...
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Doing Research (9): The Perils and Pitfalls of Performance Ethnography in the...
Chin Woo crouching tiger quarterstaff stance, Singapore, 2007. Introduction We are fortunate to be able to share the following guest post as part of our ongoing series on fieldwork in martial arts...
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Now Available: Winter 2016 Issue of Martial Arts Studies
We are happy to announce that the Winter 2016 Issue of Martial Arts Studies is now available, free of charge, to any reader or institution. This open source, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary...
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Historic Martial Arts Manuals and the Limits of Authenticity
Illustration from Meyer’s Longsword. Situating the Martial Culture of Shii-cho All of the Jedi I know speak with an accent. A particularly keen observer might notice them as they walk into...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: January 23rd 2017: Global Shaolin, MMA and...
Wong You Kau and students in Hong Kong. Source: Reuters. 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...
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Research Notes: An Account of Kung Fu in Hong Kong’s Theaters during the 1860s.
“Chinese Stage Shows.” Cigarette Card. Source: Digital Collections of the NY Public Library. Introduction I would like to preface the following research note by dedicating it to any of my readers...
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Taoism in Bits
Source: Adam Jones. Creative Commons License. “Taoism in Bits.” A guest post by Paul Bowman [1] ***Xīnnián hǎo. We are fortunate to have a special guest post this week in honor of the Chinese New...
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Defining Wing Chun by What is “Missing”
Ip Man and his best known student, Bruce Lee. An all too Common Conversation Last week my Sifu and I were discussing the public conversation that surrounds Wing Chun. “So this guy was...
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Pilgrimage, Legitimacy and the Shape of the Global Martial Arts Community
Two students of Shaolin Kung Fu Training. Source: Wikimedia. Introduction I recently stumbled across a 1930s English language newspaper, printed by some office within the Japanese government,...
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Recovering Alfred Lister: A Forgotten Observer of the Southern Chinese...
Plate with Dragon and Carp. Qing Dynasty. Walters Art Museum. Source: Wikimedia. ***While never discussed within the Chinese martial studies literature, Alfred Lister may have been the single most...
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An Updated and Revised Social History of the Hudiedao (Butterfly Swords)
Antique hudiedao or “butterfly swords.” These weapons are commonly seen in a number of styles of southern Kung Fu including Choy Li Fut, Hung Gar and Wing Chun. Source: Author’s personal collection....
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Recovering 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 (43): Chinese Amazons and the “Weapons of the Forefathers”
“Back to Weapons of Forefathers in War with Japanese.” Vintage newspaper photograph. June 1937. Source: Author’s private collection. Wonder Woman with a Dadao In China the realm of social...
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Shaolin Kung Fu and the Paradox of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Breaking a ceramic figure by Martin Klimas. Source: http://www.martin-klimas.de/en/index.html Su Xiaoyan. 2016. “Reconstruction of Tradition: Modernity, Tourism and Shaolin Martial Arts in the...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: Feb. 27th 2017: Shaolin, Feiyue Sneakers...
Spring is the season for sharpening your Kung Fu. Source: Shanghai Daily. Welcome to “Chinese Martial Arts in the News.” This is a semi-regular feature here at Kung Fu Tea in which we review media...
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Villains, Guns and Humor: Giving Texture to the Early 19th Century Chinese...
“Muslim Bandits,” Xinjiang, China [c1915] Marc Aurel Stein [restored] Any traveler can attest that detours come in two forms. They all take a little longer, and most offer nothing but delay....
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Roland Barthes and the DNA of Martial Arts Studies
Robert Downey Jr. and Eric Orem working on the wooden dummy. Paul Bowman. 2016. Mythologies of Martial Arts. London and New York: Rowman & Littlefield. 184 pages. Professor Paul Bowman’s...
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Why is Ip Man a Role Model?
Donny Yen reprises his role as Ip Man. Is this “Ip Man” your role model? ***Greetings! I am currently on the road for research. As such, we will be delving into the archives for today’s post....
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