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Looking Forward and Looking Back: The 2017 Martial Arts Studies Conference
The dedicated core who stayed to the end of the Thursday afternoon workshop. Conference Report I recently had the chance to attend (and deliver a keynote at) the 3rd Annual Martial Arts Studies...
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Five Years of Kung Fu Tea: Making Martial Arts Studies Matter
Happy Birthday Attentive readers may have noticed a few changes here at Kung Fu Tea. This blog launched its first post five years ago, on July 27th 2012. Since that point we have published...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 4, 2017: MMA, Shaolin and Wong Jack Man
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...
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The Five Tiger Stick Society: Pilgrimage, Local Religion and the Martial Arts
Daoist priests on Hua Mountain in the 1930s. Source: Photo by Hedda Morrison, Harvard digital archives. An Unexpected Lunch A friend from graduate school called during one of one of those terrible...
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Ma Liang’s “New Wushu:” Modernizing and Militarizing the Traditional Chinese...
Nationalist troops in a trench, Dadaos at the ready. Photo was probably taken sometime in the 1930s. Asking “What if?” Few things are more difficult to research than historical events that did not...
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Research Notes: Ma Liang’s 1923 Wushu Tournament and Charity Demonstration
Introduction The following research note is part of our ongoing series discussing the career and contribution of Ma Liang (187?-1947). As I mentioned in the first essay, Ma can legitimately be...
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How Jiu-Jitsu Became a Traditional German Martial Art
Introduction One of my on-going projects is a co-authored study of Wing Chun’s history (and social meaning) within the German martial arts community. I will admit that in the crush of competing...
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Chinese “Martial Arts” and the Problem of Presentism
Cross Big Knives, early 1930s. By Thomas Handforth. Source: Oregon State University Digital Collections. Introduction I would like to begin today’s post by noting that Joseph Svinth (whom most of...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: August 28th, 2017: Dragon Girls, New Books...
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...
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State, Education and Ma Liang’s New Wushu
The Snake River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. August 2017. Photo by Benjamin Judkins. Given that educational reform is not a very photogenic subject, I have decided to share some images from my recent...
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Research Notes: The Big Knife and Ma Liang’s Attempted Comeback
A captured Chinese dadao being held by a Japanese soldier. Note the unique saw back blade. Source: Author’s Personal Collection. Given that it is a holiday weekend, I will be keeping this research...
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Do Martial Arts Create Just Societies?
For ten years I have been polishing this sword; Its frosty edge has never been put to the test. Now I am holding it and showing it to you, sir: Is there anyone suffering from injustice? -“The...
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Martial Mythology (1): Yim Wing Chun and the Hero’s Journey
Introduction For someone who doesn’t read classical Chinese, I spend a lot of time in seminars listening to presentations on ancient texts. Cornell regularly invites visiting scholars to discuss...
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Through a Lens Darkly (47): The Sword Shops of Beijing’s Bow and Arrow Street
The sign of a shop selling swords in Beijing during the 1920s. Photo by Sidney Gamble. Source: http://beijing.virtualcities.fr/Photos Looking over my posts from the last few months I realized that it...
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Who Benefits from the Traditional Martial Arts: Public Goods vs. Private Gains
A statue in the Taiji series by the Taiwanese artist Ju Ming. Introduction Are the martial arts good? I think that most people who spend a lot of time practicing any of these systems would...
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A 1918 Account of Traditional Martial Arts in the Chinese Labor Corps
THE CHINESE LABOUR CORPS ON THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1916 (Q 8514) A sword display in a Chinese labour camp in Crecy Forest, 27 January 1918. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source:...
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Hand Combat Training as the School of the Nations
The recent attempt to set a record for the largest martial arts demonstration, Photo: China News Service / CFP My schedule over the next four to six weeks is going to be pretty crazy. I have a...
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Fighting Words: Four New Document Finds Reignite Old Debates in Taijiquan...
A recent scene in Beijing as smog clouded the skyline. Source: http://www.aol.com/article/2014/02/25/pollution-hides-beijing-skyline-statues-get-masks/20837579/ Introduction As I mentioned last week,...
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Lau Bun-A Kung Fu Pioneer in America
Lau Bun demonstrating a form in the late 1960s. Source: http://plumblossom.net/ChoyLiFut/laubun.html Introduction Given that this post will be released on Columbus Day, I thought that it might be fun...
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Red Boats of the Cantonese Opera: Economics, Social Structure and Violence...
A watercolor on pith image of a river vessel of the same or a similar type which was eventually adopted for the “Red Boats.” Likely painted in Guangzhou during the mid 19th century. Source: Author’s...
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