Of Pens and Swords: Jin Yong’s Journey
The Loss of Heroes The Chinese martial arts community has lost two giants. The death of Raymond Chow (who was instrumental in jumpstarting Bruce Lee’s martial arts films) and Louis Cha (who wrote...
View ArticlePerformance Ethnography and the Martial Arts Studies Reader
As the indomitable Professor Farnsworth would say, good news everyone! The long anticipated Martial Arts Studies Reader (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018) is now shipping. Weighing in at 244 pages,...
View ArticleThe Last Shall be First: Finding Meaning in the Martial Arts
Barnum’s Daughter I was recently watching the news when I saw a brief segment on “the last” Japanese swordsmith. The whole things is a little overwrought as there are lots of individuals making...
View ArticleSwords, Visuality and the Construction of China
Deciphering an Icon Recently I came across a few of Harrison Forman’s wartime photos, probably taken in the early 1930s, but circulated to newspapers and (re)published in 1938. While his photos of...
View ArticleResearch Notes: Judo’s Triple Transformation in The China Press (1932)
Doing the Homework Students of Martial Arts Studies are the fortunate few. As research areas go, ours is pretty interesting. Yet as I review the literature (even recent publications from big name...
View ArticleBruce Lee: Memory, Philosophy and the Tao of Gung Fu
***I am off visiting family over the holiday weekend, so we are headed back to the archives. Since our (American) readers have just celebrated Thanksgiving, I though it would be appropriate to...
View ArticleWabi-Sabi: Martial Arts in a Warming World
Martial Arts and Politics: The Big Picture The latest (dire) global warming report produced by US government scientists is inspiring conversations everywhere. I overheard a particularly...
View ArticleVarieties of “Tradition”: Work, Play and Leisure in Martial Arts
A Different Kind of Race Horse races are strongholds of pageantry and tradition, but when it comes to medieval texture, few can compare with the Palio di Siena. Oddly, any footage of the event...
View ArticleChinese Martial Arts in the News: Dec 10, 2018: Young Masters, Colorful...
Introduction Its official, holiday madness is upon us. Still, I wanted to comment on some of the more interesting stories that have been floating around. For new readers, this is a semi-regular...
View ArticleBringing Northern Styles South: A Brief History of the Lianguang Guoshu...
Transforming Southern Martial Culture How did Taijiquan, now ubiquitous, establish itself in Southern China? What about the other northern Shaolin systems? I would think that the lion’s share of...
View ArticleLocal Resistance and Guoshu: The Foshan Zhong Yi Martial Arts Athletic...
Guoshu in the Pearl River Delta In a recent post I attempted to move away from the triumphalist rhetoric that accompanies many popular discussions of the Guoshu movement and ask how its...
View ArticleSeasons Greetings!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of Kung Fu Tea’s readers! Thanks so much for your support and feedback over the last seven years. I think that Santa left me one or two martial arts...
View ArticleEvents 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......
View ArticleThe 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...
View ArticleIndividualism, 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...
View ArticleThrough a Lens Darkly (57): The Asian Martial Arts and Modern Primitivism
Introduction My ongoing research on the public diplomacy of the Chinese martial arts has taken a decisive turn. The Second World War is one of those historical calamities that defines an era, and...
View ArticlePlay and Learning in the Martial Arts
The Problem with Play I have always found TED talks to be a mixed bag. Some are wonderful. Others I find vaguely irritating. But the project itself, which seeks to popularize some of the most...
View ArticleMeditations 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......
View ArticleIssue 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...
View ArticleChinese Martial Arts in the News: January 20th 2019: Jingwu, Chinese Armor...
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 Kung...
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