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Our Fist is Black: Martial Arts, Black Arts, and Black Power in the 1960s and...
***It is my very great pleasure to present the following guest post by Maryam Aziz. A doctoral student at the University of Michigan, I first had the opportunity to meet her at the 2015 Martial Arts...
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The Exotic, Feminine and Dangerous: How the “Yellow Peril” Set the Stage for...
Vintage Postcard. Yukio Tani demonstrating a flying armbar on William Bankier c.1906. Source: Wikimedia. Introduction The term “Yellow Peril” is something that I do not often see in the martial...
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Prof. Andrea Molle Discusses the State of American Martial Arts Studies and...
Introduction I am happy to announce that a special guest has agreed to drop by Kung Fu Tea for a visit. Andrea Molle is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and a Research Associate at the...
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Martial Values, Social Transformation and the Tu Village Dragon Dance
Feb. 1, 1963: Dragon, manipulated by 40 men, takes part in Chinese New Year parade for the Year of the Rabbit in New Chinatown. Introduction The Spring Festival (or “Chinese New Year”) is now upon...
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Through a Lens Darkly (36): Swords, Lions and the Consumption of Chinese Culture
Lee Fung, “Director of Chinese Lion Dance.” January 23rd, 1941. Source: Vintage newspaper photo. Author’s personal collection. Introduction Happy Lunar New Year! In honor of the holiday I decided to...
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Conference Report: Gender, Martial Arts, Youth Violence and Social...
Muay Thai Kickboxing match. Source: Wikimedia. Conference Report: Martial Arts Studies – Gender Issues in Theory and Practice Brighton University (UK), 5th February 2016 Introduction On February...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: February 15th, 2015: The Business of Kung...
Source: https://sports.vice.com 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...
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Doing Research (2): Choosing a School – Affinity, Danger and Compliance by...
Master Chen Zhonghua and Daniel Mroz playing Tui Shou, Daqingshan, Shandong, China, 2007. Photo by Scot Jorgensen. Introduction Welcome to the second entry in our series of guest posts titled “Doing...
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Approaching the “Armed Martial Arts of Japan”: Thoughts on Comparison, Theory...
Mount Tobisu Dawn Moon, from the 100 Aspects of the Moon by Yoshitoshi (1839 – 1892). Introduction Opportunities come in many forms, even in the guise of a sore throat. Since I have been feeling a...
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Doing Research (3): It’s My Way or the Wu Wei – A Note of Advice for Novice...
Introduction Welcome to the third entry in our series of guest posts titled “Doing Research.” If you missed the first essay by D. S. Farrer (which provides a global overview of the subject), or...
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Through a Lens Darkly (37): Demonstrating the Heroic Spear, Saber and Double...
A photograph (probably 1930s) showing a marketplace martial arts demonstration. Note the Shuang Gau led by the man on the left. Source: The personal collection of Benjamin Judkins Introduction...
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Doing Research (4): I’m Only in It for the Stories
Earl White, chief instructor,Ijo Ija Academy (left), and author (right),Capoeira Batuque, Los Angeles, CA, 2008. Source: http://abcclio.blogspot.com/2010/08/author-guest-post-thomas-green-on.html...
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What are “martial arts,” and why does knowing matter?
The Nine Dragon Wall in the Forbidden City, Beijing. Note that the full beauty of the wall can only be seen if one takes a step back and looks at it from multiple perspectives. Source: Wikimedia....
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Bodhidharma: Historical Fiction, Hyper-Real Religion and Shaolin Kung Fu
A now iconic image of Bodhidharma as imagined by the Japanese Woodblock Artist Yoshitoshi, 1887. Source: Wikimedia. ***For the Friday post we will be revisiting a classic (and very popular) article...
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Chinese Martial Arts in the News: March 14th 2016: Ip Man, Wing Chun and...
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 arts....
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Is Lightsaber Combat a Martial Art? (Episode I)
A meeting of the Golden Gates Knights. Instructor Alain Block (right) leads a class. Source: Associated press, image by Jeff Chiu. ***This is the first half of two part article. However, readers may...
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Five Social Dimensions of Lightsaber Combat as a Martial Art (Episode II)
***This is the second half of our exploration of lightsaber combat as a martial art. Reader who have not yet read Part I are strongly encouraged to do so before going on. In the last essay we...
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Doing Research (5): Lies I Have Told About Martial Artists
Breaking ceramic action figure by Martin Klimas. Source: http://www.whudat.de/exploding-porcelain-action-figures-by-martin-klimas-7-pictures/ Introduction Welcome to the fifth entry in our series...
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Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (16): Yu Chenghui – Realizing Swordsmanship...
Yu Chenghui with one of his painting. While a martial artists he was also an accomplished poet and calligrapher. Source: chinadaily.com.cn Introduction: The Shadow of History None of the short,...
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“What’s your style?”– Bringing the Training Hall to the Lecture Hall
Sumatran Tiger. By Nichollas Harrison – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Introduction: “What’s your style?” A couple of months ago a conversion emerged between a few of my colleagues...
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