In this episode we examine the Chen family’s relationship with General Yuan Shikai, the friction between modernising and conservative factions within China and the events of the Boxer Rebellion.
In this episode we look at the events surrounding Yang Luchan’s expulsion from the imperial service in 1861 in the context of the rise to power of Empress Dowager Cixi. We also examine how the involvement of the western powers in Chinese affairs directly led to the Self Strenghtening Movement and the establishment of the first public martial arts schools in North China.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/54-the-tai-chi-myth-part-4-the-fall-and-
In this episode we look at how the effects of the Taiping Northern Expedition and the Nian Rebellion of the mid-Nineteenth Century drew the Confucian Wu brothers and the fighters of Chen Village towards each other for the first time.
In this episode we examine the context in which the relationship between Yang Luchan, Wu Chengqing and Wu Yuxiang developed during the years of the Taiping Rebellion and the new regime of Emperor Xianfeng.
Did Tai Chi exist before 1850? In this episode we begin a new series of episodes on this subject by setting the scene and historical background to the mythmaking around the origins of Tai Chi that occurred starting from the middle of the Nineteenth Century in response to social turmoil and unrest exemplified by the Taiping Rebellion and Opium Wars.
Our review of the John-Claude Van Damme and John Woo movie Hard Target. We talk about the role of hunting in human society, and the influence of the Miasma on human collaboration and mutual support (or lack thereof).
Returning to our series on Genesis, we examine the supposed events surrounding Cain and Abel, and their social context in the ancient civilisations of ancient Mesopotamia. Link.
We turn our attention to the Fall of the Song, and examine the posthumous influence of the military legacy of the three great generals, Yue, Han and Zhang, on drawing out the final demise of the Dynasty.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/48-xing-yi-part-11-the-fall-of-the-song
In this episode we discuss the article “Make Xing Yi Wild Again” from Graham Barlow’s Tai Chi Notebook, touching on subjects like rewilding, degrowth and shamanic practice.
Looking for something to watch to in these dark times? How about a dark movie!
This episode we head to the movies with the Heretics’ review of The Art of Self-Defense, a 2019 film starring Jesse Eisenberg.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/the-art-of-self-defense-movie-review