#71 Xing Yi (part 13) The Water Chestnut Mirror
This episode explores the connection between the martial arts of the great Song generals’ tradition and Chinese theatre, which was emerged during the height of the Yuan Dynasty.
Tag: china
#70 Xing Yi (part 12) Rocks and Bamboo
We pick up our series on Xing Yi with a new dynasty, the Yuan, examining the social changes that Mongol rule brought to China and their implications for the martial arts through the lens of the artwork of the period.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9404101/70-xing-yi-part-12-rocks-and-bamboo
#65 Baguazhang
Why is Baguazhang so strange? What does it have to do with Mongolia? In this episode we have a chat about this very unusual martial art, often considered a sister art to Xing Yi and Tai Chi.
#54 The Tai Chi Myth (part 4) The Fall and Rise of Yang Luchan
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-
#53 The Tai Chi Myth (part 3) Wu and Chen First Contact
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.
#52 The Tai Chi Myth (part 2) Tai Chi as a Brand
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.
The myth of Tai Chi Chuan
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.
#37 XingYi Part 9
In this episode we discuss the role of General Zhang Jun in the survival of Yue Fei’s tradition, as well as in the survival of members of Yue Fei’s extended family. We also discuss how Zhang Jun managed to protect himself from the purges carried out by Qin Hui.
#26 The Nestorian Christian Heresy and the Women who ran the Mongol Empire (Kublai Khan pt. 1)
Two powerful women, one a christian of the Nestorian Heresy, ran the Mongol Empire in the years before Kublai and his elder brother Mongke became Great Khans.
Listen to “#26 The Nestorian Christian Heresy and the Women who ran the Mongol Empire (Kublai Khan pt. 1)” on Spreaker.Patrons-only episode: ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ review
Damon and Graham dedicated a whole episode to reviewing the classic Wuxia film, which has cropped up a number of times previously on the podcast. We finally get to the root of why Damon doesn’t like the film and find out a little bit more about the original novel the movie is based on and the birth of Communism in China.