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Through a Lens Darkly (8): Butterfly Swords, Dadaos and the Local Militias of...
A studio image of two Chinese soldiers (local braves) produced probably in Hong Kong during the 1850s. Note the hudiedao (butterfly swords) carried by both individuals. The individual on the right...
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Through a Lens Darkly (10): “They have a cannon?” Chinese Martial Arts...
Militiamen with homemade weapons head to the front. Photograph by Sha Fei, 1938-1940. Introduction I recently came across a very interesting photograph. It was taken by the important (if...
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Through a Lens Darkly (13): The Dadao and the Militarization of the Chinese...
Two individuals with dadao posing for a photograph in the 1940s. Source: Original image. Photographer Unknown. Author’s Private Collection. Introduction It is dangerous to make sweeping statements...
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Through a Lens Darkly (15): How Fr. Michel de Maynard Captured Chinese...
“Local Militia Shandong.” The costuming of these martial artists includes religious cues and elements. Perhaps it is meant to evoke the image of the late 19th century uprisings or the White Lotus...
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Through a Lens Darkly (13): The Dadao and the Militarization of the Chinese...
Two individuals with dadao posing for a photograph in the 1940s. Source: Original image. Photographer Unknown. Author’s Private Collection. ***One of the questions that I have been attempting to...
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Tai Hsuan-chih Remembers “The Red Spears, 1916-1949”
A soldier during the 1930s, armed with both a Mauser handgun and dadao. Introduction This is the second entry in our ongoing study of the Red Spear movement in northern China during the first...
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Through a Lens Darkly (35): Chinese Soldiers and the Ring Hilted Dao (Saber)
Chinese Officer and Soldier with Ring Hilted Sabers Today’s post is an early Christmas gift. When I first decided that it would be wise (for research purposes) to collect and catalog images of...
View ArticleResearch Note: China’s Red Spears
The Significance of the Red Spears If one were to ask a group of history students what the most successful Chinese hand combat movement of the early 20thcentury was, my bet is that the conversation...
View ArticleA Social and Visual History of the Dadao: The Chinese “Military Big-Saber”
***Is there any topic more beloved by modern students of Chinese martial arts history than the dadao? I can't think of one. Enjoy!*** Rediscovering the Dadao: A Forgotten Legacy of the Chinese...
View ArticleThrough a Lens Darkly (8): Butterfly Swords, Dadaos and the Local Militias of...
Introduction: The Butterfly Swords and Southern Martial Arts Defend the Nation I recently ran across two photographs that I think students of the southern Chinese martial arts may find very...
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