Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century by Peter Lorge
A new book on CMA history:
Quote:
"In the global world of the twenty-first century, martial arts are practiced for self-defense and sporting purposes only. However, for thousands of years, they were a central feature of military practice in China and essential for the smooth functioning of society. Individuals who were adept in using weapons were highly regarded, not simply as warriors but also as tacticians and performers. This book, which opens with an intriguing account of the very first female martial artist, charts the history of combat and fighting techniques in China from the Bronze Age to the present. This broad panorama affords fascinating glimpses into the transformation of martial skills, techniques, and weaponry against the background of Chinese history, the rise and fall of empires, their governments, and their armies. Quotations from literature and poetry, and the stories of individual warriors, infuse the narrative, offering personal reflections on prowess in the battlefield and techniques of engagement. This is an engaging and readable introduction to the authentic history of Chinese martial arts."
http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Martia...der_B006H3TR62
Cheers,
William
Looking forward to this one
It's by Peter Lorge, a history scholar from Vanderbilt. Published by Cambridge.
Rookie Mistake: Not ge but yue
It looks like an interesting book but the illustration of the axe head he refers to as 'ge' in the sample chapter is actually a 'yue'. The ge is quite different in shape but both are found archaeologically in the Shang dynasty. The yue is quite rare in the Zhou dynasty but the ge continues up through the Warring States period.
(The oracle bone character of the ge makes up part of the character we know as wu; martial.)