Anyone remember that great period on TV when Tat Mau Wong hosted Kung Fu Theater?
May
4
2013
4
2013
Nov
25
2012
25
2012
Martial Arts … and Crafts
For thousands of years the Chinese character has celebrated those arts known as martial. Hundreds of thousands have studied it, written martial novels, performed martial routines in opera, sung brave songs dealing with bandits and heroes, wrote drunken poems about the joys of swordplay, painted contests in open matches and dreamt heroic dreams. A combination [...]
Feb
12
2012
12
2012
Qi Droppings #2: Use Your Qi for Good, Not Evil
Well, Shaolin Grandma was SUCH a success that we are moving on to the next choice video found by Intrepid Video Hunter, Gary Shapiro. This Japanese game show pits QI against Qi, and who comes out the winner is anyone’s guess… Want to share with a friend? embedded by Embedded VideoYouTube Direkt Luckily, Gary [...]
Jan
26
2012
26
2012
Dragon Cards, of course
We rarely sell anything but martial arts videos and book but we were so charmed by Diana’s cards..
Jan
23
2012
23
2012
Qi Droppings: All the Film That’s Fit to View #1
Plum’s intrepid correspondent, Gary Shapiro, scours the web, finding gems and treasures for our mutual entertainment. After receiving numerous links to these fine films, we finally decided we needed to share these with you, and offered to give him his own occasional column. These may not ever make it to a theatre near you, but [...]
Nov
15
2011
15
2011
Fun Stuff: Kung Fu Learns a Few Tricks
The Chinese got some hard lessons in the latter half of the 19th century.
Jul
25
2011
25
2011
Rules for Martial Humans
1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
Nov
6
2010
6
2010
Fun Stuff: The First Bruce
Bruce Tegner, one of the first Kung Fu men…?
Sep
28
2010
28
2010
Halloween Comes Early at Plum
OK, we admit it: sometimes amid the stacks of books to catalogue or translate, the folder of emails to answer, the DVDs and VCDs to review, the new projects to film or write or edit, the back-end machinations to upgrade and improve the site…we just play hooky! But playing hooky when you own a camera [...]
May
3
2010
3
2010
The Other Job
Anyone who has studied martial arts knows that, even if you like it a lot, you should keep your day job.
Nov
27
2009
27
2009
Kung Feud?
Not among the most forgiving: that can only be stated about martial artists. After all, art is long and life is short
Aug
9
2009
9
2009
Swords of Silence !
The story of the role of Secret Socities in everything from revoution to tableware…
Dec
14
2007
14
2007
Old Costumes
We don’t have much choice. Someone’s got to save all those silly faux-kimonos.
Oct
6
2007
6
2007
Coasters of the Tiger & Crane
Some things are so obvious you wonder why you didn’t think of them before. The aching need for a good cork backed spill barrier with …
Nov
4
2006
4
2006
Bagua is not for squares…
We know there are those among you who love to collect tsotskalas with a martial emphasi…
Oct
7
2006
7
2006
Not Just Jiujitsu …
There’s JiuJitsu and then there’s COMMANDO JiuJitsu, private!…
Oct
7
2006
7
2006
Leverage
Here they are, those comic send-away books that will teach you to all the right “tricks”.
Oct
7
2005
7
2005
1500 Years and Thanks!
It’s been at least ten years since Plum really started to gather momentum. We never thought when we started the company it would be so interesting…
Oct
7
2005
7
2005
Tong Wars!
The “benevolent association” was some times that and some times the opposite…
Oct
6
2005
6
2005
The Mysterious Peril from the East
Racism is nothing new. But in the early part of the 20th century it had the face of a super-villian.
Oct
7
2004
7
2004
Stamp Out Bruce Lee!!
Bruce as seen through the eyes of the philatelist…
Oct
7
2004
7
2004
Karate Kung Fu..no wait, by James Y Lee!
One of the earliest books in the field still sports charm…
Oct
7
2004
7
2004
Yawara!
Before Sticky Hands there was just a stick …
Feb
7
2004
7
2004
No, anything but that!
The Fortune Cookie Philosopher of American media drops crumbs of his insights…
Oct
7
2003
7
2003
The Ancestors of the Ninjas: Beware!
The skills of the vagabonds. The Kung Fu ninja connection, no joke…
Oct
6
2003
6
2003
Hopping Ghost Puppet
And why, exactly, do Chinese ghosts hop? The mystery explained…
Jul
19
2003
19
2003
Gun Fu
Like ninjitsu? Like cowboy hats? You’re come to the right teahouse, pard…
Oct
7
2002
7
2002
Tai Chi Nude
NOT a joke. What more can we say?
Oct
6
2002
6
2002
Tai Chi Devil Dragons
There are, gasp, some bad Kung Fu films. And then there’s this…
Oct
7
2001
7
2001
KARATE: Fear No Man!!
Really, how many of us would admit such sources…
