A very long while back, we published a 30 minute video on 10 points for controlling the body in Qigong. Over the years, this was one of our most popular DVDs — it is simple, accessible, and provides solid information for any martial artist wanting to understand basic Qigong structure. The information is ageless, but […]
Aug
30
2023
30
2023
Aug
26
2023
26
2023
The Dao of Shipping
Daoist writings (and I liberally paraphrase here) teach us that ‘Nature is not kind.’ This does not mean that Nature is unkind; more like Nature is not a Disney movie. At Plum, we recognize a variation of this wisdom: ‘The post office is not kind.’ In all honesty, the vast majority of what we send […]
Aug
10
2023
10
2023
A Martial Renaissance (再生 — Zaisheng): Xingyiquan, Taijiquan
There is a Renaissance going on in martial arts, and it is not purely physical. We are talking about the quantity of high-quality martial writing in English, which includes translations of Chinese origin. This unexpected level of cogency delights us. We are seeing the maturity of an art, along with the rooting of well-planted seeds […]
Jun
4
2023
4
2023
Our Spring Cleaning Is Your Summer Enjoyment
Is it too late for Spring Cleaning? Hope not, since we expect this next batch of one-offs will take us deeply into Fall. As we’ve said in the past, we end up with a LOT of material that, for whatever reason, we don’t add to our site. The number one reason is that these items […]
Apr
3
2023
3
2023
Qigong Spring
Is it just us, or is there a deficit of spring in this year’s Spring? Well, we’re hoping we can put a little more spring in its step (and yours, too). This Spring, purchase our most popular qigong book, Blossoms in the Spring: A Perfect Method of Qigong, and get the 1 hour instructional DVD […]
Dec
24
2022
24
2022
Boxing Day Sale at Plum!
Here it is! Our Second Annual Boxing Day sale at Plum. OK, we know Boxing Day does not refer to the boxing (拳, Quan) we practice as martial artists. But the name so perfectly lends itself to our purposes, that we borrow it to create a Boxing Day Sale (节礼日特卖, Jiélǐ rì tèmài) for martial […]
May
1
2022
1
2022
Spring Cleaning’s Treasures
OK, so here’s the deal: we already represent Sifu Zhang Guangyu’s excellent series on Yiquan in VCD format, plus we carry an entirely different series of his in DVD format. However, our Spring Cleaning has revealed one set matching the DVD representation of the VCD series (but not the other DVD series). Got that? Well, […]
Feb
6
2022
6
2022
No One Is Perfect: Books That Go Bump In the Shipping
Honestly, considering the amount of shipping we do, both sending and receiving, it is remarkable how few bumped corners we have to report. But things DO go wrong, every once in a while. Take, for instance, a recent order from Taiwan. A few lovelies received minor bruises, hardly anything to rise up over but still, […]
Feb
2
2022
2
2022
A Lucky Red Envelope From Plum
Happy Year of the Water Tiger! You are probably all setting off firecrackers and slurping up your Longevity Noodles, so we won’t keep you. Just wanted to invite you all to stop by, visit Plum and place an order anytime from Thursday, Feb 3 through Monday, Feb 7, and we’ll send you a Lucky Red […]
Dec
25
2021
25
2021
A Different Boxing Day
At Plum, we know that Boxing Day does not celebrate OUR kind of boxing. But it is so perfectly named for martial artists, we thought we would take advantage with a Boxing Day Sale. As a matter of fact, why keep it to only one day? Let;s celebrate with a Boxing Week! 10% off […]
Sep
26
2021
26
2021
Who Doesn’t Love a Price Drop?
Prices are going up EVERYwhere. It is undeniable. So the chance to announce a price reduction brings us real pleasure, and when it is attached to a fine series of products, that makes it all the better. Sifu Donald Hamby has dropped the prices on all of his Hung Gar DVDs to $29.95 each, which […]
Dec
9
2020
9
2020
Dec
1
2020
1
2020
Let The Sales Begin!
Hey, we’ve made it to December! Yes, this has been a tough year, but 2021 is almost here, so let’s celebrate with some discounts. Use coupon code December10 to get a 10% discount on any orders through December 7, and we’ll email you another 10% coupon that you can use in January. Out with the […]
Nov
21
2019
21
2019
Plum Fruits on Facebook
Plum may cast a big shadow in the number of products we represent (almost 4000), the articles and tutorials we write (about 1500, and counting), the videos we produce and share here and on our youtube channel …But as many of you know, there are only really three people operating the lights: Ted Mancuso, Linda […]
Nov
24
2016
24
2016
Who’re You Calling Hurt?
We just refreshed our “Hurt” books section and, boy, do we have a great selection of sale-priced gems–there are about 40 of them! As we’ve said in the past, the title “hurt” is a little misleading, since 99% of these are indistinguishable from new copies of the same title. “Hurts,” in the book industry, are […]
Aug
27
2015
27
2015
Get ‘Em While They’re Hot: Xing Yi and Tai Chi
We’ve added two books to our wonderful “Hurt Book” section: Shang Yun-Xiang XingYiQuan and Classical Wu Style Tai Ji Quan. The excellent Xing Yi text is one we have been carrying, but these are special priced at $12.95 (as opposed to the previously discounted Plum price of $19.95.) The Wu Style book is an old […]
Feb
26
2015
26
2015
Return of the Hurts
The problem with those closets you have filled and would like to forget, like the ones out back or under your staircase, is that they invariably contain treasures. I admit it, we’ve been neglectful with our Hurts books. And we even like this section! Things are no longer amiss, though, since we just finished putting […]
Feb
1
2014
1
2014
Hurt and Discounted Books
Hurt books that really aren’t that hurt, and discounts that ARE discounts… expand your martial library.
