Once again, Sifu Don Hamby has indeed “gathered the masters” in the 4th exhibition of long-studied and highly trained lovers of Chinese martial arts. Watching the skills displayed we are reminded of the power and beauty in this vast art. This well-attended showcase in Monterey Park (Los Angeles), sponsored by the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts […]
Jul
8
2019
8
2019
Jun
7
2019
7
2019
Jun
6
2019
6
2019
Back in Stock: Sun Zhi Jun
We know you are supposed to love all your children books equally, but some you just love a little more. And Cheng Bagua stylist Sun Zhi Jun’s masterpiece, “You Shen Ba Gua Lian Huan Zhang” (Swimming Body Bagua Linked Fist) is one of those. What’s not to love? It is a complete illustrated English language […]
May
26
2019
26
2019
Jiang Rongqiao’s Bagua Zhang—Now in English AND Chinese
Andrea Falk is doing wonderful translations. Actually, she has been doing wonderful translations for a long time, but now she is going back, revising and improving on some of her earlier works to make them even better. We are still awaiting the massive expansion and rewrite of her earlier Wushu dictionary (this one promises to […]
May
4
2019
4
2019
Liang Zhen Pu, Together Again
As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we are in the process of republishing several out of print titles, and the first one has arrived: Liang Zhen Pu Eight Diagram Palm, by Li Zi Ming, compiled by Vince Black. This authoratative book was written by Li, the last living representative of the third generation […]
May
2
2019
2
2019
Apr
23
2019
23
2019
Vince Black on Li Zi Ming’s Bagua Zhang
One of our favorite items at Plum is the Pa Kua Chang Journal CD, containing the entire 38-issue run of more than 1,000 pages. The original journal, published by Dan Miller, is a treasure for the martial and Bagua community. In many cases entire issues are devoted to a single topic, and contain interviews with […]
Dec
18
2018
18
2018
The Dragon in Bagua Zhang
One of Plum’s longtime favorite and recommended books is Tom Bisio’s “Essentials of Bagua Zhang.” Below is an excerpt dealing with his view of the Dragon’s influence on one of China’s greatest masterworks in the world of martial arts. You get an actual ‘two-for-the-price-of-one’ in the passage below, in that Bisio himself quotes Francois Jullien […]
Aug
30
2018
30
2018
Help Us Help You
We got an email from a kind customer, who wanted to alert us to the fact that a link he was clicking did not bring up the intended information. After a few minutes’ investigation, I would say he was putting it mildly: we had provided clips—many clips!—for each of the DVDs in China’s Living Treasures […]
Jul
11
2018
11
2018
Celebrating Skill and Friendship
Last week, we wrote about Sifu Donald Hamby’s Gathering of the Masters kung fu exhibition, showcasing some of the best traditional kung fu teachers and performers. This week, we have some video footage that we shot while there. These three videos feature a smapling of the rare and unique forms we saw there—many of which […]
Jun
27
2018
27
2018
A Gathering Indeed
Friday, we drove south, over 350 miles to Monterey Park, in Los Angeles, in answer to Sifu Don Hamby’s invitation to attend his 3rd Annual Kung Fu Gathering of the Masters. Despite expectations based on decades of tournaments and events, we could not have anticipated what we encountered once the drumming started. Sifu Hamby, widely […]
Apr
15
2018
15
2018
Jan
25
2018
25
2018
Tony Yang & Bajiquan: A Repeat Appearance
Just a quick note to say we are now stocked, once again, on Sifu Tony Yang’s elusive 2 part DVD on Bajiquan. Yang Sifu studied Bajiquan in the Wutan tradition with Grandmaster Liu Yun Chiao, in Taiwan, and has been teaching this for many years. If you’ve been waiting, get them while they are here! […]
Dec
29
2017
29
2017
Aug
13
2017
13
2017
Jul
14
2017
14
2017
Major New Bagua book
I’ll be honest with you: I have not yet finished Andrea Falk’s new book, “A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms: The 36 and 48 Traditional Verses of Baguazhang,” but we were so excited about the book we wanted to announce it as soon as we received copies. I can’t imagine anyone interested in Bagua not wanting […]
Nov
8
2016
8
2016
Oct
7
2016
7
2016
This Is How Bagua Is Done
There are two ways to make a DVD, irrespective of a particular style. The first way is to follow your style’s structure: warm ups, basics, form and sampled applications. The second way, less common, is to offer, derived from your style, skills that might be universally helpful to appropriate seekers. Imagine a Long Fist practice […]
Jul
1
2016
1
2016
Thinking in Circles? Try Bagua!
Already wondering what you are going to do with those lazy days of summer? For those in our area (Santa Cruz, California) how about joining us for 4 classes on Bagua Zhang (Saturday, July 9 – 30, 11:00 – 12:30)? This course will focus on the core movements, routines, and principles of this great and […]
Sep
7
2015
7
2015
George Xu on Power and such
Three more DVDs from the latest workshop with George Xu, who seems an almost endless source of new ways to invigorate your study while nudging you gently toward higher skills. In this case the intriguing thing is that we have three levels of practice and George Xu is able to distinguish their complexity and […]
