Hong Kong Martial Arts, reviewed by Kung Fu Tea

There’s a great book review by Ben Judkins over on Kung Fu Tea of Daniel Miles Amos’ 2021 book Hong Kong Martial Artists: Sociocultural Change from World War II to 2020.

The book sounds excellent and offers first hand experience of the changes in the Hong Kong martial arts scene has gone through over an extended period of years, and as such really pins down the economic and social challenges that traditional Chinese martial arts face in the modern world.

I really liked the opening of the review, because it somehow sums up the message of the whole book in one easy to follow exchange:

“Some years ago, one of my younger brothers married into a Hakka family after moving to Hong Kong to teach.  My sister-in-law finds my interest in the Chinese martial arts fascinating and even admirable.  And she insists that her children should have an opportunity to practice martial arts as well. Yet she did not enroll them in a local Wing Chun class, despite the media buzz around the art. Nor did she seek out one of the traditional Hakka styles from her family’s home village.  Like so many other parents, she placed them in one of the city’s many thriving Tae Kwon Do schools.

I asked her about this once while we were discussing martial arts films and her answer was both blunt and revealing.  “Why would I turn my kids over to some sketchy alcoholic!  Besides, after ten years in Tae Kwon Do you get a black belt and something to put on your resume when applying for University.  What did they give you after 10 years of Wing Chun?”  

Touché.”