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Self defense demonstration on You Asked For It

(Loomis Dean. 1952)

Happy Birthday to Angela Mao!

Of all the people who ever called themselves “the female Bruce Lee,” Angela Mao was the only one who ever seemed worthy of that stupendously grandiose title. After all, even though she played Bruce Lee’s sister in Enter the Dragon, people forget, she was a leading lady in martial arts films before and after that role; that role didn’t make her, it was just a coronation. In fact, her stardom predates Bruce Lee’s. In fact, calling her the female Bruce Lee might be underselling her, as her films actually outperformed Bruce Lee’s in 1972 and 1973.

Even though it was the studio that would later discover Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee (as well as the place where Sammo Hung first directed and produced a film), Golden Harvest’s first movie (made with money laundered from the Chinese Mafia by noted gangster associate Raymond Chow) was The Angry River in 1970 a full two years before Bruce. It was built as a star vehicle around Angela Mao, who they correctly figured would be the next Cheng Pei Pei. In fact, Angry River seems to be the odd movie out in Angela Mao’s filmography, in that she gets a love story, is asked to cry on camera (Angela Mao is notoriously made of stone). It’s seldom seen today, maybe because it’s a Cheng Pei Pei movie that just happens to star Angela Mao. It took her next two films to discover her real identity and screen persona. 

Her two biggest movies were two similar ones released and made closely together in time, a one-two punch: Hapkido, and When Taekwondo Strikes, both 1930s period pieces set in Occupied Korea, Hong Kong/South Korea co-productions (back when very little entertainment was made in South Korea), both of which essentially have the exact same plot: the main character who is a Chinese girl and martial artist caught up in the resistance to the hated Japanese occupiers of Korea, and their gi-wearing karate school enforcers, who are actually spies running operations for the occupation. 

These movies set the basic formula for Angela’s Mao’s films: she was a lady tiger who was fed up and wasn’t going to take it anymore, an all-Chinese girl who represented the presumed Chinese audience, and who got in exotic and beautiful Asian locations. In The Tournament, Angela Mao went to Thailand to challenge the Thai Kickboxers at their own game (the first Thai Boxing themed movie of course, is Cheng Cheh’s Duel of the Fists, which predates it by mere months). In The Himalayan, she was caught among the intrigues of the Himalayan tribes, which is easily her most beautiful movie with the most stunning locations, actually filmed in Tibet and Nepal. Blood Oath, another from her Golden Period, was essentially a remake of Lady Snowblood, and she kills people with scorpions. Finally, Lady Whirlwind gave her her nickname, much like how Madonna is known as the Material Girl. I can’t recommend that one, as it’s one of a few movies she splits top billing.

Angela Mao was who she was because her friends loved her. Yes, of course, she was good friends with Bruce Lee (stories disagree on how “close” and “friendly” they were, if you get my meaning), but it is just amazing to see, in the backgrounds of her movies, stuntmen turned action movie stars like Sammo Hung, Lam Ching-Ying (Mr. Vampire himself) and yes, even Jackie Chan. Blink and you miss him, arguably the most famous human being in Asia, and there he is, a nobody knockaround stuntman right behind Angela Mao, the star. 

Angela Mao very seldom got a love story or boy-friend in her movies. really. She seemed so ferocious, all glares, that it was like the tiger spirit inside of her scared off any love. Either way, nearly all martial arts actresses can be ranked on a continuum of “vulnerability” to “ferociousness,” with some, like Kara Hui, leaning toward vulnerability, Queen Boxer Judy Lee somewhere in the middle, and Angela Mao at the far, ferocious end.  No surprise, there: Angela Mao had a glare that could stop a charging rhino, one that her children said meant “they were in trouble.”

I’m delighted to say that Angela Mao is alive and well. But that was not clear until very recently. You see, at the height of her fame, Angela Mao vanished mysteriously. No one knows what happened to her…until 2016, when the New York Times, researching the fate of the lost Queen of the Kung Fu Movie, reported she was alive and well and running a Chinese restaurant in Queens, hiding in plain sight. 

偃月刀

Unwelcome Encounters

I thought I would share an unfriendly encounter in a marital arts gym in the past, that happens so often it may be familiar to you.

Upon a big move to a new state, I went searching for a new gym to keep practicing Muay Thai. I found a beautiful big gym downtown, full of new equipment, bright shining lights, and dedicated fighters putting in hard work. I instantly signed up, and began working out that day.

I joined a beginners class, even though I knew I had surpassed a beginners level in my training by now. I just wanted to ease myself into this new gym culture, and see what the base teachings were like. It ended up being very enjoyable, I was working up a sweat, learning a different approach to technique, it was so much fun.

Until, a certain portion of class when we started doing partner drills. I had three different partners: a girl a bit younger than me who took her time to learn the moves, a man a bit more experienced that was surprised to see I could keep up with his pace, and an older woman who was clearly a beginner yet made sure to critique my form and be unnecessarily aggressive during our drills.

Now, in combat sport culture it is just etiquette to match your partner's level during practice. There is no need to blast anyone at a lower level than you, and you shouldn't blast anyone at a higher level unless you want it back. Common knowledge right? I have my suspicions that because I was a new member to the gym, and because I was another woman, this older woman felt the need to over perform as a way to 'assert her dominance'.

To me, it just really isn't a classy move. But, I try to see it from all perspectives. We were in a male-dominated setting, so there was already that pressure to 'keep up'. It's something we don't always recognize is happening as women, but sometimes you see internalized misogyny coming out in your, or in this case others', actions.

But, perhaps I also misjudged her too fast. She could just be another dedicated fighter that was just training hard (although I didn't see her go hard on anyone else). And maybe me calling her actions misogynist, is being misogynist myself. It will always be a confusing road to navigate as a women in martial arts, but there is one thing always tell myself to remember.

Rule #1: Respect.

Respect others, respect your environment, and most importantly, respect yourself. With respect guiding your means and motives, you will always find yourself better off. I do not blame this women for her actions, even when they are frustrating in the moment. I respect her for even showing up at all, because it is not an easy thing to do. And eventually, the ego will weaken and that is when true learning begins.

Thanks for reading :)

Fighting for An Equal Society

Women have consistently been at the center of sexual violence. Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion. An estimated 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence from an intimate or non-intimate partner in their lives (UNWomen). Although, these numbers are expected to be severely underestimated on account of only about 20% of victims reporting the assault against them. How do we deal with these overwhelming numbers? In recent years, self-defense, a countermeasure that involves defending oneself’s health from harm, has been the topic of conversation. Women learning to defend themselves has greatly improved their confidence in their ability to protect themselves. The only problem is, men might try to take this away from them too. Feminist self-defense, or the ability to practice self-defense without any prejudice towards the sexes, is the way to combat this issue. When practiced correctly, self-defense is an important and useful tool in preventing sexual violence.

Muay Thai is a stand-up combat sport that focuses on striking and clinching techniques. It is often referred to as, “the art of of eight limbs” as it utilizes fists, elbows, knees and shins. About three years ago, I joined a Muay Thai gym for the first time. At first, I was intimated by the motions I was put through, but I decided to stick with it. Now, I recognize it as the main reason for my overall confidence, skills, and even happiness. Although, not as many are lucky enough to have an experience like mine. Professor Caroline Heldman, who specializes in race, gender and media in the American context, talks on her experience joining a Jiu-Jitsu gym for the first time. She writes, “...it became clear that all of the instructors viewed women as second-class martial artists, and they fostered this culture in the studio. Male students would routinely line up in front of female students who had been training longer, signaling that the women in class were not “real” martial artists. There were lots of women in the lower ranks, but no female instructors, which means women leave after a few years of training." Many times martial art gym members find themselves in situations where their gym is run by male coaches that tend to abuse their authority. They see women and second-class students, and will either choose to only partner them with other women or focus on coaching only the male students, because they take it more ‘seriously’. In the case of self-defense, this practice only belittles women and contributes to a male-dominant power-dynamic. A respectable gym, like mine, disregards any gender stereotypes and teaches the art of combat to anyone willing to learn. Students are paired based on their skill level, everyone is included, and receives the same treatment. This environment effectively practices feminist self-defense by correctly evaluating a students’ skill level to one another, and works on improving confidence on their ability, rather than demeaning them to a gender-based training. As Heldman puts it, “The key to unlocking the benefits of martial arts is to first find a good studio, one that is inclusive in terms of gender, race, ability, and other marginalized identities."

If you are new to self-defense or any type of martial arts, these are things to consider when picking the right gym for you. So long has these teachings been dominated by men, but it is important to not let any misogynistic behavior slide in your training environment. This practice is for you, and you only so do not let others take it away from you.

Have a safe week, come back for more updates! :)

Tiger Kung Fu 

偃月刀

Happy Birthday to Angela Mao!

Of all the people who ever called themselves “the female Bruce Lee,” Angela Mao was the only one who ever seemed worthy of that stupendously grandiose title. After all, even though she played Bruce Lee’s sister in Enter the Dragon, people forget, she was a leading lady in martial arts films before and after that role; that role didn’t make her, it was just a coronation. In fact, her stardom predates Bruce Lee’s. In fact, calling her the female Bruce Lee might be underselling her, as her films actually outperformed Bruce Lee’s in 1972 and 1973.

Even though it was the studio that would later discover Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee (as well as the place where Sammo Hung first directed and produced a film), Golden Harvest’s first movie (made with money laundered from the Chinese Mafia by noted gangster associate Raymond Chow) was The Angry River in 1970 a full two years before Bruce. It was built as a star vehicle around Angela Mao, who they correctly figured would be the next Cheng Pei Pei. In fact, Angry River seems to be the odd movie out in Angela Mao’s filmography, in that she gets a love story, is asked to cry on camera (Angela Mao is notoriously made of stone). It’s seldom seen today, maybe because it’s a Cheng Pei Pei movie that just happens to star Angela Mao. It took her next two films to discover her real identity and screen persona. 

Her two biggest movies were two similar ones released and made closely together in time, a one-two punch: Hapkido, and When Taekwondo Strikes, both 1930s period pieces set in Occupied Korea, Hong Kong/South Korea co-productions (back when very little entertainment was made in South Korea), both of which essentially have the exact same plot: the main character who is a Chinese girl and martial artist caught up in the resistance to the hated Japanese occupiers of Korea, and their gi-wearing karate school enforcers, who are actually spies running operations for the occupation. 

These movies set the basic formula for Angela’s Mao’s films: she was a lady tiger who was fed up and wasn’t going to take it anymore, an all-Chinese girl who represented the presumed Chinese audience, and who got in exotic and beautiful Asian locations. In The Tournament, Angela Mao went to Thailand to challenge the Thai Kickboxers at their own game (the first Thai Boxing themed movie of course, is Cheng Cheh’s Duel of the Fists, which predates it by mere months). In The Himalayan, she was caught among the intrigues of the Himalayan tribes, which is easily her most beautiful movie with the most stunning locations, actually filmed in Tibet and Nepal. Blood Oath, another from her Golden Period, was essentially a remake of Lady Snowblood, and she kills people with scorpions. Finally, Lady Whirlwind gave her her nickname, much like how Madonna is known as the Material Girl. I can’t recommend that one, as it’s one of a few movies she splits top billing.

Angela Mao was who she was because her friends loved her. Yes, of course, she was good friends with Bruce Lee (stories disagree on how “close” and “friendly” they were, if you get my meaning), but it is just amazing to see, in the backgrounds of her movies, stuntmen turned action movie stars like Sammo Hung, Lam Ching-Ying (Mr. Vampire himself) and yes, even Jackie Chan. Blink and you miss him, arguably the most famous human being in Asia, and there he is, a nobody knockaround stuntman right behind Angela Mao, the star. 

Angela Mao very seldom got a love story or boy-friend in her movies. really. She seemed so ferocious, all glares, that it was like the tiger spirit inside of her scared off any love. Either way, nearly all martial arts actresses can be ranked on a continuum of “vulnerability” to “ferociousness,” with some, like Kara Hui, leaning toward vulnerability, Queen Boxer Judy Lee somewhere in the middle, and Angela Mao at the far, ferocious end.  No surprise, there: Angela Mao had a glare that could stop a charging rhino, one that her children said meant “they were in trouble.”

I’m delighted to say that Angela Mao is alive and well. But that was not clear until very recently. You see, at the height of her fame, Angela Mao vanished mysteriously. No one knows what happened to her…until 2016, when the New York Times, researching the fate of the lost Queen of the Kung Fu Movie, reported she was alive and well and running a Chinese restaurant in Queens, hiding in plain sight.