A History of Shaolin

A History of Shaolin
Author: Lu Zhouxiang
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2019-03-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0429537212

Shaolin Monastery at Mount Song is considered the epicentre of the Chan school of Buddhism. It is also well known for its martial arts tradition and has long been regarded as a special cultural heritage site and an important symbol of the Chinese nation. This book is the first scholarly work in English to comprehensively examine the full history of Shaolin Monastery from 496 to 2016. More importantly, it offers a clear grasp of the origins and development of Chan Buddhism through an examination of Shaolin, and highlights the role of Shaolin and Shaolin kung fu in the construction of a national identity among the Chinese people in the past two centuries.

Shaolin Tiger

Shaolin Tiger
Author: Sandy Fussell
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2011
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763657026

Sensei Ki-Yaga leads the disabled samurai-in-training of the Cockroach Ryu across the Sea of Japan to China, where they study the ways of the Shaolin monks before facing Qing-Shen, a skilled soldier seeking revenge against his former teacher, the Sensei.

Paper Swordsmen

Paper Swordsmen
Author: John Christopher Hamm
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780824827632

The martial arts novel is one of the most distinctive and widely-read forms of modern Chinese fiction. John Christopher Hamm offers the first in-depth English-language study of this fascinating and influential genre, focusing on the work of its undisputed twentieth-century master, Jin Yong.

Infinite Kung Fu

Infinite Kung Fu
Author: Kagan McLeod
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Total Pages: 468
Release: 2011
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1603091211

One of YALSA's Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens! Named one of the best graphic novels of the year by Publishers Weekly, Heeb Magazine, io9, CNN, Comic Book Resources, Complex, USA Today, Forbidden Planet International, IFC, ComicsAlliance, Paste, and Graphic Novel Reporter! "Pure awesome. From ôber-violent kung fu fight sequences and zombie stalkers, to blood-drenched battles among armies and supernatural beings, this book is a testament to just how cool a well-drawn and well-written martial-arts action epic can be. If you pick up only one comic book or graphic novel... let this be the one."-- USA Today "Over 450 pages of stunningly choreographed fight scenes of epic imagination. Kagan McLeod is a master cartoonist."-- CNN GeekOut "The best elements of horror, Westerns, and of course, kung fu films are seamlessly interlaced to tell a highly imaginative tale. You couldn't sandblast the smile from my face as I read this."-- Ain't It Cool News "INFINITE KUNG FU is glorious and deranged in the way that all comics should be."-- Warren Ellis, author of Transmetropolitan, Red, and Crooked Little Vein "The great strength of this graphic novel is its originality, but equally impressive are McLeod's extraordinary illustrations and compelling narrative."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Stunningly gorgeous... McLeod's unique brand of comic book wizardry practically oozes out of every panel as his art delivers animated stylings with a hip-hop flavor."-- Complex "All of that buzz and hype was completely on the money... It's like the best kung-fu movie you've ever seen, unimpaired by time or budget constraints."-- Comic Book Resources "A kung fu epic for people who don't buy into the kung fu cult."-- Royal Flush Infinite Kung Fu walks you through familiar corridors in the house of martial mayhem, but dares to take you where kung fu is afraid to go! The Martial World is ruled by a mysterious emperor whose kung fu armies are each headed by a cruel and highly skilled master. Here, where the way of the fist is a way of life, ex-soldier Yang Lei Kung must infiltrate the emperor's forces and stop him from destroying all life on the planet. Allegiances are blurred as techniques are perfected, and Lei Kung becomes less certain who's friend and who's foe in each chapter! Fists fly, limbs are lost and blood vessels burst in this tale of furious rivals, supernatural masters, walking corpses, and above all, raging kung fu!

Heroes in the Troubled Times

Heroes in the Troubled Times
Author: Xiefeng Guimei
Publisher: Funstory
Total Pages: 1853
Release: 2019-10-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 164677082X

There was a bright moon three feet above his head, and an azure dragon embroidered on his sleeves. Riding a horse with a sword, indulging in unbridled pleasures, roaming the Jianghu with his lover.

Shaolin Brew

Shaolin Brew
Author: Troy D. Smith
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2024-06-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1496851692

Shaolin Brew: Race, Comics, and the Evolution of the Superhero looks at how the comic book industry developed from a white perspective and how minority characters were and are viewed through a stereotypical white gaze. Further, the book explores how voices of color have launched a shift in the industry, taking nonwhite characters who were originally viewed through a white lens and situating them outside the framework of whiteness. The financial success of Blaxploitation and Kung Fu films in the early 1970s led to major comics publishers creating, for the first time, Black and Asian superhero characters who headlined their own comics. The introduction of Black and Asian main characters, who previously only served as guest stars or sidekicks, launched a new kind of engagement between comics companies and minority characters and readers. However, scripted as they were by white writers, these characters were mired in stereotypes. Author Troy D. Smith focuses on Asian, Black, and Latinx representation in the comic industry and how it has evolved over the years. Smith explores topics that include Orientalism, whitewashing, Black respectability politics, the model minority myth, and political controversies facing fandoms. In particular, Smith examines how fans take the superheroes they grew up with—such as Luke Cage, Black Lightning, and Shang Chi—and turn them into the characters they wished they had as children. Shaolin Brew delves into the efforts of fans of color who urged creators to make these characters more realistic. This refining process increased as more writers and artists of color broke into the industry, bringing their own perspectives to the characters. As many of these characters transitioned from page to screen, a new generation of writers, artists, and readers have cooperated to evolve one-dimensional stereotypes into multifaceted, dynamic heroes.

Worldly Desires

Worldly Desires
Author: Brian Hu
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2018-09-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1474428479

Explores how internet use empowers Arab citizens.

Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes

Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes
Author: Douglas E. Cowan
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2019-02-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0520967275

Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes looks at fantasy film, television, and participative culture as evidence of our ongoing need for a mythic vision—for stories larger than ourselves into which we write ourselves and through which we can become the heroes of our own story. Why do we tell and retell the same stories over and over when we know they can’t possibly be true? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because pop culture has run out of good ideas. Rather, it is precisely because these stories are so fantastic, some resonating so deeply that we elevate them to the status of religion. Illuminating everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Dungeons and Dragons, and from Drunken Master to Mad Max, Douglas E. Cowan offers a modern manifesto for why and how mythology remains a vital force today.

A Heart Divided

A Heart Divided
Author: Jin Yong
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 520
Release: 2021-08-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250220653

A Heart Divided is the fourth and final volume in Jin Yong’s high stakes, tension-filled epic Legends of the Condor Heroes, where kung fu is magic, kingdoms vie for power and the battle to become the ultimate kung fu master unfolds. China: 1200 A.D. Guo Jing and Lotus have escaped Qiu Qianren’s stronghold, but at a steep price: Lotus has been mortally wounded. The only one who could save her life is Duan, King of the South, a man skilled and renowned for his healing. But little do they know that danger awaits, including a plan to tear them apart. As the Mongol armies descend on China, Guo Jing will have to make the toughest decision of all—rejoin the people who raised him to avenge his father or fight against his homeland. The ultimate battle for China and Guo Jing’s future plays out in the sweeping, high stakes adventure of A Heart Divided, where one choice can change the world.

Films of Fury

Films of Fury
Author: Ric Meyers
Publisher: Eirini Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2011-03-22
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780979998942

From Bruce Lee to James Bond, Jackie Chan to Jet Li, Enter the Dragon to Kung Fu Panda, kung fu films remain a thrilling part of movie-lovers' lives. Now the acknowledged pioneer in the genre presents his magnum opus on the subject, incorporating information and revelations never before seen in America. From the ancient Peking Opera origins to its superhero-powered future, Ric Meyers reveals the loony, the legendary, and everything in between. This vivid, action-packed book may delight, surprise, fascinate, and even enlighten you with a personal V.I.P. tour through the wondrous world of the most ridiculously exhilarating movies ever made.