may/june 05

[doug maverick]

i read both those issue's and they were really good, i guess i just want more but if there know one writing the stuff i guess you can't publish it! thats cool i'll wait.

[word of honor]

hi- when will this issue hit the newsstands? thanks

[SimonM]

It's already out now; has been for a little bit.

Chapters was late phoning me about this issue; they know to call me when Kung Fu Tai Chi comes in but not when Shaolin Kung Fu Tai Chi does. Stupid stupid bookstore.

Anyway, it was an exemplary issue, even the letters to the editor were page turners. Gene, what is the score with the "controversial" sword dealer?

[GeneChing]

oasis: Good follow up - I had no idea. UNESCO's involvement with China is fascinating. It struck me as very unusual when Beijing was declared as the UNESCO Geopark office; China was applauded for her "outstanding contributions in geological heritage protection" (to quote my own article) - I thought that was a surprising opinion in lieu of the Three Gorges Dam project.

doug maverick: I think that Wudang and Emei, and possibly Shandong, are the next big frontiers awaiting anyone looking to do CMA research. They are all pretty wide open. I'm glad you enjoyed our Wudang issues. We also did an Emei issue in Sep 2000 and a Shandong issue in July August 2002. That pretty much depleted all of my research. I was only in Shandong once in '91 and Wudang once in '99. I've yet to go to Emei, but that's the style I currently study. I suspect we'll be able to put together another Wudang before we can do another Emei, but there are more and more Emei masters coming out, so you never know. As for Shandong, well, there are more Shandong masters coming out too, but that issue didn't do very well, so I doubt we'll invest in another for some time...

SimonM: That's funny about the special title confusing Chapters. At least that's a bookstore. As for the sword dealer letter, that's a big complicated answer, and I just got called by the Boss for a meeting Let me get back to you on that later.

[GeneChing]

So, that "controversial" sword dealer is Wang Sheng Ji, a well respected antiques dealer in Taiwan. He just did an antiques weapon exhibit for the The First Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Exposition in Taiwan, which we covered in the Mar Apr 2005 issue after the Sword Special. Personally, I've never met the man nor handled his product. I only know what I've seen in photos and it's pretty interesting stuff - we have scads of unpublished photos of his collection. I would love to go to his shop someday. Is he doing 'chop' jobs like Phillip Tom accuses in his letter? I don't know. I do know that the tone of Tom's letter was rather condescending, as if he was looking down his nose at CMA. Now I respect Tom and his co-author Scott Rodell and personally asked them to participate in this issue because I know their expertise. I even bought an antique off Rodell many years ago. They are both very active on SwordForum.com - Rodell moderates there. But if you read his letter carefully, there's a persistent tone that sounds as if he's saying he's too good for our magazine. Personally, I don't know how to take that. Surely, we are not as scholarly as the Metropolitan Museum Journal - we're a newsstand magazine and would lose half our readership if we started throwing around too many $10 words. So I found his accusations a little questionable.

Now I've mentioned before that there is a martial myopia - a shortsightedness amongst our community that forgets that most people don't know the difference between karate and kung fu (much less wushu) and they don't really care. In the sword world, it's worse. As many of you know, I worked as a professional swordmaker for a half decade and by professional, I mean that I earn all my income just from making swords. I've only dabbled in antique dealing, but I feel I know enough to survive there. And I am all too familiar with sword myopia, which I think Phillip Tom is guilty of in this situation.

We openned this year with a grand experiment - a new special issue just focused on swords. I've never seen that done in the martial arts world before. And I'm pleased to report that this issue drew tremendous positive response. It find it a bit distressing that Tom felt he had to rain on our parade with that letter (and Bian is correct pinyin - check it for yourself), however, I felt he did have some worthy comments and still respect his research. I hope that if we do another sword special, he'll be able to participate, even if it is slumming for him to come down to the world of CMA.

As for Wang Sheng Ji, as you probably know, we've changed the format of our Featured Weapon article to showcase antiques. We've invited anyone who has a nice antique piece to participate. They just need to send us a pin-up quality shot and a short description. It's a major opportunity for any anituqes dealer, since we are essentially giving them a full-page color ad. So far, Wang has been the only one to accept our offer. I'm hoping we get more input soon, though, not so much out of skepticism of Wang, but more just for diversity's sake.

[SimonM]

Thank you for the in-depth reply Gene. I really like what you have done with the featured weapons section; my brother was almost drooling over the antique Monk's Spade in the new Shaolin issue, he is very fond of polearms (probably to the same extent that I am of swords).

[GeneChing]

That sucker was heavy too. I really respect anyone who would compete with something like that. Check out chapter 5 of my Shaolin Trips column - you'll see a pic of Gigi (our publisher) trying to hold that monk spade up.
Thanks for your support of the featured weapons. I hope it catches on. There are plenty more where that came from, we just gotta find 'em...

[nugentch]

I am a new subscriber. Has the May/June issue been mailed yet. I recently subscribed for two years. The T-Shirt arrived, but so far no magazine. Thanks in advance for any info on this subsription and issue!

[GeneChing]

Sorry, you missed May June. It was mailed out a month ago. You'll have to pick it up on the newsstands, I'm afraid.

[Shaolinlueb]

man, i jsut got my issue in the mail for my subscription. lol

[Mr. Ban]

I suggest that ShaolinJOJO and Shaolinlueb go at it what do ya say Mr. Lueb

[Shaolinlueb]

I suggest that ShaolinJOJO and Shaolinlueb go at it what do ya say Mr. Lueb

how about you and jojo go at it. cause i am the amster you are the apprentices.

[GeneChing]

The Hamster? Like in a gerbil? Is Shaolinlueb into gerbils?

I am the Walrus. Koo Koo Ka Choo.

[Shaolinlueb]

The Hamster? Like in a gerbil? Is Shaolinlueb into gerbils?

I am the Walrus. Koo Koo Ka Choo.

**** it. now your knocking on my crappy spelling

MASTER!!!! I am the master gene!! MASTER SHAOLINLUEB!!!! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

okay back to reality.

i had a hamster once, his name was gizmo, i fed him a lot and he got really fat. then he developed tumors and died. he was soo cute though. i loved him a lot. i will never have another hamster though cause gizmo was number 1 in my book.

[GeneChing]

....you'll always be hamster to me. It helps remove the image of you in a jog bra. Do you know how much therapy I had to go through for that?