Life Expectancy in Ancient China
Life expectancy in China has varied significantly over its long history, from the Shang Dynasty...
Shéng Biāo 繩鏢 – ‘Rope Dart’
The rope dart 繩標 or shéng biāo 繩鏢 in Mandarin is a type of soft...
Gǔ Chuān Cì 骨穿刺 – ‘Bone Piercer’
The bone piercer 骨穿刺 is often associated with stealth and surprise attacks, as it can...
The Demon Head Sword 鬼頭刀 – Video Commentary
This is a brief account of the Demon Head sword 鬼頭刀 of the Warrior Heart...
The Legend of Swallow Li the Third 燕子李三
The legend of Swallow Li the Third 燕子李三 has long captured the imaginations of many...
The Old Way 古道 of Martial Arts 武術 (古道武術)
The old way 古道 of martial arts 武術 is deeply intertwined with traditional values and...
Bihu Gong 壁虎功 – Gecko Skill
Bihu gong 壁虎功, or 'gecko skill,' is an advanced Chinese martial art skill named after...
Warrior Heart School 戰士心門: Surviving the Cultural Revolution and Multi-Cultural Transmission
This essay expounds on the preservation of the Chinese art of stealth within the Warrior...
The Warrior Heart School 戰士心門 and Feiyan Zoubi 飛簷走壁 – ‘Flying Eaves Running Walls’
Feiyan zoubi 飛簷走壁, which translates to 'flying eaves running walls,' refers to a skill in...
The Chinese Cultural Revolution: An Assault on Arts, Religion, and Martial Traditions
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) unleashed a fervent wave of destruction upon traditional Chinese art forms....
Du Feibiao 毒飛鏢 – Poison Darts
There are two primary variants of poisoned darts: the feathered dart, or daiyi biao 帶衣鏢,...
Shenshui Pentong 神水噴筒 – Divine Water Spray
The diagram illustrates a bamboo device, segmented and hollow, which was used to store and...
The Warrior Heart School 戰士心門 and the Principle of ‘Faster Than the Speed of Thought’
In the realm of martial arts, there exists a rarefied level of skill where reactions...
Lian Dao 鐮刀 – The Sickle
As early as the Neolithic period, early forms of the sickle were crafted from stone...
The Complex Legacy of Thieves in Ancient China
Thieves in ancient China developed an extensive variety of skills and classifications. This ‘professionalisation’ of...
Anqi 暗器 – ‘Hidden Tools’
In the realm of ancient weaponry, anqi 暗器, or ‘dark weapons,’ were tools of choice...
Lu Ban Shu 魯班書 – Book of Mystery
Lu Ban Shu 魯班書, or the "Book of Lu Ban," is a collection of texts...
Lelang 樂浪 Han 漢 Commandery 郡 – Korea
The Lelang 樂浪 commandery offers a fascinating glimpse into China's influence on early Korean society,...
Hua Yuan 華元: The Earliest Record of Stealth in Chinese Strategic Warfare
The earliest recorded instance of stealth in Chinese strategic warfare occurred in 594 BCE when...
Shuangshou dao 雙手刀- two-hand sword
The shuangshou dao 雙手刀, or two-hand sword, shares historical parallels with the development of two-handed...
Péng Yúnzhōng 彭雲中: The Righteous Thief
In the annals of Chinese folklore, the figure of Péng Yúnzhōng 彭雲中 emerges as a...
‘Breaking the window paper’ 捅破窗紙
In many film and television dramas, assassins clad in black night clothes are depicted lurking...
Warrior Heart 戰士心 Colour Belt Grading System
Back in 1987, the Warrior Heart School 戦士心門 introduced the colour belt system to enhance...
Origin of the 9 Rank System
The Jiupin Zhongzheng Zhi 九品中正制, commonly referred to as the 'Nine-Rank System' or 'Nine Grades...
Bo Biao 保鏢: The Role of Bodyguards in Ancient China
In ancient China, the term bo biao 保鏢 refers to bodyguards who played a crucial...
The Evolution of the Warrior Heart 戰士心 Tradition: From Assassins to Protectors
Through this revitalisation effort, the tradition has come to embody the balance between past and...
Weapons Crafting of Warrior Heart 戰士心
The handcrafting of tools and weapons in the Warrior Heart School is a time-honoured tradition,...
The Role of Ye Bu Shou 夜不收 and Zhuosheng 捉生 in Military Intelligence During the Ming 明-Qing 清 Transition
This essay utilises the core analysis from the 2005 article by Qí Měiqín 祁美琴 on Ye...
Warrior Heart 戰士心 – Certification
As is common in modern martial culture, the black belt holds special significance. Warrior Heart...
Warrior Heart School 戰士心門 – The Blood Oath
The blood oath is deeply rooted in the school's time-honoured traditions. Signed between the Masters...
Tong Zi Jian 筒子箭 – ‘Tube arrow’
The tóng zǐ jiàn 筒子箭 or 'tube arrow', or tóng jiàn 筒箭, was an intriguing...
The The Five Punishments of Ancient China: A Comprehensive Study
The Five Punishments 五刑 were a cornerstone of the ancient Chinese penal system, representing the...
The Ting Weng 聽瓮
The use of clay jars and urns as listening devices is referenced in various texts...
The Interwoven Threads of Japanese and Chinese Cultures: The Legacy of Early Chinese Settlers
The intricate tapestry of Japanese culture is largely a product of the influence exerted by...
The Warrior Heart 戰士心 Record
In the pursuit of understanding the profound depths of martial arts, we have assembled a...
Warrior Heart 戰士心 – Lineage of Transmission
The Warrior Heart 戰士心 lineage traces its origins back eight recorded generations, representing a rich...
Yan Mo Yi Do 隱武醫道
The philosophical and practical teachings of Maan Mut Ji Do 萬物之道 are crystallised in the form...
An Overview of Yinshen shu 隱身術
Yinshen shu 隱身術, often translated as the 'art of invisibility,' finds its roots in ancient...
Flea on a Drum 鼓上的蚤
Shi Qian 史阡, nicknamed gǔ shàng de zhǎo 鼓上的蚤 or ‘Flea on a Drum‘ ,...
Night Clothes 夜行衣: A Taoist Perspective
Night clothes, or yèxíng yī 夜行衣, have a rich history rooted in Taoist philosophy and...
An Overview of the Black-Clad Masked Operatives
When we think of stealth today, images of covert military operatives or the iconic black-clad...
Nie Yinniang 聶隱娘: The Legendary Female Assassin of Tang Dynasty 唐朝 fiction.
The story of Nie Yinniang 聶隱娘, immortalized in Chinese literature, has fascinated readers for centuries....
Comparison of the Roman Empire and The Han 漢 Dynasty
The Roman Empire and the Han 漢 Dynasty were similar in size, both in terms...
Understand the Sinoshpere!
The term "Sinosphere" refers to the vast cultural sphere that was historically influenced by China,...
Stealth in Wuxia Films
The wuxia 武俠 genre, a staple of Chinese cinema, portrays martial artists navigating a world...
Ye Bu Shou 夜不收 – An Overview
In ancient China, the concept of warfare extended far beyond battlefield confrontations. Intelligence gathering, reconnaissance,...
The Origins of Assassins 刺客 and Their Connection to Retainers in Ancient China
The role of cìkè 刺客, or 'assassins', is deeply intertwined with the historical practices of...
Our Story: Triads and Kung Fu
Les and Noelle Sifu's experiences living amidst the Triads in Hong Kong provide a unique...
Our Story: What is Real Kung Fu
Les shares his experiences in Hong Kong and China during his search for "real kung...
Our Story: Search and Research
Les describes his journey into the world of Far Eastern culture and forgotten martial arts....
Our Story: Accepted by Kwan Sifu
In a vlog-style presentation, Les Sifu explains how he and Noelle Sifu became closed-door students...
The Impact of Bamboo on the Evolution and Development of Chinese Civilisation
Bamboo, zhu 竹, has been a fundamental resource in shaping the evolution and development of...
Maan Mut Ji Do 萬物之道 – Art of Assassins
This is an overview of Maan Mut Ji Do 萬物之道 or 'Way of Ten Thousand...
Yinshen shu 隱身術 is Ninjutsu 忍術
A Japanese book, showing the interchangeability of the Chinese term ‘yinshen shu’ 隱身術 and the...
Fēi Zhuǎ 飛爪 – Flying Claw
The midnight thief 夜半偷 of the Warrior Heart tradition always carried a claw under the...
Clothing and Equipment of the Stealth Operator
A silk garb of black or grey, with knee-length trousers measuring one foot and two...
‘Inside the household’ – by Bai Yansheng 白燕生
Probing: To familiarize oneself with the layout of the house and to avoid bumping into...
‘Flying eaves running walls’ – recorded by Bai Yansheng 白燕生
Feiyanzoubi 飛簷走壁 or 'flying eaves running walls' is a classic skill set of the stealth...
Dié 諜 – ‘spy/reconnaissance scout’
An important Chinese character related to the ancient Chinese arts of stealth is dié 諜...
First: The big picture!
Throughout our research journey, we've been consistently struck by the myriad inaccuracies surrounding Chinese concepts...
Dart Launcher – Huo Nu Liu Xing Jian 火弩流星箭
Huo Nu Liu Xing Jian 火弩流星箭,lit. 'Fire crossbow shooting star arrow', is a disposable dart-launching...
Japanese swords used in China?
Little seems to be known about Japanese swords imported to China during the Ming dynasty....
Shuhe 裋褐 – Chinese clothing across millennia
In the annals of Chinese history, clothing has always been a clear marker of one's...
The Penetrators 通士
The stealth operatives behind the mask of mystery.
Fei Biao 飛鏢: The Art of Hand-Thrown Projectiles in Chinese Martial Arts
Fei biao 飛鏢, or hand-thrown projectiles, represent a fascinating aspect of traditional Chinese martial arts,...
Chopsticks as a Projectile Weapon
Chopsticks 筷子, a staple of East Asian dining culture, are traditionally seen as utensils for...
Elements of Yin Fa 隱法
This article explains all the different elements that make up Yin Fa 隱法 as a...
A brief history of stealth in China.
The Chinese art of stealth initially evolved from thieves located in and around the Yellow...
What is the Chinese Art of Stealth?
The Chinese art of stealth, or Yin Fa 隱法, is an ancient art of war...
Les Conn Interview – Drunken Boxing Podcast
This is a podcast interview where Les Conn discusses his martial journey
Andrew Hyder Interview #1
Andrew Hyder, archeologist and himself a long-time martial artist, interviews us on our historical research...
Francis Cordon Interview #1
Francis Cordon, martial artist and philosopher, interviews us on tracing back the history and origin...
Master Kwan Yuen Cheong 關潤昌
Back in 1987, we were also searching for a master who knew the old ways...
The Beginning of a Journey
Meeting Otake Risuke on our search for the Ninja. This is the beginning of our...