Bonus Episode: Way of the Warrior - Martial Arts Master Chris Bates

Ever daydreamed about traveling to East Asia and studying under
the great martial arts masters? American Chris Bates did
just this, first coming to Taiwan in 1976 to
study Mandarin and train in martial arts. Follow
Chris’ journey, from meeting the eccentric Liao Wuchang (the
Monkey Boxer), training under the retired general and Shaolin
master Kao Fanghsien, to getting a wife. John and Chris also
discuss other notable figures, including Donn Draeger
and Robert Smith, two Americans who helped bring East
Asian martial arts to the West.


Chris would gravitate toward the internal Chinese martial arts
(xingyiquan in particular), training since the early 1980s under
the acclaimed Hong Yixiang and his sons. In fact, Chris
has just translated Blurred Boundaries, a
magnificent biography of the late Master Hong.
Chris wraps things up talking about his latest book, the timely
novel Rise of the Water Margin.


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