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Acknowledgments D. S. Farrer wishes to thank the Yan Chin Martial Arts Association, Singapore, for their assistance during his research. Sifu Ng Gim Han, Sifu Chow Tong, and Sifu Tan Mon Joo deserve special recognition. Mr. Yong Feng acted as my translator in several countries where we experienced some difficult, even dangerous, situations. Thanks also to Master Tan of Northern Praying Mantis, Melaka, and the masters and students of the Chin Woo Athletic Federation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Chin Woo Athletic Federation in Foshan and Guangzhou, China. Master Chia of Hong Shen Choi Lai Fut, Singapore, provided invaluable lessons. Many thanks go to Sifu Paul Whitrod, of Southern Praying Mantis, who adopted me into the kung fu fraternity two decades ago. The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Guam provided a seed grant toward this research. Bryan Turner encouraged this project from the outset. Many thanks to John, for sharing some of his no-holdsbarred publishing techniques. John Whalen-Bridge thanks the National University of Singapore for sabbatical leave in 2009 that helped him finish several projects including this book. Thank you Robbie Goh for working out a way for me to spend a whole year writing and not grading a single paper. I also thank the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences for a grant in 2010 that allowed for some help from excellent research assistants such as Rodney Sebastian and Nirmala Iswari. I would especially like to thank my martial arts teachers from Okinawa who made my five years there (1993–1998) time well spent: Shigeru Takamiyagi, Toshio Higa, Katsuyoshi Higa, Sokei and Hatsuko Machida, and Hirokuni Yamashiro. Domo arigato gozaimasu. Thank you to my various sparring partners—whether on the mat or across laptop computers—who have helped define life over the last twenty-five years. And thank you Douglas for convincing me this project could be done. xi ...

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