The Origins and the Philosophy of The Wandering
Vincent Tseng is a Taiwanese American martial artist with a thirst for adventure and the ambition to change the world. He has traveled to Taiwan and Southeast Asia, China and Mongolia, and to South America - and continues to do so - to immerse in the folk martial cultures of these regions. Yet his story did not begin this way.
Eclectic Inclinations & Ikigai
He was born to immigrant parents in the American Northeast, and like many Asian Americans, learned to navigate American society and being bi-cultural. As a child he liked going into the woods and drawing, and being a kid in the 90s, got into a lot of fights. Bullies liked to pick on him cause of being skinny and Asian. He floated between different groups of friends - white, black, Puerto Rican, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Cambodian American, and so on… kids interested in sports, in fighting, in video games, etc.etc. He was exposed to Buddhism, the folk religion and shamanistic ideas, to Hinduism, and to Catholicism. School was a focus beaten into him and while he found he didn’t naturally excel at it, the thirst for learning was ever present. He liked nature and history, learning about cultures, and perhaps most of all, he enjoyed fighting. At 16 he would begin learning Praying Mantis Boxing and the associated traditional Chinese weapons. It was a good way to hone his athleticism and fierce spirit while keeping him out of trouble - abuses and frequent fighting in childhood had made him an angry young man.
His commitment to a life of adventure and folk fighting arts began in Mongolia.
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Conservation, traveling to Guyana, and a few unexpected events, he was in the proverbial rat race. He ended up in Boston, MA, in the United States of America, working for Customer Service and Tech companies. Still he made time in his workaholic life to feed his true passions including martial arts, archery, and the outdoors. He carved out bows and arrows by hand, practiced machete fencing, made a dugout canoe, and began to frequent MMA gyms. Several years of 12 hour work days later, he burned out. A life devoted to corporatocracy was unacceptable, so he changed his path. Between 2018-2019 he traveled to Taiwan and Mongolia, and expanded his spiritual awareness. He found his calling at the intersection of adventure, fighting, and sharing…
Ikigai (ee-key-guy): Japanese concept that combines the terms iki (alive / life) and gai (benefit / worth).
iki + gai = that which gives your life worth, meaning, or purpose.
You could say he found his ikigai and it became a powerful force within him that could not be ignored. He would overlap his passions for adventure and wilderness, history and culture, combat and folk fighting into “The Wandering”.
The Wandering & the Crucible
At age 30, Vincent Tseng began “The Wandering”. This life is one where he dedicates himself to passionately engaging in the folk fighting arts in various parts of the world. He moved to Taiwan to learn Shuai Jiao, and aside from that wrestling style, deepen his skills in Chinese Boxing. He also began to immerse in the culture of the Paiwan tribe and learn about their headhunting heritage, and also started to train Qing era stone lifting and archery. By 2023 he went to China’s Inner Mongolian region to test himself against top Mongol wrestlers in their folk wrestling style: Bokh. He would also stop in the Philippines to experience Eskrima / Arnis in its various forms. By throwing himself into the Crucible of combat in its traditional contexts, he tests himself in a very intense way.
cru·ci·ble /ˈkro͞osəb(ə)l/ noun
a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures.
a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.
He moved to Taiwan with a particular focus on Shuai Jiao.
Conflict and combat are fundamental truths of the animal condition - mankind is no exception. The methods for embodying the skills for combat are what we call the martial arts. From military training to sportified fighting contests, mankind brutalizes, hardens, and improves itself through martial pursuits. Fighting is an intrinsic part of our evolution, and a source of so much innovation and philosophy. Within the range of combat methods is a special kind: folk fighting arts. These are traditional martial arts still deeply rooted in the environment and culture that gave rise to it. Every martial culture has its context. Whether it is pugilism or wrestling, melee weapons or archery, the lifestyle of the people and their history flavors the fighting. No matter if it’s the work of sedentary farmers or of nomads or of hunters in the forests and hills - folk fighting arts give us combat effective skills deeply rooted in the rich cultures and harsh realities that created them. To some he is bouncing between disciplines aimlessly, to others they see the deep connections and empowering perspectives he gains from it all.
“All that is gold does not glitter/ Not all those who wander are lost/ The old that is strong does not wither/Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
~ J RR Tolkien
Not all those who wander are lost. While we must decide on a direction in life, some of our greatest moments come unexpectedly while we wander, mentally or physically, into profound realizations and epic opportunities. In truth, when we can both consciously direct, and subconsciously flow, we are at our most powerful. This is a well-known concept in the martial arts and in spirituality. Every flow has a direction, and Vincent has found his. At the intersection of culture, nature, and conflict lies the folk fighting arts that Vincent has been immersing in and becoming skilled at. However, deeply connecting with people, places, stories, and their combat has left Vincent with a deep sense of responsibility.
A Powerful Responsibility
The more Vincent immersed himself in various traditional cultures the more he felt a deep sense of responsibility towards the folk. Many cultures and languages are becoming marginalized and on the verge of extinction. Many landscapes and ecosystems are on the verge of being destroyed. We are also in an era where often masculinity is either attacked or expressed in a weak and immature way. He has found purpose in bringing you all along, teaching you what has been taught to him, and connecting far-flung parts of the world. The skills and spirit of martial folk and their grit and flow is something we can all learn from. At the same time, by sharing their folk fighting arts, their philosophy and lifeways, their stories - we can also give back and make them stronger and more resilient to the impending dangers of the near future.
This is a career and it is also a calling.
The Folk Fighting Arts Vincent has dedicated himself to include:
Chinese Weapons and Boxing - specifically 螳螂拳 “Praying Mantis Boxing” and 太祖拳 “Emperor’s Fist”
The Mongol-Manchu fighting arts of Shuai Jiao and Bokh (wrestling), Qing era Archery, musket, athletics, saber, and horsemanship
Hispanic fencing, from the Spanish Esgrima Vulgar, to Latin American knife and machete fencing, to Filipino Arnis from Luzon
The Headhunting martial culture (including blades, spears, and hunting) and belt-wrestling of Taiwan and Borneo
The Amazonian Hunter-warrior culture, and the use of archery and warclubs
