About the Archive: GEMAC History, Editorial Method & Sources

Our History

Golden Eagle Martial Arts Centers was founded in 1997 by Steffan de Graffenried in northern Alabama, with school locations over the years in Huntsville, Moulton, Florence, Decatur, Athens, and Muscle Shoals. The centers taught Choy Li Fut kung fu and Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan, along with weapons training, Chin Na, and practical self-defense.

The school’s websites, online since the late 1990s, documented lineages, weapons, classical texts, and translations — including pages on the Nine Dragon Trident, the master Li Shuwen, and Yang Chengfu that became reference material cited by encyclopedias and martial arts researchers. This archive continues that work: the historical record is being re-established as a permanent, scholarly resource.

Editorial Method

The archive follows a documentary method. Articles open with a direct definition of their subject. Historical claims are tied to dated sources. Where traditions disagree — on lineage, dating, or attribution — the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently. Translations of classical texts include the source text and the translator’s notes. Content is reviewed and revised as better evidence emerges, and revisions are dated.

Sources & References

Each document lists its own references. In general, the archive draws on four kinds of material: primary sources (lineage records, original manuscripts, and historical documents), historical sources (photographs, artifacts, and archival captures), secondary scholarship (encyclopedia entries and academic publications), and the accumulated teaching materials of the Golden Eagle schools.

Contact

Corrections, additional source material, and historical photographs are welcome. Write to the archive atarchive@goldeneaglemac.com.