Alternatively, browse terms in alphabetical order according to their Chinese Pinyin 汉语拼音
The Eight Immortals (八仙 ba xian, in Chinese) are eight colourful Daoist personalities well-known in Chinese popular culture for over seven hundred years. 仙 (xian) in Chinese means ‘those who have achieved longevity, immortality, and enlightenment’ and their artistic characterisation …
When Prefect Mao Bao 毛宝 was stationed in the city of Wuchang 武昌, Hebei province, during the Jin dynasty (晋 265-420), there was a story about a white tortoise who repays its benefactor by saving his life. One day, one …
This scene was from a popular play ‘The Story of the White Hare’ (Bai Tu Ji 白兔记) and was much admired during the Ming dynasty. Liu Zhiyuan 刘知远, the hero of the play set during the turbulent Five Dynasties (907–960), …
This is Scene One of Act Two of the Chinese classic popular drama Romance of the Western Chamber (西厢记 Xixiang Ji), written by the Yuan playwright Wang Shifu (1250–1336). Sun Feihu 孙飞虎, nicknamed ‘Sun the Flying Tiger’, is a local …
Continue reading “Sun Feihu besieging the monastery with a gang of bandits”
When Bing Ji (丙吉 d. 55 BCE) was a chancellor in the Han court, once he encountered the aftermath of a gang fight in the street. Bing Ji passed them without batting an eyelid. Further ahead, a buffalo passed and …
Continue reading “Bing Ji inquiring about a panting buffalo”
Bo Yi (or Boyi, 伯夷) and Shu Qi (or Shuqi, 叔齐) were sons of the ruler of Guzhu (孤竹), a vassal state of the Shang dynasty (商朝, 16th-11th cent. BCE). As the king was getting old, he wanted Shu Qi, …
Continue reading “Bo Yi and Shu Qi Trying to Stop the Mighty Zhou Army”
Cao Guojiu (曹国舅) is one of the later comers among the legendary Eight Daoist Immortals and has the fewest colourful stories attached to him. During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), a Daoist priest named Miao Shanshi (苗善時 fl. 1324) compiled a …
This is Scene Four of Act Four of The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang Ji 西厢记), a famous Chinese drama written by playwright Wang Shifu 王实甫 (1250–1336) in Yuan dynasty. After parting with his lover Cui Yingying 崔莺莺 in …
Continue reading “Scholar Zhang’s startled dream at Caoqiao Inn”
The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival falls on the night of full moon in the eighth lunar month. Chang’e, the Moon Goddess, is usually associated with this family-union occasion, together with the festival food – the moon cake (月饼). A legend recorded …
This is from Scene Three of Act One of the Chinese classic popular drama Romance of the Western Chamber (西厢记 Xixiang Ji), written by the Yuan playwright Wang Shifu (1250–1336). Zhang Junrui (张君瑞, also called Scholar Zhang 张生) was immediately …
Continue reading “Scholar Zhang and Cui Yingying exchanging verses in the garden”