The young duke of the State of Jin (晋) who was posthumously given the title Duke Ling of Jin, Jìn Líng Gōng (晋灵公, ? – 607 BCE), has been known as a ‘ruler who does not deserve his title (bu …
Continue reading “Duke Ling of Jin shooting pedestrians with pellets”
Li Yuan (李渊 566–635 CE) excelled at horse-riding, archery, and calligraphy as a young man. He was to be the future founder (reigned 618–626 CE) of the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). Miss Dou was exceptionally smart and her father Dou …
Continue reading “Li Yuan shooting the eye of the peacocks on the screen”
The seventh day of the seventh month of the traditional Chinese year is the Chinese ‘Valentine’s Day’, Qixi Festival (七夕节). The custom can be traced back to an ancient story about a weaver girl and a cowherd: Once upon a …
The story scene refers to an old Chinese saying: in the fight between the sandpiper and the clam, the fisherman has the best of it. This parable came from an ancient Chinese text entitled ‘Strategies of the Warring States (战国策 …
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In this scene, there are several Chinese longevity symbols such as the crane, the generic immortal, the pine tree, and the deer, etc. However, the proper meaning of this particular scene is not a simple assemblage of individual symbols. It …
Continue reading “May the length of your life be eternally prolonged!”
Duke Mu of the Qin State (秦穆公, died 621 BCE) was one of the so-called Five Hegemons (五霸 wuba) in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BCE) (春秋 chunqiu). He had a daughter named ‘Nongyu (弄玉, meaning Playing …
Continue reading “Xiao Shi’s Playing the Xiao Flute Attracting Phoenixes”
Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361) is often said to be the greatest calligrapher in Chinese history. He has his biography in the official history of Jin 晋 dynasty (c. 265–420). One anecdote in it concerns his fame for his calligraphic skill …
Jia Chang (贾昌 712–810) from the Tang Dynasty was renowned for his exceptional skills in training roosters for cockfighting. His legendary story is recorded in the Extensive Records of the Taiping Era (太平广记 Taiping Guangji). Li Longji (李隆基 685–762), Emperor Xuanzong …
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This is from Scene Two of Act Four of the Chinese popular drama Romance of the Western Chamber (西厢记 Xixiang Ji). Miss Cui Yingying 崔莺莺 and Zhang Junrui (张君瑞, also called Scholar Zhang 张生) were deeply in love. Yingying’s maid, …