Culture

Amid a deadly epidemic in his hometown, when people were either abandoning their afflicted homes or desperately fleeing town to escape from infection, Yu Gun was the only one who did not follow suit. Instead, he was determined to stay behind to care for his plague-stricken elder brother. It would be several months before the

Once upon a time there was a masterly archer called Houyi. He trained hard and developed superior marksmanship of piercing a poplar twig from one hundred paces away. He could shoot with great precision while standing, on his knee, or on horseback. All his arrows hit the bull’s eye; he just about never missed. People

Why Did Daoist Master Zhang Guolao Ride His Donkey Sitting Backward? Leisurely strolls in the colorful clouds, he rode his donkey sitting backward. Human history is far and wide, prehistoric civilization is even more remote. Science originated from aliens,the rockets failed to reach Heaven. Formation, stasis, degeneration, and destruction, it cycled on incessantly until today.

According to the Book of Han, a classic Chinese history book from 2200 years ago, a judge named Senior Yu became well known for his fairness and wisdom. During the reign of the Xuan Emperor in the Han Dynasty people built a memorial for Senior Yu while he was still alive. Senior Yu was an

There were many benevolent mothers in ancient China who paid special attention to their children’s education. The following are inspirational stories of two mothers who taught their children to be pure and honest. Tian Ji’s Mother Refuses to Accept a Bribe of Gold During the Warring States Period (453 – 221 B.C.), Tian Ji was

There was a businessman named Ma Wenan who lived in Xinghua County, Jiangsu Province in ancient China. Mr. Ma was well educated and had good manners. His wife, Ms. Wu, was smart, pretty, and good at doing housework, but she was a little arrogant and critical of others. Ms. Wu didn’t get along well with

During the Ming Dynasty, there was a person in Changzhou named Wu Zitian, whose wife, Sun, was very kind. Wu Zitian’s stepmother was very cruel to him. Oftentimes, he could hardly bear the abuses. His wife, Sun, persuaded him to calm down again and again to prevent him from offending one of the elder generation.

Han Xin, a famous general during the Han Dynasty about 2,200 years ago, made great contributions in helping Emperor Liu Bang to establish the dynasty. Han Xin’s achievements have been praised by Chinese till this day, so is his great capacity to endure humiliation. As a youth, Han Xin was skilled at playing the sword.

Disaster and blessing are born of each other and their transformation is hard to predict. There once was an old man who lived at the northern border of the state. He was skilled at raising horses. One day he discovered that his horse had disappeared into the neighboring state of Hu. Neighbors felt sorry for

Lady Meng-Jiang is said to have lived more than 2,200 years ago during the Qin Dynasty. Her origin is something of a legend, and so is this story. A family surnamed Meng once planted a gourd plant along the border of their residence. The plant grew rapidly and its vine stretched over the fence bordering

Houyi was said to be a god that came to the human world during the time of the pre-historic Emperor Yao. At that time, there were ten suns that rose at the same time over the sky, scorching the earth and withering the crops. Rivers and lakes were drying out. Forest started to burn, driving

After God Panggu created Heaven and Earth, Goddess Nuuwa undertook the affairs on earth to make it prosperous. Descending from her heavenly kingdom, Nuuwa came to the eastern land. Seeing that Heaven and Earth were marvelously made, she was pleased. But she saw something was missing. So she started to create. On the first day,

Busily busily cricket sings [1] By the door the maiden Mulan weaves Why isn’t the shuttle’s sound heard But only the maiden Mulan’s sighs? Ask the maiden of whom are you thinking And what is on your mind? Answers Mulan, of no one am I thinking And nothing is on my mind Last night, I

On the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar, and according to legend, on this night, cow herder Niu Lang and Heavenly Weaver Maiden will travel across the Milky Way over a bridge formed by swallows to their once-a-year meeting. The love story between Niu Lang and Weaver Maiden has long

This story took place during the Jin Dynasty’s Taiyuan period (376-396) in Wuling, a place near Dongting Lake in South China. There was a man who made a living by fishing. One day when traveling along a river by boat, he forgot how far he had gone. Suddenly he saw woods of peach blossom by

On the Mongolian grassland there used to be a kindhearted hunter named Hailibu. After every hunt, he would divide the meat to other villagers and keep only a small portion for himself. His caring for others won him great respect in the village. One day, while hunting in the woods, Hailibu heard urgent cries from

Chang’e is a goddess whose beauty is unsurpassed. According to legend, she came down to earth to accompany her husband Houyi, the divine warrior who assisted the human world by shooting down nine out of ten suns (see related articles ). Before their departure from heaven, while the Heavenly Emperor gave Huoyi a bow and

About 1,500 years ago in China’s South Dynasty (420-589), there was a renowned painter whose name was Zhang Sengyou. In addition to serving as the court’s royal librarian, Zhang also held the post of a general and a governor. A legendary painter, Zhang commanded great respect from both the Emperor and commoners. He loved to

Bianque is a legendary doctor who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period about 2,700 years ago, and his magical hands saved many lives, both of commoners and princes. One day Bianque went to see Duke Cai in the State of Qi. After a moment of observation, Bianque said, “Your Honorable is diseased, but it

Confucius, China’s great philosopher and teacher two and half millennia ago, had numerous students. Many of them came from afar to the Kingdom of Lu to learn from him. Mr. Chen Kang was among them. Chen Kang was from the Kingdom of Chen. Because he was young and was a newcomer, he did not have