Culture

Li Deyu (A.D. 787-850), a famous prime minister from the late Tang Dynasty, was born into a high-ranking family. His father was the prime minister of Emperor Xianzong. Li Deyu was outstanding from a young age. He was a favorite of Emperor Xianzong, who often sat him on his knees. Li entered the court at

Ji Zha (576-484 B.C.) was the youngest son of the King Shou Meng of Wu state, in the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. He was very much respected by Confucius. Confucius praised him at least four times in his teachings. According to “Shiji”, or “The Records of the Grand Historian”, King Shou Meng

During China’s prosperous Tang Dynasty (618–907), a period in which high culture flourished, the genre of painting “beautiful women” reached considerable heights. And ranking above all Tang masters for utmost stylization in portraying the female figure was Zhou Fang (ca. 730–800). His exquisite silk hand scroll “Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses” (now held by the Liaoning

When Zhuge Liang was about 17 to 18 years old, he went to Wolong Gang in Nanyang City, Henan Province, and built a thatched cottage. There, he ploughed the field and studied hard. A squire named Huang Chengyan lived under the Wolong Gang Ridge. He took a liking to Zhuge Liang when he saw that

Every girl could use a little bit of extra hair volume, especially when we dress up in beautiful hanfu. These volumizing hair products (hair padding/hair inserts) increase hair volume instantly and it works great even for fine thin hair! Hanfu, meaning Han Chinese Clothing, or as I’d like to call it Han Couture, is what

Laozi and Confucius, the two most famous sages in Chinese history, appeared at the same time 2,500 years ago during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. According to “Shiji”, or “The Records of the Grand Historian”, Confucius went to Luo Yang, the Capital city, to meet Laozi to enquire about propriety (the order of

Impartiality is an important moral ideal, whereby one refrains from giving preferential treatment to anyone but rather treats everyone fairly and justly. It requires putting aside personal interests and biases, such as feelings for friends and family, negativity toward opponents and even enemies, or prejudice in favor of or against anyone based on background, social

A man named Wang Xiang lived during the Jin Dynasty. He was well-known for his filial piety. Wang Xiang’s mother died when he was a child. His father remarried and his stepmother hated him. She frequently beat him and blamed him for the smallest things. Soon, Wang Xiang’s father joined his stepmother in berating him,

In the Qing Dynasty, there was a person who lived in Chiayi State of Taiwan. His name was Lin Dengzhang, and he was very kind and honest. But unfortunately, he was falsely accused and imprisoned. His wife sold all their property and even their son in order to have enough money to get her husband

The first modern electrical air conditioning unit was not invented until 1902. Have you ever wondered how ancient people survived summers with no refrigerators, no electric fans, and no air conditioners? Here are 9 brilliant summer hacks Chinese people used in ancient time. Many of them are so effective that people still use them today!

Night was about to fall, and an old monk was on his way home to the temple. All of a sudden, there was rolling thunder, and rain came pouring down from the sky. It was a massive downpour, and there was no sign that the rain would stop anytime soon. The monk looked around and

In the seventh year of the Chunxi Era of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1180), there was a man in Leping (present-day Jingde County, Jiangxi Province) by the name of Zhang Wulang. He helped a relative get a loan by giving him a golden hairpin to be used as collateral. But the relative

Yu Shun, also known as Chong Hua, had a father, named Gu Sou, who was blind. His stepmother gave birth to a boy named Xiang. Much like his parents, Xiang was very vicious toward Shun. Their father liked Xiang very much and always looked for a chance to get rid of Shun. One day, Shun’s

During the reign of Emperor Yao, about 4,300 years ago, there was a great flood around the globe. The northern hemisphere was flooded up to 2,000 meters (about 6,600 feet) above sea level, ancient western civilizations were almost all wiped out. At that time, the most prosperous area of the ancient Chinese civilization was in

According to the book Rites of Zhou, which was written around the 2nd century BC, there are nine major types of kowtow and three major types of bowing. This video will show you a step-by-step tutorial on how to kowtow, how to bow, when to use them, and how to do them properly. The tradition

There is a clay statue of a mad monk in the 500 Arhats Hall at Xiyuan Temple in the city of Suzhou. The monk has ten defects: a crooked mouth, a hunchback, crossed eyes, bat ears, ringworm of the scalp, uneven legs, scrawny hands, slanted shoulders, a pigeon chest, and a wonky nose. He is

Emperor Wu of Liang (464-549), also called Xiao Yan, was born at Nanlanling Zhoudouli during the Southern dynasties (420-589). Xiao Yan reigned for 48 years and died at the age of 86. He was one of the longest living emperors in Chinese history, second only to Qing Dynasty emperor, Qianlong (1711-1799). According to the Comprehensive

“There are only two monks in this small temple—you and me,” a young monk said to an old monk. “People berate me behind my back whenever I go down the mountain and beg for alms,” continued the depressed little monk. “They say I am unruly.” “Visitors to our temple don’t even leave enough money for

Bao Xuan came from an impoverished family during the Western Han Dynasty, 2,000 years ago. His mentor appreciated his high morals and let his daughter Shaojun marry Bao, endowing them with a gorgeous dowry. An Excellent Wife Bao said to his bride: “You were born into a wealthy family and are used to luxurious ornaments. 

Ancient wisdom to guide you to preserve health.