Category Archives: Chinese history
Totally Legal – Shang Yang’s Ruler
Sinologist Arthur Waley called the Legalists “Realists”—not to be confused with 19th century European art—because they were pragmatic. Like the Mohists, they rejected the ancestral rites and traditions that filled the royal and local calendars but didn’t strengthen the state. Even
Totally Legal – Shang Yang’s Ruler
Sinologist Arthur Waley called the Legalists “Realists”—not to be confused with 19th century European art—because they were pragmatic. Like the Mohists, they rejected the ancestral rites and traditions that filled the royal and local calendars but didn’t strengthen the state. Even
Finally, Qin puts its dukes up; Dukes hold Qin high
The bulk of Qin lay to the west of the Zhou king’s former capitol, near present-day Xian. Remember, way back in 771 BC after the capture of the Zhou capital and the killing of the Zhou king, the heir was
Finally, Qin puts its dukes up; Dukes hold Qin high
The bulk of Qin lay to the west of the Zhou king’s former capitol, near present-day Xian. Remember, way back in 771 BC after the capture of the Zhou capital and the killing of the Zhou king, the heir was
Qin Shi Huang’s Warriors – we gotta lotta terra-cotta
I do a double-take out the window as the shuttle zooms by a warehouse. “The place to produce and sell terra-cotta worriers” A warehouse full of statues of Jewish mothers, I imagine, fretting about their adult children gallivanting across East
Qin Shi Huang’s Warriors – we gotta lotta terra-cotta
I do a double-take out the window as the shuttle zooms by a warehouse. “The place to produce and sell terra-cotta worriers” A warehouse full of statues of Jewish mothers, I imagine, fretting about their adult children gallivanting across East
Partition of Jin rummy (Three-card split, Marquesses are Wild)
“I am the son and heir of nothing in particular.” — “How Soon Is Now,” The Smiths With the reign of Chong Er, the Dukedom of Jin became The Smiths of its day. Jin rocked the Spring and Autumn charts
Partition of Jin rummy (Three-card split, Marquesses are Wild)
“I am the son and heir of nothing in particular.” — “How Soon Is Now,” The Smiths With the reign of Chong Er, the Dukedom of Jin became The Smiths of its day. Jin rocked the Spring and Autumn charts
Get Schooled: Warring States style (100 Schools of Thought)
“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace,
Get Schooled: Warring States style (100 Schools of Thought)
“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace,
Origin of the Cold Food Festival
Each year in early April, the Chinese remember the dead on the festival known as Qingming. On this day, families visit and clean the grave sites of their ancestors. For this reason, it’s sometimes called Tomb-Sweeping Day. After the Chinese
Origin of the Cold Food Festival
Each year in early April, the Chinese remember the dead on the festival known as Qingming. On this day, families visit and clean the grave sites of their ancestors. For this reason, it’s sometimes called Tomb-Sweeping Day. After the Chinese
Laozi and Confucius walk into a bar…
They didn’t walk into a bar together, but it’s sobering to think that these two monumental pillars of human thought lived at roughly the same time in the same part of world, allowing for the greatest meeting of dueling philosophies
Laozi and Confucius walk into a bar…
They didn’t walk into a bar together, but it’s sobering to think that these two monumental pillars of human thought lived at roughly the same time in the same part of world, allowing for the greatest meeting of dueling philosophies
The Spring and Autumn Period
“Ancient scholars studied for their own improvement. Modern scholars study to impress others.” — Confucius With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the real tragedy of the Western Zhou wasn’t their decline. It was that when they fell,
The Spring and Autumn Period
“Ancient scholars studied for their own improvement. Modern scholars study to impress others.” — Confucius With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the real tragedy of the Western Zhou wasn’t their decline. It was that when they fell,
False Alarms: No Zhou-King Matter
It went great for the Zhou for a couple hundred years—for the legacy of the Duke of Zhou and his elder brother’s imperial line. Eventually, though, all good things come to an end. In the Zhou’s case, it was the
False Alarms: No Zhou-King Matter
It went great for the Zhou for a couple hundred years—for the legacy of the Duke of Zhou and his elder brother’s imperial line. Eventually, though, all good things come to an end. In the Zhou’s case, it was the
The Duke of Zhou and the Mandate of Heaven
“I must be slipping. It’s been too long since I have dreamt of the Duke of Zhou.” — Confucius When trying to sort out the Bronze Age Dynasties—Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou—it’s helpful to remember the three Ancient Greek
The Duke of Zhou and the Mandate of Heaven
“I must be slipping. It’s been too long since I have dreamt of the Duke of Zhou.” — Confucius When trying to sort out the Bronze Age Dynasties—Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou—it’s helpful to remember the three Ancient Greek
My China Year 