Culture
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Stories from Ancient China: Virtue Brings Prosperity to One's Family
2007-01-27
A couple of years later, Zhang Ying's father again dreamt of Wang Dun who was to be born into his family. He scolded Wang, "You're indeed a minister of dishonesty. You want to fool me again. I won't have you." Wang Dun answered, "I looked around each of the major families south of the Yangtze River. No single family matches yours in terms of blissfulness and virtue. I'm not going to leave this time." -
From the Tang Dynasty to the Present, Ruthless Officials Meet with Retribution
2007-01-25Suo Yuanli (unknown-691) was a general during the guerrilla war in the reign of Wu Zetian. He was responsible for the court of Luozhou. He oppressed many innocent people, took bribes, and tortured people to extract a confession. He made a device, the Iron Dragon Head, used as torture instrument when interrogating criminals. The Iron Dragon Head torture instrument was used when he himself was interrogated. He confessed to all his crimes and died in jail. -
Stories from Ancient China: Benefiting from Chanting Buddha's Name
2007-01-19He believed in Buddha and built a statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, which he set out at home and paid respect to. Later on, he was framed and imprisoned. He could not stand the torture and had to admit to things he did not do. He was sentenced to death. One night, he dreamt of a monk, who told him to chant, "Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Savior," one thousand times. When he woke up, he started chanting immediately. -
Stories from Ancient China: Li Shiqian, a Kind and Caring Officer
2007-01-17During one calamitous year, crop yields were very poor. Li Shiqian distributed grain to tens of thousands of poor people. When, by the end of the year, those people were still unable to return the grain to him, they came to his house to apologise and asked him for a six-month extension. Li Shiqian said, "My family's surplus grain should be used to help people." He burned his debtors' I.O.U.'s and said, "You have all paid back what you owed. You should no longer worry about it anymore." The next year's harvest was good and people hurried to return the grain they had borrowed but he still wouldn't accept a single grain. -
Acupuncture Cuts Tension Headache Rates by Almost Half
2007-01-16Those receiving traditional acupuncture care saw their headache rates drop by almost half - suffering 7 fewer days of headaches over the four weeks following the treatment. Those receiving minimal acupuncture had 6.6 fewer days of headaches. While the control group experienced 1.5 less days of headaches - a drop of just a tenth. -
Stories from Ancient China: "Only the Ordinary People Like to Trouble Themselves"
2007-01-12After he went to Yi Zhou, he was very kind and generous to the local people. He did not even like to physically punish the criminals. His assistant commented," People here are very stubborn and very hard to manage. You need to have a system to punish them harshly, otherwise you will not be able to not establish your reputation and people will not fear you." Lu Huiangxhian shook his head and said, "I see it entirely different. If you manage the people's affairs well, there will be social stability. The people will love to work hard and enjoy their lives. They will then obey you. So why do I need to punish them heavily to build my reputation?" -
Ancient Cultivation Stories: Factors Affecting Health
2007-01-07Zixia and Zengzi were both students of the wise Confucius. One day, they met each other on the street. Zengzi carefully looked Zixia over from head to toe, and then asked, "In the past you had many illnesses and were always thin and weak. You seem to have gained weight and look energetic too." Zixia happily said, "I have recently won a battle, so I feel very happy and have gained weight as a result." -
Stories from Ancient China: Zhao Jing, the Elder Stateman
2006-12-31Shao Jing said, "I don't even care whether I can keep my head; why should I worry about my legs?" His cell mate, however, talked to the guards on Zhao's behalf. As a result, nothing happened to him the next day at his trial. Prime Minister Yang Song recommended a punishment of 100 floggings, but Emperor Shi Zong refused and dismissed Zhao Jing from his job instead. -
Stories from Ancient China: Prime Minister Yu and His Obsession With Cleanliness
2006-12-30Yu Zhaitian was a prime minister at the end of the Qing dynasty. He was obsessed with cleanliness and many other taboos. At home, he would not let anyone sit where he normally sat or touch the curtains or doorknob. In the office, his subordinates had to hold the end of a Chinese brush when they handed it to him. his clothes had to be free of wrinkles and dust. If there were wrinkles after he sat for a while, the garment had to be ironed. -
Stories from Ancient China: "Peach Grove over Yonder"
2006-12-29In the story, a fisherman from Wuling in Hunan Province decided to row his boat up river. After a long while, he saw a huge peach grove with splendid blossoms. He was overwhelmed with such scenery and continued to row. He then saw a small mountain with a small cave in the middle of the mountain. He was so curious that he got off his boat and crawled into the cave. At the end of the cave, there appeared a broad, flat area. He kept walking and saw rows of houses neatly arranged with various crops growing in a fertile field. -
Stories from Ancient China: Deceiving Heaven and Cheating One's Neighbours - a Thief's Oath Dictates His Own Retribution
2006-12-28About a year later, Chen Liangdong died from a sudden illness. Before he died, he told his wife, "I'm on my way to Li's family to pay back the debt I owe them." He died as soon as he said those words. At the same time, a cow in Li's family suddenly gave birth to a small ox. On the forehead of the ox, there appeared to be a few characters. The characters were quite illegible. A year later, the characters were legible, and they read, "Chen Liangdong." -
Stories from Ancient China: Life Is But a Dream
2006-12-27After he woke up, he realised that he had experienced being both rich and poor, gain and loss. He wrote a poem to express his sentiment: "Life is like a dream until death when you awake. Why worry about gain and loss? You would suffer until you are out of shape." -
Stories from Ancient China: Marquis Wen of the Wei State, a Man of His Word
2006-12-24Marquis Wen (44 -396 B.C.) was the first leader of the state of Wei in the Warring States Period in China. Because he treated others with honesty and conviction, he was esteemed by people from all walks of life. The state of Wei prospered quickly under his administration. [Note: He was one of the first leaders to implement professional training for his soldiers with the use of bells, drums, and gongs to control their maneuvers.] -
Stories from Ancient China: Maintaining One's Integrity and Keeping One's Wife
2006-12-23Yan Zi immediately stood up and replied respectfully, "My wife is old and ugly now, but she was young and beautiful once and we have been together for a long time. When she was young and beautiful, she trusted me that we would be together until we died. She trusted me with her life, and I accepted her trust. Now you want to give me your daughter, but how can I violate her trust?" Yan Zi bowed to the king again and again to decline. -
Stories from Ancient China: Controlling Oneself and Suppressing Anger
2006-12-18Xia Yuanji was the Secretary of the Internal Ministry in the Ming Dynasty. He was a person with a tolerant mind. Once someone asked him: "Can one learn your tolerance?" He said: "When I was young, I was always very angry when someone upset me. Later I first tried to control myself and appeared calm on the outside, while I slowly calmed myself down within. Gradually I found that I was able to control myself well on all occasions."
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