Culture
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Stories from Ancient China: Paying Attention to Character Despite Ones' Position
2006-05-13
When Shanguo went to the tribunal to sit in judgement in public affairs, his mother would sit on a stool behind a curtain at the back of the hall and listen carefully to how her son analysed each situation and rendered his decision. Whenever Shanguo failed to make a fair judgement or lost his temper during the proceedings, his mother would crawl under a quilt and cry when they returned home, eating nothing for the whole day. -
Stories from Ancient China: Integrity is Worth the Most
2006-05-04The next day, a group of merchants came to his shop to buy some cloth. Mr. Tao Siwong did not dye any cloth with the fake purple grass, and burnt all of the fake grass in front of the merchants. He said, "I'd rather lose money than sacrifice others' benefit." -
A Short Story -- Realm in a Jar
2006-04-27Whenever he chanted an incantation, there would be a realm displayed inside his jar with a sun, a moon, stars, a blue sky, earth, mountains, woods and grasslands, flowers, temples and houses, etc. Even more mysterious was that every night, Zhang Shen would put his jar on the floor, and slip into the jar to sleep after chanting incantations to enjoy his deity realm. He called his realm inside the jar the "Jar Heaven." Thus, people called him the "Jar Gentleman." -
Stories from Ancient China: Jiang Xinkui Teaches a Heavenly Principle Via the Death of His Son
2006-04-26Several months later, the Jiang family planned to build a garden. The son went to the mountain with others to collect stones for the garden when suddenly a large rock fell on him, killing him instantly. Jiang Xinhui was heartbroken. Then someone told him about how his son had accepted the bribe secretly. Jiang gradually got over his grief. He decided not to hide what his son had done and instead let people talk about it openly. -
Stories from Ancient China: Short Term Loss Leads to Long Term Gain
2006-04-25Zeng immediately said, "I had originally planned to do the same thing. But I heard that a famine has just broken out in the north. If the clay-ware pieces are transported to the north, it might be difficult to sell them there. Therefore I cancelled my trip." That person immediately backed out of the deal and left with the money that he had planned to pay Zeng for the clay-ware. Because he couldn't sell the clay-ware, Zeng's entire family soon fell into a destitute situation with no food and no way to keep warm. -
Stories from Ancient China: Afraid Not that Others Know, But that I Know
2006-04-23"Not afraid that others may know, but that I know" is the spirit of self-control. It tells people that one can control and behave oneself by following certain rules. In traditional Chinese culture people stress "not to misbehave in a dark room," meaning that even though nobody would know about it if we did a wrong deed, we should still follow our moral standards. People who believe in gods and heaven know that our every thought and every move are being watched. -
Stories from Ancient China: Do Not Pursue or Indulge in Vanity
2006-04-21Qi Jingtong scolded Qi Jiguang seriously for his extravagant and ostentatious idea. He cautioned Qi Jiguang, "If you pursue and indulge yourself in vanity, you won't be able to achieve great things when you grow up." Qi Jiguang accepted his father's criticism and told the artisan to install only four carved doors. -
Traditional Culture: Do Not Pursue or Indulge in Vanity
2006-04-19With this teaching, discipline from his father as well as learning from his father's exemplary conduct, Qi Jiguang sought no extravagance and felt content with moderate food. He was diligent and earnest in his studies and practice of martial arts. Later, he became a famous general as well as an outstanding strategist of the Ming Dynasty, and fought against the invading minorities. He therefore had his name imprinted in Chinese history. He had learned that flaunting, indulgence, attachment to one's own appearance, acquiring wealth, achievements and status - these attachments aim at seeking other people's flattery and praise, and are all manifestations of vanity. -
General Tao's Mother and her Great Virtue
2006-04-14When Tao Kan was young, he worked as an officer in Xunyang County (now known as Jiujiang County). He was in charge of catching fish. He once sent a jar of salted fish to his mother. She returned the fish with a letter, saying that "As an officer, you should not send me anything that belongs to the government. I don't benefit from it, and on the contrary, you have burdened me emotionally." -
Stories from Ancient China: Working Together as One
2006-04-13When Acai was very ill, he called all of his sons together and asked each one of them to give him one arrow. He then said to his younger brother, Mu Liyan, "Please take one arrow here and break it." Mu Liyan easily broke the arrow. Acai then said, "Please take nineteen arrows here and break them." Mu Liyan could no longer break the bundle of arrows. Acai said, "Now do you understand? One arrow is very easily broken, while a bundle of arrows is hard to break. As long as all of you work together with one heart, our kingdom will be stable." -
Traditional Culture: Failing to Understand Bows and Arrows
2006-04-07Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, in the Tang Dynasty, loved bows and arrows from the time he was young. He collected over ten high quality bows and thought that there were none better than the ones in his collection. He later took his bows to an expert. After a careful study, the bow expert said, "These bows are not made of very high quality material." Totally surprised, Emperor Taizong asked, "How can you tell?" -
Stories from Ancient China: Empress Ma Mingde, the First Lady of the Country
2006-04-06She had the ability to analyze the entire situation rationally and take many different things into consideration. When he encountered things that he couldn't resolve easily, he often asked Empress Ma for advice. Empress Ma was able to offer insightful analysis and give constructive solutions. The emperor took her advice seriously and accepted many of her suggestions, which closed a lot of gaps in the way that the country was being run. -
Stories from Ancient China: To Love Children, Educate Them from Early Childhood
2006-04-05Confucius always said, "Habits formed in childhood are like instincts. Habits will become a person's nature." He expresses the same truth. As the proverb says, "A child's learning should start in his early childhood." It is truly important. -
Traditional Culture: The Proper Way to Sit in Ancient China
2006-04-02Many records in ancient Chinese teachings mention sitting positions. In the Xihan Dynasty (207 B.C. to 25 A.D.), the two noblemen Song Zhong and Jia Yi were listening to a prophet explaining his prophecies. He was very knowledgeable, talked about things very rationally and convincingly, and made these two noblemen instantly feel respect. They immediately straightened their clothes and sat up straight to pay their respect to this prophet. -
The Most Learned Emperor in Chinese History - Emperor Kangxi
2006-04-01
His benevolence and tactics come from the Han's Confucian education he received. His openness and heart of seeking endeavours were mainly influenced by Western culture. Emperor Kangxi was imparted with the deep and profound cultures of the Chinese as well as many countries of the West, molding him into one of the most cultured people at that time. These provided him with a foundation to display his royal abilities.
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