Confucius was once a SiKou (司寇), similar to a Minister of Justice. On the seventh day in this post, he punished a local Shaozeng (an official title) Mao (少正卯) with the death penalty. Some considered the punishment to be too…
In 1961, a little boy walked into a Boston art museum and fell in love with paintings from China’s Song Dynasty period. That boy is now an eminent expert on China, a Harvard-educated historian who teaches at the University of…
The Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581-618) was the seventh major dynasty in Chinese history. Though very powerful, it lasted less than 40 years across the reign of just two emperors: Yang Jian (楊堅) and his son Yang Guang (楊廣).
Min Sun, also known as Min Ziqian, was one of Confucius’ favorite disciples, and one of the most prominent, known for his filial piety. He was a native of the Kingdom of Lu from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476…
During the Han Dynasty, there was a poor young man named Cai Shun. His mother loved mulberries, so he often went to pick them for her. It was his custom to go mulberry picking with two baskets. Unfortunately, this time…
The Analects of Confucius is a collection of sayings and ideas collected by his students around 500 B.C. during China’s Warring States period. As ancient as it is, the values behind the words withstand the test of time.
During the last several hundred years of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝), people’s selfish desires increased along with the development of society.
In the long history of Chinese civilization, harmony has always been a highly valued virtue. Chinese people have always put an emphasis on harmony. It encompasses the fundamental principles of nature, society, and humanity. It is also a prerequisite for…
Confucius taught the world that there were six simple joys for happiness in life, which still hold true in today’s society.
Chinese history is filled with stories of prominent families, but few have survived more than a thousand years. One such family is the Kong family, which has seen the rise and fall of dynasties, and come through all the instability…
Confucius was once a SiKou (司寇), similar to a Minister of Justice. On the seventh day in this post, he punished a local Shaozeng (an official title) Mao (少正卯) with…
In 1961, a little boy walked into a Boston art museum and fell in love with paintings from China’s Song Dynasty period. That boy is now an eminent expert on…
The Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581-618) was the seventh major dynasty in Chinese history. Though very powerful, it lasted less than 40 years across the reign of just two emperors: Yang…
Min Sun, also known as Min Ziqian, was one of Confucius’ favorite disciples, and one of the most prominent, known for his filial piety. He was a native of the…
During the Han Dynasty, there was a poor young man named Cai Shun. His mother loved mulberries, so he often went to pick them for her. It was his custom…
The Analects of Confucius is a collection of sayings and ideas collected by his students around 500 B.C. during China’s Warring States period. As ancient as it is, the values…
During the last several hundred years of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝), people’s selfish desires increased along with the development of society.
In the long history of Chinese civilization, harmony has always been a highly valued virtue. Chinese people have always put an emphasis on harmony. It encompasses the fundamental principles of…
Confucius taught the world that there were six simple joys for happiness in life, which still hold true in today’s society.
Chinese history is filled with stories of prominent families, but few have survived more than a thousand years. One such family is the Kong family, which has seen the rise…
As William Blakney stated about Confucius in his 1955 translation of the Tao Te Ching:
Confucius once asked the sage Lao Zi, who wrote the Tao Te Ching, about etiquette in past dynasties. This encounter of theirs was well-known in ancient times, and people can…
A 93-year-old Korean revealed the journey that led to his learning Chinese:
Pearl Buck was a baby when her parents relocated to China. What she babbled was Chinese; what she experienced were Chinese customs and lifestyles. She was so attached to traditional…
Zeng Zi (505-432 B.C.) was from Nan Wu in what is now China’s Shandong Province. When he was 16 years old, he was accepted as a student of Confucius. He…
Lao Zi once said: “When a wise person hears the Tao, he practices it diligently, but when an average person hears the Tao, he practices it on and off.” The…
One day, Confucius paid a visit to the ancestral temple of Zhou and saw a vessel. Confucius asked the caretaker of the temple: “What vessel is that?”
Ancients saw how this perfect flower rose from the swamp and mud, and formed a divinely beautiful, spotless bloom. This kindled Buddhist belief that humans also need to rise up through…
Kong Mie was a nephew of Confucius, while Bi Zijian was a student. Both of them were magistrates of two different counties.
CHINESE
