Are you as clever as these people from ancient China? The following stories raise some perplexing questions. See if you can unravel these brainteasers. Confucius examines Xiang Tuo In the Spring and Autumn period (around 770 to 476 B.C.), Confucius and his students once went out for a ride in a carriage. They saw many ...
In today’s world of instant beauty fixes, Instagram posts, and social media influencers, it is easy to forget that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While some think that contouring makeup and padded underwear make a woman beautiful by current standards, the ancient Chinese people had other ideas, and “ugly women” were not ...
During the Ming Dynasty, a scholar sat for the Imperial examination and won the coveted prize of ‘Champion’. This notable scholar was Liu Lishun (1582-1644) from Henan Province. In his earlier career, Liu Lishun procured a place at a rich man’s home to teach young apprentices. The man hired a maid to take care of ...
During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Changling, a famous frontier poet, returned to the capital city from Wu Prefecture by sea. When the boat sailed to Madang Mountain, a sudden gust of wind caused it to shudder violently and tip to the side so that it was impossible to continue the journey. ...
In the time of the Qing Dynasty, east of the Yangtze River, there lived a man named Yuan Xujun. Xujun knew traditional Chinese medicine and decided to open a shop near the Guanhe River. There were many willow trees along the river, and one very tall group of willows provided a good amount of shade, ...
There is an ancient Chinese saying: “Gods see all your evil thoughts.” In July of a specific lunar year, an altar master in Shizhu County was passing through the township of Fengdu and decided to visit the temple of the town’s god. While offering his prayers and burning incense, he raised his head and gazed reverently ...
In traditional Chinese culture, filial piety — loving, respecting, and caring for one’s parents — is the virtue prized above all others. The following is a modern-day story about how children should practice filial piety. Xiao Li came from a rather poor family in his village, but he was fortunate enough to go to college. After ...
When people speak of feng shui, the first thing that comes to mind is their usefulness as a collection of decorating principles to create a harmonious living environment. But inner feng shui has more profound content and deeper inner meaning. The Tao Te Ching by Laozi speaks of the goodness of water, living in a good place, ...
In China’s Commercial Press’s sixth edition of the Modern Chinese Dictionary, 239 English words, including “NBA,” have been added. After its publication, 100 scholars reported that this dictionary violates long-established Chinese language rules. They also accused the Commercial Press of Latinizing some Chinese characters, i.e., using English vocabulary to replace Chinese characters. Doing so causes severe destruction ...
During the Tang Dynasty, a man named Wei Gu traveled to Songcheng and stayed at the Nan Hostel. One night, while Wei Gu was walking down the street, he saw an elderly man sitting on the ground under the moonlight. The old man was sitting next to a stack of books filled with red strings; he was ...
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