“Live long, learn long” is a familiar Chinese saying. But in imperial China, some men took that idea …
chinese history
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Chinese CultureEditor's Pick
A Taoist Priest Foretold Zhang Jun’s Rise Decades in Advance
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisZhang Jun (1097-1164), courtesy name Deyuan, was one of the Southern Song Dynasty’s best-known officials. He resisted the …
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HistoryEditor's Pick
Kindness and Cruelty: True Stories That Reveal Human Nature During China’s Darkest Years
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisAt the height of the Cultural Revolution, people quickly learned that survival often meant keeping their distance — …
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WisdomEditor's Pick
Zeng Guofan’s Biggest Mistake: What He Learned About Choosing a Marriage Partner
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisZeng Guofan is remembered as one of the Qing Dynasty’s most perceptive judges of character. Throughout his life, …
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Mind & SpiritEditor's Pick
The Miraculous Monk Beside Empress Dowager Cixi (Part 2)
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisAfter the disaster-relief ceremony at Wolong Temple in Xi’an made Master Xuyun famous far and wide, devotees from …
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MysteriesEditor's Pick
The Miraculous Monk Beside Empress Dowager Cixi (Part 1)
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisIn Chinese Buddhist tradition, some figures become legends — monks whose lives blur the line between history and …
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Chinese CultureFeatured
The Qing Dynasty Painter Who Turned Down Silver to Help Another Artist
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisZheng Xie (1693-1765), better known by his art name Zheng Banqiao, was a celebrated painter and calligrapher of …
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Chinese CultureFeatured
The Unseen Ledger: Ancient China’s Answer to Fate and Fortune
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisDuring the Tang Dynasty, Wang Yan, an official who served the crown prince, once remarked that the events …
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ChinaEditor's Pick
How China’s Famous Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant Survived the Cultural Revolution
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisA sentimental retelling of Quanjude’s 10 years between life and death When Peking duck is mentioned, almost no …
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Chinese CultureFeatured
What Ancient Chinese Exam Stories Reveal About Honesty and Success
by Mikel Davisby Mikel DavisIf you were to find someone else’s money lying on the ground, would you keep it? For people …