Philosophy
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“All under heaven bustle about in pursuit of profit; all under heaven jostle about in pursuit of profit.” – Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Merchants “Fame and fortune are the things this fleeting world values most; how many throughout the ages have been able to cast them aside?” – Tang dynasty poem During…
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”It is upon bad fortune that good fortune leans, upon good fortune that bad fortune rests. “ – Lao Tzu There lived an old man near the frontier who was skilled in divination. One day, his horse ran off to the lands of the nomadic tribes beyond the border. The neighbours all came to console…
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Wang Ceng (978–1038AD) was a renowned prime minister and poet of the Northern Song dynasty. As prime minister, Wang Ceng never made a public show of either promoting or dismissing officials, to the extent that people were unaware of which individuals had been appointed or dismissed at his behest. The statesman Fan Zhongyan once said…
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It is said that Chinese think long term. This allegory captures this mentality well. Once upon a time, there was an old man called Yu Gong (愚公 Foolish Old Man), who was nearly ninety years old. In front of his house stood two huge mountains, the Taihang Mountain and the Wangwu Mountain, spanning three hundred…
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Su Dongpo (1037-1101AD) was a renowned writer, calligrapher, and painter of the Northern Song Dynasty, he also served as Minister of War among other official positions. Whilst serving in Guazhou, north of the Yangtze River, Su Dongpo formed a deep friendship with the eminent monk, Zen master Fo Yin of Jinshan Temple, situated on the…