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The “Thousand Character Classic” is one of the most widely circulated and most influential early educational texts in pre-modern era China. Together with the “Three Character Classic,” the “Hundred Family Surnames,” and the “Poems of a Thousand Masters” it is collectively known as the “Three, Hundred, Thousand, Thousand” (三百千千). Using one thousand different, non-repeating Chinese…
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Feng Yan of Tang Dynasty came from humble origins, he was a man of generous spirit who placed great importance on loyalty and righteousness. On one occasion, whilst standing up for someone who had been wronged, he killed a man; to evade the authorities, he fled to Huazhou, where he went into hiding amongst the…
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King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius, “Is it true that (Zhou dynasty) King Wen’s park was thirty five kilometre in circumference?” Mencius replied, “It is so written in the historical records.” The king asked, “Was it really that large?” Mencius said, “And yet the people still found it too small.” The king said, “My park…
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In the late Tang dynasty, a tomb robbery took place in a certain place. As the case remained unsolved for a long time, the local authorities came under considerable pressure. Eventually, they apprehended a ‘suspect’ and subjected him to brutal torture to extract a confession. Unable to endure the torment, the ‘suspect’ ultimately confessed under…
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Duke of Zhou was the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou dynasty and the uncle of King Cheng of Zhou. After King Wu’s death, the young King Cheng ascended the throne, and the Duke of Zhou acted as regent. This aroused suspicion among his older brothers, Guan Shu and Cai Shu, who spread rumours…
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In the late Eastern Han dynasty, there was a man named Xun Jubo. He had travelled from afar to visit a friend who was gravely ill, only to find the Xiongnu army attacking the city. The residents all fled. His friend said to him, ‘I may well die at any moment, you must leave at…