Lmst

A FASCINATING HISTORICAL NOVEL inspired by the writer’s own ancestors tells the story of two women in 19th century China trying to create paths toward independence. B PLUS

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lotus-shoes-jane-yang/1145107408?ean=9780369751485

@bookstodon

#book #Books #bookreview #bookreviews #bookstodon #fiction #novel #novels #historicalfiction #China #ChineseHistory #womenshistory #ChineseAustralianwriters

ICYMI: Chinese Tea Bricks: A Rich History Compressed in Time https://classichistoria.com/articles/tea-bricks-history?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #ChineseTea #TeaBricks #TeaCulture #CulturalHeritage #ChineseHistory

Wikipedia page of the day: The Nine Bestowments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_bestowments

A set of lovely rewards the emperor might give to an accomplished minister, the giving of which signified, “You’re getting too big for your boots. Watch your back,” and the acceptance of which meant, “You watch yours!”

#ChineseHistory

And so we see how history is forgotten... 36 years since the events known in the West as "Tian'anmen" took place. A little over one generation, and there is barely any mention of it.

Listen to this podcast from last year (I think this year's edition may be coming yet, Chris is in a later timezone) to rembember: https://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com/2024/06/18/special-tiananmen-square-the-declassified-history-06-01-1999-w-postscript-2024/
#tiananmen #ChineseHistory #DemocracyDiesInDarkness

The #QingDynasty was a #Manchu-led #imperialChineseDynasty and last imperial dynasty in #ChineseHistory. The administrative system of the Qing dynasty was based on the idea of "adapting to the times and the place, and making adjustments according to circumstances".

What strikes you most about the imperial examination? Do you see parallels in today’s tests? Share your thoughts on how moral ideals and academic rigor can shape a better society. #SurrealArt #ImperialExams #GrandEra #ScholarlyMystique #ImperialExamination #ConfucianIdeals #ScholarOfficials #ChineseHistory #CivilService #TangDynasty #SongDynasty #MingDynasty #QingDynasty #MoralDuty
https://spiritulality.stayingalive.in/inspiring-harmony/imperial-examination-schola.html

A while back I met a Chinese friend on Xaiohongshu who explained to me some history that I was never taught in school about China's past with Japan. As a fan of both cultures, I decided to educate myself out of respect for my friend. Today's reading is The Rape Of Nanking, once that's done, I have China's War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival by Rana Mitter. After that will be The Search For Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence.

#history #chinesehistory #japanesehistory #china #japan #nanking #education #reading #book #bookstodon

A person sits outside on a wooden deck with their legs stretched out, holding a paperback copy of The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. The book's cover features a soldier and the red circle of the Japanese flag. In the background is a peaceful garden setup: a potted Japanese maple tree with red leaves, several other potted plants, and a Buddha statue. The Buddha has two blue-handled gardening tools resting in front of it. The scene contrasts the serenity of the setting with the serious historical subject

#FotoVorschlag: Näher dran geht's nicht // Can't get any closer

Näher dran an die #TerrakottaArmee kommt man nicht und sieht so die unglaublichen Details - jeder #Krieger ist einzigartig, bis hin zu den Schuhsohlen! Auch wenn die Farben mittlerweile kaum noch zu sehen sind, hat mich das sehr beeindruckt. Es zeigt aber auch, dass auch damals schon größenwahnsinnige Spinner an der Macht waren 🙄 // You can't get any closer to the #TerracottaArmy than this and marvel at the wonderful details - each #warrior is unique, down to the soles of his shoes! The colours are mostly faded now but still, I was deeply impressed. It also shows that megalomaniac leaders aren't a recent development. 🙄

#history #Geschichte #ChineseHistory #chinesischeGeschichte #TerrakottaSoldaten #TerrakottaKrieger #TerracottaSoldiers #TerracottaWarriors #Terrakotta #terracotta #China #Xian #Archäologie #archaeology

A close-up, back view shows a partially excavated terracotta warrior statue. The warrior wears segmented armour across its back and shoulders, fastened with small, raised rivets. Traces of faded orange paint are visible on the lower back armour. The statue's head has a detailed hairstyle pulled up into a topknot. The lower body and legs are less detailed and appear unfinished. The statue rests on a plain, rectangular support. A blurred background suggests a museum display setting.

Written by a friend from Vancouver

"This post offers a detailed, firsthand account of how a community worked with its national archives to open racist government records needed to understand and confront this history. It shows how a community’s agency, self-determination, and right to remember its past can move an institution to action."
https://activehistory.ca/blog/2025/03/27/the-right-to-remember-the-past-opening-chinese-immigration-records-in-canadas-national-archives/

#archives #ChineseHistory #CanadianHistory #LAC

New Medieval Books: Complete Essentials for the Military Classics: Wujing Zongyao, Story Collection, Volume One https://www.medievalists.net/2025/03/new-medieval-books-complete-essentials-for-the-military-classics/ #books #ChineseHistory #MilitaryHistory

BDG news: Chinese Maritime Silk Road Hub Quanzhou Sees Record Rise in Visitors

🔗 Read here: https://tinyurl.com/ycy94nvp

#China #SilkRoad #Tourism #Tourists #Travel #Quanzhou #ChineseHistory #ChineseHeritage

~ The legend of Mulan part VI ~

Mulan's popularity since 1998 has generated interest in historical Chinese heroines who were previously unknown in the West and the latest film will no doubt do the same. Among these women is Xun Guan of the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316 CE), the 13-year-old daughter of governor Xun Song, who led a hand-picked team of soldiers to break the lines of the enemy forces surrounding her father's city and brought back a relief force to lift the siege.

Princess Pingyang of the Tang Dynasty trained her own military (known as The Army of Lady Li) and led them in a number of victorious engagements against the forces of the then-corrupt Sui Dynasty. She is the only woman in the history of Imperial China to receive military honors at her burial. The warrior woman Wong Cong'er (l. c. 1777-1798 CE) commanded the White Lotus Sect in the rebellion against the Qing Dynasty, leading an army of men and using guerilla tactics to achieve a number of significant victories. Finally surrounded and facing defeat, she leaped from a cliff rather than submit to capture.

Mulan's story, and name, were also influential in the establishment of the martial art of Mulan Quan (also Mulan Hua Ja Quan) which combines tai chi with dance, Kung Fu, and other arts to create a unique form of self-defense and personal improvement. The discipline is intended to encourage the confidence, strength, and grace of Mulan in modern-day practitioners and is only one of the many examples of how the legend of Mulan continues to inspire people today, especially women, just as it has done in the past.

#mulan #chinesehistory #art #arthistory #history #painting #womenfromhistory

Woodblock print. Scene of Mulan with horse, + inscription. Printed in ink, colour on paper.
According to register, theatrical scene

~ The legend of Mulan part V ~

She is captured by a female warrior, Dou Xianniang, who admires her courage and employs her as an assistant, saving her life and associating her with the winning side. When the war is over, Mulan is pardoned and returns home to find that her father has died. The Khan, having taken notice of her during the conflict, sends word that she is to join his harem and, rather than submit to this shame, Mulan kills herself.

This same story is told, with significant differences, in The Story of the Loyal, Filial, and Heroic Mulan (c. 1800 CE). In this version, Mulan's grandfather, Zhu Ruoxu, is a master of dark arts which he has learned from a greater master, Li Jing. Zhu Ruoxu refuses to use the powers himself but teaches them to Mulan. Years later, war is declared and Mulan's father is conscripted but she goes in his place, proves herself a master of all martial arts, and is accepted into the army. Li Jing, who is supervising recruits, recognizes her but keeps her identity a secret. She is swiftly promoted to the position of general under the name Wu Zhao. She has many adventures in which her mastery of the dark arts plays a part.

An opera Mu Lan Joins the Army was written in 1903 CE which sets the action in the Han Dynasty with the Xiongnu (a tribe of warriors often associated with the Huns) serving as the antagonists. The story follows the same basic plot as earlier versions, but the focus is on the cowardice of men and strength of women. The play does not seem to have been produced but, by this time, the legend of Mulan was well known throughout China and inspired many women to emulate her. Her influence inspired the female freedom fighter, intellectual, and poet Qiu Jin (l. 1875-1907 CE) in her efforts to overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty. Qiu Jin was arrested and executed but her actions inspired other women to follow her example.

#mulan #chinesehistory #art #arthistory #history #painting #womenfromhistory

Painting of Hua Mulan, 18th century, housed in the British Museum.

~ The legend of Mulan part IV ~

During the Song Dynasty, the anthologist Guo Maoqian completed his Collected Works of the Music Bureau which included documents from the work known as Musical Records Old and New from the 6th century CE, including the Mulan legend. There are no known versions of the Mulan story between the Tang Dynasty and the play The Female Mulan by the playwright Xu Wei (l. 1521-1593 CE) so it is assumed that Xu Wei drew on Guo Maoqian's work for his own. Xu Wei introduces the character's surname Hua (“flower”) to Mulan as well as her assumed name as a male, Hua Hu, details her transformation from a girl to a male warrior, and concludes with the marriage motif which was popular in his time.

The play is set in the Northern Wei period when men are being conscripted to fight against a notorious rebel-bandit leader who calls himself Leopard Skin. The author's choice of this time period and this threat is intentional to appeal to the historically literate of his audience since, in 386 CE in Northern Wei, there was unrest caused by rebels and bandits of the south and the Kingdom of Northern Wei did actually issue a call to arms and conscription.

The play is written in two acts with the first detailing her decision to go to war and the second following her through battle and her return home. In the first act, she explains her situation, goes out and buys equipment. She then joins the soldiers to ferret out Leopard Skin and his men. Act II opens with the attack on Leopard Skin's lair, his capture by Hua Hu (Mulan), and the honors the young soldier then receives from “his” commanding officer.

#mulan #chinesehistory #art #arthistory #history #painting #womenfromhistory

Mulan as depicted in the album Gathering Gems of Beauty (畫麗珠萃秀) (Qing dynasty; ca 18th century).

~ The legend of Mulan part III ~

The poem begins with Mulan sitting at her loom, weaving and sighing, and when asked who she is in love with that is causing such sighs, she explains that she has seen the summons from the government, how the Khan is mobilizing the troops, and how her father's name is on the list of conscripts. Her younger brother is only a baby and her father is too old to serve and so she tells her family that she will take his place as she is already well versed in martial arts, horsemanship, and archery. No one objects and so she buys a horse and equipment and goes off to war.

She serves with distinction and is offered the honor of an important governmental position but refuses it. She returns home with her fellow soldiers, goes indoors, and changes back into feminine attire. When she comes back out, her comrades say, “We marched together for these twelve long years/And absolutely had no clue that Mulan was a girl!”. The poem ends with the narrator comparing people to hares and how, when they run side by side, no one can tell male from female, and so it is with people as well.

The later Song of Mulan from the Tang Dynasty changes the locale to Tang-era China and focuses on the danger to the state posed by recent rebellions such as the An Lushan (766-779 CE). The story is the same but there is greater emphasis laid on service to the state through the Confucian ideal of filial piety. The original motivation for Mulan's service is still to save her father but salvation of the family member is equated with defense of the country. This, of course, is in keeping with Confucian ideals in that a virtuous family, theoretically, will help produce a virtuous community and, by extension, a nation.

#mulan #chinesehistory #art #arthistory #history #painting #womenfromhistory

Sculpture of Hua Mulan in Chinese Garden, Singapore

~ The legend of Mulan part II ~

The story, as it is best known today through the recent films, places Mulan in an unidentified era of Imperial China (221 BCE - 1912 CE), but the original poem is set during the Northern Wei Period. The modern and ancient versions follow basically the same plot of a young girl who takes her aged father's place in the army when he is called to serve, performs her duties admirably, saves her country, and returns home to her family.

In the Disney films, she is revealed as a woman but perseveres against the prohibition on females serving in the army to go beyond what is expected of her in defeating China's enemies; in the original version, where she serves 12 years, her gender is never questioned, and she only reveals herself at the end, much to the surprise of the men who served with her.

The original poem takes place during the chaotic era between the fall of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) and the rise of the Sui Dynasty (589-618 CE) during which China first split into the Period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 CE) and was then ruled by succeeding short-lived dynasties, one of which was the Wei, which established itself during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589 CE). The Northern Wei kingdom was founded by the Toba clan of the Xianbei of Mongolia, of Turkic heritage, who adopted Chinese culture and customs just as the Chinese of the region assimilated those of the Toba.

#mulan #chinesehistory #art #arthistory #history #painting #womenfromhistory

Mulan, dressed as a man, next to her sworn sister, Princess Lu Wanhua. Illustrations are from an early woodblock printing of The Fierce and Filial Girl from Northern Wei.

~ The legend of Mulan part I ~

Mulan is a legendary character in Chinese literature who is best known in the modern day from the Disney adaptation. Her story, however, about a young girl who takes her father's place in the army to help save her country, is hundreds of years old

The tale most likely originated in the Northern Wei Period (386-535 CE) of China before it was developed by succeeding authors. Scholarly consensus is that Mulan is a fictional character, probably developed in Northern China in response to the greater independence women enjoyed there, whose legend was then revised in succeeding eras.

The original work, The Poem of Mulan, dates to the 6th century CE and reflects the influences of Mongolian-Turkic peoples on the region with a focus on filial piety, the central virtue and moral of the tale. The later Song of Mulan (from the Tang Dynasty, 618-907 CE) retains this theme while changing the time period. The legend was later included in a compilation by one Guo Maoqian of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), which provided other writers with the source material for their versions.

The play The Female Mulan (16th century CE) modifies earlier themes, moves the action back to the time of the Northern Wei, and introduces the happy ending of the marriage motif while succeeding versions conclude with Mulan killing herself to avoid the shame of having to become the emperor's concubine. By the time the character reached the modern era, through the film Mulan Joins the Army (1939), she was a staunch nationalist, driving out foreign invaders.

Since the 1998 Disney animated film, Mulan's story has grown in popularity and drawn attention to the other women, all historically attested, who took up arms for a cause they believed in throughout China's history.

#mulan #chinesehistory #art #arthistory #history #painting #womenfromhistory

Hua Mulan, towards the end of the 19th century (grape and ink with waercolor on silk) by unknown artist

"Chen Yaozuo was a #Teochew prime minister & grand tutor of the crown prince of the #SongDynasty (960–1279) in the 11th century. Coming from a family of officials, he was a rising star at the start of his career, until he bravely, or some might say foolishly, answered a call of Emperor Zhenzong for open criticisms by submitting a memorial that spelt out the ills of the times, including matters that no one else dared to speak about. As a result, Chen Yaozuo was banished & demoted to become an assistant prefect in the Teochew prefecture. This happened in 998, almost 180 years after Han Yu of the Tang dynasty suffered a similar fate."

"....Chen Yaozuo was more of a problem-solver than Han Yu, and he knew this. At the same time, he sensed the Teochew people’s deep admiration for his fellow Confucian. Cleverly capitalising on this, Chen Yaozuo erected a shrine in honour of Han Yu and he used it to commence his own programme to promote education among what was still a backward population. In pursuit of this goal, the Sichuan native also set up a Confucian temple and places of learning, while identifying and encouraging able families to send their children to schools.

Chen Yaozuo left Teochew after three years of devoted service to its people. He subsequently revealed in an inscription presented to a study room in Zhangpu (a county in Fujian adjacent to Teochew prefecture) that his time in Teo-yor was passed without major worries, despite it being enveloped in miasma."

"Chen Yaozuo’s heart remained with the place even many years after his departure. His poem below, “A note to Registrar Li Zi in Chaoyang” (送潮陽李孜主簿), illustrates this:

潮陽山水東南奇
The mountains and waters of Chaoyang are a wonder of the Southeast
魚鹽城郭民熙熙
Fishing boats, salt beds, and people going in and out of the city form a merry sight
當時為撰玄聖碑
Back then I had to write inscriptions for the sages
而今風俗鄒魯為。
Today its customs are like Zou and Lu [i.e. the home countries of Mencius and Confucius]

#Chinese #historians credit Han Yu for starting what we may call a #revolution through #literacy in Teochew. Yet the extent of Chen Yaozuo’s tireless contributions towards this cause can be seen by its fruits. Before his arrival, the Teochew prefecture produced only three men who attained the status of jinshi, the highest scholarly title awarded by the Chinese imperial court since the late 6th century. By the end of Song, the records show more than 170 jinshi from Teochew, of whom about a third came from Teo-yor.

Beyond scholarly titles, the creation of an educated class sparked a golden age in Teochew with accelerated advancements in agriculture and industry that ended its days as a backwater."

Ref: https://inf.news/en/history/08fbe530527e724eeeee5320bff4f3b9.html

Ref: https://www.theteochewstore.org/blogs/latest/teochew-through-the-eyes-of-its-visitors-chen-yaozou-an-unsung-hero

#AsianMastodon #China #Gaginang #ChineseRevolutionaries #ChineseImperialEra #TeochewHistory #ChineseHistory #AsianHistory #SouthEastAsia #HistoryOfChina #LearnHistory #TootSEA #ChineseScholars #TeochewRoots