Chinese History & Mythology

Next month, on Wednesday the 19th, it will be Chinese Valentine’s Day. Did you know that? Every year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, many Chinese people celebrate a festival called Double Seventh Festival, the Double Seven Festival.

After Kongming pacified the Southern Barbarians, he led the army back to Shu. Meng Huo brought the cave lords, chiefs, and tribal leaders, large and small, to come forward one after another, bow in thanks, and see him off.

That day, Kongming personally rode in his small carriage and brought several hundred cavalry ahead to scout the road. As they moved forward, they suddenly came upon a large river called the Xi’er River. The water did not flow very fast, but the river was wide, and there were no boats or rafts. For the moment, the troops and horses could not cross.

Right now, people all over the world are watching the World Cup at the same time. Billions of viewers are sitting in front of their screens. Once the whistle of the World Cup blows, the whole world seems to fall into the same rhythm for a while. Some people stay up late to watch the matches. Some study formations. Some are only waiting for the penalty shootout. And some watch the smooth teamwork o...

After Lu Xun of Eastern Wu defeated the Shu army at Xiaoting and Yiling, and then successfully forced back the Wei troops, Sun Quan trusted him even more. He appointed Lu Xun as General Who Supports the State, granted him the title Marquis of Jiangling, and also made him Governor of Jingzhou. From then on, almost all real military power in Eastern Wu fell into Lu Xun’s hands.

After Liu Bei became emperor, he immediately prepared to raise troops for an eastern campaign against Eastern Wu, to avenge Guan Yu. Zhao Yun stepped forward and advised him, “The true traitors to the state are Cao Ren and Cao Pi, not Sun Quan.

After the sacrifices were finished, Ma Liang advised, “Now all the enemies have been executed, and the revenge can be considered complete. Eastern Wu has sent Cheng Bing here. They are willing to return Jingzhou, send Lady Sun back, renew the alliance, and attack Wei together. They are still waiting for Your Majesty’s decision.”

Black-and-white, fluffy fur, and a vegetarian. Almost everyone would immediately think of the  panda. As China’s national-treasure-level animal, it is not an exaggeration to say that in any country, if a zoo has a panda, it can almost guarantee a steady flow of ticket sales. 

When Mi Fang heard that Jingzhou had already fallen, he did not know what to do. Suddenly, someone reported that Fu Shiren, the defender of Gong’an, had arrived. Mi Fang quickly invited him into the city and asked what had happened. Fu Shiren said, “It is not that I am disloyal. The situation was truly desperate, and there was simply no way to defend it. I have already surrendered to Eastern Wu. G...

Seeing that Huang Zhong was determined to go, Kongming said, “Since you insist on taking this campaign, I will send Fa Zheng with you. Discuss every matter with him before making a decision. I will also arrange reinforcements behind you.” Huang Zhong agreed and set out with Fa Zheng and his troops. Afterward, Kongming said to Liu Bei, “If the old general had not been stirred by this challenge, he...

Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people across China hold dragon boat races, eat zongzi, and follow many other interesting customs. To understand it, we need to start with where it came from. In fact, the Dragon Boat Festival was not connected to one famous person from the very beginning.

Sun Quan could not stop thinking about Jingzhou. Zhang Zhao offered a plan and said, “The person Liu Bei relies on most now is Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang’s elder brother, Zhuge Jin, serves in Eastern Wu. First, we can place Zhuge Jin’s family under guard. Then send Zhuge Jin to Western Chuan to meet Zhuge Liang and force him to persuade Liu Bei to return Jingzhou. Just tell Zhuge Liang that if Jingz...

Pang Tong and Fa Zheng continued urging Liu Bei to kill Liu Zhang during the banquet. In their view, Western Shu could then be taken with little effort. But Liu Bei firmly refused. “I have only just arrived in Shu,” he said. “I have not yet earned the people's trust or established my reputation. Such a thing must never be done.” No matter how many times they tried to persuade him, Liu Bei would no...

These days, we are so surrounded by ads that we are almost numb to them. You unlock your phone and the first thing you see is a notification. You open a webpage and a pop-up jumps right into the middle of the screen. You scroll through short videos and suddenly one cuts in with, “Friends, you have to buy this.” Even when you just want to sit quietly and listen to some music, before the intro is ev...

Zhou Yu had been defeated by the three forces of Guan Yu, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan, which Zhuge Liang had arranged in advance, and Eastern Wu’s navy had also suffered considerable losses. Huang Gai and Han Dang quickly helped Zhou Yu back onto a boat. From a distance, Zhou Yu saw Liu Bei and Lady Sun standing on the mountaintop, watching the battle. Shame and anger surged through him. His arrow wo...

Just as Kongming was about to execute Guan Yun Chang according to military law, Liu Bei quickly stepped forward and pleaded for mercy. He said, “Back when the three of us swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden, we vowed to live and die together. Although Yun Chang has violated military law, I truly cannot bear to break the oath we made in those days. I ask that you record his offense for now and sp...

 If time could move backward and we turned the clock back to the nineteen eighty, what kind of China would you see?

Now, back to Lu Su. Following Zhou Yu’s orders, he went to visit Kongming on his small boat. The moment Lu Su sat down, Kongming smiled and said, “I was just about to congratulate the Commander.”

Now, when Guan Yu released the waters from upstream, Zhang Fei charged out from downstream and cut straight into Cao Ren’s defeated army. The two sides clashed in fierce battle, and Zhang Fei soon ran into Xu Chu. He immediately lowered his spear and attacked. Xu Chu did not dare stay and fight for long, and quickly forced his way out and fled.

Today, we are going to talk about a steaming hot topic: morning markets and night markets in China. I believe many of you may have this habit. You open YouTube and watch videos about Chinese food. In the past two years, as China’s morning market and night market culture has become more visible, more and more creators on YouTube have started filming videos in different Chinese cities, walking throu...

Liu Bei successfully recovered Fancheng and comforted the people. The county magistrate Liu Mi held a banquet to welcome him. During the banquet, Liu Bei saw a young man standing nearby. His bearing was impressive, so Liu Bei asked about him. Liu Mi answered, “This is my nephew Kou Feng. He was originally the son of the Kou family of Luohou. His parents died early, so he has been raised here with...

Inside the prison, Tian Feng had already expected his death. He told the prison guards, “Yuan Shao appears broad-minded on the outside, but inwardly he is jealous and suspicious. If he had won, perhaps he might have spared me. But now that he has lost, his shame has turned into anger. He will surely kill me to vent his hatred.”

The hidden meaning behind President Donald Trump’s China visit: the Great Hall of the People, the Temple of Heaven, and Zhongnanhai. In mid-May 2026, U.S. President Trump set foot on Chinese soil. As one of the most powerful figures in the world, the schedule of his visit to China carried a strong sense of careful design. During this three-day visit, Xi Jinping took him to three places: the Great...

When Yuan Shao heard that Yan Liang had been killed, he flew into a rage and ordered Liu Bei executed. But Liu Bei calmly replied, “Since we were separated in Xuzhou, I have not known whether Yunchang was alive or dead. Based on one report alone, how can we be certain the man who killed Yan Liang was truly Guan Yu?” Yuan Shao was already hesitant by nature, and after hearing this, he felt the argu...

breaking point of the entire plan? In this episode, we continue the story. Dong Cheng and the others asked Ma Teng, “Who is this person you mentioned?” Ma Teng replied, “Liu Bei, the governor of Yuzhou, is now in Xudu. Why not bring him in?” Dong Cheng hesitated. “Although Liu Bei is an imperial relative, he is now under Cao Cao. He may not be willing to take such a risk.”