Chinese History & Mythology

After reading the report, Duke Xiang was furious .  His first thought was, “I just made peace with Duke Zhao of Zheng, and I just agreed to this alliance with Ji Zu  . Now your ministers turn around and murder him and switch rulers  . What does that make my state look like  ?How am I supposed to hold my face as the ruler of Qi .”

A long time ago, about two thousand six hundred years ago during the Zhou dynasty, the Jade Emperor, the highest god in Chinese mythology,decided to choose twelve animals to represent the years. He announced that there would be a river crossing race. The first twelve animals to reach the finish line would enter the zodiac team. They would be ranked by the order they arrived.

When Ji Zi heard that his mother had died, his heart broke   He did not dare cry in front of his father, so he hid and wept in secret .     Even then Gongzi Shuo and Xuan Jiang did not stop.   They kept pouring poison into Duke Xuan’s ear  . They said Ji Zi resented him for his mother’s death, that he had sworn to take their lives as payment .     By now Duke Xuan completely believed them .  Day a...

The content of that letter was very direct   In plain terms it was just two points .  The first was congratulations   It said, congratulations on finally returning home and becoming ruler of Zheng  . The second went straight to the real issue .  It reminded him that back when he was living under another man’s roof in Song, it was Duke Zhuang of Song who sent troops to help him .  At that time he h...

This is a question I often had to answer and explain when I first met some foreign friends.  Many foreign friends would ask me very directly. Do Chinese people eat dog meat?

After Duke Huan of Chen died, his younger brother, Prince Tuo, killed the crown prince and grabbed the throne for himself .   Everyone in Chen knew exactly what had happened, and no one in their hearts accepted him, but for the moment they had no way to resist  .

The moment this man took the throne, he acted like a gambler who suddenly got hooked—his favorite thing in the world was starting wars    Especially wars against Zheng .  Duke Shang never felt safe about that.  He was always afraid that one day, this cousin would come back and take the throne from him  . So he kept picking fights with Zheng, as if starting wars could soothe that sense of insecurit...

Whenever you say something like, I do not feel very well, or I feel tired, or I feel cold, or I am a bit thirsty, in most cases the response you get is the same,  Someone will say, come on, drink some hot water,  But for many foreign friends, this is exactly the part that feels the most confusing, Why hot water?  Why not cold water?  Why not juice, soda, coffee, or any other kind of drink?

After reading it, Zheng Zhuanggong immediately understood he could not keep pushing forward. If he continued attacking Song’s heartland while his own house was burning, even a glorious victory would mean nothing. So he ordered the entire army to withdraw at once.

Zhouyu quickly asked, “What way?” Shi Hou said, “My father, Shi Que, used to be the top minister of Wei. He held great power, and his character was excellent. For many years, he handled affairs fairly and never played favorites. Because of this, the elders and the common people in Wei all trust him deeply. If you can invite him back to court to help you govern, and people see that even Shi Que is...

Duke Zhuang of Zheng was the first to speak. He asked something like, “Gongsun Hua is now leading the troops of Wei to attack us. Does anyone have a plan?” Gongzi Lü stepped out. He was the kind of person who spoke very directly, but also thought very deeply.

The ministers were shocked. They quickly tried to persuade him, saying, “Your Majesty, Jing is a rough land. Their customs have never been very refined. Since ancient times they have not really listened to the Zhou court. Back in King Xuan’s time, His Majesty personally led troops to attack them, and only then did they barely submit. Even then, King Xuan did not demand a lot of tribute from them....

Inside Haojing, a sudden urgent report rang through the city: the Western Rong army had already surrounded the capital and was about to attack. When King You heard the news, his face turned white with fear. He said, “We have been found out. We haven’t even managed to send our own army out, and they have already struck first. What do we do now”

The whole story began with a children’s rhyme that suddenly spread through the capital. It was a short chant sung by a group of kids, clapping their hands in rhythm. The words said, “The moon is about to rise, the sun is about to set. A bow made from mulberry wood, a quiver woven from wild grass. The state of Zhou is about to fall.” King Xuan heard this rhyme while returning to the city at night....

The Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms (simplified Chinese: 东周列国志) is a Chinese historical novel in 108 chapters written by Feng Menglong in the late Ming dynasty. Set in the Eastern Zhou dynasty, the novel starts from the Chinese kingdom beginning to break apart into smaller states and ends with the first unification of the land accomplished by Qin Shi Huang.

Today we will divide the episode into two major parts In the first part we talk about the Tao Te Ching We will look at what Lao Zi was resisting and whether the idea of wu wei means doing nothing or something very different In the second part we talk about The Art of War and why this book, praised by military academies around the world, is far more than a guide for fighting battles

After King Wu defeated the Shang, his biggest challenges were not “How do we beat the last king?” They were two much more complicated questions: First, the Zhou territory was now even larger than the Shang’s. How do you manage such a huge space? Second, how do you stop yourself from repeating the same mistakes that destroyed the Shang dynasty?

The next morning, the official in charge of meals from the Imperial Kitchen hurried to the southern outskirts and set up a grand feast on a wide open field. The feast was called the Nine-Dragon Banquet—fine dishes, good wine—prepared just to send off the seven of them.

All the generals, big and small, were startled awake. Someone ran to report to Jiang-Zi-Ya at once. Jiang-Zi-Ya stepped out of his sleeping tent, saw demonic energy rolling through the sky, dust flying through the camp as if a giant beast had broken in. He shouted, “All disciples, move together and capture the demons!”

When Lu Renjie heard that the Zhou army had come, he personally led a large force to the front of the formation. He looked up and saw Jiang-Zi-Ya riding his four-not-like beast, with rows of cultivators standing on both sides. On the left was Nuh-zhah, standing on his wind-and-fire wheels, holding his Fire Golden Spear. On the right was Yang Jian, wearing a light yellow battle robe, three-pointed...

The Zhou soldiers could not withstand his strength at all. Wherever he smashed through, bodies fell everywhere and blood flowed like rivers.  That night, all six hundred thousand Zhou soldiers were thrown into chaos inside the camp.  In the darkness, men cried out for their brothers and called for their parents. Miserable screams rose everywhere.

The decree said: “Marshal Yuan Hong, skilled in both civil and martial arts, wiser than ordinary men, and continually victorious in battle—you are the great pillar of the nation, a true dragon among men. I have specially sent Minister Chen You with Sheep of Shang, fine wine, gold and silver silk, and a brocade robe to reward you and your soldiers. When you eliminate the rebels, I will grant you th...

As monstrous generals clash with Zhou forces at Mengjin, King Zhou of Shang sinks deeper into cruelty on Deer Terrace—testing Daji’s “powers” by mutilating innocent people. While the battlefield fills with demons, the palace fills with blood, revealing a dynasty rotting from within and trembling on the edge of collapse.

 “General, do not panic. The Son of Heaven is probably thinking that the two of us can still hold off the Zhou army for a while. Now that Yuan Hong has gone to Mengjin, the lords on the southern and northern roads will not dare circle around behind us so easily. All we need to do is guard this city and not rush out to fight. When Yuan Hong beats the lords at Mengjin and breaks the forces on the so...

The immortals around him had been lifeless a moment ago, but now their spirits rose again. They shouted, “Teacher, we’ll follow you to get revenge!” He thought, My four best disciples are all dead. I might as well go to Purple Cloud Palace and see our teacher Hongjun Laozu, hear what he says, and then decide what to do next. Send us a text Support the show