Chinese Culture

  • The Legend of Iron Crutch Li, Part 2
    The Legend of Iron Crutch Li, Part 2
    September 19, 2018 | By Su Lin
    Iron Crutch Li left with Supreme Old Lord on a celestial visit to various paradises. During the journey, Supreme Old Lord taught him more about cultivating the Tao. As Iron Crutch Li was anxious to return to his body, he sought Supreme Old Lord’s permission to go back. Supreme Old Lord smiled and let him […]
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  • The Legend of Iron Crutch Li, Part 1
    The Legend of Iron Crutch Li, Part 1
    September 19, 2018 | By Su Lin
    Iron Crutch Li ranks first among the Eight Immortals. He was originally named Li Xuan and was also called Li Ningyang. It is said that he was from Baguo during the Zhou Dynasty. Iron Crutch Li had special features and a special disposition, and he was bright and wise. At the age of 20, he […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: Robbers Disappear After the Granaries Are Opened
    Ancient Chinese Stories: Robbers Disappear After the Granaries Are Opened
    September 19, 2018 | By Epoch Times Reader
    At the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man called Zhong Mou. He became an orphan when he was young and worked very hard in the fields to support his brother. He liked to read when he had spare time. When he grew up, he received a commendation for being a person […]
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  • Can’t Find Time to Meditate? Try Music
    Can’t Find Time to Meditate? Try Music
    September 18, 2018 | By Catherine Yang
    Something odd happened to him recently: He sat in front of a symphony orchestra, and all that familiar tension bunched up in his neck and back and shoulders just melted away.
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: Not Killing Cures an Ancestral Deformity 
    Ancient Chinese Stories: Not Killing Cures an Ancestral Deformity 
    September 12, 2018 | By Anonymous
    Near the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was a village in Northeast China where a family surnamed Xing lived. The Xing family was famous for two reasons. The first was that they had a secret ancestral remedy for eye disease; whoever had eye disease went to the Xing household to receive the remedy and […]
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  • Transcendent Landscapes
    Transcendent Landscapes
    September 6, 2018 | By Irene Luo
    You ask me why I dwell in the emerald mountains. I smile and make no reply, my heart at ease. Peach blossoms flow downstream on the water, vanishing without a trace. It is another realm, beyond the human world. —Li Bai, one of China’s most celebrated poets For centuries, the Chinese have exalted and reveled […]
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  • The Immortal Impact of China’s First Emperor
    The Immortal Impact of China’s First Emperor
    August 31, 2018 | By Lorraine Ferrier
    Traveling 5,000 miles from Shaanxi Province in northwest China, 10 life-size Terracotta Warriors have left their emperor’s kingdom in order to be exhibited in England, in “China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors,” an exhibition at the World Museum in Liverpool until Oct. 28. The famous burial chamber figures are displayed along with artifacts spanning […]
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  • Even With Superpowers, Maudgalyayana Could Not Save His Mother by Himself
    Even With Superpowers, Maudgalyayana Could Not Save His Mother by Himself
    August 28, 2018 | By Su Lin
    The 15th day of the 7th lunar month is known as the Ghost Festival. Its origin dates back to the story of Maudgalyayana rescuing his mother, which was first recorded in the Ullambana Sutra. Maudgalyayana was one of Buddha’s ten most outstanding disciples, and he also had the greatest psychic powers. After he acquired psychic […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: ‘Ten Taels of Silver Change a Man’s Fate’
    Ancient Chinese Stories: ‘Ten Taels of Silver Change a Man’s Fate’
    August 22, 2018 | By Anonymous
    In the Ming Dynasty, there was a young man named De Yuan. He lived a very poor life and sometimes had nothing to eat for several days. But he liked to read, and he studied very hard to prepare for the Imperial Examinations, which were held only once every three years. Although he could not […]
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  • The Bow Maker’s Wife Used Her Wit to Plead With The King
    The Bow Maker’s Wife Used Her Wit to Plead With The King
    August 10, 2018 | By Su Lin
    During the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history, there was a bow maker in the state of Jin. His wife was the daughter of an official. Duke Ping of Jin instructed the bow maker to make a bow, and he spent three years completing the task. However, the arrow shot from the bow was […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: ‘Saving Mother From the Tiger’s Mouth’
    Ancient Chinese Stories: ‘Saving Mother From the Tiger’s Mouth’
    July 30, 2018 | By Anonymous
    One day, after collecting firewood from the forest, Zhao Zan was on his way home. His mother was in the yard preparing to cook dinner. Then, a tiger ran into the village and directly into Zan’s yard. At that moment, Zan arrived at the village and all the villagers called out to him, “Don’t go […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: ‘Lying on Ice for Carp’
    Ancient Chinese Stories: ‘Lying on Ice for Carp’
    July 27, 2018 | By Anonymous
    A man named Wang Xiang lived during the Jin Dynasty. He was well-known for his filial piety. Wang Xiang’s mother died when he was a child. His father remarried and his stepmother hated him. She frequently beat him and blamed him for the smallest things. Soon, Wang Xiang’s father joined his stepmother in berating him, […]
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  • Two Ancient Chinese Stories: King Wen and King Wu
    Two Ancient Chinese Stories: King Wen and King Wu
    July 27, 2018 | By Anonymous
    A basic tenet of ancient Chinese beliefs was that of filial piety, or caring for one’s parents. Both King Wen and his son King Wu were excellent examples of this ideal. King Wen of Zhou’s Filial Piety King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, also known as Ji Chang, was a sage king in Chinese history. […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: An 8-Year-Old Girl Rolls Over a Bed of Nails
    Ancient Chinese Stories: An 8-Year-Old Girl Rolls Over a Bed of Nails
    July 1, 2018 | By Anonymous
    At the beginning of the Hong Wu period of the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century, there was a man named Zhu Shiji who had a daughter named Zhu E. Zhu Shiji, who was in charge of food taxes, was falsely accused by a grain debtor. He was put in jail and sentenced to death. […]
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  • Jade Artist Ying-Hsiang Hsu on Drawing From Life and Nature
    Jade Artist Ying-Hsiang Hsu on Drawing From Life and Nature
    June 26, 2018 | By Jenny Zhi
    “If your heart is like a pool of clear water, every moment in your life can serve as inspiration,” says Ying-Hsiang Hsu. In his 40 years of working with jade and diamonds, the Taiwan-based metal processing expert, jade jewelry artist, and founder of jewelry company Art Jade has stood steadfastly by this philosophy, remaining true […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: The Story of Emperor Shun
    Ancient Chinese Stories: The Story of Emperor Shun
    June 25, 2018 | By Anonymous
    Yu Shun, also known as Chong Hua, had a father, named Gu Sou, who was blind. His stepmother gave birth to a boy named Xiang. Much like his parents, Xiang was very vicious toward Shun. Their father liked Xiang very much and always looked for a chance to get rid of Shun. One day, Shun’s […]
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  • 40-Year-Old Ugly Spinster Offered Herself to the King
    40-Year-Old Ugly Spinster Offered Herself to the King
    June 17, 2018 | By Su Lin
    There was an ugly woman in the state of Qi during the Warring States Period (475–221 B.C.) who was still single at the age of 40. One day, she came to the king’s palace and asked to marry the king. The strangest thing was, the king did marry her and even made her the queen. […]
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  • King Zhuang Became Powerful Thanks to a Lady of Noble Character
    King Zhuang Became Powerful Thanks to a Lady of Noble Character
    June 16, 2018 | By Su Lin
    Lady Fan was a consort of King Zhuang of Chu. This virtuous lady displayed her wits and wisdom some 2,600 years ago. It was because of her that King Zhuang became one of the Five Hegemons during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770–476 B.C.). After he ascended the throne, King Zhuang was […]
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  • People Who Practice an Ancient Chinese Spiritual Practice Gathered in Kiev, Ukraine
    People Who Practice an Ancient Chinese Spiritual Practice Gathered in Kiev, Ukraine
    June 13, 2018 | By Epoch Newsroom
    Practitioners of a Chinese spiritual discipline with ancient roots held festivities in Kiev, Ukraine. Falun Dafa practitioners performed dances, played Chinese drums, and flew a dragon through the streets. They went out there to raise awareness about Falun Dafa and how the Chinese communist regime persecutes people who do the practice. “We want to bring […]
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  • London Celebrates World Falun Dafa Day
    London Celebrates World Falun Dafa Day
    May 16, 2018 | By Epoch Newsroom
    A colourful sight unfolded in London’s Leicester Square on May 13, as Falun Dafa practitioners celebrated a meditation practice handed down from ancient China. Wearing yellow costumes that glimmered in the sunshine, practitioners performed the slow-moving exercises of the practice in the bustling central London square. The event was held to mark Falun Dafa Day, […]
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  • How a Traditional Spiritual Practice Changed the Lives of These People
    How a Traditional Spiritual Practice Changed the Lives of These People
    May 12, 2018 | By Epoch Newsroom
    NEW YORK—Look around New York and you might see waves of bright yellow shirts, golden dragons, and troops of drummers this week. About a thousand Falun Gong practitioners will participate in three days of events around the city to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day. Officially observed on May 13, it marks the day when Falun Dafa (or […]
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  • Mad Monk Swept the Qins Out of a Temple
    Mad Monk Swept the Qins Out of a Temple
    April 28, 2018 | By Epoch Times Staff
    There is a clay statue of a mad monk in the 500 Arhats Hall at Xiyuan Temple in the city of Suzhou. The monk has ten defects: a crooked mouth, a hunchback, crossed eyes, bat ears, ringworm of the scalp, uneven legs, scrawny hands, slanted shoulders, a pigeon chest, and a wonky nose. He is […]
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  • Ancient Chinese Stories: The Fish Show Gratitude
    Ancient Chinese Stories: The Fish Show Gratitude
    April 13, 2018 | By Zheng Jian
    In the spring of the 13th year of the Tianbao period (circa A.D. 754) of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Cheng and Li Hui often took big boatloads of fish and crabs to sell between Wu and Yue states.  One day, they loaded a boat full of fish in Xinan and were on their way to […]
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  • The Legend of Zhuge Liang Seeking a Wife
    The Legend of Zhuge Liang Seeking a Wife
    April 12, 2018 | By Epoch Times Staff
    When Zhuge Liang was about 17 to 18 years old, he went to Wolong Gang in Nanyang City, Henan Province, and built a thatched cottage. There, he ploughed the field and studied hard. A squire named Huang Chengyan lived under the Wolong Gang Ridge. He took a liking to Zhuge Liang when he saw that […]
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  • Ancient Chinese City Life: ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival’
    Ancient Chinese City Life: ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival’
    April 6, 2018 | By Mike Cai
    In his “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145) presents each house, boat, shop, or food stall in such vivid detail and depicts people from different walks of life that the ancient Chinese might have tried to picture themselves in the scroll while they were viewing it. For us in the 21st century, […]
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  • Bai Juyi’s Wish for His Next Lives
    Bai Juyi’s Wish for His Next Lives
    March 10, 2018 | By Epoch Times Staff
    Bai Juyi (772–846), also known as Po Chu-I and by his courtesy name Letian, was a renowned poet of the middle Tang Dynasty and a practitioner of Buddhism in the secular world. When he was 6 or 7 months old, his nanny pointed to two Chinese characters on a folding screen and said, “This is […]
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  • Stories of Hua Tuo, the Divine Physician
    Stories of Hua Tuo, the Divine Physician
    March 8, 2018 | By Epoch Times Staff
    Hua Tuo was born in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was a great physician who knew ways of preserving health. He had the looks of a young man despite his age and was regarded by the people at that time as a deity. His divine healing skills are recorded in “Records of the Three […]
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