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Xiao Tong
Xiao Tong (, September/October 501 – 30 May 531), courtesy name Deshi (), formally Crown Prince Zhaoming (昭明太子, literally "Accomplished and Understanding Crown Prince"), was a Crown Prince of the Chinese Liang Dynasty, posthumously honored as Emperor Zhaoming (). He was the oldest son of Emperor Wu of Liang, whom he predeceased. Xiao Tong's enduring legacy is the literary compendium '' Wen Xuan'' (''Selections of Refined Literature''). Birth and childhood Xiao Tong was born to Xiao Yan, then a Southern Qi general nearing final victory in a civil war against the cruel and violent emperor Xiao Baojuan, in winter 501. He was born at Xiao Yan's power base of Xiangyang, to Xiao Yan's concubine Ding Lingguang (). (Xiao Yan's wife Chi Hui () had died in 499, and from that point on he had only concubines and never made any of them his wife.) After Xiao Yan's victory later in 501, he forced Emperor He of Southern Qi, whom he had supported as a rival claimant to the South ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sancai Tuhui
''Sancai Tuhui'' (, ), compiled by Wang Qi () and his son Wang Siyi (), is a Chinese ''leishu'' encyclopedia, completed in 1607 and published in 1609 during the late Ming dynasty, featuring illustrations of subjects in the three worlds of heaven, earth, and humanity. The work contains a large number of posthumous and contemporary depictions of Chinese Emperors. Title The title of this encyclopedia has been variously translated into English as "Illustrations of the Three Powers",http://ibs001.colo.firstnet.net.uk/britishlibrary/controller/subjectidsearch?id=8190&idx=1&start=4 "Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms", "Pictorial Compendium of the Three Powers", and others; in the original title, "Sancai" () refers to the three realms of "heaven, earth, and man", and "Tuhui" () means "collection of illustrations". Description This encyclopedia is organized into 106 chapters in 14 categories (astronomy, geography, biographies, history, biology, and such), with text and illustra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rite Of Passage
A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite de passage'', a French term innovated by the ethnographer Arnold van Gennep in his work ''Les rites de passage'', ''The Rites of Passage''. The term is now fully adopted into anthropology as well as into the literature and popular cultures of many modern languages. Original conception In English, Van Gennep's first sentence of his first chapter begins: "Each larger society contains within it several distinctly separate groupings. ... In addition, all these groups break down into still smaller societies in subgroups." The population of a society belongs to multiple groups, some more important to the individual than others. Van Gennep uses the metaphor, "as a kind of house divided into rooms and corridors." A passage occurs when an indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xu Ling
Xu Ling () (507–583) was the compiler and editor of the famous poetry anthology ''New Songs from the Jade Terrace''http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Poetry/yutaixinyong.html Theobald, Ulrich. CHINAKNOWLEDGEuly July 3, 2010, accessed 14 April 2019 during the poetically prolific Southern Dynasties era, 420–589. His courtesy name (''zi'') was Xiao Mu (). Biography Xu Ling was born in what is now Tancheng County, Shandong Province, China, and early in life achieved fame for poetry and literature. He has achieved lasting renown for his anthology ''New Songs from the Jade Terrace'', which he compiled under the patronage of Xiao Gang (503-551), first a prince, and who was then later known as Liang Jianwendi, after becoming Emperor of the Liang Dynasty, 549-551. See also *Six Dynasties *New Songs from the Jade Terrace ''New Songs from the Jade Terrace'' () is an anthology of early medieval Chinese poetry in the romantic or semi-erotic "palace style" (''gongti'' ) that da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Classical Chinese Poetry
Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dynasty. The existence of classical Chinese poetry is documented at least as early as the publication of the ''Classic of Poetry'' (''Shijing''). Various combinations of forms and genres have developed over the ages. Many or most of these poetic forms were developed by the end of the Tang dynasty, in 907 CE. The use and development of Classical Chinese poetry actively continued up until the May Fourth Movement, in 1919, and is still developed even today. Poetry created during this period of more-or-less continuous development displays a great deal of diversity – categorized by both major historical periods and by dynastic periods (the traditional Chinese historical method). Another key aspect of Classical Chinese poetry is its intense int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nineteen Old Poems
''Nineteen Old Poems'' (), also known as ''Ku-shih shih-chiu shou'' is an anthology of Chinese poems, consisting of nineteen poems which were probably originally collected during the Han Dynasty. These nineteen poems were very influential on later poetry, in part because of their use of the five-character line (). The dating of the original poems is uncertain, though in their present form they can be traced back to about 520 CE, when these poems were included in the famous literary anthology '' Wen Xuan'', a compilation of literature attributed to the Liang Crown Prince Xiao Tong. The ''Nineteen Old Poems'' have been supposed to date mainly from the second century CE. The gushi, or old style, poetry developed as an important poetic form of Classical Chinese poetry, in subsequent eras. The authorship of the "Nineteen Old Poems" is anonymous, however there are indications as to the authorship in terms of class and educational status, such as the focus on "the carriages and fine cloth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xiao Dong
Xiao Dong (; died 552), courtesy name Yuanji (元吉), sometimes known by his pre-ascension title of Prince of Yuzhang (豫章王), was briefly an emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. In 551, with the general Hou Jing in control of the imperial government at the capital Jiankang, Hou, wanting to show off his strength, deposed Xiao Dong's granduncle Emperor Jianwen and replaced him with Xiao Dong, the grandson of Emperor Jianwen's older brother Xiao Tong, who was originally the founder Emperor Wu's crown prince. During his brief reign, Xiao Dong was entirely under Hou's control. Just two and a half months after Xiao Dong became emperor, Hou forced him to yield the throne to himself, who took the throne as the Emperor of Han. In 552, troops under Wang Sengbian, a general loyal to Xiao Dong's granduncle Xiao Yi retook Jiankang, and the general Zhu Maichen (朱買臣), under Xiao Yi's instructions, threw Xiao Dong and his two brothers into the Yangtze River to drown. Backgroun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hou Jing
Hou Jing (; died June 552), courtesy name Wanjing (萬景), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He was a general of Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, and Liang, and briefly, after controlling the Liang imperial regime for several years, usurped the Liang throne, establishing a state of Han. He was soon defeated by the Liang prince Xiao Yi, the prince of Xiangdong, and was killed by his own associates while in flight. He is one of the most reviled figures in ancient Chinese history, known for his extreme cruelty to enemies and civilians. Early life and career It is not known when Hou Jing was born, but it was known that he was from Huaishuo Garrison (懷朔鎮) -- one of the garrisons that Northern Wei established on the northern border to defend against Rouran attacks. He appeared to be ethnically Chinese, but the matter of his ethnicity is not conclusive. When he was young, he was one of a group of friends who associated with Gao Huan, who often spent time ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Jianwen Of Liang
Emperor Jianwen of Liang (梁簡文帝; 2 December 503 – 551), personal name Xiao Gang (蕭綱), courtesy name Shizuan (世纘), childhood name Liutong (六通), was an emperor of the History of China, Chinese Liang Dynasty. He was initially not the crown prince of his father Emperor Wu of Liang, Emperor Wu, the founder of the dynasty, but became the crown prince in 531 after his older brother Xiao Tong died. In 549, the rebellious general Hou Jing captured the capital Jiankang, and Hou subsequently held both Emperor Wu and Crown Prince Gang under his power, having Crown Prince Gang take the throne (as Emperor Jianwen) after Emperor Wu's death later that year. During Emperor Jianwen's reign, he was almost completely under Hou's control, and in 551, Hou, planning to take the throne himself, first forced Emperor Jianwen to yield the throne to his grandnephew Xiao Dong the Prince of Yuzhang, and then sent messengers to suffocate the former emperor. Background Xiao Gang was born ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jiankang
Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Chen dynasty (557–589 CE). Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city, municipal region of Nanjing. Jiankang was an important city of the Song dynasty, its name was changed to Nanjing during the Ming dynasty. History Before the Eastern Jin the city was known as Jianye, and was the capital of the kingdom of Eastern Wu, Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. It was renamed to Jiankang during the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty, to observe the naming taboo for Emperor Min of Jin. Renamed Jiankang in 313 CE, it served as the capital of the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, following the retreat from the north due to Xiongnu raids. It rivaled Luoyang in terms of population and commerce and at its height in the sixth century was home to around 1 millio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xu Mian
Xu Mian (徐勉) (466–535), courtesy name Xiuren (脩仁), formally Duke Jiansu (簡肅公, literally "the undiscriminating and solemn duke"), was an official of the Chinese Liang dynasty. He was never titular prime minister, but was largely considered a de facto prime minister and well regarded by his contemporaries. Xu Mian's grandfather Xu Zhangzong (徐長宗) was an officer under Emperor Wu of Liu Song, and his father Xu Rong (徐融) was a commandery governor. However, the Xu family was not rich. When he was young, Xu Mian became known for studiousness, and he was retained by Southern Qi's prime minister Wang Jian to serve as an assistant. Wang was impressed by Xu's abilities, and often stated that he had the capability to become prime minister. Around this time, Xu also befriended the army officer Xiao Yi (蕭懿), who later became a general. In 502, Xiao Yi's brother Xiao Yan forced Emperor He of Southern Qi to yield the throne to him, establishing Liang as its Empe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' (, 'Thoroughfare'); the ''Tao'' is generally defined as the source of everything and the ultimate principle underlying reality. The ''Tao Te Ching'', a book containing teachings attributed to Laozi (), together with the later writings of Zhuangzi, are both widely considered the keystone works of Taoism. Taoism teaches about the various disciplines for achieving perfection through self-cultivation. This can be done through the use of Taoist techniques and by becoming one with the unplanned rhythms of the all, called "the way" or "Tao". Taoist ethics vary depending on the particular school, but in general tend to emphasize ''wu wei'' (action without intention), naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity and the Three Treasures: , compassion, , ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines, or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
