Archive for category Chinese Literature
the Legend of Chinese Nian
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on February 2, 2011
In China, celebrating the Chinese New Year is also called passing of Nian in Chinese. Here, Nian means “year” in Chinese.
Legend goes that a Nian was a man-eating beast with a long head and sharp horn. It lived under the sea but in each spring, it came out to harm humans. Fortunately, the beast was defeated by an immortal god who disguised as an old man. From then on, it was never seen again. However, it was still believed to exist. In order to keep the beast away, every Chinese New Year’s Eve, Read the rest of this entry »
Water Margin
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Four Great Classical Novels on January 17, 2011
Shui Hu Zhuan, also called Water Margin, Outlaws of the Marsh or The Marshes of Mount Liang in English, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels in ancient Chinese literature. Attributed to Shi Naian, it tells the telling the story of why and how 108 heroes (105 men, 3 women) gathering at the Water Margin and leading an outlaw army fought against pompous, heartless tyrants.
The novel is based on historical events of the 12th century and roughly covers the history of the Song Dynasty(960–1279). According to historians, some of the persons actually existed in history of that period, such as Song Jiang, Yang Zhi. Read the rest of this entry »
Nine Sons of the Dragon – Suanni
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on January 3, 2011
Suanni is the 8th son of the dragon. He looks like the lion and some people even said that he was the alias of the lion.
He does not like moving but likes sitting and observing very much. Also, he is fond of smoke and fire. Therefore, his image can usually be found on top of incense burners and candle stands. Read the rest of this entry »
One Character Worth A Thousand Pieces of Gold
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Folktale on December 17, 2010
One character is worth a thousand pieces of gold, can’t believe that? It is true as it really happened in the Chinese history.
During the Warring States Period (475 BC to 221 BC), there was a famous politician called Lu Buwei. Though he was one of the most powerful men in the state of Qin, he was always looked down by others due to his humble birth.
One of his followers suggested him to compile a good book as many people in history enjoyed eminent fame because they wrote famous books. Lu adopted his advice and invited about 3,000 scholars from all over China to help him with his book. Read the rest of this entry »
Nine Sons of the Dragon – Yazi
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Myths on December 5, 2010
Yazi is the seventh son of the dragon. He is the most impulsive and band-tempered. He is fond of wars and bloody killings, so his image always can be found on ancient weapons, such as knife hilts, battle axe, sword-hits, etc. In ancient times, it was regarded as the symbol of victory in wars and people believed that it could enhance the strength of soldiers.
In Chinese Fengshui, it is believed that displaying the Yazi at home facing the maindoor will help destroy the intention from your enemies, such as your business competitors who often fight with you.
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