Listen to Chinese traditional music to acquire a calm spirit
Courtesy of Xiaowei
PanTasy And Legends
This is an interesting read. I was fortunate to stumble onto this site--
'Asiapac 100 Legendary Chinese Women',
and I hope you'll enjoy the stories, which are only some of the paragraphs
I've taken from the main site.
Consort Fan
First there was Bo'le, and then "the horse that runs one thousand li." Yet for the emperors of ancient times, if men like Bo'le were hard to find, women were even more so. The emperor's harem was usually filled with ladies taught to smile and flatter; few would take the risk of offering straightforward and honest advice. Consort Fan, a concubine of King Zhuang of Chu, appears in Biographies of Eminent Women in the section entitled Wise and Virtuous. Her wise counsel contributed a great deal to King Zhuang's success as a statesman.
King Zhuang was inordinately fond of hunting, often abandoning important affairs of the state to go on expeditions. Consort Fan begged him to stop but he would not listen, so the determined lady stopped eating meat. King Zhuang doted on Consort Fan. When he saw her refusing food, he began to lose interest in hunting and gradually turned his attention to matters of the state.
Within a short time, King Zhuang became so absorbed in state affairs that he frequently forgot to eat and sleep. Consort Fan noticed the king's deep absorption in his work and sought for an opportunity to offer him some tactful advice.
As King Zhuang returned to his palace late one night, Consort Fan asked him: "Aren't you exhausting yourself, coming home so late night after night?" King Zhuang answered contentedly: "I shall never feel weary as long as I have a wise man with whom I can discuss my affairs." Consort Fan was surprised: "Who is this wise man'" "Yu Qiuzi!" said the king.
When Consort Fan heard the name, she laughed despite herself. King Zhuang looked at her with astonishment but she spoke up with fervour: "I have served you for eleven years and have spared no
efforts to look for able men to assist you. I have even sent envoys to Zheng and Wei to enlist the wisest men to be your counsellors. Yet never have I wished to monopolise your favour as I feared that my personal considerations may distract your attention on state matters.
"Yu Qiuzi, however, has been your prime minister for a decade and all the men he has recommended to you throughout that time have been members of his own clique. Don't you see that he is receiving you? He is in fact, preventing wise men from coming forward to offer counsel. Where then is his loyalty? Where is his virtue?"
King Zhuang listened but hesitated to reply. He later told Yu Qiuzi of Consort Fan's accusations. The prime minister felt so ashamed that he resigned, recommending Sun Shu'ao to take his place and assist King Zhuang in the ruling of the state.
Ban Zhao
China's first female historian, Ban Zhao (AD 48-117) made a lasting contribution to Chinese history and culture through her completion of the Han Shu.
The Hanshu or Book of Han, follows the Shiji as a continuation of China's written history. It covers the reigns of twelve Han emperors, from Gaozu to Pingdi; almost three hundred years of the Han Dynasty. The work had originally been the ambition of her father, Ban Biao, who collected materials and laid the foundation for the work. Following Ban Biao's death, the work was taken up by his son Ban Gu, Ban Zhao's elder brother. He amassed formation for twenty years and brought the Book of Han up to the reign of Emperor Zhang. Ban Gu later died in prison and so Ban Zhao continued with the work, collecting historical data and setting in order her father's and brother's library of manuscripts. She herself wrote the Treatise of Astronomy, thus completing the Book of Han.
Ban Zhao came from Fufeng in Pingling and was born into a well-known family of scholars. The influence of those around her and her own intelligence led her to be known for her literary talent even from an early age. Her personal name was Ji, her style Huiban and at the age of fourteen, she was given in marriage to Cao Shishu. After his early death, Ban Zhao protected her good name by refusing to remarry, thereby observing the laws of widowhood. Emperor He of the Eastern Han then summoned her to his palace. The empress and imperial concubines were placed under her tutelage to study the laws of moral conduct which she had set down in her work entitled Nüjie or Commandments For Women. She was well respected and people called her Cao Dajia, after her
late husband's surname and Dajia, meaning Great Master, in recognition of her achievements.
Ban Zhao never boasted of her knowledge and ability, nor did she seek fame, wealth or official rank. Her poem Dongzheng Fu (Travelling East), reflects her self-effacing character and a little of her attitude towards literature and mankind.
The Illustrator
Lu Yanguang was born in Kaiping, Guandong province in 1348.
He is presently director of Guangzhou Art Gallery, vice-chairman of Guangzhou Artists'
Association and chief editor of Guangzhou Art Studies.
His published works since 1985 include Lu Yanguang's Album of illustrations,
Selected New Works of Lu Yanguang's illustrations, Album of Lingnan Sceery and
Legends,100 Chinese Women, I00 Chinese Emperors, 100 Chinese Gods, 100 Chinese
Scholars and 100 Chinese Monks.
A renowned artist, Lu Yanguang started his career by drawing illustrations and
cartoons. Instead of the traditional Chinese style of brush painting, each
character in this collection is a combination of the old - the dynastic eras of
ancient China, and the new - Lu Yanguang's refreshingly artistic technique of xiuxiang
hua (portraits in decorative style). His illustrations are characterised by a
strong sense of speed and rhythm.
The Translator
Kate Foster was born in Leeds in 1968. She graduated from
the University of Durham, UK in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese
and Management Studies.
An avid traveller who has been to East Africa, Europe, the People's Republic
of China and Taiwan, her other interests include drama, music and literature.
Presently, she lives and works in Hong Kong.
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