ancient china, benevolence, chinese proverbs, cultural stories, destiny, dou yanshan, fate, forgiveness, good deeds, kindness, laozi, legacy, three character classic, transformation, virtues, yin and yang
Is it possible for a person to change their destiny? This is an age-old question. A sentence in the ancient Chinese text Three Character Classic mentions: “Dou Yanshan, a model of virtue, taught his five sons well, leaving behind a legacy.” Today, we delve into the transformative story of Dou Yanshan, a man who rewrote his ...
A young businessman was betrayed by his partner and was left without wealth or hope. Desperate and despondent, he decided to end his life by jumping into a lake. On its banks, he encountered a wise monk deep in meditation. Overwhelmed with relief, the man eagerly approached the monk, shared his tragic tale, and sincerely ...
As fierce as tigers are, subduing a tiger is not impossible. Here’s a little-known thing about Tigers, they can sense the benevolence and virtue of officials and the loyal souls of devoted and righteous men. This article tells the story of Guo Shijun, a good man in the early Qing Dynasty, who the county governor ...
The ancients valued moral conduct, and this was true across all professions and industries. For example, doctors should uphold medical ethics, merchants should uphold commercial ethics, and officials should uphold bureaucratic ethics. The famous physician Zhang Zhongjing of the Eastern Han Dynasty provided insightful explanations on the subject stating that “medicine is a practice of ...
This is a two-part story; please go here for Part 2 From living in fear of anti-communist sentiment, to more fully understanding the workings of the Chinese Communist Party, to finally openly defying and taking a stand against it, Wei Yihan has gone through a gradual process of coming to see the Chinese Communist Party ...
Friendship and goodwill among people will bring harmony to society. However, to achieve this, individuals must practice seeing and being good and kind to others around them, no matter what rank they hold within society or what inherent abilities and talents each possesses. Each life is predestined to experience good and bad times, and none ...
Jade is a type of precious stone, but it is considered to have the warmth of water. More than 8,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Chinese people began to advocate the benevolent properties of the stone. Initially, it was considered the vehicle for communication between God and the people. The pictograph for jade (玉) ...
Jade is synonymous with Chinese culture, ancient and modern. Jade has been attributed with many fine virtues over the millennia. In this article, we will discuss the traditional “Five Virtues of Jade.” The Five Virtues of Jade are: 1. Benevolence, 2. Righteousness, 3. Intelligence, 4. Courage, 5. Cleanliness. The Chinese philosopher Confucius made jade a ...
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was one of the wisest and greatest emperors in Chinese history. The reign of Taizong (626-649), also known as the “era of good government of Zhenguan,” earned the admiration of generations of Chinese people. He was famed for his innovations in administration and renowned for his virtues. In the ...
During the last several hundred years of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝), people’s selfish desires increased along with the development of society. The ancient great virtues and the virtuous rule of emperors in the Xia Dynasty (夏朝), Shang Dynasty (商朝), and early Zhou Dynasty were replaced by individuals seeking personal interest. As a result, relationships among ...