After Zhuge Liang restored the alliance with Wu and pacified the southern region of Nanzhong, he prepared to launch a northern campaign against Cao Wei. The First Northern Expedition In the spring of the sixth year of Jianxing (228 AD), Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun to create a diversion, feigning…
Cao Cao was determined to conquer the Jiangnan region. One day, he gathered his civil and military officials to discuss a southern expedition. Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang, saying that with his exceptional talent, Liu Bei would be like a tiger with wings. However, Xiahou Dun was unconvinced. He volunteered…
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month (七月初七） is the birthday of Kuixing （魁星聖誕千秋）. People's reverence for the stars goes beyond just the Cowherd and Weaver Girl. They believed that there were seven stars in each of the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north—which together formed the Twenty-Eight…
九天應元雷聲普化天尊 The Celestial Lord of the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin and Universalizing the Thunder Sound (九天應元雷聲普化天尊) is an ancient and revered deity in Taoism, the Thunder Ancestor (雷祖). He is an incarnation of the Great Emperor of the South Pole of Long Life (南極長生大帝). The Thunder Ancestor commands…
A text I once read about mortal destiny the, irony of life. Continuing from the previous post with more elaborate explanations: This text presents two different versions of the inspirational Chinese essay, "The Ode to High Aspirations" (Qing Yun Zhi), along with their interpretations. The first is a widely circulated…
One of my favourite Chinese essay written in calligraphy. There’s two different versions of the inspirational Chinese essay, "The Ode to High Aspirations" (Qing Yun Zhi), along with their interpretations. The first is a widely circulated version attributed to the Ming Dynasty geographer and writer Xu Xiake, while the second…