• Shenguai Fiction

    Shenguai Fiction (“Tales of Gods and Strange Beings”) is a genre of classical Chinese fiction named for its focus on supernatural, divine, and monstrous themes. It is also commonly referred to as “shenmo xiaoshuo” (“gods-and-demons fiction”).

  • Myth

    Myth is a literary genre that conveys the ancient people’s primordial understanding of the origin of the world, natural phenomena, and social life through narratives involving deities or divinized heroic figures.

  • Fan Ju

    Fan Ju (? – 255 BCE) was a prominent Chancellor of the State of Qin during the Warring States period. His courtesy name was Shu, and he was a native of Ruicheng in the State of Wei (modern-day Ruicheng County, Shanxi).

  • Chang’e Flies to the Moon

    Long ago, when the world was in great danger, ten suns appeared together in the sky. The intense heat burned crops, dried rivers, and made people suffer terribly. Many died from hunger and heat.

  • Fan Zhongyan

    Fan Zhongyan (989–1052 CE) was a distinguished statesman, military strategist, and literary figure of the Northern Song dynasty. His courtesy name was Xiwen, and he was posthumously honored with the title “Wenzheng” – a mark of high moral and scholarly esteem. He was a native of Wu County, Suzhou (modern-day Suzhou, Jiangsu).

  • The West Lodge Debates: Faith, Reason, and the Making of Minds in Early Southern Qi

    A Frugal Founder and a Peaceful Succession Emperor Gao of Southern Qi, Xiao Daocheng, rose from humble origins – much like Liu Yu, founder of the Liu Song dynasty. Having witnessed the suffering of commoners, he ruled with remarkable frugality: palace utensils were made of iron, not gold or bronze; he wore no ornaments;…