• Liu Bang

    Liu Bang (256 or 247 BCE – 195 BCE), posthumously known as Emperor Gaozu of Han, was the founder of the Western Han dynasty and reigned from 202 to 195 BCE. His courtesy name was Ji, and he was from Pei County (in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). He initially served as a minor local official…

  • Lie Yukou

    Lie Yukou was a representative figure of Daoism in the early Warring States period. He is also known as Yu Kou, Yu Kou, or Liezi. Traditionally believed to be from the state of Zheng (in present-day Zhengzhou, Henan) during the Warring States era, he advocated the principles of emptiness, stillness, and non-action (wu wei),…

  • Zhang Liang

    Zhang Liang (?–189 BCE) was a prominent statesman in the early Western Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Zifang, and he was from Chengfu, Yingchuan (in present-day southwestern Xiangcheng, Henan). His ancestors were nobles of the former state of Han, with five generations serving as Han ministers. Seeking revenge for the Qin conquest of…

  • The Rising Tide: How rebellions united and fractured? [Western Han]

    Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were dead – but the flame they lit could not be extinguished. Across the land, rebellions erupted anew. Heroes like Xiang Yu and Liu Bang would rise from this chaos, ultimately toppling the Qin dynasty within three years.

  • Dreaming a Journey to Mount Tianmu: A Poem on Parting

    By Li Bai (Tang Dynasty) Seafarers speak of Penglai Isle –Amid misty waves, faint and far, truly hard to find.But the people of Yue tell of Mount Tianmu –Its peaks gleam through shifting clouds, sometimes visible.

  • Tao Yuanming

    Tao Yuanming (365–427CE) was a poet of the Eastern Jin dynasty. Also known as Tao Qian, with the courtesy name Yuanliang, he was given the posthumous private honorific title “Jingjie.” He was from Chaisang, Xunyang (in present-day southwestern Jiujiang, Jiangxi). He held several official posts, including Chief Sacrificial Wine Officer of Jiangzhou, Military Advisor…