SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

  • Breaking Pots and Sinking Boats: Xiang Yu’s Gamble at Julu [Western Han]

    •

    Juan

    This article narrates Xiang Yu’s legendary battle at Julu. Frustrated by Song Yi’s inaction, he seized command, led his troops across the Zhang River, smashed pots and sank boats to show no retreat. His army won nine straight battles, crushed the Qin main force, and became the supreme leader of the rebel alliance.

  • Liu Bang

    •

    Ana

    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

    •

    Ana

    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

    •

    Ana

    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]

    •

    Juan

    This article traces the anti‑Qin uprising after Chen Sheng. Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu rallied the “Eight Thousand Sons of Wu.” Liu Bang emerged as a rebel leader, joined by Zhang Liang. They restored King Huai II of Chu to unify forces. Though Xiang Liang fell, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang rose to lead…

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

    •

    Ana

    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.