SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

  • Cherishing Nüjiao – Lamenting the Past at Red Cliff

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    Ana

    By Su Shi The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward –Its waves wash away all heroes of bygone ages.

  • Shen Kuo

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    Ana

    Shen Kuo (1031–1095) was a distinguished scientist, statesman, and polymath of the Northern Song dynasty. His courtesy name was Cunzhong, and in later life he adopted the sobriquet “Mengxi Weng” (Old Man of Dream Brook). He was a native of Qiantang, Hangzhou (modern-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province).

  • Su Shi

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    Ana

    Su Shi (1037–1101) was a preeminent literatus, poet, calligrapher, and painter of the Northern Song dynasty. His courtesy name was Zizhan, and he adopted the literary sobriquet “Dongpo Jushi” (Householder of the Eastern Slope). Born in Meishan, Meizhou (in present-day Sichuan Province), he is collectively known with his father Su Xun and younger brother…

  • The Crow Terrace Poetry Case [Song & Yuan]

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    Juan

    This article recounts the Crow Terrace Poetry Case, a famous literary inquisition in the Northern Song. Su Shi’s poems criticizing political reforms were exploited, leading to his imprisonment. Saved by public appeals, he was exiled to Huangzhou, where he created timeless literary works. The case reflects fierce factional conflicts and the risks of outspoken…

  • Xiao Chen Ji [Biographies of Noble Scholars]

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    Ana

    Xiao Chen Ji was a man from the State of Qi. He was upright, stern, and admired the ways of antiquity.

  • Xian Gao [Biographies of Noble Scholars]

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    Ana

    Xian Gao was a native of the State of Zheng. During the reign of Duke Mu of Zheng, seeing that the state was being pressured by Qin and Jin, Xian Gao chose to live in reclusion and not serve as an official, instead becoming a merchant.