SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

  • The Xining Reforms: Wang Anshi [Song & Yuan]

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    Juan

    This post recounts the background and course of Wang Anshi’s Xining Reforms during the Northern Song Dynasty. It begins with young Prince Zhao Xu’s admiration for Wang Anshi’s reform ideas amid the Song’s crises in finance, military, and governance. It depicts the sharp ideological conflict between Wang Anshi and his former friend Sima Guang.…

  • The Iron-Faced Judge: Bao Zheng [Song & Yuan]

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    Juan

    This article explores the legendary integrity of Bao Zheng, a renowned judge during the Song Dynasty, contrasting him with his predecessor Fan Zhongyan. It details his strict adherence to impartiality, highlighting how he refused to take even a single Duan inkstone as a souvenir to distinguish public duty from private gain. A key story…

  • The Man of Zheng Who Buys Shoes [Han Feizi]

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    Juan

    – by Han Fei (Pre-Qin Period) There was a man from the state of Zheng who wanted to buy shoes. He first measured his own feet, then left the measurement on his seat.

  • The wise son and the suspicious neighbor [Han Feizi]

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    Juan

    – by Han Fei (Pre-Qin Period) In the state of Song, there was a wealthy man. After heavy rain, the wall of his house collapsed. His son said: “If we don’t repair it at once, thieves will surely break in.” An old man from his neighborhood also warned him the same thing. That night,…

  • Self-Contradiction [Han Feizi]

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    Juan

    -by Han Fei (Pre-Qin Period) A man from the state of Chu was selling shields and spears.

  • The First Figure of the Song: Fan Zhongyan [Song & Yuan]

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    Juan

    This article profiles Fan Zhongyan, hailed as the paramount figure of the Song Dynasty. It chronicles his life as a model official who prioritized the people, from building the “Fan Gong Dike” seawall to confronting the Empress Dowager for the Emperor. The narrative details his military success against Western Xia, his appointment as Prime…