SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Ancient Chinese Culture: Basic Facts & Terms

  • Baili Xi

    •

    Juan

    Baili Xi (c. 725–621 BCE) was a virtuous minister of Duke Mu of Qin during the Spring and Autumn period. His courtesy name was Ziming, and he was from Wan in the state of Chu (present-day Nanyang, Henan).

  • Hundred Schools of Thought Contending

    •

    Juan

    A flourishing intellectual era during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (circa 770–221 BCE), characterized by diverse philosophical schools writing treatises, debating one another, and vigorously promoting their doctrines. The term “hundred” is used figuratively to denote a great multitude.

  • White Horse Temple

    •

    Juan

    The White Horse Temple (Baima temple) is China’s first Buddhist monastery, located east of present-day Luoyang, Henan Province. It was originally built in the eleventh year of Yongping (68 CE) during the Eastern Han dynasty. Historical texts such as the Commentary on the Water Classic (Shuijing Zhu), A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang…

  • Bai Juyi

    •

    Juan

    Bai Juyi (772–846 CE) was a renowned poet of the Tang dynasty, with the courtesy name Letian. His ancestral home was Taiyuan (in present-day Shanxi), but his family later moved to Xiagui (modern-day Weinan, Shaanxi). 

  • White Emperor

    •

    Juan

    One of the Five Heavenly Emperors in ancient Chinese mythology, the White Emperor is the deity of the west. His name is said to be Bai Zhaoju. 

  • An Lushan Rebellion

    •

    Juan

    The rebellion,An Lushan-Shi Siming Rebellion, launched by An Lushan and Shi Siming during the Tang dynasty, also known as the Tianbao Rebellion. 

  • 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…