Fuchun River

  • Seven-Syllable Octave – Reply to Mr. Liu Yazi [Mao’s Poems]

    –Mao Zedong, April, 1949 Tea talks in Canton still fresh in my mind,Verses sought in Chongqing when leaves declined.Thirty-one years back to our native land,When flowers fall I read your writing grand.Beware too much grief that tears your frame;See all things wide with a long, calm aim.Do not say Kunming Lake’s waters are thin;Watching…

  • Emperor Guangwu and his friend Yan Ziling [Eastern Han]

    Restoring Peace Through Frugality and Reform After decades of civil war, Emperor Guangwu of Han (Liu Xiu) turned his focus inward. His domestic reforms followed two clear principles: reduce state expenditure and lighten the people’s burden.

  • The Blue Stream [Tang Poems]

    — Wang Wei I follow the Blue Rill To the Stream of Yellow Blooms. It winds from hill to hill Till far away it looms. It roars amid pebbles white And calms down under pines green. Weeds float on ripples light, Reeds mirrored like a screen. Mind’s carefree, alone; The clear stream flows with…