SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

institutional corruption

  • Why did Emperor Ling heavily rely on the Ten Regular Attendants? [Three Kingdoms]

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    Juan

    In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Ten Regular Attendants (led by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong) are portrayed as a treacherous eunuch clique that harmed the nation and its people. Yet, Emperor Ling of Han (Liu Hong) obeyed them unconditionally and relied on them extensively. Why did such a political situation arise? This…

  • The cruel official-merchant struggle in “Tian Qilang”

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    Ana

    The conflict between Wu Chengxiu (representing “merchants” and the wealthy class) and the censor’s younger brother (representing “officials” and power networks) in Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Tian Qilang may seem to stem from a servant’s misconduct, but it actually tears away the cruel veil of “struggles between officials and merchants” in feudal society.