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The Emperor’s Early Austerity When Emperor Wu of Jin (Sima Yan) first ascended the throne in 265 CE, he publicly championed frugality. He ordered civil and military officials to live modestly, setting an example himself. One day at court, he summoned his guards to display a magnificent ‘zhi-tou qiu’ – a luxurious fur coat…
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Triumph and Tears in Luoyang In the year 280 CE, the Jin dynasty finally extinguished the state of Wu, completing the reunification of China. When Emperor Wu of Jin (Sima Yan) received news in Luoyang that Sun Hao, the last ruler of Wu, had surrendered, he first laughed with joy – then burst into…
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— by Tao Yuanming (Jin) During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty, a fisherman from Wuling made his living by fishing. One day, he sailed along a stream, forgetting how far he had traveled. Suddenly, he came upon a grove of peach trees lining both banks for several hundred paces. There were no…
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In Chapter 9 of Journey to the West, significant space is devoted to a philosophical exchange between a fisherman named Zhang Shao and a woodcutter named Li Ding.