power

  • Ma Liang and His Magic Brush

    Once upon a time, there was a poor boy named Ma Liang who was naturally clever and loved drawing from a young age. Due to his family’s poverty, he couldn’t afford a brush; instead, he drew with tree branches on hillsides, grass roots dipped in river water by the banks, and pieces of charcoal…

  • Sun Jian and the Tragedy of the Imperial Seal [Three Kingdoms]

    In the chaotic aftermath of the warlords’ campaign against Dong Zhuo, one man stood out for his valor and military prowess—Sun Jian, known as “Tiger of Jiangdong”, the fearless warrior of the Three Kingdoms Era. As the coalition of eastern lords hesitated, Sun Jian pressed forward, defeating Dong Zhuo’s forces in battle after battle.…

  • The clash of power and wisdom: Yuan Shao vs. Cao Cao [Three Kingdoms]

    Amidst the chaotic canvas of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao emerged as towering warlords in the late Han Dynasty—both from noble lineages, both with ambitions to unify China, both commanding vast territories and armies. Yet one became the undisputed hegemon of the north, laying the foundation for the Wei…

  • Caigentan 100. Taming the wildfires of wealth and power

    When people grow up in the households of wealthy families, their love of luxury and covetousness are like a raging fire, and their reliance on their power is like a searing flame.

  • Caigentan 4. Transcendent purity

    A person who shuns power, wealth and luxury is clean. But a man who comes into contact with power, wealth and luxury and still remains unsullied is even cleaner.

  • Sequel to a Dream

    After winning the title of jinshi, (Tran. Note: Jinshi was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination; juren was a successful candidate at the provincial level) Juren Zeng and several others who had passed the examination went for an excursion in the suburbs of the provincial capital.

  • The turtle’s final crossing

    A compassionate man once caught a turtle. He wanted to make it into soup, but unwilling to be accused of taking life.

  • Which is the hardest tribulation in Journey to the West?

    Which was the hardest of the eighty-one tribulations faced by the Tang Monk and his disciples on their journey to fetch the scriptures? In Journey to the West, the four pilgrims battled demons and overcame obstacles all the way to the Western Heaven. Each trial seemed arduous. But comparing them, which one posed the…

  • Strength, Mana and Authority in Journey to the West

    In Journey to the West, power manifests in multiple forms, making it difficult to rank deities and demons by dominance alone. The novel distinguishes three key types of power.