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–Mao Zedong, December 26, 1962 Snow weighs on winter clouds; white downflakes fly,Myriad blooms fade fast, now rare and shy.High heaven’s icy currents roll and roar,Yet earth breathes soft warm winds, hope’s gentle core.
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–Mao Zedong, September 9, 1961 Amid dusk’s haze stands the strong pine,Through wild cloud surges, calm it doth shine.A cave of immortals by nature’s design –All grandest sights on perilous peak align.
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— Liu Yuxi Gone with yellow chrysanthemums last year, You come back when cicada’s song I hear. Your soughing wakes me from dreams at midnight, A year’s wrinkles are seen in mirror bright. Steeds missing frontier grass with bristles rise; Eagles longing for clouds open sleepy eyes. I’ll gaze my fill into the boundless…
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Confucius said, “Only when the year turns cold do we know that the pine and cypress are the last to shed their leaves.”
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If one were to judge solely by the ability to escape defeat unscathed, Liu Bei stands alone in the annals of the Three Kingdoms. Throughout his tumultuous career, Liu Bei suffered numerous battlefield losses – but he was never captured. Historical records consistently show him voluntarily seeking refuge with new allies after defeat, never…
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A life of hardship, frustration and penury is a furnace and anvil upon which outstanding men are shaped.