SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Su Shi

  • Han Yu

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    Han Yu (768–824 CE) was a towering literary figure, philosopher, and statesman of the Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Tui Zhi, and though born in Heyang (modern Mengzhou, Henan), he traced his ancestral roots to Changli, for which he is commonly known as “Han of Changli”.

  • Ode on the Red Cliff (Former)

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    By Su Shi (Song Dynasty) In the autumn of the Renxu year, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, I sailed with my guests beneath the Red Cliff. A gentle breeze blew softly; the river lay calm without a ripple. Raising my cup to toast my companions, I recited poems of the bright…

  • Record of a Walnut Boat

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    -by Wei Xueyi (Ming Dynasty) In the Ming dynasty, there was a remarkably skilled craftsman named Wang Shuyuan, who could carve palaces, vessels, human figures, birds, beasts, trees, and rocks – all from a piece of wood no larger than an inch in diameter. He shaped each object according to the natural form of…

  • Record of a Night Walk at Chengtian Temple

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    – by Su Shi (Song Dynasty) On the night of the twelfth day of the tenth month in the sixth year of Yuanfeng, I had just taken off my clothes and was about to sleep when the moonlight shone through my door. Delighted, I got up and went for a walk. Thinking there was…

  • The Cold Food Poem Scroll [Chinese calligraphy]

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    Su Shi (1037–1101 CE), also known by his courtesy name Su Dongpo, was a towering literary figure, statesman, painter, and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty, and one of the “Four Masters of the Song.” His calligraphy is celebrated for its naturalness, emotional depth, and bold individuality.

  • What does the sun look like?

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    A man who was born blind wanted to know what the sun looked like, so he asked others to describe it.

  • The boat-owner’s bright idea

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    Once I saw a man travelling on foot at Lvliang. He saw a boat, and offered the boat-owner fifty coins to take him to Pengmen.

  • Lighting a candle to find the flint

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    One night, Ai Zi asked his pupil to strike a flint to light the lamp.

  • One puff of wind vs. Eight

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    Chan Master Foyin (1032–1098 CE) was a renowned Chinese Chan (Zen) master of the Song Dynasty, known for his wisdom, humor, and deep spiritual insight.