Yang Tinghe

  • The Palace Intrigues and the Rise of Yan Song [Ming]

    Brief: This article recounts the Jiajing Emperor’s long reign. He won the Great Rites Controversy, crushed official dissent, and became obsessed with Taoism. A palace maid assassination attempt left him reclusive. Yan Song rose by writing divine prayers, seized power, and ruled corruptly for 20 years, while Mongol raids and Wokou pirates threatened the…

  • The Unorthodox Learning: Wang Yangming and the Awakening of Minds [Ming]

    Brief: This article introduces Wang Yangming, a great Ming philosopher and general. Exiled for opposing eunuch Liu Jin, he attained enlightenment at Longchang and founded the School of Mind (mind is principle, unity of knowledge and action). He suppressed the Ning Prince rebellion and inspired a new intellectual trend, marking a key turning point…

  • The opening poem by Yang Shen [Three Kingdoms]

    The Ming Dynasty novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms exists in many different editions. When Mao Zonggang and his father revised and commented on Romance of the Three Kingdoms during the Qing Dynasty, they placed the poem “Lin Jiang Xian” by the Ming Dynasty poet Yang Shen at the beginning of the novel as…