Yangzhou

  • Crab Meat Lion’s Head

    In the ancient canal city of Yangzhou, there is a dish that looks like a giant, fluffy meatball but tastes like a cloud of savoury perfection. Known as Crab Meat Lion’s Head (蟹粉狮子头), this legendary Huaiyang cuisine masterpiece has been captivating diners for over 1,400 years – from Sui dynasty emperors to modern-day statesmen.…

  • Unyielding Spirits: The Resistance Against the Qing [Ming]

    This article recounts the Southern Ming resistance against the Qing. The Hongguang regime in Nanjing fell due to internal strife; Shi Kefa died defending Yangzhou. The Qing’s queue order sparked fierce uprisings in Jiangyin and Jiading. Heroes like Xia Wanchun chose martyrdom, yet royal factionalism doomed the loyalist cause.

  • The Song of Righteousness: The Unyielding Spirit of Wen Tianxiang [Song & Yuan]

    This article tells the heroic story of Wen Tianxiang, a loyal Southern Song statesman. He fought against the Yuan invasion, escaped captivity, and was later imprisoned. Though offered high rank by Kublai Khan, he chose death over betrayal. His Song of Righteousness and unyielding loyalty made him an eternal symbol of patriotism.

  • The Fall of the Song at Yamen [Song & Yuan]

    This article tells the final fall of the Southern Song at the Battle of Yamen. After Lin’an surrendered, loyalists Zhang Shijie, Wen Tianxiang, and Lu Xiufu fought on. In 1279, the Yuan navy defeated the Song fleet. Lu Xiufu drowned with the child emperor, ending the 319‑year Song Dynasty.

  • The Unyielding Spirit: The Rise of Righteous Armies Against the Jin [Song & Yuan]

    This article covers the civilian Righteous Armies that resisted the Jin invaders after the Jingkang Humiliation. Led by Wang Yan, Yue Fei and others, they waged guerrilla warfare to defend northern territories. Despite their bravery, the Southern Song court’s appeasement policy left them without support, yet their spirit of resistance endured.

  • Seeing Meng Haoran off at Yellow Crane Tower [Tang Poems]

    — Li Bai My friend has left the west where the Yellow Crane towers For River Town green with willows and red with flowers. His lessening sail is lost in the boundless blue sky, Where I see but the endless River rolling by.

  • Farewell to Liu Yu [Tang Poems]

    — Li Qi In the eighth moon the weed cold grows, The autumn waves surge with white crest. The mast shivers as north wind blows; Why should my guest go to the west? The rain no longer drizzles on hilltop; Out of the door rises the evening tide. At night along the beach my…

  • The Stone Pavilion Trap [Three Kingdoms]

    This article tells the Battle of Shiting. Zhou Fang of Eastern Wu feigned defection to lure Cao Xiu’s Wei army into a trap. At Shiting, Lu Xun’s three‑pronged ambush crushed Wei’s forces. Cao Xiu escaped but died of humiliation. The victory secured Wu’s southern defense for years.

  • The hidden politics behind Sun Ce’s execution of Xu Gong [Three Kingdoms]

    The assassination of Sun Ce, the “Little Conqueror” of Jiangdong, is often attributed to a simple act of vengeance: his killing of Xu Gong, the former Administrator of Wu Commandery, led to retaliation by Xu’s loyal retainers.