SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Zhang Cheng

  • The Partisan Prohibitions: the Fall of the Han Scholar-Gentry [Eastern Han]

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    Juan

    This article explores Eastern Han’s Partisan Prohibitions. Eunuchs branded scholar‑gentry like Li Ying and Chen Fan as “partisans,” triggering two brutal purges. Many were killed, exiled, or banned for life. The crackdown destroyed honest officials, fatally weakening the Han and paving the way for its collapse.

  • Fraternal devotion amidst adversity in “Zhang Cheng”

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    Ana

    “Zhang Cheng” from Strange Tales from Liaozhai recounts a poignant narrative of family loyalty and destiny intertwined. The story centers on two half-brothers, Zhang Ne and Zhang Cheng, whose profound bond and mutual support in hardship illuminate both the beauty and complexity of human nature.

  • Zhang Cheng

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    Ana

    There was a man surnamed Zhang in Henan Province whose ancestors were from Shandong. During the latter part of the Ming Dynasty, when Shandong was in wide-spread turmoil, his wife was captured and taken away by Manchu soldiers. After that, as Zhang often used to travel to Henan, he decided to settle down there.