The Human Tradition in Premodern China is a collection of biographical essays revealing the variety and complexity of human experience in China from the earliest historical times to the dawn of the modern age. p China is a vast country with a long history, and one which is by itself as complex as the history of Europe. This broad expanse of time and space in Chinese history has largely been approached in terms of narrative political and cultural history in most books. The reigns of emperors and the thoughts of the great masters such as Confucius or Laozi have been the principal focus. Yet the history of the Chinese, as with any great people, is built up from the lives of individuals, families, groups, and movements. By presenting life stories of individuals ranging from ancient court diviners to late imperial merchants to women in various periods, this engaging anthology highlights aspects of Chinese social, political and intellectual history not usually addressed. Additionally, The Human Tradition in Premodern China broadens the common image and understanding of society based on the dominant elite male discourse.p Rich in new perspective and new scholarship, The Human Tradition in Premodern China is an ideal introduction to Chinese history, East Asian history, and world history.p

This is a history of China for the 900-year time span of the late imperial period. A senior scholar of this epoch, F. W. Mote highlights the personal characteristics of the rulers and dynasties and probes the cultural theme of Chinese adaptations to recurrent alien rule. No other work provides a similar synthesis: generational events, personalities, and the spirit of the age combine to yield a comprehensive history of the civilization, not isolated but shaped by its relation to outsiders. This vast panorama of the civilization of the largest society in human history reveals much about Chinese high and low culture, and the influential role of Confucian philosophical and social ideals. Throughout the Liao Empire, the world of the Song, the Mongol rule, and the early Qing through the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns, culture, ideas, and personalities are richly woven into the fabric of the political order and institutions. This is a monumental work that will stand among the classic accounts of the nature and vibrancy of Chinese civilization before the modern period.

Buddha said: "The Eight Tribes of Heaven Dragon, Man and Man, all see the Dragon Lady become Buddha." As for the gods, the dragons, the yakshas, the kanda, the asura, the garuda, and the mandara. After the Dragon and Heaven, the most tragic one was Carrolo, because he was Yue Fei's embodiment. Carrolo was a kind of giant bird with all kinds of solemn and precious colors on its wings. Legend has it that Yue Fei was the reincarnation of the Golden Winged Roc, and Jia Luo was the reincarnation of the Golden Winged Roc. When its life ended, the dragons vomited poison and were no longer able to eat. As a result, Garuda flew up and down seven times before finally dying on top of the Vajra Mountain. The complicated plot, ups and downs, locked in a clumsy work, all of this is in the "Heavenly Dragon's Eight Postscript." [Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] [Next Chapter] Close]

Written by Feng Menglong 冯梦龙, the Complete Works of Brainpower (智囊全集, Zhi Nang Quan Ji) was first compiled in 1626 or the Sixth Year of Tianqi in Ming Dynasty. It contains more than 1200 stories of brainpower and intelligence from the Pre-Qin Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. There are twenty-eight sub-categories of wisdom, sagacity, courage, tact, wisdom, language, military, boudoir and so on. This book records the history of creation and practice of Chinese wisdom. The characters in the book are all using wisdom and strategy to create history. It is not only a magic book reflecting the ancient people's ingenious use of wisdom to solve problems and overcome enemies, but also a huge intellectual treasure in the history of Chinese culture.