In ancient times under the reign of Yellow Emperor (about 2500 B.C.), people kept records by piling stones and tying knots. One day, Cang Jie, a historical official who tied knots to keep records under Yellow Emperor, unexpectedly made a big mistake. Feeling very guilty, he was determined to find out a better way for keeping records. He went back to his hometown to think it over for many days and nights. Inspired by the footprints of animals, he began to carefully observe the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, as well as birds and animals. At the same time, he traveled around collecting signs created by fishermen, farmers, hunters and soldiers. In the end, he succeeded in creating Chinese characters, which are still widely used today. In this multicultural children's story, kids will find out that there is a story behind every Chinese character. Children will also learn about basic Chinese characters and how to make them.

In ancient times under the reign of Yellow Emperor (about 2500 B.C.), people kept records by piling stones and tying knots. One day, Cang Jie, a historical official who tied knots to keep records under Yellow Emperor, unexpectedly made a big mistake. Feeling very guilty, he was determined to find out a better way for keeping records. He went back to his hometown to think it over for many days and nights. Inspired by the footprints of animals, he began to carefully observe the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, as well as birds and animals. At the same time, he traveled around collecting signs created by fishermen, farmers, hunters and soldiers. In the end, he succeeded in creating Chinese characters, which are still widely used today. In this multicultural children's story, kids will find out that there is a story behind every Chinese character. Children will also learn about basic Chinese characters and how to make them.

A sweeping, richly detailed history that tells the fascinating story of how paper—the simple Chinese invention of two thousand years ago—wrapped itself around our world, humankind’s most momentous ideas imprinted on its surface. The emergence of paper in the imperial court of Han China brought about a revolution in the transmission of knowledge and ideas, allowing religions, philosophies and propaganda to spread with ever greater ease. The first writing surface sufficiently cheap, portable and printable for books, pamphlets and journals to be mass-produced and distributed widely, paper opened the way for an unprecedented, ongoing dialogue between individuals and between communities across continents, oceans and time. The Paper Trail explores how the new substance was used to solidify social and political systems that influenced China even into our own time. We see how paper made possible the spread of the then new religions of Buddhism and Manichaeism into Japan, Korea and Vietnam . . . how it enabled theologians, scientists and artists to build the vast and signally intellectual empire of the Abbasid Caliphate and embed the Koran in popular culture . . . how paper was carried along the Silk Road by merchants and missionaries, finally reaching Europe in the late thirteenth century . . . and how, once established in Europe, along with the printing press, paper played an essential role in the three great foundations of Western modernity: the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Scientific Revolution. Here is a dramatic, comprehensively researched, vividly written story populated by holy men and scholars, warriors and poets, rulers and ordinary men and women—an essential story brilliantly told in this luminous work of history.

Compiled by scholars at the court of Liu An, king of Huainan, in the second century B.C.E, The Huainanzi is a tightly organized, sophisticated articulation of Western Han philosophy and statecraft. Outlining "all that a modern monarch needs to know," the text emphasizes rigorous self-cultivation and mental discipline, brilliantly synthesizing for readers past and present the full spectrum of early Chinese thought. The Huainanzi locates the key to successful rule in a balance of broad knowledge, diligent application, and the penetrating wisdom of a sage. It is a unique and creative synthesis of Daoist classics, such as the Laozi and the Zhuangzi; works associated with the Confucian tradition, such as the Changes, the Odes, and the Documents; and a wide range of other foundational philosophical and literary texts from the Mozi to the Hanfeizi. The product of twelve years of scholarship, this remarkable translation preserves The Huainanzi's special rhetorical features, such as parallel prose and verse, and showcases a compositional technique that conveys the work's powerful philosophical appeal. This path-breaking volume will have a transformative impact on the field of early Chinese intellectual history and will be of great interest to scholars and students alike.

In Chinese Character Manipulation in Literature and Divination, Anne Schmiedl analyses the historical development and linguistic properties of Chinese character manipulation, focusing on a late imperial work on this subject, the Zichu by Zhou Lianggong (1612–1672).

Suitable for college and high school students and those learning on their own, this fully illustrated coursebook provides comprehensive instruction in the history and practical techniques of Chinese calligraphy. No previous knowledge of the language is required to follow the text or complete the lessons. The work covers three major areas: 1) descriptions of Chinese characters and their components, including stroke types, layout patterns, and indications of sound and meaning; 2) basic brush techniques; and 3) the social, cultural, historical, and philosophical underpinnings of Chinese calligraphy—all of which are crucial to understanding and appreciating this art form. Students practice brush writing as they progress from tracing to copying to free-hand writing. Model characters are marked to indicate meaning and stroke order, and well-known model phrases are shown in various script types, allowing students to practice different calligraphic styles. Beginners will find the author’s advice on how to avoid common pitfalls in writing brush strokes invaluable. Chinese Writing and Calligraphy will be welcomed by both students and instructors in need of an accessible text on learning the fundamentals of the art of writing Chinese characters.

Winner of the 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title "The Origins of Chinese Thought offers an account of the origins and nature of a uniquely Chinese way of thinking that, carried through Confucian tradition, continues to define the character of Chinese culture and society. Li Zehou argues that vestiges of the practices of early shamanistic ritual, rationalized in ritual regulations and internalized in morals and values, continue to shape Chinese thought and relationships. This outlook and its understanding of the world, the divine, ourselves, one another, what is right and what is good differ fundamentally from other world traditions. As an alternative to modern liberalism, it offers unique resources for addressing modern Chinese—and even global—philosophic and moral issues."