Chinasage Diary

Benevolence

One of the key tenets of Confucianism is that everyone should live in a spirit of benevolence 仁 rén. A follower of Confucius should be a person of empathy and humanity who believes it is correct to help those in need. This is not to be done on the basis of future reward (in life or death) but rather it is the virtuous way to behave.
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Benevolence

One of the key tenets of Confucianism is that everyone should live in a spirit of benevolence 仁 rén. A follower of Confucius should be a person of empathy and humanity who believes it is correct to help those in need. This is not to be done on the basis of future reward (in life or death) but rather it is the virtuous way to behave.
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Meeting in supreme harmony

The many halls and palaces in the Forbidden City (there are said to be 9,999 in all to choose from) and all were given a specific function. Over the centuries the function of many changed. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest hall and was used for the big occasions such as the enthronement of the Emperor, Imperial weddings, the conferment of honors and appointment of high officials. Some highly placed foreign dignitaries would be given an audience with the Emperor in the great hall.
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On this day

1949 People's Republic of China began 1949 (75 years ago)
1949 Zhou Enlai became Premier PRC 1949 (75 years ago)
1949 Mao Zedong became Paramount Leader 1949 (75 years ago)

Meeting in supreme harmony

The many halls and palaces in the Forbidden City (there are said to be 9,999 in all to choose from) and all were given a specific function. Over the centuries the function of many changed. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest hall and was used for the big occasions such as the enthronement of the Emperor, Imperial weddings, the conferment of honors and appointment of high officials. Some highly placed foreign dignitaries would be given an audience with the Emperor in the great hall.
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On this day

1949 Republic of China ended 1949 (75 years ago)

Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi was a radical reformer of the Song dynasty. He proposed such things as reducing taxes in order to actually raise more revenue, a measure often touted in modern times. His land reforms were resisted by the land owners and his reforms proved extremely divisive and so were not put into practice as he had intended.
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Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi was a radical reformer of the Song dynasty. He proposed such things as reducing taxes in order to actually raise more revenue, a measure often touted in modern times. His land reforms were resisted by the land owners and his reforms proved extremely divisive and so were not put into practice as he had intended.
Read More

Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi was a radical reformer of the Song dynasty. He proposed such things as reducing taxes in order to actually raise more revenue, a measure often touted in modern times. His land reforms were resisted by the land owners and his reforms proved extremely divisive and so were not put into practice as he had intended.
Read More

On this day

1954 Mao Zedong became Chairman Chinese Communist Party 1954 (70 years ago)
1954 Mao Zedong became Chairman Peoples Republic of China 1954 (70 years ago)

Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi was a radical reformer of the Song dynasty. He proposed such things as reducing taxes in order to actually raise more revenue, a measure often touted in modern times. His land reforms were resisted by the land owners and his reforms proved extremely divisive and so were not put into practice as he had intended.
Read More

Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi was a radical reformer of the Song dynasty. He proposed such things as reducing taxes in order to actually raise more revenue, a measure often touted in modern times. His land reforms were resisted by the land owners and his reforms proved extremely divisive and so were not put into practice as he had intended.
Read More

On this day

1711 Emperor Qianlong born 1711 (313 years ago)
1881 Lu Xun born at Shaoxing Zhejiang 1881 (143 years ago)

Crane

Cranes in China are held in affection, their loyalty and devotion to each other is well regarded. In general they signify a wish for a peaceful and happy married life. They were known to live to a good age (20-30 years) and so also represent longevity.
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Measuring up

China had its own system of weights and measures that were scaled in units of ten long before the French adopted the metric system under Napoleon. When the Republic of China was declared in 1912 the Chinese authorities aligned the traditional Chinese measures to the Metric system. The traditional measure of distance the 'li' 厘 is now defined as 500meters (or 547 yards).
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On this day

1215 Kublai Khan born 1215 (809 years ago)

Sending rice to China

When you think of food in China most people will think of rice. It may surprise you that China now imports a lot of rice, it has not been self sufficient in its staple food for some years. It's never been warm enough to grow rice in the north. It is cheaper to grow rice in slightly warmer and wetter climates further south for example in Vietnam, Thailand and Burma. This may start having an effect on the rural poor who are subsistence rice farmers. Even so China still grows 28% of the world's total production of rice.
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Sending rice to China

When you think of food in China most people will think of rice. It may surprise you that China now imports a lot of rice, it has not been self sufficient in its staple food for some years. It's never been warm enough to grow rice in the north. It is cheaper to grow rice in slightly warmer and wetter climates further south for example in Vietnam, Thailand and Burma. This may start having an effect on the rural poor who are subsistence rice farmers. Even so China still grows 28% of the world's total production of rice.
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On this day

690 Empress Wu Zetian becomes Emperor 690 (1,334 years ago)

Karakoram highway

The route around the western edge of the Himalayas has been a very important route for centuries. The modern Karakoram highway runs from Kashgar over the Khunjerab Pass through the Hunza valley into Pakistan. Its construction (1966-79) at such a high altitude required many feats of modern engineering with the deaths of over a thousand people. It follows one of the ancient branches of the Silk Road into the Indian subcontinent.
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Karakoram highway

The route around the western edge of the Himalayas has been a very important route for centuries. The modern Karakoram highway runs from Kashgar over the Khunjerab Pass through the Hunza valley into Pakistan. Its construction (1966-79) at such a high altitude required many feats of modern engineering with the deaths of over a thousand people. It follows one of the ancient branches of the Silk Road into the Indian subcontinent.
Read More

Karakoram highway

The route around the western edge of the Himalayas has been a very important route for centuries. The modern Karakoram highway runs from Kashgar over the Khunjerab Pass through the Hunza valley into Pakistan. Its construction (1966-79) at such a high altitude required many feats of modern engineering with the deaths of over a thousand people. It follows one of the ancient branches of the Silk Road into the Indian subcontinent.
Read More

On this day

1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria 1931 (93 years ago)

Amoy

One of the place names that have changed dramatically is the port city of Amoy. The old name is still seen on many commercial products. The official PRC name is Xiamen 厦门 meaning 'mansion gate'. The name 'Amoy' comes from the local Fujian Min Nan dialect. The original Chinese name was 下門 Xiamen or 'lower gate' so that name has changed too.
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Amoy

One of the place names that have changed dramatically is the port city of Amoy. The old name is still seen on many commercial products. The official PRC name is Xiamen 厦门 meaning 'mansion gate'. The name 'Amoy' comes from the local Fujian Min Nan dialect. The original Chinese name was 下門 Xiamen or 'lower gate' so that name has changed too.
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On this day

1859 Yuan Shikai born 1859 (165 years ago)

Gateway to China

For centuries the Western gateway to China was at Jiayuguan in the north-west of Gansu province. It was an impressive fort marking entry into China on the Silk Road known as the “First and Greatest Pass under Heaven”. It has impressive 35 feet [11 meters] high walls. Banishment from China meant ejection from this gate into the barbarian states that lived beyond.
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On this day

1942 Wen Jiabao born 1942 (82 years ago)

Gateway to China

For centuries the Western gateway to China was at Jiayuguan in the north-west of Gansu province. It was an impressive fort marking entry into China on the Silk Road known as the “First and Greatest Pass under Heaven”. It has impressive 35 feet [11 meters] high walls. Banishment from China meant ejection from this gate into the barbarian states that lived beyond.
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On this day

1368 Mongol dynasty ended 1368 (656 years ago)
1998 Yang Shangkun died 1998 (26 years ago)

Gateway to China

For centuries the Western gateway to China was at Jiayuguan in the north-west of Gansu province. It was an impressive fort marking entry into China on the Silk Road known as the “First and Greatest Pass under Heaven”. It has impressive 35 feet [11 meters] high walls. Banishment from China meant ejection from this gate into the barbarian states that lived beyond.
Read More

Gateway to China

For centuries the Western gateway to China was at Jiayuguan in the north-west of Gansu province. It was an impressive fort marking entry into China on the Silk Road known as the “First and Greatest Pass under Heaven”. It has impressive 35 feet [11 meters] high walls. Banishment from China meant ejection from this gate into the barbarian states that lived beyond.
Read More

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Gateway to China

For centuries the Western gateway to China was at Jiayuguan in the north-west of Gansu province. It was an impressive fort marking entry into China on the Silk Road known as the “First and Greatest Pass under Heaven”. It has impressive 35 feet [11 meters] high walls. Banishment from China meant ejection from this gate into the barbarian states that lived beyond.
Read More

On this day

210BCE Emperor Qin Shihuangdi no longer ruler 210BCE (2,235 years ago)
1980 Hua Guofeng no longer Premier PRC 1980 (44 years ago)
1980 Zhao Ziyang became Premier PRC 1980 (44 years ago)

Marco Polo bridge

The Marco Polo Bridge [Lugouqiao 卢沟桥] is an ancient bridge over the Yongding River in south-west Beijing dating back to the Song dynasty. It was given this name because Marco Polo greatly admired it in a famous description. The bridge is 768 feet [234 meters] long with eleven stone arches. The parapets are decorated with stone lions, each one of them different.
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On this day

1945 Wang Jingwei Regime ended 1945 (79 years ago)
1976 Mao Zedong died 1976 (48 years ago)
1976 Mao Zedong no longer Paramount Leader 1976 (48 years ago)
1976 Hua Guofeng became Paramount Leader 1976 (48 years ago)

Marco Polo bridge

The Marco Polo Bridge [Lugouqiao 卢沟桥] is an ancient bridge over the Yongding River in south-west Beijing dating back to the Song dynasty. It was given this name because Marco Polo greatly admired it in a famous description. The bridge is 768 feet [234 meters] long with eleven stone arches. The parapets are decorated with stone lions, each one of them different.
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On this day

685 Emperor Xuanzong born 685 (1,339 years ago)
712 Emperor Xuanzong became ruler 712 (1,312 years ago)

Dalai Lama visit

Beihai Park in Beijing is over a thousand years old and is one of the best preserved ancient parks. It was here that the famous White Dagoba was built in 1651 to honor the visit of the Tibetan Dalai Lama; it was later rebuilt in 1741 and 1976 after damage by earthquakes. The Ming dynasty emperors were keen to show their reverence for Buddhism and in particular Tibetan Buddhism.
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On this day

1901 Boxer Rebellion ended 1901 (123 years ago)

Dalai Lama visit

Beihai Park in Beijing is over a thousand years old and is one of the best preserved ancient parks. It was here that the famous White Dagoba was built in 1651 to honor the visit of the Tibetan Dalai Lama; it was later rebuilt in 1741 and 1976 after damage by earthquakes. The Ming dynasty emperors were keen to show their reverence for Buddhism and in particular Tibetan Buddhism.
Read More

Dalai Lama visit

Beihai Park in Beijing is over a thousand years old and is one of the best preserved ancient parks. It was here that the famous White Dagoba was built in 1651 to honor the visit of the Tibetan Dalai Lama; it was later rebuilt in 1741 and 1976 after damage by earthquakes. The Ming dynasty emperors were keen to show their reverence for Buddhism and in particular Tibetan Buddhism.
Read More