Journey to the West Abridged: Part 6
Guanyin Comes to the Feast and Asks the Reason Why The Little Sage Uses His Might to Subdue the Great Sage Guanyin sends down his senior disciple Prince Moksa to fight Monkey but after some fifty or sixty rounds, he can resist the Great Sage no longer and turns away and runs. Next the Illustrious Sage […]
Palm-Size Accounts of History — A Century of Lianhuanhua
Whether in crowded urban streets or in villages, a common sight throughout the 20th century was that of Chinese children in groups, reading palm-sized picture books. Each picture came with a description advancing the plot, usually adapted from a famous classical novel like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Outlaws of the Marsh. The […]
Life is a Game
On the internet, I read the story of a gaming addict who was really into strategy. He worked a full-time job by day, and played online games at night to relieve stress. In the world of the game he played, the player starts out with nothing, and seizes virtual goods and wealth as spoils of […]
Poem – A Book for Bedtime
A Book for Bedtime (Seasons) When Autumn leant upon a naked tree And pressed it (trusting as a stooping man Might trust a stick for its stability) The Sprites of Winter rushed for company, Killing all along the paths they ran. As Autumn could not move away as quick, He so was rooted to that […]
Journey to the West Abridged: Part 5
After Chaos Among the Peaches the Great Sage Steals the Pills, In the Revolt Against Heaven the Gods Capture the Demons Since Monkey is idle and has nothing to do in Heaven, he is to administer the Peach Orchard. Anyone who eats of the peaches becomes an Immortal and understands the Way and one day […]
Roger Scruton: The Point of Intersection of the Timeless with Time
Sir Roger Scruton is a writer and philosopher who has published more than forty books in philosophy, aesthetics and politics. He is widely translated. He is a fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He teaches in both England and America and is a Senior Fellow at the […]
Zhuge Liang, Star of the Three Kingdoms
Lu Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels, is replete with traditional virtues and morality in its dramatic depiction of the historical episodes and heroic figures from the Three Kingdoms Period (220 – 280). The names and deeds of characters such as the benevolent nobleman Liu Bei, the loyal […]
Liberal Democracy and the Open Society
Sir Roger Scruton is a writer and philosopher who has published more than forty books in philosophy, aesthetics and politics. He is a fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He teaches in both England and America and is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy […]
Journey to the West Abridged: Part 4
Part 4 Dissatisfied at Being Appointed Protector of the Horses, Not Content with the Title of Equal of Heaven It is decided that Monkey is to be invited to Heaven to be given office as an Immortal to keep him from further misdeeds. Monkey is made Protector of the Horses, but after finding out it […]
A Mysterious Use of Chopsticks
In China, chopsticks are a common tableware. Chinese folk culture has many taboos on the use of chopsticks and also many chopstick-related legends. However, few know that chopsticks can be used as a talisman to repel evil. Chopsticks are traditionally crafted with round tips and square ends. When used to pick up food, the two […]