Admiral Zheng He’s Voyages to the “West Oceans”
Eighty years before Vasco da Gama’s arrival in West India, a formidable Chinese navy ruled the China Sea and Indian Ocean, from Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf and East Africa. Between the period from 1405 to 1433, China’s Ming dynasty launched seven voyages led by Admiral Zheng He to explore these vast regions, known […]
10 Fascinating Facts About Chinoiserie
1. Chinoiserie was once the most coveted fashion of the aristocracy During the 17th and 18th centuries, Europeans became fascinated with Asian cultures and traditions. They loved to imitate or evoke Asian motifs in Western art, architecture, landscaping, furniture, and fashion. China seemed a mysterious, far-away place and the lack of first-hand experiences only added […]
Zheng He (1371–1433): China’s Masterful Mariner and Diplomat
Ever since Gavin Menzies, a British retired naval officer, published the fictional story 1421: The Year China Discovered America, fleet admiral and diplomat Zheng He (1371–1433) has enjoyed a sort of revival as the Chinese explorer who might have circumnavigated the Earth before the age of Western exploration. I don’t know whether this is true […]
Painting Anime: Syzygy of the Sun, Moon, and the Five Planets
Painting Anime: Syzygy of the Sun, Moon, and the Five Planets
Two Years in the Forbidden City (At the Palace-A Play At the Court)
CHAPTER TWO—AT THE PALACE WHEN we reached the City gates, which were about half way between our house and the Summer Palace, they were wide open for us to pass. This quite surprised us, as all gates are closed at seven o’clock in the evening and are not opened except on special occasions until daylight. […]
A Ming Dynasty Painting Treasure: Departure Herald and Return Clearing
Painting Anime: Departure Herald and Return Clearing
Two Years in the Forbidden City (Foreword-Introductory)
First Lady In Waiting To The Empress Dowager TO MY BELOVED FATHER LORD YU KENG FOREWORD THE author of the following narrative has peculiar qualifications for her task. She is a daughter of Lord Yu Keng, a member of the Manchu White Banner Corps, and one of the most advanced and progressive Chinese officials of […]
The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors
The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors offers a glimpse of an iconic and long-hidden era of Chinese cultural history. For five centuries Chinese emperors called the Forbidden City (1416–1911), located in the heart of Beijing, their home. With only the emperor, his household and special visitors allowed inside its walls, this immense […]
Mid-Autumn Festival, the Most Romantic Holiday of The Middle Kingdom
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest traditional festival, after the Lunar New Year. It is one of the most humane and poetic traditional Chinese festivals, and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years, long before the Chinese Communist Party took control the Mainland China. Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival According to historical […]
Year of the Dragon: Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes
In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is a sacred creature. It is generally believed that the dragon is one of the divine creatures in the heavenly realm, responsible for controlling the rain, lakes and seas, and other waters. Therefore, in Chinese folklore, there are stories about the Dragon King of the Four Seas, as well […]