(友谊颂歌) 5 min read Friendship is one of the key cardinal relationships emphasized in Confucian ethics. The long-standing tradition among China’s literati of celebrating friendship through poetry reflects the deep value placed on interpersonal bonds. From the Book of Songs (Shijing, 诗经; early 1st millennium BCE) to Tang poetry (Tang shi, 唐诗; 7th–9th centuries […]
(郑和下西洋的文化遗产) 6 min read Since the first century CE, many regions of South and Southeast Asia have been connected by sea routes known today as the Maritime Silk Road (image below). By the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), between the 7th and 10th centuries, these routes linked seaports such as Guangzhou (广州) in southern China with
Cultural Legacy of Zheng He’s Voyages Read More »
(清末民初的百年奋斗) 10 min read The century following 1840—when Britain launched the First Opium War (鸦片战争)—is often described as China’s Century of Humiliation (百年屈辱). During this period, China endured repeated invasions and plunder: the two Opium Wars (1839–42, 1856–60), the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the Eight-Nation Alliance’s attack on Beijing in 1900, and the Japanese
China’s Century of Awakening Read More »
(中国高等教育一个世纪的自强不息) 6 min read The keju (科举), or imperial examination system, was established during the Sui Dynasty (隋朝) in the 6th century to select civil servants. By the Ming and Qing dynasties (明清), from the 14th to the 19th centuries, the entire intellectual class had become deeply engrossed in these examinations. Every two to
A Century-Long Quest to Modernize China’s Higher Education Read More »
(战火中锻造的西南联大) 7 min read In 1937, China’s Peking University (北京大学), Tsinghua University (清华大学), and Nankai University (南开大学) temporarily merged and relocated—first to Changsha in Hunan Province (湖南长沙) and later to Kunming in Yunnan Province (云南昆明). In Kunming, the institution adopted a new name: the National Southwest Associated University (国立西南联合大学), or Xinan Lianda (西南联大) for
Forged in the Flames of War—the Story of the National Southwest Associated University Read More »
(海上贸易) 6 min read Ancient China’s maritime trade largely involved an exchange between manufactured goods from China and natural products from Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa. This network connected the economies of the Eastern Hemisphere for centuries, making China the central manufacturing powerhouse of the premodern world. While the overland
China’s Trading History (2): Maritime Trade Read More »
(鸦片贸易) 5 min read From the mid-16th to the early 19th century, China was the world’s leading manufacturing power and absorbed much of the global silver supply in payment for its exports. European demand for Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain was immense, but because China accepted only silver, Britain’s reserves steadily declined. To reverse
China’s Trading History (3): “Opium Trade” Read More »
(清末民初海归对文学的贡献) 8 min read From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the transition from the Late Qing Dynasty to the Early Republic of China marked a watershed moment in modern Chinese history. Long-standing imperial institutions were increasingly exposed and threatened by Western military power, political systems, and cultural values. In response, a generation
Overseas Returnees from Late Qing to Early Republic of China—Impacts on Literature Read More »
(利玛窦: 促进西学东渐的第一人) 6 min read In the mid-sixteenth century, Jesuits—members of the Catholic Church’s Society of Jesus—first attempted to establish a mission in China. In 1552, St. Francis Xavier reached Shangchuan Island (上川岛), off China’s southern coast near Macau (澳门). That same year marked both the death of Francis Xavier and a turning point for
Sages from the West: the Story of Matteo Ricci and His Fellow Jesuits Read More »
(玄奘的足迹) 4 min read Buddhism had taken root in China soon after its introduction from India in the 1st century CE. In 629, the Buddhist monk Xuanzang (玄奘, 602–664) embarked on a monumental pilgrimage to India. Born Chen Wei (陈祎), he received the Dharma name Xuanzang at his Buddhist ordination. His motivation was not
Following the Footsteps of Xuanzang Read More »
