495 replies to this topic

[WangEnlai]

What did the ancient chinese see as manly?

[Subotai]

What whas the ethnicity of Zhou dinasty? Theire kings used the term "Son of Heaven" wich some later Turkic khanates (khazars?) used that term also (Tengrikut).

From what i have read here about Zhou dinasty, i've sawn many similarities with Ottoman beylik system or more like Seljouk atabeg system.


Another question, did any of the Zhou kings had any viziers?

[Non-Han Nan Ban]

Yeah, I've got a question. Who are Chinese? Are they some sort of Japanese people? And where is China? Is it one of those provinces in southern France, perhaps?

One more question: who else on here didn't pass the 2nd grade of school like me?
Eric

Edited by Non-Han Nan Ban, 03 September 2006 - 07:52 PM.

[Yinghang Zhu]

Did the ancient Chinese ever had toilet paper?

your question is very interesting. before soft paper was invented in Han dynastry, the common people used bamboo, tree leaves(of course, the big ones), grass, even earth. and the noble may use something more luxury such as cloth, thread, rope and so on. Fox examle, in <<Zuo Zhuan>>, it says the wife of King of Chu, helped his majestry with the bamboo.

[Yinghang Zhu]

Question : Why did earlier emperors change era names so often but later emperors used only one during their reign?

E.g., Emperor Wu of Han had 11 era names! Admittedly, he ruled for a very long time (about 53 years).

But Qing emperors KangXi and QianLong ruled even longer, and used only one era name each.

Even during the Ming Dynasty, emperors used only one era name (except for Emperor Yingzong whose rule was interrupted by his capture by the Oirats).

But the Song dynasty emperors (except the short-lived ones) had multiple era names, a custom adopted by the Yuan Mongol rulers.

Hence, there seemed to have been a change in fashion when the Ming dynasty was founded.

Anyone knows why?

what a good question which also made me confused for long !
This is my thought about this question.
At the beginning when Han Wu Emperor announce his era name, he just used it as a symbol of the important era. For example, Jian Yuan (Authority Constructed) is in memory of his time begins; Yuan Shou(Noble Beast) is in memory of an unusual beast seen in the coutry of the capital. At the time, the authority didnot stitch more abstract political relation to it. So it depends so much on the will of the emperor. and later, when in Wei Jin period, China was in wars so often. And emperor were changed by the ambious generals so often, and sometimes the emperor wished to keep up the moral and spirit of the people in him dominat, and changing era name is thought a method.
later, with the prevailing of Confusion, and Dao , more and more emperors or powers began to trust era name has close relationship with the stability of the empire. for example, Dong Zhong Shu in Han dynastry declared "Tian Ren He Yi" (the human being and all around him is one union, the action of one side will have effect on the other). So, changing era name often is thought the unstable to the earth. haha, unless some special accident.
That's my understanding to this question.
Thank you

[Yun]

Hello Enlai,

Most of the time women and men left it long, some cut their nails but Taoists say you can get disease if you cut too often.

It's the same as cutting hair in Confucianism; you don't lop off something your parents gave you.

Enlai, you answered your own question?

I think it's more likely that only the rich elite Chinese (whether male or female) left their nails long. Peasants and soldiers certainly couldn't do their work properly with long nails. In late Qing times it was still common to see rich men who left their nails long as a mark of prestige (i.e. to show they didn't have to do manual labour). And you can still see a vestige of that today in Chinese men who leave one pinky nail long.

On the reign eras question, my tenative view (which I did not express since I was unsure) was similar to that of Le Khac Minh Giao, namely that the dominance of Neo-Confucianism from the Ming onwards acted against the old practice of changing reign eras to increase the auspiciousness of the reign (particularly in response to some auspicious omen). Neo-Confucianism emphasized principles (li) in nature that were always applicable, and thus would have regarded frequent changes of reign era as superstitious and unnecessary.

What whas the ethnicity of Zhou dinasty? Theire kings used the term "Son of Heaven" wich some later Turkic khanates (khazars?) used that term also (Tengrikut).

From what i have read here about Zhou dinasty, i've sawn many similarities with Ottoman beylik system or more like Seljouk atabeg system.


Another question, did any of the Zhou kings had any viziers?

If by 'vizier' you mean Prime Minister, then yes, the Zhou kings did.

But I think looking for similarities between the Zhou dynasty and Turkish dynasties of over a thousand years later isn't a very meaningful way of determining the ethnicity of the Zhou people.

[NWOG]

http://www.redarmypa...images/wuwu.gif

Who is this person?

Edited by NWOG, 29 September 2006 - 09:44 AM.

[galvatron prime]

i have a question to ask ,are those jinyong wuxia hero like yang ko ,guo jing ,aung yong fung ,wai siu poh or wong moi key are usualy a triad member in they time likes today triad like chan hoe nam ,sang kai in young and dangerous or election ,anyways the wuxia hero are always say ren jian jiang wu just like today triad member said .they world are jiang wu ,right ?.

[mawguy]

i have a question to ask ,are those jinyong wuxia hero like yang ko ,guo jing ,aung yong fung ,wai siu poh or wong moi key are usualy a triad member in they time likes today triad like chan hoe nam ,sang kai in young and dangerous or election ,anyways the wuxia hero are always say ren jian jiang wu just like today triad member said .they world are jiang wu ,right ?.

well, wuxia heroes in the stories tended to follow their own code of rules and conduct, and often, they would go against the corrupt government. they also liked taking the law into their own hands, using the "eye for an eye" concept to uphold their idea of justice and fair play. friendship/brotherhood was also an important part of being a wuxia hero.

triads like using wuxia heroes as justification of their tendency to, um, defy social norms and conventions. they call themselves "jianghu people" to associate with these characters and their rather bohemian way of life. of course, many would argue that they aren't anything like wuxia heroes, but you can certainly see where they draw the parallels.

[Rong Qin Wang]

well, wuxia heroes in the stories tended to follow their own code of rules and conduct, and often, they would go against the corrupt government. they also liked taking the law into their own hands, using the "eye for an eye" concept to uphold their idea of justice and fair play. friendship/brotherhood was also an important part of being a wuxia hero.

triads like using wuxia heroes as justification of their tendency to, um, defy social norms and conventions. they call themselves "jianghu people" to associate with these characters and their rather bohemian way of life. of course, many would argue that they aren't anything like wuxia heroes, but you can certainly see where they draw the parallels.

Zunjing de Mawguy,

Regarding Wuxia Heroes, you have stated everything I wanted to say better than I ever can. However, I would just like to add some comments of my own.

Despite being in the same time period, Wuxia tales are very different from ancient historical novels. As you have mentioned, Wuxia Heroes have their own code of conduct, and taking the law into their hands. This will definitely collide with the government whether the system is corrupted or not. The laws are purely based on the fact that people have to trust the government, and never take matters into one’s own hands. Friendships and brotherhood would also play crucial roles in making someone a Wuxia hero. Meanwhile, in the world of politics, friendships and brotherhood would most likely come second to the desire for power. With that strong desire, sometimes people can easily lose their morals, making them flawed.

In historical novels, nobody can really live a happy life when defying social conventions, something that Wuxia Heroes were often praised for. By using the term, “Jiang Hu people,” we have allowed them to be exempted from obeying the laws.

One of the main differences is the concept of “true love.” We would more often than not see the male protagonist remained faithful to his lover under any circumstances. While in historical novels, an Emperor can have up to 3,000 concubines.

So, we can see the Wuxia World as a “utopian” society that could not have existed in ancient China. Perhaps because of this idealism, that Wuxia Novels have managed to attract so many readers.

Xie Xie,

[NWOG]

A person I have briefly talked to said recently that "for almost 600 years ago, the Chinese put their stake on belief in authority and collective submission rather than creative freedom. They are having problems even today from that decision"

What does he mean by this..?

Does what he says make any sense?

[galvatron prime]

i told those wuxia hero are evoved into triad societly during qing era and i saw some on my father friend say today triad gang in movie like hong hin ,sam lung kwong ,tung shin in young and dangerous,the legend of tai fei,election,internal affair movies are same like ngo mei pai ,siew lam chi ,kun lun pai ,mo tong pai in wuxia serias like condor hero ,dragon sable ,the duke of moutain deer,crimson sable and sut san fee woo .

[mawguy]

A person I have briefly talked to said recently that "for almost 600 years ago, the Chinese put their stake on belief in authority and collective submission rather than creative freedom. They are having problems even today from that decision"

What does he mean by this..?

Does what he says make any sense?

well, this idea of sacrificing the individual for the state certainly made communism easier to promote to an already "brain-washed" populace, no?


good points, le khac minh giao!

Edited by mawguy, 29 September 2006 - 11:29 AM.

[Rong Qin Wang]

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

Well, here is a pretty stupid question. An Emperor can have an unlimited amount of women of his choice. The word “Huang Hou” is translated into Empress. However, all the concubines of various ranks are just translated as concubines. I have read that there are at least nine different terms for concubines. So, are there any other English terms for concubines? Sometimes, I hear people referring to women in the palace as consorts. Can someone please let me know if there are any differences between a concubine and a consort? One of the disadvantages to translating Chinese into English is the lack of accurate terms!

Xie Xie,

[orchid_dreams]

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

Well, here is a pretty stupid question. An Emperor can have an unlimited amount of women of his choice. The word “Huang Hou” is translated into Empress. However, all the concubines of various ranks are just translated as concubines. I have read that there are at least nine different terms for concubines. So, are there any other English terms for concubines? Sometimes, I hear people referring to women in the palace as consorts. Can someone please let me know if there are any differences between a concubine and a consort? One of the disadvantages to translating Chinese into English is the lack of accurate terms!

Xie Xie,

Well, I don't actually know any other term for "concubine" but I suppose the easiest way would be translate them into Pinyin. lol.

But another thing is, the word "concubine" only means a second "wife" of a man, not an emperor or prince (妃), so it was a pretty indefinite term to describe a women of a emperor or prince.