10 replies to this topic

[kaiselin]

Art work by LuSu

OCTOBER 2008

VOLUME 4 中國 歷史 論壇 新聞 ISSUE 5

[

LETTER from the EDITOR

Greetings to everyone,
There have been a few changes to the Editorial Team. Due to responsibilities off the CHF, my good friend Moon felt it was time to step down as Editor. I really appreciate the fact that she stayed at that position for as long as she did. The CHF Newsletters and the Han Lin Journals could not have progressed this far without her help. She gave me quite a scare when she sent me her resignation, but I am very pleased to say that she has agreed to continue on in the less demanding job of columnist. Thank you Moon for all you have done.

I would like to welcome Rong Qin Wang back as a new Editor. She will help me edit and proofread the submissions for the CHF Newsletter and the Han Lin Journal. I also welcome HappyHistorian, who has joined us as a new columnist. His first column should be in the November Han Lin Journal.
I am confident that we are building a good team. We continue to grow and be flexible to accommodate everyone’s talents and needs to the best of their abilities.

Community News is full of many new announcements and milestones for the CHF. There are quite a few new exam graduates to congratulate. Polar_zen, Intranetusa, Bayonet, and thirdgumi are our featured members this month in The Emperors Court.

The Entertainment Section of this newsletter is a bit smaller than in the past few issues, but I hope it is only a temporary slump. I am sure you will enjoy the articles we do have. DaMo reviews the series ‘Stories of the Han Dynasty’, Bayonet tells about his trip to the Yuan Yang Terraces, and Jdalton presents the next chapter of his Yellow Scarf Comics.

Thanks to all who have given their time to produce this edition.

Kaiselin
Chief Editor
CHF Newsletter
CHF Han Lin Journal

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Page 2

CHF Community News

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Page 3

Xuicai and Juren Grads

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The Emperors Court

Featured Members Section

Page 4

polar_zen

Page 5

Intranetusa

Page 6

Bayonet

Page 7

thirdgumi

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ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

Page 8

STORIES OF THE HAN DYNASTY
(楚漢風雲)
A review by DaMo

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Page 9

YUAN YANG TERRACES
Written by bayonet

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Page10
YELLOW SCARF COMICS
Written and drawn by Jdalton

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Page 11

Final words and important information

[kaiselin]

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August 11, 2008 02:10 AM

CHF to develop "Juren Re-take Exam", for those who fail the Juren Exam

Hi all,

Before I take leave away from CHF for 3 weeks till end of August, I would just like to announce a new upcoming plan after September 2008.

The CHF Han Lin Academy will be introducing the "Juren Re-take Exam" in the same way as "Xiucai Re-take Exam". The development of this exam will begin after September 2008. It will be available in the future for those who have failed the Juren exam, but wish to re-take the Juren exam.

The streaming system for "Juren Re-take Exam" will be similar to "Xiucai Re-take Exam". Those who score A (90%) will become a Master scholar (Juren). Those who score between 60-90% will inherit "intermediate scholar" (Gongshi 贡士） title, a higher scholar rank than Xiucai scholar. Those who have failed (below 50%) will continue to retain their Xiucai title, but promotion to Gongshi or Juren is possible for those contribute actively to good history discussion in CHF.

The Juren-re-take exam will generally be easier than the Juren exam.

http://www.chinahist...topic=26815&hl=

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Aug 12 2008, 08:27 AM

Weekly poem - translation workshop,
For beginners and experts both

I would like to highlight this thread that is well worth visiting and participating in.
Give Fcharton a big applaud for having started it.


Thanks Francois!!!!

You can find this first thread and each new weekly poem in:
Chinese Culture Topics Forum in the sub-forum of Chinese Literature

http://www.chinahist...topic=26861&hl=

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August 18, 2008 06:10 AM

CHF finally listed in first page of Baidu.com,
Likely to further boost traffic to CHF

Hi all,

I'm pleased to inform you that China History Forum has finally appeared in the 1st page of Baidu.com (the largest chinese search engine), when you type "中国历史论坛" (the chinese term of 'chinese history forum').

I forsee this as a good way to boost further traffic to CHF. After the "cleaning up" of content and introduction of better quality management into CHF, CHF is now receiving more attention from Baidu.com as a premier forum site for chinese history/culture (even though it's in English). Obviously, CHF is receiving more attention from University academics, many of which are also members of CHF.

I remember that when CHF was banned in 2006 in China, it had adversely affected the traffic of CHF. But now, CHF is in full force, witnessing a large traffic flow from China (the 2nd largest source of our traffic after the US) .

Policy from Baidu.com can change from time to time. If they feel it's not appropriate to list it, they will remove it. Search engine optimization and traffic flow to CHF have always been one of my top priorities in CHF.

Check out the listing at
http://www.baidu.com...=ÖйúÀ%...·ÂÛ̳

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August 20 2008 01:23 AM

Some forum restructuring and changes

Hi all,

To help improve the navigation and alleviate the complicated navigation over too many subforums, I have done some forum changes and restructuring. The restructuring was done to allow concentration of posting instead of being too 'decentralized' (when there are too many subforums)

1. Chinese Art of War Subforum is removed. Ancient Chinese Military is changed back to "Chinese Art of War" forum. All topics moved to the new 'Chinese Art of War' forum.

2. Subforums like chinese economy, chinese games and sports, chinese artifacts and antiques are removed. All the discussion threads are moved to general chinese culture.

3. Chinese Science, Tech & Med. become a main forum

4. Partners, Advertising forum becomes a subforum within Dragon Gate Inn, since it's less important.

http://www.chinahist...topic=27001&hl=

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September 1, 2008 09:29 AM

Some modification to "CHF Beginner"'s badge

Hi all,

This is to inform you that I've made some changes to the color of "CHF Beginner's badge" to make it more appealing.

The former "dark color blue" has been changed to "dark green" but with some light shade in between.

This will improve the outlook and appearance of our beginner members.

http://www.chinahist...75&qpid=4949871

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September 2, 2008

"No. of Active Members" modications added

Hi all,

This is to inform you that I've added some modifications to display the statistics for "no. of active members today". The statistic is useful for staff members or any members who wish to know how many active members visit the forum every day.

The statistic is shown at the bottom of the forum.

http://www.chinahist...1

Editors note: you will find this new statistic at the bottom of the opening page of the Imperial Capital.

Board Statistics
Our members have made a total of 210,965 posts
We have 5,357 registered members
The newest member is goose
Active Members Today: 124
Most users ever online was 4,670 on Jul 27 2008, 02:47 AM

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September 13 2008, 12:07 AM

Madalibi promoted to Super Moderator

Hi all,

This is to inform you that our staff Madalibi has been promoted to Super Moderator. He can now moderate the entire forums.

Madalibi has been promoted largely because of his activeness and his excellent moderation work, in particular doing the forum index. He has also spent a considerable amount of time researching for members with valuable information.

I wish to thank him for the excellent moderation work and research work in CHF.

http://www.chinahist...topic=27444&hl=

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September 15 2008, 05:13 AM

Games Discussion becomes a main forum

Hi all,

This is to inform you that Games Discussion forum is now made a main forum.

CHF has now become a premier research site for games developer of chinese historical theme to research chinese history info. We hope to attract more games developers and mod developers to work with the historians of CHF. It will help to spread the reputation of CHF

http://www.chinahist...topic=27486&hl=

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9-15-2008, 10:28 PM

Some modification to Exemption Plan

Hi all,

This is to inform you a minor adjustment to the 'exemption plan'. Under our "magistrate", I've granted posting ability in two additional forums: Ancient Chinese Arsenal and Chinese Art of War.

Therefore, for those specialising in ancient chinese military, you can bypass the exam if you want to concentrate on discussion on chinese military and take the exam in the future only when you need it.

http://www.chinahist...topic=27500&hl=

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September 16 2008, 01:41 AM

Download CHF Newsletter in pdf format here!

We have converted the CHF newsletter to Adobe pdf format. Newsletter from February 2008 onwards will be available for download here.

http://www.chinahist...3

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September 16 2008, 02:20 AM

CHF Newsletter and Hanlin Journal available in pdf, for download

Hi all,

This is to inform that we have converted CHF newsletter and hanlin journal into Adobe pdf format.

They are now available for download at
http://www.chinahist...showtopic=27509
http://www.chinahist...showtopic=27510

We will also send members by e-mail the links for download.

http://www.chinahist...showtopic=27511

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September 17 2008, 10:48 PM

Lu Su joins the CHF staff moderation team!

I'm pleased to inform you that Lu Su has joined our staff moderation team. He will be the moderator for our CHF Gallery/Chinese Artwork studio forum at http://www.chinahist...hp?showforum=77

It's good to have a moderator who has artistic talents in digital art and help out with some of CHF's chinese artwork creation.

http://www.chinahist...=0#entry4951711

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September 28 2008, 09:59 PM

ShingenT joins CHF Staff Moderation team!

Hi all,

I'm pleased to inform you that ShingenT has joined our CHF staff moderation team. He will be the moderator for our world history/asian history forum.

Welcome him to the staff!

http://www.chinahist...topic=27748&hl=

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September 29 2008, 08:24 PM

New rules! Read!
Especially regarding current affairs and political discussion!

At long last, after much deliberation by the CHF staff, the new rules to curb Dragon Gate Inn pollution have been finally put into execution!

--

CHF is a forum devoted to Chinese history and traditional culture. It attracts people from different backgrounds and origins, from different places and all walks of life, and with various political leanings, faiths and nationalities, who visit it for different reasons. As a result, CHF is more prone to misunderstandings and disputes than communities whose members share similar views and backgrounds.

Quarrels have plagued CHF since its creation, causing some members to leave and others to be banned. These endless disputes have also created unnecessary work for the staff. More importantly, the harsh tone of some discussions has tended to make CHF less appealing, because heated arguments often prevail over calm and interesting discussions.

We have noticed that most squabbles occurred around subjects that are only marginally related to CHF's core interests. In order both to reduce the dominance of quarrels and to refocus on CHF's original mandate, threads focusing on the following subjects will now be forbidden: current events, the general merits of political systems (democracy vs. dictatorship, left vs. right, capitalism vs. socialism, etc.), sexual orientations, religious faith today, and contemporary ethnic issues (discussions of "racial types," current ethnic conflicts, etc.). The posting of newspaper articles with the sole aim of generating debate is strongly discouraged. Staff members are authorized to delete any new thread that breaks these rules. In accordance with CHF's goal of remaining accessible to people of all ages, explicit discussions of sexual activities will be edited out. Discussions of sexuality in history are suitable as long as they obey that principle.

Exceptions to the new bans may be made, but only when a specific authorization is granted by an Administrator. Members can apply for exceptions in this special thread [insert link, and perhaps thread name]. This thread should be used to ask for permission to discuss a particular topic, not to make a first post on that topic. If permission is granted, a staff member will open a "stub thread" where the member can then insert his or her first post. Even after permission is granted, staff members will make sure these special threads do not degenerate into debates on the banned topics.

Although it is obvious that disagreements will always appear on an Internet forum, we believe there can be debate without acrimony. Disagreements on historical issues are perfectly legitimate, and should even be encouraged if all participants agree to base their claims on evidence (that is, historical sources or the works of historians, not just strong statements of opinion) and to remain civil (no inflammatory rhetoric, no belittling of the opposing party, etc.). Members are encouraged to be particularly tactful when discussing controversial subjects like past grievances and ethnic disputes which still continue today. We understand that a historical discussion might, at some point, allude to some current events or politics. In such case, members should stick with the principles, and try to avoid polemic. We also hope that legitimate threads (notably those devoted to "what if..." counterfactuals) will not turn into endless and ultimately pointless East vs. West comparisons.

With these new guidelines, CHF hopes to create a friendly environment that will encourage open-minded inquiries and constructive debates about Chinese history and traditional culture.

By posting on CHF, you automatically agree to these new rules.

You may apply for exceptions in the following thread.

http://www.chinahist...showtopic=27768

http://www.chinahist...topic=27767&hl=

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September 29 2008, 08:33 PM

Exceptions for new rules

Here is the thread where you will apply for topic exceptions for the new rules. Your application will be assessed by admins. We reserve the right to approve or disapprove of threads as we see fit. We need not offer reasons for turned down threads.

http://www.chinahist...topic=27768&hl=

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September 29 2008, 08:46 PM

Current Affairs/Political discussion rules up!

After a long time with DGI becoming a glorified current affairs board and being the home to CHF's biggest disputes and the greatest amount of CHF's nonhistorical pollution, we have finally passed rules aimed at restoring DGI by curtailing the nasty political disputes that it became home to. The new rules have been appended to the forum rules at the bottom, and can also be seen in a pinned thread on CHF.

We hope that these rules will help to enhance your experience on CHF and return focus to history. Have fun!

http://www.chinahist...topic=27769&hl=

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October 6, 2008, 02:54 AM

No Multiple Accounts for member, Clear rule added for our forum rules

Hi all,

It has longed been forbidden that there should not be multiple accounts for members. This is to prevent members from signing up multiple accounts to 'support/backup' one's argument during debate, which is deemed to be unfair and inappropriate. The only exceptions are staff moderators, who might need one additional backup account for technical testing/troubleshooting.

However, we didn't state this rule clearly in our forum rules.

Anyway, I've added this rule in our forum rules at http://www.chinahist...php?showtopic=7

All additional/multiple accounts detected will be deleted or 'banned'.

>> One Account Per Member (No Multiple Accounts)
A member (a person) is only entitled to one account in this forum. You should not register multiple accounts in CHF. Any multiple accounts will be deleted or 'banned'. The reason for initiating this rule is to avoid members signing up multiple accounts to 'back up' one's argument during debate, which is deemed to be unfair and inappropriate. The only exceptions to this rule are staff moderators, who might need an additional backup account for technical testing or troubleshooting.

http://www.chinahist...topic=27862&hl=

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[kaiselin]

The bird in the badge is a flycatcher, it was worn by the lowest or the 9 ranks of civil officials.

AUGUST 2008

daojiang - Tongsheng
d3iFiC - Xiucai
doozer667 - Xiucai
cloud god - Xiucai
Xuanwu - Xiucai
zhenmushou - Xiucai
sonnori - Xiucai
Foremost - Xiucai
libi - Xiucai
RinKew - Xiucai
ScholarofHistory - Xiucai
HappyHistorian - Xiucai
Colorshapetexture - Xiucai
HaoQuan - Xiucai
GUAN YAN - Tongsheng
jstampfl - Xiucai
chy - Xiucai

SEPTEMBER 2008

peepee - Xiucai
oliverarodriguez - Xiucai
mehranjangh - Xiucai
Yizheng - Xiucai

CONGRADULATIONS ! ! !

The badge of the highest( first level) ranking civil officers wore had a crane on it.

AUGUST 2008

d3iFiC - Juren
Foremost - Juren
HappyHistorian - Juren

SEPTEMBER 2008

liuzg150181 - Juren
kenshinng - Juren

CONGRATULATIONS ! ! !

Candidates gathering around the wall where the results had been posted. This announcement was known as "releasing the roll"c. 1540, by Qiu Ying

[kaiselin]

Dear CHFers,

It's been a little over a year since I joined this wonderful forum, so I'm quite happy to be given the opportunity to say a little about myself and what got me into China History Forum and Chinese history in general.

I was born in 1990, in the eastern United States to a Greek-American father and a Chinese-Filipino mother. When I was a few years old, we moved to Indiana where I've grew up and have had a relatively comfortable life. Like most kids, I went through the public school system until high school, where I moved to a local Catholic school. Many of my stances and perspectives on issues I hold and sometimes espouse on the forums were formed here, some to the joy and probably many to the dismay of my instructors.

One personal thing I've always been fascinated with is my heritage. In fact, I'm sure many if not most of the Chinese members here were at least in part drawn to CHF to discuss and learn about their Chinese ancestry. For me, before a few years ago, I knew next to nothing about Chinese history or language. Almost not a thing. All I knew were a few superstitions and the fact that I was in part descended from the middle kingdom. My parents had taken me to Greece many times before, I went to a Greek school for a time, and was baptized Greek-Orthodox. When I was with my mother's family they all spoke Tagalog, ate Filipino food, and talked about the Philippines. Nothing about China, although I am technically more Chinese than Filipino.

It wasn't until the summer of 2005 when I was able to visit China with my father that my interest in this diverse and rich culture was truly sparked. You see, my father is an architect at a local University and he had helped make a deal with Nanjing University in China to have American college students tour China with some Nanjing U. students and analyze traditional Chinese architecture. The idea was to go to Shanghai, through Zhouzhuang and Tongli and then to Suzhou. From Suzhou to Nanjing and then fly to Beijing. Of course when I was asked to come along I enthusiastically accepted. The trip opened me up to a part of my undiscovered past and brought out so many questions in me, but nowhere to vent!

Coming from Indiana, there aren't many places or resources to learn about China. One day I was browsing the internet for information on The Ravages of Time (a Hong Kong manhua or Chinese comic) and I stumbled on a topic on CHF about it. Finally, I had found a place where I could discuss Chinese history and culture with people from around the world. The people here were and are so friendly and knowledgeable I found myself asking question after question, leaving me with only more questions about a wide array of topics. A year has passed, and I've lost no interest in the China History Forum.

Right now I'm embarking on another chapter in my life. College. I plan on taking courses in Chinese language and history if my schedule allows, so hopefully soon I will become more competent in the debates and discussions that go on in the China History Forum.


Thanks a bunch,


polar_zen

[kaiselin]

Hello CHF,

I am a college student at the University of Maryland. I am a history buff, and very interested in ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, Warring States, Qin/Han, Persians, Egyptians, etc.

Two years ago, I stumbled across the Chinese History Forums when I was looking for information on warfare, arms, and armor of the Han Dynasty - and for traditional Chinese clothing known as the hanfu. I am glad to have come across the CHF website, as it gave me a forum to broaden my horizons. The members and admin here are very helpful in helping me increase my historical knowledge through discussions and well written articles.

My favorite threads are those regarding the Warring States, Han, and Tang Dynasties. I am also interested in warfare and culture - especially the different types of traditional hanfus worn before the 17th laws banning traditional clothing.

I am honored that Kaiselin asked me to write this short column for the newsletter. I'd like to thank the members and moderators for helping me around on this forum when I was a newbie.

Hit me up on chat any time.

Cheers,

Intranetusa

[kaiselin]

A brief introduction of myself

Hi all, this is bayonet from Shanghai, China.

I found CHF three years ago accidentally and from then on, I have been obsessed with the forum. This forum is just amazing, and it is a place in which I rediscover Chinese culture and its history.

I have wide interests from hiking to kendo. Among them, history, paintings, military warfare, literature and architecture are always my biggest passion. Currently, I am a prospective student for postgraduate study in law.

In the past few months, I have travelled to the south of China and was impressed by many attractions there. I joined a NGO to sponsor kids in a remote area and an animal protection organization as well. By this chance, I would like to ask you to give more attention to the endangered species, in especially the South China Tiger 華南虎 . In the past half century, this beautiful big cat has been almost eliminated from earth. The number of South China Tiger dropped from 4000 to near nil. The South China Tiger is the ancestor of all tigers. It is also a unique symbol in Chinese culture and mythology. It is a shame if the South China Tiger dies out in our generation when we are supposed to revive the ancient Chinese value of living harmony with the environment. Now that the South China Tiger rewilding project is being carried on in South Africa, there is a hope. And there is a hope if we stop buying fur products and Traditional Chinese Medicine made of tiger organs, no trading nor killing of tigers. I will be taking on volunteer work in this organization before my semester kicks off.

In addition, I am also picking up paintings, and Monet is my favorite painter. I hope that one day I could draw those impressionism paintings.


Footnotes:
Rewilding is the process of undoing domestication. Rewilding is about overcoming our domestication and returning to our innate wildness. Though often associated with primitive skills and relearning knowledge of wild plants and animals, it emphasizes primal living as a holistic reality rather than just a number of skills or specific type of knowledge.

The South China tiger or South Chinese tiger 華南虎; Panthera tigris amoyensis, also known as the Chinese, Amoy, or Xiamen tiger, is a subspecies of tiger native to the forests of Southern China. The South China tiger is one of the smaller and the most critically endangered of the living tiger subspecies. Experts maintain that there are fewer than 30 of these tigers left in the wild, and warn that it might become extinct within the next decade. The South China tiger is considered to be the “stem” tiger, the subspecies from which all other tigers descended. The South China tiger has been recently listed as one of the world's 10 most endangered animals.

'Going wild' project

The "going wild" training programme was launched in 2002 as a bid to save the species, said Quan Li, the founder of the Save China Tigers Foundation who initiated the programme. The foundation gives financial support to the training in South Africa.
Ecological tourism will be developed in the regions so that the protection of the South China tigers can be sustained. Such a practice has been successfully adopted in South Africa.
More details from http://english.peopl...029_162096.html

Footnotes and Pictures Credits:

http://encyclopedia....y.com/Rewilding
http://english.peopl...107_319176.html
http://en.wikipedia....uth_China_Tiger
http://www.geocities...7897/tiger.html

[kaiselin]

Here it goes.

As asked by dear Kaiselin, I would like to share some of my experiences on this forum.
I first met GZ, the creator of CHF, and other would-be-come members of CHF like Seph and Yun in Totalwar forum. Back then, we were discussing the idea of making a totalwar game based on ancient China. We were also members of AllEmpires. Then, GZ invited me to Sima Qian forum, a forum dedicated to Chinese history. After some times, GZ created CHF and invited me to become one of its earliest members, together with Yun.
With the active dedication of its members, the forum quickly gained popularity. I like to point out Yun here, with his knowledge and tireless participation, he was the driving engine behind CHF.
With fame comes troubles. With the increase of active members, the discussion environment heated and became aggressive. Let us not forget that when we discuss history, it does not just involve history, it's the present, the pride of individuals and of groups of people which are involved. So we got and still get flames, trolls, nationalists and chauvinists all around. At some point, the forum had to change, strict rules had to be applied, mods had to intervene more actively, but not with the satisfaction of every member. I was at some point a mod and a super mod of the forum, I must admit, I missed the earlier times.
With time, some members left and some joined, unfortunately I have to dedicate to my studies and works, so I couldn't dedicate more to the forum, that's a shame.

Good luck to all good forumites of CHF.

[kaiselin]

STORIES OF THE HAN DYNASTY
(楚漢風雲)

50 Episodes, 2005

In a world of tyranny and conspiracy ... a once-mighty empire is in decay ... memories of independent nations and past glory resurface ... hearts burn with vengeance and ambition. Many heroes will rise ... few will survive ... but only one can become ... emperor under heaven.

Okay, that was actually a surreptitious tribute to the late Don LaFontaine. But I'm sure that's how he would have narrated the trailer to Stories of the Han Dynasty. Indeed one of the most pivotal periods of Chinese history, it required an astounding confluence of personalities and circumstances to make it happen.

Han Xin, Zhang Liang and Liu Bang confer

Teaser

In the final years of Qin Shi Huang Di's (秦始皇) lifetime, hundreds of thousands labor to build his edifices, many of them prisoners of conscience or war, many simply unfortunate conscripts. The emperor boasts that his dynasty will last for ten thousand years, but by sending his benevolent son Fusu (扶蘇) and wise general Meng Tian (蒙恬) into effective exile, he seals the grim fate of the Qin empire. For this impulsive act drops the empire into the hands of his incompetent other son Huhai (胡亥) and his puppetmaster, the corrupt eunuch Zhao Gao (趙高). As Qin loyalist Li Si (李斯) mournfully watches the nascent empire crumble, caused partly due to his own naïveté, the people of the six states conquered by Qin rise in rebellion, memories of the six states still fresh in their minds from their own lifetimes.

Xiang Yu (項羽), hailing from a noble warrior family of Chu (楚), has the privilege and drive to develop his martial talents. But his uncle, Xiang Liang (項梁), worries that his nephew is not nearly as competent to rule as he is to conquer. As heady with youth and hubris as Xiang Yu is, he has reason to be concerned for his impetuous nephew, and hopes that his Machiavellian advisor Fan Zeng (范增) can make the young general see the big picture before it's too late. To complicate matters further, Xiang Yu wins the betrothal of the beauty Yuji (虞姬), who abhors war and death about as much as Xiang Yu loves her. Quite in contrast to Lu Zhi (呂雉), a young woman who can barely hide her personal ambitions and ruthless scheming, and simply needs the right man to realize said ambitions and schemes.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang (張良), called Zifang (子房), wanders the land after his infamous failed attempt at organizing the assassination of Qin Shi Huang Di, now seeking a worthy lord who can implement his vision for the empire. Xiao He (蕭何), a Pei (沛) county officer, has a talent for governance and diplomacy. And Han Xin (韓信), a starving swordsman, seeks a chance to apply his mastery of the battlefield in service of a greater cause. The master strategist, master statesman and master general would find their destinies collide in an unlikely man. Not a nobleman or a general, but a peasant ruffian named Liu Bang (劉邦). For this man would defeat the odds to unite the whole empire under his banner, the banner of the great Han dynasty (大漢朝).

Lu Zhi pleads for her children's lives before Yu Ji

Plot/Characters

The story follows Liu Bang's journey from the condition of a conscript labourer for the Qin empire to the destiny of a ruler of his own empire. Having escaped the Qin quarries, he becomes a minor officer in his county and marries Lü Zhi. He and his brothers gather enough followers to raise a small army. Their victories get the attention of the Xiang camp, who integrate them into an anti-Qin coalition. Once the Qin have been defeated, Liu Bang finds himself with an unfairly unfavourable enfeoffment and his family as hostages. But thanks to the wisdom of his court, the talent of his generals and Xiang Yu's own arrogance, he manages to overcome the obstacles in his path to draw feudal support away from Xiang Yu, and finally defeat him to create the Han empire.

Character development on the whole was commendable. Liu Bang's depiction was alright, although a bit soured-out at times due to perhaps an over-emphasis on his ruffian-womanizer nature. Lü Zhi was portrayed especially well, with very believable expressions of craftiness, heartbreak and fear. Zhang Liang was also portrayed well, depicting alarm, satisfaction and frustration at his master's actions with equal convincing power.

Audio/Visual

The background music for the series was fitting. Traditional Chinese instruments added to the mood well. The opening theme was a beautiful operatic rendition, while the closing theme was an equally beautiful and soulful solo.

Visually, the series was executed very professionally. The producers clearly took the trouble to find the right locales for the scenes, from pasturelands to canyons to rivers. Palaces and encampments were set up well, and the costume array usually avoided the kitschy and gaudy. The battle scenes were also well-choreographed, especially those of Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu ignoring Fan Zeng, as usual

Miscellaneous

The series is as much about Xiang Yu as about Liu Bang. The contrast between them is clear. Xiang Yu is honorable where Liu Bang is opportunistic. Xiang Yu is arrogant where Liu Bang is humble. Xiang Yu is merciless where Liu Bang is lenient. Xiang Yu is faithful to his one wife, while Liu Bang is an unrepentant philanderer. And Xiang Yu believes he needs only himself, whereas Liu Bang knows how to find and keep the right talents. In sum, Xiang Yu values his personal relationships more than his professional relationships, whereas Liu Bang cares more for his professional issues while ignoring his personal ones.

Some ancient memes of folklore arose during these interesting times, and were depicted in the series. These include:

指鹿為馬: Zhao Gao's test of "loyalty" by having agree with the emperor by calling a deer a horse
焚書坑儒: Burning books and burying scholars by Qin Shi Huang Di
月下追韓信: Xiao He drops everything to convince Han Xin to return
成也蕭何，敗也蕭何: Xiao He's responsibility for both the rise and the fall of Han Xin
破釜沉舟: Xiang Yu's forcing his own army into a win-or-die corner by burning his boats and breaking his utensils
四面楚歌: Use of Chu folk songs as psychological warfare against Xiang Yu's army

Verdict

Covers pretty much all important characters and events with few major embellishments, well-executed story and visuals, decent acting, and a great dramatization in all.

[kaiselin]

YUAN YANG TERRACES

Tranquil, undisturbed and Breath-taking
One of those fascinating places I have ever visited

Dali, the legendary ancient capital of Dali Kingdom, and was bound for Lijiang, is another famous attraction for the Tang style architectures and folk customs. When I was in Dali, I was frustrated to know that the train was to be delayed. My friend suggested a visit to Yuan Yang terrace. “Another rice terrace?” I thought. I have visited the well known Longji terrace in Guangxi province a few months ago, and was astonished by the magnificent scene there. I could not imagine what the differences were from another terrace rice field. “If they were the same scale, they must look alike.”

I was soon proved wrong when I got off the bus and had my first sight of the terrace. The scale was much larger! The fog was heavy in the valley that it prevented me to catch the whole picture, but I was convinced that it was much larger than the previous one I had seen. There must be thousand of levels of terraced fields on the steep mountain slope. From afar, the slope looked like a huge step stretching to the heaven. If I was 15m tall, stepping on it, I would arrived at the top level in less than 15 seconds!

It took us more than 2 hours to get to the top level where a village located. A very small but distinctive architectural complex, those wood buildings were just fantastic. So were those with thatched roofs and mud walls, including the house we had booked to stay. The houses gave us the illusion that we were Alice In The Wonderland. At first I thought the houses were just primarily built. But again, I was wrong as the houses were fully furnished inside, and they were in fact, a concrete building. I began to admire the efforts the locals put in to make the appearance of new buildings identical to the old ones.

The next day, I had a chance to visit the real mud houses and met with the locals. The village belongs to the Yi and Hani people. They are ethnic minorities mainly living in Yunan province. Like many ethnics, they dressed in colorful clothes and wore silver headdress. It was really hard to tell the difference from these two ethnics groups. They could speak a little mandarin. An old man told me that many youngsters in the village go to the big cities to hunt for jobs as they are not contented to be farmers anymore. So those terrace fields might be disappeared in decades. He sighed, but he also said that he was glad his sons and grand sons were no longer farmers. “Farming is too tough and sometimes even dangerous.” he said. Every year there were people falling from the steep land. The farming and planting was machine free; only manual labor could be employed. I asked what they had planted in the farm; the old man answered almost everything. The altitude of the terraced fields ranges from 100 meters to 3000 meters above sea level. So a variety of crops could be planted in different parts of the fields. The locals used to plant opium but the government gave them subsidies to plant teas instead. I also found many of the locals possess rifles. So from here we see the minorities do have some privileges that we do not have.

Unlike the Longji terraced field which was regular shapes in most parts, the Yuan yang terrace was so irregular thus we saw many abstract patterns, kind of reminded me of Van Gogh’s famous paintings.

I read the brief introduction from a booklet that introduces the Yuan Yang terraced fields. The Yuan Yang terrace has a history of over 1300 years and today, it has grown into a unique farm culture. On the top of the mountain where there was a bird’s eye view over the valley, I felt overwhelmed by the millenarian-long artwork. It was like the earth was split into thousands of mysterious patterns. At first sight of the terrace, I felt like how great Mother Nature was, and a second later, I realized that the terrace was actually a man-made scene. When I took a closer look at those terraced fields, I found out that they were more complicated than we thought. There were gutters at each field. With complex designing, these bamboo-made gutters connecting to water reservoirs could be adjusted into different positions to make sure the crops receive the same quantity of water each day.

Though I was repeatedly told that the scenery at dusk is even more breathtaking when the water in the fields reflect the sunshine of the setting sun, I had not a chance to see it as during my stay, the area was either foggy or rainy. Nevertheless, the scale alone was impressive and I am sure I will be back to Yuan Yang terrace again.


Footnotes: http://www.easytourc...nshui/index.htm

Yuanyang County was once crowned as one of the China’s 17 most attractive scenic places. 326 km south of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. it is located in the depth of the Ailao Mountains in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Yuanyang has a population of 347, 000 with 2190 square kilometers. The annual average temperature is 16.4 degree Celsius, and 1407 mm of yearly average precipitation.

Yuanyang becomes a big draw to tourists and photographers for the amazing rice-terraces built on the red-soil mountains. 2500 years ago, the ancestors of Hani people came from Tibetan Plateau to this land and worked out the terraced fields on mountains generations after generations. Now we can see the terraced fields step upwards over range upon range of slopes from a height 144 to 2000 meters. In Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Emperor granted them the title of “Magic Mountain Sculptors”. From the tidy and well-constructed fields, anyone has to admit that it is a human engineering feat only made by those hard working people.

The Hani terraces and their irrigation system constitute ingenious agricultural innovation. Ailao Mountain's temperate climate and large scope of vegetation assures precipitation adequate to water the terraces, but equal apportionment of water to each plot on each terrace requires special skill. The Hani people call their method of water management, "Carving Wood to Ration Water"; villagers from each household mark different gradations on a wooden cross and place it in front of the terrace's source of water. When water flowing into the terraces reaches a specific gradation, the flow ceases. This system ensures enough water for every terraced plot.

Best Time to visit Yuanyang:

Situated at subtropical area, Yuanyang is wet and misty spring and summer. The best time to visit is autumn and winter. At that time the terraced fields are filled with water, ideal for taking pictures.


Pictures Credits:

http://www.yellowtur...7f6ed543e139773

[kaiselin]

To be continued in December Newsletter

[kaiselin]

Kaiselin, Chief Editor
Fireball, Editor
Rong Qin Wang, Editor

Anita Mui, Columnist
DaMo, Columnist
HappyHistorian, Columnist
Liu Bang, Columnist
Moon, Columnist
Technogypsy, Columnist
William O'Chee, Columnist

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[1] Front page Art credits
Background courtesy of original historical artist(s). 'Guan Yu' interpretation by Koei Corp. DW Artist Team ~ Custom banner and rendered/edited images by Lu Su "Soulstorm Alchemy" for use by ChinaHistoryForum.com Copyright 2008

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