The Lady of Yanzhou 延州妇人

The Taiping Anthologies is a collection of about 7000 stories compiled under the editorship of Li Fang of Song Dynasty, first published in 978. The stories were selected from over three hundred books and novels from the Han Dynasty to the early Song Dynasty, many of which have long been lost. Some stories are historical or naturalistic anecdotes, each is replete with historical elements, and qualifies as fiction, but the topics are mostly supernatural, about Buddhist and Daoist priests, immortals, ghosts, and various deities.

One of the most unexpected stories is about a lady of Yanzhou who is willing to have sex with any man she came across. She turned out to be an incarnation of Bodhisattva.

Once there was a lady in Yanzhou in eastern Shaanxi who was of fair complexion and quite beautiful, about 24 or 25 years of age. She wandered through the city alone, and the young lads would follow her around. She had sexual relations with them all, rejecting none of them.

Several years later she died, and the people of Yanzhou were all grieved at this and felt sorry for her. They collected a sum of money and paid her funeral expenses. Because she had no home, they buried her beside a road.

In the middle of the reign of Tang Daicong Dali (766-779 AD), a Central Asian monk came from the northwest. He saw the lady's grave, and immediately set up a prayer mat there, prostrating himself and burning incense while praising the virtue of the deceased for several days.

People saw this and said to him, "This was an immoral woman who treated every man like her husband, and we buried her here because she had no family. Why do you as a monk show such respect to her?"

The monk replied, "My benefactors, there is something you do not know. This lady was a holy being indeed, compassionate and generous in submitting to the desires of all worldly men. She is the Chained-bone Bodhisattva, and she has fulfilled her destiny and achieved enlightenment. If you do not believe me, you can open up the grave and see."

The people exhumed the grave, and sure enough all the bones were linked as in a chain. They were astonished and held a Buddhist feast for her, and also built a pagoda to honour her.

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宋代李昉编的《太平广记》大约收集了7000个故事，第一次出版于978年。故事选自汉朝至宋初超过300本书与小说，其中有不少已经失传了。这些故事有历史或自然奇闻逸话，充满了历史元素，创造素质，内容则都是一些有关超自然、佛教、道士、长生不老、鬼怪及各种神仙的事物。

其中一个令人意想不到的故事是有关一个延州妇女对所有男人来者不拒，而她原来是菩萨的化身。

昔，延州有妇人，白皙，颇有姿貌，年可二十四五，孤行城市，年少之子，悉与之游，押呢荐 枕，一无所却。

数年而殁，州人莫不悲惜，共醵丧具，为之葬焉。以其无家，瘗于道左。

（唐代宗）大历中（776－779），忽有胡僧自西域来，见墓，遂趺坐，具礼焚香，围绕赞叹数日。

人见，谓之日：此一淫纵女子，人尽夫也。以其无属，故瘗于此，和尚何敬耶？

僧曰：非檀越所知，斯乃大圣，慈悲喜舍，世所之 欲，无不徇焉。此即销骨菩萨，顺缘已尽。圣者云耳不信，即启以验之。

众人即开墓，视遍身之骨，钩结皆如锁状。果如僧言。州人异之，为设大斋起塔焉。

The Foolish Old Man Removed Mountains 愚公移山

The saying that “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” can be illustrated by a Chinese story about ‘The foolish old man removed mountains.’ It is actually a Chinese folktale about a foolish old man who removed a mountain that was blocking the path from his home. His children told him that he would be dead before he moved it. The old man instructed them to continue his work after he was gone, ‘My line will go on and on, but the mountain can never get taller or bigger, so what do I have to worry about?’

Why the old man didn’t just simply move his family to a more convenient location? It is said that the concept of home in Chinese culture is extremely important and one does not move his home unless lives are at stake. Another explanation is that the old man is foolish and that's why he didn't pick the easier task; but conveniently, his story told later generations to be persistent at doing anything.

The story became famous after Mao Zedong mentioned it in one of his speeches, ‘There are now two mountains on the heads of the Chinese people. One is called imperialism, and the other is called feudalism. The Communist Party of China must resolve to dig away at these two mountains. We must be absolutely firm, and continue to work away without stopping. Even the God will be moved. This god is not another person; it is the masses of the people of the entire nation. If the masses of the people of the entire nation were to rise up in unison, and help us to dig away at these two mountains, what is there that we could not flatten?’

Here is the original story as recorded in Liezi (Master Lie), an early philosophical Daoism text written during the 3rd century AD.

The two mountains Taihang and Wangwu, which cover an area of 700 square li (about 0.5 km), and rise to an enormous altitude, originally stood in the south of Jizhou and north of Heyang. The Simpleton of the North Mountain, an old man of ninety, dwelt opposite these mountains, and was vexed in spirit because their northern flanks blocked the way to travellers, who had to go all the way round. So he called his family together, and broached a plan.

'Let us,' he said, 'put forth our utmost strength to clear away this obstacle, and cut right through the mountains until we come to Hanyin. What say you?' They all assented except his wife, who made objections and said: 'My good man has not the strength to remove a spoonful of dirt from your father's burial mound, let alone two such mountains as Taixing and Wangwu. Besides, where will you put all the earth and stones that you dig up?' The others replied that they would throw them on the promontory of Bohai.

So the old man, followed by his son and grandson, sallied forth with their pickaxes, and the three of them began hewing away at the rocks, and cutting up the soil, and carting it away in baskets to the promontory of Bohai. A widowed woman who lived near had a little boy who, though he was only just shedding his milk teeth, came skipping along to give them what help he could. Engrossed in their toil, they never went home except once at the turn of the season.

The Wise Old Man of the River-bend burst out laughing and urged them to stop. 'Great indeed is your witlessness!' he said. 'With the poor remaining strength of your declining years you will not succeed in removing a hair's breadth of the mountain, much less the whole vast mass of rock and soil.' With a sigh, the Simpleton of the North Mountain replied: 'Surely it is you who are narrow-minded and unreasonable. You are not to be compared with the widow's son, despite his puny strength. Though I myself must die, I shall leave a son behind me and through him a grandson. That grandson will beget sons in his turn, and those soils will also have sons and grandsons. With all this posterity, my line will not die out, while on the other hand the mountain will receive no increment or addition. Why then should I despair of levelling it to the ground at last?' The Wise Old Man of the River-bend had nothing to say in reply.

One of the serpent-brandishing deities heard of the undertaking and, fearing that it might never be finished, went and told God Almighty, who was touched by the old man's simple faith, and commanded the two sons of Kua-e to transport the mountains, one to the extreme north-east, the other to the southern corner of Yong. Ever since then, the region lying between Jizhou in the north and Hanyin in the south has been an unbroken plain.
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Mao's Speech as read by a Canadian Lady 加拿大女士念毛泽东的谈话
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英语‘有志者事竟成’可以用‘愚公移山’的故事来加以说明。它其实有关一个老人把当在他家门口的大山的故事。老人告示他打孩子如果他过世时山还没有移掉，他们应该继续移山的工作。他说，‘我的子孙会一代一代转下去，而山却不会长高或变大，所以我有什么值得担心的？’

为什么老人不搬到另一个更方便的地点？据说华人文化重安土，没有特殊情况决不搬家。另一个解释是老人就是愚蠢，这就是为什么他不取容易的办法，而他的故事告诉子子孙孙坚持他们的所作所为。

毛泽东在一次演讲中提到了这个故事后，它就变成家喻户晓了：‘现在也有两座压在中国人民头上的大山，一座叫做帝国主义，一座叫做封建主义。中国共产党早就下了决心，要挖掉这两座山。我们一定要坚持下去，一定要不断工作。我们也会感动上帝的。这个上帝不是别人，就是全中国的人民大众。’

以下是公元前三世纪所写的道家哲学经典《列子》的记载:

太行、王屋二山，方七百里，高万仞。本在冀州之南，河阳之北。

北山愚公者，年且九十，面山而居。惩山北之塞，出入之迂也，聚室而谋曰：‘吾与汝毕力平险，指通豫南，达于汉阴，可乎？’杂然相许。其妻献疑曰：‘以君之力，曾不能损魁父之丘。如太行、王屋何?且焉置土石?’杂曰：‘投诸渤海之尾，隐土之北。’遂率子孙荷担者三夫，叩石垦壤，箕畚运于渤海之尾。邻人京城氏之孀妻有遗男，始龀，跳往助之。寒暑易节，始一反焉。

河曲智叟笑而止之曰：‘甚矣，汝之不惠。以残年余力，曾不能毁山之一毛，其如土石何?’北山愚公长息曰：‘汝心之固，固不可彻，曾不若孀妻弱子。虽我之死，有子存焉；子又生孙，孙又生子；子又有子，子又有孙；子子孙孙无穷匮也，而山不加增，何苦而不平？’河曲智叟亡以应。

操蛇之神闻之，惧其不已也，告之于帝。帝感其诚，命夸娥氏二子负二山，一厝朔东，一厝雍南。自此，冀之南，汉之阴，无陇断焉。

Yu Rang: Giving One's Life for Righteousness 豫让：舍生取义

Yu Rang Bridge

Mencius said, ‘Fish is what I want, and bear's paw is also what I want. If I cannot have both, I prefer bear's paw to fish. Life is what I treasure, and righteousness is also what I treasure. If I cannot have both, I will give my life for righteousness.’ The assassin Yu Rang did just that. The story of Yu Rang who lived in the Warring States Period (475 to 221 BC) was recorded by Sima Qian in his ‘Records of the Grant Historian’.

Yu Rang was a native of Jin, who served the noble clans of Fan and Zhonghang but whose talents went unrecognised. However, when he joined Duke Zhi, Duke Zhi treated him with high respect. Later Duke Zhi attacked Duke Xiang of Zhao. Duke Xiang allied with Han and Wei to defeat Duke Zhi, wiping out his clan and dividing his land into three. Because of the deep hatred he bore Duke Zhi, Duke Xiang lacquered Duke Zhi’s skull and used it as a wine vessel. Yu Rang escaped to the mountains and lamented, ‘Alas! A woman adorns herself for her lover, and a true man dies for one who appreciates him. Duke Zhi appreciated me, so I must die to avenge him. Then my ghost need feel no shame.’ He changed his name and went, disguised as a convict, to mend the palace’s rest rooms, carrying a dagger to assassinate Duke Xiang. But as Duke Xiang was about to enter the rest room, he acted on a premonition and had Yu Rang seized. A weapon was found in Yu Rang’s hand. Yu Rang admitted, ‘I meant to avenge Duke Zhi.’ The attendants wanted to kill him but Duke Xiang said, ‘This is a man of honour. I shall keep out of his way. Duke Zhi died without heirs, yet this follower tried to avenge him. He must be a most noble man.’ He then released Yu Rang.

Later Yu Rang lacquered his skin to cause scabies and swallowed charcoal to hoarsen his voice, changing himself beyond recognition. Begged in the market and even his wife could not recognise him. But he met a friend who saw through his disguise and asked, ‘Are you not Yu Rang?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I am.’ The friend was in tears and pleaded with him, ‘A man of your talent should seek Duke Xiang’s patronage. You would soon be close to Duke Xiang and could then easily carry out your plan. Why should you mutilate yourself and inflict so much suffering on yourself to take revenge? This is too hard a way.’ Yu Rang answered, ‘If I entered his service to assassinate him, I should be guilty of disloyalty to him as my lord. This way is very hard, but my aim is to shame all those who in future are guilty of disloyalty to their lords.’

He went off then, for soon Duke Xiang was to come out, and Yu Rang hid under the bridge which he had to cross. When Duke Xiang reached the bridge his horse shied and he said, ‘Yu Rang must be here!’ He sent men to investigate and it was so. Then Duke Xiang reproached Yu Rang saying, ‘Formerly you served dukes Fan and Zhonghang. When Duke Zhi destroyed them, instead of avenging them you took service under him. Why are you so determined now to avenge Duke Zhi’s death?’ Yu Rang replied, ‘When I served dukes Fan and Zhonghang, they treated me as ordinary man and I treated them as ordinary men in return. But Duke Zhi treated me as the finest man in the state, and that is how I must treat him.’ Duke Xiang lamented and cried, ‘Ah, Yu Rang, you have made a name by your loyalty to Duke Zhi, and I have given you enough quarter. Now settle this business yourself. I am not letting you off again.’ He ordered his troops to surround him. Yu Rang said, ‘I have heard that a wise master does not conceal men’s quality, while a loyal subject will die for fame. Already the whole world is praising the generosity with which you spared me. Now I am ready to take my punishment, but first give me your coat to run through as a token of revenge, and I shall die content. Presumptuous as it is, please grant my request.’ Greatly moved by is royalty, Duke Xiang ordered his coat to be given to Yu Rang, who unsheathed his sword, leapt and ran the coat through three times. He cried, ‘Now I can go down to report to Duke Zhi.’ With that he fell upon his sword and died. News of his death made all true men of Zhao shed tears.

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孟子曰：‘鱼，我所欲也，熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍鱼而取熊掌者也。生，我所欲也，义，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取义者也。’刺客豫让所做的正是舍生取义。战国时期（公元前475年至公元前221年）的豫让的故事记载于司马迁的《史记•刺客列传》。

豫让者，晋人也，故尝事范氏及中行氏，而无所知名。去而事智佰，智佰甚尊宠之。及智佰伐赵襄子，赵襄子与韩魏合谋灭智伯，灭智伯之后而三分其地。赵襄子最怨智伯，漆其头以为饮器。豫让遁逃山中，曰：‘嗟乎！士为知己者死，女为说己者容。今智伯知我，我必为报仇而死，以报智伯，则吾魂魄不愧矣。’乃变名姓为刑人，入宫涂厕，中挟匕首，欲以刺襄子。襄子如厕，心动，执问涂厕之刑人，则豫让，内持刀兵，曰：‘欲为智伯报仇！’左右欲诛之。襄子曰：‘彼义人也，吾谨避之耳。且智伯亡无后，而其臣欲为报仇，此天下之贤人也。’卒释去之。

居顷之，豫让又漆身为厉，吞炭为哑，使形状不可知，行乞于市。其妻不识也。行见其友，其友识之，曰：‘汝非豫让邪？’曰：‘我是也。’其友为泣曰：‘以子之才，委质而臣事襄子，襄子必近幸子。近幸子，乃为所欲，顾不易邪？何乃残身苦形，欲以求报襄子，不亦难乎！’豫让曰：‘既委质臣事人，而求杀之，是怀二心以事其君也。且吾所为者极难耳！然所以为此者，将以愧天下后世之为人臣怀二心以事其君者也。’

既去，顷之，襄子当出，豫让伏于所当过之桥下。襄子至桥，马惊，襄子曰：‘此必是豫让也。’使人问之，果豫让也。于是襄子乃数豫让曰：‘子不尝事范、中行氏乎？智伯尽灭之，而子不为报仇，而反委质臣于智伯。智伯亦已死矣，而子独何以为之报仇之深也？’豫让曰：‘臣事范、中行氏，范、中行氏皆众人遇我，我故众人报之。至于智伯，国士遇我，我故国士报之。’襄子喟然叹息而泣曰：‘嗟乎豫子！子之为智伯，名既成矣，而寡人赦子，亦已足矣。子其自为计，寡人不复释子！’使兵围之。豫让曰：‘臣闻明主不掩人之美，而忠臣有死名之义。前君已宽赦臣，天下莫不称君之贤，今日之事，臣固伏诛，然愿请君之衣而击之，焉以致报仇之意，则虽死不恨。非所敢望也，敢布腹心！’于是襄子大义之，乃使使持衣与豫让。豫让拔剑三跃而击之，曰：‘吾可以下报智伯矣！’遂伏剑自杀。死之日，赵国志士闻之，皆为涕泣。

The Traditional Chinese Wedding 华人传统婚礼

Crossed-cup Wine 交杯酒

In Chinese culture, wedding is considered a joining of two families, thus when a couple decide to get married, both families get involved. Chinese wedding traditions are as varied and complex. During the centuries of ethnic Chinese migration throughout Asia, traditions have evolved and changed due to a myriad of regional and cultural influence.

Here is a record of the wedding tradition written by Meng Yuanlao of Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) in his book ‘Records of Dreams in East Capital’:

The bridegroom invites his bride to tie together two lengths of silk, one from each family, and make a concentric knot. This is called the ‘leading scarf’. The bridegroom hangs one end of the scarf on his hand plate, while the bride holds the other end in her hand. The groom walks backwards, guiding the bride face to face, out of the room. After paying homage to the ancestors in the family temple, the bride walks backwards to the nuptial chamber. With their aims supported by maids, the bride and groom try to be the first to salute each other.

After this, they sit on the edge of the bed, the bride on the left, the groom on the right. Women sprinkle coins and all kinds of dried fruit and nuts around them. This is called sa zheng (literally, casting tent).

People bind together a strand of the groom’s hair on left side of his hand with that of the bride on the right side. Both families offer bolts of silk, hairpins and other decorations for the head and put them together. This procedure is called he ji (literally, joining hairs).

Afterwards, two tiny wine cups are tied together with a colourful silk string and the newlyweds drink the wine together. This practice is called ‘drink cross-cupped wine’. Then they throw the cups and the decorated head-dress underneath the bed. If it happens that one cup faces upwards and the other downwards, it is regard as auspicious and the wedding guests will congratulate them.

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在华人的传统里，婚姻算是两个家庭的结合，所以当一对新人决定结婚，两家都积极参与。华人的婚礼传统多样与复杂。随着这几个世纪华人移居亚洲各国，这次传统也受到地区域文化的影响而演变与改变。

以下是宋朝（960-1279）孟元老在《东京梦华录》卷五中的记载：

婿于床前请新妇出，二家各出彩段，绾一同心，谓之“牵巾”，男挂于笏，女搭于手，男倒行出，面皆相向，至家庙前参拜毕，女复倒行，扶入房讲拜，男女各争先后。

对拜毕，就床，女向左坐，男向右坐，妇女以金钱彩果散掷，谓之“撒帐”。

男左女右，留少头发，二家出匹段、钗子、木梳、头须之类，谓之“合髻”。

然后用两盏以彩结连之，互饮一盏，谓之“交杯酒”。饮讫，掷盏并花冠子于床下，盏一仰一合，俗云“大吉”，则众喜贺。

Zhao XIangzi Enjoyed Drinking Wine 赵襄子饮酒

豫让刺杀赵襄子

In 376 BCE, the states of Han, Wei and Zhao deposed Duke Jing of Jin and divided the Jin territory between them. The Partition of Ji marked the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period. Zhao Xiangzi played an important role in the partition and is considered to be the founding of the state of Zhao. He was in power for 33 years (457 – 425 BC).

Here is a story about him.

King Xiang Zi of the state of Zhao had been enjoying his drink for five days and nights on end without getting drunk. He said to his servants, ‘I must be the greatest man in this State. I have been drinking for five days and nights, but I am not sick yet.’

You Mo replied, ‘You ought to take care of yourself. You are still two days and nights short of the record of Zhou, who drank seven days and nights. Now you have already reached five.’

King Xing Zi was scared, and he asked You Mo, ‘Will my state perish like that of Zhou?’ Mou You replied, ‘The same will not happen.’

‘Only two days less than Zhou, how could my state not be subjugated as he was?’ the King asked.

You Mo replied, ‘The fall of Jie and Zhou was attributed to Tang and Wu respectively. Nowadays there are only the Jies in power, and Your Majesty is like Zhou. Jie and Zhou exist simultaneously. How could they subjugate each other? However neither one is very far away from danger.’

Note: Jie and Xia were the despotic last rulers of the Xia and Shang Dynasties respectively. Tang and Wu defeated Jie and Xia respectively.

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公元前376年，韩、魏、赵把晋静公赶下台，三分晋土。三家分晋发生在春秋末年，战国之初。赵襄子在这件事中扮演了重要角色，可以说是赵国的开国君王。

以下是一个有关赵襄子的故事。

赵襄子饮酒，五日五夜不废酒。谓侍者曰：“我诚邦士也！夫饮酒五日五夜矣，而殊不病。”

优莫曰：“君勉之！不及纣二日耳。纣七日七夜，今君五日。”

襄子惧，谓优莫曰：“然则亡乎？”优莫曰：“不亡。”

襄子曰：“不及纣二日耳，不亡何待？”

优莫曰：“桀纣之亡也，遇汤武；今天下尽桀也，而君纣也。桀、纣并世，焉能相亡？然亦殆矣！”

Wong Bo Showed Off His Talent 王勃显能

Wang Bo 王勃

Wang Bo (ca. 648–675), courtesy name Zi'an, was a poet in the Tang Dynasty. He is one of the Four Literary Eminences in Early Tang. He opposed the spread of the Gong Ti Style of the Sui Dynasty, and advocated a style rich in emotions. His fame was boosted by the publishing of Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavilion, a poem which is widely recognised as one of the finest Tang Dynasty poems. The style of this poem greatly influenced later generations of poets. His poem, titled ‘Seeing Du Shaofu off to His Post in Shu Zhou’, is widely recognised as one of the masterpieces of poetry of the Tang Dynasty. The line in this poem, ‘A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near’, has become a famous and frequently quoted phrase throughout the ages. It has touched the hearts of ancient and modern people.

The story of his writing of the poem was told by Wang Dingpao in his book ‘Anecdotes of the Tang Dynasty’ as follows:

When Wang Bo (648-675) wrote his masterpiece ‘Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavilion’, he was only fourteen years old. Knowing little about him, the governor Yan of Hongzhou did not recognise the lad’s talent. Although he had invited Wang to the celebration for rebuilding of the tower, has asked his son-in-law, a scholar called Meng, to write for the occasion a composition which in fact was prepared beforehand.

When all the guests had assembled for the event, they were invited (as a matter of courtesy) to prepare a composition, and only Wang accepted. Yan was furious. He rose, and told a servant to watch what Wang was writing and report to him immediately. The first sentence came to his ears: ‘This tower in the former capital, Nanchang, is now the new centre of Hongzhou.’ This was nothing special, he thought.

The second sentence arrived: ‘In the sky, fight above this place, are the stars Yi and Zhen; on the earth, this spot is connected with the famous mountains Heng and Lu.’ This couplet moved Yan to silent thought.

Then the following sentence soon reached his ears: ‘The evening clouds drift with a solitary goose in company, and the hue of the autumn river blends with that of the endless sky.’ On hearing this, Yan jumped up, shouting: ‘What a talent! This couplet will be remembered forever!’

Hurriedly he invited Wang Bo to have dinner together, and they had a wonderful time.

Text of Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavillion 《滕王阁序》全文

王勃（大约648-675），字子安，是唐代诗人。他是初唐四杰之一。他反对宫体诗风的流行，推行感情丰富的风格。他的《滕王阁序》提高了他的声名。这首诗赋至今还为中学生所读。

五代王定保的《唐摭言》中叙述他写《滕王阁序》的故事：

Prince of Teng's Pavillion 滕王阁

王勃著《腾王阁序》，年十四，都督阎公不之信，勃虽在座，而阎公意属于婿孟学士为之，已宿构矣。

及以纸笔巡让宾客，勃不辞让。公大怒，拂衣而起，专令人伺其下笔。第一报云：‘豫章故郡，洪都新府。’ 公曰：‘亦是老生常谈。’

又报云：‘星分翼轸，地接衡庐。’公闻之，沉吟不语。

又云：‘落霞与孤鹜齐飞，秋水共长天一色。’瞿然而起曰：‘此真天才，当垂不朽矣！’

遂亟请宴所，极欢而罢。

Qin Scholar loved Antiques 秦士好古

The following story is found in the book ‘A Vast Collection of Records of Things and Events’, which is written by Chen Yuanjing of Song Dynasty.

A scholar of the Qin dynasty was fond of antiques that he would acquire them regardless of how much they cost.

One day, a man appeared at his gate, hauling a broken mat, and said, ‘In the past Duke Ai Gong of the state of Lu presented this mat to Confucius. This is the very mat slept on by the great sage.’ The scholar, greatly pleased by such a rare find, obtained it at the cost of a piece of fertile land he owned outside the outer city wall.

Later, another man appeared with an old walking stick. He was selling the old stick, and he said, ‘this is the walking stick used by King Tai of Zhou dynasty as he was on his way to Bin in order to escape the barbarian invaders from the north. By the way, this stick is several hundred years older than that mat of Confucius. What price can you offer?’ The scholar paid the man with all his family savings.

Thereafter, another man came to the house with a rotten wooden bowl and said, ‘neither your mat nor your stick can be called antiques by comparison with this treasure. It was made during the days of Tyrant Jie (the last King of Shang dynasty), much earlier than the Zhou dynasty.’ Considering this was a product of an even earlier era, he paid by transferring the title of his house to the man.

In order to obtain the three antiques now in his possession, he had given up his arable land, his home and exhausted his savings. Nothing remained for his subsistence. Nevertheless, he refused to think of trying to dispose of the three articles. Hence, draping the Duke Ai Gong’s mat on his shoulders, leaning on King Tai’s stick and using Tyrant Jie’s bowl as he went begging in the streets, he pleaded to the passers-by, ‘thank you for supporting my living. If you have coins made by Jiang Tai Gong (famous politician of Zhou dynasty), please spare me one.’

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以下故事来自宋朝陳元靚所著《事林广记》。

秦朝有一士人，酷好古物，价虽贵必求之。

一日，有人携败席踵门告曰：‘昔鲁哀公命席以问孔子，此孔子所坐之席。’秦士大惬意，以为古，遂以附郭田易之。

逾时，又一人持古杖以售之，曰：‘此乃太王避狄太王(周文王的祖父)杖策去豳时所操之棰也，盖先孔子之席数百年，子何以偿我？’秦士倾家资与之。

既而又有人持朽一只，曰：‘席与杖皆未为古，此椀乃桀造，盖商又远于周。’秦士愈以为远，遂虚所居之宅而予之。

三器既得，而田资罄尽，无以衣食，然好古之心，终未忍舍三器，于是披哀公之席，把太王之杖，执桀所作之椀，行丐于市，曰：‘衣食父母，有太公九府钱，乞一文！’

Hou Yi Shot Down Nine Suns 后羿射九日

The Chinese myth of Hou Yi resembles Heracles in Greek mythology (or Hercules in Roman mythology), as both were archers who tried to shoot the sun. In the Chinese myth, there were ten suns in the sky that made the world so hot that nothing could grow. Hou Yi shot down nine of them with his bow and arrows and thus saved the earth.

However, the legendary stories about Hou Yi in Chinese ancient books and records have been always contradictory, which has caused long-time debates on the protagonist of the Hou Yi myth. Behind the mysterious stories, there is a splendid history of an ancient archery people living in the East Yi area of ancient China. Hou Yi was the title of the kings of Yi people. These Hou Yi kings made different merits in different times, creating the heroic and moving histories of Yi people. It is said that a person known as the Great Yi united the Eastern Yi people and formed a strong country. As the country was formed by tribes who worshiped, it was, according to the ancient book ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’, known as the country of ‘Ten-sun’.

However, the ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’ did not have any record on the shooting of nine suns. Instead, another ancient book ‘Huainan Zi’ talked about a person called Yi shot down nine suns. It is generally assumed that Yi referred to Hou Yi, the famous archer in the ancient Chinese mythology. As Hou Yi came from Eastern Yi, it is also believed that Hou Yi and the Great Yi are the same person.

Here is the record from Huainan Zi.

During the time of Yao (a virtuous emperor in ancient fables), ten suns rose into the sky. They burned the crops and scorched the bushes and trees, leaving the ordinary people with nothing to eat.

Monsters began to roam about and cause suffering for the people, including ya yu (a fabled monster which can run quickly, make sounds like the cries of a baby, and eat human flesh), zao chi (or ‘chisel tooth’, a fabled monster who, with three-chi-long teeth, could attack like a dagger-axe and lance), jiu ying (a nine-headed monster, spurting flames and floods), da feng (or ‘big wind’, a kind of ferocious bird, large in size), feng xi (or heavy boar) and python (a long, fierce serpent).

Yao sent Yi to kill chisel-tooth in the wilderness by the Chou Hua lake (a lake in the south) and the nine-headed monster by the Inauspicious River (a river in the north), and shoot the great bird near the marshland by Qing Qiu lake (a lake in the east). Yi then shot down nine suns with his arrow. He killed ya yu, beheaded the python by Dong Ting Lake, and caught the boar at White Mulberry Wood.

Hundreds of thousands of commoners were overjoyed by this and so elected Yao as their king, the ‘Son of Heaven’.

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中国神话后羿射日与希腊罗马神话里的赫尔克里士一样，都是要把太阳射下来的大力射箭手。在中国神话中，天空中有十个太阳，使到地球太热，万物不能生长。后羿以他的弓箭把九个太阳射下来，保存了世界。

但是，历史典籍关于后羿神话的传说互相矛盾，造成了学术界关于后羿神话主人公长期的争论。在这看似复杂的现象背后，记述了一个生活在中国东夷地区的善射民族的辉煌历史。后羿是夷民族的王，不同时代作为王的后羿有不同的功业，共同塑造着羿民族的可歌可泣的历史。据史料记载，大羿统一了东夷各部落方国，组成了一个强大的国家。由于该国家为众多崇拜太阳的部落方国所组成，在《山海经》中被称为“十日国”。

但是，《山海经》并没有关于射下九个太阳的记录。反而另一本古书《淮南子》谈到一个叫做羿的人射下九个太阳的事。一般认为羿就是后羿，那个在中国神话里著名的弓箭手。由于后羿也是东夷人，一般也相信后羿与大羿是同一个人。

以下是《淮南子•本经训》的故事：

‘逮至尧之时，十日并出，焦禾稼，杀草木，而民无所食。猰貐、凿齿、九婴、大风、封豨、修蛇皆为民害。尧乃使羿诛凿齿于畴华之野，杀九婴于凶水之上，缴大风于青丘之泽，上射十日而下杀猰貐，断修蛇于洞庭，擒封希于桑林。万民皆喜。置尧以为天子’。

The Mouse Gets Married 老鼠娶亲

The Rat is actually the first character in the lunar calendar's twelve-year cycle, thanks to his legendary cleverness. Here is a story how mother mouse finally finds the right husband for her lovely daughter. The plot may be dated, but Lady Mouse Got Married is as entertaining a children's fable today as it was thousands of years ago.

As the story goes, Mommy Mouse is looking for the most powerful male to match her beautiful young daughter, Lady Mouse. After spoken to all potential candidates, she finally discovered that the son-in-law she's looking for has been right under her nose all along. So what if it's about arranged marriages and a life spent in fear, the moral lessons of the cute coming-of-age story still ring true.

Once there was a mouse whose daughter had come of age and was ready to get married. When the mother mouse asked her daughter who she would like to marry, she replied, ‘Whoever is most powerful is who I will marry!’

The mother believed the sun to be the most powerful, so she went to the sun and said, ‘Sun, my daughter would like to marry whoever is most powerful. Since I believe that to be you, I’d like you to marry my daughter.’

On hearing this, the sun immediately shook its head and said, ‘I’m not the most powerful. I still fear the cloud. As soon as he shows up, he blocks all my rays. It’s the cloud that’s most powerful. You should go look for him.’

This sounded reasonable to the mother, so she went and found the cloud. To her surprise, however, he also said, ‘I’m definitely not the most powerful. The most powerful is the wind. He can blow me away without leaving a trace. You should have him marry your daughter.’

When the mother met with the wind he said, ‘I’m not the one you’re looking for. The wall is without a doubt more powerful than I. He can stop me in my tracks and hold me back!’

So the mother rushed to find the wall and said, ‘I suggested that my daughter marry the sun who is afraid of the cloud, then the cloud who fears the wind, and later, the wind who is scared of you. Therefore it must you who is most powerful. You should marry my daughter.’

With a smile, the wall said, ‘I’m also afraid of many things. As a matter of fact, what I fear most of all are mice. The holes they burrow can be devastating!’

Running home the mother mouse sighed and said to her daughter, ‘I think you’d better marry a mouse!’
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老鼠是十二生肖之首，据说靠的是它的机智。这里有一个关于鼠妈妈为她那可爱的女儿找适合对象的故事。情节可能是老套了点，可是几千年以来，这个‘老鼠娶亲’的寓言却在一直娱乐着无数的儿童。

故事是这样的，鼠妈妈要找个最有力量的对象来许配给她的女儿。与所有潜在对象交谈之后，她终于发现她所要找的就在她的眼前。所以，盲婚之下，如果一个人终生活在畏惧之中，这个有趣的古老故事还是值得参考的。
从前，老鼠女儿长大了，到了可以婚嫁时候。鼠妈妈问女儿她想嫁个怎样的对象时，女儿说：‘谁最有力量，我就嫁谁。’
鼠妈妈相信太阳最有力量，所以她去找太阳，对他说：‘太阳，我的女儿想嫁个最有力量的。我相信那是你。我希望你娶我的女儿。’
太阳听了之后，立刻摇摇头说：‘我不是最有力量的。我还是很怕云。他一出现就把我的光芒给遮盖了。云最有力量。你应该去找他。’
鼠妈妈听了觉得有理，所以跑去找云。可是，很意外的，云也说：‘我不是你所要找的对象。无疑的，墙壁比我更有力量。他可以阻止我的步伐，把我挡住。’
于是，鼠妈妈赶紧去找墙壁，说：‘我找太阳，要把女儿嫁给他，但他害怕云；而云又怕风。接着风说他怕你。所以你应该是最有力量。你应该娶我的女儿。’
墙壁微笑着说：‘我害怕东西可不少。事实上，我最怕的就是老鼠。你们的穴居对我的杀伤力很大。’
鼠妈妈跑回家，叹了口气，对女儿说：‘我想你还是嫁给我们老鼠吧！’

Cao Mo: An Assassin 刺客曹沫

In the Records of the Grand Historian, the author Sima Qian devoted a full chapter on ‘The Assassins’, which outlined a number of notable assassins from the Warring States period who were entrusted with (the usually noble) task of carrying out political assassinations on aristocrats and nobles. This following is the first of several assassin tales. The assassin Cao Mo was a general of Lu during the Zhou dynasty. He target victim was the Duke Huan of Qi. It’s interesting that in this story, dubbed Cao Mo was dubbed as an assassin when he didn’t even attempt to kill Qi Huan Gong. However, he is regarded as the most effective assassin.

Cao Mo, a resident of the state of Lu, was powerfully built and brave. He served the Duke Duke Zhuang Gong of Lu, who admired physical strength. As a general of Lu, Cao Mo fought with the state of Qi three times and lost all the battles. Duke Zhuang Gong was fearful, so he gave Lu’s territory Suiyi to Qi to make peace. However, Zhuang Gong still kept Cao Mo as his general.

Duke Huan Gong of Qi agreed to meet with the Duke of Lu at Ke to conclude a treaty. After Huan Gong and Zhuang Gong had signed the treaty on the ceremonial stage, Cao Mo suddenly produced a dagger and seized Duke Huan Gong. Duke Huan Gong and his advisors didn’t dare move. Duke Huan Gong asked, ‘What do you want?’

Cao Mo replied, ‘Qi is strong and Lu is tiny, and yet your state have taken so much of our land. If a wall collapses in the capital of Lu, it will fall in Qi’s territory! Please act accordingly!’ Duke Huan Gong agreed to return all the land wrested from Lu. On hearing this, Cao Mo threw aside his dagger, left the ceremonial stage to join the other attendants respectfully facing rulers north; he behaved and spoke as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Huan Gong was infuriated and wanted to destroy the treaty.

Guan Zhong said, ‘You shouldn’t! If we do this now to quickly satisfy our desire, the dukes of other states will hear of this and we will lose the trust of all of them. It is better to let Lu have the land, rather them losing the support of other states.’

So Duke Huan returned all Lu’s land as promised. All the territory Cao Mo had lost through the three battles was given back to the state of Lu.

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司马迁在《史记》中以整个篇章《刺客列传》来讲述一些著名刺客在战国时期被委任以刺杀王族与贵族的可敬重任。下面是所记载的这些刺客中的第一个刺客。刺客曹沫是东周鲁国的将军。他的目标是齐桓公。有趣的是，这个被称为刺客的曹沫却没有刺杀齐桓公的意图。但是，他却被认为是最有绩效的刺客。

曹沫者，鲁人也，以勇力事鲁庄公。庄公好力。曹沫为鲁将，与齐战，三败北。鲁庄公惧，乃献遂邑之地以和。犹复以为将。

齐桓公许与鲁会于柯而盟。桓公与庄公既盟於坛上，曹沫执匕首劫齐桓公，桓公左右莫敢动，而问曰：“子将何欲？”

曹沫曰：“齐强鲁弱，而大国侵鲁亦甚矣。今鲁城坏即压齐境，君其图之。”桓公乃许尽归鲁之侵地。既已言，曹沫投其匕首，下坛，北面就群臣之位，颜色不变，辞令如故。

桓公怒，欲倍其约。

管仲曰：“不可。夫贪小利以自快，弃信於诸侯，失天下之援，不如与之。”

於是桓公乃遂割鲁侵地，曹沫三战所亡地尽复予鲁。