Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (1368–1644) is the Chinese dynasty founded by Zhu Yuanzhang (temple name Taizu, reign title Hongwu; 1328–1398, reigned from 1368), the second of only two co...
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In this essay, Ch'en outlines the historical development of the Chinese novel, beginning with the prose fiction and romances of the Sung and T'ang Dynasties. Ch'en discusses early...
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In this essay, Ma examines examples of historical novels in order to determine the themes that appear most often within the genre, including dynasty building and national security. Ma also notes an em...
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In this excerpt, Hessney considers the themes of love and courtship, poetry and wine, and Confucian morality in the novel genre of scholar-beauty romances. Works studied include Western Chamber Romanc...
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In this essay, Hegel examines the portrayal of individualism and self-indulgence in novels, including The Merry Adventures of Emperor Yang and Forgotten Tales of the Sui. Hegel finds that themes of fa...
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In this excerpt, Wu focuses on cruel, violent women in seventeenth-century novels, including The Saga of Emperor Wu of the Liang, Marriage Destinies, and The Forgotten History of Buddhists. Such women...
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In this essay, Bishop discusses the difficulty of understanding and enjoying Chinese fiction from a Western perspective. Using the masterworks of the Western literary tradition as a standard, Bishop f...
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In this essay, Hegel focuses on the frequently appearing character of Ch'in Shu-pao, also known as Ch'in Ch'iung, a military hero of the seventh century. Hegel examines depictions...
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In this essay, Liu provides an overview of the major novels of the late Ming and early Ch'ing dynasties: Journey to the West, The Golden Lotus, Dream of the Red Chamber, and The Scholars. With ...
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In this excerpt, Hsia uses the story of Lotus, a novel within the novel Chin P'ing Mei (The Golden Lotus), to illuminate the strengths and the moral attitude of the text. The extreme obscenity ...
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In this essay, Roy suggests that Chang Chu-p'o's commentary on Chin p'ing mei (The Golden Lotus) represents an early Chinese poetics of the novel. Chang Chu-p'o's as...
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In these excerpts, Yang, Li and Mao first outline the importance of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Water Margin as foundational texts in the history of the Chinese novel. They address the evolu...
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In this essay, Hsia introduces Hung-lou men, translated often as The Dream of the Red Chamber or as A Dream of Red Mansions, to a Western reading audience. Hsia argues that the novel is the culminatio...
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In this excerpt, Hsia attempts to define the genre of the military romance, distinguishing such novels from historical novels that focus on a popularized retelling of events. Hsia bases his arguments ...
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BEIJING, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A Ming Dynasty painting has been
sold in China for 79.5 million yuan ($10.68 million), smashing
the record for Chinese artwork, Xinhua news agency said on
Wednesday. The...
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A Chinese painting has been sold for a record price of 79.52
million yuan (about $10.7 million) at auction, state media reported
Wednesday.
''The Red Cliff Handscroll,'' by Ming Dynasty pa...
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Taiwan plans to revise school textbooks to drop references that recognize Chinese historical figures, places and artifacts as "national," an official said Sunday.The announcement is the latest in a...
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Essen, Germany (dpa) - For many, people the world is flat - and
reduced to the space on a board. Hundreds of "board-game worlds" can
be viewed every year at the Internationa...
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Sandstorms have destroyed a large section of the Great Wall of
China, widely acknowledged as one of the architectural wonders of the
world, state media reported Wednesday.
Archaeologists s...
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Question 1 of 10:Who was crowned King of
France
in 1108?Louis the GenerousLouis the Bald
Louis the Fat
Louis the ForgiverQuestion 2 of 10:It was in 1118 that the Knights Templar were formed in
J...
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Taiwan plans to revise school textbooks to drop references that recognize Chinese historical figures, places and artifacts as "national," an official said Sunday.The announcement is the latest in a...
Read more
The bronze bowl seems unremarkable until you study it from above. Then, the shallow basin suddenly seems to teem with life: etchings of tiny tadpoles, turtles and fish wriggle across the bottom and...
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Ming Dynasty
Critical Essay by Ch'en Shou-Yi
Chinese Ming painting sells for record $10 million
