#Murong Huang

[mademoiselle-red]

Liu Xueyi character beauty contest, costume drama edition

(Scroll down below the poll for pictures of the contestants)

Zhan Huang 斩荒 (The Destiny of White Snake)， filmed in 2017, when Liu Xueyi was 27 years old, aired in 2018

Yin Jiao 殷郊 (Investiture of the Gods), filmed in 2017, when Liu Xueyi was 27 years old, never aired

Haochen 昊辰 / Bailin 柏麟 (Love and Redemption), filmed in 2019, when Liu Xueyi was 29 years old, aired in 2020

Tianqi 天启(Ancient Love Poetry), filmed in 2020, when Liu Xueyi was 30 years old, aired in 2021

Wuxin 无心 (The Blood of Youth), filmed in 2021, when Liu Xueyi was 31 years old, aired in 2022

Luo Zishang 洛子商 (Destined), filmed in 2022, when Liu Xueyi was 32 years old, aired in 2023

Pan Yue 潘樾 (In Blossom), filmed in 2023, when Liu Xueyi was 33 years old, aired this year (2024)

Jin Xiu 锦绣 (Love Never Fails), filmed in 2021, when Liu Xueyi was 31 years old, and is slated to be re-filmed with a new female lead this year (2024)

Yuan Zhong 源仲 (A Moment But Forever), filmed in 2023, when Liu Xueyi was 33 years old, rumored to air this summer (2024)

Murong Jinghe 慕容璟和 (Kill Me Love Me), currently being filmed (2024), as Liu Xueyi turns 34, and will likely air next year (2025)

[nemainofthewater]

Welcome to the 'Best Character with [X] surname' polls!

This is where I take several characters from different Chinese media (mostly cnovels and cdrama) and run a poll on which one is the 'best'. What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

NB: the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often they will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

If you can't find a surname, it's because I couldn't find enough candidates (at least 3 from 3 distinct medias) to compete. Feel free to submit candidates!

I will be posting several polls at a time, so do come back and check this masterpost to remember which polls are ongoing, who the winners are, and who's coming up next!

Currently ongoing polls:/Chao/Xin/Ran/Sang/Miao/Cang/Yao/Zang/Chong/Nangong/Kong/Hai/Deng/Kang

Finished polls: Xing/Rong/Nan/Ren/Pan/Qu/Fu/Sui/Tan/You/Sima/Xuan/Chang/Xun/Shangguan/Jian/Qian/Shu/Xi/Yuwen/Cai/Sha/Yin/Ceng/Helian/Zeng/Lou/Mi/Ji/Ping/Tong/Tuoba /Ge/Murong/Hei/Niu/Tao/Si/Pang/Zi/Gongsun/Mao/Qing/Lian/Chi/Shan/Tian/Dao

There's only a certain number of hyperlinks that can be added per post, so the rest of the completed polls can now be found here

All the details of the individual polls under the readmore

An - posted 15/03/24 WINNER An Zhe

Bai - posted 28/02/24 WINNER Bai Fengxi

Baili - posted 22/03/24 WINNER Baili Qingmiao

Bao

Bi - posted 26/03/24 WINNER Bi Changfeng

Bian

Cai - posted 7/04/24 WINNER Cai Quan

Cang - posted 23/04/24

Cao - posted 8/02/24. WINNER - Cao Weining

Cen

Ceng - posted 8/04/24 WINNER Ceng Aiyu

Chang - posted 3/04/24 WINNER Chang Geng

Chao - posted 21/04/24

Chen - posted 9/02/24 WINNER Chen Qingxu

Cheng - posted 10/03/24 WINNER Cheng Shaoshang

Chi - posted 19/04/24 WINNERS Chi Zhanggui and Chi Xiaochi

Chong - posted 25/04/24

Chu - posted 12/03/24 WINNER Chu Wanning

Chun

Cui - posted 11/03/24 WINNER Madam Cui

Dai

Dao - posted 20/04/24 WINNER Dao Mingsi

Deng - posted 27/04/24

Di - posted 16/02/24 WINNER Di Feisheng

Ding - posted 7/03/24 WINNER Ding Rong

Dong - posted 21/03/24 WINNER Dong Yi

Dongfang - posted 25/03/24 WINNER Dongfang Qingcang

Du - posted 26/03/24 WINNER Du Cheng

Duan - posted 23/03/24 WINNER Duan Baiyue

Fan - posted 27/02/24 WINNER Fan Xian

Fang - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Fang Duobing

Fei - posted 20/03/24 WINNER Fei Du

Feng - posted 28/02/24 WINNER 'Other'

Fu - posted 31/03/24 WINNER Fu Yao

Gao - posted 13/02/24 WINNER Gao Xiaolian

Ge - posted 13/04/24 WINNER Ge Chen

Gong

Gongsun - posted 17/04/24 WINNER Gongsun Heng

Gu - posted 7/03/24 WINNER Gu Xiang

Guan - posted 17/03/24 WINNER Guan Hemeng

Gui

Guo - posted 9/02/24 WINNER Guo Changcheng

Hai - posted 26/04/24

Han - posted 17/03/24 WINNER Han Ying

Hao - posted 16/03/24 WINNER Hao Du

He - posted 22/03/24 WINNER He Xuan

Hei - posted 14/04/24 WINNER Hei Xiazi

Helian - posted 9/04/24

Hong - posted 8/03/24 WINNER Hong Qigong

Hou

Hu - posted 6/03/24 WINNER Hu Tianying

Hua - posted 21/02/24 WINNER Hua Cheng

Huan

Huang - posted 20/03/24 WINNER Huang Shaotian

Huo - posted 25/02/24 WINNER Huo Xiuxiu

Ji - posted 11/04/24 WINNER Ji Xue

Jia - posted 18/03/24 WINNER Jia Kui

Jian - posted 4/04/24 WINNER Jian Buzhi

Jiang - posted 12/02/24 WINNER Jiang Cheng

Jiao - posted 27/03/24 WINNER Jiao Liqiao

Jin - posted 29/02/24

Jing - posted 14/03/24 WINNER Jing Beiyuan

Jun

Kan

Kang - posted 27/04/24

Kong - posted 26/04/24

Kou

Lai

Lan - posted 23/02/24 WINNER Lan Wangji

Lei - posted 12/03/24 WINNER Lei Wujie

Leng

Li - posted 18/02/24 WINNER Li Lianhua

Lian - posted 18/04/24 WINNERS Lian Yufan and Lian Qiao

Liang - posted 13/03/24 WINNER 'Other'

Lin - posted 14/02/24 WINNER Lin Chen

Ling - posted 6/03/24 WINNER Ling Wen

Liu - posted 16/02/24 WINNER Liu Qingge

Long - posted 23/03/24 WINNER Long Zhi

Lou - posted 10/04/24 WINNER Lou Yao

Lu - posted 5/03/24 WINNER Lu Guang

Luo - posted 24/02/24 WINNER Luo Binghe

Ma - posted 13/03/24 WINNER Ma Xiuying

Mao - posted 17/04/24 WINNER Mao Panfeng

Mei - posted 14/02/24 WINNER Mei Changsu

Meng - posted 29/02/24

Mi - posted 10/04/24 WINER Mi Chong

Miao - posted 23/04/24

Min

Ming - posted 26/02/24 WINNER Ming Yi

Mo - posted 18/02/24 WINNER Mo Xuanyu

Mu - posted 22/02/24 WINNER Mu Nihuang

Murong - posted 13/04/24 WINNER Other

Nan - posted 29/03/24 WINNER Nan Feng

Nangong - posted 25/04/24

Nie - posted 15/03/24 WINNER Nie Huaisang

Ning - posted 19/03/24 WINNER Ning Yingying

Niu - posted 14/04/24 WINNER Niu Chunmiao

Ouyang - posted 5/03/24 WINNER Ouyang Zizhen

Pan - posted 30/03/24 WINNER Pan Zi

Pang - posted 16/04/24 WINNER Pang Yizhi

Pei - posted 20/02/24 WINNER Pei Ming

Peng

Ping - posted 11/04/24 WINNER Ping An

Qi - posted 22/02/24 WINNER 'Other'

Qian - posted 5/04/24 WINNER Qian Jin

Qiao - posted 10/02/24 WINNER Qiao Wanmian

Qin - posted 16/03/24 WINNER Qin Banruo

Qing - posted 18/04/24 WINNER Qing Ge

Qiu - posted 25/03/24 WINNER Qiu Congxue

Qu - posted 30/03/24 WINNER Qu Lingfeng

Ran - posted 22/04/24

Ren - posted 29/03/24 WINNER Ren Ruyi

Rong - posted 28/03/24 WINNER Rong Changqing

Ruan - posted 21/03/24 WINNER Ruan Nanzhu

Sang - posted 22/04/24

Sha - posted 7/04/24 WINNER Sha Hualing

Shan - posted 19/04/24 WINNER Shan Gudao

Shang - posted 3/03/24 WINNER Shang Qinghua

Shangguan - posted 4/04/24 WINNER Shangguan Qin

Shao

Shen - posted 23/02/24 WINNER Shen Wei

Sheng - posted 4/03/24 WINNER Sheng Minglan

Sima - posted 2/04/24 WINNER Sima Yi

Shi - posted 8/03/24 WINNER Shi Qingxuan

Shu - posted 5/04/24 WINNER Shu Yanyan

Si - posted 15/04/24 WINNER Si Yilin

Song - posted 19/02/24 WINNER Song Lan

Su - posted 13/02/24 WINNER Su Zhe

Sun - posted 15/02/24

Sui - posted 31/03/24 WINNER Sui Zhou

Tan - posted 1/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Tang - posted 12/02/24 WINNER Tang Fan

Tao - posted 15/04/24 WINNER Tao Ran

Tian - posted 20/04/24 WINNER Tian Qi

Tong - posted 12/04/24 WINNER Tong Lu

Tuoba - posted 12/04/24 WINNER Tuoba Yan

Wan - posted 24/03/24 WINNER Consort Wan

Wang - posted 26/02/24 WINNER Wang Pangzi

Wei - posted 8/02/24 WINNER Wei Wuxian

Wen - posted 2/03/24 WINNER Wen Kexing

Wu - posted 15/02/24 WINNER Wu Xie

Xi - posted 6/04/24 WINNER Xi Ping

Xia - posted 11/03/24 WINNER Xia Dong

Xian

Xiang - posted 19/03/24 WINNER Xiang Liu and Xiang Nanfang

Xiao - posted 20/02/24 WINNER Xiao Jingyan

Xie - posted 21/02/24 WINNER Xie Lian

Xin - posted 21/04/24

Xing - posted 28/03/24 WINNER Xing Zhi

Xiong

Xu - posted 25/02/24 WINNER Xu Da

Xun - posted 3/04/24 WINNER Xun Feizhan

Xuan - posted 2/04/24 WINNER Xuan Shen'an | The Empress

Xue -posted 11/02/24

Yan - posted 19/02/24 WINNER Yan Wushi

Yang - posted 3/03/24 WINNER Yang Wuxie

Yao - posted 24/04/24

Ye - posted 10/02/24 WINNER Ye Baiyi

Yi - posted 9/03/24 WINNER Yi Bichen

Yin - posted 8/04/24 WINNER Yin Yu

Ying - posted 17/02/24 WINNER Ying Hecong

You - posted 1/04/24 WINNER You Huo

Yu - posted 11/02/23

Yun - posted 1/03/24 WINNER Yun Biqiu

Yuan - posted 27/02/24 WINNER Yuan Boya

Yue - posted 4/03/24 WINNER Yue Qingyuan

Yuwen - posted 6/04/24 WINNER Yuwen Xuan

Zang - posted 24/02/24

Zeng - posted 9/04/24 WINNER Zeng Xiangdong

Zhan - posted 10/03/24 WINNER Zhan Yunfei

Zhang - posted 17/02/24 WINNER Zhang Qiling

Zhao - posted 1/03/24 WINNER Zhao Yunlan

Zhen - posted 24/03/24 WINNER Zhen Ping

Zhi - posted 14/03/24 WINNER Zhi Xiu

Zhong - posted 27/03/24 WINNER Zhong Li

Zhou - posted 2/02/24 WINNER Zhou Zishu

Zhu - posted 9/03/24 Winner Zhu Hong

Zhuge - posted 18/03/24 WINNER Zhuge Liang

Zi - posted 16/04/24 WINNER 'Other'

Zuo

[craftercat]

There are two alternatives as to the history of Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei, one stating he was the son Tuoba Shi and Lady he or Tuoba Shiyijian and Princess Murong. Which one do you most subscribe too?

I will probably make an article at some point on this matter. The official history is the more popular version, but there are definitely some holes in it:

If Tuoba Gui was born posthumously to his father, how does he have a younger brother of the same mother?

Why do Tuoba Shi and Tuoba Shijun have almost exactly the same name, and we know very little about them besides their death (for Tuoba Shi) or their betrayal (for Tuoba Shijun)?

Why was Tuoba Gui so willing to turn on his uncles?

How was Tuoba Si born unusually late in life when Tuoba Gui was 21 when he was born?

However, there are a few questions raised by #2.

Where did the Helan clan come from, and why were they so powerful?

And did Princess Helan, Tuoba Gui's mother in official history, also not exist?

Why were the Murongs and Tuoba Gui so willing to turn on each other?

There are a few theories surrounding this. The Southern dynasties aren't the most reliable source when it comes to Northern Wei family history (see Consort Du and Tuoba Tao, and it also claims that Tuoba Tao killed Tuoba Huang which is... not the full story. They also transcribe Tuoba slightly differently as 托跋). You have to remember that they see the Northern Wei dynasty emperors as being barbarian usurpers.

However, unlike the others, this one does fix some problems in the Weishu records. So I have to lend it some credence.

One theory is that Princess Helan married another member of the Tuoba clan after Tuoba Shi's death. This would fix Tuoba Gu's origin. Murong Chui and Tuoba Gui were still related, so that would explain why he helped out Tuoba Gui. The betrayal of the Helans is because Tuoba Gui thought of them as being too powerful, after they assisted a rival tribe. This is Tuoba Gui we're talking about.

The assertion that Tuoba Gui was unusually old when he fathered Tuoba Si is unusual, as nothing was said about Tuoba Tao fathering Tuoba Huang at 20. Then again, given that later on, Tuoba Huang fathered Tuoba Jun at 12, Tuoba Jun fathered Tuoba Hong at 14, and Tuoba Hong fathered Yuan Hong at 13, 21 is late compared to those ages. Even his son Tuoba Si fathered his eldest son Tuoba Tao five years earlier in his life than Tuoba Gui.

Ultimately, it's impossible to prove one version over the other, as unlike most contradictions in the histories of Northern Wei and the history of the Southern dynasties, this one fixes problems. Another is the death of Tuoba Tao; the Southern dynasties do not record that he was killed by Zong Ai. In Northern Wei, the officials accused Zong Ai of killing Tuoba Yu, not Tuoba Tao. So it's possible that Zong Ai's regicide of Tuoba Tao was created to slander him.

[bookofjin]

Annals of Emperor Wen of Zhou, Part 1 (ZS01)

Redoing my old translation of this. Taizu of Zhou aka Emperor Wen of Zhou aka Yuwen Tai aka Yuwen Heita.

His ancestry and first accomplishments.

The Grand Ancestor [taizu], the Civil [wen] August Emperor, family name Yuwen, taboo Tai, courtesy name Heita, was a native of Wuchuan in Dai. His ancestors sprung from the Flame Emperor of the Shennong clan. He was wiped out by the Yellow Emperor, his sons and grandsons escaped to live in the boreal wilderness.

There was Gewutu, he was gallant, martial, and with many calculations and schemes. The Xianbei admired him, and received him as ruler. Thereupon he brought together twelve sections groups, and for generations [his family] were chieftains.

His descendant was called Puhui. During a hunt he obtained a jade signet with three knots, it had a pattern which said “August Emperor Seal”. Puhui in his heart marvelled at it, and considered it to be a Heavenly conferral. In their custom they spoke of “heaven” as yu宇, and spoke of “lord” as wen文. Following that he titled it the Yuwen state, and also used his clan.

Puhui's son Mona migrated south from Yin Mountain and first lived in west of the Liao. This was the Offering [xian] Marquis, his became the state were Wei's maternal uncles were born [?].

After nine generations [the lineage] arrived at Houdougui, he was wiped out by Murong Huang.

His son Ling served Yan. He was designated Chief Commandant of Appended Horse and ennobled Duke of Xuantu. When Daowu of Wei was about to attack Zhongshan, Ling followed Murong Bao to hold out against him. Bao was defeated, and Ling led 500 armoured cavalry to revert to Wei. He was designated Master of the Chief Herders, and bestowed the feudal rank of Calming and Settling Marquis. Beginning of Tianxing [398 – 404], they moved the prominent and outstanding to the Dai Capital. Ling followed regulations and shifted to Wuchuan.

Ling begot Xi, Xi begot Tao. Both were esteemed for their martial schemes.

Tao begot Gong. Gong relied on chivalry and had vitality and ability. At the end of Zhengguang [520 – 525], Poliuhan Baling, a native of the Woye Garrison, made chaos, distant and near many responded to him. His falsely appointed king, Wei Kegu's followers and partisans were exceedingly abundant. Gong therefore gathered together his home village to behead Kegu. His multitudes then scattered. Later he abandoned the land [for] Zhongshan, thereupon was captured by Xianyu Xiuli. Xiuli ordered Gong to turn back to control his section's multitudes. Later he was routed by the Ding province army, and perished among the ranks. Beginning of Wucheng [559 – 560], he was retroactively venerated as the Potent [de] August Emperor.

Taizu was August Emperor De's youngest son. His mother was called Ms. Wang. When she had been pregnant for five months, she dreamt at night she held in her arms a child which ascended into the sky, not quite reaching it when he stopped. She woke up and told August Emperor De. August Emperor De happily said:

Although he did not reach heaven, the honour is still at the pinnacle.

When he was born, there was a black vapour like a canopy, cover beneath it his body. Coming of age, he was 8 chi tall, with a square forehead and wide brow, and beautiful beard and whiskers. His hair was long enough to heap up on the ground, his hands hung down past the knees. On his back side there were black spots quite moving as if in the shape of a dragon coiling, and his face had a purple shine. People who looked at him respected and were in awe of him. As young he had great measures, but did not serve in his family people's professions. He made light of riches and was fond of giving, and so made connections with worthy gentlemen and grandees.

As young he accompanied August Emperor De in Xianyu Xiuli's army. At the time when Ge Rong killed Xiuli, Taizu was aged eighteen. Rong thereupon relied upon him as a general and leader. Taizu understood he would have no success, and made plans with his brothers with the intentions to flee and escape. The plans had not yet been acted upon when it happened that Erzhu Rong captured Ge Rong and settled north of the He. Taizu followed regulations and shifted to Jinyang. Rong considered Taizu and his brothers gallant and outstanding and feared they perhaps would have differences with himself. He thereupon relied upon another's crime to execute Taizu's third oldest brother Luosheng, and then intended to murder Taizu. Taizu defended himself that his family had been wronged, and explained his purport with brave forbearance. Rong felt it, and pardoned him, and increasingly treated him with respect.

2nd Year of Xiaochang [526 AD, sic, but Ge Rong was only defeated in 528 AD, and Yuan Hao's invasion took place in 529 AD], Yan province was in chaos. Taizu for the first time commanded an army to follow Rong and look into it. Prior to this, the King of Beihai, Hao, had ran to Liang. The people of Liang installed him as ruler of Wei, and made him lead troops to enter Luo. Emperor Xiaozhuang of Wei set out to live in Henei to escape from him. Rong dispatched Heba Yue to chastise Ying, and to continue to welcome Emperor Xiaozhuang. Taizu was old friends with Yue, and he therefore followed Yue as a detached general. When Emperor Xiaozhuang had been turned back to propriety, he was for his merits ennobled Count of Ningdu with an estate of 300 households, and moved to General who Garrisons the Distant and Colonel of Foot Troops.

Moqi Chounu made chaos in Guanyou. Emperor Xiaozhuang dispatched Erzhu Tianguang with Yue and others to chastise him. Taizu thereupon followed Yue to enter the Passes. As the first spear-point he routed the bogus Acting Tribunal Yuchi Pusa and others. When they had pacified Chounu, and settled Longyou, Taizu had merit in most of it, he moved to General who Conquers the West and Gold and Purple Brilliantly Blessed Grandee, added to his estate 300 households, concurrently General Charged with the Chambers, Acting on the Affairs of Yuan province. At the time in Guan and Long there were bandits and chaos, the hundred families were withering and fading. Taizu consoled with kindness and trust, the people all happily submitted. Everyone joyfully said:

Earlier if only Yuwen had been sent to rule, why would we have taken part in disobedient chaos.

Taizu once accompanied several riders into the wilderness. Suddenly he heard the sound of pipes and drums and so questioned accompanying people. Everyone said they had not heard it.

2nd Year of Putai [532 AD], Erzhu Tianguang went east to ward off Shenwu of Qi. He kept behind his younger brother Xianshou to garrison Chang'an. The Inspector of Qin province, Houmochen Yue¤, was summoned by Tianguang, to bring along the army multitudes and go down east. Yue knew Tianguang would surely be defeated, and wished to keep being Yue¤ to plot together against Xianshou, but nothing came out of his plans. Taizu spoke to Yue, saying:

Now Tianguang is still nearby and Yue¤ is not yet of two mind. If [we] inform him of this affair, [I] fear he will be alarmed and afraid. However, though Yue¤ is the chief commander, he is unable to control things. If [we] first explain to his multitudes, surely people will be in a mind to stay. To advance is to neglect the Erzhu's appointed time, to withdraw is to fear people's feelings will change and move. By taking advantage of this and explain to Yue¤, there is no way for the affair not to succeed.

Yue was greatly pleased, and promptly ordered Taizu to enter Yue¤'s army and explain to him. Yue¤ thereupon did not act. Then they led each other to assault Chang'an, and made Taizu with light cavalry be the vanguard. Taizu took into account that Xianshou was timid and cowardly, and that when he heard the various armies were about to arrive he would surely flee eastward, and feared he would hide himself far away. He therefore made forced marches. Xianshou in truth was already fleeing eastward. They pursued until Hua Mountain, and seized him.

[paradisovacui]

2022 VOGUE TAIWAN

Editor in Chief: Leslie Sun

Photographed by Yung Hua Chen

Model: Peng Chang, Cindy Huang

Styled by Murong Zeng

Text by Yvonne Wang, Jasmin Lee

Executive Editor: Amber Yang

Art: Shock Lin

Makeup : Eddie Hsu

Hair: Weic Lin

Fashion by PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE, SHIATZY CHEN, H&M, FABIANA C

[cicidarkarts]

337

Now, I'm not a big number person. I'm more of a literary autopsy, what-makes-a-story-good kind of person. But I was curious why 337 is a rad number. So I did a little research. Not a whole lot that interested me happened in the year 337. It started on a Saturday, and then ended on a Saturday, Constantine was the ruling name in the Roman Empire, Murong Huang became Prince of Yan, blah blah; I'm not that into little middling details of history like this. So I dug some more. I have not a single clue what an angel number is and 337 had so many different meanings that I'm pretty sure the whole thing is bs, like horoscopes. So I doubt I'm in the process of transcending but god I hope so. I did like the Bible verse of John 3:37. "Is Anyone Thirsty? Let Him Come to Me And Drink." As a fangirl and a writer of smut and bringer of porn, I appreciate this passage, ungodly as that may be. There was also a site called biblehub that had Strong's number. Greek's 337 is ἀναιρέω (transliteration: anaireó) and is used in the following ways: I take up, take away the life of, make an end of, murder. I love me some murder and life-taking in my stories, let's not pretend. My Google search led me to this site wherein a book was open to its page 337. The book is entitled Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft, written and published in 1584 by Reginald Scot. It seemed like something I shouldn't be reading. Ominous and strange. I might save it for later. Opened me up to Chapter 17, An Experiment of the Dead, talking about making an oath with a spirit by swearing upon the book. It was oddly fascinating, if only by virtue of being extremely old and bizarre.

337 is the Area Code for Southwest Louisiana. Well, I had to look into that thanks to my Lucas Baker fanfic. And I found a place called Cameron, Louisiana, which has been hit by hurricanes Audrey, Rita, and Ike, and skirted by Laura and Delta. Quite a nasty place if you don't want to be hit by hurricanes. And Cameron is the alternate spelling of the name of Credence Painter's brother, Kameron, in my Ominis Gaunt fanfic. Given Southwest Louisiana's rural nature, it doesn't seem to have a lot going for it, maybe some history buff reading this can prove me otherwise. Some of its history involved the Attakapas tribe being conquered by Spanish Conquistadors in the sixteenth century and quite a lot of back and forth from there, which I found on this site. It was hit by The Great Fire of 1910, a wildfire which burned three million acres of land.

After that, my AuDHD burnt out its attention span. But it was an interesting ride while it lasted!

[tom5201314]

Biden is (always) well, a great honor. The general's bravery is the head of the whole army, and his talent is also the hero of the world. You abandoned the (mediocre) small sparrow (out of the state of Qi in time) and admired the (virtuous) lofty ambition (and went to the King of Liang). At the beginning, (you) complied with the opportunity, (changed the door), met the wise monarch Liang Wudi, (only) established merits, achievements, to be named lonely, (once out) there are princes to ride (decorated) cars, with male soldiers, orders - square, and how magnificent and prominent! How could he suddenly become a traitor who fled to a foreign nation? His legs trembled when he heard the sound of arrows; he knelt down to worship before the ruler of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

(I consider) when you left the Liang Dynasty and went to the Northern Wei Dynasty, there was no other reason, but it was because you were inconsiderate in your heart, incited by rumors outside, and (for a while) unrepentant (did not know right from wrong) and lost your reason in your actions, and you came to this (situation) today (rebelling against the Liang Dynasty and falling to the Wei Dynasty). The wise Liang Court (can) forgive (past) SINS, and the emphasis is on you to make new achievements, to appoint (talents) widely without regard for faults, to treat the people of the world with sincerity, so that all those who are wavering can remove doubts and settle down, you are well aware, I do not need to elaborate on it. Zhu Yu had participated in the murder of Liu Yan, brother of Emperor Guangwu of Han, and Zhang Xiu had killed Cao Cao's son Cao Ang with a sword. Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han, was not jealous of Zhu Yu, and Cao Cao, king of Wei, treated him as he had done before. Besides, you are not guilty of Zhu and Zhang, and your achievements are more important than those of modern times! To go astray and know the return, this is the ancient wise men approved of, and to correct the fault when it is not very serious, this is the ancient classics praised (behavior). Emperor Wudi of Liang abolished the law of Gaen, and even people as guilty as the big fish who swallowed the boat could escape the net. Think about it in your heart. There's nothing left to say. At present, all the distinguished officials of the (Liang) Dynasty have been appointed and rewarded in an orderly manner; (Civilian officials) with purple ribbons on their waists, carrying gold seals on their bodies, participating in the planning of military and national plans; Generals raise their chariots and flags to defend the frontier, and the court kills horses and drinks blood to make oaths, so that the title can be passed on to future generations. Is it not sad that you alone have a thick skin and live in the service of foreign rulers?

With the South Yan king Murong Chao's strong horizontal, (finally) body death field; With the strength of the later Qin emperor Yao Hong, he was also captured alive in Chang 'an. Therefore understand the way, the rain and dew, distributed everywhere, (only) do not nurture the foreign race. The Northern Wei has occupied the center for many years, the accumulation of crimes has been full, and it is reasonable to say that it will destroy itself. What's more, the false dynasty's evil and cunning, killing each other, the country's divisions are divided, the tribal leaders are suspicious of each other, and (they) are about to be bound from (their) official residence to the capital and beheaded. And you, General, swim like a fish in a pot of boiling water, and build your nest like a swallow in the fluttering curtain, are you not too silly?

Late spring March, in the south of the grass and trees have grown up, a variety of flowers compete to open, a group of Huang Yingying flutter flutter. Every time you climb the city wall, touch the bowstring, look at the flags and drums of the old army, and recall the past life in Liang, how sad! This is why Lian Po (who went to the State of Wei when he died) still wanted to be the general of Zhao, and why Wu Qi (who was a general of the State of Wei during the Warring States Period) looked at the West River and cried, both because of feelings (towards the motherland). Are you alone in not feeling it? I hope you can make a good plan early, and turn away from the dark.

Today's leaders are extremely enlightened, the world is peaceful and happy, and (some) offer white jade rings from the West, (some) pay tribute and wooden arrows from the east. Yelang and Dianchi, the two countries in the remote southwest, changed with the customs of the Han people. Only the Northern Wei Dynasty in the north was ambitious, and acted obstinately and untamed between the Huangsha border jams in an attempt to survive! Xiao Hong, the king of Linchuan who commanded the whole army, was a close relative of Emperor Wu of Liang. He took on the military responsibility of the northern expedition and went to the north to appease the people and fight a

[fuyonggu]

Book of Jin 109: Biography of Murong Huang

You should really read these entries as embedded in the relevent Zizhi Tongjian entries for the best context. This post is more to have everything included in one place. I didn’t include the Chinese text this time because of the length, especially for some of the petitions.

Murong Huang, styled Yuanzhen, was the third son of Murong Hui. He had a regal countenance with broad and even teeth, and he was seven chi eight cun tall. He was bold and resolute, as well as very crafty and cunning. He esteemed learning and the Classics, and he was skilled at reading the heavens. When Murong Hui became Duke of Liaodong, he selected Murong Huang as his heir.

At the beginning of the Jianwu reign era (~317), the Jin court appointed Murong Huang as Champion General, Worthy Prince of the Left, and Marquis of Wangping. He often led troops on campaign, and was invariably successful. At the end of the Taining reign era (~325), Murong Huang was further promoted to General Who Pacifies The North and Duke of Chaoxian.

When Murong Hui died (in 333), Murong Huang inherited his position. The Jin court appointed him as General Who Pacifies The North and provisional Inspector of Pingzhou, and he was granted authority over the domain.

Not long afterwards, Yuwen Qidegui was driven out of his domain by his subordinate Yuwen Yidougui, and he fled and died away from his land. Murong Huang led troops to attack Yuwen Yidougui. Yuwen Yidougui feared him and asked for peace, and so Murong Huang merely constructed the cities of Yuyin and Anjin on the border of their territory before returning.

Earlier, the General Who Establishes Might, Murong Huang's elder brother by his father's concubine, Murong Han, had proved himself to be a heroic and talented general, and so Murong Huang had long been jealous of him. His younger brothers by his own mother, the General Who Conquers The Caitiffs, Murong Ren, and the General of Broad Valor, Murong Zhao, had also greatly received his father's favor, and Murong Huang was also uneasy about them. Following Murong Hui's death, these brothers were all afraid that Murong Huang would not be able to put up with them. At this time, Murong Han fled to seek refuge with Duan Liao.

Murong Ren urged Murong Zhao to raise troops and depose Murong Huang. Murong Huang killed Murong Zhao, and sent envoys to discover the truth about Murong Ren's intentions. The envoys encountered Murong Ren as he was attempting to cross a river. Murong Ren then knew that his plot had been discovered, so he killed his brother's envoys and returned east to his base at Pingguo. Murong Huang sent the General Who Establishes Valor, his younger brother Murong You, his Marshal, Tong Shou, and others to campaign against Murong Ren. Murong Ren led all his forces to oppose them; Murong You and the others were defeated, and they were all lost to Murong Ren. The Prefect of Xiangping, Wang Bing, and the general Sun Ji rebelled against Murong Huang in Liaodong, while the Colonel of Eastern Yi Tribes, Feng Chou, the Army Protector, Yi Yi, the Chancellor of Liaodong, Han Jiao, the Administrator of Xuantu, Gao Xu, and others all abandoned their cities and fled back to Murong Huang’s base. Murong Ren thus controlled all territory beyond the Liao river. He proclaimed himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, Inspector of Pingzhou, and Duke of Liaodong. The Yuwen clan, Duan Liao, and other Xianbei clans all sought to aid him.

In the ninth year of Xianhe (334 AD), Murong Huang sent his Marshal, Feng Yi, to attack the Xianbei leader Mudi at Bailang, and sent his General Who Displays Might, Shu Yu, to attack the Wuhuan leader Xiluohou at Pinggang; both of these foes were killed.

Murong Huang's 材官, Liu Pei, attacked Duan Liao’s territory at Yilian, but he could not take it. Duan Liao thus attacked Tuhe, but Murong Huang sent Zhang Meng to attack him, and he defeated Duan Liao.

Duan Liao's younger brother Duan Lan and Murong Han attacked Liucheng. Murong Huang's Commandant, Shi Cong, attacked and defeated them. More than ten days later, Duan Lan and Murong Han again besieged Liucheng. Murong Huang sent his General Who Calms Distant Places, his younger brother Murong Hann, Feng Yi, and others as reinforcements. Murong Huang warned his brother, "The enemy army’s morale is high, and it will be difficult to engage their vanguard. You should be careful to keep your forces intact; do not lightly rush into battle. You must keep your soldiers together while you prepare your defensive arrangements, and only afterwards attack the enemy." But Murong Hann had a headstrong temperament, and he sent more than a thousand cavalry on ahead as the vanguard. Although Feng Yi ordered a halt, Murong Hann would not listen. They were defeated by Duan Lan, and more than half of his men were killed. Duan Lan then attacked Liucheng again, employing flying ladders and tunnels. He besieged the city for twenty days. Shi Cong then personally led his soldiers to march out and attack him, and he defeated Duan Lan, taking fifteen hundred heads. Duan Lan then retreated.

During this year (334), Emperor Cheng sent his envoys, Xu Meng, Lü Qiuxing, and others bearing staffs of authority to appoint Murong Huang as Grand General Who Guards The Army, Inspector of Pingzhou, Grand Chanyu, Duke of Liaodong, Credential Bearer, and Commander. He was granted the authority to wield authority over his domain and confer his own appointments on subordinates, just as Murong Hui had done before him.

Murong Huang campaigned in Liaodong, and he captured Xiangping. Murong Ren’s appointee as Prefect of Jujiu, Liu Cheng, surrendered that city to Murong Huang. A native of Xinchang, Zhang Heng, arrested the Xinchang county officials and also surrendered. The other officials appointed by Murong Ren were all executed, and the major families of Liaodong were divided up and relocated to the capital Jicheng. Murong Huang established the counties of Heyang, Wuci, and Xile before returning.

In the seventh year (335), the seventh month, Murong Huang made his son Murong Jun his heir.

At the beginning of the Xiankang reign era (~335), Murong Huang sent Feng Yi to surprise attack the Yuwen leader Yuwen Sheyi; Feng Yi captured many of the enemy before returning. Yuwen Sheyi led light cavalry to pursue Feng Yi and fought him at the Hun River, but was again defeated.

Murong Huang planned to campaign against Murong Ren using the water route (that is, across the Sea of Bohai). His ministers all remonstrated with him, believing that the water route was too perilous, and that he should take the land route instead. But Murong Huang said, "Up until now, the sea could never be traversed, but ever since Murong Ren's rebellion, it has frozen over three times. In former times, Emperor Guangwu of Han was able to achieve the grand design by crossing the frozen Hutuo River. When Heaven may be offering me such an opportunity, how can I refuse it? Thus have I decided, and let anyone who argues otherwise part with his head!"

(When Emperor Guangwu of Han was fleeing from his enemies, he once sent a subordinate ahead to the Hutuo River to see if it was frozen enough to cross over. Upon inspection, it was not frozen enough to support the army. But when the official returned, he lied and told Liu Xiu that it was. Miraculously, when Liu Xiu’s army reached the river, it had indeed frozen enough for his army to cross. It broke apart as the last of the cavalry crossed it, so his enemies could not pursue him.)

Murong Huang led the three armies from Changli out to march across the ice. Murong Ren had not been concerned about Murong Huang coming at him from such a direction, and so his scouts did not report the enemy’s arrival to him until Murong Huang was already within seven li of Pingguo. Murong Ren then rushed out to offer battle, but Murong Huang captured him. He killed Murong Ren and then returned.

Duan Liao sent his general Li Yong to surprise attack Wuxing at night. However, Li Yong encountered rain, and when he tried to retreat, Murong Huang's Commandant, Zhang Meng, pursued and attacked him, capturing him.

Duan Lan led tens of thousands of soldiers to camp at Qushuiting, preparing to attack Liucheng, while Yuwen Yidougui marched to attack Anjin, to support Duan Lan’s invasion. Murong Huang sent fifty thousand horse and foot to attack Yuwen Yidougui while leading another army to Liucheng, and Duan Lan and Yuwen Yidougui both retreated. Murong Huang sent Feng Yi with light cavalry to pursue, and Feng Yi attacked and defeated them, taking much of their equipment and twenty days’ worth of grain before returning. Murong Huang said to his generals, "These two villains must be ashamed that they retreated without any success, so they will certainly return to try again. We should lay an ambush in wait near Liucheng." He sent Feng Yi with cavalry to prepare ambushes on the roads through Mount Ma'er. When Duan Lan’s cavalry indeed arrived, Feng Yi attacked them from both sides, greatly defeating them, and killing the general Rong Bao.

Murong Huang sent his combined Chief Clerk, Liu Bin, and his Prefect of the Household Gentlemen, Yang Jing, to escort Xu Meng and the other Jin envoys back to Jiankang.

Murong Huang sent his heir Murong Jun to campaign against Duan Liao's cities, while Feng Yi attacked the Yuwen tribes; both achieved great victories and returned.

Murong Huang established the Woodblock of Accepting Remonstrations, as a means to receive candid criticism.

After shifting Changli commandary, Murong Huang built Haocheng east of Duan Liao’s territory at Yilian, and sent his general Lan Bo to guard it, in order to keep pressure on Yilian. He also built a fortress at Qushui, in order to support Lan Bo. When Yilian suffered from great famine, Duan Liao sent grain transports, but Lan Bo attacked and captured them.

Duan Liao sent his general Qu Yun to attack Xingguo, and Qu Yun fought a great battle against Murong Huang's general Murong Zun at the Wuguan River. But Qu Yun was defeated and killed, and Murong Zun captured his entire army.

Feng Yi and others argued that since Murong Huang performed such important duties on behalf of the realm but held so meager a title, he ought to assume greater title, and they urged him to proclaim himself Prince of Yan. Therefore, in the third year of Xiankang (337), Murong Huang assumed the title Prince of Yan, and proclaimed a general amnesty within his domain. He appointed Feng Yi as Chancellor of State and Han Shou as Marshal. Pei Kai, Yang Wu, Wang Yu, Li Hong, Du Qun, Song Gai, Liu Zhan, Shi Cong, Huangfu Zhen, Yang Xie, Song Huang, Ping Xi, Zhang Hong, and others were all granted their own various appointments. Murong Huang raised Wenchang Palace, and he rode in the Root of Gold chariot pulled by six horses, with orders shouted to make way whenever it was coming or going, just as had been done by Emperor Wu of Wei and Emperor Wen of Jin (Cao Cao and Sima Zhao) when they had overseen Han and Wei. He honored his wife Lady Duan as Princess, and his son Murong Jun as Crown Prince.

From de Crespigny's notes in To Establish Peace:

The Root of Gold chariot (jingen che) with six horses to pull it, together with the escort of chariots of the five seasons (wushi che: being five pairs of carriages, each painted and decorated in a colour, green/azure, red, yellow, white and black, to match the seasons of spring, summer, mid-year, autumn and winter according to the theories of the Five Powers wu xing), were likewise imperial prerogatives. See HHS 119/29, 3644, the Treatise of Carriages and Robes.

The Root of Gold is discussed by Mansvelt Beck, Treatises, 244-248. As he remarks at 247, there are only two occasions during Later Han that this "somewhat elusive" chariot is recorded as actually being used: for the capping ceremony of Emperor He in 91, and for Cao Cao at this time. ZZTJ commentary here quotes from a Treatise of Carriages and Robes compiled by Dong Ba, a scholar of that time who may, as Mansvelt Beck suggests, have been involved with the design, and the treatise of Sima Biao follows his description.

According to Dong Ba, the Root of Gold carriage had vermilion wheels, side-bars and hand-bar decorated with dragons and tigers, and a golden crow adorning the yoke. The canopy was covered with feathers, and the ribs ended in flowers. Above the carriage was a great banner of twelve streamers painted with images of the sun, the moon and flying dragons.

As Mansvelt Beck points out, the iconography, design and status of the carriage varied from one period to another: Cai Yong, writing a few years earlier, gives it golden wheels, different animals on the side-bars and no banners, another account refers to tinkling bells, reminiscent of the Phoenix Carriage (note 57 to Chuping 1), and JS 25, 754 and 759, where the Root of Gold and its ten associate chariots of five colours are described, says that the Root of Gold had again no banners.

Because of Duan Liao's constant threat on his border, Murong Huang sent his general Song Hui to Shi Hu to claim vassalage to Zhao, and to ask him to launch a campaign against Duan Liao. So Shi Hu gathered soldiers and advanced. Murong Huang led his forces to attack Duan Liao's cities north of Lingzhi. Duan Liao sent his general Duan Lan to come oppose Murong Huang, and they fought a great battle; Duan Lan was defeated, and thousands of his soldiers were killed. Murong Huang's forces captured more than five thousand households and returned to their territory. When Shi Hu arrived at Xuwu, Duan Liao fled to Mount Miyun.

Emperor Cheng again sent envoys to promote Murong Huang to Grand General Who Conquers The North, Governor of Youzhou, acting Inspector of Pingzhou, and Cavalier In Regular Attendance. His fief was increased to ten thousand households. He maintained his prior authority as Credential Bearer, Commander, Chanyu, and Duke.

After Shi Hu advanced and entered Lingzhi, he was angry that Murong Huang had not led his own army to meet him there. Shi Hu advanced to attack Murong Huang as well. When Shi Hu's army reached Jicheng, it had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and it attacked the city on all sides. Thirty-six cities among the counties, commandaries, and garrisons betrayed Murong Huang and surrendered to Shi Hu. A stalemate lasted for more than ten days outside the city, and all those with Murong Huang urged him to surrender as well. But Murong Huang replied, "I aim to obtain the whole realm; why speak of surrendering?" Murong Huang sent his son Murong Ke and others to lead two thousand riders, and they marched out at dawn to attack. Shi Hu's soldiers were caught unawares, and they cast aside their armor and fled. Murong Ke then led his victorious riders in pursuit, and they killed or captured more than thirty thousand soldiers, and established several defensive works and camps before returning.

Duan Liao then sent a messenger falsely offering to surrender to Shi Hu, and asking him to send troops for aid. Shi Hu sent his general Ma Qiu with an army to receive Duan Liao. Murong Ke was waiting in ambush at Mount Miyun with seven thousand cavalry, and he greatly defeated Ma Qiu, capturing his Marshal, Yang Yu, and his general Xianyu Liang. Murong Ke combined his forces with Duan Liao's soldiers and returned.

Emperor Cheng again sent envoys to promote Murong Huang to Grand General Who Conquers The North, Governor of Youzhou, acting Inspector of Pingzhou, and Cavalier In Regular Attendance. His fief was increased to ten thousand households. He maintained his prior authority as Credential Bearer, Commander, Chanyu, and Duke.

Murong Huang's Directing General of the Front, Murong Ping, defeated Shi Hu's general Shi Cheng and others at Liaoxi; he killed the generals Huyan Huang and Zhang Zhi, and captured more than a thousand households before returning.

Duan Liao plotted rebellion, so Murong Huang executed him.

Shi Hu again sent Shi Cheng to attack Fancheng, but without success, so he advanced and took Guangcheng.

In the sixth year of Xiankang (340), in the second month, Murong Huang fought Shi Hu's general Shi Cheng at Liaoxi and defeated him. He sent word of his triumph to the capital.

Earlier, when Duan Liao had been defeated, his General Who Establishes Might, Murong Han, had fled to Yuwen Gui. However, because his military reputation was so widespread, he was still not safe there. So he pretended to be mad and drank to excess, let down his hair and chanted songs. Yuwen Gui believed in his acting and did not restrict his movements, and so he was able to travel about as he pleased. When he came to mountains or rivers, he would note their forms and think about the roads and strategic places that would be involved during any attack there; there was nothing that he failed to memorize. Murong Huang sent the merchant Wang Che to secretly observe Murong Han. When Murong Han saw Wang Che, he said nothing, only beat his breast. Wang Che came back and reported on this. Murong Huang mused, "Murong Han wishes to return." So he sent Wang Che to give Murong Han a bow and arrows. Murong Han then stole Yuwen Gui's prized horse, and returned along with his two sons.

Murong Huang planned to attack the Shi clan. He gathered his generals and told them, "Shi Hu has is concentrating his defenses at Anle and the other cities, so he must not have prepared any defenses north and south of them. So if we advance along side roads and appear where they will not expect us, we can completely rout northern Jizhou." So he led twenty thousand cavalry from Yeweng Pass, and charged straight for Ji. They crossed the Yellow River at Wusui Crossing, and entered into Gaoyang, where they burned all the gathered grain, and they forcibly relocated more than thirty thousand households from Youzhou and Jizhou.

Murong Huang sent Yang Yu, Tang Zhu, and others to build the city of Longcheng, and to construct a palace and an ancestral temple there, and he changed Liucheng into Longcheng County.

Although Murong Huang had proclaimed himself Prince of Yan, he still bowed to Jin authority, so he sent his Chief Clerk, Liu Xiang, to visit the Jin capital and proclaim an account of his triumphs, explain his intentions in taking the provisional titles, and advocate for a grand joint campaign to pacify the Central Plains. When Murong Huang heard that Yu Liang had died, and that his younger brothers Yu Bing and Yu Yi had inherited his authority and command, he composed a petition to the court stating:

"Based on my studies of the wise and the deluded sovereigns of past ages, those that were able to associate themselves with worthy people and establish them were the ones who achieved so much that they brought peace to their states, while those who surrounded themselves with mere partisans and the relatives of their empresses were the ones who always inflicted the disasters of ruin and shame upon their states. It was for that reason that, even though the King of Zhou considered the Earl of Shen to be his "worthy uncle", the Earl himself held a border command and did not wield control over court affairs.

"We might ponder several perilous examples to the contrary. If we consider King Zhaoxiang of Qin, although he was a worthy ruler himself, he entrusted affairs to his two uncles, and that brought his state to the brink of ruin. Coming to Emperor Wu of Han, he assigned great importance to his uncle Tian Fen, so that there was no important decision which Tian Fen did not have a hand in. But after Tian Fen's death, Emperor Wu gnashed his teeth in hatred at his memory. When Emperor Cheng of Han was still young and tender and unable to rule himself, court affairs were all led astray by his captivating wives, while the country was left in the unrestrained hands of his five uncles, and in the end these things led to Wang Mang usurping the imperial seat of power. Who does not feel bitter pain and anguish whenever they reflect upon these unhappy reigns?

"Even if a sovereign places affairs in the hands of one of their uncles who is indeed a worthy fellow, such as Marquis Rang (Wei Ran) or Wang Feng were, it still leads to an unacceptable situation; I have heard of there being two ministers, but never of there being two sovereigns. And if these uncles do not even possess talent, then it leads to the disasters of Dou Xian's and Liang Ji's grips on power. The good or bad outcomes of these situations was only natural. So whoever is able to remain on the right path can avoid such downfalls.

"Now Your Majesty is a renowned and naturally gifted sovereign, so your reign ought to have resulted in the uplifting of Jin's fortunes. But instead, the state has experienced many difficulties, besieged by adversity for which it was ill-prepared, and all these things have led to the current pain and suffering. If we retrace the causes for these events, we find that they were all because of the great honor shown to the late Minister Over The Masses, Yu Liang. When Yu Liang held the reins of power, he interfered in the government and purged his inferiors in the court, while he slighted and injured the generals on the border. This caused Su Jun and Zu Yue to let their resentments boil over, and they inflicted a terrible defeat against the state. That also led to Empress Dowager Yu becoming so agitated that she passed away in an instant. If it had not been for the protection of the state's altars and the assistance of the people and the spirits, then those rebels of wolfish hearts would have claimed the final victory!

"Past events must not be forgotten; they serve as examples to we the living. Yet even now, the Chief of the Palace Secretariat and General of the Left, Yu Bing, and his brothers still occupy the central offices of the court and hold the highest commands on the borders. These brothers are all arrayed such that there is no man or minister they do not influence. Your Majesty is deeply earnest, like the Weiyang poem, and Yu Bing and the others should be willingly heeding your wishes. I have often said that if a sovereign wishes to honor and exalt the family of his uncles, he would do best to grant them fiefs on the borders, and shower them with salaries and rewards while limiting their power and influence. By doing so, he shows them unparalleled honor above, while preventing any suggestion of partiality below. In such situations, will not they produce honor or disgrace on their own, and will good things not be said about them without needing to speak on their behalf?

"Consider that Yu Liang, only a single person, was yet able to bring about such terrible incidents despite the fame and reputation that he held. How much more is this the case now, when those who hold the same position are a bunch of no-names? Besides, the feelings of the people are easily led astray, and it is difficult to make your true intentions known to every household. Although Your Majesty might not mean to be partial to your uncles, who in all the realm will not accuse you of it?

"I myself enjoy nearly the same reputation and position that Yu Bing and his brothers do. Yet I serve in a distant outpost, and my own relatives in my fief enjoy favor or not purely as is suitable, in accordance with the circumstances of the times. Those who would still argue against and craft lies about my words may claim to be acting on behalf of Your Majesty, but really they are serving Yu Bing's designs. They criticize those who would accept my words, lest their own faults should cause them to lose favor. What use are they, who do not support one who is about to fall?

"In former times, Emperor Xuan of Han did not listen to Xu Fu's careful admonishments against the Huo clan, until he was eventually driven to the extent of having to purge the entire clan; the loyal were lumped in alongside the traitors, the investigation against them was not meticulous, and the provisions against them were not gradual. I might therefore say that all my words to you regarding the Yu clan are gradual provisions against them. But I fear that Your Majesty will not perceive my loyalty and will not follow my advice, so that when the day of disaster comes, it will be merely another case of 'burning yourself through your anger'.

"During the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, in all the petitions that Wang Zhang and Liu Xiang submitted commenting on the affairs of the realm, they never once pointed the finger at the Wang clan of Wang Feng or reprimanded them for their behavior. It was because of these omissions that some of their own sons suffered death, and others suffered punishments. Gu Yong and Zhang Yu likewise followed the trend and did not speak out against them, and although Gu Yong saved his own life, he earned the ridicule of posterity. If I let down my hair and defy convention, it is because I hold such a high role as general. Day and night, my sole concern is for the state, and I seek ways to repay it, whether that be by smiting its foes without or acting fully loyal and proper within. I present a strong argument in order to convey my sincerity, and to respond to the grace which the state has shown me. If even I do not say such things, who ought to?"

He also wrote to Yu Bing, stating:

"Sir, being the maternal uncle of the Emperor, you might be said to be occupying the 'Jiaofang wing of the Weiyang Palace' as a relative of the Empress Dowager. You occupy the highest offices of the state, and both internally and externally you execute the royal mandate. Furthermore, your brothers hold countless positions both as generals and as administrators of the provinces. The glory of your family's name spreads across the whole capital region. In all the reigns since the Qin and Han dynasties, whose family can compare with the great honor with which your own clan has been bestowed? From what I have seen, if through your achievements you ventured some great undertaking, you would certainly gain the same reputation as the Marquis of Shen. And if you perhaps hesitated from that step, it would only be to avoid following the same paths as Liang Ji or Dou Xian.

"Whenever I review the old histories and biographies of the sovereigns of old, I find examples of rulers who initially favored the families of their mothers and let them do as they pleased, even letting them wield authority over the government and cause turmoil in the court. In every such instance, such rulers granted these relatives exceptional honor at first, and yet in the end blamed them of a whole host of faults. So one might say that by initially favoring these relatives, such rulers led them to their doom. I have often faulted the sovereigns of these past ages for not having practiced the art of guarding against such undue budding favoritism. Why did they never endeavor to grant these relatives a plot of land somewhere, and charge them to serve in fiefs along the borders, so that they might support the state and one another together, like the Dukes of Qi and Chen once did for the Zhou dynasty? Had they done so, they would have been able to face south and be honored as rulers forever, and how could they have ever have had cause to worry about suffering demotion or disgrace?

"At the end of the Han dynasty, the imperial uncles Dou Wu and He Jin favored good people while being humble themselves. Worthy gentlemen supported them, and though they were endangered by the eunuchs, the whole realm sympathized with them. It was only because they were not prompt in carrying out their plans that they lost their lives and the state fell.

"At the moment, all the lands within the Four Seas are suffering from the most extreme adversity, and Zhongxia is overrun with presumptuous traitors. Families have their blood boil over in rage, and people are determined to avenge this disaster. Is this any time to lay comfortably on one's pillow in perfect comfort and while away the years in refined conversation?

"I myself may possess scant virtue, but I have been blessed to receive titles of office by His Late Majesty. Though I only command the people of a few commandaries, by their aid I have annexed and conquered strong enemies. I have devoted myself to constant warfare up until now, locked in battle with blades crossed; I have only one season of the year to attend to farming, for the other three are spent in military endeavors. Yet though I must lead my armies in constant campaigns without rest, my warehouses are overflowing with grain, my enemies fear for me grows by the day, and my territory expands ever larger. If even I am able to accomplish this much, how much could one accomplish if they possessed the might of the royal armies and the power of the imperial domain? Why then have you spent the same years in idle chatter?"

When Yu Bing saw the petition and the letter, he was very afraid. Worried that Murong Huang was too far away and isolated to be controlled, he sent in a memorial with He Chong and others asking that Murong Huang's proclaimed title of Prince of Yan be confirmed. Emperor Cheng sent his combined Grand Herald, Guo Xi, bearing a staff of authority to appoint Murong Huang as Palace Attendant, Grand Commander of military affairs north of the Yellow river, Grand General, and Prince of Yan, while still keeping his original titles as before. More than a hundred of Murong Huang's subordinates were also granted offices in recognition of their achievements.

The same year as Murong Huang wrote his letter to Yu Bing, he campaigned against Goguryeo. The King of Goguryeo, Go Soe, sued for peace, so Murong Huang returned. The following year, Go Soe sent his eldest son Go Jo to Murong Huang.

In the seventh year of Xiankang (341), Murong Huang moved his capital to Longcheng.

Murong Huang assembled an army of forty thousand strong soldiers, and marched through the southern narrows, campaigning against the Yuwen and Goguryeo. He also sent Murong Han and his own son Murong Chui to be vanguard commanders, and sent his Chief Clerk, Wang Yu, and others to lead another army of fifteen thousand, to advance along the northern route. The King of Goguryeo, Go Soe, believed that Murong Huang's army would come by the northern route, and so he sent his younger brother Go Mu with fifty thousand elite troops to guard the northern route, while he led his weaker troops defended the southern narrows. Murong Han and Go Soe fought a battle at Mudi, where Go Soe was greatly defeated. The victorious Yan troops advanced and entered Hwando, while Go Soe fled alone on horseback. Murong Huang dug up the tomb of Go Soe's father and took the body, along with Go Soe's mother, wife, and his treasures. The Yan troops rounded up more than fifty thousand men and women to bring back, and set fire to the palaces, before demolishing Hwando and returning home. The following year, Go Soe sent envoys to declare himself Murong Huang's subject, and they offered tribute. So Murong Huang returned the body of his father.

Yuwen Gui sent his Chancellor of State, Moqian Hun, to attack Murong Huang. The Yan generals asked that Murong Huang march out to fight him, but he refused. Moqian Hun believed that Murong Huang feared him, so he amused himself in drinking and hunting, and did not prepare defenses. Murong Huang said, "Moqian Hun's decadence has sealed his fate; now we can defeat him in one battle." He sent Murong Han to lead the cavalry to attack, and Moqian Hun was greatly defeated; he barely escaped with his life, while all of his soldiers were captured.

Murong Huang then personally led twenty thousand cavalry to campaign against Yuwen Gui, with Murong Han and Murong Chui leading the vanguard. Yuwen Gui sent his cavalry general Sheyigan to lead all his forces to oppose Murong Han. Murong Huang sent a rider to tell Murong Han, "Sheyi is bold and majestic; you should somewhat avoid him for now, and after he has grown arrogant, then you may get him."

But Murong Han replied, "Yuwen Gui's elite troops have all gathered here. If we can defeat them today, then Yuwen Gui will fall without any further effort from our soldiers. Sheyigan's reputation is only a mirage; we can easily defeat him. We should not restrain the zeal of our soldiers just for the sake of stroking the enemy’s ego."

So he launched a frontal assault and killed Sheyigan, and captured his whole army. Yuwen Gui fled far away, hiding in the northern deserts. Murong Huang reclaimed more than a thousand li of land, and relocated more than fifty thousand tribes of the Yuwen people to Changli. He renamed the name of Sheyigan's city to Weide. Those of good conduct were received with ceremony, and rewards and merits were distributed each accordingly.

Murong Huang distributed oxen among the poor families, and out of their produce, eighty percent was for the state, and twenty percent for themselves. For those that had oxen but no land, out of their produce, seventy percent was for the state, and thirty percent for themselves. Murong Huang's Recordskeeping Army Advisor, Feng Yu, remonstrated with him, saying:

"I have heard that the great ministers of the sage kings of old imposed only slight taxes and spread them out among the common people; they divided them into three sorts of farmland, and they taxed them only at a rate of one-tenth of their production. When people were cold, they clothed them; when people were hungry, they fed them. They provided families with the means to sustain themselves. Even when floods or droughts occurred, such things did not lead to disaster. Why was that? Because they were astute in selecting officials to oversee farming affairs, and they carried out their duties of encouraging and instructing the people in farming with full diligence. People were able to farm a full hundred 畝 of farmland without needing to harness the power of beasts of burden. Those people who applied themselves in farming were granted conspicuous rewards, while those who were negligent in farming still did not suffer any punishments. Offices were created as suited to the circumstances, and people were appointed as suited to their offices; those who held office were certain to fulfill their duties, and no one held an empty sinecure. Functions were adjusted based on the yearly need, and salaries were set accordingly. Even after providing for the salaries of the government officials, the Grand Storehouse was so full that three years' worth of farming produced a year's worth of surplus grain. With such stores in place, how could the public good have lacked for sufficient grain? What cause did the common people have for worry when floods or drought occured? But even as the ordinances of agricultural duties increased, none of the Prefects, Chiefs, and Two Thousand 石 salary officials had the desire to work towards the public good or harness the full bounty of their territories. This was why, when Emperor Guangwu of Han recognized this fact and saw how fallow and underutilized the fields were, he summoned such officials and killed them by the dozens, so that during the subsequent reigns of Emperors Ming and Zhang, the realm knew peace.

"Now ever since the Disaster of Yongjia, the common people have scattered as refugees; the Central Plains have been so barren and bare that there is no smoke from residences for a thousand li. Hunger and cold have chased after the people, flowing one after the other as though through ditches and channels. But His Late Highness (Murong Hui) was a man of divine martial talent and sage political calculation. Fully guarding his corner of the realm, he smashed the evil through his might and attracted the hopes of distant people through his virtue. This was why countless people of all kinds came from the Nine Provinces, traveling ten thousand li with their babes on their backs, to live under him, like little children coming to their loving father. So many refugees arrived that the population of his original territory swelled by more than ten times. With such an abundant population but such cramped land available, forty percent of them were left without any farmland.

"Your Highness is a man of heroic and sage character, and you have successfully expanded your late father's enterprise. In the south, you routed the mighty Zhao; in the east, you vanquished Goguryeo. You expanded our territory by three thousand li, and you increased our population by a hundred thousand households. Through your continued military successes in expanding and broadening the territory of the state, your deeds exceed those of the Western Earl (King Wen of Zhou). You would now do well to abolish and open up the various enclosures, in order to provide livelihoods for the refugees. Those people who are so destitute that they have no funds or property whatsoever should be granted cattle for tilling their fields. Since these people are Your Highness's own people, how could you view giving them cattle as losing the cattle? And those who have amassed great stores should have their stores distributed among the common people; no more than this would be needed. Then you will greatly fulfill the hopes of those living close to you, and the people of the Middle Kingdom will all 'turn out with baskets of rice and vessels of congee to welcome your host'; which of them would stand with Shi Hu?

"Even during the decadent ages of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the common people were still not taxed at such rates of seventy or eighty percent. Those who used both public land and government-provided cattle were only taxed at sixty percent, while keeping forty percent for themselves, and those who used public land but their own private cattle were only taxed at fifty percent. The common people were satisfied with this, and everyone was pleased and happy. Even so, I would not call their policies the methods followed by wise sovereigns. How then could I approve of even greater tax rates than theirs?

"Even sovereigns as wise as Yao and Tang of Shang were not spared from the threats of flooding or droughts. That is why every sovereign ought to dredge and tend to ditches and canals, and follow the irrigation principles of Zheng Bai, Xi Menbao, and Shi Qi. Then even during drought, one can provide water from canals, and even during floods, one can divert water through ditches. Those above will have no fear of the worries of the Yunhan poems, and those below will face no threat of affliction from floods.

"It was by force of arms that you defeated the people of Goguryeo, Baekje, and the Yuwen and Duan clans; it was not like the people of the Middle Kingdom, who respected your virtue and came to you. All of these conquered people cherish hopes of returning home again. There are nearly a hundred thousand households of them, yet they are all cramped together around the capital city. I fear that they might soon pose a serious threat to the state. You ought to divide them up, brothers from brothers and clans from dependents, and relocate them to the cities on our western border. Then nurture them with grace, restrain them with law, and prevent them from scattering among the residents, so that they may be of worth to the state.

"Since the Central Plains have not been pacified yet, suitable resources should be gathered and set in store. Yet there are now far too many offices and positions, and a great many indolent people. If even a single person does not plow, the state must address that much more hunger each year. Those who do plow are required to feed them, so that one person's effort is consumed by another. So when there are tens of thousands of such indolent people, the loss is that much greater. How could the common people provide for so many, and how could the state know peace? Your Highness may reflect upon all the many affairs of past and present and know that no matter of government poses so great a threat as this one. Those people who indeed have knowledge of the Classics and other texts, and those whose talents are suited to and needed for our cirumstances, should be placed in suitable positions which may be established for them. As for the others, let them plow for their own food and tend silkworms for their own clothing. This, too, is the natural order.

"Your Highness has sage virtue and broad insight, and your thirst for knowledge is so great that you 'seek learning from all, even those who merely cut grass and chop wood', so that none of your offenses are kept hidden from you. Formerly, your Army Advisor, Wang Xian, and your Councilor, Liu Ming, were both fully loyal and totally sincere in offering such words of remonstration to you. Although they may have touched some of your sore spots, this was never their intention. There were those who slandered them, petitioning that they had committed great offense and should be subjected to the law. Though Your Highness was forgiving and merciful enough to spare them from capital punishment, you still demoted them and barred them from further employment, banning them from the court. Their words were just the sort that Your Majesty most ought to accept; if you punished them so, you ought to have made clear for what arrogance or presumption on their part required it. If you seek honest advice but punish those who speak their mind, you would be like one who, wishing to go to Yue (in the south), heads north—you would never get what you wanted! Meanwhile, the Chief Clerk of the Right, Song Gai, and others of his sort are sycophants who would do anything to preserve themselves. They recriminate those who offer admonishments, at the slightest pretext; never delivering 'fishbone' remonstrations to you, they are jealous of those who do. Thus they seek to hide things from your ears and eyes, and are the epitome of treachery.

"Those who engage in the four livelihoods provide the resources of the state, and those who instruct and teach the people allow the state to flourish. More than anything else, those who are practiced in warfare or diligent in farming are the roots of the state; artisans and merchants are merely its branches. So only those people whose duties are critical to the army and the state should be retained in their offices, while the rest are sent back to farming. And those who, though studying the arts of war, have studied for three years without anything to show for it should also be sent back to farming, so that they do not fill up the great offices and thus block the way for intelligent and talented people.

"If the advice that I have offered here is good, I hope that you will carry it out as soon as possible; if it is not good, then may you execute me for my crimes. Thus may you demonstrate to the realm that the court heeds what is good like a flowing stream, while punishing evil rather than mingle with it. As for Wang Xian and Liu Ming, they are loyal ministers, and I hope that you will forgive their faults for their excessive remarks, and accept the bitter medicine of their devotion."

Murong Huang issued a command in response, in which he stated, 

"I have reflected upon Feng Yu’s remonstrations, and I fear that what he has said is the truth. A ruler requires the people for their state, and the people require grain for their survival. Yet although the farmers are the foundation of the state, the Prefects, Chiefs, and Two Thousand 石 salary officials do not honor the ordinances of the beginning of spring; they are negligent in attending to agriculture and they fail to encourage the people in their farming. Those who are especially lax in tending to their duties should be held accountable by law, in order to instill respect and discipline in their cities. Let the overseers look carefully into the local conditions and uncover the details, in order to report the full situation.

"The private enclosures shall all be abolished, and the land shall be given to those who have no farmlands or livelihoods. Those who are so destitute that they have no funds or resources at all and cannot provide for themselves shall each be granted one head of cattle. Those who have extra means and would like to obtain oxen from the state in order to tend fallow government farmland shall be taxed according to the old laws in Wei and Jin.

"The irrigation channels are beneficial to both the government and to private interests. Let the overseers maintain them as necessary, heeding the contours of the rivers and the landscape.

"The Central Plains have not yet been pacified, and there has been no end of military difficulties. Many people have thus been earnest and diligent in military service, so we cannot reduce the number of offices yet. Once we have overcome and pacified our wild and wicked foes, then more on that subject may be discussed.

"There are indeed numerous artisans and merchants. Let those who occupy assistant or subordinate offices or generalships be quickly sorted into the most critical offices, and those remaining be returned to farming. Students not engaged in teaching and instruction shall also be stripped of their positions and salaries.

"It is very difficult for a minister to admonish their ruler. Although some of what is said may be presumptuous, I should still put aside such things and only pick out what is good and follow it. As for Wang Xian and Liu Ming, although their crimes merited their expulsions, my pettiness is also to blame. I will restore them to their original posts, so that they may continue to reproach my mistakes. “Feng Yu has 'struggled with difficulty on difficulty', and proved that he truly understands the proper way to serve a ruler. Does the poem not say, 'no word goes unrewarded'? I reward him with fifty thousand gold. Let it be known both near and far: if anyone wishes to reproach me for my transgressions, let him not restrain himself, regardless of his status. Let nothing be held back."

Murong Huang personally conducted patrols through the commandaries and counties of his domain, and he encouraged and instructed the people in farming and silkworm cultivation. He also raised a palace at Longcheng.

At that time, a black dragon and a white dragon were seen at Mount Long. Murong Huang led a group of his officials to observe them, offering a grand sacrifice to them from more than a hundred paces away. The two dragons locked heads as they pranced and circled about, before untwining their horns and departing. Murong Huang was greatly overjoyed. When he returned to the palace, he declared a general amnesty within his domain, and named his newest palace Helong. He established the Longxiang (Dragon's Play) Buddhist shrine on the mountain.

Murong Huang appointed the sons and younger brothers of his great officials as High Students. He set up the Dongxiang School in the old palace, and he conducted the archery assemblies ceremonies. Every month he would go to observe the students, and test them to see who was superior and inferior. He himself was also refined and a good scholar, and would provide instruction; he took on his own apprentices, eventually reaching more than a thousand. He personally composed a work called the Grand Learning Sections, in the style of the Quick Mastery (by Han dynasty scholar Shi You, a compilation used to learn character writing and composition, similar to the later Three Character Classic), and he also compiled a work entitled Canon of Admonishments in fifteen chapters, which he used to teach his sons.

Murong Huang personally attended the Dongxiang School to test and examine the students there. He selected those who were most excellent and exceptional in interpreting the Classics and kept them as his close attendants.

During a long period of drought, Murong Huang exempted the common people from their land taxes.

Murong Huang abolished Chengzhou, Jiyang, Yingqiu, and other commandaries. He organized natives of Bohai commandary into Xingji county, natives of Hejian commandary into Ningji county, natives of Guanping and Wei commandaries into Xingping county, natives of Donglai and Beihai commandaries into Yuli county, and natives of Wu commandary into Wu county. All of these new counties were incorporated into the Yan princely fief.

Murong Ke attacked Goguryeo's city of Namso (Nansu) and took it; he left a garrison there and returned.

In the third year (347?), Murong Huang sent his sons Murong Jun and Murong Ke with seventeen thousand riders east to attack the Buyeo people, and they were successful, taking prisoner the king and more than fifty thousand of his people before returning.

Murong Huang once went hunting along the western borders of his domain. He was about to cross over the Yellow River when he saw an old man, who wore a cinnabar robe and rode a white horse. The old man raised his hand and gestured at Murong Huang, warning him, "This is no hunting ground. Prince, you should go back." But without telling anyone of what he had seen, Murong Huang crossed over the river, and spent several days hunting there. Eventually, he saw a white rabbit. He tried to shoot it from horseback, but his horse collapsed and injured him. Only then did he tell others what he had seen, about the old man and his warning. His attendants carried him back to the palace in a cart, and there he instructed Murong Jun on what should be done after his death.

In the fourth year of Yonghe (348 AD), Murong Huang passed away. He had reigned for fifteen years, and was fifty-one years old. When Murong Jun later became Emperor, he posthumously honored his father as Emperor Wenming.

[nutty1005]

The new and starstudded “A Dream Like A Dream”, is the starting point, not the ending point, of Xiao Zhans

Original Article: https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12542131 Original Author: 程辉剧场手记 The author published this in Pengpai News and shared on his Weibo Post on 6 May 2021.

Andante Cantabile, my most beloved music by Tchaikovsky, came from his String Quartet No. 1 in D major, every time it would painfully touch my heart, poet Xi Murong also used this to caption a melancholic poem. I thought, using it to sum up Lai Shengchuan’s representative work, “A Dream Like A Dream”, would be most apt.

“A Dream Like A Dream” lasts for 8 hours, this is something rare in Chinese theaters. Using the doctor as the first person, Patient No. 5 recalled and narrated in his narration, a surreal stage arrangement, emotions, life, fate, culture and societal upheaval, bringing tears to fog up your eyes. After 9 years of continued changes in the crew, Yanghua Theater brought in a new version with actors such as Xu Qing, Feng Xianzhen, Ge Xinyi, Xiao Zhan, Yan Nan, Zhang Liang, Huang Lu, Kong Wei, etc. The new version rivaled the quality of its predecessors, but yet bestowed a new presentation and expression.

A unique city was the backdrop for its first showing and the chance fate of the characters within the play allowed us to truly understand the nature of impermanence. In the play, there was an important term called “self-exchange”, which was said to come from an ancient practice from South Asia, by “breathing” with the others, so as to gift health and happiness, and remove his pain and misfortune. “A Dream Like A Dream” was a play that spoke of the search for the meaning of life, did it also deliberately “self-exchange” with the audience then? Once we understood the concept of “self-exchange”, we could also see that it was also a request to communicate with the reserved hearts of the contemporary person.

The fates of Gu Xianglan and Patient No. 5 were the two main timelines in “A Dream Like A Dream”, and the other timelines served to supplement or trigger the former. Patient No. 5’s motive came from “searching”, Gu Xianglan’s came from “chasing”. The chaser is the key to enlightening the searcher, the searcher became the resolution for the chaser, although they had different obsessions in their lives, they both came together in the end. Gu Xianglan’s deathbed confession to Patient No. 5 was not simply just an apology in her dazed state, but also her most unforgettable, wonderful and romantic memories of love; Patient No. 5, with his concern, consideration and inquiries, was like the listener from heaven, the guiding light to aid the soul in letting go of her regrets.

The 2021 Yanghua version of “A Dream Like A Dream” maintained its previous feature of multiple actors to one role, and multiple roles to one actor. Xu Qing, Feng Xianzhen, Ge Xinyi acted as after going abroad, old age and before going abroad versions of Gu Xianglan respectively. From the “peerless beauty” socialite of the brothels in Shanghai Beach, to the Baroness of a French Ambassador, to an artist, then to a maid, a sweeper of roads and alleys, to the lonely elderly in the hospital, she went through indescribable ups and downs.

Xu Qing had acted as Gu Xianglan since the play’s debut, and in the new version, her portrayal had already been exquisitely refined, the Gu Xianglan in her prime is lovely and graceful, but yet proud and wild, sensitive and emotional, as though Gu Xianglan’s soul had fully occupied her body. In addition to the true to form portrayal of the amorous nature of Gu Xianglan, her performance was exceptionally focused on the details of the silent scenes. When she and Xiao Zhan’s Patient No. 5 gazed at each other, when teary eyes met with clear eyes; from afar it seemed like she was looking at her younger self about to go onto a journey of no return, the resigned helplessness and the restless hope looked at each other; when realizing that the lost Baron had once returned, her astonished and sharp glares of anger; when Wang Debao found the tiny loft she stayed in by chance, her stealing glances were surprised and flustered… They were all full of the character’s aura and emotional tension, and the pain took the audiences by their hearts.

Senior actress Feng Xianzhen’s portrayal of the elderly version of Gu Xianglan was quite different from the version by the previous actress Lu Yan, which allowed the audiences to experience the wonder of plays due to different characterization. Lu Yan’s version was one that remained elegant and proud despite her tribulations, there was more calm and temperance, which would make the audiences respect the tenacity of this legendary lady. Feng Xianzhen’s version was a Gu Xianglan who went to France from Shanghai, and back to Shanghai from France, twice she found freedom and twice she fell. The cruelty of fate had ripped away all of the pretentiousness, the charm of her past had been lost, she was like every ordinary person. She would scheme cigarettes from strangers, curse as she liked with phrases such as “bastard”, “no good-doers in Taiwan”, mock those relatives who came to look after her as those who came for their inheritance. She fully portrayed the effects of her unfortunate life and her bitterness at the world, which made the audiences sigh in sadness.

Facing these two powerful actresses in portraying the same role, Ge Xinyi as the young Gu Xianglan, had a lot of pressure. Her performance was more inclined to a lonely beauty, the purity despite her circumstances, so as to provide a solid motive for the Baron and Wang Debao’s unrestrained infatuation. As a newcomer to the theater, her steady control was not an easy task, and should be praised for it. If she would be more open, layered and flavorful in her portrayal, the characterization would be better. After all, Gu Xianglan was the top courtesan within the midst of love and affairs, and the quiet and calm of a learned lady would be quite different from that.

Patient No. 5 was a journeyman of life. In the beginning, he suffered painful setbacks from the death of his child and the loss of his wife, and started a self-exiled wanderlust. His marriage came by mistake, almost like a replacement for his wife’s frustrating relationship. Fate caused him to lose his spirit, but he was unwilling to give up, hence he wanted to search for his wife, as though he wanted to search for himself. His encounter with Jiang Hong, was the wanderers’ sympathy for each other and to rely on each other. Only when he walked into the French castle and saw the tranquil and woeful eyes of Gu Xianglan, he seemed to see himself at the far coast of the lake, the cumulative rage and sorrow in both their hearts, their collective unwillingness to concede suddenly exploded, and he decisively dropped everything to find the lady in the painting. He did not know what question was ignited then, but he started his search for the dream of life.

In terms of the control of this character, Xiao Zhan and Yan Nan definitely put in a lot of efforts, they were highly immersive. What was even more rare was that, although their performances had different focuses, but they were both very united in terms of aura, body language, speech, pace and habitual actions, as though the two actors in the same stage were truly one character. For such a complete creation, you need not only tacit understanding.

Xiao Zhan’s performance exceeded my expectations. Despite it being his debut in a play, his performance was not even the least bit disjointed, and he was even able to merge his own personality characteristics with the role itself. His actions, pace and emotions gave a smooth interplay between tension and relaxation. The portrayal of innocent, naive, youthful, kind and fragile Patient No. 5, his unpreparedness in matters of love, was especially suitable as a youth who just joined society. It made the random encounter in the cinemas as the prelude of love more believable, and also gave a firm foundation to his actions later on, the multiple setbacks in later on, his wanderings, and his endless searching. With his wife and Jiang Hong, he had different relationships, the former was a budding first love, the latter came from empathy, Xiao Zhan had slightly different portrayal for the different phases of space and time, the cycle from simple to confusion, from searching to questioning, there was careful understanding and detailed handling. After discovering Gu Xianglan’s tracks, the clear longing that Xiao Zhan gave off collided with the layered longing from Xu Qing after her tribulations, was like the undercurrents under a calm lake, it drew in the rousing emotions, and became the strong force that pushed the story forward.

Xiao Zhan has the ability and the reason to achieve much better results in future theater stages. With time, if he could become even more at ease with the control of his body, if he could be even more accurate during the changes of character condition, I trust that he could achieve another breakthrough, and create even more challenging characters.

Reprising Patient No. 5 after many years, Yan Nan was obviously even more in-depth with his understanding of the script and character, and gifted the character a melancholy aura similar to those of an ancient poet, the quiet tones and deep glances became the key feature. The sense of accumulation of the vicissitudes, merged with Xiao Zhan’s portrayal, realized the continuation of the character’s fate. His performance on the hospital bed contrasted with Gu Xianglan on her hospital bed in a different time, and manifested Patient No. 5’s enlightenment after his miles of wandering, the person on the bed is awake, but those not were instead still dreaming. His calmness held the strings of every timeline together.

Zhang Liang’s portrayal of the Baron was the surprise of the show. If the old version’s Baron and Gu Xianglan was like the contest between eagle and the wild pigeon, the huge difference in power created the tragedy that made the audiences sad. The 2021 Yanghua version’s Baron and Gu Xianglan was like a pair of heavenly cranes, but they sang different notes as they flew to each other, and became a pair of lovebirds who hurt each other as they fell. The Baron became more romantic, more gentle and loving, but he remained prideful as he was still a noble beneath that amicable exterior, this was Zhang Liang’s new expression to the character, this also elevated Gu Xianglan’s difficulty in her choice, and even more so contrasted Gu Xianglan’s “evil” in her woeful revenge, and also left a branching point to the remaining love. His love for Gu Xianglan was true, it was not possession, but he loved the Oriental beauty, the caged Gu Xianglan, not the wild and free Gu Xianglan. Letting go and abandoning was his hopelessness for his lover, he felt that Gu Xianglan was letting herself go, she was betraying and depraving her beauty, he felt that his efforts were painfully wasted, it was not an attack on an escaped prey. This kind of portrayal made us wonder – love, was it to love a person, or was it to love an ideal? Love was to give or to receive? Was the ultimate goal of giving receiving?

The tragedy between Baron and Gu Xianglan became a tragedy of conflict between culture, social status and ideals. The difference between Baron and Gu Xianglan, did not merely exist on levels of culture and artistic ideals, but it was down to different life goals due to different cultural influences. It was hard for Baron to understand that his love only moved Gu Xianglan from a smaller cage to another bigger cage, even if he loved her deeply; Gu Xianglan who struggled for survival in a twisted environment, simply wanted to escape her cage, even if it meant poverty. This type of tragedy could not simply be explained with the character’s personality. The energy from repeated characterization is evident.

Huang Lu as Jiang Hong was a character that was rather difficult to grasp in “A Dream Like A Dream”. In her portrayal, Jiang Hong was an ordinary girl, who went through multiple troubles but was always chosen, besides her strong sense of survival, I almost could not see more personality. I remembered that I had brief flashes of a parallel universe while cooking eggs one morning, that was the state that she could not find herself or her position in life. She claimed herself as “the original Jiang Hong was dead, the Jiang Hong who arrived in Paris never existed” wanderer, her “relationship” with Patient No. 5 was merely a chance encounter in life, both of them were scared and questioning whether they should “fall into another relationship”. Huang Lu’s performance was very restrained, controlled, and tried hard to make herself not stand out, to do it to this extent was quite difficult. When she was talking about her stowaway escape, there was a point for emotional explosion, but yet she had to control it within the fine line between “surviving the calamity” and “unable to calm herself”. For this actress who was nominated multiple times for international awards and also won a national acting award, this was a rare stage experience.

Kong Wei, who just took off her costume in “Thunder Rain”, portrayed Shi Li Hong, the Mama-san of “Fairy Court”, in “A Dream Like A Dream”. Scheming and cunning in worldly matters, but yet she maintained her own sense of righteousness with Gu Xianglan and her sisters, fleshed out the character with even more emotions. Especially when the drunk professor professed his love for her, her teasing and forced calmness was mixed with surprise and shyness, as every emotion came at the same time, she managed them with ease, not only was the set brightly colored, there was also the sudden exposure of the character’s personality. Wang Peiyu who acted as the young Wang Debao, also showed the character’s clumsiness and stubbornness, his portrayal of passionate love was on point, which was just as brilliant.

There were many characters in “A Dream Like A Dream”, the group’s shared brilliance could not be forgotten, many actors who acted as multiple roles displayed exceeding energy. This came down to the Yanghua creativity production team, lead by Art Director Wang Keran, who had astute senses in actor selection as well as careful detailing in every part of the creation.

Luo Yongjuan, who portrayed a puppet in “Jewish City” and Li Zonglei, who had many important roles in many dramas and plays, both portrayed over 10 characters, and outstandingly completed the character creation for all of these different roles. Ruan Li, who portrayed the cousin, the dancer, the child, etc, also contributed multiple talents. Wang Weiqian, who portrayed Aunt Jin, the tourist, etc; Sun Zhongyi, who portrayed the professor, the old servant, etc, they all left deep impressions.

To display the characters but not to display themselves, this was the forefront of all theater actors, this was done by Xu Qing and Xiao Zhan, Zhang Liang and other stars, this was the respect they gave the play, the stage, the audience and themselves.

When the first kissing scene appeared for Xiao Zhan, part of the audiences were controlled but there were still some excessive “fan” reactions, but this did not interrupt his performance pace, this reminded me that Xu Qing and Hu Ge version also had the same situation many years ago. We could see that the actors were immersed, they prepared mental homework for every segment and detail, this was the hard work and the goal of both the production and the actors. Putting in efforts into acting and solely seeking the effects of celebrity, these are two totally different things after all.

When rehearsing or refreshing old classic plays, most of the time, methods such as subversion, recreation or simple replay were used. 2021 Yanghua’s version of “A Dream Like A Dream” is a case of production relying on the new cast to continuously discover deeper understandings, to recreate, and then to give audience a new icing on the cake while ensuring the quality of the play.

I was interviewed after the debut showing and said that this play was the Xiao Zhan’s starting point and not his ending point, and I also hoped that more capable actors would come to the theater stage, focus on the creation of art, and from that we could forge our own generation of quality “full celebrities”, such as Jin Shan, Shi Hui, Bai Yang, Zhang Ruifang, Shu Xiuwen, Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, etc, of China. On the international theatrical stage, this is just commonplace.

[angieloveshua]

The other person who fell into hell was Murong Chuyi—

As Murong Huang died from complications in childbirth, he unexpectedly lost his "jiejie" and "mother" who had taken him in and given him a second chance at life.

He had lost his benefactress forever.

Poor Chuyi. 🥺

[jennyzint]

All About Zeng Keni

Hi everyone, this is @Jennyzint, international fanbase for Zeng Keni, in cooperation with Jenny-Z Official Global Fanclub on Weibo! This post as well as this page will continued to be updated, however, please follow our Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for daily translated updates on Keni! If you have any questions feel free to send us DMs!

Here are some basic facts about Keni and what you need to know about becoming a Keni Rabbit!

Chinese Name: 曾可妮

Birth Name: 曾妮(Zeng Ni)

Birthday: 9th of June, 1993

Zodiac: Gemini + Chicken (Chinese Zodiac)

Height: 174.5cm

Birthplace: Wuhan, Hubei, China

Education: Shanghai Theatre Academy, majoring in folk dance

Company: OACA Entertainment

Fandom Name: 可妮兔 aka Keni Rabbits or Kenitus

Official Color: Pink, #ffced1

Social Media: [See link]

Skills: Dance, singing, acting, drums, guitar,

Variety shows Keni has participated in:

2016 Shanghai Dragon Television《Girls Fighting》(Main cast) 东方卫视《加油美少女》

2020 iQiyi 《Youth With You 2》(Main cast) 爱奇艺《青春有你2》

2020 Hunan TV 《Sing or Spin》(Guest star) 湖南卫视《嗨唱转起来》

2021 Youku 《Shanghai Share Life》(Main cast) 优酷《同一屋檐下》(常驻)

2021 Hunan TV 《Your Face Sounds Familiar》(Guest star) 湖南卫视《百变大咖秀》

2021 Shanghai Dragon Television 《Youth & Melody》(Guest star) 东方卫视《金曲青春》

2021 Youku 《Dunk Of China》Season 4 (Main cast) 优酷《这！就是灌篮4》(常驻)

Filmography:

2018《The Mystical Treasure》(Movie) as Tana 《白门五甲》(电影) 饰演塔娜

2018《Mysterious Raiders》(Movie) as He Miao 《宝塔镇河妖之诡墓龙棺》(电影) 饰演禾苗

2019 《Our Shiny Days》(TV Series) as Huang Yina 《闪光少女》(电视剧) 饰演黄一娜

2019 《To Get Her》(TV Series) as Murong Qianyue 《惹不起的殿下大人》(电视剧) 饰演慕容芊月

2021* 《My Deepest Dream》(TV Series) as Zhuang Yu 《乌云遇皎月》(电视剧)饰演壮鱼

2021* 《Comic Girl Romance》(TV Series) as Zhou Jieyue《月刊少女》(电视剧) 饰演周洁月

2021* 《Lighter & Princess》(TV Series) as Ren Di《打火机与公主裙》(电视剧) 饰演任迪

* Denotes project that has not aired yet 代表待播

Discography:

During Youth With You 2：

- 《Yes! OK!》

- 《The Eve》《破风》

- 《Ambush On All Sides》《十面埋伏》

- 《How Can I Look So Good》《我怎么这么好看》

- 《No Company》《不奉陪》

- 《I’m Not Yours》

- 《A Little Bit》

- 《Promise》

From first EP 《SELF》:

- 《N！》(Her first solo single)

-《Nuh Toys》(Sung together with label mate *note not group mate as they are both solo artists)

- 《Song for Hotpot》《火锅的诗》(Sung together with label mate)

- 《Migratory Bird》《候鸟》(Sung together with label mate)

Notable covers:

- 《Dream of You》by Chungha & R2HAB, dance cover

- 《Trouble Maker》by Trouble Maker, dance with Bailu 白鹿

- 《Butterfly》Digimon Opening Title by Koji Wada, drum cover

- 《2809》by Juni Lee, song cover

- 《Grey》by Shi Baiqi, song cover

- 《more》by KDA, dance cover

From other programs:

- 《眉飞色舞》on 2020 618 Concert as part of limited group 172 Girls

- 《Mountain River Painting》《山河图》on Youth & Melody as part of OACA Family

- 《Chinese》《中国话》on Youth & Melody as part of OACA Family

Titles:

- Makeup Miracle Eyebrown Pencil Spokesperson

- Givenchy 2021 Burning Love ambassador

- Skechers Youth Ambassador

 - Under Armour (China) ambassador - cooperation has ended in 2021 due to factors

Feature events Keni has participated in:

- SS2021 Lanvin at Shanghai Fashion Week - model

- SS2022 Skechers at Shanghai Fashion Week - model

Misc:

Fansites: based on Weibo 

@升温速率丨曾可妮 @今日上上签丨曾可妮 @可口可爱·曾可妮 @六月巡航丨曾可妮 @RabbitHole丨曾可妮 @phosphenes·曾可妮 @MedicagoSativa·曾可妮 @JumpinJelly0609·曾可妮 @銀河長街·曾可妮 @逆转梦境丨曾可妮 @无题有解丨曾可妮 @EverythingPink丨曾可妮 @JKDCSWJ·曾可妮 @GalacticFall-曾可妮

Keni’s Fashion:

@PinkNi_曾可妮同款博

[putufelisia]

[ Random Thought ] Menyibak Topeng Es Tuan Li

Hari ini, entah kenapa saya berinisiatif membuka event ulang tahun Victor. Melihat kisah Victor anak-anak, saya sungguh merasakan betapa dingin kehidupannya.

Tidak heran, dia akhirnya menjadi tsundere.

Ibu Victor tinggal di tempat terpisah. Dia mengunjungi ibunya sendirian. Anak kecil sendirian ke luar negeri selama bertahun-tahun, ke mana ayahnya? Sesibuk itukah seseorang hingga tidak bisa menemani anaknya mengunjungi sang ibu?

"Kamu sudah bertambah tinggi," Ujar ibunya.

Perkataan seseorang yang lama tidak bertemu. Saya tahu karena saya juga mengalaminya. Dan sesungguhnya meski tersenyum, dalam hati ini terasa getir.

Permainan piano Victor juga tidak pernah terdengar.

Victor mengaku, tidak bisa bermain piano. Kenyataannya, dia pernah berduet memainkan Serenada bersama ibunya.

(saya jadi teringat tokoh saya, Murong Huang yang berhenti bermain guqin saat tunangannya gugur 💔)

Tentu, hanya Elex yang tahu, apa yang sesungguhnya terjadi dalam intern keluarga Victor. Mengapa kedua orang tua Victor terpisah, mengapa ayah Victor melepas anaknya begitu saja bepergian jauh ....

Victor kecil yang pernah berharap keluarganya bersatu itu.

Victor kecil yang berusaha bersikap dewasa dan patuh.

Victor dewasa yang dingin seperti Kutub Utara itu.

Victor yang tak peduli dengan kode keras ayahnya.

Victor ... Aku juga ingin mengetahui sisi lain dirimu.

[justm4m]

170421 Movie Feng Huang Zhuan Weibo & Alen's Post 方逸伦Alen

Movie Feng Huang Zhuan: (unofficial translation: Legend of Phoenix King) #Fang Yilun# Welcome, Murong Chong @Fang Yilun Alen

Alen: The jade breaks on Kun Mountain, the phoenix screams The hibiscus cries, the orchid smiles [t/n: 2 verses of Chinese poem] Waited for long? I’m here, Feng Huang (phoenix king) is here.

Photo: Fang Yilun as Murong Chong

Translated by xpixelatedz@justm4m | Please take out with full credits

[craftercat]

Why do you think Cui Hao was executed by Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei?

The actual reason was likely that Cui Hao was overly powerful and made a lot of enemies. It should also be noted that Taiwu had a fierce temper and often executed people, but he often regretted these executions. It seems likely he had somehow angered Taiwu, and his political enemies, including Crown Prince Tuoba Huang, slandered him further.

At one point, Cui Hao recommended a large number of people to be high level officials. Tuoba Huang opposed, stating that he thought that the men be first promoted to low level officials and then to high level officials. Cui Hao argued his case and got his own way.

This incident shows Cui Hao's willingness to go against the court, and this approach earned him a lot of enemies. I think it is likely that these enemies, such as Tuoba Huang, accused Cui Hao of defaming the imperial ancestors. Given Tuoba Huang's high status, he may have been the main person behind Cui Hao's death.

As for how he offended Emperor Taiwu, it has been suggested that he revealed that Tuoba Gui was not in fact Tuoba Shi's son but Tuoba Shiyijian's son. However Cui Hao may have also criticised Tuoba Gui's incestuous relationship with his aunt Consort Helan, and I've seen speculation that Princess Helan married a Tuoba family member after Tuoba Shi's death and that this member was Tuoba Shiyijian, which would have been considered incest in Han culture. As well, the Southern dynasties likely mistakenly attributed Tuoba Gui's Empress Murong to Tuoba Si, but an alternate theory is that Tuoba Si took Empress Murong as his own after ascending the throne, and this was not recorded because it was incest in Han culture.

I think it's likely that Tuoba Huang instigated the accusations against Cui Hao, as Tuoba Huang wanted to spare Gao Yun and asked him to further accuse Cui Hao. So I think that Tuoba Huang was a large part of his death. As crown prince, he was the person with the most authority of Cui Hao's enemies.

If Taiwu were to side with Cui Hao in the accusations, that would mean punishing many of Cui Hao's enemies, which included his crown prince. This was not a sustainable strategy, especially considering how powerful Cui Hao had become. Punishing his enemies would only make Cui Hao more powerful.

Therefore, Taiwu sided with Cui Hao's enemies in the case. But I do think that there is some truth to the idea that Cui Hao defamed Taiwu's ancestors. There was a lot to unpack in the genealogy, including two cases of patricide, one potentially by the founder, at least one and perhaps multiple cases of incest, that Tuoba Gui's Empress Murong may have been part of a plot by the Murong clan (there was one in Tuoba Gui's reign and one in Tuoba Si's) and likely did not die naturally, that Taiwu's mother Consort Du had likely committed crimes and may have been killed by Tuoba Si for this reason, and Tuoba Si may have later framed the death as "子贵母死" to protect Tuoba Tao's reputation, and so on. All in all, there was a lot of potential history for Cui Hao to use to defame Taiwu's ancestors.

[bookofjin]

Account of the Kumoxi (ZS49)

[A people who lived in what is now Eastern Manchuria. In later histories the name has become shortened to just Xi.]

The Kumoxi were a separate kind of the Xianbei. Their ancestors were routed by Murong Huang, and they ran off to the area of Songmo [lit. the “Pine Desert”?]. Later their kind gradually became many, and they divided into five sections. The first was called Ruhezhu, the second Mohefu, the third Qige, the fourth Mukun, and the fifth Shide. Each section set up an Irkin [sijin俟斤]. There was the Ahui clan, who the most were prominent leaders. The five sections all accepted their authority. They were servants to the Tujue, and several time they and the Qidan attacked each other. They took prisoners and captured wealth and livestock, and following that then were rewarded. If someone dies, they promptly use reeds and bushed to wrap the corpse, and hang it down from atop a tree.

5th Year of Datong [539 AD], they dispatched envoys to present the things of their region.

[daydec]

Plain House / Wutopia Lab

centro de ideas daydec (design) © CreatAR images Architects: Wutopia Lab Location: China Architect In Charge: YU Ting Design Team: XIA Murong, HUANG He, SONG Mengjiao, PAN Dali Area: 250.0 m2 Project Year: 2017 Photographs: CreatAR images, CHEN Hao, SU Shengliang © CreatAR images From the architect. Yu Ting, the Principal Architect at Wutopia Lab, […] from Plain House / Wutopia Lab