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diethercordova · 1 year

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CHINESE ART :

Travelers Among Mountains and Streams by Fan Kuan. (Early 11th century)

• Fan Zhongzheng better known by his pseudonym Fan Kuan Chinese: 范寬, was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song dynasty.

• Widely considered one of the great masterpieces of Chinese landscape painting (in Chinese, literally “Mountain and Water Painting”), Fan Kuan’s Travelers influenced countless generations of painters and still impresses viewers to this day with its sublime depiction of nature. The story goes that Fan Kuan took to the depths of the mountains to observe and learn from nature, and thereby transmitted the spirit of the mountains with his brush. Whether true or not, at nearly seven feet tall, the monumental hanging scroll painting lends credibility to the story. The painter used a tripartite division of the composition into near, middle and deep distance and shifted the weight to the deep space at top so that mountains loom over the travelers on a rocky path below, as well as over any viewer standing in front of the painting.

• Travelers among Mountains and Streams, a large hanging scroll, is Fan Kuan's best known work and a seminal painting of the Northern Song school. It establishes an ideal in monumental landscape painting to which later painters were to return time and again for inspiration. The classic Chinese perspective of three planes is evident - near, middle (represented by water and mist), and far. Unlike earlier examples of Chinese landscape art, the grandeur of nature is the main theme, rather than merely providing a backdrop.

KOREAN ART :

Embrace by Min joung-ki. (1981)

• In 1987, after moving from Seoul a yangpyeong in the province of Gyeonggi, began painting landscapes centered on mountains, ultimately defining his style of reinterpreting the everyday landscape in a way that emphasizes its realism and socio-political history. Although he has focused mainly on geographical features and human footprints left in nature, including mountains and water, his canvases indicate an approach towards urban environments and architecture, becoming a painter who merged his discipline with that of an urban planner. Over time, Min joung-ki he accentuated the location in his paintings, involving the historicity of each place and capturing each of its geological and geographical characteristics, defining its place in the guild. This approach to painting that calls it yinyeon, and he has achieved it through the memory of the roads on which he has walked. Through the use of oil painting and the grammar of Western painting, along with the map format, scenery and ancient screens, he has established his method of transmitting his interest in the intersection of place and time. For almost his entire career, and derived from what he has displayed on his canvases over the years, Min has often been dubbed a pioneer of art. minjung, a pro-democratic and populist art movement that prevailed in South Korea in the 1980s, but the artist has refused to be the main figure, however, due to his so-called "barber shop painting", which he created in protest of aesthetic rigorism, he has never been able to completely disassociate himself from this current of art.

• Min JoungKi is a Korean Asian Modern & Contemporary painter who was born in 1949. Numerous key galleries and museums such as Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg have featured Min JoungKi's work in the past.

JAPANESE ART :

The Breaking Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1831)

• is a woodblock print that was made by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, probably in late 1831 during the Edo period of Japanese history. The print depicts three boats moving through a storm-tossed sea with a large wave forming a spiral in the centre and Mount Fuji visible in the background. The composition of The Great Wave is a synthesis of traditional Japanese prints and Western perspective, and earned him immediate success in Japan and later in Europe, where it inspired the Impressionists. Several museums throughout the world hold copies of The Great Wave, many of which came from 19th-century private collections of Japanese prints.

• The Great Wave off Kanagawa has been described as "possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art", as well as being a contender for the "most famous artwork in Japanese history". It has influenced several notable artists and musicians, including Vincent van Gogh, Claude Debussy, Claude Monet, and Hiroshige.

• Katsushika Hokusai known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, which includes the iconic print The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Hokusai was instrumental in developing ukiyo-e from a style of portraiture largely focused on courtesans and actors into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals. Hokusai was best known for his woodblock ukiyo-e prints, but he worked in a variety of mediums including painting and book illustration. Starting as a young child, he continued working and improving his style until his death, aged 88. In a long and successful career, Hokusai produced over 30,000 paintings, sketches, woodblock prints, and images for picture books in total. Innovative in his compositions and exceptional in his drawing technique, Hokusai is considered one of the greatest masters in the history of art.

2:55 pm / Nov,19,2022

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xcziel · 3 years

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get to know me

tagged by @vishcount (thank you!!) and i'll follow her format bc making two posts seems a little much - i'm not that interesting!!

(hilariously, this post shows up as blocked for me bc of the tag 'joker' which? tumblr?????)

Part I

name: i'm an internet old, so i never use my real name online, mainly because it's spelled in a very unique way (thanks mom & dad) - i mean like, if you googled it you could find my home address in a few seconds kind of unique - but also, though i do enjoy the spelling, i actually don't like it very much when it's said out loud? (is it weird that my name written down is 'me', but my name aloud has never felt like 'me'?) always wanted a nickname but never acquired one :/

at any rate, i've had the username xcziel forever and i go by that 😊 (pronounced ex-SEE-zee-el, similar to etc. or ex-SET-er-ah! thanks @xia-xueyi for pointing out that it can be confusing to guess!)

rest behind a cut because it got long!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: i don't ... really *do* astrology? but technically saggitarius

height: 5'4" (162.5cm for the intl folks)

time: 5:43pm but these thing take me forever to type out so ... ???

birthday: playing the 'internet old' card again .. but it floats around american Thanksgiving depending on the year

nationality: american

fave bands/groups/solo artists: lumping these together because i just .. don't really do music much anymore. if you had asked me this back in my 20s i'm sure i would have had all kinds of opinions and things to share, but these days i actually mostly prefer to listen music from when i was a kid. part of it is also that as an old, i prefer to buy my music, even digitally, and i don't really use spotify - which does so much to enable diverse music exploration i admit! but i mostly have earplugs in all the time and music does not work for me as background noise, so...

so i guess my answer would be 70s disco and classic rock and 80s new wave artists? i've never liked any artist's entire discography and prefer greatest hits-type compilations, but i guess duran duran and def leppard and depeche mode would be considered formative? i love new order but specifically late 80s new order, NOT joy division. the only concert t-shirt i've ever worn was the cult? i loved sonic temple but i can't listen to most of it anymore though i still adore love removal machine. i think maybe if you get old enough, for some of us there's TOO MUCH good music and we can't pare it down anymore

song stuck in your head: jamiroquai's canned heat

last movie you watched: re: the above, i re-watched center stage, the 2000 one with zoe saldana and the mandy moore soundtrack, bc it's a happy comfort movie and i just got a digital version

last show you binged: i can't really "binge" very often bc after a couple of hours i need a break, so i guess i'd say the tgcf donghua on netflix since it was short enough to get through all in one go

when you created your blog: in 2012 i stopped lurking so i could post about the avengers movie

the last thing you googled: 5'4" in cm? lol before that it was chinese wrapped street food

other blogs: everything is here! i discovered i compartmentalize about as well as i tag reliably (😓) but i do have several automated ao3feed-tag style sideblogs. and i did, very briefly, have a *winces* hockey sideblog too

why i chose my url: ooh i know i've done this before, sorry if it's repetitive, basically it was the username i picked back when my family first got aol: short, unique combo of letters - 14-year-old me really thought about it! and then it wouldn't let me use anything other than my name. thirty-some-odd years later, trying to come up with a livejournal username that wasn't already taken and getting fed up, i plugged it in and went: good enough!

how many people are you following: like 760-something last i checked? although many, many, many of them are deactivated

how many followers do you have: idk i don't like looking at that stuff, but way fewer than i am following

average hours of sleep: it varies too much day by day, my sleep schedule is too wonky, i have no idea what the average would be

lucky numbers: 7? cliché i know, and again not really buying into it, but somewhere in my hindbrain i like it that my first, middle, and last names all have seven letters

instruments: none. i like singing

what i'm currently wearing: giant black t-shirt and baggy black drawstring shorts, standard sitting around the house gear

dream job: don't have one. if i did it would give me something to be working towards *sigh* this is how you end up in retail for decades, kids! but also, to quote a random post i saw in true tumblr fashion "i simply do not dream of labor"

dream trip: covered this one before but: back to the uk and some railway daytrips, or a really fancy northern cruise, atlantic/pacific either one

fave food: uhhh, don't really have a favorite but i'm almost always in the mood for pizza

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: none really, if i had to still be me..maybe some kind of actually utopian future? but the pandemic has confirmed for me that i do NOT like living in interesting times, so most fictional story universes are RIGHT out. my favorites to read about like discworld or diana wynne jones' worlds would be way to chaotic for my comfort. possibly diane duane's young wizards universe would be safe enough to be okay?

Part II

last song: watching center stage made me think of my dance playlist so sunrise by simply red

last movielast stream: i don't watch streams or youtube often, so it was the same as you, vish! liu chang's birthday stream was SO enjoyable i screenrecorded the entire thing just so i could play it back (and maybe gif sometime if i ever get the drive to actually do it)

currently reading: well i just finished the translated quan qiu gao kao or global university entrance exam novel, which was sparked purely from catching a single rec post here on tumblr and basically just *falling* into this 166 chapter epic that is *amazing* and not coming up for air until i got to the end, which is typical novel-reading behavior for me (yes i was the kid who read through lunch period and got hassled by people who kept pestering me with "what're you reading" questions and yes i realize probably a lot of you on tumblr were too) plus, the new murderbot novel is out tomorrow!!!!! so that'll be where i end up next!

currently watching: the entire dmbj verse (that i can get my hands on) but ... sporadically and stopping at random different parts because the thing is ... this type of show is not really the kind i enjoy so much? so since it's more for "research" and learning character arcs (and let's be honest: shots of liu sang), etc. it's easy to get distracted by other stuff. i'm also watching the sleuth of the ming dynasty, mr queen, bromance, the expanse, re-watching farscape and stargate sg-1, just finished the falcon and the winter soldier, and then anytime something new and short gets introduced it jumps the queue. there are just. so. many. things. to. watch! (now i have to look into anti-fraud league too!? you all are cruel ...)

what is antipoetry to you: i ... don't really think much about poetry? i know what i prefer is usually the more basic rhymed kind like lewis carroll, emily dickinson, poe, coleridge, etc. so i suppose i don't have much use for classifying non-rhyming verse? i can appreciate stuff like rupi kaur which i guess would qualify? or that william carlos williams plums poem? but it doesn't really stick with me the way lyric-like verse does

currently craving: i never know what exactly this is meant to be in reference to ... hmmm, i would love a new high-concept, high production-quality movie like say, pacific rim, to be released, just for that massive, excited energy that comes with something new that hasn't already got tons of disappointing or conflicting history behind it - that would be so fun!!

other than that, right now, i mostly kinda want some fried fish? but that will have to wait until i go to get my second vaccine shot on wednesday since it's on the way there. i'd also like my internal body parts to settle down and fly right but it's been more than a month and they don't seem inclined :(((( maybe once i'm fully vaxxed i'll think about consulting somebody about it

tagging @foxofninetales @xia-xueyi @momosandlemonsoda @memorydragon @thewindsofsong @elvencantation @mylastbraincql @hesayshesgotboyfriend @aurawolfgirl2000 @smaragdine-galaxy and anyone who wants to! but never feel obligated and if you don't get around to it for like half a year that's totally fine, i am still interested!!!

#xcedit #is my only like 'me' tag #tag game #long post #i wanna do one of these with more unusual questions but not like those themed ones ...#tell me if the cut doesn't work i'm still not used to having them on mobile!

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the-busy-ghost · 4 years

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Hi! I hope you're well - I was just wondering if you had any recommendations for interesting & engaging "introductory" texts about Scottish history (particularly between 500 and 1500 AD, although I know that's really broad!) No worries if you don't have any ideas or don't feel like answering such a vague question though! Have a lovely day :)

Hi!

Apologies for the delayed response on this, I have no real excuse except being anxious that I wouldn’t be able to answer it perfectly. So I’ve decided to bite the bullet and answer somewhat imperfectly. This answer also depends on just exactly how much knowledge you already have of Scottish history, so if I’m being patronising and assuming too much ignorance, or alternatively if I’m not being clear enough, please let me know.

The first thing I would always recommend before diving into serious literature is having a basic framework in the back of your mind. It may be an inaccurate framework but given that mediaeval Scottish history really isn’t taught or known to the same extent as say mediaeval English history, it is essential that you know where you are on a basic level, so you can both enjoy and learn from the texts that go into more detail. This basic background can come from almost anything- Braveheart and blatantly inaccurate novels aside.

This is quite freeing because basically reading almost ANYTHING can be useful at first, and also first and foremost if you’re going to devote a considerable amount of time to something, you should work out how to make it fun and understandable.

I always had some idea of Scottish history since I was a kid but I got more into it in my late teens and I’ll be honest, though I probably don’t agree with anything in it pages now, one of the first books I picked up at the age of about sixteen was Neil Oliver’s ‘History of Scotland’ (released alongside the documentary series). Any basic ‘History of Scotland’ of that type (if it looks reasonably reputable) should give you a basic framework that you can build on- in the same way some people learn the kings and queens of England. Wikipedia could also work this way, though it may be more patchy. Other, slightly more reputable and in-depth but not really textbook, works of this kind include Stewart Ross’ “The Stewart Dynasty”; Alistair Moffat’s ‘The Borders’; popular (if coloured) biographies of people like Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, and Mary Queen of Scots (she’s post-medieval but still a relevant example); and even some of the older Victorian histories of people like Tytler (watch out though, they get weirdly ‘ethnic’ in their interpretations of some historical events and processes- some were convinced that there was a centuries-long feud between the “Celt” and the “Teuton”/”Saxon”). Even novels and songs- though sometimes highly inaccurate- can help with this, even if they’re Walter Scott.

So I’m not going to be a purist and get snobby about Neil Oliver or Walter Scott even if I would never set store by any of the above works in an academic context (or even just a drunken argument). The first step in my view is literally to get a basic feel for what we *think* our history is (and enjoy learning about the different regions and cultures a bit!), and then you can set about dismantling all these stereotypes and misconceptions with better books.

If you DO want a reasonably trustworthy general overview though, I believe that Fiona Watson has written one called “Scotland: From Prehistory to Present” and there must be a few others written by academics, it’s just been so long since I’ve read completely general histories I can’t really comment on this accurately.

Assuming you’re already aware of the above though and have a pretty good idea of what you’re dealing with then there are two next steps I would recommend.

The first are the series of texbooks/overviews that are often published by universities. Obviously since these are textbooks they are more introductory and general, but they do often cite academic articles and books that are more detailed. I have found a couple of series particularly useful and outlined the main titles below:

- The “New History of Scotland” series. This is a good series as most of the books were initially A5 sized or slightly bigger (so quick to read and easy to carry). Sadly this means that they do not employ footnotes/citations to any great extent, usually only providing a ‘Further Reading’ section at the end of the book. You can usually find old copies of these online for a reasonable price. This series includes, among others:

- “Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland, 80-1000”, by Alfred P Smyth

- “Kingship and Unity: Scotland, 1000-1306″, by G.W.S. Barrow

- “Independence and Nationhood: Scotland, 1306-1469″, by Alexander Grant. (This one has a particularly good basic overview of diet, trade, e.t.c.)

- “Court, Kirk, and Community: Scotland, 1470-1625″, by Jenny Wormald

- “Power and Propaganda: Scotland, 1306-1488″, by Katie Stevenson (note- the previous titles listed were written in the 1980s and 90s, but this one was added to the series in 2014, so it’s more up to date in some ways though it’s up to you whether you think it’s more persuasive).

- The “New Edinburgh History of Scotland” series. These are bigger books than the previous series and are complete with on page citations and bibliography. They tend to all come in matching blue jackets, and I thought that secondhand copies of these would be slightly more expensive than the above but a quick search on amazon has surprised me, since a copy of Oram’s “Domination and Lordship” is several pounds cheaper than Grant’s “Independence and Nationhood”. Anyway these are slightly more in-depth than the above series, but work very well in tandem with those shorter books. The series includes:

- “From Pictland to Alba: 789-1070″, by Alex Woolf (it is a very long time since I read this, so I have to admit I have very little memory of its contents but I put it here for balance)

- “Domination and Lordship: Scotland, 1070-1230″, by Richard Oram (good used along with Kingship and Unity)

- “The Wars of Scotland, 1214-1371″, by Michael Brown

- “The First Stewart Dynasty In Scotland, 1371-1488″, by Stephen Boardman (full disclosure I have not read this one yet, but I have read some of Boardman’s other books).

- “Scotland Reformed, 1488-1587″, by Jane E.A. Dawson

- The “History of Everyday Life” series. These books are collections of essays on some selected aspects of day to day life in medieval Scotland and can provide some interesting reading and insights. Only one of the books in this series is relevant to our time period, but it may be worth checking out the other three since some customs and behavioural patterns from more recent times are worth comparing with the past. The volume covering the medieval period is “A History of Everyday Life in Medieval Scotland, 1000-1600″, edited by Edward Cowan and Lizanne Henderson.

- The “Northern World” series. This is not a series I’m particularly familiar with outside of some light reading while at university (mostly because these books can be really expensive compared to the previous ones mentioned). HOWEVER not only do they range across northern Europe (not just Scotland) but a couple of them help to balance out the Lowland focus which sometimes predominates in the above general overviews. There are quite a few interesting books in this series (identifiable usually by their purple jackets) but some that I know of include:

- “Kinship and Clientage: Highland Clanship, 1451-1609″ by Alison Cathcart.

- “The Lordship of the Isles”, edited by Richard Oram (this is a collection of essays)

There was also an older “Edinburgh History of Scotland” series published in the 1970s- some of the authors were better than others and they’re a bit dated now but they’re still a useful starting point. The series includes:

- “Scotland, the Making of the Kingdom”, by A.A.M. Duncan

- “Scotland: The Later Middle Ages”, by Ranald Nicholson

There are lots of other book series out there- the St Andrews Studies in Scottish History or the publications of old literature by the Scottish Text Society for example but I think I’ve listed enough to be getting on with. There are also a few books that I think make good general overviews (or are collections of interesting essays) that aren’t in a particular series:

- “Women in Scotland, 1100-1750”, edited by Elizabeth Ewan and Maureen M Meikle (this is a collection of essays rather than an overview of women’s history but it’s a good starter, and great if you only have fifteen minutes to spare)

- “Glory and Honour: The Renaissance in Scotland”, by Andrea Thomas (a beautiful coffee table book with lots of pictures of art and architecture). It starts in 1424.

- “The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland’s Western Seaboard, c.1100-c.1336″, by R. Andrew MacDonald

- “The Black Douglases”, Michael Brown

- “Robert the Bruce’s Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314″, by Alan Young

- “The Northern Earldoms: Orkney and Caithness, 870-1470″, by Barbara E. Crawford

- “Scottish Independence and the Idea of Britain: From the Picts to Alexander III”, by Dauvit Broun

- “Virgins and Viragos: A History of Women in Scotland From 1080 to 1980″, by Rosalind K Marshall (Marshall has also written some good introductory overviews on Scottish queens, on Mary of Guise, and on the women around Mary, Queen of Scots, though these last two are sixteenth century).

- Any of Alexander Fenton’s books on agricultural history- they don’t deal exclusively (or even mainly) with the medieval period, and they’re not the most up to date but they are still useful handbooks.

There are also lots of shorter academic articles on JSTOR and elsewhere, as well as online networks for things like Scottish Women’s History and Environmental History.

The second step I would recommend is using biographies- biography is not always the most useful form of historical writing, but they do have their own benefits. For this time period most of the full book-length biographies of individuals are royal figures (though lots of other people are covered in academic articles).

For some figures it’s wise to have several biographies on hand since they’re well-known or controversial- for example, for Robert Bruce, you could start with an older bio like G.W.S. Barrows “Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland” and then supplement it with a more modern biography like that written by Michael Penman or by Colm McNamee. In other cases, a historical figure may not be quite so well known so jumping straight into an academic biography of them, which hops around and analyses expenditure and parliaments, may be a bit confusing- for example, for King James IV, it may be useful to start with R.L. Mackie’s (admittedly dated and a bit romantic) biography to get an idea of the structure of the king’s reign before diving into Norman MacDougall’s more scholarly biography.

Other biographies/overview of royal reigns include Richard Oram’s works on David I and Alexander II; D.D.R. Owen’s bio of William the Lion (this is an interesting one, since it’s written by a French professor rather than a straightforward historian so there’s a big focus on the importance of literature); Andrew Fisher’s bio of William Wallace; Stephen Boardman’s survey of the reigns of Robert II and Robert III; the two biographies of James I written by E.W.M. Balfour-Melville and Michael Brown; Christine McGladdery’s ‘James II’ and Norman McDougall’s ‘James III’; and Annie Dunlop’s biography of Bishop Kennedy.

Lastly once you feel you’ve got a bit of a grip on some secondary source material (or really, as soon as you like) I do recommend checking out some of the primary source material as soon as possible. A LOT of primary sources of medieval Scottish history were printed during the Victorian and Edwardian periods and now thanks to digitisation projects many of them are available online- from chronicles like those of Melrose, John of Fordun and Andrew Wyntoun (and useful English chronicles like Lanercost and Scalachronica); to acts of parliament and accounts of royal expenditure (Treasurer’s Accounts; Exchequer Rolls); to letters of the nobility and poetry. Personally, I find that you learn as much from working directly with the words of historical figures themselves, even if you’re untrained in source handling, as you would from a whole host of textbooks (also it lets you get used to the languages- Scots is straightforward enough to pick up even if you don’t have Latin or Gaelic). If you ever have trouble finding these let me know and I might be able to point you in the right direction.

It is also worth bearing in mind that sixteenth century sources may shed a lot of light on earlier periods.

Anyway hopefully this helped but if you have any other questions please let me know and I will endeavour to reply quicker this time!

*One last disclaimer, the above list of texts is based purely on my own experiences and what my brain could remember quickly- it is not to reflect a bias or to promote these texts above the works of other historians. It is also not an exhaustive or comprehensive list (and some dearly beloved books are not included- but I tried to stick to simple overviews/textbooks and a few other interesting surveys).

And people are very welcome to add to this since there’s lots I’ve missed!

Lastly try to have a bit of fun with it. Some of these books are very informative but can drag at times- on those occasions I highly recommend taking a break and trying to get outside to a hill or a castle, or if you can’t do that try putting an old ballad on on youtube, and physically look at or listen to the thing you’re studying.

#Scottish history #British history #sources #books #reading #Yes now everyone can come and laugh at 16 year old me who got her childhood love of history back from flipping Neil Oliver #And the Corries though they're more respectable if less accurate

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twatd · 6 years

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6000 Years of Murder – Part Three: Gettin’ Bronzed

Tim: The Wicked + The Divine #36 finally gave us a definitive list of every damn Recurrence that has occurred since Ananke first started exploding heads, so we thought we’d take a walk through the annals of history and provide some context for what was happening at the time. Welcome to 6,000 Years of Murder.

In entry three, we take the focus off of Northern China and Egypt for a while, and head off on another global tour as the Bronze Age starts to kick in around the world, climate change claims some victims, and we find out what looks were considered on fleek in Middle Kingdom Egypt.

2391BC – Harappa After a long time spent almost purely in Egypt and Northern China, we’re turning our gaze back to some of the other burgeoning river valley civilisations. You may remember the name Harappa from our last trip to the Indus Valley, back in 3219BC. Over a millennia later, and both the city and the society are still going strong. The civilisation that exists here is now in its ‘mature’ phase, when it enjoys stable, well-planned settlements and dinner parties, rather than going out all night, developing pictographic language. Archaeological evidence even suggests relative egalitarianism between mixing ethnic groups and classes.

New cities have also been built – like Mohenjo-daro, a metropolis to the south-west around the size of San Francisco, with a population of 50,000 at its height. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were the two centres of culture, but many other cities existed, with a strong trade network both within and outside the Indus Valley Civilisation. The culture also had a strong focus on hygiene; Mohenjo-daro’s most well-known ruin is a giant public bath, and homes in Harappa even had toilets that flushed using water. Take that, Europe in 3,000 years’ time.

2299BC – Akkad Having dropped in on the Indus Valley Civilisation, let’s see what’s going on over in Mesopotamia. While we’ve been gone, all manner of cultures have sprung up, based on regional and religious differences, and often they’ve gone to war, in a period of turmoil known as the Early Dynastic period. However, war often drives progress, so Mesopotamia is looking pretty advanced, even if your average citizen’s life expectancy isn’t much better than a member of the Pantheon.

Specifically, we’re in Akkad, capital of the Akkadian Empire (funny that), the first empire in the region to speak a Semitic language (which will go on to include Babylonian, Assyrian, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic) and, according to some, the first empire anywhere. The founder, Sargon, is still kicking around at this point, conquering vast swathes of Mesopotamia, the Levant and even spreading into the Arabian Peninsula, while Akkad will soon overtake Memphis as the largest city in the world. Akkad was typically rich in food and poor in other resources, so trade was common, while innovations included a regular postal service.

2207BC – The British Isles Akkad’s got postal workers. Harappa’s got a sewage system. What’s Britain got to show off? Well, we stood these rocks up for you. That’s right, after about 900 years of saying “this field is important”, the ancient Britons have made Stonehenge to show off that fact. Based on radiocarbon dating of the first bluestones that were raised, construction is put between 2400 -2200BC, so if Ananke wanted a World Heritage Site to do some killing at, she picked the right time to show up in Wiltshire.

What else is going on in the UK at this point? Well, there’s some disagreement over when the Bronze Age exactly hits the UK, so let’s call it the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age for safety. It’s basically this sketch from That Mitchell & Webb Look. We’re also at the tail end of Beaker culture in the UK, a common Late Neolithic culture from across Europe which is sadly not based on the Muppet, but on a period of high trade among various European tribes and a focus on pottery with inlaid metalwork. There are other commonalities, including shared cultural and religious ideas, burial traditions and the development of archery, but sadly no written records from this time to give us more info.

2115BC – Canaan If you’re a Christian or grew up in that world, the name Canaan probably holds some associations. Also known as the Levant or, in certain circles, the Holy Land, it encompasses modern-day Israel, Palestine and bordering countries. In the Book of Joshua, the Canaanites were a rival tribe to the Israelites listed for extermination, but they’ve barely emerged at this point in time. The Akkadian Empire has just collapsed (more on that in a second) and while cities including Hazor and Jerusalem have been established, the ‘proto-Canaanites’ are returning to farming villages and semi-nomadic herding for a while.

Why did Akkad’s mighty empire collapse? Remember back in our first entry, the 5.9 Kiloyear event dried out the Sahara and pushed people towards the Nile Valley, kicking off what would eventually become Egypt? Well, its crappy sequel the 4.2 Kiloyear event is here. This massive global drought lasted throughout the 22nd century BC, and probably collapsed the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the Liangzhu culture in China and possibly the whole Indus Valley civilisation, as well as Akkad. Climate change is a dick, yo.

2024BC – Northern China We know that the Liangzhu culture in the lower Yangtze River area isn’t faring too well right about now, but what about our old pal Northern China? The Longshan culture that was just getting started the last time we visited is basically over, and is breaking into several distinct subcultures, like a cohort of 11 year olds moving up to high school. While it wasn’t quite as devastated by climate change as the more southerly cultures, it still took a hit, and many large population centres were abandoned, with people heading to the Yi and Luo rivers of central Henan, where Erlitou culture will soon emerge.

Erlitou culture centred on the city of the same name, supposedly the home of the Xia dynasty. This royal lineage was, according to folklore, established by the last of the Five Emperors, and is possibly apocryphal, but Erlitou the city was certainly impressive, boasting a large central palace, thick walls and bronze foundries. While we’re in such an impressive locale, let’s stop and consider the passage of time – you right now, reading this on your phone or computer, are about as far from 0AD as the Erlitou culture was, just in the other direction.

1932BC – Australasia As evident in the big empty field where Ananke is doing her killing this time, indigenous Australians weren’t big into the city building game at this point. With a harsh climate and no handy river valleys to centre around, the traditional markers of ‘civilisation’ hadn’t really come to Australia yet. However, we shouldn’t get all Eurocentric in our views here - Australians at this point had complex tribal social structures and a strong oral tradition which has helped preserve history well into our time without the need for written records. Those on the northern coast traded with tribes from modern-day New Guinea, and in the most fertile and populous areas, agriculture including fish farming was practiced.

The oral traditions are work in Australia are worth examining further. The Pama-Nyungan language family is the most widespread of language families among indigenous Australians, containing around 300 languages and spreading across the entire nation, enabling stories, ideas and songs to pass from tribe to tribe relatively easily. Songs and dances were main items of trade, and folktales weaved complex ideas about nature, geography, ecology and astronomy together, alongside traditional tales of comedy, tragedy, religion and history. It’s sort of a surprise Ananke wasn’t here more.

1840BC – Egypt So, the Old Kingdom is over, but what does that mean for Egypt? We’re into the Middle Kingdom, which groups together the 11th and 12th Dynasties (and sometimes a little further), and despite the some hiccups, Egypt continues to be a shining beacon of progress when it comes to ancient civilisations. As near as we can tell for the given date, Pharaoh Amenemhat III is ruling as part of the 12th Dynasty. Egyptian literature is really kicking off, economic prosperity is high and conflicts with nearby Nubia are winding down for a while. All in all, it’s a swell time in ol’ Egypt.

Amenemhat III oversaw an expansion of mining camps in the Sinai and maintained a strong bureaucracy; at the end of the Old Kingdom, a lot of control had lapsed back to regional governors, but the 11th Dynasty reunified Egypt under a strong central administration. Block statues are all the rage when it comes to sculpture, and gender equality is relatively high, although if you’re looking to follow Middle Kingdom beauty norms, you’ll want small breasts and big ears. Unfortunately, all this prosperity can’t last: Amenemhat’s successor will bungle his reign and crop failures destabilise the dynasty, ending the Middle Kingdom and leading to the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt.

1748BC – Babylon With Egypt heading into a gully, it’s Babylon’s time to shine. Emerging from the receding Akkadian culture, Babylon is under the reign of Hammurabi, who is in the process of conquering neighbouring city-states and bringing almost all of Mesopotamia under his rule. And what a rule - this Babylonian beefcake is best remembered for the Code of Hammurabi, one of the oldest deciphered writings of length in the world, and one of the best preserved ancient codes of law.

While almost half the code is concerned with contract and property law (including concepts like liability, divorce and inheritance) it is best known for its strict stance on physical punishment. Heard the phrase “an eye for an eye”? That’s Hammurabi (or Shamash, the Babylonian god of justice via King H, according to him). With well-established laws and his conquests providing regional stability, Babylon will quickly overtake Thebes as the biggest city in the world. While his empire barely outlived him, Hammurabi’s Babylon left a big cultural footprint on the world, and it’s no surprise there was a Recurrence here, and a Persephone that fought back against Ananke.

Like what we do, and want to help us make more of it? Visit patreon.com/timplusalex

#WicDiv #The Wicked and The Divine #The Wicked + The Divine #TWATD #6000 Years of Murder

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chineselanguageblog · 6 years

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the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-autumn Festival originated from the custom of moon worship in the ancient China. And the custom of moon worships dated back to the Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. The ancient emperor then regarded the sun as the masculine and the moon as the feminine. So, people would worship the lunar deity at night in the autumn of the lunar calendar. For thousands of years, such imperial sacrificial activities have gradually evolved into the folk moon worship and moon watching. Although the contents of this festival have changed since many dynasties passed, but its date on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month has seldom changed.

Why on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month?

There are several reasons for the Mid-autumn Festival was set on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. First, from the perspective of natural condition, we take the 8th lunar month as the Mid-autumn Festival, for the seventh, eight and ninth lunar months being to autumn and the eighth is just in the middle. And the moon on the 15th day is especially round and bright. In the autumn, it is a little humid. But the humid would be driven away by dry and cold wind from the north. So, the weather at this period of time would be very fine and the moon is also especially bright.

What’s more, because we can see the full moon clearly, it’s easy for us to associate the moon with a relation among people and expect to reunite with relatives. Of course, this is also a harvest season when people would feel pleasant. In such a pleasant festival, people always wish the world could be perfectly satisfactory and families could gather together. All these factors make this festival be arranged in the Mid-autumn Festival.

Documented about the Mid-autumn Festival

About the Mid-autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, there are many poems in the Tang Dynasty. It’s counted that in the “Complete Tang Poems”, there are 111 people with the title of “Mid-autumn Festival” or “the 15th day of the 8th lunar month”. In the Tang Dynasty. Actually, there was already the term, the “15th day of the 8th lunar month”, But, no documents have clearly stated that the Mid-autumn was a festival and how the people celebrated it.

Until the Song Dynasty, the books, “Dongjing Meng Hua Lu”, and “Meng Liang Lu”, clearly recorded that the Mid-autumn was already a festival in the Song Dynasty. It’s recorded that in the Northern Song Dynasty, on the Mid-autumn Festival, people would buy a lot of liquors. Sometimes, after a shop sold up its liquors, it would put away its signboard. All people celebrated this festival happily. And said that at that time, there were also some imperial tributes like grapes and mooncakes.

The “Rainbow-Skirt Feathered-Dress Dance” 霓裳羽衣曲

The “Rainbow-Skirt Feathered-Dress Dance” was praised as a melody that could only be heard in the heaven but rarely on the earth.

The melody is known as “the melody from the moon” is the “Rainbow-Skirt Feathered-Dress Dance”, a classic of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. It’s said that the melody was composed by Li Longji, the Emperor Tang Dynasty, in the Mid-autumn Festival. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the melodious sound of the “Rainbow-Skirt Feathered-Dress Dance” would spread in the imperial palace every Mid-autumn Festival. It’s very vigorous, and it makes us calm. It’s very intoxicating as if we were in a fairyland on the earth.

Legend of the “Rainbow-Skirt Feathered-Dress Dance”

One day, exactly, on a Mid-autumn Festival night, Li Longji, the Emperor of Tang Dynasty, was watching the moon very excited when suddenly he came up with an idea. He wanted to go to the moon. So he consulted the imperial astronomer. The imperial astronomer said no problem. So, he sent the emperor to the moon where he heard a melody and saw the dance of the fairies. Then, he became excited and memorized this melody.

On the way back, exactly, in Luzhou, today’s Changzhi of Shanxi Province. In the bright and clear moonlight, the whole world was quiet. Then, the emperor said, “Ah, how enchanting that melody and dance are!” The imperial astronomer said. “Why don’t you play this melody here with a jade flute? The emperor agreed. So he played this melody with a jade flute. Then, before he left, he and some attendants spread some money from their pockets in the Luzhou city. More than ten days later, the officials of Luzhou reported to the emperor that on the night of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, they heard the melody from the heaven and picked some money. It was an auspicious sign.

It’s said that later the emperor asked the imperial astronomer. “Can I go there again”? The imperial astronomer smiled and said, only on the night of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month could the emperor visit the moon palace. So, in the folklore, the “Rainbow-Skirt Feathered-Dress Dance” and the 15th day of the 8th lunar month are linked together. So, in that time, in the Tang Dynasty, people already celebrated the Mid-autumn Festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

Three symbols of the Mid-Autumn festival (mooncakes, goddess of the moon and Rabbit God)

1, mooncake

1) when is the earliest time when mooncakes first appear? The earliest mooncakes appeared a long time ago. For some round foods, we called them “cake”. In those days, cakes were always baked, steamed or cooked in many other methods. As for its special name “cake”, it could date back to the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, it is said that after a general won battles, he brought some “hu cake” from the western regions. When the emperor and the queen (the Imperial Concubine Yang) enjoying the moon, they ate “hu cake”.

After eating some, they thought it was tasty. Then the emperor said to the queen (the Imperial Concubine Yang), this “hu cake” was so delicious but its name was not good. Could you change a name for it? The queen (the Imperial Concubine Yang) agreed and she looked at the moon which was round as the “hu cake”. So she said mooncake was good and it was better than “hu cake”. So some people say the name of the mooncake come from “hu cake”.

2) Why eat mooncakes during the Mid-autumn Festival?

There is a Chinese folk story about it. It is widely believed that in the late Yuan Dynasty, the massed began to raise a rebellion against the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuangzhang, the leader of the insurrectionary army, prepared to ally various insurgent forces to attack the Great Capital of the Yuan Dynasty. But officers and soldiers were strict in checking contact letters, so it was difficult for them to pass on the message of rebellion. Liu Bowen, the military counselor in Zhu Yuangzhang’s army, came up with a plan that he proposed to hide scrips written with “Uprise on the Mid-autumn Festival Night” in cakes and then gave out cakes to those soldiers to inform them about the rebellion. On the Mid-autumn Festival, insurgent forces who had received cakes responded highly and the great capital of the Yuan Dynasty was occupied soon.

After Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor, he was so glad that awarded “mooncakes” once used to pass on message secretly as gifts to all ministers. Therefore, there is a custom of eating mooncakes in Mid-autumn Festival. The fact is that its real origin is hard to know. But we can definitely say that the very time when mooncakes are used as sacrificial offerings is from Ming Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, it is assured that people would eat mooncakes on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

2, Chang’e (a beautiful goddess of the moon) and toadBesides eating mooncakes in the Mid-autumn Festival, most people watch the moon. In China, there are many tales about the moon.

In “Classic of Mountains and Seas” exists description of the sun and the moon. It describes that a three-legged crow lives in the sun. So we usually call the sun Golden Crow. Simultaneously, “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” says that the moon is a toad, it is a symbol of the moon.

In fact, the toad was the idol for many tribes and ethnicities. It originated from such a fact that frogs are productive. And its stomach will be flat sometimes and be bulged in another time. Which is like the shape of waxing and waning of the moon. In ancient times, people worshiped toads. It mainly rooted in a kind of reproduction worship. Toads are very fertile. A toad can produce 5,000 spawns once. Therefore, in the view of the ancients, toads symbolized fertility and happiness.

Besides, they are nocturnal. Tradition has it that people treated them as the embodiment of the moon, and even think the Chang’e, the goddess of the moon flying to the moon and turned into a toad. So, almost all ancient women would worship the moon and the goddess of the moon in the Mid-autumn Festival to express their wishes of having more children and more happiness. Among the people, the tradition that “men don’t worship the moon” has been reserved all the time.

That’s also the reason why the ancient Chinese people also call the moon as the toad.

3, Jade Rabbit and Rabbit God on the moon, of course, we know there is a so-called Jade Rabbit

There’s a legend about the Jade Rabbit, that a plague hit the capital city one year. Many common people fell ill, and taking medicine was of no use. Chang’e, the goddess of the moon in the heaven felt very sorry for the common people suffering from torture, so she sent the Jade Rabbit to the earth to eliminate the plague. The Jade Rabbit cured the sickness and saved the patient from door to door, helping people go through the disaster. The Jade Rabbit didn’t ask return for its deeds of merit, and it only borrowed clothes from people to wear. So the Jade Rabbit had many images then. In order to thank the Jade Rabbit, people began to worship the Jade Rabbit as Rabbit God. The Rabbit God just became a target for ancient men and children to worship in the Mid-autumn Festival.

So people call it Rabbit God who is in the general’s costume. These above are its two long ears. It is in an embroidered robe, helmet. In general, it also rides on a tiger or other animals. Such a Rabbit God may not be a very serious and august object for worship from beginning to end. But it does give us a special and grateful expectation.

Chinese ethnic minorities

About twenty minorities celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival, such as the Axi people, a branch of the Yi people, celebrate it with dancing under the moon. When the Axi people dance under the moon, they form a circle, celebrating the Mid-autumn Festival in the most excited mood and happiest atmosphere. Their dance reflects their appreciation, worshiping and reverence toward the moon and expresses their gratitude to the harvest and the happy life as well.

Except for Axi’s dancing under the moon, a straw dragon dance in the Mid-autumn Festival prevails in some regions in Zhejiang Province. As for the straw dragon dance, it twists a large rope with straws first, and then bundles a dragon head and tail two ends of the rope, so that a dragon is formed. Plug burning incenses on the rope and villagers perform the straw dragon dance with burning incenses on the sunning ground. With the straw dragon dancing, sparks fly everywhere.

Reunion and Missing become the constant theme of the Mid-autumn Festival

From time immemorial, many poems about come down and have been appreciated by later generations. On a Mid-autumn Festival night, Su Shi (a great poet in Song Dynasty) drank a lot and got drunk heavily at that time, then he suddenly thought of his younger brother. So, he wrote a very famous poem of “Wishing We Last Forever (但願人長久)”. In this poem, although Su Shi expressed the sadness of toiling in obscurity, he further showed his endless yearning for his younger brother Su Zhe.

Wishing We Last ForeverWhen will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in hand, I ask the blue sky.I don’t know what time of the year, it would be in the palace on high. Though a thousand miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.

In the Mid-autumn Festival in A.D. 1076, the 41-year-old Su Shi hadn’t reunited with his families for seven years because of political exile. In the seven years, Su Shi held a variety of government positions throughout China. He had asked for transfer many times, hoping to be close to his younger brother Su Zhe. But this wish never came true. Being separated from families for many years made Su Shi miss families so much in this Mid-autumn Festival. Taking advantage of tipsy feeling and looking at the bright moon, Su Shi finished this Mid-autumn Festival masterpiece which has been handed down for thousands of years.

This poem depicts the moon and meanwhile, it expresses the yearning for families in the Mid-autumn Festival. He said, “Is it because men had made any mistakes, the moon tends to be full when our families were apart?” he thought of his brother, Then, without waiting, he said that maybe he shouldn’t think so, because men’s partings and reunions were like the moon’s waxing and waning. They are very common from ancient times to the present, it’s quite difficult for us to change them as we wish. At this moment, his sole aspiration was that we all could look at the moon and live in the world forever. The last line “Though a thousand miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together”. The moon indicates Chang’e who is a very charming female, but in fact here we use it to stand for the moon. It said that we were at different places, though we were miles apart, we shared the same moon together. The moon will connect you and me as if we were together. So this poem must be widely recited in the Mid-autumn Festival.

Reunion and Missing

Finally, the Mid-autumn Festival, if we can use one word to summarize it, it would be yearning. This is a festival for missing. To miss our families, miss our hometown, and miss our motherland. Especially for the overseas Chinese, when they meet the day of the Mid-autumn Festival, the ethnic Chinese in various regions, whether the chamber of commerce or the natives association, they organize lots of celebration activities.

Actually, the reunion is the communication of emotions, namely, sense of identity. If we all have such kind of emotion, it is likely that our society will be harmonious. Regarding festival, we have a deep understanding. Knowing its history and a lot of stories about it, our feelings will be different. With such feeling, we will love it protect it and inherit it to create a new life. It is the significance of the festival.

#Chinese culture

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evilelitest2 · 7 years

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I don't know very much about Chinese history, so if you had to pick some of your favorite periods/events what would they be and why?

Ohhhh, good question…hmmmm, how do I pick my favorite out of 5,000 years of history? My personal favorites include

1) The Late Waring states period, because that is were we start to get the great Chinese thinkers and ideas like Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism, and the chaos of china as the Zhou fall is so instrumental to the rest of the empire

2) The rise of the Qin/Rise of the Han dynasty, I love the transition from seven kingdoms to a single totalitarian legalist regime and then the shift from that to a Confucian Han regime

3) The Three Kingdom period but that is a little obvious

4) The end of the Sui/Rise of the Tang, because China is changing so dramatically, interactions with the middle east and teh introduction of Buddhism and Islam into the equation

5) The Northern Song Dynasty because….its the norther song, its amazing

6) The Mongolian COnguests/Yuan Dynasty, because I am a huge sucker for Mongolian history and Genghis Khan in particular. Also its cliche but I love Kublai Khan

7) the period between 1911 and 1976, aka “The things fall apart period” mostly because this is what I studied the most in school (not enough imperial Chinese history courses) this is where my characters are, Sun-Yet-Sen, Yuan Shikai, Chiang Kai-Shek, Mao Zedong, Soong Mei-ling, the entire interesting political revolution china was going through, the involvement of Japan, the total madness of Mao’s reign and the level of insanity that is the Cultural Revolution, that is absolutely fascinating.

Trust me, it was really hard to narrow it down to only seven, great question

#Ask EvilElitest2 #Chiang Kai-shek #Soong Mei-ling #Sun-yet-sen #Chinese history #qin dynasty #Imperial China #mao zedong

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bladesurgence · 7 years

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some dumb college au

"Hey, Syndra, do you remember what page the——" Irelia's question is drowned out by the shrill horn of a car outside the apartment. The horn sounds again, followed by a person's shouting, and the girl across the room throws earphones into her ear and lays back down on the bed, flipping through a textbook, directing a scowl towards the window.

Irelia opens her mouth again, thinking to say something, but exhales and waits for the contentious noises below their room on the second floor of the apartment complex to stop. The clamor makes concentrating on their books too much of a hassle, so she sits back in her chair and studies her classmate.

If Syndra could ever get away with going barefoot, she'd take the opportunity. Her legs take up the majority of the space on the mattress - they had caught Irelia's eye since day one, but having them lounge in front of her so casually just makes them all the more appealing. The pair of shorts only makes the view easier to marvel at.

When the atmosphere appears to have calmed down, Irelia shakes a leg in front of Syndra, prompting her attention. She gives a thumbs-up and Syndra pulls the earphones out.

"Finally. You know, for people claiming to belong to a club called the 'Cambridge Society,' you'd think the tenants below you would have a little more tact." Syndra props herself up on an elbow. "But I guess they toiled so long on those loafers that they didn't invest any effort in the rest of their appearance."

Irelia chuckles, scooting her chair closer to Syndra. "Anyways, I was going to ask you. Do you remember what page the timeline for the Song Dynasty was?"

"Ninety-eight." She lays the textbook flat on the bed, turning it around to show Irelia. "And to no one's surprise, there is a mountain of events that happened in four hundred years."

"Lists aren't terrible, as long as you know how to break them down." Irelia flips to the page in her own textbook, blinking in recognition, and begins writing down the events in three columns. Syndra sits up, watching Irelia work.

"Your bed is very comfy," she comments as Irelia moves towards the second column, focusing on the events of the Northern Song during its decline. "If I was in your place, I'd do all my homework from here."

"It would be a nice thought," Irelia muses, "but it tends to breed lazy habits. The temptation to explore the Netflix library is somehow a lot stronger from my bed," she adds with a wry smile.

"So you're a Netflix and chill gal?" Syndra asks, a textbook example of a smug face.

She almost drops her pen in the middle of writing a date. "N-no!" Irelia stammers. "I just... I mean... you know what I meant."

"Relax, Irie. We've watched three seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. together, of course I know what you mean." She gazes up at Irelia, tilting her head. "Unless you considered those dates."

"You were so adamant about me watching it that it seemed more like an extra three units than anything."

"They were very educational, weren't they?”

Finishing the table of events, she passes her notebook to Syndra, who arches an eyebrow. "An interesting way of handling it. But how does it work out in practice?"

Irelia pats her lap. "Try me."

"First instance of a magnetic compass."

She touches a finger to her chin. "I know that happened in the Northern dynasty, perhaps towards the later period... so the second column. The 1100s?"

"And why was it important?"

"It allowed for longer maritime travel. Voyages to Korea, Japan, the Southeast."

"Impressive." Syndra tosses the notebook over to Irelia, who just catches it in her fingertips. She reaches for the bag of Swedish Fish next to her, plopping one in her mouth. "Give me a few minutes to look it over, and then we'll quiz each other."

Irelia is content to leave Syndra in silence, going through another section of the textbook to brush up on other sections of Chinese history, but not even thirty seconds in Syndra interrupts her, her eyes still on her own book.

"How late is it, Irelia?"

"You have your phone right there."

Syndra tosses the phone aside, watching it flip along the mattress. "It's three percent battery and my charger is in my room."

Irelia consults her own phone. "Almost midnight. Normally, it'd be late, but since our midterm is at 2..."

Syndra purses her lips. "Diana's awake. I mean - I'm not surprised, she's always awake at this time. But today begins a new phase of the lunar cycle, from half moon to crescent moon, around midnight." Seeing Irelia staring at her, she shrugs. "Listen, if you had to spend that much time around her and her moon charts, you'd know everything about it too."

Once they decide they're ready, they shoot questions at each other. Syndra has an excellent memory, although it usually comes in bits and pieces and she can't answer all the questions fully. Irelia's method didn't allow her to answer everything, but the dates she did know she could answer with thoroughness.

After going through the terms one more time, they decide to call it quits for the night.

"I'm not too worried. We still have an hour during lunch to go over any last-minute things," Irelia points out.

"I'll get it eventually," Syndra retorts, after Irelia corrects her about a tricky point in the line of succession following the fall of the Northern Song. She yawns. "I'll be so glad once this is finished. This weekend has been a long time coming."

"And well-deserved," Irelia agrees, taking a sip from her water bottle. The weather had started to grow warm again. "It's been a while since I've been to the beach."

"Funny." Syndra sits up on the bed, throwing her legs over the side. Her hair spills out along her shoulders, and Irelia can't help but note how effortlessly the dark colors of her tank top and shorts cling to her, yet still float in weightlessness. "I was just having the same thought."

"Santa Monica's looking nice," Irelia comments, gathering all of her papers back into her folder. "Four pm bus?"

"Are we going to have enough time for that?"

"As long as we don't tarry leaving the lecture hall."

"Mm," Syndra hums, Wiggling her feet. "It'll be nice to feel the waves, and sand betWeen my toes." She shoots a coy look at Irelia, Who froWns. "What is it?"

"Didn't you go out and get a new swimsuit the other day?"

"Yes, but I did say it was a much needed purchase. I've always liked red, but it's been years since I picked one out."

Syndra stands up, spinning her textbook in her fingers. "Out to impress the surfers?" she asks, smirking.

"It's not like that, Syn," Irelia protests, getting to her feet as well. The rooms Syndra leased along with Diana are only across the complex, so she spends almost as much time in her own room as she does in Irelia's. "Taking a page out of your book, Miss 21st Century Asian-American Gothic, can't you just look good for yourself?"

"You're daring to compare my aesthetic to a beauty paegeant winner?" Syndra huffs, and for a second her shorter frame seems to tower over Irelia, as imposing as an NBA center, but then she cracks a smile. "I'll admit, that one was pretty good."

"I learn from the best." Irelia opens the front door, allowing to Syndra to step by. "Night, Syn."

"Sleep well," Syndra says with a wave of her hand. Then with a wink, she adds, "And if you're not planning on anyone special appreciating your outfit, don't worry, cause you can bet your ass I will."

#get it because she'll be staring at irelia's ass #anyway take this i got inspired from reading some ao3 stuff #♞ THE SUNRISE KISSED STORIES. (chronicles)#♞ CHAOS INSIDE MY NEBULA. (syndra)#irelia #syndra #college au #long post

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language-obsession · 7 years

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apparently because of the era mulan was in she should've spoken cantonese (or at least not mandarin) so why is mandarin the default chinese now?

hoo boy, this is a major misconception that i’ve heard a lot, especially from Cantonese speakers, who somehow believe that all people in pre-1000 AD China would’ve been speaking Cantonese ahahaha. I think this is an urban myth from some pseudo-linguistics rumours making its rounds in Cantonese-speaking communities over the last couple generations, probably stemming from the fact that Cantonese phonology is more conservative than Mandarin in terms of our syllable-final consonants, and the preservation of the voiced/voiceless distinction in Middle Chinese by extending our tonal inventory. A lot of people think that that automatically makes Cantonese the “pure Chinese language”, which makes me cringe really hard tbh, bc that’s not how languages work LOL.

The problem with the Sinitic languages is that we have no exact way of knowing when and how people spoke back in the day, and the characters give no 100% explicit phonetic clues, so the best we can use as reference are the rime tables that some smart Chinese linguists compiled way back in the day. The most famous one is the book of Qieyun rime tables, which helped modern linguists re-construct Middle Chinese forms. Middle Chinese is said to generally have been spoken around the 6th-11th century, or somewhere around that range, and the Qieyun tables were published sometime in the 6th century, so they would’ve reflected an early Middle Chinese variety that functioned as a standard language in that time period. The problem is that outside of this standard language, people in China were already speaking their own Sinitic languages like they are today, some of which were already mutually unintelligible from one another. Unfortunately, there’s no way to track exactly what languages were spoken because all we have are the rime tables.

The early forms of the modern varieties that we know today as Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Wu, etc all split off from Late Middle Chinese presumably sometime between the 12th and 13th century, some languages later than others ofc (except for Hokkien and the other Min varieties, who had a bit of a special development, but that’s a different story). Mulan (who btw was a legendary character; we’re not even 100% sure if she actually existed) apparently lived during the Southern and Northern Dynasty period, which lasted from 420–589, which would fall into the Middle Chinese period, more specifically in the Early-Mid Middle Chinese period, so she probably would not have spoken anything close to Cantonese OR Mandarin in her time.

Another problem is that Mulan is said to have been from the Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏), which would’ve taken up the area north of the Yangtze River. Cantonese was historically spoken in southern China, particularly in the general regions of modern-day Guangdong and Guangxi. Guangzhou was always a very successful port city, even 1500 years ago, and became a very important cultural center even in the Southern Song Dynasty (particularly in the 12-13th century). In this time period, an early form of Cantonese had already developed, and it was also around this time that it gained a literary level to read the Chinese Classics. Therefore, it seems highly highly highly improbable that Mulan was a Cantonese speaker, considering that her time period and general geographical location did not even come close to matching the timeline of Cantonese or any other modern Sinitic variety.

Also to answer your question about why Mandarin is the standard today: it comes from a place of political power. Nanjing and Beijing (lit. Southern Capital and Northern Capital) were always the place of political power, and in courts they would use a standard language so that there could be communication between officials from all over China, hence the formal name for Mandarin: 官話 (lit. ‘official speech’). And that continued throughout history, simply because Beijing was always the source of political power, and made decisions for the country. However, the implementation of Mandarin as the ‘national language’ in all parts of China was a relatively recent event (around the mid-1900′s), in comparison to the entire history of the Chinese languages. Before Mandarin was heavily implemented in almost all parts of China, most people were still speaking local varieties, which would have mainly consisted of developing forms of modern Sinitic varieties.

TL;DR - Nope, contrary to popular belief, Mulan most likely did not speak Cantonese, and neither did a lot of early famous Chinese figures like Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, etc.

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linoliu · 4 years

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The Eastern Han Emperor Yongping’s Seven Years of Sending People to Seek Dharma ~ ~ Yongping seven years of the Western Regions simply do not pass, how to send people to the Western Regions? 東漢明帝永平七年派人求佛法一事純屬子虛烏有考辨～～永平七年西域根本不通，如何派人到西域？

First, the Yongping seven years of the Western Regions simply do not work, how to send people to the Western Regions?

The post-Han ‧ Western Biography about the Yongping seven years (AD 6) to the 18th year of the Western Regions: "In the 16th year, the Ming Emperor was the commander of the Ming Dynasty, the northern levy of the Xiongnu, take the Yiwu Ludi, suitable Hedu 尉屯屯遂遂遂遂屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯屯The Western Regions have been ruined for sixty-five years. Next year, I will set up a guardian and a school. And the Ming Emperor collapsed, and the squadron and the tortoise attacked Chen Hao, and they were all overwhelmed by the public. The Xiongnu and the car division were surrounded by the school. And Ming Emperor died in Yongping for eighteen years, when the Emperor Zhang was in place.

Ming understands that Bai Yongping’s 16 years of "the Western Regions have been self-defeating for sixty-five years. From the seven years of Yongping to the sixteenth year of Yongping, all of them were within the "60 years of self-destruction of the Western Regions", and the Western Regions could not go out, how to make the Western Region seek Buddhism. Moreover, if the Western Region monks come to China or China, the Buddha who seeks the Buddha is only able to go to the Western Region, or it is feasible. How can the imperial emperor’s envoys go to the Western Regions, how can they not be captured and killed? Just as Yongping’s eight years of Zheng’s execution of the Huns, he was forced by the Xiongnu to force himself to swear by the oath, and to “single fear”, and Yongping was forced to re-enter the emperor for fifteen years or so. The Western Region and the Xiongnu peace talks were killed.

Regarding Yongping’s seeking for law, the matter is about Yuan Jin (328-376) and the post-Han Ji: "At the beginning, the Emperor Ming dreamed that the Jinren grew up, and there was a sun and moonlight to ask the minister. Or: "There is a god in the West. His name is Buddha. Under the dream of his Majesty, do you have nothing to do?" So he sent the Scorpio and asked him to do it.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was the Ming Emperor's dream Buddha, but only the question was "Yu Chen", not Fu Yi; only the slang of "Send the Scorpio", but did not write "Write the Scripture." Then there is no such thing as a copy of the book, and there will be any copy of the forty-two chapters of the scriptures. I also know that the forty-two chapters of the scriptures are the pseudo-books of the Eastern Jin Dynasty or later, and must be from Yuan Hong. After the "Han Han Ji". This my test is forged by the same person who wrote "Xunzi's Theory of Confusion". This person has another special examination. It sees the former "Zhu Zihua" and says "writing his classics", so he inspires his life and forges The forty-two chapters of the classics, and the "Xunzi Theory of Religion", the purpose is to promote its forged "Forty-two Chapters."

Regarding Yongping’s seeking for the Fa, it is also seen in the sacred book of the Emperor’s Taoist Emperor Wang Fu, who was born in the early Western Jin Dynasty, but it is a post-generational pseudo-book, and the book is in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, because in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Taoist ancestors’ Jin Dynasty In the Miscellaneous Record, it is pointed out: "The Taoist King floats with Shamen, and it is far from the theory. Wang Fu repeatedly succumbs and changes the "Western Biography" to "Hua Hu Jing", saying hi and suihua Hu Zuo, Buddha from this. Among them, it is the first mention of the dream of the Eastern Han Ming Emperor:

"Yongping seven years of Jiazi, the star is now in the West, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty dreams of God, because of Fu Yizhi, knowing that Hu Wang Taizi became a Buddha of the Buddha, that is, sending Zhang Wei and other countries through the 36 countries to the Shewei, the value of Buddha has Nirvana is writing his scriptures and returning to Yongping for eighteen years. 』

Forging the Ming Emperor "Because of Fu Yi's right, ... send Zhang Wei and other people through the 36 countries to the Sheriff, ... write their own ... return. The above full text is full of ridiculous words, "Zhang Yu" is a celebrity in the Western Region of the Western Han Dynasty, not in the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Emperor. Japanese scholar Maeda Maeda's "Concise History of Chinese Buddhism" believes that Emperor Han Yi of the Han Emperor was a teenager, and he could not be an official in the court. He believed that the Han Ming Emperor felt that the dream was not a historical fact.

However, the year in which we seek the law is wrong, and the matter is nothing. When the Emperor was in the throne, the Western Regions were still unable to pass. Until the second year before his death, the Western Regions were only available. However, after his death, he went back to chaos and did not pass the same. In fact, as early as 1920, the test pseudo-giant Liang Qichao pointed out in the article "Introduction of Buddhism": "At that time, the traffic in the Western Region was in the middle of the road, and the envoys were actually impossible. It has not been established at all. ... The Emperor Hanming’s quest for rituals is all fictitious. The source of the source is from the post-Jin period, the Taoist rumors, the Taoist rumors, the desire to prove the lateness of Buddhism, the release of the family, the exhibition, the transfer of the association, the murder of Zhang Wujun, the two people who are not in the country, blind and blind lead. ... Those who rule the history of Buddhism must first remove this piece of pseudo-practice, and then examine the path of ideological progress and not discriminate. And his "Han Ming seeks to judge the law" is the text that understands the "Han Han ‧ Western Regions Biography". The article also understands why, why the "Emperor of the Yongping Seven Years" Ming Emperor's Dream Buddha is the "Yong Ping eight years to give Chu Wangying's book, the motive for his fake capital. And Yuan Hong wrote "After Han Ji", although he was dissatisfied with the history books of the later Han Dynasty, but he wanted to write his own history. However, he still wrote the gossip hypocrisy into his history, so he had his determination and no history. I am not enough, this is my evaluation of Yuan Hongqi’s history books.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty (328-376 years), "After the Han Dynasty": "In the beginning, the Emperor Ming dreamed that the Jinren grew up, and there was a sun and moonlight to ask the minister. Or 曰: "There is a god in the West, and its name is Buddha. What is your dream? Then he sent the Scorpio and asked him to do it. 』

Liang Qichao's article "Han Ming's Seeking the Law and Discriminating False" is a proof that the "Han Han ‧ Western Regions Biography" is proved. The article also understands why, why the "Emperor of the Yongping Seven Years" Ming Emperor's Dream Buddha is the "Yong Ping eight years to give Chu Wangying's book, the motive for his fake capital. This matter was written in the Eastern Han Dynasty by the Eastern Han Dynasty. "The King of Chu sent a sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred sacred The grandeur of Sesangmen. Therefore, it is a history of faith. And when Liu Song was a book, the "Han Han Shu" volume forty-two: "When the English is a good time, the Ranger, the traffic guests, the evening festival is more like Huang Lao, learning to be a fasting sacrifice." In eight years, the sins of the world have been sinned. The British sect of the sect of the sect of the Yellow Emperor and the Yellow Skull and the 30th 诣曰曰曰曰曰曰曰曰曰托托托托托托纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨纨.诏诏曰曰「「「楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚楚The grandeur."

The "Han Han Shu" is listed in the Seventy-eighth in the "Tianlu Country" article also said: "Chu Wangying began to believe in his skills, so China is quite loyal to the Tao." That is to say, in the time of the Emperor, Buddhism began to The royal family was convinced and spread, the historical view of the history of Buddhism in this Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Second, the conclusion

Liang Qichao 1920 has cited Yongping for seven years. In the history, Mingzhao is in the Western Region and can't be sent. The Japanese scholar Maeda Maeda's "Concise Chinese Buddhism History" also cites that the Emperor Han Yi was a teenager, and he could not be an official in the court. He believed that the Han Ming Emperor felt that the dream was not a historical fact. Of course, "Zhang Yu" is a celebrity in the Western Region of the Western Han Dynasty, not in the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Emperor. So for the Buddhist and Buddhist history, many people and works are still copying and rumoring the so-called "Yongping seeking law", they do not look at the history books and do not read the predecessors who have already verified their falsehood and still copy the ancients to say Rumors can be said in one fell swoop. (Liu Youheng, 2019, 11, 17 in Taipei) 東漢明帝永平七年派人求佛法一事純屬子虛烏有考辨～～永平七年西域根本不通，如何派人到西域？一、永平七年西域根本不通，如何派人到西域？《後漢書‧西域傳》有關永平七年（公元六四年）至十八年之西域事者乃：『十六年，明帝乃命將帥，北征匈奴，取伊吾盧地，置宜禾都尉以屯田，遂通西域，于窴諸國皆遣子入侍。西域自絕六十五載，乃復通焉。明年，始置都護、戊己校尉。及明帝崩，焉耆、龜茲攻沒都護陳睦，悉覆其眾，匈奴、車師圍戊己校尉。』而明帝死於永平十八年，當年章帝即位。明明白白永平十六年『西域自絕六十五載，乃復通焉。』則從永平七年到永平十六年，都在『西域自絕六十五載』年數之內，西域都走不出去，如何遺使通西域求佛法。而且，如果西域僧人隻身來中華或中華有求佛之人隻身到西域，或有可行。堂而皇之派皇帝的使臣到西域，如何不被捕獲死於非命？一如永平八年鄭眾出使匈奴，被匈奴所迫，逼到拔刃自誓的地步，使『單于恐而止』，而永平十五年左右，被迫再出使和帝到西域和匈奴和談，結果被殺[1]。有關永平求法，事出於約東晉袁宏（328～376年）》《後漢紀》：「初，明帝夢見金人長大，項有日月光，以問腢臣。或曰：『西方有神，其名曰佛。陛下所夢，得無是乎？』於是遣使天竺，問其道術而圖其形像焉。」在東晉時，已有明帝夢佛，但只言問的是『腢臣』，不是傅毅；只言『遣使天竺』之妄語，而不曾寫出『寫其經』。則當日實未有所謂抄經而歸，還會有什麼抄了《四十二章經》之偽事，亦知，《四十二章經》乃東晉或之後的偽書，必出於袁宏《後漢紀》之後。此吾人考乃是寫《牟子理惑論》者同一人所偽造，此吾人另有專文考之，其見其前之如《老子化胡經》講『寫其經』，於是靈感一生，偽造《四十二章經》，並作《牟子理惑論》，目的是宣揚其偽造的《四十二章經》。有關永平求法，又見於假托於西晉初的惠帝時道士王浮的妄書《老子化胡經》，但其乃後世偽書，成書當在東晉，因為在東晉末竺道祖的《晉世雜錄》��指出：『道士王浮每與沙門帛遠抗論，王浮屢屈焉，遂改換《西域傳》為《化胡經》，言喜與聃化胡作佛，佛起於此』。其中，乃初述及東漢明帝感夢事：『永平七年甲子，星晝現於西方，明帝夢神人，因傅毅之對，知為胡王太子成佛之瑞應，即遣張騫等經三十六國至舍衛，值佛已涅磐，乃寫其經，以永平十八年歸。』偽造明帝『因傅毅之對，……遣張騫等經三十六國至舍衛，……寫其經……歸。』以上全文都是滿紙荒唐言，『張騫』是西漢武帝時通西域的名人，不在東漢和帝時。日本學者鐮田茂雄《簡明中國佛教史》認為漢明帝時傅毅尚是少年，不可能在朝廷作官，認為漢明帝感夢求法非史實。而吾人則以求法的年份不對，此事即子虛烏有。明帝即位時，西域都還無法通行，至其死前二年，西域才通。但其死後，又復戰亂而不通如故。其實，早在1920年，考偽巨人梁啟超在〈佛教之初輸入〉一文裡就已指出：『蓋當時西域交通正中絕，使節往返，為事實上所不可能，即茲一端，則此段史迹，已根本不能成立。……漢明帝求法事，全屬虛構。其源蓋起於晉後釋、道鬪爭，道家捏造讕言，欲證成佛教之晚出，釋家旋采彼說，展轉附會，謀張吾軍，兩造皆鄉曲不學之人，盲盲相引。……治佛學史者，須先將此段偽掌故根本拔除，庶以察思想進展之路，不致歧謬也。』而其〈漢明求法說辨偽〉一文即明白引《後漢書‧西域傳》證之。而該文裡也明白舉出，為何托於『永平七年』明帝夢佛，乃是『永平八年賜楚王英之詔書，為其作偽取資之動機。』而袁宏寫《後漢紀》，雖因不滿當日的後漢的史書，而要自著信史，不料仍是把八卦小道偽說寫入其史著內，故有其決心而無其史才史識亦不足成事，此吾人對袁宏其人其史書的評價。而於約東晉袁宏（328～376年）《後漢紀》：『初，明帝夢見金人長大，項有日月光，以問腢臣。或曰：『西方有神，其名曰佛。陛下所夢，得無是乎？』於是遣使天竺，問其道術而圖其形像焉。』梁啟超〈漢明求法說辨偽〉一文即明白引《後漢書‧西域傳》證之。而該文裡也明白舉出，為何托於『永平七年』明帝夢佛，乃是『永平八年賜楚王英之詔書，為其作偽取資之動機。』此事於東漢史臣所著《東觀漢記》有記載：『楚王英奉送黃縑三十五疋、白紈五疋入贖，楚相以聞，詔書還贖縑紈，以助伊蒲塞桑門之盛饌。』故為信史。而到了劉宋時成書的《後漢書》卷四十二：『英少時好遊俠，交通賓客，晚節更喜黃老，學為浮屠齋戒祭祀。八年，詔令天下死罪皆入縑贖。英遣郎中令奉黃縑白紈三十匹詣國相曰：「托在蕃輔，過惡累積，歡喜大恩，奉送縑帛，以贖愆罪。」國相以聞。詔報曰：「楚王誦黃老之微言，尚浮屠之仁祠，絜齋三月，與神為誓，何嫌何疑，當有悔吝？其還贖，以助伊蒲塞桑門之盛饌。」』而《後漢書》列傳第七十八於“天竺國”條也稱：「楚王英始信其術，中國因此頗有奉其道者。」即認為在和帝時，佛教才開始因著皇室有人信之而傳揚開來，此南北朝時人的佛��傳入史的歷史觀。二、結論梁啟超1920已舉出永平七年，史上明載正處於西域不通，如何可派使。而日本學者鐮田茂雄《簡明中國佛教史》又舉出漢明帝時傅毅尚是少年，不可能在朝廷作官，認為漢明帝感夢求法非史實。當然『張騫』是西漢武帝時通西域的名人，不在東漢和帝時。於是對於佛教界及佛教史界不少人及著作還在抄入及盛傳的所謂『永平求法』一事，實皆不察史書又不去讀前人之早已考證其偽而仍抄古來妄說一意妄傳，可一言決之。（劉有恒，2019,11,17於台北）[1] 見吾人〈談《後漢書》虛增古文經師鄭眾年壽及事功、司農官職與著作之偽史——出使匈奴被殺害的文人鄭眾竟立軍功、任大司農、反對鹽鐵及著《春秋刪》，及鄭玄偽稱鄭眾為『鄭司農』之故〉，《兩漢經學偽經偽史考》（劉有恒，台北：城邦印書館，2019）

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florenceseaborn-blog · 5 years

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124 Passion Tracks From The 1970s

The wooden console table frequently develops the focal point of 'country residing' as I make certain that a lot of you would certainly presently understand. The purpose was actually to consult with the older riders who started riding Trials prior to 1986, pay tribute to the Champions who left our team (Juan Soler Bultó, Fernando Muñoz, Don Johnson, Martin Lampkin and Ulf Karlsson), realize the attendees in the first main Trial kept in Spain (Test del Tibidabo, Barcelona 2 November 1964), trailblazers Motorbike Nightclubs (coordinating the SSDT, the early Spanish rounds of the Trial Globe Championship, the '3 Days Cingles del Bertí Test' and also the '3 Days Santigosa Trial'. If you reside in the United States, the federal government has a website which has wind maps accessible for any individual to check out which will present you just how windy your particular component of the country is actually compared to various other regions. You may phone from any kind of corrected site phone in the United States and also in tons of other nations using AT&T Prepaid calling cards. Moreover, India rated at 8th; Turkey rated at 9th noting its entry right into the leading 10 countries had an effect on by violence, Bangladesh at 21, Saudi Arabia 26, China 31, United States 32, Russia 33, and UK 35. Together with Pakistan, a beneficial fad was actually likewise taken note in Afghanistan, Nigeria, http://2016healthy-diet-sport.info/alors-quil-est-a-95-deau-et-a-donc-beaucoup and also Syria. The second significant breach of an African Army right into Spain before the Moors, takes place sometime around 700 B.C. throughout the time period of the 25th empire in Egypt, when the Ethiopian Taharka was actually a youthful basic, but just before he had been actually delivered to the throne through his uncle ShabatakaI needed to restate this lead to create a historical connection to what I am actually reviewing above-though I have prompted about Taharka above.( The Viewers can check out this legend in the Center I have actually created titled "The Army Leadership of Egyptian Pharaohs: The Development of Dynasties". The report checks out the scenario for surgery as an indispensable element of medical, focusing on reduced- and middle-income nations, where need is greatest. I like my country music we do not acquire enough of it in the UK graphes. The slogan well-maintained country healthy citizen" also aided the setting by understanding people for certainly not cluttering rubbish like plastic bag right into the ocean given that a sea tortoise would consume it for believing the plastic a jellyfish which is it's principal food items and chock itself. In spite of that in 2010, the Globe Bank called Zambia (previously referred to as Northern Rhodesia) some of the world's fastest economically reformed countries, the Adversary United Party for National Advancement (UPND) has actually made it really clear that they desire even additional tribalism of the country (practically partition) as well as shields their standpoint as a biased association, even presuming in order to call existing Flaw President Individual Scott a "stupid white colored guy" due to his perspective of liberating the racism as well as segregation that uproot this nation. Addressed in tidy nation air, this delicacy is transformed coming from an average item of chicken right into a rich as well as flavorful fare. In some cases though you participate in nation guitar scales, it does certainly not seem like country music. Wedding tunes I really love are actually. Numerous attics and closets across the country are property to classic machines that once crafted the linens and also clothing items that kept the household going decades ago. Even more, to know country music you don't need to participate for full time lessons. The federal government of any type of country strives to moderate people who come in as well as out of their property. I have actually just liked c and w for a number of years. Every thing you need to get started creating and playing your very own love songs. Along with special because of: Yrjo Vesterinen, Competitor Wilson, Oriol Puig Bultó, Eric Kitchen Area, Mick Andrews, Street Leavitt, Cristina Valera Fandos, Ramon Codina, Blackburn Holden V, Gilles Escuyer, Manuel Soler, Steve Saunders, the late Albert John 'Buttons' Switch, Mike Rapley and all the freelance photographers listed below for their co-operation in the preparation of this devoted Trials Master function to Bultaco Motorcycles. When you have actually published web content at Road Articles, allow the primary ping solutions know! Depending on to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the Shawnee team was among many Indian people chosen by the federal authorities to produce bags offered with the restricted run of 50,000 sterling silver dollars.

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siumerghe · 4 years

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Historically, what was the color of wedding dress in China?

In the Chinese costume doramas, no matter the historical period, the bride and the groom usually both wear splendid bright-red clothes.

However, what is shown on screen is not always historically correct. Red does have a festive meaning in China, but at different times there were also different customs and traditions, and the red color became prevalent for weddings relatively late - only during Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties.

Historically, the colors of wedding dress in China were:

From the Western Zhou to the Qin and Han dynasties - black (with red details). The Wei-Jin and the Southern and Northern dynasties - black with red, but also white. The Tang and Song dynasties - green for the bride, red for the groom. The Ming Dynasty - red for the bride, green, blue or red for the groom. The Qing Dynasty - red for both the bride and the groom (or the groom wore his official uniform if he had one).

From the Western Zhou dynasty to the Qin and Han dynasties the wedding clothes followed the Xuanxun principle 玄纁: "xuan" means black, and "xun" means scarlet. The wedding clothes were black, possibly decorated with scarlet patterns, the inner clothes could also be scarlet.

This color combination was considered solemn and sacred: in ancient times black was associated with the sky; and red meant the Earth, so the Xuanxun clothes symbolized the unity of Heaven and Earth.

The preference for the black color was also connected to the fact that the true deep black color is difficult to achieve using simple herbal dyes. Back then it required mineral dyes, and the dyeing process was long and complicated. That’s why black fabric cost a lot and was used only for special occasions.

In the Qin dynasty, the first Chinese emperor Qin Shihuandi promoted the Five Elements theory. He believed that the Qin dynasty belonged to the Water element, which corresponded to the black color, so the flags and the official clothes of the Qin dynasty were black. This also contributed to the high status of the black color.

During the Han dynasty, the base color of the wedding attire was still black. However, due to the development of embroidery craftsmanship, wedding clothes gradually changed. They could be not only pure black but also reddish or yellowish, covered with exquisite embroidery.

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, ethnic integration accelerated, and metaphysics and Buddhism grew in popularity. At that time, people longed to be as free and unrestrained as The Seven Sages of The Bamboo Grove, eager to return to nature and live a simple life. The aesthetics of this period was based on concepts of "nothingness”, “reverting to simplicity”, “pursuing freshness and elegance", so white became popular as a daily dress color. Eventually, even a tradition of a "white wedding" emerged.

From today's point of view, it's a complete subversion of the "red for joy, white for funeral" custom. However, in the Chinese culture white dress didn’t always mean mourning. In fact, traditional mourning clothes were made not from bleached fabric - but from undyed, unbleached, coarse and plain fabric.

This “white wedding” custom wasn’t that widespread, and the black and red color combination prevailed till the Tang dynasty.

Tang was a very prosperous dynasty, the peak era in the development of ancient China. It embraced foreign cultural influences and was the most open and inclusive of all Chinese dynasties. Dyeing techniques were improved, the aesthetics was that of luxury and extravagance, and required bold and bright color combinations. So the tradition called “red man, green woman” 红男绿女 appeared: the groom wore a dark-red outfit, while the bride - a dark-green one. (Now 红男绿女 became an idiom meaning “young men and women in beautiful clothes”.)

The Tang dynasty was the first time when the red color started to be used as a primary wedding color - but only for the groom. During the Tang dynasty, the ceremonial clothes of high-ranking officials were red, so for the groom, this color was considered auspicious and symbolized lofty status.

Female wedding clothes were bright, many-layered, with various decorations, embroidery, etc, and included outer wide-sleeved garment - daxiushan - and the long and wide scarf - pibo. The hairstyle was decorated with ornate combs and hairsticks.

The Song dynasty inherited from Tang the "red man, green woman" tradition, but the wedding clothes became much simpler - in accordance with the Neo-Confucian teachings that advocated frugality and were accepted as the state ideology during this era. Brides were dressed in green, or green with red elements, and wore “lotus crowns“. Gradually “phoenix crowns“ also grew in popularity and soon became indispensable for female wedding attire.

During the Mongolian Yuan dynasty, the majority of the population was prohibited from wearing green, red, purple, and other bright colors by sumptuary laws. Most people had to wear dark brown in their daily life, and the wedding clothes of those who didn’t belong to aristocracy or didn’t have a high official rank were dull and plain.

In the Ming dynasty, the old color scheme of the Tang dynasty became reversed: the groom was usually dressed in green, and the bride - in red:

During this period the sumptuary laws made an exception for weddings: for this festive occasion people could wear clothes that were otherwise forbidden for someone of their status. Ordinary men were allowed to wear the lowest official uniforms when they get married. In the Ming dynasty, official uniforms were divided into three ranks: the highest rank was red, the middle one - blue, and the lowest rank - green.

So, during the Ming dynasty, depending on the grooms’ social status, he could wear either green (in most cases), or blue - if he were an official of the middle rank, or red - if he were a high-ranking official.

The bride’s clothes were red. The bride wore a “phoenix crown” or flower hairpins, a red veil over her head and face (or covered her face with a round fan), and also embroidered shoes as a symbol of good luck.

After the Manchu conquered China and established their Qing dynasty, the clothes and hairstyles changed drastically. The Han Chinese were forced to partially shave their heads (in the traditional Chinese culture cutting or shaving hair was considered a huge disrespect to the ancestors) and to adopt the national Manchu dress. The Han Chinese clothes - hanfu - were abolished (later the ban was partially lifted). On a plus side, the Manchu tried to eliminate the foot-binding tradition - unfortunately, without any success. Eventually, even the Manchu women started to imitate this custom by wearing the so-called “horse-hoof” shoes.

As time went by, the integration of the Manchu and the Han people deepened. The Qing dynasty ruled for a long time, and eventually the Manchu and the Han Chinese cultures pretty much blended together.

During this period, female wedding attire reminded that of the Ming dynasty, being red, with “phoenix crown” on the head, while men would wear formal official clothes of the Qing Dynasty.

#hanfu #tang dynasty #ming dynasty #song dynasty #han dynasty #qin dynasty #qing dynasty

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bettylwt · 6 years

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Chinese Food Part 1

Development of the different styles of cooking in China, which in Chinese usually is called Caixi, or briefly called Cai, represents characteristics of dishes and is often distinguished through the places the dishes are from. For instance, Chuan Style of cooking is mainly from Sichuan province and is one of the most famous Chinese style of food and is well known for being spicy and spicy hot pot. When we talk about Chuan Style of cooking, we will immediately think of spicy foods, which is a strong feature of that style. Song Dynasty (960—1279): At that time, people from the north of China preferred sweet food, and the ones from south preferred salty. There were no people eating spicy food since China did not have chili or pepper at that time. Chili was not introduced to China until the late fifteenth century when Columbus found chili in America and brought it to Europe and through the silver trade to China. After several decades, many northern people migrated to the south, and people from the south began to eat sweet flavored food. Ming Dynasty (1368―1644): Near the end of Ming Dynasty, there were three main styles of cooking, Jing, Su, and Guang. Jing is more focused on salty flavor, whereas Su and Guang are more focused on sweet flavor. Jing style was originated from the Lu style (not concentrated on spicy food, but on salty ones), and since the Lu style had a greater influence than Jing style, many people thought they were the same . One of the theories explaining the similarity between Jing and Lu styles is that Confucius was from Shandong, which is the original origin of the Lu style, since he was really famous, his descendants married several princesses and brought Shandong cooking styles to Beijing, making Jing style similar to Lu. The Su style was mainly in Jiangsu province and places near it. Guang, which has another name, Yue, is mostly from Guangdong province. The difference between Guang and Su styles of cooking is Guang style involves a lot of Edible Chinese Medicine (reference Traditional Chinese Medicine post for more information), while Su style of dishes have strong indications of seasons, which means dishes and vegetables used in the dishes change rapidly from summer to winter. Qing Dynasty (1644—1912): In the middle of Qing Dynasty, the Chuan style of cooking (a very representative style, usually using chili to make dishes spicy) began to develop, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty Chuan became one of the most popular styles. The Yue style (which focuses more on the natural flavors of dishes, without a lot of oil or salt) was mainly from Guangdong province. At this time, four main styles, Chuan, Lu, Yue, and Su, existed. Minguo Period (1912—1949): At this time, the four earlier styles developed in different places, and soon developed into eight different cooking styles, which are Chuan (usually spicy), Lu , Yue, Su (very distinctive sweet flavor), Min (sweet and sour), Zhe (emphasizing chef start cooking with only fresh ingredients) , Xiang (spicy and sour), and Hui (using a lot of oil and salt to make strong flavor, not frying a lot but roasting) , which the major styles of cooking people recognize nowadays in China.

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wionews · 7 years

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The forgotten history of Beijing's first Forbidden City

An ancient site rooted in the heart of modern Beijing, the Forbidden City is one of China’s most famous attractions. Completed in 1420, the city served as the palace of Ming Dynasty emperor, Yongle. Its walls surrounded an area large enough to contain more than 50 Buckingham Palaces, creating a private sanctuary which none but the emperor’s family and eunuchs were permitted to enter.

The Forbidden City became the seat of imperial power in China for almost five centuries and remains an important part of modern China’s cultural heritage today. But it is seldom mentioned that Yongle was not the first emperor to build in that location. In fact, underneath the streets of modern Beijing lie the remains of a much earlier palace.

More than 300 years before the Ming came to power, a walled city was built on the site of present-day Beijing. Entering that city’s gates, you would have been greeted by another, much taller, walled complex; it was within this city within a city, that you might have found the emperors of the long-forgotten Liao Dynasty.

I say “might have” for good reason, as the Liao had not one capital city, but five. The Liao maintained a capital in each of the four cardinal points of their empire and still had the resources to establish another one in the middle for good measure. The emperor and his court would travel between the cities throughout the year.

The name Beijing itself – literally translated as “Northern Capital”, is a reflection of its position within the Ming Empire. To the Liao, however, this same city was known as Nanjing, the “Southern Capital”, revealing a very different world order.

The Liao Dynasty depicted in green. 玖巧仔/Wikimedia commons, CC BY

With lands stretching from Inner-Asia in the west, into Mongolia in the north, and to the Korean peninsula in the east, the Liao Dynasty was one of the major political powers in East Asia from 907 to 1125. Yet this geopolitical influence is the least of the Liao’s achievements.

The Liao have left us some of the finest examples of Buddhist art and architecture in all of Asia. The 65-metre Yingxian Pagoda – the oldest surviving wooden Buddhist pagoda in China – remains one of the tallest timber structures in the world. The dynasty also established administrative structures that were used throughout China’s later imperial history. The precedent for the “one country, two systems” policy – whereby different laws and codes are applied to different regions of the country – which can be seen in Hong Kong and Macau today, could arguably be dated back to the Liao administration.

Missing from history

Despite these lasting legacies, if you were to pick up a book on Chinese history at random, the Liao Dynasty may not even get a mention. Timelines of China’s ruling dynasties frequently omit the Liao in favour of one of their contemporaries – the Song Dynasty. Yet records from the time demonstrate that the Liao and Song were political equals. A clue as to why the Liao are often lost from these historical accounts can be found by peering over those inner walls and into the palaces of the Liao’s five imperial capitals.

Rather than the imposing timber-framed halls of Yongle’s Forbidden City, the Liao imperial family would instead be found living in a series of grand tents. The people who formed the Liao Dynasty originally came from the steppes of north-east Asia and lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle. They were known as the Kitan and, like most nomadic groups, history has not treated them well.

Despite having their own written language, only a small number of Kitan texts survive today, and translating them is often difficult because there are no surviving languages similar enough to help linguists fully decipher the characters. As a result, finding the Kitan or the Liao voice in the historical record proves to be a challenge.

Most of the primary sources that modern historians have for the Liao period were written under the Song Dynasty. As the Liao’s direct political rivals, the Song sources are often less than flattering about the Liao Dynasty, and its Kitan leaders.

Unfortunately, this attitude towards the Liao has worked its way into later sources, keeping the dynasty in the shadows. This began to change when archaeological discoveries of the late 20th century generated new interest in Liao sites. For instance, the finds at the excavation of the tomb of Princess Chen, changed the way people viewed Liao elite culture.

The Liao-period Tianning Temple Pagoda in Beijing, with industrial chimney in background. Jonathan Dugdale, Author provided

Gold and other precious metal artefacts from Liao tombs have become a major draw in public exhibitions around the world. Interest among private collectors is also rising. A small, gilt-bronze, Liao Buddhist statue recently broke the record for an Asian art auction at Christie’s in France, selling for €13,570,500.

With all of this renewed interest, academic studies of the Liao are reassessing the dynasty’s position in Chinese and wider Asian history. Historical texts are being challenged and progress is being made on the translation of the Kitan writing system.

If you visit Beijing today, just about the only evidence you will find of the Liao city is a single pagoda. An ancient monument – once the tallest building in the city – it is now dwarfed by the industrial chimneys that surround it. The history of the Liao Dynasty, in contrast, has never been more visible.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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shanghaiclem · 7 years

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#2 - Social rituals - Tea in China

During our trip to Hangzhou we have visited a little village named Longjing Village. In this area is product the most expensive tea of the world. So we visited its tea museum located in the middle of tea cultures. This village is not really known, we were completly alone at the top of the hill with an amazing view.

In China, there were so many famous teas in the long history. Those famous teas not only presented the characteristics of tea, but also were the models in different periods. Up to today, China has become one of the largest tea producing countries in the world. Tea grows in over 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China. The Chinese tea industry is stepping into an era when tea gets branded.

Material basics of development

Chinese tea industry has a long development history with abundant tea resources, large plant area and excellent natural ecological environment. It owns the comparative advantage in the aspect of the resource endowment, which is the material basis of the tea brand development.

Rudiment of early regional brand

In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the rudiment of early agriculture regional brand was formed in China. In the Han Dynasty, the society had brand consciousness and real object signboards were popular With tea producing area appearing and tea trade developing, the tea regional brand began to sprout.

The classic of tea indicates the concept of early pproducing areas :

In the Tang Dynasty, the tea producing areas in China were clearly defined. According to the Classic of Tea by Lu Yu, tea producing areas in 43 districts and prefectures covered 13 current tea producing provinces. Producing areas accounts for the diverse quality of tea.

Famous teas of the Tang Dynasty

The most famous teas of the Tang Dynasty were Yangxia Tea and Guzhu Zisun According to the Historical Supplement by Li Zhao, there were dozens of wel-known teas.

Modern famour teas

At present, there are 4 macro areas producing tea in the south west, south, north, and south of the Yangtze River of china, mainly distributing in the south of Qinling and Huaihe and the east of Tibet Plateau.

Famous teas of the Ming dynasty

Tribute teas of the Ming Dynasty included Jianning tea, Yixing tea and Liuan tea of Anhui, etc. The imperial tea garden was abolished in AD1391, but tribute teas still supplied and producing areas were still extended. In the middle and later periods of the Ming Dynasty, each tea producing area offered specified number of tribute tea. Many of them were introduced in the Notes on Tea by Xu Cishu.

Brand teas became the rudiment of early marketing brands

In the early years, circulation and consumption of tea were conducted through tearooms engaged in transport and buying & selling of teas. The emergence of “Brand Tea” considered as the conscious awakening of the early marketing brand.

In the Northern & Southern Dynasties, “tea shacks” appeared to provide tea, stopping and accommodation for people. They were the primary tea houses.

In the Song Dynasty based on booming business economy, operating strategies and business of tea houses were more exquisite.

In the late Ming and early Qing. tea merchants organized regional business groups. They used brand in circulation, transport and marketing. For example, as the largest tea house of Hangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, Wenglongsheng, established in 1725, use the mark “Shi Qiu” o distinguish itself from others.

The trademark became the unique ientification of early tea product brand

The ancients paid more attention to producing areas and tea quality when selecting and buying teas. Quality depended on tea makers.

In 1903, the Ministry of Commerce was established. In August of the following year, it issued the first trademark regulations in Chinese history. Real brands appeared.

In 1903, Yiwu Tongqinghao Tea Firm applied to the Qing Government for the trademark "Dragon & Horse". In 1925, it applied to the Trademark Office of the Agriculture and Business Department of Beiyang Government for trademark "Double Lion Pattern”.

Based on the product advertisement in 1913, “Spring Tea” trademark of Ruifeng,Yunnan was the oldest tea trademark in Kunming, Yunnan.

In 1915, many tea brands of China attended the 13th World Expo “Panama Pacific International Exposition” held in San Francisco, USA, and obtained some honors.

In the Republic of China, tea growers from Longjing village, Hangzhou, applied to the Agriculture and Business Department of the National Government, and they registered “Shifeng, Longjing, Yunqi and Hupao” as trademarks. In 1921, the Agriculture and Business Department approved that Longjing Tea became the registered trademark.

There are various tea and tea brands now in China. Regional brands, enterprise product brands and tea marketing brands are significant.

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christinaepilzauthor-blog · 7 years

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Why Margaret Beaufort?

My guest today is a kindred spirit. Judith and I share a love of the Tudor era and the amazing woman who helped to form it. Her latest series features a woman who is more often made the villain in novels, so I asked her about her inspiration for writing from the point of view of the woman famous for being a force behind her son's throne, Margaret Beaufort. Welcome, Judith! I am happy you are here! ~ Samantha

Guest Post by Judith Arnopp

I am often asked why I chose to write about Margaret Beaufort and, although I hate to answer a question with a question, my usual reply is 'Why wouldn't I?' Poor Margaret has gained quite a negative reputation, especially in fiction and I think it has a lot to do with her portraits. The portraiture of most of the women I've written about, Anne Boleyn, Katheryn Parr, Elizabeth of York, depict young, attractive women who've the added bonus of a touch of romance in their lives. Unfortunately for Margaret, her surviving portraits were painted late in life; she appears dour faced, pious and elderly. I believe this severe image has tainted the way authors have chosen to depict her.

It is clear Margaret was never a great beauty, and she never enjoyed a great royal romance but her impact upon history is undeniable. Margaret's political involvement in the wars of the roses helped establish the Tudor dynasty, and her role in Henry's government stabilised it. When I write I imagine I am the protagonist. In Margaret's case I wanted to access the girl and the young woman, so I put away the portrait of the old lady and imagined a painfully young child thrust into the adult world.

Putting aside the assumptions that have been made and using only the known facts of her life, I came up with a rather different view of Margaret. Throughout my life I have favoured York over Lancaster but when it comes to writing I have to be objective. I do not demonise for the sake of drama, history is exciting enough without making too much up. Obviously I use my imagination to fill in gaps, add dialogue etc. but I examine the factual evidence and do my best to consider, without bias, the deeper character of the person I am writing about. When writing in the first person I also have to remember that we are all blind to our own negative side, and Margaret would never have seen her own actions as flawed. This helps me to illustrate her possible motivations without evoking the almost pantomime villain she has become.

Margaret is often blamed for the disappearance of the princes from the Tower but I have found nothing in the record to prove it; there are plenty of other candidates who could be held equally as culpable. Unauthorised entry to the Tower was just not possible; whatever the fate of the boys, it was carried out with either the knowledge of the king or the Constable of the Tower.

Margaret's life, even before her rise to power, was interesting. From infancy she was the sole heiress of the Duke of Somerset, her hand in marriage pursued almost from the cradle. She married four times, her first marriage to John de la Pole took place when she was just six years old but was quickly annulled. Her second marriage, this time to Edmund Tudor at the age of twelve, was also short lived, his death leaving her widowed and pregnant at the age of thirteen. In extremity she turned for support to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor and gave birth of her only son at his stronghold in Pembroke. It is believed the birth left Margaret so damaged she could conceive no further children.

Her third marriage to Henry Stafford, second son of the Duke of Buckingham, was of her own choosing, providing her with access to Edward IV's court. In the years that followed Margaret trod a dangerous path through the complexities of the war between York and Lancaster – her heart lay with her Lancaster kin, but when York finally won the throne she seems to have bowed to the inevitable and accepted Edward IV's rule.

With the royal nursery quickly filling with York heirs, the idea of Henry Tudor ever attainting the throne at this time would not have occurred to her but she petitioned instead for his pardon and the return of his estates.

Margaret managed to survive the upheaval of the next few years while power passed to and fro between York and Lancaster. Henry Stafford died of wounds received at Barnet, fighting for York, leaving Margaret widowed again. She remarried swiftly, choosing for her final husband the powerful northern magnate, Thomas Stanley. This union brought Margaret even closer to the royal family where she formed a link with the Queen, Elizabeth Woodville; a relationship which, after King Edward's sudden death in 1483, was to develop into intrigue.

Initially she seems to have accepted Richard of Gloucester's claim to the throne, bearing the new Queen, Anne Neville's train at the coronation. It was not until later that she began to plot actively to place her own son on the throne but there is nothing to suggest she was complicit in any plan to murder the princes. In fact, there is no actual evidence that they were killed at all – they disappeared, there were later murmurings against Gloucester but nothing has ever been satisfactorily proven. It is the mystery surrounding this period in history that makes it so interesting and irresistible to authors. There are as many theories as there are candidates for the crime (if any existed).

After Bosworth, when Henry became king, Margaret was finally in a position of power. She is often portrayed as the 'mother-in-law from hell' but, while there may have been initial resentments between Margaret and Henry's queen, Elizabeth of York, as there often are between in-laws, ultimately relations between the two women were amicable. While the queen confined her interests to the royal nursery and charitable works, playing no part in administration, Margaret took a leading role in Henry's government. She was one of his chief advisors, taking charge of finances and the running of the royal household, overseeing the upbringing and education of the royal children.

In my novels that form The Beaufort Chronicles, writing from Margaret's perspective, I try to illustrate her motives, show the events and the people of the fifteenth century through her eyes. I have to 'know' only what she may have known. I give voice to her inner self, her passions, even the negative thoughts we all have but never speak aloud. Novels are, of course, only fiction but after the treatment she has received in both fiction and non-fiction, I think she is deserving of a voice.

People love to have someone to blame, and Margaret being plain, pious and forthright provides the perfect scapegoat. She was clearly no beauty but her portraits were taken in later life; the purpose was not to display her good looks but rather her piety, her charity and her intelligence which were, in those days, virtues to be proud of. It seems strange that today these characteristics have come to be regarded in the negative.

Piety in the middle ages was the norm; it would have been far more remarkable if she'd been atheist or lax at prayer. In the twenty-first century we have become uneasy around intense devotion to God, and because of this, in trying to make sense of emotions that are foreign to us, authors have resorted to portraying her as a religious fanatic. But perhaps, if we had to endure the unsanitary conditions of the fifteen century; the child mortality, the frequent bouts of pestilence and famine, and the ever-present threat of death we too might turn to the protection of a greater supernatural power.

I won't deny that Margaret was a forthright woman but determination gets things done and Margaret is one of the few medieval women to have set out, virtually unaided, to achieve her goals. Initially, she seems to have accepted York's rule, she was compliant under Edward IV and in the early part of Richard III's reign but at some point, her agenda altered and she began to work toward what she saw as the rights of her son.

Margaret played a huge part in providing Henry with the means to invade England and take possession of the throne. After Bosworth and the reward of seeing her only child crowned King of England she could have sat back and enjoyed her dotage. Instead, she continued to work diligently for the Tudor cause. She assisted in the establishment of the dynasty and was a key figure at Henry's court, building the public Tudor image, attending to the administration of the court, and overseeing the raising of the Tudor heirs.

Tudors are not everyone's favourite royal dynasty and there are those who will never see virtue in Margaret Beaufort's role in the wars of the roses but, dynastic preferences aside, she was a strong determined person, a religious person who did not rely on beauty to buy her way into power. She relied solely upon her remarkably agile mind. If she were a man she'd be hailed as a political genius.

Connect with Judith

Judith's historical novels offer a view of the Tudor court from the perspective of the women close to the throne.

You can connect with her on her website.

Find her books on Amazon.

Her work includes:

The Beaufort Bride: Book One of The Beaufort Chronicles

The Beaufort Woman: Book Two of The Beaufort Chronicles

The King's Mother: Book Three of The Beaufort Chronicles – coming soon

A Song of Sixpence: the story of Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck

Intractable Heart: the story of Katheryn Parr

The Winchester Goose: at the court of Henry VIII

The Kiss of the Concubine: a story of Anne Boleyn

Medieval Novels

The Song of Heledd

The Forest Dwellers

Peaceweaver

Source: Samantha Wilcoxson

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