ANCIENT HISTORY
Three Romantic Tales for Qixi Festival
Discover some lesser-known love stories for Chinese Valentine’s Day
Ancient History
ANCIENT HISTORY
How Ancient Chinese Scholars Celebrated Graduation
In the Tang dynasty, scholars celebrated the end of exams with food, bribes, and cosying up to officials
ANCIENT HISTORY
How Prophecies Were Key to Maintaining Power in Ancient China
How rulers and would-be rulers used and manipulated prophetic texts
ANCIENT HISTORY
How Ancient Chinese Got Their Hair Cut
Hair was almost sacred to some ancient Chinese, and hairdressers eventually cashed in
ANCIENT HISTORY
The Child Role Models of Chinese History
Child prodigies and model kids from ancient China for Children’s Day
ANCIENT HISTORY
Ancient China’s Favorite Poisons
Tales of treachery behind four toxins from Chinese history
ANCIENT HISTORY
How a Daoist Movement Emerged Out of Han Dynasty Chaos
As the Han empire crumbled and the Yellow Turban Rebellion sought to overthrow imperial rule, the “Way of the Five Pecks of Rice” quietly planted the…
ANCIENT HISTORY
Ancient Poems About Laborers’ Plight
On International Workers’ Day, we take a look at how ancient poets wrote about labor and the working classes
ANCIENT HISTORY
How Did Ancient Chinese Mourn the Deceased?
On Qingming Festival, here’s a look at some ancient Chinese mourning rituals, from costume and diet, to mourning periods and wedding bans
ANCIENT HISTORY
The Russian Refugees Who Made a Home in Qing China
How a priest from today’s Ukraine and a band of Siberian refugees built a Russian Orthodox mission in the heart of the Qing Empire
ANCIENT HISTORY
How Ancient Chinese Seniors Spent Their Retirement
Retirement from working wasn’t always bliss for ancient Chinese officials
ANCIENT HISTORY
Three Ancient Chinese Banquets that Changed History
Ancient feasts were venues of political intrigue, murder, and even cannibalism
