China's Story in Myth, Legend, Art and Annals |
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Admiral Kempff American ancient Annam army Asia battle became began Boxer brave British Buddhist called Canton captured century China Chinese civilization Confucius court diplomacy dragon dynasty earth East empire empress dowager envoys Europe Europeans famous feudal fire flag fleet force foreign Formosa French guns Han dynasty Heaven honor human hundred Hung Chang ideas imperial indemnity India Japan Japanese king Korea land language legations Li Hung Chang lived Louis Kempff Manchu Manchuria mandarins millions Ming Ming dynasty minister missionaries Mongols nations native Christians nese northern palace peace Peking Peking government Ping pire Port Arthur Prince Kung province railway rebels reform refused religion River Roman rulers Russia sent ships soldiers spirit stories taels Taku forts Tang Taoist Tartars things thousand Tien Tsin tion trade treaty tribes troops United Wei-hai-wei West Western women Yang-tse young emperor Yunnan
Popular passages
Page 32 - ... to restore this, its correct orthography. The intrusion of the r is accounted for in the following manner. "When, in the reign of St Louis of France, the hordes of this savage race were devastating eastern Europe, the tale of their ravages was brought to the pious king, who exclaimed with horror : " Well may they be called Tartars, for their deeds are those of fiends from Tartarus.
Page 72 - With axle creaking, all on fire I went, To fetch my young and lovely bride. No thirst or hunger pangs my bosom rent — I only longed to have her by my side. I feast with her, whose virtue fame had told, Nor need we friends our rapture to behold.
Page 76 - When a son is born — in a lordly bed Wrap him in raiment of purple and red; Jewels and gold for playthings bring, For the noble boy who shall serve the King. 'When a girl is born — in coarse cloth wound, With a tile for a toy, let her lie on the ground, In her bread and her beer be her praise or her blame, And let her not sully her parent's good name.
Page 136 - Of him it has been written that ' under his hands, the language of which China is so proud, may be said to have reached perfection of finish, of art concealed. In subtlety of reasoning, in the lucid expression of abstractions, such as in English too often elude the faculty of the tongue, Su Tung-po is an unrivalled master.
Page 160 - See the five variegated peaks of you mountain, connected like the fingers of the hand, And rising up from the south, as a wall midway to heaven : At night, it would pluck, from the inverted concave, the stars of the Milky Way ; During the day, it explores the zenith and plays with the clouds. The rain has ceased — and the shining summits are apparent in the void expanse; The moon is up — and looks like a bright pearl over the expanded palm ; One might imagine that the Great Spirit had stretched...
Page 78 - Like pelicans, which eager watch, Upon the dam, their prey to catch, And spare to wet the beak, Are those who richest favours share, But take no part in toil or care, Nor the State's welfare seek.
Page 156 - Mongols' gifts to China was the stimulus and fertilization of the native intellect in the domain of the imagination." Similarly, Vincent Smith, the latest historian of India, remarks that "the rule of the able and long-lived monarchs of the Gupta dynasty coincided with an extraordinary outburst of intellectual activity of all kinds. The personal patronage of the kings no doubt has some effect, but deeper causes...
Page 73 - In other verses, the wife of a great officer bewails his absence on duty and longs for the joy of his return.
Page 71 - Confucius removed those which were only repetitions of others, and selected those which would be serviceable for the inculcation of propriety and righteousness.
Page 79 - Verse-writing literary parties and contests are very common. The Worthies of the Bamboo Grove, a club of seven convivial men of letters, about AD 275, are among those most renowned. Many improvised poems are popularly known and quoted, the following stanza being among the most famous. A tyrant and usurper, jealous of his brother, who had talents as a poet, hoping to bring him to confusion, commanded him publicly to compose an ode while taking seven paces. Equal to the occasion, the poet took seven...