9 articles
How a Ming dynasty retired official built China's most celebrated classical garden in Suzhou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site still admired by visitors today.
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Li Shizhen spent 27 years writing the Bencao Gangmu, a Ming dynasty encyclopedia of 1,892 medicinal plants, animals, and minerals. Here is his life and legacy.
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The Ming Dynasty official, military commander, and philosopher who developed one of the most radical ideas in Chinese thought — that the mind is the universe, that knowledge without action is not knowledge, and that everyone has the capacity to become a sage.
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Chinese lacquerware (漆器) is a 7,000-year craft tradition where artisans build up 30+ thin layers of tree-sap lacquer, often carved or inlaid. Here is the history, the techniques, and how to start collecting.
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Step inside Pingyao, the world's best-preserved Ming-era walled city, and home to Rishengchang — China's first draft bank founded in 1823.
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The Imperial Examination System operated for 1,300 years — selecting Chinese government officials based on intellectual ability rather than family background. It created the world's first truly meritocratic bureaucracy, influenced British civil service reform in the 19th century, and directly inspired the modern Chinese gaokao university entrance exam.
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Discover the incredible voyages of Zheng He — the Chinese admiral who led the largest fleet in history decades before Columbus crossed the Atlantic. Learn how his seven epic journeys reshaped maritime history.
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Journey through millennia of Chinese ceramic artistry, from ancient Neolithic vessels to the exquisite porcelain that graced imperial courts and captivated collectors worldwide.
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Discover the magnificent Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when Zheng He's treasure ships sailed the oceans, the Forbidden City was built, and Chinese culture reached new heights of refinement.
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