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The Fengshan Ritual: China’s Supreme Ceremony of Heaven and Earth Only the Son of Heaven Could Perform It — From the First Emperor to the Song Dynasty A Hierarchy of the Sacred: Who Could Worship What To a reader shaped by Christianity or other Western religious traditions, this may seem deeply strange. In those traditions, prayer is available to everyone — the poorest farmer and the most powerful king kneel before the same God, and no earthly rank determines one’s…

The boy named “joint rule” who was never let in. — The Tongzhi Emperor was given a name that promised him everything and handed him nothing. Tongzhi (同治) means “joint rule.” Yet the boy who carried it was kept outside that rule from before he could even speak. The power was shared, just never with him — it was shared between his mother, Empress Dowager Cixi, and the thin screen she sat behind while the empire was governed in her…

LATE QING DYNASTY SERIES February 12, 1912: The Day Two Thousand Years of Imperial China Came to an End Empress Dowager Longyu, Yuan Shikai, and the Last Act of the Qing Dynasty On February 12, 1912, a six-year-old boy named Puyi signed away the throne his family had held for nearly three centuries. With that act, more than two thousand years of continuous imperial rule in China — a system that traced its origins to the First Emperor of Qin…

The Guangxu Emperor: The Emperor Who Said He Didn’t Need Power Imprisoned by Cixi, possibly poisoned — yet Guangxu never broke. He launched 103 days of reform to save China. The emperor who chose mission over power.The Guangxu Emperor and the 103-Day Revolution That Failed Late Qing Dynasty Series “If it would save the country, I do not need to hold power.” No emperor in Chinese history was supposed to say this. Princes fought and bled for the throne. Empress…

Lü Buwei: The Merchant Who Bought a King In the article on [Bu coins (the price of a person in ancient China)], we saw that in antiquity a human being could carry a price tag. One man pushed that idea to its absolute limit. Grain, pearls, talent — and finally a single prince — he cornered them all as qihuo — literally “rare huo,” rare value worth hoarding. His name was Lü Buwei: the central figure of the drama The…

The Light and Shadow of History History is often told from the perspective of the victors. In modern Chinese history after the Xinhai Revolution, while Miyazaki Toten, who supported Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary movement, is widely known, the stories of those who remained loyal to the Qing Dynasty are rarely told. Today, we introduce the life of Kodaira Soji, a figure hidden in the “shadows of history.” Devotion to the Qing Dynasty Born in 1876 in Hotaka Village (present-day Azumino City),…

Organizing the Facts On the night of November 10, 1931, Puyi escaped from Tianjin and arrived in Yingkou on the 13th, heading toward Manchukuo. Sixteen days after Puyi’s departure, on November 26, an escape operation for Empress Wanrong was executed. The Operation Team – Planner: Yoshida Chutaro, translator for the Tianjin Garrison – Accompanying members: – Kawashima Yoshiko – Mrs. Yoshida Chutaro – Wanrong’s brother – Imperial eunuch – Lady-in-waiting – Japanese Army Colonel The Moment of Decision About ten…

Why was Puyi given special protection? After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the privileges of the imperial family and aristocracy during the Qing Dynasty were supposed to have been completely denied, restoration of honor and special protection were given to Emperor Puyi and the mellow imperial family. Why is that? Sun Yat-sen’s “Republic of the Five Tribes” In the early stages, the revolutionaries adopted an extreme Manchurianism that regarded the entire Manchu tribe as the enemy and…

Excellence in Visual Expression This work features exquisitely refined imagery and Japanese dialogue, conveying deep cultural meanings that cannot be fully captured through English subtitles alone. Through the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, it masterfully expresses the complex psychology of two characters. The Significance of the Tea Room Space The path to the tea room is carefully depicted in the visuals: – Stepping stones: A bridge to the sacred world – Tsukubai (washing basin): A ritual place for cleansing hands and…

 Writing has played a crucial role in preserving Japan’s rich cultural heritage. Let’s explore how Japan developed its distinctive writing system and literary traditions.  The Beginning: A Culture Without Writing Before developing their writing system, Japanese society relied entirely on oral tradition. Skilled storytellers passed down important legends and cultural stories from generation to generation, keeping their history alive through spoken word. The Chinese Influence When Japan began establishing connections with mainland China, they made a significant cultural borrowing: the…

In 1936, a Labour government was formed in New Zealand, and the new Prime Minister, Michael Joseph, promised to improve relations with Samoa. The new government reviewed several rules and laws, including establishing Samoan associate judges in the courts and hiring Samoans and local Europeans in the public sector. They also set up a registry office to recognize land rights. In 1947, Samoan leaders sent a letter to the United Nations asking for autonomy. The UN sent a delegation to…

New Zealand governed Samoa from 1919 to 1962, but initially struggled to understand and rule the country effectively. Samoa had a self-governing system in which chiefs in each village held important roles and responsibilities. However, the New Zealand government forbade Samoans from fulfilling these roles and transferred power from the matai, or village chiefs, to the New Zealand government. The New Zealand government even had the power to revoke the title of matai, which was deeply hurtful to Samoans as…