Adeline Yen Mah » Uncategorized

Boy-King With a Mission (Cont’d 1)

aileen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:30:25 +0000

When he ascended the throne in 247 BC, China was divided into seven states long been at war with one another. The boy-king began his reign with three goals. One was to conquer the other six states and unite the country. Another was to be the most powerful ruler in China. The last was to erect the grandest tomb ever built. He succeeded in all three[...]

Boy-King With a Mission

aileen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:47:13 +0000

BOY-KING WITH A MISSION

The man who became First Emperor, Qin Shi-huang, was just 13 years old when he became ruler of the Kingdom of Qin in central-west China. Although only a boy, he was determined to succeed and to make his mark in history.

First Emperor of All China

aileen — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:30:44 +0000

FIRST EMPEROR OF ALL CHINA 259–206 BC

China’s written history goes back thousands of years but weʼll begin just 2200 years ago with the man who first united China. He began the Great Wall and built the biggest tomb in history for himself, complete with an army of 7000 clay soldiers. He said his Qin Dynasty would last 10,000 generations. It ended three years after his death.

The start of silk production in Constantinople

aileen — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:30:55 +0000

Around 550AD, two visiting monks took the risk. They returned from China to the Byzantine Emperor Justin’s court with silkworm eggs hidden in their hollow bamboo walking sticks. That was the start of silk production in Constantinople (present day Istanbul). The Persians leaned the art of silk weaving from the Greeks, but it was not until the thirteenth century that silk production became widespread in Italy and the rest of Europe.

The Story of Silk (Cont’d 4)

aileen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:30:03 +0000

Because the silk trade was so valuable, Chinese methods of silk production were a closely guarded trade secret. Anyone smuggling silkworm eggs out of China was punished by death[...]

The Story of Silk ( Cont’d 3)

aileen — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:40:03 +0000

Silk was greatly valued and often used as currency or money. A man’s salary would be a certain length of silk per year. Silk garments were worn by Roman emperors, who called the Chinese Seres (Silk people). The clothes are beautiful, light and comfortable, being cool in summer and warm in winter[...]

The Story of Silk (Cont’d 2)

aileen — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:30:19 +0000

The cocoons are steamed to kill the worms inside, then they are dipped in hot water to loosen the silk filaments. These filaments are unwound and six to eight filaments are twisted together to make a silk thread. The threads are woven into cloth [...]

The Story of silk (Cont’d1)

aileen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:30:20 +0000

Over the years, the Chinese were able to breed a species of silk moth that is blind and unable to fly. Each lays 500 or more eggs in a few days and then dies. After hatching, the baby worms are fed on freshly chopped mulberry leaves day and night for about a month until they become fat. Each then spins a cocoon around itself, and this is where the silk comes from. Every cocoon is made of a filament about 800 meters (875 yards) long. [...]

The Story of Silk

aileen — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:30:15 +0000

Legend says that silk was first made by the wife of the Yellow Emperor 5000 years ago. She kept silkworms and invented the loom. Silk fragments, ribbons and threads dating from the 3000 BC have been found in eastern China [...]

The Color Blue

aileen — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:30:16 +0000

The five primary colors in China are:

Red Black Yellow White Green

Blue is not one of the five primary colors in China. It is the color of the ocean, the sky and immortality. According to legend，the universe began as an egg. Out of the egg hatched a man named Pan Gu. Half of Pan Gu’s shell became the sky above, and the other half formed the ocean below. Pan Gu grew for 18000 years，separating the sky from the ocean further and further. Finally he collapsed and became immortal.