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Essence of China
Liu Xiu: Decisive emperor of great mercy
occurred during his reign, Liu Xiu
blamed his own lack of virtue as the
reason for his failure to protect his
people from the disaster.
Due to a civil war brought on by
Wang Mang (ӆൔ*, a court official
who usurped the throne from the
Liu family in A.D. 9, the Han Dynasty
is identified as having two distinct
periods.
With its capital in western
Chang’an (࡯֜*, the earlier period is
known as the Western Han Dynasty
(206 B.C.–A.D. 9), founded by Liu
Bang (ዥ۶*, or Emperor Gaozu of
Han!)ᇧ௏ଲ) . Later, the Han capital
was established in Luoyang )ॖེ)
and historians refer to that period
as the Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D.
25–220).
Accepting criticism
There is a story that demonstrates Liu
Xiu’s admirable character through his
ability to accept criticism and correct
his own mistakes.
After Liu Xiu became emperor,
he assigned Song Hong as his grand
minister. Song Hong recommended
that Huan Tan be appointed a court
adviser based on his knowledge and
skills.
Huan Tan was also an excellent
musician and Liu Xiu liked his music
very much. He had Huan play at
every court banquet.
Song Hong was very unhappy
about this. He blamed Huan Tan for
distracting the emperor, saying, “I
recommended you for the position
of court adviser, not court musician.
Where are you leading the emperor?!
Will you correct yourself or shall I
remove you from the position?”
Huan Tan knelt and apologized,
accepting responsibility for his error.
A few days later, at a banquet
arranged for court officials, Liu Xiu
again asked Huan Tan to play for him.
Huan was about to obey when he saw
Song Hong. He became afraid and
didn’t know what to do. The emperor
asked Song the reason for Huan’s
hesitation.
Song rose from his seat, took off his
official hat, and apologized, saying, “I
recommended Huan Tan to the court
for his loyalty and righteousness,
knowing he would serve you well. But
now his contributions have the court
indulging in music and pleasure. It
is my fault.”
After hearing this, Liu Xiu felt
ashamed for overlooking Huan’s advisory skills in favour of his musicianship and he apologized to Song Hong.
During his
32-year reign
as emperor, Liu
Xiu vigorously
promoted
Confucianism
and put great
emphasis on
moral courage.
Liu Xiu )ዥ‫( )ې‬5 B.C. –A.D. 57), or
Guangwu Di (ՠࣦ߳* (“Brilliant Martial Emperor”), founded the Eastern
Han Dynasty shortly after Wang
Mang’s death and immediately set
out to reunify a divided China.
A descendant of Liu Bang, Liu Xiu
was instrumental in reviving Han
rule by supporting a rebellion led by
his cousin Liu Xuan )ዥԮ* against
Wang Mang.
Liu Xiu was known not only for his
exceptional talent in military strategy, but also for being an open and
honest man who bestowed rewards
and punishments in a fair and transparent way.
In the period of time from when
Wang Mang seized the Western Han
throne to the establishment of the
Eastern Han Dynasty, the civil war
had devastated much of China.
Re-establishing a dynasty
Soon after proclaiming himself
emperor, Liu Xiu adopted a series of
policies to boost the economy and
make peace with neighbouring countries. This served to revive the Han
Dynasty from its war-torn state.
Rather than appoint war-time
subordinates, Liu Xiu recruited well-
After restoring the Han Dynasty and reunifying China, Liu Xiu governed the revived nation with
great mercy. He was also a diligent and tireless administrator, a very studious man, and a humble
and frugal monarch who always guarded against arrogance and extravagance.
educated scholars to manage national
affairs. He believed that generals were
good with martial orders but not with
civil laws. He recognized that many
generals had become too arrogant
to obey orders or laws because they
had developed a heightened sense
of self-importance based on their
achievements during the wars.
Once his rule was secure, Liu Xiu
awarded many of the generals with
the title of duke and gave them great
wealth, but he kept them out of government posts.
Liu Xiu reinstated the previous
system of centralized government
by requiring local governors to personally report to him. Furthermore,
he reduced the number of official
positions. This was to prevent the
dynasty from falling back into the
hands of powerful ministers, dukes,
and leaders of local clans.
Liu Xiu recognized that the draconian laws introduced by Wang Mang
had caused widespread resentment.
His war experience had led him to
prefer peaceful solutions over conflict; thus, as emperor, he was known
to be decisive, yet to have great mercy. He issued amnesty orders many
times to free slaves and release minor
offenders from imprisonment.
Rebuilding a nation
To correct an onerous tax system, Liu
Xiu adopted minimal policies that
reduced the tax burden. To encourage
increased agricultural production,
he reduced taxes on farmers from
10 to 3.3 percent. He also adopted a
tax relief policy that eliminated the
burden on elders, widows, and the
poor who suffered the most from the
civil war.
To address border security issues,
Liu Xiu reinforced the border infrastructures and improved the border defence system. Prisoners were
encouraged to join military service
on the frontier in return for reduced
sentences.
Liu Xiu is also reputed to have
been strict with himself, yet to have
treated others with great tolerance.
During the civil war, many generals
who had once been enemies joined
him and he gave them a high level
of trust.
When a devastating earthquake
Dedicated to promoting righteous
behaviour
During his 32-year reign as emperor,
Liu Xiu vigorously promoted Confucianism and put great emphasis
on “qì jié”!)૛ႏ*- moral courage or
integrity.
Later, historians would consider his
era the time of “the height of moral
character and the peak of Confucianism.”
Liu Xiu was also a diligent and tireless administrator and a very studious man, with a love of learning from
a young age.
As well, he was a humble and frugal monarch who always guarded
against arrogance and extravagance
and had a great concern for the wellbeing of the people.
Under Liu Xiu’s reign, Chinese
society quickly recovered from the
destruction caused by the civil war,
social conflicts eased, and people
lived peaceful and happy lives.
JULY 12 – 18, 2013
ӎ
ZONA YEH/THE EPOCH TIMES
BY DAVID WU
EPOCH TIMES STAFF
14
Chinese
character:
Light, bright
BY CINDY CHAN
EPOCH TIMES STAFF
The Chinese character
for “light” or “bright,” ⃱!
(ŨŶ聠ůŨ), is composed of
two other characters: At
the top is!䀓ġĩũŶ聯Ī, fire, and
below is ⃧ (er or ér), which
means son or child and is
the simplified form of the
traditional character!⃺!
(er or ér).
The character
depicts a fire
shining above
a man, or a
person holding
up a burning
object for light.
The character!⃱ depicts
a fire shining above a man,
or a person holding up a
burning object for light.
This character can be seen
to convey the idea that
the discovery of fire led
humankind on the path
to advancement, culture,
and civilization.
⃱ġ is used in many
familiar terms. Examples
include ⃱≃ (ŨŶ聠ůŨġ ŭǭĪ,
illuminating power; ⃱
Ṗ (ŨŶ聠ůŨġliàng) or!⃱㖶
(ŨŶ聠ůŨ míng), bright, clear,
or promising; ⃱㥖!(ŨŶ聠ůŨġ
róng), honour or glory;!⃱
昘!(ŨŶ聠ůŨġź聩ů), time<!⃱
⬠ (ŨŶ聠ůŨġŹŶǪ), optics; and!
⃱⸜ (ŨŶ聠ůŨġ ůŪǢů), light
year.
⃱㖶㬋⣏ (ŨŶ聠ůŨ míng
zhèng dà) is a phrase used
to praise upright behaviour that is open, frank,
and aboveboard.
⃱昘⤪䭕!(ŨŶ聠ůŨġź聩ůġrú
jiàn) advises people that
time flies like an arrow,
and!⃱⬿侨䣾 (ŨŶ聠ůŨġŻ聭ůŨġ
źǡŰġ Ż聳) means to bring
honour to one’s ancestors.
BARBARA HENRY/PHOTOS.COM
‘Thin-lamb teacher’ leaves the best for others
Story of the Chinese idiom 䗎伲⌂⢓ (shòu yáng bó shì)
Zhen Yu, an honest and humble scholar who chose the smallest
and thinnest lamb for himself and left the bigger and fatter
sheep for others, made a deep impression on the emperor and
everyone around him.
Emperor Guangwu Di )⃱㬎ⷅ* (6
B.C.–A.D. 57), the first emperor of the
Eastern Han Dynasty, established
an advanced institute for the teachings of Confucianism. The institute’s
principal teachers were called “boshi”!
)⌂⢓).
Among these teachers was Zhen Yu!
)䒬⬯*- a pure-hearted, honest, and
humble scholar who had few desires
and often modestly declined personal
benefits.
At the end of every year, the emperor would issue an order to award a
sheep to each boshi.
The official in charge of distributing
the sheep often had difficulty knowing how to go about this, as sheep
varied greatly in size—some were big,
some were small, some were fat, and
some were thin.
One year, the official suggested
either to slaughter the sheep and
divide the meat evenly, or to draw
lots on the sheep.
Hearing his words, Zhen Yu stepped
forward and asked for the smallest
and thinnest lamb. All the other
teachers felt ashamed upon seeing
this. From then on, there were no
Sudoku Sudoku
Puzzles
for Peace
will return
next week
Fill in the boxes using numbers
between 1 and 9 so that each column, each row, and each 3x3 square
contain all nine numbers only once.
more arguments about how to divide
the sheep.
Emperor Guangwu Di heard about
this and was very impressed by Zhen
Yu’s conduct. One day, he inquired
specifically about Zhen Yu at the
royal court. “Where is that thin-lamb
boshi?” the emperor asked.
From then on, Zhen Yu had the
nickname “thin-lamb boshi” (䗎伲⌂
⢓- pronounced shòu yáng bó shì) and
was highly praised among government officials and citizens alike. Due
to his great virtue and talent, he was
quickly promoted and soon became
the teacher to the princes.
Later generations used the phrase
“thin-lamb boshi” to praise those who
take matters lightly when it comes to
vested interest and individual gain
and are able to exercise self-restraint
while saving the best for others.
Another Chinese idiom that conveys the same meaning is ⃳⶙嬻Ṣ
(kèġū聫ġųǡůŨ rén)—to restrain oneself
and to defer or yield to others or
give way to others with courtesy and
respect.
Adapted from clearwisdom.net
GEOGRAPHY GURU
Growing Your Geography Knowledge
Quiz 426
SAME TIME, DIFFERENT CONTINENT:
Some pairs of cities, though located thousands of miles from
each other, are situated in the same time zone. Match each
city on the left with its counterpart on the right.
Berlin
Boston
Dublin
Halifax
Manila
Minsk
Moscow
Addis Ababa
Dakar
Johannesburg
La Paz
Lagos
Lima
Perth
Read The Epoch Times next week for the answer!
This week's solution
nswer for Quiz 425:
AMERICAN COMMONWEALTHS:
The four states that are officially commonwealths in name:
KENTUCKY, MASSACHUSETTS, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA.