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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!)ᇧଲ) . 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.