History & Culture

The Thousand-Year Legacy of China’s Brush Capital: Exploring Wengang Geographic Connections Jinxian County, Wengang Town, Lidu Town, Nanchang, Linchuan (Historical Jurisdiction), Fu River, Lake Junshan, Wengang Street, Shahe Village, Zou Family of Qiantang, Donggui Village. Millennial Roots: The Historical Origins and Ming Dynasty Transition of Wengang Brushes Wengang Town in Jinxian County (formerly under Linchuan County) is world-renowned as the “Hometown of the Chinese Writing Brush.” According to the Jinxian County Chronicle, the history of brush making in Wengang and neighboring Lidu Town dates back over 2,100 years. Legend has it that the techniques were brought from Central China by Guo Jie and Zhu Xing during the Qin Dynasty. By the 4th century AD, the legendary calligrapher Wang Xizhi specifically requested brushes from this region while serving as an official in Linchuan, highlighting the early prestige of these tools. ...

Wang Yangming’s Conquest and the Founding of Chongyi: Governance In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the border areas of southern Jiangxi, western Fujian, Hunan, and Guangdong were characterized by high mountains and deep valleys, where government authority struggled to reach. During the Zhengde era, a massive peasant uprising broke out here, eventually leading to the iron-fisted suppression by the “Master of Mind Philosophy,” Wang Yangming, and the birth of a new county—Chongyi County. This transformation was not only a military victory but also a profound shift in governance, turning a “region of fierce bandits” into a “land of etiquette and scholarly robes.” ...

History of Wanzai Fireworks: Li Tian’s Hometown and the Rise of Modern Abstract Wanzai County, revered as the birthplace of Li Tian, the ‘ancestor of firecrackers,’ holds a unique position in China’s industrial history. Since the 8th year of the Wanli era in the Ming Dynasty (1580), fireworks production in Wanzai has evolved from a folk custom into a cornerstone of the regional economy. By 1935, the industry reached its zenith, employing over 3,000 specialists and exporting upwards of 100,000 cases annually. This article draws on the Wanzai County Chronicles to reconstruct the transformation of Wanzai’s pyrotechnics from household workshops to a modern industry, examining its contributions to the Li Tian cultural heritage, modern Chinese fireworks trade history, and the intricate Wanzai fireworks production process. ...

The Gan-Yue Ancient Road and Meiguan Pass Geographic Connections Standing at the Zhemei Pavilion on the Dayuling ridge and looking south, you can see the Gujiaowei confluence (modern Ganzhou’s Zhanggong District) where two rivers part ways. The Zhang River flows north toward Poyang Lake and the Yangtze; the Gong River flows south into the Pearl River system. One ridge, two rivers, two directions. Meiguan Pass sits at the lowest saddle of this ridge, only 430 meters above sea level—the easiest breach across the entire Nanling Mountains. From the Qin and Han dynasties through Ming and Qing, any army or merchant caravan traveling between Lingnan and the north had to pass through this saddle. ...

The Yimen Chen Clan of De’an: A Social Experiment in Communal Living Geographical Connections Jiujiang Prefecture (Jiangzhou) De’an County (Putang Field) Shengzhi Peak (Mount Lu) Qijili (Shizi Township, Jiujiang County) Aicaoping (Cheqiao Township, De’an County) Dongjia Mountain (30 km west of De’an) Jinling (Nanjing) Introduction: A Millennial Miracle of Kinship In the annals of Chinese lineage history, the Yimen Chen Clan of Jiangzhou exists as a near-mythical entity. From the establishment of family codes by patriarch Chen Chong in the 1st year of the Dashun era of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (890 AD) to their imperial-ordered dispersal in the 7th year of the Jiayou era of Emperor Renzong of Song (1062 AD), this clan conducted a communal living experiment for 332 years [1], [2]. They achieved the feat of 14 generations living under one roof, with over 3,900 people sharing a single kitchen—a pinnacle of patriarchal management and a profound practice in communal resource sharing and moral governance [3], [4]. ...

The Legacy of Martial Prowess: Rise, Fall, and Regulations of Jiujiang Abstract Jiujiang, historically known as Xunyang, has long served as a “strategic gateway of the southeast” and a perennial theater of war. In 1527 (the 6th year of the Jiajing reign), He Fei (also recorded as He Qu), the local military defense official (Bingbei), observed a critical lack of formal education among the children of military officers. He subsequently established the Yiwu Academy in the southeast corner of the Jiujiang Wei (Garrison) headquarters, pioneering the integration of literary and military studies in the region. The academy was a grand complex with over 30 bays (ying) of buildings, focusing on the Seven Military Classics and the Six Arts. Although destroyed during the late Ming and early Qing transitions, its influence on military education persisted until the formal abolition of the imperial examination system in 1905 (the 31st year of the Guangxu reign). Drawing from the Jiujiang County Chronicle, this article reconstructs the history of this unique institution. ...

Geographic Connections Longhu Mountain, Great Shangqing Palace, Beijing, Qin’an Hall, Great Real Man’s Mansion, Shangqing Town, Guixi County, West Mountain Wanshou Palace. The Divine Cure: Lou Jinyuan’s Meteoric Political Ascent Emperor Yongzheng’s fascination with Daoism was more than a personal hobby; it was a sophisticated political instrument. This “divine obsession” reached its peak in 1727 (the 5th year of Yongzheng), following a unique physician-patient encounter. [1, 2] According to the Chronicle of Longhu Mountain, Lou Jinyuan, a Daoist with the religious title “Sancheng,” arrived in Beijing as an assistant to the 55th Celestial Master, Zhang Xilin. Born in Songjiang and trained under Superintendent Zhou Dajing, Lou was a master of the “Thunder Rites.” [2] In the 1st month of 1731 (Yongzheng 9), the Emperor fell gravely ill. When imperial physicians failed, Lou was summoned to the Qin’an Hall within the Forbidden City. Through his “Green Paper Petitions” (Lü Zhang), the Emperor reportedly felt a “divine harmony returning to his body and spirit.” [1, 2] ...

Chengtian Prefecture, Taipei Prefecture, Zhuluoshan, Changhua, Hsinchu, Lin Pi Pu, Dajiala, Baijie, Luerhmen, Anping, Keelung, Tamsui Did you know that 1 in every 9 people in Taiwan is surnamed Chen? This is not a joke. According to the 1956 census, the top 100 surnames in Taiwan account for approximately 97% of the total population. 97% means that almost anyone you meet on the street in Taiwan likely has one of these 100 surnames. ...

In 1517, Lin Zhao’en was born into an elite family in Putian. His grandfather, Lin Fu (1474-1544), earned his Jinshi degree in 1502 and rose to become the Vice Minister of War and Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi. Lin was a child prodigy, passing the local civil service exam to become a Xiucai at age 15 in 1532. However, a pivotal shift occurred in 1546. At age 30, frustrated by his failure in higher-level imperial examinations and disillusioned by the rigid Neo-Confucianism of the time, he burned his scholar’s robes and abandoned the traditional career path. He turned his focus to Buddhist metaphysics and Taoist longevity practices, seeking truth outside the Confucian canon. ...

Jianyang Masha Bookshops: How Northern Fujian Printing Shaped the Abstract In the trajectory of East Asian civilization, the towns of Masha and Shufang in Jianyang, Fujian, served as the “world’s factories” for knowledge. Drawing from the gazetteers of Northern Fujian, this article analyzes how Jianyang leveraged its unparalleled paper-making resources to become China’s largest private publishing hub, rivaling Lin’an and Sichuan during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. By delving into Song Dynasty Jianyang Book Carving Culture, the Ancient Northern Fujian Printing Center, and Jian-ben Book Overseas Trade, we reveal how woodblock editions from the deep mountains of Northern Fujian crossed turbulent seas to rest on shelves in Kyoto and Seoul, constructing a transnational East Asian cultural map. ...