A Tale of Two Melons

A Tale of Two Melons PDF Author: Sarah Schneewind
Publisher: Hackett Publishing
ISBN: 1624669344
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 167

Book Description
A commoner's presentation to the emperor of a lucky omen from his garden, the repercussions for his family, and several retellings of the incident provide the background for an engaging introduction to Ming society, culture, and politics, including discussions of the founding of the Ming dynasty; the character of the first emperor; the role of omens in court politics; how the central and local governments were structured, including the civil service examination system; the power of local elite families; the roles of women; filial piety; and the concept of ling or efficacy in Chinese religion.

A Tale of Two Melons

A Tale of Two Melons PDF Author: Sarah Schneewind
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company Incorporated
ISBN: 9780872208247
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 141

Book Description
A commoner's presentation to the emperor of a lucky omen from his garden, the repercussions for his family, and several retellings of the incident provide the background for an engaging introduction to Ming society, culture, and politics, including discussions of the founding of the Ming dynasty; the character of the first emperor; the role of omens in court politics; how the central and local governments were structured, including the civil service examination system; the power of local elite families; the roles of women; filial piety; and the concept of ling or efficacy in Chinese religion.

Anansi and the Talking Melon

Anansi and the Talking Melon PDF Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
ISBN: 143012976X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description
"The expressive male narrator charms the listener by impersonating the characters...Short segments of music and brief sound effects add interest...useful for all reading and listening situations." - Booklist

Shrines to Living Men in the Ming Political Cosmos

Shrines to Living Men in the Ming Political Cosmos PDF Author: Sarah Schneewind
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 1684170990
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382

Book Description
"""Shrines to Living Men in the Ming Political Cosmos"", the first book focusing on premortem shrines in any era of Chinese history, places the institution at the intersection of politics and religion. When a local official left his post, grateful subjects housed an image of him in a temple, requiting his grace: that was the ideal model. By Ming times, the “living shrine” was legal, old, and justified by readings of the classics.Sarah Schneewind argues that the institution could invite and pressure officials to serve local interests; the policies that had earned a man commemoration were carved into stone beside the shrine. Since everyone recognized that elite men might honor living officials just to further their own careers, premortem shrine rhetoric stressed the role of commoners, who embraced the opportunity by initiating many living shrines. This legitimate, institutionalized political voice for commoners expands a scholarly understanding of “public opinion” in late imperial China, aligning it with the efficacy of deities to create a nascent political conception Schneewind calls the “minor Mandate of Heaven.” Her exploration of premortem shrine theory and practice illuminates Ming thought and politics, including the Donglin Party’s battle with eunuch dictator Wei Zhongxian and Gu Yanwu’s theories."

Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276

Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276 PDF Author: Jacques Gernet
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804707206
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
Describes the occupations, pleasures, clothes, food, art, and social and civic life of the people in the city of Hangchow.

The Magic Melon

The Magic Melon PDF Author: Rosie Dickens
Publisher: Usborne Books
ISBN: 9781409535850
Category : Children's stories
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description
A lively reimagining of an old Chinese tale. Lee is too lazy to grow any food, so he gets very hungry. Then he plants a magic melon - but things don.t go as planned... Easy-to-read text is brought to life with delightful illustrations, and there are fun comprehension puzzles to try after the story.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird PDF Author: Kimberly Greene Angle
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ISBN: 9781429998369
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Twelve-year-old March Anne Tanner's life is tied to the simple rhythms and cycles of the watermelon farm in Jubilee, Georgia, that she has grown up on. Thanks to Grenna, her grandmother and surrogate mother, March Anne has learned everything she needs to know about seeds, vine pruning, and harvesting melons and pumpkins. And although Grenna has tried to teach March Anne about her ancestors, March Anne has always been uncomfortable with the family name she's been given and doesn't like. And so, in secret meetings deep in the woods, March Anne and her two best friends form the Pseudonymphs, whose names change with the seasons. When Grenna suffers a heart attack, March Anne must face an uncertain future and confront her past. In the middle of it all, a ruby-throated hummingbird decides to winter at the Tanners' and becomes a source of delight and inspiration as March Anne prepares for Grenna's passing and journeys toward self-acceptance. This sweet and tangy debut introduces a memorable cast of characters who come to learn that grace can abide within and beyond the realities of pain and loss.

Treason By The Book

Treason By The Book PDF Author: Jonathan Spence
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241959144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Book Description
In 1728 a stranger handed a letter to Governor Yue calling on him to lead a rebellion against the Manchu rulers of China. Feigning agreement, he learnt the details of the plot and immediately informed the Emperor, Yongzheng. The ringleaders were captured with ease, forced to recant and, to the confusion and outrage of the public, spared. Drawing on an enormous wealth of documentary evidence - over a hundred and fifty secret documents between the Emperor and his agents are stored in Chinese archives - Jonathan Spence has recreated this revolt of the scholars in fascinating and chilling detail. It is a story of unwordly dreams of a better world and the facts of bureaucratic power, of the mind of an Emperor and of the uses of his mercy.

Marked by the Moon

Marked by the Moon PDF Author: Lori Handeland
Publisher: Lori Handeland
ISBN: 0998530417
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Book Description
In the RITA® nominated Marked by the Moon, Alaska has never been so dangerous. Alexandra Trevalyn was once a member of an elite force of werewolf hunters, but these days she's going rogue, determined to rid the world of the crazed killers, specifically the one that killed her parents. Once a Viking, now a werewolf, Julian Barlow has been hunting Alex since she killed his gentle wife. His plans of vengeance are downright devious. To make Alex understand, up close and personal, that not all werewolves are evil, killing machines, he makes Alex a werewolf too. It's only a matter of time before she succumbs to the freedom of the wolf that runs through her veins, if she doesn't succumb to the temptation of Julian first. At his magical village above the Arctic Circle a rogue werewolf kills the innocent. Can Julian and Alex work together to save the rest of the pack? Or will they just tear each other apart? ​​​​​​​

Want Not

Want Not PDF Author: Jonathan Miles
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0544114639
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 475

Book Description
A “shrewd, funny, and sometimes devastating” novel about the things we desire and the things we throw away (Entertainment Weekly). A New York Times Notable Book A highly inventive, corrosively funny story of our times, Want Not exposes three different worlds in various states of disrepair—a young freegan couple living off the grid in New York City; a once-prominent linguist, sacked at midlife by the dissolution of his marriage and his father’s losing battle with Alzheimer’s; and a self-made debt-collecting magnate, whose brute talent for squeezing money out of unlikely places has yielded him a royal existence, trophy wife included. Want and desire propel these characters forward toward something, anything, more, until their worlds collide, briefly, randomly, yet irrevocably, in a shattering ending that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned. “Its pleasures are endless."—Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End “Terrific…The novel may begin with prickly satire, it may dig deep into America’s disposable lifestyle, but it ultimately pivots to scenes of surprising tenderness…a novel to hoard.”—The Washington Post “Leaps nimbly from topic to topic…from freeganism to conspicuous consumption; from Manhattan's Alphabet City to residential New Jersey to the backwoods of Tennessee; and from neighbors with nothing but geographical location in common to sisters who share nothing but blood….Sitting down with Want Not is like finding yourself opposite the most interesting person at a dinner party. It pulls you in immediately; makes you shake your head in wonder and delight at your new companion's wit, originality, and compelling turns of phrase; and, best of all, surprises you into laughter.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “For readers who relish extravagant language, scathing wit and philosophical heft, Want Not wastes nothing.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)