In the Qing Dynasty, there was a person who lived in Chiayi State of Taiwan. His name was Lin Dengzhang, and he was very kind and honest. But unfortunately, he was falsely accused and imprisoned. His wife sold all their property and even their son in order to have enough money to get her husband […]

At the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man called Zhong Mou. He became an orphan when he was young and worked very hard in the fields to support his brother. He liked to read when he had spare time. When he grew up, he received a commendation for being a person […]

Near the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was a village in Northeast China where a family surnamed Xing lived. The Xing family was famous for two reasons. The first was that they had a secret ancestral remedy for eye disease; whoever had eye disease went to the Xing household to receive the remedy and […]

The maxim that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover applies to much more than just books, and I agree with it in most cases. But, ironically, I can’t apply it to books—at least not to “Creativity Takes Courage: Dare to Think Differently” by Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst. The design cover of a […]

Homer’s “Iliad” is usually thought of as the first work of European literature, and many would say, the greatest. It tells part of the saga of the city of Troy and the war that took place there. In fact, the “Iliad” takes its name from “Ilios,” an ancient Greek word for “Troy,” situated in what […]

How many of us long for an epiphany—some flash of insight to redeem the dull succession of identical hours. Time passes and nothing happens. No inspiration strikes, no light falls. And yet we still like to believe there could be, at any moment, some sign or wonder that could make all the difference between existing and truly living. In the meantime, we flicker between thought and action, hope and boredom, dream and reality.

If the very thought of seeing a Shakespeare play, reading one, or—dear, oh dear—memorizing a few of his lines makes you feel light-headed and in need of blotting your forehead, you might be surprised to learn that if you were raised with English as your first language, you’re likely quoting him all the time. Shakespeare’s […]

In this series, edited for style and length, we interview people about their most precious possessions. While the objects around us may seem inanimate, our connection to them and our stories about them often bring them to life. Here, Callie Di Nello from Wimbledon in London shares her story: The one thing I cherish is […]

Imagine that you were lost in a wilderness and had to find your way out. Fortunately, you have with you a number of things, or tools, if you will. In the first instance you have a kit bag, which is itself useful. In it are various articles: a bottle of water, a knife, fork, and […]

How can we maintain our independence, autonomy, and abilities as we age? In his book “The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind,” psychiatrist and certified master psychopharmacologist Dr. Timothy R. Jennings writes about the health of our brains and recommends specific actions to protect them from deterioration in order to […]

There was a rich man in Changzhou County of what was at that time called Suzhou Province. His name was Long Heng. He was born with a very kind heart and always gave of himself to other people. Long Heng opened a pawnshop and, because of his sense of fairness and justice, his business was […]

One of the most unlikely poems of the modernist period is that by Robert Frost: “The Pasture.” It is unlikely for many reasons. First, it seems more like a Romantic lyric (that is, 100 years too late) because of its rural depiction and its simple, formal diction. Second, its tone is gentle and polite, a […]

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here! So warns the inscription on the gates of the inferno, the first realm of Dante Alighieri’s celebrated work, now known as the “Divine Comedy.” “La Commedia,” as Dante originally named it, is an imaginary journey through the three realms of the afterlife: inferno (hell), purgatorio (purgatory), and paradiso […]

One day, after collecting firewood from the forest, Zhao Zan was on his way home. His mother was in the yard preparing to cook dinner. Then, a tiger ran into the village and directly into Zan’s yard. At that moment, Zan arrived at the village and all the villagers called out to him, “Don’t go […]

A man named Wang Xiang lived during the Jin Dynasty. He was well-known for his filial piety. Wang Xiang’s mother died when he was a child. His father remarried and his stepmother hated him. She frequently beat him and blamed him for the smallest things. Soon, Wang Xiang’s father joined his stepmother in berating him, […]

A basic tenet of ancient Chinese beliefs was that of filial piety, or caring for one’s parents. Both King Wen and his son King Wu were excellent examples of this ideal. King Wen of Zhou’s Filial Piety King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, also known as Ji Chang, was a sage king in Chinese history. […]

Fox anchorwoman Harris Faulkner’s new book, “9 Rules of Engagement: A Military Brat’s Guide to Life and Success,” reveals how her father achieved the American Dream—and not just the dream of providing well for his family, but the dream as the term was originally coined. In his 1931 book “The Epic of America,” James Truslow Adams […]

“Somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember…” This line, arguably the most famous in the history of Spanish literature, is the opening of “The Ingenious Nobleman Don Quixote of La Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes, the first modern novel. Published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, this […]

“The Epic of Gilgamesh” has been in Andrew George’s life since he was 15 years old; it’s a poem he’s grown up with and grown older with. “It’s one of those texts that changes as you go back to it. It is so profound and full of meaning that the more life experience you bring […]

News Analysis STOCKHOLM—There won’t be a Nobel Prize in Literature awarded in 2018. The reason: A reckoning following decades of alleged sexual misconduct among the very cream of the Swedish cultural elite. The Swedish Academy is internationally known almost exclusively for selecting the recipient of the world’s most prestigious literary award, the Nobel Prize in […]

NEW YORK—We might form certain notions in our minds about famous people from the way they have been written about in history books, presented in the media, or talked about in everyday conversation. But if we see their autographs—their handwriting in a document, a fleeting note, or an intimate letter—our notions about them may change. […]

Friends of Falun Gong concluded its third annual poetry contest, which attracted over 150 participants from around the globe. The contest was co-hosted by the Society of Classical Poets, an online journal dedicated to the revival of traditional English poetry. Friends of Falun Gong is an American nonprofit organization formed by citizens concerned about the […]

Yu Shun, also known as Chong Hua, had a father, named Gu Sou, who was blind. His stepmother gave birth to a boy named Xiang. Much like his parents, Xiang was very vicious toward Shun. Their father liked Xiang very much and always looked for a chance to get rid of Shun. One day, Shun’s […]

LONDON—Award-winning writer Lionel Shriver has been sacked from a competition panel after describing a publishing giant as “drunk on virtue” in an article challenging the supremacy of diversity over talent. Shriver is perhaps best known for her novel “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” which won the UK Women’s Prize For Fiction in 2005. Writing in the center-right […]

TORONTO—Poetry can offer hope in the darkest times. Especially in today’s age of technological competition and materialism, poetry comes as a reminder of our shared humanity and spirituality. “A bad person cannot write a good poem,” said Romanian poet Ana Blandiana as she stepped on the stage to accept her Lifetime Recognition Award from the […]

Today we fully expect film, television, and theater to use music to shape meaning. The screeching violins of “Psycho” and the menacing “Jaws” theme, for instance, both depend on a shared 20th-century dramatic language in which music indicates mood. Rewind 400 years and it may not seem like the same is true. Take Shakespearean drama. Many modern […]

On May 31, 1988, President Ronald Reagan stood on Soviet soil and addressed a packed audience at Moscow State University. This fourth in a series of summits between Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev was part of their tireless efforts to reduce the nuclear threat at the time. Reagan understood that this wasn’t a […]