Who was Confucius?

Confucius is China's best-known philosopher. Born about 551 B.C., he was the first person in Chinese history to devote his entire life to teaching. He is said to have had more than 3,000 pupils - all men, as women were not allowed to pursue an education. Confucius said that the object of government was to bring wealth and education to the people and security to the state. He told his students that the main idea found in his beliefs was his doctrine of central harmony - "Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you."

Did the Chinese wear yoroi?

No, yoroi was the traditional armor of the samurai, a class of warriors who dominated military life in Japan for seven centuries. This suit, made of rows of lacquered armor plates laced together with thick silk or leather cords, was very tough and waterproof. The individual plates consisted of separate small plates fastened together and lacquered.

Why was jade important to the ancient Chinese?

The Chinese believed that a jade suit would prevent a dead body from decaying. During the Han dynasty (202 b.c.-a.d. 220), they covered the eyes of a dead person and plugged its ears and nose with jade pieces. A jade pig was placed in each hand, and a jade cicada in the deceased's mouth. The ancient Chinese knew that a cicada larva buries itself in the earth, comes out as a pupa (insect enclosed in a cell or cocoon), splits its skin, and emerges as an adult. Because they saw this process as representing death and rebirth, they made the cicada a symbol of immortality.

Who said, "The cautious person seldom makes a mistake"?

The Chinese philosopher Confucius, whose traditional dates are 551-479 B.C. He also taught that "to learn without thinking is a waste of time; however, thought without learning is dangerous," "to be poor without complaining is difficult; to be rich without arrogance is easy," and "when the relationship between family members is peaceful and friendly, the resulting harmony is delightful and lasting."

What are mingqi?

In China, during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 8 and A.D. 23-220), royalty and nobility might be buried with expensive, specially made objects of jade and bronze, but most people bought objects that were mass-produced. These grave goods came to be known as mingqi ("bright objects" - that is, objects "made bright" by the burial ceremony). Fashioned primarily of clay, but also of wood, they included miniature figures of all kinds. Examples are painted figures on horseback and earthenware houses.

I read about "Yellow Turbans" bringing down China's Han Dynasty - is it true?

By A.D. 184, the powers of the Han dynasty rulers had weakened considerably. Corruption was rampant, and many of the common people were ill. A traveling magician named Zhang Jue discovered that if those who were sick drank pure water over which he had spoken a secret formula, they would be cured. Soon Zhang Jue was promising immortality and an end to misrule and amassed several hundred thousand followers to rebel against the emperor. Because his followers wrapped their heads in yellow cloths, they were known as the "Yellow Turbans." The cost of fighting these rebels, together with the corruption of many in the court, led to the decline and fall of the Han Dynasty in A.D. 220.

What is "T'shu-p'u"?

"T'shu-p'u" is a popular Chinese board game that dates back at least to 500 B.C. It belongs to a group of games called race games, where pieces are raced along a course on a board and then taken off. "T'shu-p'u" uses rectangular dice, similar to the primitive stick-dice made thousands of years ago, when Asians marked the long sides of sticks and animal bones to toss for gambling. Four players form two teams. The object of the game is to be the first team to race around the board, into the center, and off the board.