洋猩說故事 Talovich Tells Stories

The 鮮卑 Hsienpei/ Xianbei confederacy swept down from Siberia to enrich themselves in warmer, wealthier northern China. Some of them settled down, and founded the Northern Wei dynasty. Eventually, the Northern Wei split into the Eastern Wei and Western Wei. The Eastern Wei was led by Kao/Gao Huan, born Han Chinese but culturally Hsienbei; the Western We was led by Yüwen T’ai/Tai, born Hsienbei but culturally Chinese. Yüwen Tai worked on the foundation laid by the Northern Wei to establish institutions that heralded the Sui and the glory of the Tang. Kao and Yüwen fought each other for over a decade.
 
536ce is considered the worst year in world history to be alive. Our story begins in 537 ce, when Kao’s army was defeated at Shayüan by the vastly outnumbered Western Wei army. Another decisive battle followed in 538 ce at Hoch’iao /Heqiao, where the fighting was intense. The Eastern Wei lost their best fighter, Kao Aots’ao / Gao Aocao.

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鮮卑人建立北魏，後來北魏分西魏與東魏。高歡統治東魏，他是鮮卑化的漢人；他的死對頭是西魏的統治的，漢化的鮮卑人宇文泰。

西元五三七年，他們在沙苑廝殺，西魏勝，而後糊塗的莫多婁貸文不聽侯景的話，自己送死。五七八年，在河橋之戰，宇文泰險些落入東魏士兵的手，幸好
李穆機智，救了他。高敖曹之死對東魏打擊很大。

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Culture is always more important than politics. Discussing China, I discuss the culture, regardless of nationalities or politics.
Gods in China have never been ‘worshipped’ in the Western sense. They are expected to perform, and they are subordinate to the people. Anybody can become a god, just as any male could take the Imperial Examinations and rise to the highest positions in the government. Birth was not a factor; China has never had a caste system, and rarely have classes been important.
 
Since anybody could be a god or powerful politician, gods and politicians were expected to serve the people. Those higher in the hierarchy were expected to take advice from those lower in the hierarchy, just as Confucius emphasized that a child’s duty was to point out their parents mistakes.
 
A good ruler was one who was willing to listen to advice from his ministers or the people, and vice versa. In Episodes 2 and 20, we mentioned Kuangwu / Guangwu, who restored the Han dynasty in the first century ce after the usurper Wang Mang had tried to take over. Even when it was not easy, Kuangwu was open to criticism, even when dealing with an obstinate character such as Shent’u Kang / Shentu Gang.

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政治不可凌駕于文化之上。文化是傳承、是長久、是日常生活的模式。
中華以民為天，如尚書泰誓「天視自我民視，天聽自我民聽」。神要要為民服務，而不是高高在上令人膜拜。好人都可能當神，如關公。同樣，帝制時每一男生可以讀書，如果能力夠，可以當一人之下，萬民之上的宰相，而不問出生。臣子需要規諫，皇帝需位納諫。
有時候不是那麼愉悅。東漢光武帝想出去玩一下，剛直不阿的申屠剛就是不准。
申屠剛主張，「王事失則神祇怨怒．．．姦邪亂正，故陰陽謬錯．．．人所歸者天所與，人所叛者天所去也。」

更正：申，不是伸。一次也不小心講成申屠堅；在漢朝，剛是堅的意思，故誤。Sorry!


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Last Friday was the Ullambana, a ceremony to feed ancestors and wandering spirits.
Tradition holds that when a person dies, their spirit may return to visit, escorted by a Sha Shen, a malicious god, to keep them in line. To avoid the Sha Shen, if people know when the departed spirit is returning, they leave their houses for the night. What would you do if you ran into a Shan Shen?

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中元節剛過了，我們講個應景的故事吧。

一個才一個戈，是「殺」的本字。煞車的「煞」，是「殺」的另一種寫法。煞神是凶鬼惡神，千萬不可犯煞！

以前的人認為，人死後若干日，魂就回老家，由煞神押送，所以叫做回煞。家人要迴避，以免觸到煞神。

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The Han dynasty, surname Liu, lasted from about 200bce to about 200ce. At the beginning of the Common Era, a usurper, Wang Mang, tried to set up his own dynasty, but failed. A member of the royal family, Liu Hsiu/Xiu, struggled to restore the dynasty, but almost gave up, until an old man wearing white clothes saved the day.

The first part of the Han is called the Western Han, and the second part is called the Eastern Han, because of the location of their capitals.
Liu Hsiu was born in 5bce and died in 57ce. He is known as the Kuangwu/ Guangwu Emperor, Bright and Martial.
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西元廿三年，東漢光武帝劉秀過了曲陽到下博城，一敗塗地、頹喪消沉，白衣老父鼓勵，歷史上留下一筆。故事需要靠人傳，希望大家將好故事傳給左鄰右社、親朋好友。

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In Early China, the climate in the Yellow River basin was warmer than today, so there were elephants, rhinoceroses, and a powerful, ferocious Short Horned Water Buffalo. Our story today takes us to about 550bce, when the ruler Ping (Flat) of Chin/Jin was out hunting, and he shot a buttonquail, a little bird like a quail that runs around on the ground.

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晉平公射鷃，僕人襄找不到，平公要殺襄。賢臣羊舌肹怎麼解圍，且聽本回分解。

鷃可以寫鴳，類似鵪鶉而小，學名Turnix tanki blanfordii Blyth。 兕ㄙˋ是聖水牛，已經絕種。

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