File:Zheng He's ship compared to Columbus's.jpg

2012-04-18T21:23:16Z

Kovenor:

File:Zheng He map.jpg

2012-04-18T21:22:46Z

Kovenor:

Zheng He

2012-04-17T22:57:23Z

Kovenor:

'''Admiral Zheng He (1371-1433)'''

[[File:400px-Bronze_of_Zheng_He,_Jinghai_Si.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Zheng He - Click [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABronze_of_Zheng_He%2C_Jinghai_Si.jpg here] for original source.]]

'''The early years'''

Zheng He also known as Cheng ho was born in Kunming city of Yunnan province in 1371 during the ming dynasty. His original surname was Ma, but was later changed to Zheng as an imperial honor.

He was raised as a Muslim and studied the teachings of Islam at an early age. Both his father and grandfather made the pilgrimage to Mecca and were familiar with far off lands. This is where his curiosity for the outside world began.

Zheng He was captured by the Ming dynasty forces during a military cleansing at the age of 10 where he was taken to Beijing and castrated, becoming a eunuch for the emperor, and lived within the imperial palace grounds. His main task was to serve Zhu Di, the prince of Yan and future emperor of China.

'''Young adulthood'''

Zheng He was extremely loyal and quite brilliant, which won the trust and friendship of the young prince Zhu Di. Zheng He served as the princes personal bodyguard and faught along side the prince in many battles, often influencing the victory and outcome of each battle with his miltary prowess. He also help the prince secure his position as the Emperor of China. Once the prince gained the imperial throne, he promoted Zheng He to the position of Grand Eunuch, leaving him in charge of the thousands of Eunuchs at the imperial palace.

'''His career'''

Zheng Hes career, gaining the trust of the emperor at a young age, allowed him to lead the path in exploration and was sent off with a crew of over 23,000 to explore the outside world. He was left to do much maritime exploration, foreign diplomacy, and military affairs. He did many voyages, reaching as far as East Africa, among much researchn into astrology, geography, marine sciences, and shipbuilding and repair. He visited over 30 Asian and African countries and regions and led seven voyages. He was ultimately called back due to the mongols attack on the north of China and the lack of extra resources to fund the exhibitions. This could have proved a bad mistake, since he wasnt far off from reaching the Americas and claiming the territory under the name of China.

'''REFERENCES'''

1. http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131897.htm (Chinaculture.org June 14, 2005)

2012-04-17T22:42:13Z

Kovenor:

Eunuchs

2012-04-17T22:41:30Z

Kovenor:

'''Chinese Eunuchs'''

[[File:Eunuch 355x500.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Photo of a Castrated Eunuch - Click [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AA_eunuch_of_Qing_Dynasty.JPG here] for original source.]]

Eunuchs originated around 2000 years ago in the Imperial court. The tradition of using eunuchs was first presented in the Han Dynasty. They would often run the day to day affairs of the emperor’s court and were often the emperor’s closest friends. In the Ming Dynasty over 20,000 Eunuchs were employed in the Imperial city until 1924 when the last 1500 of them were banished from the Forbidden City. Eunuchs were often viewed as a privilegded class because of their close relationship to the emperor.

=Eunuchs and Political Power=
The Eunuchs were often seen as scheming and corrupt… often the case as they were the only connection to the emperor. Any military generals or anyone outside the emperor’s direct family could never directly talk to the emperor, so they had to go through the eunuchs for information which would ask for bribes in return. This gave Eunuchs a lot of power.
Although they were often viewed as corrupt, they also made significant contributions to the Chinese culture and civilization. The Eunuch Cai Lun is credited with inventing paper, while others were the first to play classical Chinese music. The Eunuch Zheng Ho was Chinas greatest explorer.

=Way of life of a Eunuch=
Often times Eunuchs chose their way of life. They were usually from poor families and chose that way of life in order to provide money and value to their family name. Often times, the parents would castrate the sons at an early age so they had a better chance of becoming a Eunuch.

==Castration procedure==
Typically this was done with a slash of a knife outside a hut with only hot chili sauce as an anesthetic. After the procedure they would place a plug in the wound and would leave it there for 3 days. The plug was then removed and if urine came out it was considered a success. Many would die due to infections and loss of blood. Many of these boys were only 9 or 10 years of age.
Once these boys became Eunuchs, they often carried their genitals in a jar attached to their belt. That way once they died; they could be buried with it and be reincarnated as a full man. This mixed with the castration often made eunuchs have a bad odor. They often wet their beds and were too weak to perform hard labor. After the procedure with the lack of testosterone would turn the males feminine. They would have high pitched voices and acted very feminine.

=Eunuchs and relationship with emperor=
Eunuchs were often the only men other than the emperor who was allowed to enter the inner courtyards of the Forbidden City. This is where the emperor, the imperial family, and the concubines lived. All military personal and other men were not allowed to enter the inner sanctum. This often led to eunuchs being to go between for the military generals and the emperor. Often times the Eunuchs would accept bribes in order to pass information to the emperor and other such tasks. Often times, the Emperor would be raised with eunuchs at a young age and would become close friends with them during the course of his lifetime.

==Court affairs==
The Eunuchs court duties were abundant. The majority of the day to day operations were taken care of the the emperors favourite Eunuch whom leaded an entire staff of thousands of other Eunuchs. Day to day work for the Eunuchs would be tasks such as cooking, cleaning, record keeping, and frendship for the emperor and concubines.

==Eunuchs and the concubines==
The Emperors concubines were highly guarded by the emperor and were never allowed outside the inner sanctum of the forbidden city. The eunuchs were the few men privileged to see the concubines and build relations were them. All other men were forbid to be around them in fear they may corrupt or impregnate them. Eunuchs on the other hand did not have this problem, so the emperor trusted them around the women.

=The Last Eunuch=
The last imperial Eunuch was Sun Yaoting. He died on December 17 1996 at the age of 93 in a Beijing Temple. In 1911 after the communists came to power, all Eunuchs were kicked out of the Forbidden City, never to return again. A few of them committed suicide by jumping in the moats of the Forbidden City.

Eunuchs

2012-04-17T22:39:56Z

Kovenor:

'''Chinese Eunuchs'''
Eunuchs originated around 2000 years ago in the Imperial court. The tradition of using eunuchs was first presented in the Han Dynasty. They would often run the day to day affairs of the emperor’s court and were often the emperor’s closest friends. In the Ming Dynasty over 20,000 Eunuchs were employed in the Imperial city until 1924 when the last 1500 of them were banished from the Forbidden City. Eunuchs were often viewed as a privilegded class because of their close relationship to the emperor.

=Eunuchs and Political Power=
The Eunuchs were often seen as scheming and corrupt… often the case as they were the only connection to the emperor. Any military generals or anyone outside the emperor’s direct family could never directly talk to the emperor, so they had to go through the eunuchs for information which would ask for bribes in return. This gave Eunuchs a lot of power.
Although they were often viewed as corrupt, they also made significant contributions to the Chinese culture and civilization. The Eunuch Cai Lun is credited with inventing paper, while others were the first to play classical Chinese music. The Eunuch Zheng Ho was Chinas greatest explorer.

[[File:Eunuch 355x500.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Photo of a Castrated Eunuch - Click [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AA_eunuch_of_Qing_Dynasty.JPG here] for original source.]]

=Way of life of a Eunuch=
Often times Eunuchs chose their way of life. They were usually from poor families and chose that way of life in order to provide money and value to their family name. Often times, the parents would castrate the sons at an early age so they had a better chance of becoming a Eunuch.

==Castration procedure==
Typically this was done with a slash of a knife outside a hut with only hot chili sauce as an anesthetic. After the procedure they would place a plug in the wound and would leave it there for 3 days. The plug was then removed and if urine came out it was considered a success. Many would die due to infections and loss of blood. Many of these boys were only 9 or 10 years of age.
Once these boys became Eunuchs, they often carried their genitals in a jar attached to their belt. That way once they died; they could be buried with it and be reincarnated as a full man. This mixed with the castration often made eunuchs have a bad odor. They often wet their beds and were too weak to perform hard labor. After the procedure with the lack of testosterone would turn the males feminine. They would have high pitched voices and acted very feminine.

=Eunuchs and relationship with emperor=
Eunuchs were often the only men other than the emperor who was allowed to enter the inner courtyards of the Forbidden City. This is where the emperor, the imperial family, and the concubines lived. All military personal and other men were not allowed to enter the inner sanctum. This often led to eunuchs being to go between for the military generals and the emperor. Often times the Eunuchs would accept bribes in order to pass information to the emperor and other such tasks. Often times, the Emperor would be raised with eunuchs at a young age and would become close friends with them during the course of his lifetime.

==Court affairs==
The Eunuchs court duties were abundant. The majority of the day to day operations were taken care of the the emperors favourite Eunuch whom leaded an entire staff of thousands of other Eunuchs. Day to day work for the Eunuchs would be tasks such as cooking, cleaning, record keeping, and frendship for the emperor and concubines.

==Eunuchs and the concubines==
The Emperors concubines were highly guarded by the emperor and were never allowed outside the inner sanctum of the forbidden city. The eunuchs were the few men privileged to see the concubines and build relations were them. All other men were forbid to be around them in fear they may corrupt or impregnate them. Eunuchs on the other hand did not have this problem, so the emperor trusted them around the women.

=The Last Eunuch=
The last imperial Eunuch was Sun Yaoting. He died on December 17 1996 at the age of 93 in a Beijing Temple. In 1911 after the communists came to power, all Eunuchs were kicked out of the Forbidden City, never to return again. A few of them committed suicide by jumping in the moats of the Forbidden City.

[[File:Palace.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Eunuch]]

Zhuangzi

2012-04-17T22:36:49Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi, aka Chuang Tzu

[[File:Zhuangzi-Butterfly-Dream.jpg|300px|thumb|left|(ZhuangZi) Click [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AZhuangzi-Butterfly-Dream.jpg here] for original source.]]

• Born through the span of 370 to 301 BC from the town of Meng, in the state of Song during the reign of King Hiu of Liang and King Xuan of Qi

• The validity of my existence has been questioned by some, including myself

• I Wrote a book bearing my own name, known as the Zhuangzi. It consists of 33 chapters and is traditionally divided into three parts. The first is the inner chapters, the second is known as the outer chapters, and the last is known as the mixed chapters. The inner chapters were written by me, the outer chapters were written by my disciples, and the mixed chapters were written by other hands.

• I am known for my brilliant wordplay and use of parables to convey messages

• I have also been known to critique confusion society and historical figures, which others find to be humorous and at times ironic.

• My style has been known for having a humorous miscommunication between a mystic and a logician.

• I have been known to be the first anarchist, since I believe that the world does not need governing, because I think good order results spontaneously when things are left alone

• Here are a few of my famous thoughts

King Wei of Chou, having heard of the ability of myself, sent messengers with large gifts to bring me to his court, and promising also that he would make me his chief minister. I, however, only laughed and said to them: "A thousand ounces of silver are a great gain to me, and to be a high noble and minister is a most honorable position. But have you not seen the victim-ox for the border sacrifice? It is carefully fed for several years, and robed with rich embroidery that it may be fit to enter the Grand Temple. When the time comes for it to do so, it would prefer to be a little pig, but it cannot get to be so. Go away quickly, and do not soil me with your presence.

I had rather amuse and enjoy myself in the midst of a filthy ditch than be subject to the rules and restrictions in the court of a sovereign. I have determined never to take office, but prefer the enjoyment of my own free will.

One of my continuing interests was the issue of the interchangeability of appearance and reality. I sometimes ask, 'How can we be sure of what we are seeing? To touch on this I will explain one of my other famous thoughts…

"Those who dream of the banquet may weep the next morning, and those who dream of weeping may go out to hunt after dawn. When we dream we do not know that we are dreaming. In our dreams we may even interpret our dreams. Only after we are awake do we know that we have dreamed. But there comes a great awakening, and then we know that life is a great dream. But the stupid think they are awake all the time and believe they know it distinctly.

"Once I, Chuang Tzu, dreamed I was a butterfly and was happy as a butterfly. I was conscious that I was quite pleased with myself, but I did not know that I was Tzu. Suddenly I awoke, and there was I, visibly Tzu. I do not know whether it was Tzu dreaming that he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming that he was Tzu. Between Tzu and the butterfly there must be some distinction. [But one may be the other.] This is called the transformation of things."

By exploring such paradoxes I reveal that much of the meaning of the world is bound up in apparent contradictions

'''REFERENCES'''

1. http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/chuang.html (Chuang Tzu: The Next Voice)

2. http://www.iep.utm.edu/zhuangzi/ (Internet encyclopedia of philosophy)

Zhuangzi

2012-04-17T22:34:50Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi

2012-04-17T22:33:18Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi

2012-04-17T22:32:53Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi, aka Chuang Tzu

[[File:Zhuangzi-Butterfly-Dream.jpg|300px|thumb|right|ZhuangZi Click [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AZhuangzi-Butterfly-Dream.jpg here] for original source.]]

• Born through the span of 370 to 301 BC from the town of Meng, in the state of Song during the reign of King Hiu of Liang and King Xuan of Qi

• The validity of my existence has been questioned by some, including myself

• I Wrote a book bearing my own name, known as the Zhuangzi. It consists of 33 chapters and is traditionally divided into three parts. The first is the inner chapters, the second is known as the outer chapters, and the last is known as the mixed chapters. The inner chapters were written by me, the outer chapters were written by my disciples, and the mixed chapters were written by other hands.

• I am known for my brilliant wordplay and use of parables to convey messages

• I have also been known to critique confusion society and historical figures, which others find to be humorous and at times ironic.

• My style has been known for having a humorous miscommunication between a mystic and a logician.

• I have been known to be the first anarchist, since I believe that the world does not need governing, because I think good order results spontaneously when things are left alone

• Here are a few of my famous thoughts

King Wei of Chou, having heard of the ability of myself, sent messengers with large gifts to bring me to his court, and promising also that he would make me his chief minister. I, however, only laughed and said to them: "A thousand ounces of silver are a great gain to me, and to be a high noble and minister is a most honorable position. But have you not seen the victim-ox for the border sacrifice? It is carefully fed for several years, and robed with rich embroidery that it may be fit to enter the Grand Temple. When the time comes for it to do so, it would prefer to be a little pig, but it cannot get to be so. Go away quickly, and do not soil me with your presence.

I had rather amuse and enjoy myself in the midst of a filthy ditch than be subject to the rules and restrictions in the court of a sovereign. I have determined never to take office, but prefer the enjoyment of my own free will.

One of my continuing interests was the issue of the interchangeability of appearance and reality. I sometimes ask, 'How can we be sure of what we are seeing? To touch on this I will explain one of my other famous thoughts…

"Those who dream of the banquet may weep the next morning, and those who dream of weeping may go out to hunt after dawn. When we dream we do not know that we are dreaming. In our dreams we may even interpret our dreams. Only after we are awake do we know that we have dreamed. But there comes a great awakening, and then we know that life is a great dream. But the stupid think they are awake all the time and believe they know it distinctly.

"Once I, Chuang Tzu, dreamed I was a butterfly and was happy as a butterfly. I was conscious that I was quite pleased with myself, but I did not know that I was Tzu. Suddenly I awoke, and there was I, visibly Tzu. I do not know whether it was Tzu dreaming that he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming that he was Tzu. Between Tzu and the butterfly there must be some distinction. [But one may be the other.] This is called the transformation of things."

By exploring such paradoxes I reveal that much of the meaning of the world is bound up in apparent contradictions

2012-04-16T10:26:47Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi

2012-04-16T10:25:46Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi, aka Chuang Tzu

[[File:5.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Zuangzi]]

• Born through the span of 370 to 301 BC from the town of Meng, in the state of Song during the reign of King Hiu of Liang and King Xuan of Qi

• The validity of my existence has been questioned by some, including myself

• I Wrote a book bearing my own name, known as the Zhuangzi. It consists of 33 chapters and is traditionally divided into three parts. The first is the inner chapters, the second is known as the outer chapters, and the last is known as the mixed chapters. The inner chapters were written by me, the outer chapters were written by my disciples, and the mixed chapters were written by other hands.

• I am known for my brilliant wordplay and use of parables to convey messages

• I have also been known to critique confusion society and historical figures, which others find to be humorous and at times ironic.

• My style has been known for having a humorous miscommunication between a mystic and a logician.

• I have been known to be the first anarchist, since I believe that the world does not need governing, because I think good order results spontaneously when things are left alone

• Here are a few of my famous thoughts

King Wei of Chou, having heard of the ability of myself, sent messengers with large gifts to bring me to his court, and promising also that he would make me his chief minister. I, however, only laughed and said to them: "A thousand ounces of silver are a great gain to me, and to be a high noble and minister is a most honorable position. But have you not seen the victim-ox for the border sacrifice? It is carefully fed for several years, and robed with rich embroidery that it may be fit to enter the Grand Temple. When the time comes for it to do so, it would prefer to be a little pig, but it cannot get to be so. Go away quickly, and do not soil me with your presence.

I had rather amuse and enjoy myself in the midst of a filthy ditch than be subject to the rules and restrictions in the court of a sovereign. I have determined never to take office, but prefer the enjoyment of my own free will.

One of my continuing interests was the issue of the interchangeability of appearance and reality. I sometimes ask, 'How can we be sure of what we are seeing? To touch on this I will explain one of my other famous thoughts…

"Those who dream of the banquet may weep the next morning, and those who dream of weeping may go out to hunt after dawn. When we dream we do not know that we are dreaming. In our dreams we may even interpret our dreams. Only after we are awake do we know that we have dreamed. But there comes a great awakening, and then we know that life is a great dream. But the stupid think they are awake all the time and believe they know it distinctly.

"Once I, Chuang Tzu, dreamed I was a butterfly and was happy as a butterfly. I was conscious that I was quite pleased with myself, but I did not know that I was Tzu. Suddenly I awoke, and there was I, visibly Tzu. I do not know whether it was Tzu dreaming that he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming that he was Tzu. Between Tzu and the butterfly there must be some distinction. [But one may be the other.] This is called the transformation of things."

By exploring such paradoxes I reveal that much of the meaning of the world is bound up in apparent contradictions

Zhuangzi

2012-04-16T10:25:22Z

Kovenor:

Zhuangzi, aka Chuang Tzu

[[File:5.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Zheng He exploration route]]

• Born through the span of 370 to 301 BC from the town of Meng, in the state of Song during the reign of King Hiu of Liang and King Xuan of Qi

• The validity of my existence has been questioned by some, including myself

• I Wrote a book bearing my own name, known as the Zhuangzi. It consists of 33 chapters and is traditionally divided into three parts. The first is the inner chapters, the second is known as the outer chapters, and the last is known as the mixed chapters. The inner chapters were written by me, the outer chapters were written by my disciples, and the mixed chapters were written by other hands.

• I am known for my brilliant wordplay and use of parables to convey messages

• I have also been known to critique confusion society and historical figures, which others find to be humorous and at times ironic.

• My style has been known for having a humorous miscommunication between a mystic and a logician.

• I have been known to be the first anarchist, since I believe that the world does not need governing, because I think good order results spontaneously when things are left alone

• Here are a few of my famous thoughts

King Wei of Chou, having heard of the ability of myself, sent messengers with large gifts to bring me to his court, and promising also that he would make me his chief minister. I, however, only laughed and said to them: "A thousand ounces of silver are a great gain to me, and to be a high noble and minister is a most honorable position. But have you not seen the victim-ox for the border sacrifice? It is carefully fed for several years, and robed with rich embroidery that it may be fit to enter the Grand Temple. When the time comes for it to do so, it would prefer to be a little pig, but it cannot get to be so. Go away quickly, and do not soil me with your presence.

I had rather amuse and enjoy myself in the midst of a filthy ditch than be subject to the rules and restrictions in the court of a sovereign. I have determined never to take office, but prefer the enjoyment of my own free will.

One of my continuing interests was the issue of the interchangeability of appearance and reality. I sometimes ask, 'How can we be sure of what we are seeing? To touch on this I will explain one of my other famous thoughts…

"Those who dream of the banquet may weep the next morning, and those who dream of weeping may go out to hunt after dawn. When we dream we do not know that we are dreaming. In our dreams we may even interpret our dreams. Only after we are awake do we know that we have dreamed. But there comes a great awakening, and then we know that life is a great dream. But the stupid think they are awake all the time and believe they know it distinctly.

"Once I, Chuang Tzu, dreamed I was a butterfly and was happy as a butterfly. I was conscious that I was quite pleased with myself, but I did not know that I was Tzu. Suddenly I awoke, and there was I, visibly Tzu. I do not know whether it was Tzu dreaming that he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming that he was Tzu. Between Tzu and the butterfly there must be some distinction. [But one may be the other.] This is called the transformation of things."

By exploring such paradoxes I reveal that much of the meaning of the world is bound up in apparent contradictions

2012-04-16T10:22:33Z

Kovenor:

File:4.jpg

2012-04-16T10:21:51Z

Kovenor:

Zheng He

2012-04-16T10:21:08Z

Kovenor: