tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21862138376161673612024-03-08T12:33:59.636+01:00天朝大國Background Information and Gaming Aids for <i>The Celestial Empire</i> role-playing game
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<small>and other TTRPGs set in East Asia</small>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-83997363573100380532024-03-08T09:53:00.003+01:002024-03-08T09:55:09.984+01:00The River Judge<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9-H0tcGiKQFipZoY21Gnljn-eqxb3Eh4eckshmPNrLX61PNX6BeSoFrvhtPZY0pDiV3n2_EI3sRTDdopuAbLSniy7MWGnGrRlOJg6y2AI0ps-AcFfI08i9QVxczyhEp0S06Bkw_JHArKtXQtzmo_49fFm2eAWXQNWLvwndKbvI7szvsiUH0ZkFqxfTg/s1200/Riverjudge_full_750ppx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9-H0tcGiKQFipZoY21Gnljn-eqxb3Eh4eckshmPNrLX61PNX6BeSoFrvhtPZY0pDiV3n2_EI3sRTDdopuAbLSniy7MWGnGrRlOJg6y2AI0ps-AcFfI08i9QVxczyhEp0S06Bkw_JHArKtXQtzmo_49fFm2eAWXQNWLvwndKbvI7szvsiUH0ZkFqxfTg/w125-h200/Riverjudge_full_750ppx.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><i>The River Judge</i> is a <a href="http://reactormag.com/the-river-judge-s-l-huang/" target="_blank">free novelette</a> by <b>S. L. Huang</b>, the Hugo-winning author of <i>The Water Outlaws</i>, a retelling of the beloved <i>Water Margin</i> bandit novel, but from a womanly point of view.<p></p><p><i>The River Judge</i> is a prequel to <i>The Water Outlaws</i>. But what interests me particularly in this short piece of fiction is how it presents in a precise and detailed way life in a rural village far from government interference... Self-rule is the norm, and whenever officials come in from the city, the townsfolk know it can only bring trouble upon them.</p><p>The other aspect is, of course, the oppressive patriarchy that governs absolutely every single aspect of women’s lives— and how it may eventually lead women to taking up banditry.</p><p><br /></p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-51687847318655525002024-02-17T18:38:00.008+01:002024-02-17T18:38:59.211+01:00Random City-Centred Sandbox: Example of Use<p>Let me show you an eample of how my random <a href="https://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2024/02/city-centred-east-asian-sandbox.html">city-centred sandbox</a> can be used.</p><p>First, I assume the city has been generated and named according to the instructions.</p><p>Second, I roll 2D8 to place the waterway. I roll 3 and 7. There is a river flowing though the side, and I replace the road segment in square No.7 with a river segment.</p><p>Third, let us assume the adventurers leave the city by the southern gate. I roll 1D4 to populate square No.7, rolling a 2: there is a road that intersects the river.</p><p>The adventurers take the road eastwards. I roll 1D4 to populate square No.8, rolling a 3: there are orchards.</p><p>The adventurers continue eastwards. I roll 1D4+1 to populate te following square, rolling a 4: 4+1=5— I must roll on Table B. I roll 1D6, rolling a 5: there is a cavern.</p><p>You get the idea 🙂</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-orysCHo2BYbLsdSj56bGc194kCP2WAGwW4SQOGlmePE2LrC9unIJNujCv1HURameRWuElteMJR43iN0gNGZoSaszrXUGDV-2FpnZJZAn9y4e-VZKKuayW4Byknz4O2raIgueMX2IiVX9g2dHPL0SITQEi29QSPC8Lr79RiSZgJ3EI2gS2o9K88MZRc/s768/Sandbox_Generator_sample.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="768" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-orysCHo2BYbLsdSj56bGc194kCP2WAGwW4SQOGlmePE2LrC9unIJNujCv1HURameRWuElteMJR43iN0gNGZoSaszrXUGDV-2FpnZJZAn9y4e-VZKKuayW4Byknz4O2raIgueMX2IiVX9g2dHPL0SITQEi29QSPC8Lr79RiSZgJ3EI2gS2o9K88MZRc/s320/Sandbox_Generator_sample.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>sample map</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-68026822365988334252024-02-17T18:05:00.008+01:002024-02-17T18:13:35.093+01:00City-Centred East Asian Sandbox<p>Imperial Chinese cities would almost invariably be square and walled, with a street grid orientated according to North-South and East-West axes. There would be a main gate at the middle of each wall segment, with a large road leading to it.</p><p>The city itself would be quite isolated, the centre of imperial law and order amidst a vast, unruly wilderness.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVmiZNpgfedVBrsiMTpUg5h8SkAjsPeu0rReyPSCtS-31-T_XX5htuZd3DlZsZtsMTW2pI9FISjAM54tkNzq9yvwS8lVElmYQ_Szi42hjx48nwPFHJ30DIQ9H0dIb5s3PBvTa7ax6mLNDJ3kN1BCPq3fYjvtz3mxCl7y0UuZ4kufmteZStd85RBIZCJY/s768/Sandbox_Generator.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="768" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVmiZNpgfedVBrsiMTpUg5h8SkAjsPeu0rReyPSCtS-31-T_XX5htuZd3DlZsZtsMTW2pI9FISjAM54tkNzq9yvwS8lVElmYQ_Szi42hjx48nwPFHJ30DIQ9H0dIb5s3PBvTa7ax6mLNDJ3kN1BCPq3fYjvtz3mxCl7y0UuZ4kufmteZStd85RBIZCJY/s320/Sandbox_Generator.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>starting city map</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>In this blog post, I will present a method to generate a sandbox centred on an imperial Chinese city.</p><p><b>First</b>, generate your city per my <a href="https://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2012/04/generate-your-chinese-city.html">blog post</a> from 13 April 2012. Name the city per this other <a href="https://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2012/01/quick-guidelines-tables-to-generate.html">blog post</a>. This will be the adventurer party’s base.</p><p><b>Second</b>, roll 2D8 to determine the direction of the closest waterway; trace it on the map above by joining the two numbered squares. If the two rolled numbers are identical, replace the waterway with a lake.</p><p><b>Third</b>, populate the map as your adventurers start exploring the region around the city. As indicated above, roll the die on <span style="color: #800180;"><b>Table A</b></span> depending on the background colour of the square being explored:</p><p>Dark green: roll 1D4 on Table A.</p><p>Medium green: roll 1D4+1 on Table A.</p><p>Light green: roll 1D4+2 on Table A.</p><div>Yellow: roll 1D8+4 on Table A.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span style="color: #800180;">Table A - Master Table</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b></div><div>Die<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Results</div><div>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fields</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Road†</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Orchards</div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Farms</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Re-Roll, <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Table B</span></div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Grassland</div><div>7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Forest</div><div>8<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hill</div><div>9<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Wasteland</div><div>10<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Swamp/Marsh</div><div>11<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sea/Lake</div><div>12<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mountain/Peak</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">†If there is already a road, add one that is perpendicular to the already-existing one.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Table B - Uncommon Locations</span></b></div><div>Die<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Results</div><div>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tower/Pagoda</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hamlet</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Village</div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shrine/Temple/Monastery, Orthodox</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cavern/Grotto</div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Re-Roll, <span style="color: #cc0000;">Table C</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Table C - Special Locations</span></b></div><div>Die<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Results</div><div>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hermit/Isolated Scholar</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bandit Lair</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Martial Arts School/Secret Society Headquarters</div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shrine/Temple/Monastery, Heterodox</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Re-Roll 1D4 on <span style="color: #cc0000;">Table C</span>, Abandoned</div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>GM's Choice</div></div><div><br /></div><div>A final note: This method is different from my post <a href="https://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2015/11/random-prefecture-generator.html">here</a> where the idea was for the GM to prepare a whole region ahead of running their game. Here the idea is to randomly make up the region as the game unfolds, so as to surprise <i>both</i> the players <i>and</i> the GM.</div>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-40569030773270124562024-02-14T17:55:00.002+01:002024-02-14T17:55:49.988+01:00The Ten Courts of Hell<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OFXchxyLhEZpg8LG1GloA64Cau8LKvv3PrK3LUPyEkhJS6I96Zz_sCLH2i_kHJuWLPnMKQMoByyWIkHY0UFzDPO_jDk-HRjBMTrsI6YDNNDw_NS0vWzjSVWx2RrvOH2__aSrrjTfUErq9BC9u3BNwly9PPELpubVARcJBzdHpSsgqlbmIOPUwDSoBZk/s403/Fengdu.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OFXchxyLhEZpg8LG1GloA64Cau8LKvv3PrK3LUPyEkhJS6I96Zz_sCLH2i_kHJuWLPnMKQMoByyWIkHY0UFzDPO_jDk-HRjBMTrsI6YDNNDw_NS0vWzjSVWx2RrvOH2__aSrrjTfUErq9BC9u3BNwly9PPELpubVARcJBzdHpSsgqlbmIOPUwDSoBZk/w144-h200/Fengdu.gif" width="144" /></a></div>I have briefly mentioned the Ten Courts of Hell on page 36 of <i>the Celestial Empire</i>. This is the place in the netherworld where evil whitesouls stay awaiting their judgement, and where they undergo the judgement itself after having spent some time in this purgatory.<p></p><p>There is a fundamental text of Chinese Folk Religion from the 18th century AD, the <b>Yùlì Bǎochāo</b> 玉歷寶鈔 (<i>the Jade Guidebook</i>), that describes the ten infernal tribunals in detail; you may read it <a href="https://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/chin/yuhlih/yuhlih-contents.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>In a nutshell, the whitesoul of the deceased arrives at the gate of Fēngdū (see illustration) where their name is registered, then proceeds to the first court of Hell. This is the most lenient place in Purgatory, for those who committed suicide and who must stay there until the equivalent of what the duration of their life would have been had they not committed suicide has elapsed. Everybody else is ushered into the second court of Hell.</p><p>The whitesouls of those who kidnapped or robbed people during their lifetime remain in the second court of Hell to undergo several series of terrible torments. Everybody else is ushered into the third court of Hell.</p><p>The whitesouls of those who accepted bribes during their lifetime remain in the third court of Hell to undergo even worse terrible torments.</p><p>Etc. etc. with ever more atrocious depictions of torments until the ninth court for arsonists, assassins, rapists, and the like.</p><p>The tenth court is not a place of punishment but the place where those whose time of suffering has expired go in order to await the details of their rebirth through the wheel of karma.</p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-69691472026580283902024-01-15T10:00:00.004+01:002024-01-15T10:03:40.500+01:00Apotropaic New Year’s Rites<p> Stolen from the blue bird site:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBxc8FvbZuzX1n05by81nYAXqqRGb0gA9v-q4Eo4HTwCty6XIUtVZvL7_STgEgSFX3GjQcQJL88eRn0tdxrtNoQl62VaTkAqbYRjCcWYsHov4Px7GIop6uTuy3jdcasEWlTV9r3XS0VA1Q6-LTgcOpzTysrwNeU3IlaCRh4i5zNQXnkRsjqYnVn7U9iw/s2269/GDzHo6ibAAAV5l_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1937" data-original-width="2269" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBxc8FvbZuzX1n05by81nYAXqqRGb0gA9v-q4Eo4HTwCty6XIUtVZvL7_STgEgSFX3GjQcQJL88eRn0tdxrtNoQl62VaTkAqbYRjCcWYsHov4Px7GIop6uTuy3jdcasEWlTV9r3XS0VA1Q6-LTgcOpzTysrwNeU3IlaCRh4i5zNQXnkRsjqYnVn7U9iw/w400-h341/GDzHo6ibAAAV5l_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>originally posted by <a href="https://twitter.com/_Pho_Ngan" target="_blank">溥彥</a></p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-71726862168197496552023-05-02T15:46:00.003+02:002024-03-08T09:54:38.471+01:00A Podcast About Outlaws of the Water Margin<p><i><a href="http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2013/11/outlaws-of-water-margin.html">Outlaws of the Water Margin</a></i> is the roleplaying game that initially made me want to write my own frp game set in Imperial China. It is also an early example of a ‘culture rpg’, a kind of role-playing game that is really different from our usual escapist games.</p><p>I have recently discovered that the podcast “Ludonarrative Dissidents” had covered the game, in particular the cultural environment in which it had been created.</p><p>Enjoy <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NzIzMzBjYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/YmJhN2NmNGYtZjE1ZS00MTgwLWEwMWYtZWFkNjc2ZmQ0ZDU0?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjgiojU3db-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQDg" target="_blank">the episode</a>!</p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-81505666328009688612022-02-08T10:58:00.002+01:002022-02-08T11:02:02.924+01:00Diversity in The Celestial Empire<p><i>The Celestial Empire</i> is not a fantasy tabletop role-playing game <i>inspired</i> by the myths and the history of Cathay, but a TTRPG <i>firmly set</i> in Imperial China, her culture, and her society. As a result, the rules as written strongly encourage the players to have a male character of Hàn ethnicity.</p><p>Now I realise this mayn’t be everybody’s cup of tea, and that today’s TTRPG public expects more diversity, both in terms of gender and of ethnicity, when generating their player characters.</p><p>However, having the GM set their campaign at the time of the Táng dynasty, and particularly in the <a href="http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2011/06/capital-cities-of-imperial-china.html">capital city</a> of <b>Cháng’ān</b>, could provide a solution. Under the Táng (618-907 AD), Cháng’ān, the eastern end of the Silk Road, was one of the largest metropolises of the world, a cosmopolitan city with several neighbourhoods explicitly designed to house the many merchants, pilgrims, envoys, missionaries, etc. coming from the lands to the West of the Celestial Empire.</p><p>This picture (from <a href="https://twitter.com/bookgir/status/1490871253871124482" target="_blank">Twitter</a>) shows the various ethnic groups one might have encountered in the streets of Cháng’ān under the Táng.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fagxlZWC7BD8qqBs2ZLbeQes17YV5ZpE_OW4z7GKRcJi5jwJznDGeFwXETbVAYvvuY0dNIwZyVp1m4QzaL6G2gGSQtqWSfCodlNV_mycN0ugRr4sBXDRZbmOWI_TN-22Ika-nrV5MrANOgyboyGsGWKAOyvVXpNxhgoNM2OoC-I_7lrNN601TH5H/s1478/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1478" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fagxlZWC7BD8qqBs2ZLbeQes17YV5ZpE_OW4z7GKRcJi5jwJznDGeFwXETbVAYvvuY0dNIwZyVp1m4QzaL6G2gGSQtqWSfCodlNV_mycN0ugRr4sBXDRZbmOWI_TN-22Ika-nrV5MrANOgyboyGsGWKAOyvVXpNxhgoNM2OoC-I_7lrNN601TH5H/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><i>Note</i>: the English-language translations in the yellow labels are from a Chinese Facebook group. “Rakshasa” is a wrong interpretation of the original “羅剎”, which used to mean “Russian” and which now indeed means Rakshasa [although I doubt there were any Russians in Cháng’ān; that is an utter anachronism].</p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-32085429981641583122020-12-15T16:06:00.001+01:002020-12-15T16:06:33.116+01:00Asian TTRPGs<p>Except for Japan, there aren't many Asian tabletop RPGs out there. Here are a few links to Asian tabletop RPG companies/individuals that I have found online:</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Cadua Sirmata</b>, from the Philippines (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/caduasirmata/" target="_blank">facebook</a>)</p><p>Ginintuan: Legends of the Golden Sea (fantasy setting based on Philippine culture)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Curious Chimeras</b>, from Singapore (<a href="https://www.curiouschimeras.com/shop-our-games/" target="_blank">web-site</a>):</p><p>Tales Of Saintrest and the Three Paths System (South-East Asian Hindu-Buddhist rural horror fantasy.)</p><p>划拳 huá quán (duelling martial arts TTRPG)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Liquor Canini</b>, from the Philippines (<a href="https://tadhana.itch.io/karanduun" target="_blank">web-site</a>)</p><p>Karanduun (fantasy TTRPG)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Megaladon Games</b>, from the Philippines (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MegaladonGames/" target="_blank">facebook</a>)</p><p>Yore Campaign Setting, for D&D 5th ed.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Role Over Play Dead</b>, from Malaysia (<a href="http://roleoverplaydead.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>)</p><p>Ech0 Micro-RPG (GM-less TTRPG for kids)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Summerhaven Games</b> (<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/17857/Summerhaven" target="_blank">drivethruRPG shop</a>)</p><p>Knife to Know You (a teen pulp horror module for D&D 5th ed.)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sword Prince Games</b>, from the Philippines (<a href="https://www.patreon.com/mariamison" target="_blank">patreon</a>)</p><p>Arch Angel Dating Simulator (Romance and the supernatural)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>undeadR</b> (<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/rpgpublisher/47300/undeadr" target="_blank">drivethruRPG shop</a>)</p><p>Ramayana Run, for D&D 5th ed.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Vorazunbrews</b>, from the Philippines (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Vorazunbrews" target="_blank">facebook</a>)</p><p>D&D 5th ed. supplements</p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-56014204267348320622020-10-25T15:38:00.001+01:002020-10-25T15:38:05.787+01:00Interactive Map of Zhèng Hé's Voyages<p> Here is the map:</p><p>https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1wqErluFzbfedCO6-fycEU6BiF-RxFXTM&ll=18.445497130535895%2C68.25884166406253&z=4</p><p><br /></p><p>from <a href="https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/event/zheng-he-interactive-map/" target="_blank">this site</a>. Enjoy!</p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-82881288396801640742020-09-24T16:24:00.004+02:002020-09-24T16:24:27.353+02:00The Tiger in Vietnamese Lore<p>I have stumbled upon a very interesting post about tigers in Vietnamese legend and lore. The link is <a href="https://readatmidnight.com/2020/09/24/tigers-in-viet-lore-and-upcoming-novellas/" target="_blank">here</a>, and I am copying the most relevant parts below just in case the original post should disappear from the internet (as it often happens); I am not trying to appropriate it!<br /><br /></p><h4 class="has-text-align-center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 27px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Godly Origin of the Tiger</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In Vietnam, the tiger is also known as Chuá Sơn Lâm (The God of the Mountain and Forest). The creation myth of the tiger tells of a mutinous heavenly deity by the name of Phạm Nhĩ. While Phạm Nhĩ was remarkably strong and talented, he plotted against the Jade Emperor as he thought he would be a more worthy ruler of the Heavens. Phạm Nhĩ created a huge ruckus, and he was almost successful in his exploits, until Buddha intervened and captured him. Buddha handed him back to the Jade Emperor, but warned that Phạm Nhĩ should not be killed for his crime. Instead, he was reincarnated as an animal on Earth – but he still retained his extraordinary strength and hearing (the name Phạm Nhĩ refers to his long ears).</p><h4 class="has-text-align-center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 27px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Tiger and the Toad</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I love finding common threads in tales around the world, and discovering the similarities between this story and<span> </span><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Turtle and the Hare</strong></em>, as well as<span> </span><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Banquet of the Twelve Zodiac</em></strong>, made me appreciate it all the more. In this story, a toad dissuade a tiger from devouring it by proposing a competition to see who can jump across the river first. During the jump, the toad hangs onto the tiger’s tail for most of the way, and leap across at the last moment to emerge as the victor. You can see the echoes of how the rat tricked its way to become the first member of the lunar zodiac sign, as well as the ever-present commentary between might and wit in fairy tales.</p><h4 class="has-text-align-center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 27px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How the Tiger got Its Stripes</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As a child, my favourite kinds of tales were the ones that attempted to explain the natural world around us. Like with many fairy tales, I am surprised at how dark it is now that I look back on it. The tale starts with a tiger who saw an ox being used as a beast of burden by a farmer. The tiger asked the ox why it willingly submitted to a human, when it was exponentially stronger. The ox replied it had to follow the human due to his cleverness, but could not explain what ‘cleverness’ was to the expectant tiger. The tiger then went to ask the farmer to show him this object called ‘cleverness’, and the farmer used the tiger’s curiosity to tie him to a tree and set him on fire (yes, folklore comes with a sobering dose of casual animal cruelty!). While the tiger escaped from the fire, it bore the burn marks from the event, and all tigers henceforth were burn with the black burn marks on their body. The ox? It fell over laughing when the tiger was caught and lost all of its upper teeth, which is why ox now only have teeth on their lower jaw. A two for one creation fable, so to speak.</p><h4 class="has-text-align-center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 27px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tigers in Our Language</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Tigers are traditionally respected in Vietnam. Up until the past decade, it was still common practice to avoid referring to tigers as ‘con cọp’ or ‘con hổ’ (tiger), but instead using the titles of ‘ông’ (grandfather) or ‘cậu’ (uncle). In Southern Vietnam, the first born son was called ‘anh hai’ (second elder brother), as the title ‘anh cả’ (eldest brother) was saved for the tiger.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">One of the most common folk name for a tiger is ‘Ông Ba Mươi’ (Grandfather Thirty), the name came from a rumored tradition once held. The emperors of yore would reward hunter who can catch a tiger with 30 quan tiền (an archaic Vietnamese currency, loan word from the Chinese 貫) as they prevented the destruction wrecked by tigers. However, they will simultaneously be punished by 30 lashes, for displacing the revered creatures from their natural habitat.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">There are many Viet proverbs and ca dao (Vietnamese folk poetry) relating to tigers, one of the most well-known ones tells of the dominance of tigers over other landlocked creatures:</p><blockquote class="wp-block-quote" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 64px; position: relative; quotes: "" ""; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 21.6px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 21.6px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Trời sinh Hùm chẳng có vây,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Hùm mà có cánh, Hùm bay lên trời.</em></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 21.6px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Loose Translation: The tiger was born without scales,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />If the tiger had wings, it would fly to the heavens.</p><cite style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 7px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; width: 591.906px;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 17.55px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vietnamese Folk Poetry</em></cite></blockquote><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The poem puts forward that if tigers had scales like a fish, or wings like a bird, they would also dominate the sea and the sky. This is a call-back to the tiger’s godly origin, from a deity who almost became the Emperor of the Heavens.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Tigers are ubiquitious in Vietnamese idioms, a few examples are below. If you are versed in your Chinese idioms, you’ll notice the crossover because *gestures at the Viet colonial history*:</p><figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(240, 240, 240); border-collapse: inherit; border-spacing: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; display: block; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; overflow-x: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><table style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 655px;"><tbody style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><tr style="background-color: #f0f0f0; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Hùm dữ không ăn thịt con”</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Translation: Vicious tigers won’t eat their own cubs.</td><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Refers to the bonds between parent and child.</td></tr><tr style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Mình Hổ, tay vượn”</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Translation: The body of a tiger, the hands of a monkey.</td><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">This saying is used to describe anyone who’s at the peak of their physical state: strong like a tiger and as agile as a monkey.</td></tr><tr style="background-color: #f0f0f0; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">““Hổ ngồi rồng cuộn”</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Translation: Crouching tiger, coiling dragon</td><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’re familiar with the wuxia movie<span> </span><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</em>, you already know what this means. In Vietnamese, it refers to a destination with hidden spiritual potential.</td></tr><tr style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Hổ phụ sinh hổ tử”</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Translation: A tiger will father a tiger</td><td style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: transparent; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 3px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Referring to the similarities between parent and child, as well as that insidious expectation that an accomplished parent would have an equally talented offspring.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><h4 class="has-text-align-center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 27px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tigers in Legends</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Like many other East and South-east Asian culture, Vietnamese also revere the Bạch Hổ (White Tiger). You can see a White Tiger carved onto the shrine near the famous Hoàn Kiếm lake in Hà Nội. In the ancient capital Huế, there are not just one, but two notable bridges that once went by the name of Bạch Hổ. One of them is now a popular tourist landmark of the city.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Legends of extraordinary men who defeat tigers with their bare hands are also passed on as an example of their might. You may already be familiar with Wǔ Sōng from the Chinese classic<span> </span><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Water Margin,<span> </span></em>but Vietnamese have a similar figure in Mai Hắc Đế (Mai, the Black Emperor). Mai successfully led the uprising against Táng Dynasty rule in Vietnam in 722AD, and ruled for a short time over a region of the country. One of his backstory told of the slaying of a tiger by his bare hands to avenge his mother.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">There are a few ethnic groups who claim the tiger as their ancestor, too. Myths tell of tigers (usually the White Tiger mentioned above), who took on human form, fell in love, and the children of these union became the descendants of tigers. Notable examples are prominent families bearing the surnames Vương, Bành, Dương, Điền, Đàm, Trướng, and Nhiễm. They migrated to Vietnam from the regions of Húběi, Húnán, and Sìchuān in China and carried these legends with them.</p><h4 class="has-text-align-center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 27px 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Urban Legend: The Three-Claws Tiger</strong></h4><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 27px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The tiger’s hold on Viet people’s imagination is not a relic of the past. As recently as the 1940s, urban legend of the Cọp Ba Móng (The Tiger with Three Claws/Foot) haunted our thoughts. This was a fearsome tiger who feasted on human meat, there were many reasons proposed for its bias for human flesh – was it because it was used to devouring the corpses of our fallen soldiers? Perhaps it lived for so long that it was close to attaining human intelligence? There were also disputes on its origin, the most popular one being that it escaped from the menagerie of a wealthy French official. Having lost one of its foot in captivity, it turned its hatred and anger onto the Vietnamese villagers in the neighboring area. Among the brewing anti-colonial sentiment at the time, I can see why this theory held particular allure. In any event, it became the harbinger of death and military intervention was introduced to remove it. I can’t quite figure out what happened to the tiger on my readings, but it’s certainly a legend I will ponder for a long time.</p>賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-49789278799372170002020-07-06T13:53:00.001+02:002020-07-06T13:53:13.746+02:00Colonial Vietnam Cthulhu KS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymduVbDf8jghvfbFOgo9wKpZO3UYpOWMocS0KcYwhN0wgvfH1ON3eA554UHFerj8L7Py9v5zDDt8bkoltnwrQsNfDMwQVhtUxERuDjh_HIYMI5zjmnftniuOrZVGrvZMmPN061itnvzM/s1600/mail.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="342" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymduVbDf8jghvfbFOgo9wKpZO3UYpOWMocS0KcYwhN0wgvfH1ON3eA554UHFerj8L7Py9v5zDDt8bkoltnwrQsNfDMwQVhtUxERuDjh_HIYMI5zjmnftniuOrZVGrvZMmPN061itnvzM/s200/mail.png" width="138" /></a></div>
Only tangentially relevant to this blog but still... I have found it interesting.<br />
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There is a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/singularity-sons/journal-dindochine?mc_cid=67d58ae57e&mc_eid=21559bb4c4" target="_blank">crowdfunding campaign</a> going on to fund a set of <i>Call of Cthulhu</i> 7th edition adventures cum background set in colonial Vietnam, circa 1925-1955. Some content is specific to WWII-era adventures, but some ideas could easily be stolen for a TCE/CoC cross-over game set in Vietnam, in particular the Hòa Hảo Buddhist militias, the entities that offer the temptation of enlightenment, the Expédition Lemont to the mythical city of gold, and the possibility to tie in the Plateau of Leng with Southeast Asia.<br />
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See p128 of <i>The Celestial Empire</i> for further details on running cross-over adventures with the <i>Call of Cthulhu</i> game.賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-58528745849006412122020-04-30T16:28:00.001+02:002020-04-30T16:28:07.194+02:00Encyclopaedia of HistoriographyThe <i><b>Encyclopaedia of Historiography</b></i> by French academic publisher <b>INALCO</b> is freely available on-line (but not off-line) <a href="https://books.openedition.org/pressesinalco/21819?fbclid=IwAR3rHDC3BwM7-_v8WEBZ4_27QqWMFaECEEs5Ln5gQGs515wl5PVgJ1p4OG8" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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It features many articles about East Asia of interest to referees and players of <i>The Celestial Empire</i>, inter alia:
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<ul>
<li>East Asian Monetary History
</li>
<li>Biographies of Buddhist Monks and Nuns
</li>
<li>Sources for the History of Taoism
</li>
<li>Chinese Imperial Capitals (The)
</li>
<li>Codes and Legal Works in China
</li>
<li>Historical and Institutional Encyclopaedias (zhengshu)
</li>
<li>Travel Books (The) (China)
</li>
<li>Chinese Cartography
</li>
<li>Matteo Ricci’s World Map (The) (1602)
</li>
<li>“Accounts of the Eastern Barbarians” in Chinese Official Dynastic Histories
</li>
<li>Koryŏsa 高麗史 고려사 : the Official History of the Koryŏ Kingdom
</li>
<li>Yongjae Ch’onghwa 慵齋叢話 (Yongjae Narratives)
</li>
<li>Chronicle of the Voyage of Nosongdang to Japan
</li>
<li>Instructions of the Keian Era (The)
</li>
<li>Japanese Documents from the Edo Period relating to the Imjin War
</li>
<li>Cao Bằng: Sources for the History of a Borderland in Vietnam before the 20th Century
</li>
</ul>
賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-72771415017790621282020-04-24T16:50:00.000+02:002020-04-24T16:51:17.574+02:00Tetsubō News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBifskxbwcXso2rhg6ue2vdvP4LPuM5pTIJAelOIiayRk4AUpBVdcmB7CnO1opOgyBMgR-zSx6DJXyG5VRyMH19TV1a1-CBK4itG06e1C9rN1IV2n2U6AawyAHNQHHiIt61NlhSRgNBQ/s1600/DpAFraLUYAEPXG7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="943" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBifskxbwcXso2rhg6ue2vdvP4LPuM5pTIJAelOIiayRk4AUpBVdcmB7CnO1opOgyBMgR-zSx6DJXyG5VRyMH19TV1a1-CBK4itG06e1C9rN1IV2n2U6AawyAHNQHHiIt61NlhSRgNBQ/s200/DpAFraLUYAEPXG7.jpg" width="117" /></a></div>
<i><b>Tetsubō </b></i>is one of those games that “almost happened”. Time and time again, it was on the brink of publication, and then for various reason it got cancelled. First in the 80s as a Japanese-flavoured <i>Warhammer</i> supplement, then putatively as a <i>Dragon Warriors</i> supplement, then two years ago it went back to its original scope and again almost got published as a Japanese-flavoured <i>Zweihänder</i> supplement (so much that it even got its cover that was circulated on Twitter; it’s the picture I am showing here), and now <a href="http://fabledlands.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-shinpu-hits-fan.html">its authors</a> are revealing that they may eventually publish it as a stand-alone role-playing game powered by the same engine as <b>Paul Mason’s</b> <i>Outlaws of the Water Margin</i> – which would be über cool since I really <a href="http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2013/11/outlaws-of-water-margin.html">like</a> the latter.<br />
<br />
What can I say at the moment? Be patient as a <i>Zen</i> monk; wait and see!賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-12109634877668356102020-03-27T15:23:00.000+01:002020-03-27T15:23:08.140+01:00Return of the Basic Role-Playing Ststem! New! Improved! With OGL!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7Respj0ZWatQjZobZ30E9eNlMIpUGCOJes3zELEm7dE-x7shK_ajvR14wVYYRI01UsB3zlNf4OHOAPOvuPD5Vo5d3hwDUc0nXWPBUb0F6fEwKR1fblp17YD9AcegeelShRc4lBOA4iY/s1600/BRPlogo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="304" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7Respj0ZWatQjZobZ30E9eNlMIpUGCOJes3zELEm7dE-x7shK_ajvR14wVYYRI01UsB3zlNf4OHOAPOvuPD5Vo5d3hwDUc0nXWPBUb0F6fEwKR1fblp17YD9AcegeelShRc4lBOA4iY/s200/BRPlogo.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
My three or four faithful readers may remember that the reason my historical role-playing game set in Imperial China <i>The Celestial Empire</i> isn’t available any longer is because its original publisher, <b>Alephtar Games</b>, lost the licence to publish games using the <i>Basic Role-Playing System</i>, owned by the <b>Chaosium</b>, as their engine.<br />
<br />
However, the <b>Chaosium</b> have just announced an <b>Open Gaming Licence</b> for the <i>Basic Role-Playing System</i> (all the details are on <a href="http://2ndage.blogspot.com/2020/03/basic-role-playing-srd-and-ogl-at-last.html">my other blog</a>), meaning that <i>The Celestial Empire</i> might return, probably under another form, should I finally manage to finish the manuscript of my East Asian 16th century setting.<br />
<br />
Watch this space! 賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-29019876576170378712019-02-19T17:33:00.004+01:002019-02-19T17:33:54.384+01:00Trade Routes Under the SòngThanks to reddit user martinjanmansson, we have access – <a href="https://easyzoom.com/imageaccess/ec482e04c2b240d4969c14156bb6836f" target="_blank">here</a> – to a fantastically detailed map of the trade routes of Eurasia in the 11th/12th centuries AD, i.e., under the <b>Sòng</b> dynasty of China.<br />
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I have added below the maps of interest for an East Asian campaign:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUe3pqn2WsQ3UCIPmySm3CFkbfIvQpDiGjKGQEWndO40yyT5lGVIrXYdf8CbKqWcwslDEDnaeW9VUxeqOorgrH1baVnUstmHN8iSoi3ctBd4fWMjQ6LcvbzQdtfyFFIbmDJavycuiAaE/s1600/12thCenturyChina.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUe3pqn2WsQ3UCIPmySm3CFkbfIvQpDiGjKGQEWndO40yyT5lGVIrXYdf8CbKqWcwslDEDnaeW9VUxeqOorgrH1baVnUstmHN8iSoi3ctBd4fWMjQ6LcvbzQdtfyFFIbmDJavycuiAaE/s320/12thCenturyChina.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map centred on China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0um-eLyjVfOHy7rza2uj5Jd28PWDyWmFIOqj0vONs4NjCwig0bZgn17qzW_ySvWa9hZMiNdaFHC3sDxCR8eJAdJl-fPxRyac3LIKrY6f_sB9PBWfs9SWe2tLQuyC-NifyT0Jam3qAgg/s1600/12thCenturyNE.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1600" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0um-eLyjVfOHy7rza2uj5Jd28PWDyWmFIOqj0vONs4NjCwig0bZgn17qzW_ySvWa9hZMiNdaFHC3sDxCR8eJAdJl-fPxRyac3LIKrY6f_sB9PBWfs9SWe2tLQuyC-NifyT0Jam3qAgg/s320/12thCenturyNE.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the North-East</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zjXxzLjrXTuNmKa8HORfuaeTdER_G16q4dBeiIqdVD9Ydsww3wN4TkbYrTUXiliTNrMcpCE-9gjRBVK5Cixf93O-_NdJG1tYBQivMvkyeKT1_WrddoGteIcItgQZ8E-DjRbrfcta5qE/s1600/12thCenturyNW.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zjXxzLjrXTuNmKa8HORfuaeTdER_G16q4dBeiIqdVD9Ydsww3wN4TkbYrTUXiliTNrMcpCE-9gjRBVK5Cixf93O-_NdJG1tYBQivMvkyeKT1_WrddoGteIcItgQZ8E-DjRbrfcta5qE/s320/12thCenturyNW.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the North-West</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13b38ntl93EZqOuWXCe9yhdWYadvMh-TPR9CyRL8nymsOHxazMrQ8mQ5U7UKNNQVPlRSKVxZ0Smsu566Id4RRWn24CFaob1N93Nuwe3S1SYMpVYBceAILo1tOYCRt33Xo7SV4YPumZpU/s1600/12thCenturySE.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13b38ntl93EZqOuWXCe9yhdWYadvMh-TPR9CyRL8nymsOHxazMrQ8mQ5U7UKNNQVPlRSKVxZ0Smsu566Id4RRWn24CFaob1N93Nuwe3S1SYMpVYBceAILo1tOYCRt33Xo7SV4YPumZpU/s320/12thCenturySE.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the South-East</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9KqOcLZchwwtNuq6DMxSxVaFG1H4dgffwGBi17qC5z1dUYLMsUskmlQhEF8FL2HjiSIs-GiNxujQNZVjRw1iFKpv3RSuxDrn4WG0cAUQeGxMcQDZilPhXaMpoA_6UaofLa6arXIKhvQ/s1600/12thCenturySW.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9KqOcLZchwwtNuq6DMxSxVaFG1H4dgffwGBi17qC5z1dUYLMsUskmlQhEF8FL2HjiSIs-GiNxujQNZVjRw1iFKpv3RSuxDrn4WG0cAUQeGxMcQDZilPhXaMpoA_6UaofLa6arXIKhvQ/s320/12thCenturySW.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the South-West</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-24734304785172232262018-08-16T11:33:00.004+02:002018-08-16T11:33:46.134+02:00Rise of the Yōkai Koku - PDF Only SupplementAlas, the crowdfunding campaign for <i>Rise of the Yōkai Koku</i> (a Sengoku Jidai-themed campaign by <b>Alephtar Games</b>) did not reach its target goal, meaning the supplement will only be released as a PDF rather than a fully-fledged book. ETA is September 2018.賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-76651045558993888102018-06-19T17:59:00.000+02:002018-06-19T17:59:25.501+02:00The Purple Maiden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm029OWHwRL0AijhLVO3YCWL9CG4QDE9E16vPU4Z78YKcEmIgjRc5nYTjwnO6Xryvjc2O3OrHqsAkGnraAjLehc5hZ_pMB0VB2hY_-9nHNta2YmTa76Akpo7GGFwhk5F-9bjNrh9Q0gJk/s1600/100180660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="231" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm029OWHwRL0AijhLVO3YCWL9CG4QDE9E16vPU4Z78YKcEmIgjRc5nYTjwnO6Xryvjc2O3OrHqsAkGnraAjLehc5hZ_pMB0VB2hY_-9nHNta2YmTa76Akpo7GGFwhk5F-9bjNrh9Q0gJk/s200/100180660.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Purple Maiden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The <b>Purple Maiden</b> (Zǐgū 紫姑) is a minor deity of <b>Chinese Folk Religion</b> mostly worshipped by women via a very peculiar possession cult: instead of possessing a medium, the Purple Maiden takes possession of her effigy during the night of her festival (the 15th day of the 1st month).<br />
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The effigy is thus swayed in various directions by the weight of the possessing deity; the movements of the effigy are then interpreted by the Ritual Master / Shaman / Spirit-Medium to divine about the prospects of the coming year in terms of silk output, or any other women-related produce.<br />
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As with most Chinese Folk Religion deities, the Purple Maiden is an apotheosised mortal. She was a concubine killed by the jealous wife of her master, close to the pigsty or to the latrine of the household. This is why her cult takes place next to the pigsty or latrine. An alternate (and possibly truer) hypothesis is that the stinking parts of the household were deemed inhabited by malevolent spirits, and a tale was fabricated to create a benevolent spirit guarding said parts of the household.<br />
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Whatever the truth, the cult of the Purple Maiden has been popular since the <b>Táng</b> dynasty. Under the <b>Sòng</b>, Zǐgū can be called upon even outside of her festival night via a small doll made of chopsticks and wicker, and animated by children. The doll traces lines on the ground, which are then interpreted for divination. This is probably the first instance of <i>fújī</i> (spirit-writing, see p94 of <i>The Celestial Empire</i>), the divination technique that became so popular from the Sòng dynasty on.賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-88788886566185801462018-06-12T14:37:00.000+02:002018-06-12T14:37:44.591+02:00Rise of the Yōkai Koku - Crowdfunding Campaign Has StartedThe crowdfunding campaign for <i>Rise of the Yōkai Koku</i>, by <b>Alephtar Games</b>, has started on <a href="https://www.ulule.com/rise-of-the-yokai-koku/" target="_blank"><b>ulule</b></a>. <i>Rise of the Yōkai Koku</i> (妖怪國) is an adventure/campaign setting for <i>Revolution D100</i> set in 16th-century Japan, at the time of the feudal anarchy known as the <i>Sengoku Jidai</i> (戰國時代, "Age of Warring States").<br />
Although the campaign is specifically tailored for <i>Revolution D100</i>, I believe you can easily adapt it to <b>any </b>D100-based role-playing game.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTEZcGGgBWf4JxkX0SV-kLAXu40lIc7HtDcGGkr92-bK5ctkp2yM4cDR9GEj36bJeZQsmobg6AY6rH8x5I2FHKU2UaO3wIqiXFP_l303lSc8GqS0XpWIbpaRuN76-i0nQEKdiElVYGNU/s1600/Kenshiro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="967" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTEZcGGgBWf4JxkX0SV-kLAXu40lIc7HtDcGGkr92-bK5ctkp2yM4cDR9GEj36bJeZQsmobg6AY6rH8x5I2FHKU2UaO3wIqiXFP_l303lSc8GqS0XpWIbpaRuN76-i0nQEKdiElVYGNU/s320/Kenshiro.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my character from the play tests</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here are three excerpts from the <b>ulule </b>blurb:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"After his defeat at the hand of Oda Nobunaga, the great Daimyō Azai Nagamasa commits seppuku. The only hope for what is left of his retinue is a secret alliance with the Takeda clan, the only one strong enough to oppose Nobunaga. However, Takeda Shingen demands a hostage to guarantee the loyalty of Nagamasa’s former retainers. The hostage must reach the Shinano province without Nobunaga being aware of his presence, but the road passes through Oda territory. A group of brave adventurers must accompany the hostage in his dangerous journey."</i><br />
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The first part of the booklet contains two different methods to generate Japanese characters suitable to the Sengoku Jidai era – including some unusual ones – and specific rules for roleplaying in the period, and in Japanese culture in general: Buddhist schools, the influence of Shintō practices, Japanese martial disciplines and so on. The second part is the adventure itself, in which the player characters take the role of protectors of the hostage at the court of the great Takeda Shingen. The campaign is divided into ten chapters between which the players will have plenty of opportunities to evolve their characters along their preferred path.<br />
<br />
Other information about the product:<br />
<ul>
<li>Expected size 64 to 80 pages, letter format.</li>
<li>Standard character generation option based on Background and Occupation.</li>
<li>Questionnaire-based character generation option which defines your character abilities and history according to the answers you choose.</li>
<li>Stunts for Japanese swordsmanship and other martial techniques.</li>
<li>Statistics for Japanese weapons and armour.</li>
<li>Simple magic powers based on Buddhist meditation techniques.</li>
<li>Different flavours of Buddhist schools, from highly orthodox Zen to the weird practices of Shugendō, with all shades of esoteric Buddhism in between. Each school provides slightly different magic.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-4662720739906536872018-05-12T21:22:00.001+02:002018-05-12T21:22:09.753+02:00Free Sengoku Japan Supplement for Revolution D100<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH_QtPeoDkspzLQPLMVXKZrXoGtIYmi9CwsJHX4AlOvsavjAytrA9jpQq_EHs6-AIm0xUAswvsZ9LSZE0kpNU_qXZGVvpdr4NgQGyID-LzLLbyLqiT26NDGS_QV0C0zrvVGhb7uYlY10/s1600/revolutiond100.jpg.765884bc84477f436028eca3a322f0ac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="935" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH_QtPeoDkspzLQPLMVXKZrXoGtIYmi9CwsJHX4AlOvsavjAytrA9jpQq_EHs6-AIm0xUAswvsZ9LSZE0kpNU_qXZGVvpdr4NgQGyID-LzLLbyLqiT26NDGS_QV0C0zrvVGhb7uYlY10/s320/revolutiond100.jpg.765884bc84477f436028eca3a322f0ac.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
As per the title of this blog post... Here is the <a href="https://basicroleplaying.org/files/file/628-sengoku-jidai-package-for-revolution-d100/" target="_blank">link</a>; in 10 pages, you get more historically-accurate RPG material than in most faux Japanese role-playing games.<br />
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Enjoy!賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-29961104647555541012017-10-12T14:30:00.002+02:002017-10-12T14:39:37.270+02:00Blank Map of Sengoku Jidai JapanI have a found a blank map of 16th century Japan on the net and I thought I'd share it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzhaAyI1DiOam2omxs7k3kEMHs1rNstTWVOMvueCX_vuv_GUw_9SzshThMK1Fo8Gk0r42nuh8HuLlONqAQGpXLwOvMcdAy5L8qmi9sgUe2n34kqxHAazJ4Z0a_rdtLEzCE2ad-0k0Mfw/s1600/BlankSengokuJapan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1600" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzhaAyI1DiOam2omxs7k3kEMHs1rNstTWVOMvueCX_vuv_GUw_9SzshThMK1Fo8Gk0r42nuh8HuLlONqAQGpXLwOvMcdAy5L8qmi9sgUe2n34kqxHAazJ4Z0a_rdtLEzCE2ad-0k0Mfw/s320/BlankSengokuJapan.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This can be very useful for referees GM'ing adventures set at the time of Sengoku Japan, especially should the campaign revolve around <i>daimyō</i> rivalry and the conquest of the various provinces (the referee can track the by progress of the various armies by using different colours).賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-36859435021561148052017-05-02T14:10:00.001+02:002017-05-17T17:55:54.958+02:00Monsters & Magic Back In Print<b>Sarah Newton</b> (<i>Monsters & Magic's</i> author) has announced today that her seminal Old School feel/New School mechanics fantasy role-playing game would be launched soon as a print-on-demand book on DriveThruRPG / RPGNow.<br />
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<i><b>Edit 17 May</b></i>: here's <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127944/Monsters--Magic-Roleplaying-Game" target="_blank">the relevant link</a> on DriveThruRPG.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF9HTNOEw2EjTCld76EF49eapligh3LRM2c7UwH7VqWLurVT-EIK6kTWVJ0Xf25xLz8v0mgebC8MJU895mPmzwjqTcHadNmHAsCJPj7imu2aJnpn6e2Oe2w1FYQXijf_9otmfbt9YjLU/s1600/Monsters+%2526+Magic+POD+cover+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF9HTNOEw2EjTCld76EF49eapligh3LRM2c7UwH7VqWLurVT-EIK6kTWVJ0Xf25xLz8v0mgebC8MJU895mPmzwjqTcHadNmHAsCJPj7imu2aJnpn6e2Oe2w1FYQXijf_9otmfbt9YjLU/s320/Monsters+%2526+Magic+POD+cover+2017.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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She has also announced that there would be some new M&M announcements coming up shortly!賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-26155424388430445652017-01-12T12:15:00.003+01:002017-01-12T12:15:49.811+01:00Wōkòu MythbustingA great article available <a href="http://greatmingmilitary.blogspot.com/2017/01/random-mythbusting-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a> that busts several myths about the <b>Wōkòu</b>, the notorious Japanese pirates that terrorised Korean and Chinese coastal areas under the <b>Míng</b>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8GYuU6PGvpSS3ba7GQLZnJ3uSSrgg8gnEfimGJhyphenhyphenLzX_4TLTH1gzKnxNjqEPG3FpIfB7aqW4c5u50fKeRVkcMtr1LjIF-6v2S3XnUokmf9alow24tUd0hTyfk7-2Q2RWcESl-toLi88/s1600/201610291477711071987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8GYuU6PGvpSS3ba7GQLZnJ3uSSrgg8gnEfimGJhyphenhyphenLzX_4TLTH1gzKnxNjqEPG3FpIfB7aqW4c5u50fKeRVkcMtr1LjIF-6v2S3XnUokmf9alow24tUd0hTyfk7-2Q2RWcESl-toLi88/s320/201610291477711071987.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">倭寇 (Wōkòu)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Myth 1. Hǎijìn (海禁, lit. 'Sea ban') or maritime trade prohibition constituted the Wōkòu phenomenon<br />
Myth 2. Poor Chinese coastal inhabitants were forced into piracy by oppressive Hǎijìn policy<br />
Myth 3. Wōkòu were primarily swordsmen<br />
Myth 4. Japanese Yumi is weaker/has lower draw weight than English longbow (or other bows)<br />
Myth 5: Lángxiǎn (狼筅) was developed to specifically counter Japanese swords賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-90776228960437442322016-11-22T17:58:00.003+01:002016-11-22T17:58:50.714+01:00Walled VillagesDuring the Míng and Qīng dynasties, the shores of the southern Chinese provinces suffered from pirate attacks (the notorious <i>Wōkòu</i> — see <a href="http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2011/06/mountains-and-seas-contd.html">an older post</a>). As a result, some coastal villages built walls against them.<br />
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Here are two interesting articles about these walled villages <a href="https://dreamscapedesign.net/2016/11/22/walled-villages/" target="_blank">(1)</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walled_villages_of_Hong_Kong" target="_blank">(2)</a>.<br />
<br />賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-32468605179954758652016-03-23T09:57:00.000+01:002016-03-23T09:57:03.576+01:00The Assassin (cont'd)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXF_N9ohhOR9sVEXvAXWQC_tOplovjbGF7dgglxCxJ1AR6KwbUvHfmRq1LBwNtXby2qLL8mIWWEfFdVCJnDNG1YaDnmZAqolEkvcBMh1xBPsnRY_QekIZUqvkzlVr8snAADZ707qa-SI/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXF_N9ohhOR9sVEXvAXWQC_tOplovjbGF7dgglxCxJ1AR6KwbUvHfmRq1LBwNtXby2qLL8mIWWEfFdVCJnDNG1YaDnmZAqolEkvcBMh1xBPsnRY_QekIZUqvkzlVr8snAADZ707qa-SI/s200/images.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
I've seen <a href="http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-assassin-film.html"><i>The Assassin</i></a> at last. What a masterpiece. Mind you, it's not your run-of-the-mill <i>wǔxiá piàn</i>, with members of rival martial arts schools challenging each other, or with acrobatic fights in bamboo groves.<br />
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No. First of all, the film is set under the late Táng, and director Hou Hsiao-Hsien [Hóu Xiàoxián 侯孝賢] secured the assistance of a Taiwanese historian who specialises in the Táng Dynasty to make sure the court manners, musical instruments, dances, foodstuffs, etc. were historically accurate. As a result, the film is visually stunning in its faithful representation of court life and costumes. Many scenes have been photographed in natural light or in candlelight, and you can see the beautiful patterns of the silk clothes and the gauze curtains.<br />
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Secondly, many protagonists are female. Women under the Táng enjoyed much more freedom than under later dynasties (see <i>The Celestial Empire</i>, p9), and the film is basically a tale of women plotting against each other against a backdrop of seemingly masculine authority.<br />
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I won't spoil the scenario, but the film does depart from the short story. Niè Yǐnniáng returns from her training with the nun as a full adult, not as an adolescent as in the short story. The nun does not disappear; on the contrary, she tells her to kill her cousin Tián Jì'ān, the de facto independent ruler of Wèibó. Niè Fēng is Tián's provost. The various wives and concubines of Tián Jì'ān plot against each other. Instead of killing Tián, Yǐnniáng starts taking part in the various conspiracies, thwarting assassination attempts and protecting her father. I won't spoil the outcome of the film, but I believe it is about Yǐnniáng's finding her own destiny after years of being subservient to others.<br /><br />Oh, and there is the best depiction ever of a magic-user and of his spells in a semi-historical film. Yes, a magic-user could definitely do with more hit points...賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2186213837616167361.post-79677903148689882512016-03-10T16:56:00.000+01:002016-03-10T16:56:31.987+01:00An Article About Women In China by Robert Van Gulik<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOsrvs6XMaj59TJqh2i-opJeHubFN1DPkdmQu1Su5FOK2P5jYJcIJ_OGzeqP2e1UOR8H2GLKp7JwOUeiKU0gUstuqGmDFSqBFtw1_hh67HekoSiQC4jgNWQyi0ggO4gTiGJJAqXaJh1w/s1600/mingwoman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOsrvs6XMaj59TJqh2i-opJeHubFN1DPkdmQu1Su5FOK2P5jYJcIJ_OGzeqP2e1UOR8H2GLKp7JwOUeiKU0gUstuqGmDFSqBFtw1_hh67HekoSiQC4jgNWQyi0ggO4gTiGJJAqXaJh1w/s200/mingwoman1.jpg" width="91" /></a></div>
I have been criticised for "downplaying" the role of female player characters in <i>The Celestial Empire</i>, see for instance p9-10. I understand political correctness, I understand that female players want to play female PCs, but my decision to de-emphasise the role of female adventurers in a historical Imperial Chinese setting is based on strict historical evidence, not on whim or prejudice.<br />
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I have found a very interesting article on this matter on the engrossing Dutch <a href="http://www.judge-dee.info/welcome/index.jsp" target="_blank">fan web-site</a> devoted to <b>Robert van Gulik</b>, the celebrated author of the <i>Judge Dee</i> mystery novels.<br />
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Here is the text of the article, which had originally been published in the 1950s. The highlighted parts have been so by yours truly.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<b>Concubinage</b><br /><i>One-Sided Notes On a Many-Sided Subject</i><br />R.H. van Gulik<br /><br />Some time a studious person with much leisure at his disposal might well compile an encyclopaedia containing all the mistaken statements on Far Eastern subjects that may be culled from ancient and modern Western literature.<br /><br />His would be the work of a lifetime, but it would be far from labour lost. For so complicated has become the tangle of human relations on this small globe of ours, that a study of errors is often much more enlightening than a study of truisms.<br /><br />To such an encyclopaedia of errors on the Far East, the entry polygamy would occupy considerable space. Except for Far Eastern politics, there are few topics about which one reads so many erroneous statements.<br /><br />This goes for China as well as for Japan. Since a great many Japanese customs go back to Chinese prototypes, here we shall deal with polygamy in China, leaving the Japanese aspect of this problem for a subsequent occasion. Some writers describe the old Chinese polygamic system as a pool of black iniquity; others praise it as the long-awaited final solution of all our social problems. In fact it is neither of the two. Polygamy in China was the logical consequence of certain social and economic premises, and worked neither better nor worse than any of our own social institutions. And now that these premises are gradually disappearing, polygamy is disappearing together with them.<br /><br />There are many reasons for the prevalence of erroneous ideas about Chinese polygamy. In the first place, Chinese family life has until very recently been a closely guarded, isolated territory where no persons except members of the family itself could trespass. Among foreigners it was perhaps only the wives of the early missionaries who could obtain glimpses of life in the quarters of the womenfolk in a Chinese mansion. But foreign wives had an avenue of approach only to Christian Chinese families, where there were no secondary wives or concubines.<br /><br />Even the Chinese themselves found it difficult to obtain information about the “inner courtyards” of their friends. <b><span style="color: #20124d;">For in China the separation of the sexes has, since olden times, been carried out so firmly that in old-fashioned families it was considered improper to dry articles of male and female clothing on the same laundry line. An unmarried girl of an upper middle-class family had no contact at all with any male person except her brothers, and the contacts of a married woman were largely confined to the male members of her husband’s and her own family.</span></b><br /><br />This separation of the sexes was facilitated by the architectural features of the Chinese dwelling house. Especially in North and Central China, houses spread horizontally instead of vertically. One mansion is in reality a compound consisting of a number of separate courtyards, each having its own buildings and gardens, and connected with each other by winding corridors or covered passages.<br /><br />This peculiar arrangement of the Chinese floor plan also answered many of the problems of a polygamic family system. Each of the several wives could live in a separate courtyard of her own, with her own servants, and her own kitchen. The architecture eliminated many causes for the friction which is bound to arise sooner or later if one man lives together with several wives under the same roof.<br /><br />Besides there were a number of other factors in ancient China that contributed to a harmonious home life. One of the most important probably was sociability. <b><span style="color: #20124d;">In the olden days Chinese women were rigidly excluded from all outdoor activity, and could not take part in the social functions which their husbands so freely attended.</span></b> It is not without reason that the husband in conversation with outsiders would refer to his wife as “nèiren”, or “she who is within”, and she speak of him as “wàizǐ”, or “he who is without.” These terms are today still used in Chinese colloquial speech although the real situation is nowadays often quite the reverse.<br /><br />Women being thus confined to life inside their home, the wives provided company for each other, played card games and chess together, engaged in the polite arts such as painting and embroidery, and celebrated seasonal feasts together. The question of personal dignity, as important in China as anywhere else, did not arise because an age-old tradition had fixed the hierarchy of the womenfolk of a mansion, circumscribing exactly the rights and duties of all, from the seventh concubine to the old grandmother of the husband.<br /><br />With so many people involved, the activities of a malicious person could easily be curbed by gentle pressure, and without interference on the part of the husband, who, if he was a wise man, kept studiously aloof from all quarrels among his womenfolk.<br /><br />Further, economic factors played an important role. The old Chinese thought it nonsense to let ten women live in miserable poverty, as long as there could be found one man who could afford to let all ten of them live together with him in ease and comfort. Moreover, the primitive means of communication in ancient China often caused a man to live separated from his family for one or two years at a time. He then took unto him a wife in the place to which his official duty or his business had called him. When he returned home, he took this wife and children, if any, with him. They were incorporated into the original household as a matter of course.<br /><br />As to the origin of the system, Sinologues are probably right when they derive it from the sacred duty of every man to perpetuate the family line, in order to ensure the continuation of the sacrifices to the ancestors. If the first marriage failed to produce male offspring, it was a man’s duty to take a second or third wife, until he had obtained a son. Ethnologists are probably also right when they look for the origin of the system in the archaic belief that the leader of a tribe or clan has a more potent “aura” than common men, and therefore is entitled to more than one wife, as a matter of prestige. It would seem that it is this same question of prestige that is the origin of the old Chinese tradition that a high official should have at least four wives.<br /><br />Be this as it may, the polygamic system has worked in China reasonably well for more than 2,000 years. There have been the usual number of tragedies, and the usual examples of complete happiness. Since that is about the same as can be said for our own monogamic marriage system, I for one, taking into consideration the special social and economical environment that obtained in ancient China, would not presume to commit myself either way.<br /><br />There is, however, one point in the old Chinese polygamic system that in my opinion deserves commendation. That is that all children of one father, whether born from the first wife, secondary wife or concubine, are his legitimate offspring and as such have their incontestable rights, including those to a share of his inheritance.<br /><br />Some Western writers maintain that the Chinese system of polygamy precluded the existence of spiritual love between husband and wife. Chinese literature supplies ample proof that, under the special conditions that obtained in old China, this is by no means true. There were countless examples of two or three cultured women who were happily untied with one man at the same time, in a deep and true love. The secret of such a harmonious household seems to lie in the virtue of forbearance, which is so prominent a characteristic of the Chinese people in general, and in their genius for compromise.<br /><br />I conclude these random notes with a Chinese joke, one of the very few that can be translated into English, since through a coincidence the word “sour” has in Chinese the same double meaning as it has in English. The story is about a man who had an exceedingly jealous wife, who for many years had prevented him from acquiring a second spouse. By dint of much gentle persistence, he finally secured her consent, and one day he introduced into his mansion a beautiful young concubine.<br /><br />From then on, at the evening meal there always occurred an awkward moment, when the steward of the mansion had to ask his master whether he planned to stay with his first wife that night, or whether the servant should make preparations in the court yard of the new arrival. As a solution the master instructed his steward when serving the wine always to ask him whether that day he would drink yellow or white wine. It must be noted that Chinese yellow wine will spoil after a month or so, while white wine, which resembles our gin, will last much longer. The arrangement was that if the master answered “yellow,” it meant his first wife, and that “white” would refer to his preference for his concubine on that day.<br /><br />The first night after this secret arrangement had been made between the master and his steward, the latter duly asked during the evening meal whether his master would drink yellow or white wine; the answer was “white.” The next evening the steward received the same answer, and the same thing happened on the third night. On the fourth evening, when the steward was approaching his master’s chair to ask the vital question, he bowed and whispered: “Master, may I humbly suggest that tonight you drink some yellow wine, lest it grow sour.” </blockquote>
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<br />賈尼http://www.blogger.com/profile/03207671300903490067noreply@blogger.com0