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From stove ash to ... many more
The magic of winter ash.
Rachelle
Jul 8, 20242 min read
A Quirky Indicator of Summer Solstice
A fifteenth-century account
Rachelle
Jul 1, 20242 min read
How not to use pork fat
How not to use pork fat
Rachelle
Jun 24, 20242 min read
"An Account of the Drumming from the Watchtower" by Zhu Yunming 祝允明 (1461-1527)
Image credit: National Palace Museum, Taipei https://digitalarchive.npm.gov.tw/Painting/Content?pid=15123&Dept=P Text and calligraphy by...
Rachelle
Jun 17, 20243 min read
鄭東《題李唐牧牛圖》“On Li Tang’s Painting of Pasturing Cattle” by Zheng Dong (fl. 14th century)
To the newcomers in my neighbourhood.
Rachelle
Jun 10, 20242 min read
蘇大 《山房睡起》“Waking up in a Hillside Chamber” by Su Da (fl. 14th century)
On the Indian pokeweed: Shanglu 商陸
Rachelle
Jun 3, 20242 min read
馬戴《過野叟居》“Passing by an Old Rustic’s Place” by Ma Dai (d. 869)
To all happy rustics...
Rachelle
May 27, 20242 min read
A legendary louse
An anecdote about Wang Anshi from an eleventh-century biji collection.
Rachelle
May 20, 20243 min read
Xie Lingyun 謝靈運 (385-433) and his hiking clogs
An ancient Chinese hiker and his gear.
Rachelle
May 13, 20242 min read
孫元衡《菠蘿》“The Pineapple” by Sun Yuanheng
A seventeenth-century celebration of the pineapple.
Rachelle
May 6, 20242 min read
How to get your cat pregnant... without a male cat
An excerpt from the Bencao gangmu 本草綱目.
Rachelle
Apr 29, 20242 min read
A Joke About Speaking Mandarin
From the 19th-century collection Xiaolin guangji 笑林廣記.
Rachelle
Apr 22, 20243 min read
李穡《卽事》“On What Happened” by Yi Saek (1328-1396)
A friendly warning to those who are used to a sedentary lifestyle (like myself).
Rachelle
Apr 15, 20242 min read
豬蹄四法Four methods of cooking pig’s feet
Four 18th-century recipes for pig knuckles from the Suiyuan shida 隨園食單.
Rachelle
Apr 8, 20243 min read
貢性之《題畫蒲萄松鼠》 “Inscription on a Painting of a Squirrel and Grapes” by Gong Xingzhi (fl. 14th century)
Squirrel: a big fan of grapes?
Rachelle
Apr 1, 20242 min read
釋懷深《擬寒山詩（其一百三十二）》 “In Imitation of Hanshan’s Poems (No. 132)” by Buddhist Huaishen (1077-1132)
A reminder for mice/bats: never underestimate a cat's hunting skills!
Rachelle
Mar 25, 20241 min read
A joke for the planting season
A reminder for those who work with others in the field/garden.
Rachelle
Mar 18, 20242 min read
![劉秉忠《桃花曲》 [To the Tune] “Song of Peach Blossoms” by Liu Bingzhong (1216-1274)](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044059_febd04f9197748fd86f5c4023488dae4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_804,h_604,fp_0.50_0.50,q_30,blur_30,enc_avif,quality_auto/044059_febd04f9197748fd86f5c4023488dae4~mv2.jpg)
![劉秉忠《桃花曲》 [To the Tune] “Song of Peach Blossoms” by Liu Bingzhong (1216-1274)](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/044059_febd04f9197748fd86f5c4023488dae4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_804,h_604,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/044059_febd04f9197748fd86f5c4023488dae4~mv2.jpg)
劉秉忠《桃花曲》 [To the Tune] “Song of Peach Blossoms” by Liu Bingzhong (1216-1274)
As spring approaches...
Rachelle
Mar 11, 20242 min read
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