1911: Away

Deer Farm by Tang dynasty poet Wang Wei* (701-761)

Empty mountain, not a person to see,
But hear the sound of people talking,
Reflections of sunlight, deep into the forest,
Also shines on the green moss.

*called the Field and Garden poet

Editor's note: this shows you the feeling of a quiet, still place.


1911 - age 10

The fourth year I studied in the private school, we finished studying the Four Classics (Mongze) and began studying Wu Jing (5 Classics): Poems, Books, Logic, Rituals, Spring-Fall (One of Confucius' histories). According to the curriculum of that time, after the 5 Classics, you could start history. In the history: History, Fangangjie, Gangjianyizhilu. Then we could start Ancient Essays (gu wen). [list of reference books]. After history, the teacher taught us poetry. Among the poetry, we learned a Thousand Authors, and then 300 Tang poems, then The 18 Authors. Some scholars copied The 18 Authors. Then poems from the last six dynasties: Tang, Wu Dai, Song, Yuan, Ming, Ching.