In ancient China, a young musician named Yu Boya gained fame for his talents. On the night of the Moon Festival, he encounters a mysterious woodcutter who is also a musician and admires Boya’s most famous song: Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water. Their friendship deepens and Boya vows to play the song for his new friend every year on the festival night. But the next year, upon hearing of his friend’s death, Boya smashes his instrument and never plays again. To this day, the word for “close friendship” means “understanding the music.”
ancient China
Ode To The Goddess Of The Luo River
The Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River is an ancient Chinese poem created by Cao Zhi, a writer living in the state of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period (c. 220-280 CE). In his tale, Cao Zhi is returning from the capital to his own land when he stops at the Luo River for a rest, where he sees a vision of the goddess so powerful that he instantly falls in love with her. Cao sees a nymph of peerless beauty “as elegant as a startled swan and supple as a swimming dragon”. Though he’s swept away by her ethereal beauty, it’s a love that isn’t meant to be. With its high production values and amazingly-detailed-multi-page foldout spreads, this is a special book that will entice art lovers of all ages.
Mulan: Before The Sword
“An original novel based on the world and characters of the Walt Disney Studios Live Action Mulan film”–
At Home In Her Tomb
This book unearths the mysteries of the Mawangdui tombs. Lady Dai’s mummy was so remarkably preserved that scientists were able to perform an autopsy—more than two thousand years after Lady Dai’s death. The tomb also protected hundreds of artifacts from the Han Dynasty. Miniature servants, mysterious silk paintings, and scrolls holding long-lost secrets gave invaluable clues to daily life in ancient China.
What Did the Ancient Chinese Do for Me?
From the seismograph to ice cream to fireworks, the Ancient Chinese continue to influence all aspects of contemporary life. Read this book to find out more about how we encounter links to the ancient world every day.
Warriors and Wailers: One Hundred Ancient Chinese Jobs You Might Have Relished or Reviled
Learn about 100 jobs you might never have imagined existed and discover fascinating facts about more than 4,000 years of life in China
The Chinese
This book focuses on the discoveries and inventions of the ancient Chinese civilization in the areas of transportation, agriculture, architecture, science, and technology.
Garden of the Purple Dragon
Ancient China. Han Dynasty. Ping has found peace in the shadow of the Tai Shan mountains where she struggles to rear Kai, the small purple dragon left in her care. But her past is chasing her. Who can she trust? Ping must find a place that is safe for Kai.
Kubla Khan
Always cast in a supporting role in the many books about Marco Polo, the great Kubla Khan now takes center stage in a splendid picture-book biography. He is a wonderful subject, Ã man who liked to live large, building the imperial city of Beijing from scratch, siring a hundred children, throwing birthday bashes for 40,000 guests. He ruled over the greatest empire of the time, one that was lightyears ahead of Western civilization in terms of the arts, sciences, and technology. With astonishingly beautiful and detailed illustrations by Robert Byrd and a clever text by Kathleen Krull, this portrait finally gives Kubla Khan his due.
The Waiting Day
In ancient China, a hardworking ferryman who tries to please his demanding and unappreciative passengers learns an important lesson from a beggar sitting patiently by the riverbank.