This special edition brings together three classic works by Western scholars of ancient Chinese texts. The men were family friends and colleagues, and were all living in Shanghai during the late 19th century. Much of their combined transcription became shaped into the book we know today as the “Tao Te [...]
Playing a traditional zither
Confucius not only said interesting things, he sang them and accompanied himself on a kind of zither. The Smithsonian Institution’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery has frequent shows of musical instruments from Confucius’ time, 2,500 years ago. A collection of his lyrics (there are no melodies preserved) is one of the first [...]