Category Archives: China

Skipping Through Time

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Nathan

Live A Live – This game was originally released by Square in 1994, and was directed by Takashi Tokita, who was the lead designer on Final Fantasy IV and later directed Chrono Trigger. Like the latter game, this is an RPG … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, China, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, History, Humor, Japan, Language, Magic, Monsters, Music, Names, Relationships, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mellow Yellow

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Nathan

When you go back far enough, it can be difficult to tell real personages from mythical ones. Lists of kings often include some far-fetched entries toward the beginning, like people who ruled for centuries. One of the most significant quasi-historical … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, China, Chinese, Conspiracy Theories, History, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turtle Whirl

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Nathan

I was looking for information on the Black Tortoise of Winter who played a significant role in Grace Lin’s When the Sea Turned to Silver, and it turns out that he’s pretty closely tied to a god called Xuanwu, a … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Chinese, History, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Monk and the Monkey

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Nathan

Journey to the West, by Wu Cheng’en, translated and edited by Anthony C. Yu – This classic of Chinese literature, first published in the sixteenth century, is quite loosely based on the real-life pilgrimage of the seventh-century Buddhist monk Xuanzang … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Buddhism, China, Chinese, History, India, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Toying with the Occult

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Nathan

Ah, the Ouija Board. Who doesn’t love the idea of a means of possession by evil spirits that you can buy at Toys “R” Us? I’ve never used one myself, but I’ve heard plenty of stories of girls at sleepovers … Continue reading →

Posted in Board Games, China, Christianity, Fundamentalism, Games, Harry Potter, History, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Toys | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Monk Time

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Nathan

Most of the standard classes in the Final Fantasy series are pretty easy to figure out, with a few exceptions. For instance, why does a red mage use both black and white magic? I don’t know, but their abilities are … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Final Fantasy, History, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Tao Te Ching Industrial Average

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Nathan

Since we looked at Confucius last week, it only makes sense to move on to his supposed contemporary Lao-Tzu. Not a whole lot is known about him, and even what is known might not be accurate. The name Lao-Tzu, or … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Historical Personages, History, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

State of Confucianism

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Nathan

Today, we take a trip back to the Warring States period of Chinese history, and to a a guy called Confucius, legendary sage and subject of a lot of broken English jokes. The traditional dates given for his lifetime are … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Confucianism, Historical Personages, History, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments