越王勾践剑 27 July 2008
An exhibition is currently held in Beijing at the Chinese Military Hisotry Museum, with articles in dispay including a map of military base dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (207BD - 25AD), four swords made over 2000 years ago, and 3 dozens of bamboo-slips inscribed with full text of Art of War (《孙子兵法》). Jiangsu (江苏) and Zhejiang (浙江) provinces along China's coastline around the lower reach of the Yangtze River have always been one of the most advanced areas in the east Asia. Long before the Firest Emperor Qin drove his army down south to eatablish a united China in 221BC, there were two highly developd kingdoms in the region, one based on the ancient Pingjiang (平江) city in today's Suzhou, and the other at Guiji (会稽) in today's Shaoxing County (绍兴) near Hangzhou (杭州). It was the time during the Spring and Autumn period (770BC-476BC) when in the Yellow River basin Confucian (551BC-479BC) probed the human condition and Lao Tzu (Lao Tzu) enquired the universal truth, while in the Yangtze River delta, the kinddom in Suzhou called Wu (吴), which is still a term used to refer to the city and its surrounding areas, had drafted a Development Control Plan for the city, known as the earliest town planning scheme map in the world, and the kingdom in Guiji called Yue (越), which is a name now for an opera form second most popular in China after Beijing Opera, crafted the best Chinese swords, including the one shown in the picture. Comparing to the Yellow River Civilisation that is deep and broad, cultivating one's heart with a focus on philosophy and culture, the Yangtze River Civilization is delicate and intelligent, cultivating one's mind with a focus on arts and crafts. It was for the wars with Yue Kingdom, the world's greatest military strategist Sun Zi (Sun Tzu) in Suzhou composed his classic Art of War. (Source of original photo by 李德欣, xinhuanet.com) Pre: Virtual
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