{"product_id":"book_5in1","title":"\"Laughing and Talking About the World\" Hardcover Book - Physical Book","description":"\u003c!-- HTML --\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e This book is a summary of the \"Laughing and Talking about History\" series, a large-scale history series presented by Zhang Tianliang, covering all the important figures and major events from the \"Records of the Grand Historian\" to the \"History of Ming\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eAbout the Author: Dr. Zhang Tianliang is a highly accomplished scholar with expertise in both the humanities and sciences, and a profound understanding of both Chinese and Western thought. He possesses deep insights into numerous affairs in ancient and modern China and contemporary international relations. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Sciences at Fei Tian University and the host of the YouTube political commentary channel \"Dawn's Hour.\" Dr. Zhang has also served as a visiting professor at George Mason University, a senior writer for The Epoch Times, a senior commentator for NTD Television, and a guest commentator for Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e【Dawn】Premiered in April 2019, and as of April 2022, it has 380,000 subscribers and more than 100 million views. Dr. Zhang Tianliang's major works include: 2003, the full-length documentary novel *Leaving the Dust*; 2006, the DVD *A Casual Talk on Party Culture*, which he co-planned and presented, was distributed to tens of millions of people in mainland China; 2009, the collection of political essays *China's Path to Peaceful Transition*; 2010, the screenwriter and producer of the film *Chance Encounter*; from 2011 to 2020, in collaboration with NTDTV, the large-scale historical series *Laughing and Talking about the Times*, totaling 192 episodes and approximately 1.5 million words, covering important figures and events from the pre-Qin period to the late Ming Dynasty; 2015, in collaboration with scholars such as the former Vice President of the European Parliament, the book *Unprecedented Evil Persecution*; and 2020, the lecture series *History of Chinese Civilization* at the City of Hope, systematically elucidating the three spiritual pillars that shaped Chinese civilization and clarifying many misleading concepts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eForeword: The Chinese have always valued history. This is not entirely due to our long history. There are many ancient peoples in the world. Besides those civilizations that have been lost in the dust of ruins, some have thrived to this day, such as the ancient Persians and Jews. But only the Chinese have left behind five thousand years of reliable historical records. Even though we were once conquered by foreign powers, our culture was not interrupted, and our history was passed down from generation to generation. This is truly a miracle in the entire history of human civilization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eOur ancestor was the Yellow Emperor, and Cangjie, who invented writing, was his historian. This seems to suggest that one of the purposes of the Chinese invention of writing was to record history. Unlike many Western masterpieces that fabricate characters or stories out of thin air, Chinese literary creations mostly have historical prototypes. Even *Journey to the West*, considered a pinnacle of mythological fiction, is based on the journey of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, and the preface to the Sacred Teachings in the 100th chapter of *Journey to the West* was personally written by Emperor Taizong of Tang. *Water Margin* originated from *The Anecdotes of the Xuanhe Era of the Great Song Dynasty*, and historical novels such as *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and *Romance of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms* are derived from official history. The emperor appointed historians to faithfully record major events that occurred daily, including disasters, wars, economic events, and diplomacy. Archives preserved materials on imperial edicts, literature, official systems, science and technology, and water conservancy. After the fall of a dynasty, Confucian scholars of the next dynasty would organize and compile the documents of the previous dynasty into official history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eIn addition, various types of books, including \"veritable records,\" \"chronicles of events,\" annals, miscellaneous histories, and local chronicles, circulated widely, forming China's vast and profound historical archive, which can also be considered China's encyclopedia. Chinese people read history for different reasons, but the inherent enjoyment of reading history is undeniable. Sima Qian, as the founder of the \"Twenty-Four Histories,\" vividly portrayed a wide range of figures, from the mighty heroes like Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Han Xin, Xiang Yu, and Liu Bang, to the humblest thieves and commoners. Stories like \"The Orphan of Zhao,\" \"Sleeping on firewood and tasting gall,\" \"Returning the jade intact to Zhao,\" \"Jing Ke's assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang,\" and \"Farewell My Concubine\" have become recurring themes in literary works. These real-life stories are even more captivating than novels and dramas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eSima Guang unearthed wisdom for governance from history, summarizing the rise and fall of previous dynasties and advising rulers to practice benevolent governance. Therefore, Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty bestowed upon him the title *Zizhi Tongjian* (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government). The CCP also utilizes history. Qi Benyu gained Mao Zedong's favor with his work *Studying History for Revolution*, joining the Central Cultural Revolution Group and becoming a prominent figure. Because the CCP uses Marxist historical materialism to frame Chinese history, it discards the most traditional values ​​that teach people to be good and the glorious achievements of history. History education in mainland China has become a collection of peasant rebellions. Historical dramas also often exaggerate the wickedness and cunning of human nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eThis is not true Chinese history. How to explore the true face of history, and what its significance is for our society today—these questions are too abstract to answer in a brief summary, and would be voluminous to elaborate on, especially given their close connection to people's beliefs and value systems. As this book is about to go to press, I would like to express my special thanks to all my family, friends, and colleagues who have provided help, suggestions, opinions, and encouragement. Due to my own limitations, omissions and errors are inevitable in this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e In presenting historical facts, I have tried my best to follow the records of serious historical materials such as the *Records of the Grand Historian* and the *Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government*. As for the viewpoints, they are only one person's opinion. Criticism and suggestions from readers are welcome.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Zhang Tianliang at Fei Tian University, USA, October 16, 2013 \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- 笑談風雲 --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"book-purchase-wrapper\"\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- 中華文明史 --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"book-purchase-item right-align\"\u003e\n\n\u003cp class=\"book-purchase-title\"\u003e Purchase the physical book \"Laughing and Talking About the World\" (hardcover).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/zhangtianliang.shop\/products\/%E7%AC%91%E8%AB%87%E9%A2%A8%E9%9B%B2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"btn-tln-shop\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGo to Tianliang Shop to buy\u003c\/a\u003e \n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c!-- CSS --\u003e\n\n\u003cstyle\u003e\n  .book-purchase-wrapper {\n    max-width: 800px;\n    margin: 20px 0;\n    font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, \"Segoe UI\", sans-serif;\n  }\n\n  \/* ⭐ 新增：右對齊 *\/\n  .right-align {\n    text-align: right;\n  }\n\n  .book-purchase-item {\n    margin-bottom: 20px;\n  }\n\n  .book-purchase-title {\n    margin-bottom: 10px;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    line-height: 1.6;\n    color: #333333;\n  }\n\n  .btn-tln-shop {\n    display: inline-block;\n    padding: 10px 20px;\n    font-size: 14px;\n    text-decoration: none;\n    background-color: #525252;\n    color: #ffffff;\n    border-radius: 4px;\n    transition: background-color 0.2s ease, transform 0.1s ease;\n  }\n\n  .btn-tln-shop:hover {\n    background-color: #FFA900;\n    color: #ffffff;\n    transform: translateY(-1px);\n  }\n\n  a:hover {\n    color: rgb(255 255 255);\n  }\n\u003c\/style\u003e","brand":"天亮小舖","offers":[{"title":"Signed Edition \/ Unsigned Edition","offer_id":48111720530144,"sku":null,"price":180.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0780\/0120\/9568\/files\/c9f4d774c164a3a3d1fa76b83d70f6b1.jpg?v=1762744189","url":"https:\/\/zhangtianliang.com\/en\/products\/book_5in1","provider":"天亮小舖","version":"1.0","type":"link"}