"Laughing and Talking about the Ups and Downs of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty" (ebook/audiobook)

Book Title : A Lighthearted Discussion of the Turbulent Times: The Eastern Zhou Dynasty
Author : Dr. Zhang Tianliang

Book Introduction

The "Laughing and Talking about History" series is 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".

"Eastern Zhou Kingdoms" is the first book in this series, detailing the history from the late Spring and Autumn Period to the unification under Qin Shi Huang, and summarizing the entire series at the end. The series consists of 24 volumes, totaling approximately 300,000 words.

About the Author

Dr. Zhang Tianliang is a highly accomplished scholar with expertise in both the humanities and sciences, as well as Chinese and Western learning. He possesses profound insights into many affairs in ancient and modern China and contemporary international affairs.

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."

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.

【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:

In 2003, he published the full-length documentary novel "Leaving the Dust";

In 2006, the DVD "A Casual Talk on Party Culture," which he helped plan and present, was distributed to tens of millions of people in mainland China.

In 2009, he published a collection of political essays entitled "China's Path of Peaceful Transition";

In 2010, he wrote and produced the film "Chance Encounter";

From 2011 to 2020, we co-produced a large-scale historical series called "Laughing and Talking about the Times" with NTDTV. The series consists of 192 episodes and about 1.5 million words, covering important figures and events from the pre-Qin period to the end of the Ming Dynasty.

In 2015, he co-authored "Unprecedented Evil Persecution" with scholars including the former Vice-President of the European Parliament;

In 2020, I taught "History of Chinese Civilization" at the City of Hope, where I systematically explained the three spiritual pillars that shaped Chinese civilization and clarified many misleading concepts.

sequence

The Chinese have always valued history. This isn't solely due to our long history. Many ancient peoples exist in the world; some, like the ancient Persians and Jews, have thrived even today, while others have vanished into the dust of ruins. But only the Chinese have left behind a continuous five-thousand-year-old historical record. Even though we were once conquered by foreign powers, our culture remained unbroken, and our history was passed down through generations—a true miracle in the history of human civilization.

Our ancestor was the Yellow Emperor, and Cangjie, who invented writing, was the Yellow Emperor's 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 Remnants 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 even more derived from official history.

The emperor appointed historians to faithfully record major events daily, including natural disasters, wars, economic developments, and diplomacy. Archives preserved documents related to imperial edicts, literature, official systems, technology, and water conservancy. After the fall of a dynasty, scholars from the next dynasty would compile and edit the previous dynasty's documents, creating a comprehensive historical record.

Official histories. In addition, various books in the form of "veritable records", "chronicles", annals, miscellaneous histories, local chronicles, etc., also circulated, forming China's vast and profound historical archive, which is also China's encyclopedia.

Chinese people read history for various reasons, but the inherent enjoyment of history is undeniable. Sima Qian, the founder of the Twenty-Four Histories, vividly portrayed a wide range of figures, from the mighty Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Han Xin, Xiang Yu, and Liu Bang—heroes who dominated the land—to the humblest thieves and commoners. Stories like the Orphan of Zhao, the story of Goujian's perseverance, the return of the jade to Zhao, Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, and the Farewell of the Hegemon-King to his Concubine have become recurring themes in literature and art. These real-life stories are often more captivating than novels or plays.

Sima Guang unearthed wisdom for governing the country from history, summarized the rise and fall of previous dynasties, and advised the emperor to practice benevolent governance. Therefore, he was given the name "Zizhi Tongjian" by Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The CCP also seeks to utilize history. Qi Benyu gained Mao Zedong's favor with his work, "Studying History for the Revolution," and joined the Central Cultural Revolution Group, 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 often exaggerate the wickedness and cunning of human nature. This 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 manner, and once they are elaborated, they become lengthy and tedious, and they are closely related 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. 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 merely one person's opinion. Criticism and suggestions from readers are welcome.

Zhang Tianliang

October 16, 2013, at Fei Tian University, USA

Table of contents

The table of contents for each episode is as follows:

Episode 1: Unpredictable Events Episode 2: Unexpected Disaster Episode 3: Tribulations Abound Episode 4: Military and Intellectual Prowess Episode 5: Sun Tzu, the Strategist Episode 6: A Tale of Righteous Revenge Episode 7: Horses Raised in a Stone House Episode 8: The Struggle for Hegemony Between Wu and Yue Episode 9: The Division of Jin into Three Families Episode 10: Knowing People and Appointing Them Well Episode 11: Shang Yang's Reforms Episode 12: The Divergent Paths of Kingship and Hegemony Episode 13: The Battle of Wits Between Sun Tzu and Pang Tong Episode 14: A Stunning Success Episode 15: The Formation of Alliances Episode 16: Zhang Yi's Deception of Chu Episode 17: A Cunning Rabbit Has Three Burrows Episode 18: Overestimating One's Abilities Episode 19: Returning the Jade Intact to Zhao Episode 20: Befriending Distant Friend and Attacking Nearby Friend Episode 21: Talking About War on Paper Episode 22: Stealing the Tally to Rescue Zhao Episode 23: Unification of the World Episode 24: A Historical Turning Point