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Judge Dee Stories
Judge Dee, or Judge Di, is a semi-fictional character based on the historical figure Di Renjie, county magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. The character appeared in the 18th-century Chinese detective and ''gong'an'' crime novel ''Di Gong An''. After Robert van Gulik came across it in an antiquarian book store in Tokyo, he translated the novel into English and then used the style and characters to write his own original Judge Dee historical mystery stories. The series is set in Tang dynasty China and deals with criminal cases solved by the upright and shrewd Judge Dee, who as county magistrate in the Chinese imperial legal system was both the investigating magistrate and judge. Di Gong An The Judge Dee character is based on the historical figure Di Renjie (c. 630 – c. 700), magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) in China, a "folk novel" was written set in former times, but filled with anachronisms. Van Gulik found a copy o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee
''Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee'' (; lit. "Cases of Judge Dee"), also known as Di Gong An or Dee Goong An, is an 18th-century Chinese '' gong'an'' detective novel by an anonymous author, "Buti zhuanren" ( Chinese: 不题撰人). It is loosely based on the stories of Di Renjie ( Wade-Giles Ti Jen-chieh), a county magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. Though set in Tang dynasty China, the novel also contains cultural elements from later dynasties. A translated version was released by Robert van Gulik in 1949; van Gulik would go on to write his own series of Judge Dee novels, starting with '' The Chinese Maze Murders''. Translation The Dutch sinologist and diplomat Robert van Gulik came across a copy in a second-hand book store in Tokyo and translated the novel into English. He then used it as the basis to create his own original Judge Dee stories over the next 20 years. Van Gulik wrote: :This translation is chiefly a product of the Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Buddhist Review
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun ''thee'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qiu Xiaolong
Qiu Xiaolong (, Chinese language, Chinese pronunciation /tɕʰjoʊː ˌɕjɑʊˈlʊŋ/, American English pronunciation ) is a Chinese American crime novelist, poet, translation, translator, critic, and academic. Born in Shanghai, he originally visited the United States in 1988 to write a book about T. S. Eliot, but remained in the US following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. He has published thirteen crime-thriller/mystery novels as part of the Inspector Chen Cao series. These include ''Death of a Red Heroine'', which won the Anthony Award for best first novel in 2001, and ''A Loyal Character Dancer.'' All books follow Shanghai Chief Inspector Chen Cao, a poetry-quoting cop who writes poems himself, and his sidekick Detective Yu. Alongside the plot, the major concern in the books is modern China itself. Each book features quotes from ancient and modern poets, Confucius, insights into Chinese cuisine, architecture, history, politics, herbology and philosophy as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort through her husband Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Emperor Gaozong and later as empress dowager through her sons Emperors Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong of Tang, Ruizong, from 660 to 690. She subsequently founded and ruled as Empress Regnant of the Wu Zhou dynasty of China from 16 October 690 to 21 February 705. She was the only female sovereign in the history of China who is widely Mandate of Heaven, regarded as legitimate. Under her 45-year reign, China grew larger, becoming one of the great powers of the world, its culture and economy were revitalized, and corruption in the court was reduced. She was eventually removed from power during a coup () and died a few months later. In early life, Wu was the concubine of Emper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Chinese Bell Murders
''The Chinese Bell Murders'' is a ''gong'an fiction, gong'an'' historical mystery novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Mid-Imperial China, Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and Politician, statesman of the Tang dynasty, Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. This book was originally written by Robert van Gulik sometime between 1953 and 1956. Like its predecessor, ''The Chinese Maze Murders'' it was intended for a Japanese or Chinese audience but he later chose to publish it in English. As it happened, all three editions came out at roughly the same time. Plot introduction Judge Dee is a newly appointed magistrate to the town of Poo-yang. He has one case left over from the previous judge, a brutal rape-murder of a woman called Pure Jade. She was the daughter of a local butcher named Hsaio who lived on Half Moon Street. The girl's lover stands accused b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhu Xiao Di
Zhu Xiao Di (, born 1958) is a Chinese-American writer. He authored a biographical work, ''Thirty Years in a Red House: A Memoir of Childhood and Youth in Communist China'', which was listed for further reading in MSN encyclopedia under the topic of "Communism" along with a few other books. He also authored a novel ''Tales of Judge Dee'', and 6 collections of essays in Chinese including ''Leisure Thoughts on Idle Books'' (), , , , , and . Background Born in 1958 in Nanjing, China, Zhu Xiao Di is a graduate of MIT with a master's degree in City Planning (1991). He also received a master's degree in American Civilization from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1989. Between 1992 and 1997, he worked at the Center for Survey Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He also worked for Arthur Andersen & Co. as a management consultant between 1995 and 1996. He worked at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University between 1997 and 2012. Publications ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Di Renjie
Di Renjie (630 – November 11, 700), courtesy name Huaiying (懷英), posthumous name Duke Wenhui of Liang (梁文惠公), was a Chinese politician of the Tang dynasty, Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties, twice serving as Chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Wu Zetian. He was one of the most celebrated officials of Wu Zetian's reign. Di Renjie is depicted in the ''Wu Shuang Pu'' by Jin Guliang. Background Di Renjie was born in Yangqu County, Bing Province, in 630, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizong. His family, from Taiyuan, was one that had produced many officials. His grandfather, Di Xiaoxu (狄孝緒), served as ''Shangshu Zuo Cheng'' (尚書左丞), a secretary general of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''), and his father, Di Zhixun (狄知遜), served as the prefect of Kui Prefecture (夔州, modern eastern Chongqing). Di Renjie was known for being studious in his youth, and after passing the i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slow Slicing
''Lingchi'' ( IPA: , ), usually translated "slow slicing" or "death by a thousand cuts", was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 until it was banned in 1905. It was also used in Vietnam and Korea. In this form of execution, a knife was used to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time, eventually resulting in death. ''Lingchi'' was reserved for crimes viewed as especially heinous, such as treason. Even after the practice was outlawed, the concept itself has still appeared across many types of media. Etymology The word was used to describe the prolonging of a person's agony when the person is being killed. One theory suggests that it grew to be a specific torture technique. An alternative theory suggests that the term originated from the Khitan language, as the penal meaning of the word emerged during the Khitan Liao dynasty. Description The process involved tying the condemned prisoner to a wooden frame, usually in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Murder In Canton
''Murder in Canton'' is a ''gong'an'' detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. The book contains twelve illustrations and a map of Canton by the author. Plot introduction Judge Dee is now the most senior judge in all of China and his authority is little less than that of the Emperor himself. Canton is the most important trading port in the country, filled with merchants from many other lands, some as far away as India and Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A .... When one of the secretive but very powerful Imperial censors goes missin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Chinese Lake Murders
''The Chinese Lake Murders'' is a ''gong'an'' historical mystery novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. This book was originally written by Robert van Gulik sometime between 1953 and 1956. Like its predecessor, '' The Chinese Maze Murders'' it was intended for a Japanese or Chinese audience but he later choose to publish it in English. ''The Chinese Lake Murder'' was written at roughly the same time as ''The Chinese Bell Murders'' but remained unpublished for some years. Plot introduction In the year 666, Judge Dee, the newly appointed magistrate of the fictional town of Han-yuan, must solve three murders. Han-yuan is an isolated town famous for its floating brothels A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Chinese Gold Murders
''The Chinese Gold Murders'' is a ''gong'an'' historical mystery novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee ( Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. The book includes a map of the fictional town of Peng-lai. Plot introduction Judge Dee is a recently appointed magistrate to the miserable district of Peng-lai. On the way to town, he meet two ruffians in the woods; Chiao Tai and Ma Joong. They try to rob the judge but instead end up to be his trusted followers. After arriving to Peng-lai, Judge Dee start the investigation of the murder of his predecessor. The investigation is made more complex by the disappearance of his chief clerk and that of the new bride of a wealthy local shipowner. Meanwhile, a tiger is terrorizing the district, the ghost of the murdered magistrate is stalking members of the court, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
