Friday, January 31, 2025

旷古回响 - Echoes of History: Masterlist of Biographies

This is the list of historical figures alluded to in the song "Echoes of History". I intend to write short biographies for them, but this is a huge undertaking and am not able to complete it just yet. Links to those for which the write-ups are completed and published will be included, and the rest are still work in progress. 

I can't promise that I can finish them all, but at least I figure I'll get as much out as possible. If not, feel free to do your own research by referring to this. Hope that helps!

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Historians

  1. Sima Qian 司马迁 (145 BC- c. 86 BC) - author of the “Records of the Grand Historian”

  2. Ban Zhao 班昭 (c.49 - c.120) - historian, educator, co-author of the “Book of Han” 

  3. Sima Guang 司马光 (1019 - 1086) - historian, author of the “Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance”



[Pre-Qin - Qin dynasty]

  1. Qu Yuan 屈原 (c. 340 BC - 278 BC) - statesman, patriot, poet

  2. Jiang Ziya 姜子牙 (1128 BC - 1015 BC) - strategist, military general

  3. Gao Jianli 高渐离 - musician, zither player 

  4. Jing Ke 荆轲 (? - 227 BC) - assassin 

  5. Gan Jiang, Mo Ye 干将、莫邪 - swordsmith couple

  6. Gou Jian 勾践 (496 BC - 465 BC) - King of Yue 

  7. Fu Chai 夫差 (495 BC - 473 BC) - King of Wu 

  8. Bai Qi 白起 (332 BC - 257 BC) - military general 

  9. Li Si 李斯 (280 BC - 208 BC) - prime minister to the first emperor

  10. Han Feizi 韩非子 (c. 280 BC - 233 BC) - Legalist philosopher

  11. Qin Shi Huang/Ying Zheng 秦始皇嬴政 (259 BC - 210 BC) - first emperor of China, founder of the Qin dynasty


[Chu-Han contention - Han dynasty]

  1. Liu Bang 汉高祖刘邦 (256 BC - 195 BC) - Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder of the Han dynasty

  2. Zhang Liang 张良 (c. 251 BC - 189 BC) - strategist, advisor

  3. Han Xin 韩信 (231 BC - 196 BC) - military general, strategist

  4. Xiang Yu 项羽 (232 BC - 202 BC) - Hegemon King of Chu 

  5. Zhang Qian 张骞 (195 BC - 114 BC) - diplomat, explorer

  6. Princess Jieyou 解忧公主 (120 BC - 49 BC) - marriage alliance with the Wusun 

  7. Wang Zhaojun 王昭君 (c. 50 BC - 18 AD) - marriage alliance with the Xiongnu 

  8. Liu Che 汉武帝刘彻 (156 BC - 87 BC) - Emperor Wu of Han

  9. Wei Qing 卫青 (? - 106 BC) - military general

  10. Huo Qubing 霍去病 (140 BC - 117 BC) - military general


[Three Kingdoms - Jin dynasty]

  1. Sun Ce 孙策 (175 - 200) - military general, warlord

  2. Zhou Yu 周瑜 (175 - 210) - military general, strategist

  3. Zhao Yun 赵云 (? - 229) - military general 

  4. Ji Kang 嵇康 (223 - 262) - zither player, musician, poet

  5. Ruan Ji 阮籍 (210 - 263) - poet, writer, musician

  6. Lady Zhen 甄夫人 (183 - 221) - Empress of the Cao Wei kingdom, believed to have inspired the image of the Luo River Goddess

  7. Cao Zhi 曹植 (192 - 232) - Prince of Wei, poet, author of “Ode to the Luo River Goddess” 

  8. Cao Pi 曹丕 (187 - 226) - Emperor Wen of Wei, first emperor of the Cao Wei kingdom

  9. Xie Xuan 谢玄 (343 - 388) - Military general, politician

  10. Xie Daoyun 谢道韫 (? - 409) - poet, writer, calligrapher

  11. Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303 - 361) - calligrapher, writer


[Jin dynasty - Tang dynasty]

  1. Tao Yuanming 陶渊明 (365 - 427) - writer, poet, hermit, author of “The Accounts of the Peach Blossom Spring”

  2. Gao Changgong 高长恭 (541 - 573) - Prince of Lanling

  3. Hua Mulan 花木兰 - military general

  4. Princess Pingyang 昭平阳公主 (598 - 623) - military general


[Tang dynasty]

  1. Li Shimin 唐太宗李世民 (598 - 649) - Emperor Taizong of Tang 

  2. Wu Zetian 武则天 (624 - 705) - the first and only woman emperor of China 

  3. Wei Zheng 魏征 (580 - 643) - political advisor, historian

  4. Di Renjie 狄仁杰 (630 - 700) - political advisor, judge

  5. Shangguan Wan’er 上官婉儿 (664 - 710) - stateswoman, scribe

  6. Princess Taiping 太平公主 (665 - 713) - stateswoman

  7. Li Longji 唐玄宗李隆基 (685 - 762) - Emperor Xuanzong of Tang 

  8. Yang Yuhuan 杨玉环 - Imperial consort 

  9. Madam Gongsun 公孙大娘 - sword dancer

  10. Hongfu / Red Duster 红拂 - maidservant, advisor

  11. Yu Xuanji 鱼玄机 (844 - 877) - poet, courtesan 

  12. Xuanzang 玄奘 (602 - 664) - monk, pilgrim, Buddhist scholar

  13. Yuan Tiangang 袁天罡 (573 - 645) - astrologer, seer

  14. Li Chunfeng 李淳风 (602 - 670) - astrologer, seer


[Tang dynasty - Song dynasty]

  1. Li Bai 李白 (701 - 762) - Poet

  2. Du Fu 杜甫 (712 - 770) - Poet

  3. Yuan Zhen 元稹 (779 - 831) - Poet

  4. Bai Juyi 白居易 (772 - 846) - Poet

  5. Li Yu 南唐后主李煜 (937 - 978) - poet, last emperor of Southern Tang

  6. Zhou Ehuang 大周后周娥皇 (936 - 965) - Empress Zhou the elder, first wife of Li Yu

  7. Xue Tao 薛涛 (768 - 831) - Poet

  8. Xin Qiji 辛弃疾 (1140 - 1207) - poet, military general, patriot

  9. Su Shi 苏轼 (1037 - 1101) - poet, writer, statesman 

  10. Lu You 陆游 (1125 - 1210) - poet, writer, patriot 

  11. Li Qingzhao 李清照 (1084 - 1155) - Poet


[Song dynasty - Yuan dynasty]

  1. Liang Hongyu 梁红玉 (1102 - 1135) - military general 

  2. Zhao Kuangyin 赵太祖赵匡胤 (927 - 976) - Emperor Taizu of Song, founder of the Song dynasty

  3. Wang Anshi 王安石 (1021 - 1086) - statesman, reformer, poet

  4. Zhao Mengfu 赵孟頫 (1257 - 1322) - artist

  5. Guan Daosheng 管道昇 (1262 - 1319) - calligrapher 

  6. Foyin 佛印 (1032 - 1098) - monk, Zen master, storyteller

  7. Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修 (1007 - 1072) - essayist, statesman, historian


*Zhang Bian 张昪 (992 - 1077) - Author of the Song dynasty poem “Grave of the Grand Historian Sima”


[Ming dynasty - Qing dynasty]

  1. Wang Yangming 王阳明 (1472 - 1529) - philosopher, statesman

  2. Yu Qian 于谦 (1398 - 1457) - patriot, military general, statesman

  3. Zhu Yuanzhang 明太祖朱元璋 (1328 - 1398) - Emperor Taizu of Ming, founder of the Ming dynasty

  4. Empress Ma 马皇后 (1332 - 1382) - Empress Xiaocigao, first empress of the Ming dynasty

  5. Zheng He 郑和 (1371 - 1433) - admiral, explorer, diplomat

  6. Song Yingxing 宋应星 (1587 - 1666) - scientist, author of the encyclopedia “The Exploitation of the Works of Nature”

  7. Wang Zhenyi 王贞仪 (1768 - 1797) - astronomer, mathematician

  8. Zu Chongzhi 祖冲之 (429 - 500) - astronomer, mathematician

  9. Huang Daopo 黄道婆 (1245 - 1330) - textile innovator

  10. Tang Xianzu 汤显祖 (1550 - 1616) - playwright

  11. Pu Songling 蒲松龄 (1640 - 1715) - writer, author of “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio“

  12. Feng Menglong 冯梦龙 (1574 - 1646) - novelist, historian

  13. Tang Bohu 唐伯虎 (1470 - 1524) - artist, calligrapher



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