Yi Saek was a Korean literary figure and Neo-Confucian scholar. Patronized by kings during the Koryo period (918–1392), he promoted an educational system based on the Confucian texts and was responsible for establishing a Confucian tradition of public mourning. While favoring Confucianism in public

Yi Sang-chwa was a noted Korean painter famous for the freshness and originality of his style. Yi was originally a slave in a scholar’s household, but his great artistic talents soon came to the attention of the king, and he was admitted to the Korean Royal Academy. He is known for his landscapes

Yi Seong-Gye was the founder of the Korean Joseon (Yi) dynasty (1392–1910). A military leader in the Goryeo dynasty, he rose through the ranks by battling invading forces. He defeated his rivals and drove out the last king of the Goryeo dynasty, taking the throne in 1392. He established his capital

Hong Kong literature: Yi Shu (Ni Yishu) wrote mainly popular romances that catered to a mostly female audience. In science fiction, Ni Kuang (Ni Yiming), brother of Yi Shu, was a productive author whose works were imaginative and entertaining. Tang Ren (Yan Qingshu), a pro-communist writer, was famous…

Yi Soyeon is a South Korean scientist and astronaut, the first South Korean citizen in space. Yi earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Taejŏn in 2001 and 2002, respectively. In 2006 she was working

Chosŏn style, Korean visual arts style characteristic of the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910). Chosŏn craftsmen and artisans, unable except occasionally to draw inspiration from imported Chinese art, relied on their own sense of beauty and perfection. Particularly in the decorative arts, the Chosŏn style

Yi Sun-shin was a Korean admiral and national hero whose naval victories were instrumental in repelling Japanese invasions of Korea in the 1590s. After passing the government examinations to become a military officer in 1576, Yi served at various army and navy posts. Although he was twice

Yi Sun-shin was a Korean admiral and national hero whose naval victories were instrumental in repelling Japanese invasions of Korea in the 1590s. After passing the government examinations to become a military officer in 1576, Yi served at various army and navy posts. Although he was twice

Confucianism: The age of Confucianism: Chosŏn-dynasty Korea, Tokugawa Japan, and Qing China: Yi T’oegye (1501–70), the single most-important Korean Confucian, helped shape the character of Chosŏn Confucianism through his creative interpretation of Zhu Xi’s teaching. Critically aware of the philosophical turn engineered by Wang Yangming, T’oegye transmitted the Zhu Xi legacy as a response to the advocates…

Korean literature: Modern literature: 1910 to the end of the 20th century: …or hatred, was produced by Yi Yuksa and Yun Tongju. In Yi’s poem “Chŏlchŏng” (1939; “The Summit”), he re-creates the conditions of an existence in extremity and forces the reader to contemplate his ultimate destiny. The poetry of Yun Tongju, a dispassionate witness to Korea’s national humiliation, expresses sorrow in…

Confucianism: The age of Confucianism: Chosŏn-dynasty Korea, Tokugawa Japan, and Qing China: In addition, Yi Yulgok’s (1536–84) challenge to T’oegye’s re-presentation of Zhu Xi’s Confucianism, from the perspective of Zhu’s thought itself, significantly enriched the repertoire of the learning of the principle. The leadership of the central government, supported by the numerous academies set up by aristocratic families and…

Li Qingzhao was China’s greatest woman poet, whose work, though it survives only in fragments, continues to be as highly regarded as it was in her own day. Li Qingzhao was born into a literary family and produced well-regarded poetry while still a teenager. In 1101 she married Zhao Mingcheng, a

Huangshan: …named for the famous scenic Mount Huang (Huang Shan). According to Chinese legend, Huangdi (the “Yellow Emperor”), the third of the mythical emperors of ancient China, went to the mountain (then called Mount Yi) to gather herbal medicines from which to make pills of immortality. In 747 the name was…

Yijing, an ancient Chinese text, one of the Five Classics (Wujing) of Confucianism. The main body of the work, traditionally attributed to Wenwang (flourished 12th century bc), contains a discussion of the divinatory system used by the Zhou dynasty wizards. A supplementary section of “commentaries”

yi-dam, in Tibetan Buddhism, a tutelary, or guardian, deity with whom a lama (monk) has a special, secret relationship. The lama first prepares himself by meditation, then selects from among the guardian deities the one that reveals itself as offering the right guidance for a specific or lifelong

Yi-gi debates, series of religious and philosophical arguments about the essential (yi; Chinese li: “principle”) or existential/material (gi, or ki; Chinese qi: “vital breath”) nature of reality conducted by two groups of Korean Neo-Confucians in the 16th and 17th centuries. They paralleled similar

Jilin: People of Jilin: …the province, except in the Yianbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture that is contiguous with North Korea and has a large population of ethnic Koreans. Most of the Manchu (Man) live in the central part of the province, in the vicinity of Jilin and Siping municipalities; in addition, the Yitong Man Autonomous…

Yibin, city, southeastern Sichuan sheng (province), China. It is situated at the southwestern corner of the Sichuan Basin at the junction of the Min and the Yangtze rivers; above Yibin the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) is called the Jinsha River. Surrounded on three sides by two rivers and with the

Jabneh, ancient city of Palestine (now Israel) lying about 15 miles (24 km) south of Tel Aviv–Yafo and 4 miles (6 km) from the Mediterranean Sea. Settled by Philistines, Jabneh came into Jewish hands in the time of Uzziah in the 8th century bc. Judas Maccabeus (d. 161 bc) attacked the harbour of

Yichang, city, western Hubei sheng (province), China. It extends along the left bank of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), at a point marking the division between the river’s middle and lower courses. A number of hills rise directly behind the city, and the small island of Xiba forms a harbour in the

Yichun, city, north-central Heilongjiang sheng (province), far northeastern China. It is situated in the densely forested area of the Xiao Hinggan (Lesser Khingan) Range, at the confluence of the Yichun River (from which the city takes its name) and the Tangwang River, a tributary of the Sungari

Stanley Matthews: …given for the court in Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), held that even a law fair and impartial on its face was unconstitutional if it was administered in such a way as to deprive citizens of the equal protection of the laws as required by the 14th Amendment.

Borscht Belt, colloquial term that refers to a string of summer camps, resorts, hotels, and bungalows, predominantly in the Catskill Mountains and Adirondack Mountains in New York state, that catered specifically to American Jewish guests and were popular in the 20th century as year-round vacation

I.L. Peretz: …as deputy chairman at the Yiddish Conference that assembled in 1908 at Czernowitz, Austria-Hungary (now Chernivtsi, Ukraine), to promote the status of the language and its culture.

Avrom Goldfaden: …playwright and the originator of Yiddish theatre and opera.

Yiddish language, one of the many Germanic languages that form a branch of the Indo-European language family. Yiddish is the language of the Ashkenazim, central and eastern European Jews and their descendants. Written in the Hebrew alphabet, it became one of the world’s most widespread languages,

Yiddish literature, the body of written works produced in the Yiddish language of Ashkenazic Jewry (central and eastern European Jews and their descendants). Yiddish literature culminated in the period from 1864 to 1939, inspired by modernization and then severely diminished by the Holocaust. It

Michael Chabon: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007), which speculatively situated the Jewish state in Sitka, Alaska, rather than Israel, deployed hard-boiled detective novel conventions in relating the resolution of a murder. The novel won a Hugo Award in 2008. Gentlemen of the Road (2007), a picaresque featuring…

Avrom Sutzkever: …in the 1990s by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Yiddish literature: Yiddish theater: European Jewish drama had its origin in the late Middle Ages, when dancers, mimics, and professional jesters entertained at wedding and Purim celebrations. Amateur Jewish actors began performing door to door during the Purim holiday. Their verse plays combined Bible stories and references…

Osvaldo Golijov: One of his earliest successes, Yiddishbbuk (1992), was written for the St. Lawrence and the clarinetist Todd Palmer, and the Kronos Quartet performed and recorded a number of his works. In 2000 Golijov received acclaim for La Pasión según San Marcos (“St. Mark’s Passion”), a Latin American setting of the…

Molly Picon: Her film credits include Yiddle with His Fiddle (1937), Mamele (“Little Mother”; 1938), Come Blow Your Horn (1963), and Fiddler on the Roof (1971). A Jewish theatre was named for her in 1931. She continued to perform into her 80s.

Iranian languages: Dialects: …people speak dialects of the Yidghā-Munjī group. Monjān is a very remote valley located in northern Afghanistan, and it is separated by a mountain pass from the Sanglechī-speaking region. Yidghā is spoken in the valley of the Lutkho River and in the nearby city of Chitrāl, a region now in…

Tongzhi was the reign name (niaohao) of the eighth emperor (reigned 1861–1874/75) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), during whose reign occurred a short revitalization of the beleaguered Qing government, known as the Tongzhi Restoration. Ascending the throne at the age of five (six by Chinese

Zhengde was the reign name (nianhao) of the 11th emperor (reigned 1505–21) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), during whose reign eunuchs achieved such power within the government that subsequent rulers proved unable to dislodge them. Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne in 1505, taking the reign name

Yiddish literature: Writers in New York: With the book Yidish-taytshn (1937; “Yiddish Meanings,” alluding to the Yiddish Bible translations called taytshn), Glatstein began his return to Jewish themes. In one poem (“Shomer”) he acknowledges that he previously avoided Yiddish characters such as Abramovitsh’s Fishke the Lame, but he there reaffirms his link to folk…

Avrom Sutzkever: …in the 1990s by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

electronic fighting game: Eight-bit era: Konami’s Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985) added a variety of punch and kick maneuvers, each activated by moving the joystick in a specific direction—an innovation that would be greatly expanded by later games—as well as a “health bar” that indicated a player’s relative strength. Capcom Co., Ltd.’s…

chemical compound: Evaluation of a synthetic method: Second, the yield in each step must be considered. A step in a synthesis may give a very low yield of the desired product. For example, a proportion of the reactant may be converted into a different product by an alternative process that competes with the desired…

Pearl Jam: Vitalogy through Pearl Jam: Despite good reviews, Yield (1998) and Binaural (2000) were not commercial successes.

yield curve, in economics and finance, a curve that shows the interest rate associated with different contract lengths for a particular debt instrument (e.g., a treasury bill). It summarizes the relationship between the term (time to maturity) of the debt and the interest rate (yield) associated

MacKenzie Scott: Philanthropy: In November 2025 Yield Giving, a charitable giving organization established by Scott in 2022, reported that she had awarded more than $19 billion to some 2,450 nonprofit organizations.

yield point, in mechanical engineering, load at which a solid material that is being stretched begins to flow, or change shape permanently, divided by its original cross-sectional area; or the amount of stress in a solid at the onset of permanent deformation. The yield point, alternatively called

yield strength, minimum stress at which a solid will undergo permanent deformation or plastic flow without a significant increase in the load or external force the solid is subjected to. The point of yield strength marks the transition of the solid from elastic to plastic behavior. Below the yield

stress: Yield stress, marking the transition from elastic to plastic behaviour, is the minimum stress at which a solid will undergo permanent deformation or plastic flow without a significant increase in the load or external force. The Earth shows an elastic response to the stresses caused…

Abraham Zevi Idelsohn: …composed the first Hebrew opera, Yiftaḥ (1922; “Jephthah”), which incorporates traditional melodies, and an unfinished opera, Eliyahu (“Elijah”). Although the song “Hava nagila” (“Come, Let’s Rejoice”) traditionally has been attributed to Idelsohn as a setting of his own text to a tune that he adapted from a Hasidic (a pietistic…

Miruts Yifter: Yifter the Shifter: Distance runner Miruts Yifter, a captain in the Ethiopian air force, became as famous for his quirks and setbacks as he did for his tenacity and victories. His introduction to the international track-and-field scene came at a meet in North Carolina, U.S., in 1971. Unfamiliar…

Miruts Yifter: Yifter the Shifter: Distance runner Miruts Yifter, a captain in the Ethiopian air force, became as famous for his quirks and setbacks as he did for his tenacity and victories. His introduction to the international track-and-field scene came at a meet in North Carolina, U.S., in 1971. Unfamiliar…

Thirteen Articles of Faith: …of Faith include the hymn Yigdal, written about 1300 and adopted into most prayer services.

Zhang Yimou: …dou bu neng shao (1999; Not One Less). The latter movie, centring on a school in a poor village, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In 1999 Zhang also released the acclaimed Wode fuqin muqin (The Road Home), a romantic drama in which a son recounts his…

Boxer Rebellion: “Boxers” was a name that foreigners gave to a Chinese secret society known as the Yihequan (“Righteous and Harmonious Fists”). The group practiced certain boxing and calisthenic rituals in the belief that this made them invulnerable. It was thought to be an offshoot of the…

Boxer Rebellion: “Boxers” was a name that foreigners gave to a Chinese secret society known as the Yihequan (“Righteous and Harmonious Fists”). The group practiced certain boxing and calisthenic rituals in the belief that this made them invulnerable. It was thought to be an offshoot of the…

Summer Palace, complex of palaces, gardens, and lakes in Beijing, China, that was used as a retreat for members of the ruling family from the time of the Jin dynasty. The first stage of construction on the Summer Palace building was commissioned in 1750 by the emperor Qianlong—the fourth emperor of

Chinese painting: Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12): …based on the concept of yihua, the “unifying line.”

Isaac ben Solomon Luria: …special kawwanot (ritual meditations) and yiḥudim (“unifications”) that were in essence a kind of lesser redemption whereby the souls were lifted up from the kelipot (“shells”; i.e., the impure, evil forms) into which they were banned until the coming of the Messiah.

Yijing, an ancient Chinese text, one of the Five Classics (Wujing) of Confucianism. The main body of the work, traditionally attributed to Wenwang (flourished 12th century bc), contains a discussion of the divinatory system used by the Zhou dynasty wizards. A supplementary section of “commentaries”

I-lan, county (hsien, or xian), northeastern Taiwan. It is bordered by New Taipei City special municipality to the north, T’ao-yüan (Taiyuan) special municipality and Hsin-chu (Xinzhu) county to the west, T’ai-chung (Taizhong) special municipality and Hua-lien (Hualian) county to the south, and the

Bayezid I was an Ottoman sultan in 1389–1402 who founded the first centralized Ottoman state based on traditional Turkish and Muslim institutions and who stressed the need to extend Ottoman dominion in Anatolia. In the early years of Bayezid’s reign, Ottoman forces conducted campaigns that

twin prime conjecture: …Daniel Goldston and Turkish mathematician Cem Yildirim published a paper, “Small Gaps Between Primes,” that established the existence of an infinite number of prime pairs within a small difference (16, with certain other assumptions, most notably that of the Elliott-Halberstam conjecture). Although their proof was flawed, they corrected it with…

Turkey: The northern folded zone: …and the main mountain range—the Yıldız (Istranca)—reaches only 3,379 feet (1,030 meters). Lowlands also occur to the south of the Sea of Marmara and along the lower Sakarya River east of the Bosporus. High ridges trending east-west rise abruptly from the Black Sea coast, and the coastal plain is thus…

Iltutmish: …also with the claim of Tāj al-Dīn Yildoiz, the Ghazna ruler, to succession to all of Muʿizz al-Dīn’s conquests and with the attempts by the Hindus to recover portions of their lost territory. In 1215 he captured Yildoiz, who died in prison. In 1225 he forced the unruly Bengali governor…

Precambrian: Occurrence and distribution of Precambrian rocks: …provinces in Canada; and the Yilgarn and Pilbara blocks in Western Australia. Linear belts, up to several thousand kilometres long, that are frequently though not exclusively of Proterozoic age include the Limpopo, Mozambique, and Damaran belts in Africa, the Labrador Trough

Yili, the “Book of Ritual,” a collection of Chinese rituals probably compiled during the Western Han dynasty (206 bce–8 ce) and listed, along with two other ritual texts (Liji, “Record of Rites”; Zhouli, “Rites of Zhou”), among the Confucian classics. Its subject matter is somewhat different from

Ili River, river in western Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China, and southeastern Kazakhstan. It is 870 miles (1,400 km) long and drains the basin between the Tien Shan range to the south and the Borohoro (Poluokenu) Mountains to the north. Both ranges are extremely high. The drainage basin

Yichang, city, western Hubei sheng (province), China. It extends along the left bank of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), at a point marking the division between the river’s middle and lower courses. A number of hills rise directly behind the city, and the small island of Xiba forms a harbour in the

Turkey: The Kurdish conflict: …the liberals, whose young leader, Mesut Yılmaz, became prime minister.

Manchu: …it is evident that the Yilou, the Tungus ancestors of the Manchu, were essentially hunters, fishers, and food gatherers, though in later times they and their descendants, the Juchen and Manchu, developed a primitive form of agriculture and animal husbandry. The Juchen-Manchu were accustomed to braid their hair into a…

Yima, in ancient Iranian religion, the first man, the progenitor of the human race, and son of the sun. Yima is the subject of conflicting legends obscurely reflecting different religious currents. According to one legend, Yima declined God’s (Ahura Mazdā’s) offer to make him the vehicle of the

yinyang, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is a symbol of earth, femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. It is present in even numbers, in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the color orange, and a broken

Anyang, city, northern Henan sheng (province), northeast-central China, on the Anyang River, a tributary of the Wei River. It was important in history as the site of the ancient city of Yin, the capital of the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 bce) from the 14th century bce; the Shang palace stood about 10

yinyang, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is a symbol of earth, femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. It is present in even numbers, in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the color orange, and a broken

Burgess Meredith: …the Eiffel Tower (1950) and The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go (1978), the latter of which he wrote.

Shang dynasty, the first recorded Chinese dynasty for which there is both documentary and archaeological evidence. The Shang dynasty was the reputed successor to the quasi-legendary first dynasty, the Xia (c. 2070–c. 1600 bce). The dates given for the founding of the Shang dynasty vary from about

Chinese literature: Literature in Taiwan after 1949: …of stories Yin hsien-chang (1976; The Execution of Mayor Yin) by Ch’en Jo-hsi, are given broad exposure.

Yin Mountains, series of ranges in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China. From west to east, it comprises the Lang, Sheyten, Hara-narin, Wula, Daqing, and Damaqun mountains. The Yin Mountains, a divide of internal and external drainage systems in northern China, mostly rise to

Yin Mountains, series of ranges in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China. From west to east, it comprises the Lang, Sheyten, Hara-narin, Wula, Daqing, and Damaqun mountains. The Yin Mountains, a divide of internal and external drainage systems in northern China, mostly rise to

Types of Yoga: Other forms of yoga: Yin yoga: This is a practice in which poses are held sometimes for several minutes. There is a heavy emphasis on increasing flexibility and relaxation. Restorative yoga: The name pretty much says it all. The focus is far less on movement than on relaxation and…

Leslie Charteris was an author of highly popular mystery-adventure novels and creator of Simon Templar, better known as “the Saint” and sometimes called the “Robin Hood of modern crime.” From 1928, some 50 novels and collections of stories about “the Saint” were published; translations existed in

Anyang: Yinxu: Yinxu (“The Ruins of Yin”), the site of the Shang capital at Anyang, had been known to scholars since the turn of the 20th century through the accidental discovery in 1899 of inscribed oracle bones, the earliest Chinese written records. It was not until 1928,…

Yinchuan, city and capital of the Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia, north-central China. It is located in northern Ningxia in the south-central section of the Helan Mountains (which define the western extent of the Ordos Desert), near the western end of the Great Wall of China. The city lies west

yinyang, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is a symbol of earth, femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. It is present in even numbers, in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the color orange, and a broken

calendar: The Chinese calendar: …thus consider their calendar as yinyang li, or a lunar-solar (literally, “heaven-earth”) calendar.

Carolyn Kizer: …in 1985 for her collection Yin: New Poems (1984).

Yinchuan, city and capital of the Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia, north-central China. It is located in northern Ningxia in the south-central section of the Helan Mountains (which define the western extent of the Ordos Desert), near the western end of the Great Wall of China. The city lies west

Yinchuan, city and capital of the Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia, north-central China. It is located in northern Ningxia in the south-central section of the Helan Mountains (which define the western extent of the Ordos Desert), near the western end of the Great Wall of China. The city lies west

Zhang Yimou: Ying (2018; Shadow) is an action drama inspired by China’s Three Kingdoms. Zhang’s subsequent movies included Yi miao zhong (2020; One Second) and Cliff Walkers (2021).

yingqing ware, type of refined, thinly potted Chinese porcelain produced at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, and in Hebei province. It was created primarily during the Song dynasty (960–1279), although it is likely that production began in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and continued into the Ming dynasty

John Woo: …gangster film Yingxiong bense (A Better Tomorrow). A huge box-office success, it initiated a series of action films that won Woo international acclaim for their unprecedented mixture of expressive slow motion, nostalgia for lost codes of honour, Christian symbolism, melodramatic emotions, and hyperbolic violence. Chow Yun-Fat (Zhou Runfa) became…

Qin Shi Huang was the emperor (reigned 221–210 bce) of the Qin dynasty (221–207 bce) and creator of the first unified Chinese empire (which collapsed, however, less than four years after his death). Zhao Zheng was born the son of Zhuangxiang (who later became king of the state of Qin in

yingqing ware, type of refined, thinly potted Chinese porcelain produced at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, and in Hebei province. It was created primarily during the Song dynasty (960–1279), although it is likely that production began in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and continued into the Ming dynasty

yingqing ware, type of refined, thinly potted Chinese porcelain produced at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, and in Hebei province. It was created primarily during the Song dynasty (960–1279), although it is likely that production began in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and continued into the Ming dynasty

Yingkou, city and port, southwestern Liaoning sheng (province), northeastern China. It is situated just inland from Liaodong Bay (an arm of the Bo Hai [Gulf of Chihli]) near the mouth of the Daliao River, some 11 miles (18 km) from the mouth of the Liao River. Yingkou began to develop as a river

Chinese architecture: The Song (960–1279), Liao (907–1125), and Jin (1115–1234) dynasties: …chiefly as the compiler of Yingzao fashi (“Building Standards”), which he presented to the throne in 1100. This illustrated work deals in encyclopaedic fashion with all branches of architecture: layout, construction, stonework, carpentry, bracketing, decoration, materials, and labour. The Yingzao fashi became a standard text, and, while it was influential…

Phobos-Grunt: Phobos-Grunt carried the Chinese spacecraft Yinghuo-1 (Chinese for “firefly”), China’s first spacecraft to another planet. Yinghuo-1 would have orbited Mars for one year, studying the Martian climate and environment. Phobos-Grunt contained sealed vials of microorganisms (including bacteria, eukaryotes, and archaeans) that would have returned to Earth with the Phobos soil…

Yingkou, city and port, southwestern Liaoning sheng (province), northeastern China. It is situated just inland from Liaodong Bay (an arm of the Bo Hai [Gulf of Chihli]) near the mouth of the Daliao River, some 11 miles (18 km) from the mouth of the Liao River. Yingkou began to develop as a river

yingqing ware, type of refined, thinly potted Chinese porcelain produced at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, and in Hebei province. It was created primarily during the Song dynasty (960–1279), although it is likely that production began in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and continued into the Ming dynasty

Nanjing, city, capital of Jiangsu sheng (province), east-central China. It is a port on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and a major industrial and communications centre. Rich in history, it served seven times as the capital of regional empires, twice as the seat of revolutionary government, once

Chinese painting: Three Kingdoms (220–280) and Six Dynasties (220–589): …the vital spirit is expressed; yingwu xianxing (“fidelity to the object in portraying forms”); suilei fucai (conforming to kind in applying colours); jingying weizhi (planning and design in placing and positioning); and chuanyi moxie (transmission of ancient models by copying). The last principle seems to refer to the copying of…

Zhang Yimou: Yingxiong (2002; Hero) was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign-language film, and it became the highest-grossing film in China. His subsequent action films included Shimian mai fu (2004; House of Flying Daggers) and Man cheng jin dai huangjinjia (2006; Curse of the Golden Flower). Zhang shifted…

Chinese architecture: The Song (960–1279), Liao (907–1125), and Jin (1115–1234) dynasties: …chiefly as the compiler of Yingzao fashi (“Building Standards”), which he presented to the throne in 1100. This illustrated work deals in encyclopaedic fashion with all branches of architecture: layout, construction, stonework, carpentry, bracketing, decoration, materials, and labour. The Yingzao fashi became a standard text, and, while it was influential…