Admirable men/women in Chinese history

[bhchao]

Which one of these characters do you find the most interesting or admirable, and would you most like to portray in a movie if given the chance? Chuckles are allowed.

[skylee]

How about 李世民?

[Ian_Lee]

Bhchao:

Ever heard of 金聖歎 -- the very famous ill-fated young talented scholar during early Qing?

[bhchao]

Yes, there is a well-publicized book written by the Yale professor Jonathan Spence called Treason by the Book. He was sliced up by Qianlong for insulting his father Yongzheng, who had originally given the scholar clemency. When Qianlong took the throne, he reversed his father's clemency edict and ordered the scholar sliced up piece by piece in the palace square.

The Qing rulers were more benevolent than their Ming counterparts. But they had no mercy towards anyone who insulted their Manchu ancestral heritage.

[bhchao]

李世民 is up there Skylee

I forgot 林則徐

[Ian_Lee]

Bhchao:

That should be another scholar. Jin was beheaded in the early reign of Kangxi.

金聖歎 is like 李敖 except KMT was more tolerant than Qing. But Jin had an interesting life and his heavily edited "Water Margin" is my favorite.

[skylee]

李世民 is up there

Where? You don't mean Taizong, do you? He was Tang Taizong, I believe.

Also consider buddhist monks who translated the buddhist scriptures, like 法顯, 鳩摩羅什, 玄奘.

[bhchao]

Ian, here is an article about the scholar that I thought you were referring to. His name was Zeng Jing. He put his anti-Manchu sentiments on a letter, and asked a messenger courier to send his letter to governor-general Yue Zhongqi, who then forwarded the letter to Yongzheng.

Yongzheng was a very effective administrator who was known for his ruthless secret police. He was the Qing equivalent of J Edgar Hoover and kept tabs on everyone. China continuously ran surpluses during his reign. But in spite of his ruthlessness, he did not give Zeng Jing the punishment of death by slicing. Instead he started a constructive dialogue refuting all of Zeng Jing's claims, telling the scholar that he was wrong on all of his points. Despite the recommendation of 148 bureaucrats that Zeng Jing be put to death by slicing, Yongzheng did not give the scholar the ultimate punishment.

When Yongzheng died 7 years later, the young Qianlong reversed his father's clemency pardon, and ordered Zeng to be sliced up in public.

Seems like Yongzheng was the more reasonable and prudent ruler, when compared to Qianlong.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2001/03/22/78616

http://www.taipei.org/teco/cicc/currents/54/Html/book2.htm

[Lu]

It partly depends on who would make the movie. It would be nice to have a movie about Di Renjie, but if the movie turns out horrible we're better of without it.

[roddy]

HEY!!!!!!

Roddy