China celebrates the Chinese National Day on October 1st every year. The celebration marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
For centuries, a succession of different dynasties ruled China,
On October 1st, 1949,
Since 1950, October 1st
Jia Sixie, author of China's first agricultural encyclopedia, was one of the leading agronomists (农学家) in Chinese history. In the late years of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he wrote Qimin Yaoshu, the
Jia Sixie was born in Yidu County in Shandong Province. During his childhood, Jia's family wasn't wealthy, but had
The book, which has 92 chapters in 10 volumes and nearly 120,000 characters,
Qimin Yaoshu was first distributed mainly among common people. In the late Tang Dynasty, the book was introduced to Japan. So far, the book
No discussion about Chinese culture is complete without mentioning of the Great Wall. It is one of the most amazing
The hardships involved in building the Great Wall are beyond
Over the centuries, the Great Wall
The well-preserved sections we see today were mainly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368
—1644), among
The Antonine Plague (瘟疫)
The year was 166 C.E., and the Roman Empire was in its prime. The triumphant Roman troops, under the command of Emperor Lucius Verrus, returned to Rome victorious after
The Antonine Plague,
The effect of the epidemic on Rome’s armies was apparently devastating. Closeness to sick fellow soldiers and less-than-optimal living conditions made it possible for the outbreak to spread rapidly throughout the troops, such as those
The effect on the civilian population was evidently by no means
It has been estimated that the death rate over the 23-year period of the Antonine Plague was 7—10 percent of the population.