8th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
The Chinese jester Zhu Hanzhen 祝漢貞 (Wish Upright Fellow) – whose name seems to have been counter to his character as he was later beaten and banished for accepting a bribe – served several emperors with his great humour and an ability to trip...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
Like many of his counterparts elsewhere, Jing Xinmo 鏡新磨 (Newly Polished Mirror) was skilled in versifying. When an allegedly six-eyed turtle was sent to the court of Tang Zhuangzong 唐莊宗 (r. 923-26) as tribute, Xinmo made up a little rhyme about it – joking that...
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
When the poet Li Shen 李紳 (772-846) occupied Guangling, Zheng Can was his subordinate. In 844 Can gave a banquet for Li Shen at which the entertainment was a performance by an ageing dancer. The jester Sunzi Duo 孫子多 (Many Grandsons) thought up a rhyming jingle about...
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
There’s a raft of stories of Chinese jesters taking a pot-shot at religion and its preachers, though they were scrupulously even-handed in their scoffing. A jester to the Tang dynasty Emperor Yizong 唐懿宗 (r. 859-73), Li Keji 李可及 (Attainable or Surpassable Li),...
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
At a banquet given during the Taihe reign period (827-35) of Emperor Tang Wenzong 唐文宗 (r. 827-40), a jester mocked Confucius in a variety show performance. The emperor was angered by his irreverence, saying that Confucius had been a teacher from ancient times to the...
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
An example of Chinese jesters being silenced for offering to present a skit mocking a minister, in this case their punishment being more than a simple cancel-culture denial of performance, as they were beaten and banished. Noteworthy is the fact that they were so...
10th century, bibliography, canon, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
Ouyang Xiu’s 歐陽脩 (1007-72) ‘Lingguan zhuan’ 伶官傳 (Biographies of Jesters) in the New History of the Five Dynasties is a key primary source for Chinese accounts of jesters at the court of Tang Zhuangzong 後唐莊宗 (r. 923-26), with particular emphasis on...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
An early example of reductio ad absurdum approach to changing the ruler’s mind. Rather than having a head-on confrontation with unreasonable behaviour, the jester instead agrees wholeheartedly, taking the whole thing to such a logical but extreme degree that...
