10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
The ability to extemporize poems and ditties is often attributed to jesters, with some overlap also existing in Europe between jesters and those who might be termed court poets: bards, skalds, troubadours or similar. In addition, some form of musical ability was also...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
The jester’s quiver of skills could include poetry, or at least verse. There is evidence of overlap between bards and jesters, and there are accounts of jesters engaged in verse-capping – finishing off someone else’s couplets with something funny or...
10th century, bibliography, book, canon, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, Southern Tang
The Song dynasty Ma Ling (fl. c. 1105) wrote a history of the Southern Tang, a short-lived dynasty (937-75) which was one of the Ten States in southern China in the 10th century. Among its imperial and other biographies, there is one folio dedicated to jesters, the...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
A common target of the jester’s biting humour is royal and ministerial nepotism. The younger brothers of Emperor Yuanzong of the Southern Tang 南唐元宗 (r. 943-61) all had titles and favours bestowed on them while his ministers didn’t. The jester Li Jiaming...
10th century, 7th century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
In China, as in Europe, there are examples of jesters addressing the delicate issue of the ruler’s neglecting affairs of state due to over indulgence in wine or other distractions. We’ll be sharing these in the coming months, but for now, in general they...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
Let it not be imagined that only the ruler was subjected to the mocking correctives of the jester; other members of the court were just as readily upbraided. The Southern Tang jester Li Jiaming (李家明 Adding Clarity Li) once mocked Wang Yanzheng (王延政), the prefect of...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
Court jesters and dwarfs would sometimes accompany the nobles they served on their travels; among other examples, we know some of the Spanish court dwarfs travelled to Portugal with members of the royal family. In China too, the jester might go with the emperor on...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
Many jesters were adept at improvising verse and there are accounts of Chinese jesters doing so whether to make a point or just to make fun. A jester of the Southern Tang, Li Jiaming (李家明 Adding Clarity Li), brought lucidity and laughter to the imperial household. ...
