12th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
There are two strikingly similar accounts of jesters intervening when someone in authority had the bright idea to cut somebody else’s pay by half. Here we share the first of these, used by a Chinese jester at the court of Song Huizong 宋徽宗 (r. 1100-26). Soon we...
12th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
A frequent feature of Chinese jesterdom was the pre-prepared skit, which could be said to have been precursors, or at least contributors, to the development of drama in China. Jesters would work out a storyline in order to get a point across to the emperor, echoing...
