6th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, Northern Qi, primary source, quotes, stories
Shi Dongtong 石動筩 (Moving Bucket), jester of Bei Qi Gaozu 北齊高祖 (r. 550-59), was exceptionally gifted in verbal wit and could run rings around scholars and clerics. The emperor had people read Xiao Tong’s 蕭統 (501-31) great Anthology of Literature 文選. He sighed...
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...
11th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
In the Tiansheng reign period (1023-32) of Emperor Song Renzong 宋仁宗 a banquet was held at which poems were to be presented, the rhyming scheme to follow the word paihuai, or ‘dithering’. Jesters put on a skit using the various meanings of the word. A...
11th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
The capacity to compose poems was long a critical skill among China’s elite. Similarly, the ability to come up with rhymes or ditties was a common qualification of jesters, complementing all round verbal quick wittedness. In this anecdote, a Chinese jester may...
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
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. ...
