Kids in Ancient China (Part 8): Xuanzong (Part 1)

I haven't posted for the series: Kids in Ancient China in a long time. It's about time! There are 10 stories altogether and this is story #8. After I finish all 10 stories, I might write a few more (I enjoy writing these- it's great fun to get into Chinese history). 

Xuanzong

Part 1

A few months ago my grandmother died. This was one of the big moments that changed my life for the good. I’m twenty-one years old and last year and this year have been the best years of my life. My dad came back last year and my uncle started ruling as emperor. Our whole family is different now than it was a year or two ago.

Before I continue, I should tell you about my life before this. I was born in 685 AD and my name is Li Longji. A year before I was born my uncle was going to become the emperor. Some people think that it would be great to be an emperor and rule over all of China. One of those people was my grandmother. She tried to rule through my uncle, but my uncle didn’t want to do what she said. So, a year later he was sent far away and was exiled (which is when someone has to leave their country). Actually, I don’t even think he was around when I was born! 

After he left, my dad was made the emperor, but it didn’t last long. For the first 5 years of my life my dad was the emperor. My grandmother wanted to keep a watchful eye on my dad so she made a rule that none of us could leave the palace. The palace is a great place to live, but when you’re not allowed to leave, it becomes like a big jail. As a kid, I remember spending a lot of time in the gardens so that I could at least feel that I was outside. I loved it when my dad told me stories of “the outside.” My dad was a great story teller and his bedtime stories always made me laugh and smile. 

I remember one story he told me in particular. It was about him and his brother, my uncle. He didn’t talk a lot about my uncle because it was so hard. Growing up, my dad and uncle were close and my dad really missed my uncle when he had to move away. 

“Your uncle and I went for a walk in the hills close by. We knew there were a few apple trees and we had a contest to see who could fill up their basket full of apples first. We were supposed to meet back at the bottom of the hill by the fig tree. There was only one fig tree there and it was huge- it was our favorite tree to climb. 

“It was hard finding apples because they were often high up in the tree, which meant that I either had to use a stick to hit the branches to get the apples down or I had to climb the tree to pick them. I decided to use a stick because it would be faster. I soon realized that my apples weren’t going to be the most pretty apples or the most delicious because when they fell from the tree, they got bruised up. 

“Finally, my basket was full so I raced down the hill to the fig tree. My brother, your uncle, wasn’t there. I waited. Then I ate an apple while I waited to see how it tasted like (and because I was hungry!). I ate another apple. It seemed to be a long time so I started to wonder what happened. Was he done picking apples? Did he somehow fall off the tree if he climbed up to get them? Did something else happen to him? 

“I started walking back to town and saw that the door was open in one of our friend’s home. I thought I’d stop to ask if they had seen my brother. I knocked on the door and then went in. Sure enough! Right there, was my own brother! He was at his friend’s house!”

“ ‘ What are you doing? We were having a race to see who could pick apples the fastest? Have you forgotten? I was getting worried about you! I ate 3 apples already- just waiting around for you!’ I said.

“ ‘Oh, I did pick apples. I picked 3 apples. Then I remembered that my friends here were going to make something sweet with the apples. So I decided to stop by and give them my 3 apples instead. They, in turn, gave me some of their sweet apple whatever this is.’ “ he said.

“I couldn’t believe it! I knew that my brother, your uncle, loves sweets, but this was too much! We were having a contest! We went home with only one basket full of apples- mine! However, I will have to say that the apple whatever it was, was really good! Our friend’s mom put cinnamon with the apples, which changed the flavor of the apples.”

Keep Learning Chinese, Winter 2025

 The winter 2025 edition of the magazine that I put together is out. It's $10 on lulu (www.lulu.com) and is called Keep Learning Chinese in America: Winter 2025. Here's the description:

This is our last issue of 2025: Winter 2025. This magazine is meant to help families who are learning or trying to keep up their Chinese while they live in America. In this issue we’ll learn continue learning about ancient Chinese history, a famous Chinese poem about Lu Zhai Mountain, and finish a famous story (Cao Chong weighs an elephant, part 2). There are also several Chinese characters to learn, a story entirely in Chinese characters, and an interview about someone who lived in Alaska. The animal we’re talking about this time is the peacock and the food we’re looking at is filled steamed buns. 

Fall Pictures

 We don't see much fall where we live because most of the trees are evergreen. However, we had to drive to Medford, about a 3 hour drive away. We stayed the night so we took our time and stopped by a few places...it was so beautiful with all the leaves changing colors!

An afternoon at the beach

 Some friends introduced us to a new favorite beach. The kids had a blast playing with their kids. They went down some sand dunes and explored some tide pools. It was beautiful.

Afternoon at the river

 We went to the Winchuck River this afternoon. We have been there before and it's always so beautiful! We are so blessed to live in a place with such beautiful scenery...and the beach and the redwoods close by too! We've had a bit of sunshine lately so we've been trying to soak it up. We found a small frog and lots of water spiders who glide on the top of the water. Yesterday we met up with some other families to go to a lighthouse. Sadly, the lighthouse was closed but we could walk around it and there were lots of tide pools to explore. The kids had so much fun and it was all the better with their friends there too!

Here and There

It's started to rain, not too much for now though. The kids have been trying to get out to play with friends this weekend in between the rain. I started putting some of the books I wrote on Etsy for PDF downloads. If you're interested in taking a look at them, they are all $3.50; look for LearningThruStories. Here are some of the PDF downloads you can find there: 

Birds of Asia

A cat who's interested in birds to learn about them travels through a few countries in Asia and keeps a journal of the birds he comes across. He writes about 36 different birds that he comes across. Included are drawings of each of the birds and a list of resources for further reading. This book is meant to introduce children at the elementary school age to birds of Asia through stories about these birds. Included are the magpie, the tree sparrow, the Indian paradise flycatcher, the red crowned crane, the hoopoe, the grebe, and many other birds.

Animals of Asia for Kids

Follow a veterinarian (fictional) who travels throughout Asia to visit friends, help out in zoos, and learn about some of Asia’s fascinating and unique animals. Sadly, the majority of the animals in this book are endangered. It’s a great opportunity for children and families to learn about some of these great animals. Included are 24 animals, drawings of the animals, and maps of where they live in Asia.

Storybook of China 

This book goes through China’s history by telling stories as it goes through the dynasties. It’s called “Storybook of China’s History” because it’s a book of stories. The most famous rulers, inventors, and people of China’s history are mentioned. Although older kids might enjoy it, it’s especially meant for the primary grades as an introduction of China’s history. Each chapter is short (one page) with a full page illustration so it’s meant to be read one chapter at a time, in short lessons. It’s my hope that this book inspires children to want to read more about Chinese history. 

Kublai Khan’s Gardener

Kublai Khan is one of history’s most famous kings. He had a huge palace built in Beijing, built the city walls, had a forest of trees on one of the hills, and did lots of other building projects. Sadly, the majority of his building projects aren’t around today. This story is about the head gardener who was in charge of the forest of trees on one of the hills. Kublai Khan had trees from all over brought over and this man had to make sure that they all did well. It was a hard job and this gardener had to travel sometimes to pick up new trees. By reading this book, you’ll not only see how life was like in China during this time period, but also learn a little about a variety of trees.

An Introduction to Birds in America for Kids

This is a story about a grandfather who writes a book for his grandchildren to introduce them to some of his favorite birds of America. He was a truck driver for many years and had been to most of the continental states (although he also includes a few birds from Alaska and Hawaii). Included are 22 birds that he describes to his grandchildren to try and get them interested in bird watching. This is not a bird watcher’s guide or spotter’s guide- it’s meant to encourage kids to learn about birds. It’s geared for primary school age kids. 

Animals of South America for Kids

Follow Pedro (a fictional character) as he learns about 15 different animals and tries to choose one to write his report about. As he talks about each animal, he gives clues so you can try and figure out which animal he chooses. His school report is included at the end. Some animals that are talked about are: parrots, the black-footed booby, alpacas, Galapagos tortoises, sloths, and the Amazon river dolphin.

Birds of Africa For Kids

Follow a hoopoe bird as he travels to visit his cousin to see the birds in South Africa and then as his cousin visits him to see the birds in the middle part of Africa. Later he goes to Egypt and his cousin goes to Madagascar to see the birds that live there. Included are stories about 20 birds that live in Africa including the ostrich, the grey crowned crane, the go-away bird, the African penguin, the flamingo, the shoebill, and many more. There’s also a resource section at the back. 

Big Lessons From Animals 

This book tells stories of animals who have learned some of the lessons from Proverbs. Each story is based on a proverb from the Bible. Jeremiah the Rabbit learns about working with others to pull out a big carrot. Suzy the Spider tests out how strong her web is and Bob the Beetles builds his house in the wrong place. There are over 25 short stories with illustrations. 

North American Animals for Kids

Follow Samantha (fictional character), a young girl who has to write a report about a North American animal for school. She looks at 15 different animals. As you read about these 15 animals, look for clues and try to guess which animal she decides to write her report on. At the end of the book is her animal report, a poem about North American animals, and a list of books for further reading. 

Low tide at the beach

 The last few days it's been minus tides (super low tide) so we've been able to go to the beaches. We saw starfish, and lots of other cool things. It's supposed to rain this weekend so we're trying to get out and enjoy the good weather before the rain. 

Kids in Ancient China (Part 7): The Big Parade

I haven't posted one of the stories of kids in Ancient China. There are 10 stories altogether. The last story was long as was posted in a few parts. The next one will also be posted in a few parts. On rainy days in teh fall and winter I hope to re-work some of my Chinese biography books. I want to make the drawings better and re-work them so they read better.  Meanwhile, here's story #7.

The Big Parade

Oh, hello there! I didn’t know you were watching me. I’m getting ready  for a big parade. They say that Xuanzang came back, after all of these years. What did you say? “Who’s Zuanzang?” Oh, you don’t know him? Everyone in town is talking about him. By the way, this town is called Chang’an (later I’m told it was renamed Xi’an). It’s the capital of our country, China, and one of the largest cities in the world at the moment. Well, that’s what they say anyway. It is a huge city. From where we live (which is close to Qujiang Lake in the Southeast part of the town), we would have to walk a good three hours or more to get from our part of town to the very  North part of town. 

Right now everyone in town is talking about Xuanzang and are getting ready for a big parade about him. Many shops have special food or special things they are making to remember this day. My favorite steamed bun place at the market is making a new kind of steamed bun and naming it “Xuanzang” for the special day. I like it- it has nuts and raisins and sugar inside. Usually steamed buns have meat, sweet bean paste, veggies, or eggs and veggies. This one is completely different and my favorite so far! They started selling them yesterday and I hope they keep selling them after the parade is over tomorrow. 

My dad has a special tea shop and he’s trying to make a blend of teas to sell, especially for tomorrow. This afternoon I’m going to his tea shop to help try some of his teas. I don’t usually get to do this, but when I do, it’s one of my favorite things. I get to hang out with my dad and drink one of my favorite drinks: tea. 

The Emperor, Emperor Taizong (from the Tang Dynasty), wants to have a big party because it’s such a big thing that Xuanzang has come back to town. Xuanzang left this city sixteen years ago! That  was before I was even born! When he left, he had to quietly sneak out of the city because the emperor (the same emperor that’s welcoming him back now) didn’t want anyone to leave the country. At the time China and another country were fighting. However, Xuanzang was determined to go and so he went. It took him three years to get to Turpan [which I’m told that if you took a train from Xi’an to Turpan nowadays, it might take you a day or two but then it took him three years because he had to walk most of the way!]. 

Whenever I hear people talking about all of his travels, it excites me because he had some close calls and lots of adventure. A few times he was almost stopped by robbers and bad guys, but somehow he made it through. He kept going West, around the desert and up into and over the mountains. I’m told that these mountains are beautiful with beautiful lakes and that it can  get really cold at night there. Along the way, Xuanzang stayed in Buddhist monasteries where he could and he tried to meet with and learn from as many Buddhist monks as he could. Before he went on this big trip of a lifetime, Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk. He moved to Chang’an to study languages and learn more about Buddhism. He had a dream that he was supposed to go West to India to learn more about Buddhism. 

After many years he finally made it to India. I’ve been told that India has a lot of Buddhist monasteries and people who teach about it. Xuanzang talked with many of the Buddhist teachers and tried to get as many scrolls as he could of Buddhist writings. Many of them he brought back with him and spent the rest of his life translating them. His trip back from India was probably shorter  because he took a different route. There’s a big desert out West (the Tamalakhan Desert) and people usually either go up and around it or down and around it. It’s too big and hard to go through it. On the way to India I”m told that he went up and around it over some mountains and on the way back he went down and around it.

Now he’s finally back and the Emperor wants to have a big party to welcome him back. It’s more of a parade than a party because they’re closing some of the big streets of the city so that Xuanzang, the Emperor himself, and some other famous people can walk  through while everyone shouts and claps at them. I know where I’m going to be: my dad’s tea shop. I’m actually going to try and climb to the to part of the roof so I can have a good view, if my dad lets me. 

Epilogue:

Xuanzang (602-664) was as Buddhist monk who was famous for his trip to India and back. He brought with him many Buddhist teachings on scrolls that he spent the rest of his life translating into the common Chinese language of the day. In 646 he also wrote a book for the Emperor about his travels and the countries and people that live out West and in India (“Great Tang Records on the Western Regions” 大唐西城配）. Actually, a big tower called the Big Goose Pagoda in Xi’an was made in 652 AD to hold all of the scrolls that Xuanzang brought back and wrote. It’s part of a Buddhist temple there. Today, you can see the Big Goose Pagoda and there are statues of Xuanzang in quite a few of the cities he traveled to. 

Chinese Magazine (Fall 2025)

There's a new edition of the Chinese/English magazine I've been putting together: Keep Learning Chinese in America. You can find it on www.lulu.com. Look for "Keep Learning Chinese in America" and it shoudl come up; it's $10 printed. Here's the description: 

 This is our third issue of the year: Fall 2025. This magazine is meant to help families who are learning or trying to keep up their Chinese while they live in America. In this issue we’ll learn continue learning about ancient Chinese history, a famous Chinese poem about listening to music, and finish a famous story (Cao Chong weighs an elephant, part 1). There are also several Chinese characters to learn, a story entirely in Chinese characters, and an interview about someone who lived in Gansu, China. The animal we’re talking about this time is squirrels and the food we’re looking at is potatoes and eggs and tomatoes. 

Trip to San Fransisco

 We went on a short trip to the San Fransisco Bay Area, where I grew up. We were there to meet up with family and do a memorial service for my great aunt, who passed away back in January. On the way back we took a day trip to San Fransisco and saw Alcatraz. The kids LOVED it! We also visited a lighthouse on the way there. 

Trip to Mexico

 I haven't posted in a while because life has been busy. We went on a cruise to Mexico for a week and came back sick. We've been home 6 days now and my oldest and I are still sick with a cold and sore throat. During the cruise we ran into a tropical storm; the wind came by and blew the ship a lot. The ship was tilting; glasses and plates and things came crashing to the floor...it was a bit scary. The kids were really scared. It was crazy to think of the wind being so strong to blow a huge ship like that. People who had been on lots of cruises before said something like it had never happened before. There was a ropes course and waterslides that the kids loved. 

Old Recipes: Yorkshire Pudding and Welsh Rarebit

 I tried out two more recipes from the old cookbook. This might be my last post about this old cookbook for a while. I've worked through the recipes I really wanted to work through. It was a really great summer project and something I might do again next summer. Actually, I found a cookbook that has recipes from the Oregon Trail from the 1850s to 1900s...I might try some of them. We'll see. My favorite recipe from this old cookbook: County Recipes of Old England, was Chelsea Buns. I've made them two times already and plan to make them again on Friday. I like them because they aren't as sweet as cinnamon rolls and have more flavor. The kids like them too. The kids' favorite was probably cheese pasties...something I'll try to make again for them sometime. 

Welsh Rarebit. One of my kids liked it; the other two did not.

                  Yorkshire Pudding. My husband thought they were ok and my kids too. I think they'd

                                        be great with some kind of sauce or gravy on them. 

The County Fair

 We went to the county fair last week. It was the first time the kids and I had entered items in the fair and we all won many awards. It was a great experience and we plan to enter items into the county fair next year, wherever we may be (we are moving sometime in the spring of next year). 

Old Recipes: Ginger Cookies and Porridge

 Yesterday I tried out a recipe for Grasmere Gingerbread. It's different from most recipes because it had chopped almonds in it. I was supposed to put some chopped almonds on top of the cookies before I baked them but forgot...I used them all for inside the cookies. The cookies were supposed to have chopped almonds in the cookie and on top as well. The recipe also called for ginger, not a mix of spices. 

I also tried a barley porridge. I've made lots of porridges before. In China we ate porridge a lot and love it. We'd make oatmeal porridge (with the whole oats, not crushed or chopped), millet porridge, and a mix of different grains porridge. In China, there are shops that sells grains, rice, flour, oil, and spices. They have a huge variety of grains, beans, and mixes for Chinese porridge because it's a very common breakfast there. 

A weekend trip and Lighthouses

 We went for an overnight trip over the weekend for a follow-up doctor appointment. Our youngest son (7 years old) broke his arm a month and a half ago. It was a bad break and they flew him to a bigger hospital to put 3 small metal pins in it to hold the bones in place. A week and a half ago we went there to get his cast off. They took out the 2 metal pins they could see. This weekend was his surgery to get out the final pin that they couldn't see. When they put the pins in the arm, they normally leave part of them sticking out so they can just pull them out. However, one of them got pushed further in. Anyway, we made a little trip out of it and re-visited the Cape Blanco Lighthouse (which was extremely windy and foggy!) and went to the Heceta Lighthouse.

                                                        Cape Blanco Lighthouse (foggy!)

Heceta Lighthouse

Old Recipes: Scones (cooked in the pan) and Bath Buns

 Yesterday and the day before I tried out 2 more recipes: scones (cooked in the pan) and Bath buns. Bath is a city in England and the buns (rolls) were really nice. The recipe called for carraway seeds on top but I didn't have any so I left them out. A few recipes I looked at call for carraway seeds but I can't seem to find them at the local grocery store. 

Old Recipes: Edinburgh Shortbread and Elcho Scones

 I tried out two more recipes yesterday from the old cookbook. The shortbread was really good and surprised me because both recipes for shortbread in the cookbook use a small amount of rice flour with regular flour. I thought the rice flour was strange but I looked it up in other recipes. One lady on youtube shared her recipe for shortbread (an old recipe for 3 generations) also used some rice flour along with the regular flour. So, I followed the recipe as it was in the book and it tasted really good, just like the shortbread I've had from the store (but better because it was fresh).

The scones were surprising because normally I roll out the dough and use a circle cutter to cut them in circles instead of wedges. However, the recipe said to divide the dough in three and make each third in a circle, then cut in wedges. 

Kids in Ancient China (Part 6): The Fake City Part 5 and Epilogue

This is the final part of the Fake City story, a fictional story set in the time of the Three Kingdoms in Chinese history. You can look back on the blog for the first four parts of the story. The next story I'll post in this series is about Xuanzang who lived during the Tang Dynasty.

Part 5

A few months later people in the town were talking about a group of men who were going to the cities to destroy them. By this time, most of the towns close by below the mountain were already abandoned. This made everyone hope that they would never come. However, the leaders of the town started training some of the men how to fight. The boys in this story, however, had a different idea.

‘Hey, what if we build a town close to ours but make it look already broken  down,” Xi Bing said one day as they were in the orchard.

“What? Why?” Asked Xi Wei.

“Because if we make it look like there’s a another town here that’s already been destroyed, they would probably give up and go away.” Said Xi Wei.

The older man who was pruning his apple trees close by overheard their conversation and went to them.

“That might actually work. I think it might, just might work.” Said the old man.

“Yes, and we’d have to make a big road going to the fake town to make it look like it’s a real town.” Said Xi Wei.

The old man talked with some of the leaders of the city and they decided it was a good idea. The boys were able to help their dads build part of it. It took everyone three months to finish the town. Since they were making the town look like it had been destroyed, it faster. They didn’t have to make tall buildings. Instead, they had to make it look like there used to be tall buildings. They also made a big road going to the town.

The boys loved playing hide and go seek in the fake town. They were hardly seen in town anymore because whenever the weather was nice they were either in the orchard, talking with the family that grew vegetables, or in the new “fake” town playing hide and go seek. Every time they went to the fake town, they added and did more to make it look like it had once been lived in.  Sometimes Xi Wei would find rocks and mark on the walls and sometimes Xi Bing and Chen Min would move stones around. They made sure to walk along the road going to the town at least two times each day to make the road look like it had been used.

All their work paid off a year later when a group of men came. The boys were in the orchard when they heard people coming from the distance. Thankfully, the old man was there and told them all to be quiet. The old man went with the boys to get a closer look. 

“If you go with me, you have to be quiet. Quieter even then a mouse,” said the old man.

“Of course!” Said Xi Wei. However, he said in a regular voice.

“Shhh,” the old man whispered back. 

They slowly walked closer and found a place to watch that was hidden. About fifty men came. They went to the town and walked around. The boys and old man could hear them talking.

‘Who did this? I thought we were the only ones in this area.” Said one of the men.

“Maybe it was the people to the North of us,” said another voice.

“I think so. Let’s go and find them! They took everything from this town that belonged to us.” Said another voice. 

All in all, the men spent only an hour looking around the city before deciding to leave. They never talked about there being another city close by, which means that the plan worked.  

Epilogue

The four boys remained close friends their whole lives. They lived in that town a long time. The old man died two years later, but told the boys to take care of his apple trees for him. He said that his children and their children lived in a different city so he wanted to give all of his apple trees to the four boys. The old man spent his time teaching the boys how to take care of the apple trees before he died. The vegetable family continued growing vegetables, although it was harder for them to make money because more and more people started growing their own vegetables in the forest close by. In terms of the country, the Han Dynasty ended (220 AD) and the country was going crazy. The country was divided into three countries (The Three Kingdoms Period) before becoming united again under the Sui Dynasty in 589 AD. 

Old Recipes: Scottish Oat Cakes, Crumpets, and Chelsea Buns

 Recently I tried out three recipes from the old cookbook. The oat cakes were ok. I liked them but the kids thought they were just ok (not good, not bad). I also made crumpets. About 3 years ago I bought the molds to make crumpets because it's something I've wanted to try out for a long time now. However, the molds got mixed up in a package to us when we were in Asia and sent back to my family in the states. After we moved here (about a year and a half ago), my family gave me the package and I finally got the crumpet molds! However, I've only made them twice. This time around they turned out much better than the first time! Everyone liked them. 

I also made oat cakes. My hunch is that maybe they are supposed to be thicker than this (?). I was trying to follow the recipe in the book. 

These are the Chelsea Buns. I really liked them- not as sweet as a cinnamon roll and more flavor.