Chu Ci

The Chu Ci (Chinese: 楚辭; Wade–Giles: Ch'u Tz'u), variously translated as Verses of Chu or Songs of Chu, is an anthology of Chinese poetry traditionally attributed mainly to Qu Yuan and Song Yu from the Warring States period (ended 221 BC), though about half of the poems seem to have been composed several centuries later, during the Han dynasty. The traditional version of the Chu Ci contains 17 major sections, anthologized with its current contents by Wang Yi, a 2nd-century AD librarian who served under Emperor Shun of Han. The early (pre-Qin dynasty) Classical Chinese poetry is mainly known through the two anthologies, the Chu Ci and the Shi Jing (Classic of Poetry or Book of Songs).

Background

Chu Ci was named after a form of poetry that originated in the State of Chu, which was located in what is now central China, but was then in the southern fringe of the Chinese cultural area. The territory of Chu was known for its blend of culture from the Chinese heartland, or "north", with other cultural influences, associated with the "south". Thus, in the north of China, Chu (or, "the south") had a reputation for various exotic features, and the Chu Ci verses characteristically strongly feature the presence of the exotic. A Chinese form of shamanism was prominent in Chu, and a large number of the Chu Ci verses describe "spirit journeys". Other references to the exotic include encounters with various magical or fragrant plants and interaction with various spirits and deities, and travel to various exotic locations, such as the heavens, the ends of the earth, Bactria, and the Mount Kunlun of mythology.

Chu

Chu or CHU may refer to:

Chinese history

Surnames

Places

Chuí

Chuí (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʃuˈi]) is a municipality located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A border town, it shares its name with sister city Chuy, Uruguay. The two towns constitute one contiguous urban area, divided by a border street called Avenida Internacional, a situation also seen in a few other Brazilian border points, such as between Santana do Livramento (Brazil) and Rivera (Uruguay).

Formerly a village under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Santa Vitória do Palmar, Chuí became the southernmost municipality in Brazil in 1997, when it seceded. It is very close to Brazil's southernmost point, located on a bend of the homonymous river just before its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, near the hamlet of Barra do Chuí. Both the hamlet and the extreme point itself remained in the territory of Santa Vitória do Palmar after Chuí seceded. Still, Chuí holds the title of the southernmost urban seat of a municipality in Brazil. Its counterparts in the North, West and East are respectively Uiramutã, state of Roraima; Mâncio Lima, Acre; and João Pessoa, Paraíba.

Chu (Ten Kingdoms)

Chǔ (楚), often referred to as Ma Chu (马楚) or Southern Chu (南楚) to distinguish it from other historical states called Chu, was a kingdom in southern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960). It existed from 907 to 951.

Founding

Ma Yin was named regional governor by the Tang court in 896 after fighting against a rebel named Yang Xingmi. He declared himself as the Prince of Chu with the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907. Ma’s position as Prince of Chu was confirmed by the Later Tang in the north in 927 and was given the posthumous title of King Wumu of Chu.

Territorial extant

The capital of the Chu Kingdom was Changsha (Tanzhou). Present-day Hunan and northeastern Guangxi were under the control of the kingdom.

Economy

Chu was peaceful and prosperous under Ma Yin's rule, exporting horses, silk and tea. Silk and lead coinage were often used as currency, particularly with external communities which would not accept other coinage of the land. Taxation was low for the peasantry and merchants.