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The Ryukyu Kingdom (historical English name: Lewchew, Luchu, or Loochoo) was an independent kingdom that ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th to the 19th century. The kings of Ryukyu unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan.<br/><br/>

Despite its small size, the kingdom played a central role in the maritime trade networks of medieval East and Southeast Asia.
Zhang Guo, better known as Zhang Guolao, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist or Daoist pantheon.<br/><br/>

His existence is said to have begun around the middle or end of the 7th century, and ended approximately in the middle of the 8th.
Guo Pu was a Chinese writer and scholar of the Eastern Jin period, and is best known as one of China's foremost commentators on ancient texts. Guo was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collector of strange tales, editor of old texts, and erudite commentator.<br/><br/>

He is the author of 'The Book of Burial', the first-ever and the most authoritative source of fengshui doctrine and the first book to address the concept of fengshui in the history of China, making Guo Pu the first person historically to define fengshui, and therefore, Guo Pu is usually considered the father of Fengshui.
Liu Shaoqi (Liu Shao-ch'i, 24 November 1898 – 12 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 27 April 1959 to 31 October 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China.<br/><br/>

Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976.<br/><br/>

Zhu De was a Chinese Communist military leader and statesman. He is regarded as the founder of the Chinese Red Army (the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army) and the tactician who engineered the victory of the People's Republic of China during the Chinese Civil War.
Guo Sheng, Japanese name Saijinki Kakusai, on horse holding spear with winged horse banner<br/><br/>

The Water Margin (known in Chinese as Shuihu Zhuan, sometimes abbreviated to Shuihu, 水滸傳), known as Suikoden in Japanese, as well as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang in English, is a 14th century novel and one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.<br/><br/>

Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty, tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gathered at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces.<br/><br/>

In 1827, Japanese publisher Kagaya Kichibei commissioned Utagawa Kuniyoshi to produce a series of woodblock prints illustrating the 108 heroes of the Suikoden. The 1827-1830 series, called '108 Heroes of the Water Margin' or 'Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori', made Utagawa Kuniyoshi's famous.
Du Wenxiu (1823 to 1872) was the Chinese Muslim leader of the Panthay Rebellion, an anti-Qing revolt in China during the Qing dynasty. Du had Han Chinese ancestry.<br/><br/>

Born in Yongchang (now Baoshan, Yunnan), Du Wenxiu was the son of a Han Chinese who converted to Islam. His original name was Yang Xiu. He styled himself 'Sultan of Dali' and reigned for 16 years before Qing troops under Cen Yuying beheaded him after he swallowed a ball of opium. His body is entombed in Xiadui, near Dali.
Guo Moruo (Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978) was a Chinese author, poet, historian, communist intellectual and government official from Sichuan. Guo joined the Communist Party of China in 1927.<br/><br/>

Along with holding important government offices in the People's Republic of China, Guo was a prolific writer, not just of poetry but also fiction, plays, autobiographies, translations, and historical and philosophical treatises. He was the first President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and remained so from its founding in 1949 until his death in 1978. He was also the first president of University of Science & Technology of China (USTC).<br/><br/>

In 1966 he was one of the first to be attacked during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. He confessed that he had not properly understood the thought of Mao Zedong and agreed that his works should be burned. However, this was not enough to protect his family. Two of his sons, Guo Minying and Guo Shiying, 'committed suicide' in 1967 and 1968 following persecution by Red Guards.<br/><br/>

Unlike others similarly attacked, Guo's life was spared as he was chosen by Mao as 'the representative of the rightwing' in the 9th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1969. He had regained much of his influence by the seventies.
Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: Guō Mòruò; Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (鼎堂), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.<br/><br/>

Pan Tianshou (Chinese: 潘天寿; Pinyin: Pān Tiānshòu; 1897–1971) was a notable painter and art educator of modern China.
Zhang Xuan, who flourished during the reign of Tang Emperor Xuanzong (712-756), painted many pieces of art, one of his best known paintings is Court Ladies Preparing Newly-Woven Silk, of which a single copy survives painted by Emperor Huizong of Song (r. 1100–1125) in the early 12th century. He also painted the Spring Outing of the Tang Court, which was later remade by Li Gonglin.
Sun Guoting (simplified Chinese: 孙过庭; traditional Chinese: 孫過庭) (646–691) or Sun Qianli (孫虔禮), was a Chinese calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty, remembered for his cursive calligraphy and his Treatise on Calligraphy (書譜) (ca. 687). The work was the first important theoretical work on Chinese calligraphy, and has remained important ever since, though only its preface survived. The preface is the only surviving calligraphic work of Sun, therefore it is responsible for both Sun's reputation as an artist and as a theorist. The original handscroll can be seen at the National Palace Museum, in Taipei, Taiwan, and on its web site.
Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: Guō Mòruò; Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (鼎堂), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.
Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: Guō Mòruò; Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (鼎堂), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.
The River Mekong is the world's 12th-longest river. From its Himalayan source on the Tibetan plateau, it flows some 4,350 km (2,703 miles) through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, finally draining in the South China Sea.  The recent construction of hydroelectric dams on the river and its tributaries has reduced the water flow dramatically during the dry season in Southeast Asia.
Early Spring is a hanging scroll painting by the artist Guo Xi. Completed in 1072 CE, it is one of the most famous works of Chinese art from the Song Dynasty period.<br/><br/>

The work demonstrates his innovative techniques for producing multiple perspectives which he called 'the angle of totality'.<br/><br/>

The poem in the upper right corner was added in 1759 by Emperor Qianlong. It reads:<br/><br/>

Chinese: 樹纔發葉溪開凍 / 樓閣仙居最上層 / 不藉柳桃閒點綴 / 春山早見氣如蒸<br/><br/>

Pinyin: shù cái fā yè xī kāidòng /  lóugé xiānjū zuì shàngcéng / bù jiè liǔ táo jiàn diǎnzhuì / chūnshān zǎo jiàn qì rú zhēng<br/><br/><i>The trees are just beginning to sprout leaves; the frozen brook begins to melt</i><br/><i>A building is placed on the highest ground, where the immortals reside</i><br/><i>There is nothing between the willow and peach trees to clutter up the scene</i><br/><i>Steam-like mist can be seen early in the morning on the springtime mountain.</i>
Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: Guō Mòruò; Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (鼎堂), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.<br/><br/>

Pan Tianshou (Chinese: 潘天寿; Pinyin: Pān Tiānshòu; 1897–1971) was a notable painter and art educator of modern China.
Koo Vi Kyuin or Ku Wei-chün (simplified Chinese: 顾维钧; traditional Chinese: 顧維鈞; pinyin: Gù Wéijūn; Wade–Giles: Ku Wei-chün) (January 29; 1887 – November 14; 1985); often known by the Western name V.K. Wellington Koo; was a prominent diplomat under the Republic of China; representative to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919; Ambassador to France; Great Britain; and the United States; participant in founding the League of Nations and the United Nations; and judge on the International Court of Justice at the Hague from 1957 to 1967.<br/><br/>

Between October 1926 and June 1927; while serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs; Koo briefly held the concurrent positions of acting Premier and interim President of the Republic of China. Koo is the first and only Chinese head of state known to use a Western name publicly.
Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: Guō Mòruò; Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (鼎堂), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.
Koo Vi Kyuin or Ku Wei-chün (simplified Chinese: 顾维钧; traditional Chinese: 顧維鈞; pinyin: Gù Wéijūn; Wade–Giles: Ku Wei-chün) (January 29; 1887 – November 14; 1985); often known by the Western name V.K. Wellington Koo; was a prominent diplomat under the Republic of China; representative to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919; Ambassador to France; Great Britain; and the United States; participant in founding the League of Nations and the United Nations; and judge on the International Court of Justice at the Hague from 1957 to 1967.<br/><br/>

Between October 1926 and June 1927; while serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs; Koo briefly held the concurrent positions of acting Premier and interim President of the Republic of China. Koo is the first and only Chinese head of state known to use a Western name publicly.
Zhang Xuan, who flourished during the reign of Tang Emperor Xuanzong (712-756), painted many pieces of art, one of his best known paintings is Court Ladies Preparing Newly-Woven Silk, of which a single copy survives painted by Emperor Huizong of Song (r. 1100–1125) in the early 12th century. He also painted the Spring Outing of the Tang Court, which was later remade by Li Gonglin.
Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: Guō Mòruò; Wade–Giles: Kuo Mo-jo; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (鼎堂), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.
The Eight Immortals (Chinese: Baxian; Pa-hsien) are a group of legendary 'xian' (immortals; transcendents; fairies) in Chinese mythology. Each Immortal's power can give life or destroy evil. Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang Dynasty or Song Dynasty. They are revered in Daoism (Taoism) and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea which includes Penglai Mountain-Island. The Immortals are:<br/><br/>

1. Immortal Woman He (He Xiangu)<br/><br/>
2. Royal Uncle Cao (Cao Guojiu)<br/><br/>
3. Iron-Crutch Li (Tieguai Li)<br/><br/>
4. Lan Caihe<br/><br/>
5. Lu Dongbin, (leader)
6. Philosopher Han Xiang (Han Xiang Zi)<br/><br/>
7.  Elder Zhang Guo (Zhang Guo Lao)<br/><br/>
8. Han Zhongli (Zhongli Quan)<br/><br/>

In literature before the 1970s, they were sometimes translated as the Eight Genies. First described in the Yuan Dynasty, they were probably named after the Eight Immortal Scholars of the Han.
Guo joined the Communist Party of China in 1927. He was involved in the Communist Nanchang Uprising and fled to Japan after its failure. He stayed there for 10 years studying Chinese ancient history. In the summer of 1937, soon after the Marco Polo Bridge incident, Guo returned to China to join the anti-Japanese resistance. Along with holding important government offices in the People's Republic of China, Guo was a prolific writer, not just of poetry but also fiction, plays, autobiographies, translations, and historical and philosophical treatises. He was the first President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and remained so from its founding in 1949 until his death in 1978.
Fuxi, alongside his wife/sister Nuwa, was an important deity in Chinese mythology and folk religion. Like his sister, he is often depicted with serpentine qualities, sometimes with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a snake or just a human head on a snake's body. He is counted as the first of the Three Sovereigns at the beginning of the Chinese dynastic period.<br/><br/>

After Pangu created the universe and the world, he birthed a powerful being known as Hua Hsu, who in turn birthed the twins Fuxi and Nuwa. They were said to be the 'original humans', and together they forged humanity out of clay. They subsequently became two of the Three Emperors in the early patriarchal society in China (c. 2,600 BCE). Fuxi also invented hunting, fishing and cooking, teaching these skills to humanity, as well as creating the Cangjie system of writing and marriage rituals.<br/><br/>

Fuxi is still considered to this day as one of the most important primogenitors of Chinese civilisation and culture, and is considered the originator of the 'I Ching'. Fuxi was said to have died after living for 197 years in a place called Chen (modern Huaiyang), where there is now a monument to him which has become a popular tourist attraction.
The Daoist Immortal Ge, seated to the right, was Ge Xuan, a Daoist master of the third century. Born into an eminent family, Ge Xuan was by nature reclusive and drawn to the occult arts of Daoism.<br/><br/>

He perfected the manufacture of the elixir of immortality as well as all manner of cultivation techniques – such as breathing fire (pictured here) and also turning food he had eaten into bees that flew out of his mouth. He eventually became an immortal and disappeared.