Storyteller: According to Chinese lunar calender, the Chinese new year is coming soon. In 2009, Jan 25th is the new year eve; Jan 26th is new year’s day.We are going to say goodbye to the awful 2008 (the year of rat) and hello to a brand new 2009 (the year of ox).  If you have some impression about Chinese zodiac 12 animals, probably you have a question in your mind: where is cat, why is cat not on the list?  Don’t Chinese people love cat?  Yes, we do.  Since the …

Storyteller: As a Ph. D. student myself, I certainly respect well-educated people. “Knowledge is power”. No matter you are a college computer science professor or a farmer who owns 100 acres of crop field, knowledge is critically important to your work and everyday life.  However, having a high degree does not equally mean one is good at everything, and sometimes, knowing too much can make a simple thing unnecessarily complicated, especially when one wants to show off his knowledge in a wrong scenario.  Here is a good story told by …

Storyteller: Great philosophers are great thinkers.  Great thinkers “think different” (credit to Apple, Inc.). They think in a way that sometimes seems ridiculous or non-sense to us. But if we review their ideas closer, usually there is some insightful wisdom in it.  This time, we have two philosophers together, and they challenged each other about “think different”.
The Happiness of Fish
Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling on the bridge of the Hao River when Zhuangzi said, “See how the fish come out and dart around easily!  That’s the pleasure fish really enjoy!”
Huizi …

Storyteller: To see a doctor is not a very happy thing, because that means you have some trouble with your health or at least your body is not at its best condition.  Many kids hate doctors / nurses / clinics because they are closely connected to needle sting,  bitter pill, and painful days. (Honestly, I was one of those kids).  Some adult people don’t like doctors, either; they think themselves as strong and disease-proof.  In their opinion, doctors are just businessmen like lawyers and dealers.  However, that kind of prejudice …

Storyteller: Around 2,500 years ago, in ancient China, it was the time of Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period.  Although it was wrought with chaos and bloody battles, it is also known as the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy because various thoughts and ideas were developed and discussed freely, an era of great cultural and intellectual expansion in China.  There are “Hundred Schools of Thought”, and some of them don’t respect the Confucius as others do.  Here is one example.
Confucius puzzled by kids – by LieZi
Confucius was traveling …