Hunan: The Starry Sky of Famous People

Author: Kong Heping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: It is easy to have a quick look at China's past and present, but it takes time to gain a panoramic knowledge of China. The "Panoramic China" series is meant to assist readers, especially those overseas, in this respect. Each volume in the series focuses on a province, municipality, or autonomous region, describing, with illustrations, the outstanding characteristics of each area from different perspectives. The province of Hunan has nurtured many famous historical figures—from Emperor Yan who created the culture and history of south China to Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China; from the poet statesman Qu Yuan who dedicated his life to his country to Wei Yuan who advocated "studying enemy technology to use against the enemy"; from Cai Lun who invented the world's first paper to Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice." All are inheritors of the Hunanese spirit of patriotism and innovation—an influence on China's past, an influence on its present. They are like bright stars at night, sparkling in the sky of history, an inspiration to all both now and for the future. Below these resplendent skies, now and ever, Hunan continues to perpetuate their spirit.