A regulation of that dynasty set an upper limit of people on the island to 300 people. The government provided enough food for 300 criminals only. In addition, the island was very small and couldn't really hold any more people. Usually when the number of people in the island exceeded 300, the officials drowned the surplus criminals in the sea. The head of Shamen Island, Li Qing, threw more than 700 criminals into the sea during his term.

Who is without fault or mistake? He who is willing to understand and forgive other people's mistakes has a broad, forgiving heart. Ren Dijian won the respect of an entire army because he was forgiving and generous and because he was able to forgive the server's mistake. After Li Jinglue passed away, all the officers and soldiers asked to have Ren Dijian take his place.

Wang Su responded, "I am not the director of astronomy, but I am sure that it will not rain that day." The Emperor asked why. Wang Su answered, "Your majesty, you prepare to pray for rain when you know that it will rain soon. Thus you do not have any sincerity. How can you move the heavens without any sincerity? That's why I know it will not rain."

Arranged in simple three-character verses, it has five parts detailing the rules in a variety of settings. As the second most influential text for children, (the most influential being the Three Character Classic (1)) Teachings for Enlightening Children teaches filial piety, respect, cautiousness, honesty, forbearance, tolerance, etc.

China was once called "The Nation of Etiquette and Morality." But the beautiful Chinese traditional etiquette and morality have been trampled and destroyed since the Communist specter stationed itself in the once-civilized China and promoted the deviated theories and evil notions of falsehood, evil, and aggression. In today's China, adults have little knowledge of the morals that even little children knew in ancient times. Therefore, I have tentatively interpreted selected parts of Teachings for Enlightening Children for the benefit of the public.

Confucianism teaches that people should deal with each other with good faith, respect, understanding and trust instead of suspicion. Only then can people get along with each other harmoniously.

Cheng Hao wrote to a friend, "I believe in using humanity to educate the citizens." Once a thief was arrested, Cheng Hao said to the thief, "If you promise to mend your behaviour, I will settle your case with leniency." The thief promised that he would change and Cheng Hao released him. When the thief committed another crime, a county officer arrested him. The thief felt so ashamed to see Cheng Hao again that he killed himself.

Come Back Daddy is based on a true story of a mother and daughter. The young girl, Fadu, holds a commemorative picture of her father, Chen Chengyong, who died from torture because he practised Falun Gong. Fadu and her mother, Zizheng Dai now live in Australia.

Emperor Song Renzong, who was born Zhao Zhen (1010-1063), was the fourth Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). He ruled the country for 41 years, the longest reign in the Song Dynasty. He was a very good man, acting with tolerance and altruism. He was good at taking people's suggestions and being self-disciplined. During his rule, the country was peaceful, prosperous, and full of culture. He was referred to by people as the "Emperor with Integrity," and "King of Wisdom and Holiness."

Many of those in ancient times who had ambitions made great achievements after having learnt tenacity and perseverance through adversities. Though they suffered in poor and tough environments, they upheld their unshakable beliefs with great willpower and perseverance. They became models for later generations. Their stories are remembered, encouraging people to conquer all difficulties and hardships to succeed.

Zengzi replied in a serious tone, "Children should not be played with like that. They are too young to know any principles; they rely on parents to teach them and will learn from their parents. If you lie to him today, you will teach him to lie. If a mother lies to her son, the son would not believe in the mother and could not be educated."

Hunter Hailibu had no interest in any treasure, but being able to understand the languages of animals had great appeal to him. He asked the dragon's daughter, "Is there really such a precious stone?" She replied, "Yes. But whatever you hear from animals, you have to keep it to yourself. If you tell it to others, you will turn into a rock."

In the era of Kang Xi Xinhai during the Qing Dynasty, a married couple was irrigating the fields at the foot of Mt. Xielu in the Kunshan Mountains. Without warning, a thunderstorm started. There was a sudden clap of thunder, and the husband was struck by lightening and killed. People who knew him said that he had been a fairly honest person, and they did not understand why this had happened to him.

After waking up, he felt puzzled, so he told other people about this dream. One person said, "Isn't the (Chinese) character 'drunk' made up of two parts, Xin and You, and when combined, Xin and You indicate a specific year in the Chinese Lunar Calendar? It probably means that you will become the Number-One Scholar on the highest imperial exam in the year of Xinyou."

The meaning of the Chinese idiom "Good Advice Jars the Ear" is that a piece of sincere advice is often different from one's own ideas and thus one might find it difficult to accept it. This idiom came from Historical Records - Old and Well-known Families. The whole sentence reads, "Good advice jars the ear yet benefits one's action; poisonous (effective) medicine tastes bitter yet is good for curing one's illness. I hope you will listen to what Fan Kuai had said."

She said to Xia, "I, Mai Ji, was blessed by the State's grace, but unfortunately died by the enemy's hands. Yu Wen gave all the leftover reward money to my family and stained my record, even though there is no book-keeping in the human world. I do not want to use the State's money even though I am dead and now live in the underworld . Please help me return this money quickly, so that it does not soil my name!" As soon she finished talking, she passed out on the floor.

Tao Kang, an official during the Jin Dynasty, moved 100 ceramic containers outside every morning and carried them back to the house every night. Others were curious and asked him why. He said, "I'm trying my best to work for the country. If I'm too comfortable, I'm afraid I cannot fulfil my responsibility well. Therefore I work out often." Later, he became governor of eight states and was very famous

Angrily the more senior disciple walked into the monk's room and asked, "Master, cultivators should have no attachment to anything in the mundane world. Honor or disgrace, gain or loss, right or wrong, good or evil, nothing can touch a cultivator's heart. This is the true meaning of cultivation. But the junior disciple doesn't agree with me. May I ask you, Master, whether my opinion is right or not?"

When Kublai Khan (1215 – 1294), grandson of Genghis Khan and Khagan of the Mongol Empire, led the Mongol army to invade Song, Wen led the Song forces in defense. When Wen was captured by Kublai Khan and was faced with imminent danger; Zhang did what he could to help. Wen was escorted to Jizhou City, and Zhang secretly visited him. In tears, he told him, "Prime Minister, you will be sent to Yanjing City (present Beijing). I will go with you."

He thought, "I'm decreed by fate to be poor. I sought refuge with the Wang family, but was driven out because I would bring bad luck to the household. How could I have the good luck to enjoy this good fortune? Also, the owner of the the silver might have needed it in case of an emergency and might have left it here by accident. This silver may have a bearing on several lives. If I take it, I could be something that damages my virtue. I'd better wait here, so that if someone comes back to look for it, I will give them back." Having had these thoughts, he just waited there for the owner

"... Other pawn shops buy items at less than their value and sell them at high prices, but Mr. Jin is always very fair, gives a good price, and lets you keep your items in the shop longer. If the customers are old, weak, or poor, he forgoes the interest. He chooses not to mark-up winter clothes in the winter, nor summer clothes in the summer. He does this every year. The heavens protect good people, so the spirit of good fortune is guarding him!"

Yuan gave up on the thought of getting the 300 pieces of silver back. It was close to the Chinese New Year. He begged Miu to loan him some money so that he could get through the Chinese New Year. In order to get rid of Yuan, Miu promised to deliver some money to his home on New Year's Eve. The day before the Chinese New Year, Yuan waited at home from dawn to evening, but Miu did not show up. All the neighbours lit their lanterns and were excitedly preparing for the New Year. But Yuan's family had nothing. His wife wept. They were in misery.

When he heard this, Li Gao was furious. He said, "When a person is home, he should be obedient and kind to his family. When he is away, he should be respectful to the elderly. If he has extra time and energy, he could pursue more achievements. How could these two brothers with such low morals be government officials?" He wrote a letter to the emperor about the matter. As a result, Li Jun and Li E were both fired from their official posts and banned from serving in the government.

Once, there was a man named Huang Xian, (or Shudu) living in Runan County, Shenyang District during the Eastern Han Dynasty. His family was not well off and his father made a living as a veterinarian. Even though Huang Xian was a poor and lowly person, he gained the respect of top officials, famous intellectuals, and others due to his knowledge, superior moral character, and especially because of his extraordinary tolerance.

He asked his son to come and instructed him, "Some people do bad deeds. It is not because their nature is bad, but merely because of their old habits. The man on the rafter is just this type." When he heard it, the thief came down from the rafter and apologised to Chen Shi by kneeling before him. Chen Shi said, "You don't look like a bad man. That you want to steal must be caused by your poor living conditions." Then Chen Shi gave the man two rolls of clothes. The thief was so touched that he never stole again.

Before dawn, Lou Shide returned to the human realm and woke up from the dream. Like the man in the purple robe had predicted, Lou recovered from his illness very quickly. Later he was indeed appointed as a imperial government official. The positions he held and the time of each career advancement were exactly the same as what he saw in the book of fate in the netherworld.

When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty led an army to suppress a rebellion in Bingzhou, he made a stop at the farmer's home. The Emperor called all the elder members of the family and asked them, "What is the secret to having five generations living under the same roof?" The farmers replied, "We have nothing special other than all being tolerant." Upon hearing these wise words the emperor commended them.

Zi Xia (507 B.C. - 420 B.C.) was a student of Confucius and a famous educator. Marquis Wen of Wei once asked Zi Xia, "When I wear my court clothes and listen to ancient music, I quickly lie down and fall asleep. But when I listen to music from the Zheng or Wei Kingdoms, I never feel tired. Please tell me why the ancient music tires people and the new music appeals to people?"

Wang Dan replied, "This is very reasonable, because I served as the Prime Minister for many years and must have made many mistakes in my job. Kou Zhun hasn't tried to hide my mistakes from you, Majesty. It shows his loyalty to you even more, and this is also why I think highly of him." The Emperor's admiration toward Wang Dan grew even more after their conversation.