Chinese Æsop:

The Governor of Shangtung (山东) submitted a memorial to the Emperor regarding the Spirit of a Superintendent of the Yellow River, who helped to avert the disaster: -- During the recent floods on the Yellow River near Yün Ch'eng-hsien, the water had broken out, and the officials and people to the number of thousands were assembled endeavouring to stop the disaster in vain. In despair they knelt on their knees in the mud and prayed, and suddenly the spirit of the departed Li was seen to rise out of the river and, after hovering about for a little, vanished in a westerly direction. As it hovered, the waves and whirlpools became still, the water seemed to retire along with it, and the wind and rain ceased. The people took advantage of the lull, and after working with energy for two days and two nights succeeded in damming up the breach. The memorialist has made careful inquiry into the facts, and finds there is no doubt about them. It was entirely to this timely intervention of the ...

The same official (Le Hung Chang 李鸿章) presents a supplementary petition. According to information received from several persons, there lately lived a filial young lady named Pang Yun-chun, a native of the district of Hwae-ning in Gan-hwuy, the eldest daughter of Pang Tsëö-khe, the Prefect of King-chow. From her earliest years this young lady delighted in reading poetry, and took pleasure in listening to ancient and modern tales of filial piety, rectitude, purity, and chastity. She accompanied her mother to her father's residence at his official post, and never left her for a moment. In the 6th year of the present reign, the mother became seriously ill, and the daughter secretly cut off a piece of her arm and gave it to her in her medicine, whereupon the mother recovered. During the winter of the 11th year, the mother again became ill, and the daughter gave her soup and medicine, and for more than twenty day and nights never put off her own clothes. She again cut off a piece ...

Ts'een Ting-ming (錢鼎銘), Deputy Governor of Honan, petitions in reference to a dutiful daughter who cut a piece of flesh from her arm, in order to cure her father of his sickness. In the present Holy Dynasty, filial piety rules the Empire, and this doctrine originates in the female sex. The petitioner's birth place is Tae-tsang (太倉) in the province of Këang-soo (江蘇). In the district of Chin-yang there lived a daughter remarkable for her filial piety, whose name after her marriage, was Mrs. Wang. In the fifth year of the reign of the Emperor Hëen-fung, this young lady's father became dangerously ill, and his filial daughter, lighting incense sticks, announced (to the gods) her desire to sacrifice her own body for her father's sake. After this announcement, her father's illness increasing, and his physicians being unable to cure him, this filial daughter secretly cut off a piece of flesh from her arm, and putting it into the medicine prescribed, gave it to her fathe...

This murder case was reported by the Deputy Governor of Shen-se to the Emperor and the Criminal Judge of Tsing Dynasty in Peking Gazette published in 1873. The murder of three members of one family was actually caused by only a Tow of rice, about 10 litres. Ho Wan-chang is a native of Kea-chow and a fellow townsman of Lew Tang-jin. Lew’s wife called Lew Wei-she, they have two sons. Lew Tang-jin borrowed a Tow of rice from Ho Wan-chang, promised to return it soon. After a while Lew Tan-jin was carried off by the rebels, and Ho Wan-chang on several occasions asked the woman Lew Wei-she to pay him back the rice; but all to no purpose. After this, Lew Wei-she wishing to go away on a visit to her parents, gave a box containing her head ornaments to Ho Wan-chang's mother to keep for her until her return home. Ho Wan-chang hearing of this, on his return to the house, and knowing that Lew Wei-she was a woman of violent disposition, advised his mother to return the box at once. His mo...