Chinese Æsop:

Many, perhaps forty years ago, I was walking in the interior of Canton province, not far from its great East river which flows on to join the streams from the north and west at Whampou. All at once my steps were arrested by a loud shouting from the river, and I hurried to the bank to see what was going on. There, as I stood above the water, I saw two boats, long and slender, each built to represent a dragon, the head of which rose high and formed the prow. A man sat upon it with a flag in each hand, which he waved to direct the movements of the crew, and with his face turned towards the helmsman who stood near the stern. Midway in the boats were two men beating with all their might, the one a gong, the other a drum. The crew in each boat could not have been fewer than thirty men, each grasping a short stout paddle, and all, with quivering eagerness and loud cries, racing towards a certain point. At the conclusion of the race, the rowers exerting all their strength and skill, and the ...

When Shih T'ai of Wei died, he had no rightful heir, but six illegitimate sons. They divined, who would be the successor, and made out that bathing and the wearing of gems would afford an omen. Five of the sons took a bath, and adorned themselves with precious stones, but Shih Ch'i Tse said, "Who, being in mourning for a parent, can bathe and wear gems?" Hence he did not bathe, nor wear any gems. It was he who hit the omen, and became the successor.

In the Warring States period, there was a man of the state of Chao named Lin Hsiang-ju (蔺相如); he was employed by the king of Chao and handled the affairs of the land. The minor state of Chao had for generations possessed an unusual jade disc, made from the Ho jewel. The king of the powerful state of Ch'in heard of the disc and offered to trade fifteen cities for it. Chao, a militarily weak state, could not refuse and sent Lin Hsiang-ju with the disc to the Ch'in King. Hsiang-ju, however, perceived that the king had no real intention of ceding fifteen cities and said to the king, "The jewel has a flaw. if you will give it to me, I will show you where it is." Once he had the jewel back in his hands, he backed himself up against a pillar and threatened to smash the disc against the pillar if the king did not follow proper ritual, fast and purify himself for five days, and honestly offer the fifteen cities. The king promised to do so. While waiting for the king t...