u/Patty37624371

It is widely known (to us overseas Chinese) that many historical tombs were destroyed/vandalised during the Cultural Revolution 文化 (which lasted approx 10 years from 1966 to 1976). Red Guards 红衛兵 (fanatical little communist shits) committed many evils. The tomb of the ever righteous Bao Zheng of the Northern Song dynasty 包拯 (包青天) was not even spared. For those of you who forgotten who 包青天 is, here is a clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLaIhZTJbtY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wGNVcflAI8

Was there ever a formal research done to ascertain which Three Kingdoms tombs were deliberately destroyed during the Cultural Revolution years? I know most Shu tombs were well preserved (partly due to the fact that they are in Sichuan neatly tucked away from tumultous central China etc). Many Wei tombs were looted and destroyed by the northern barbarians which invaded China proper in the centuries after the Jin dynasty. But I'm curious about those Three Kingdom tombs that were partially or wholly destroyed/vandalised in recent decades by modern Chinese (the communists).

Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

When I was sick in my youth, my mum would take me to a Guan Yu temple to pray for a speedy recovery. I noticed there is always two men flanking Guan Yu. Even on those door portraits hung to ward off evil spirits. My mum would eventually tell me their names. Zhou Cang the ever loyal attendant and Guan Ping, his son.

It was only a decade later when I found out that Zhou Cang is not a historical character. Yes, that's right, Zhou Cang is as fictional as Prince Rainbow or second cousin to Harvey the Rabbit. No contemporary records in the 3k period or the Jin dynasty mentioned his name.

The earliest mention of Zhou Cang is as follows:-

The time when the five deities in the "Lingshun Temple" (Wuxian Temple) in Wuyuan and Dexing, Jiangxi, received their inscribed plaques was roughly around the same period as Guan Yu's temple received the plaque "Xianlie" or simultaneous with Emperor Huizong of Song (宋徽宗, the guy who was responsible for the fall of Song and led to the Jingkang Incident). bestowing titles upon Lord Guan. Furthermore, the "General Zhou" within the Wuxian Temple was integrally connected with Lord Guan. Therefore, scholar Hu Xiaowei believes that the prototype of Zhou Cang should be the subordinate general—"General Zhou"—in the "Lingshun Temple," who later became an independent deity. The earliest mention in extant historical texts of "Zhou Cang" being Guan Yu's attendant appears in the "Hymn for Welcoming the Deity" from the Ming dynasty's "Martial Peace Prince Temple Inscription Stele". The Qing dynasty scholar Liang Zhangju, in his "Langji Xutan," suggested that the person mentioned in the "Biography of Lu Su" was actually Zhou Cang. By the Ming dynasty, Zhou Cang had already been recorded in local gazetteers. For example, the "Shanxi General Annals" 山西通志.

Despite its lack of historicity, there are many who still believe that Zhou Cang once lived. Here in the video (that i saw today), a girl visits Zhou Cang's hometown (which really boggles the mind). Romance of the 3k is a novel that has been around since the end of the Yuan dynasty (earliest estimate) to the beginning of the Ming dynasty. The novel and other 3k oral stories have been circulating in China for the last 540 years. The novel is at best 60% history (maybe even less). Fictional stuff are deeply ingrained in the minds of the masses (and judging by the hundred or so positive upvotes in a recent Zhuge Liang post, perhaps even you too). Pang Tong did not perish at Valley of the Fallen Phoenix 落鳳坡. Sima Yi was never trapped at Shangfang Valley 上方谷. Zhuge Liang is not the greatest Chinese military strategist (or military commander) ever lived. Yes, Kongming was an extremely loyal Han servant, but give me a f-ng break, he wasn't even in the top 20 ffs.

Legend: Blue represents area under Cao Cao's control; Red = Sun Quan; Orange = Liu Biao; Green = Liu Bei 劉備流鼻涕.

First picture shows the province prior to its annexation by Cao Cao; and the demise of Liu Biao

Second picture shows how 大耳賊 'borrowed' Jingzhou after the battle of Red Cliffs. Note the northern part Nanyang is now under Cao Ren's guard.

Third picture shows how the three commanderies of Changsha, Lingling and Guiyang were reluctantly returned to Wu after the 出身下贱靠编草鞋为生之偽君子 (the hypocrite lowlife who made straw sandals for a living) stole Yizhou from his royal kin, during the contest wtih Cao Cao for the control of Hanzhong.

Last picture shows the aftermath of Guan Yu's 大意失荆州

dear friends, if you live in the southern hemisphere (ie brazil, argentina, australia, new zealand, chile, south africa etc), winter is upon you now.

if you can spare the time (& money), pls visit your local parks and feed the pigeons. not all feral pigeons are well-fed and fat like the ones at Trafalgar Square and other tourist spots.

in reality, in a typical city/town all across the southern hemisphere now, some 18% to 27% resident feral pigeons will die this winter. the ones who die are usually the old, the sickly and the young. they die of cold or disease or hunger. they starve. the food that you give them will help them survive this winter (even if it's just a little bit of old crusty bread).

if you can spare the money, please feed them a blend of seeds and grains. to be sure, a balanced mix of legumes (the protein grains), cereals (the carb grains) and oily seeds (the uh, expensive grains). a mix of these will provide a COMPLETE protein profile for them (both the essentials and non-essential amino acids)

legumes = mung beans, green peas, lentils, white peas, maple peas, soy beans (the smallest kinds taste better), lupins , vetches (tares), black-eyed peas (cowpeas), tic beans, pulses, chickpeas, adzuki beans, dun peas, etc

cereals = corn (you guys in uk call these maize), wheat, barley, oats, brown rice, canary seeds, milo/sorghum (beware, this is the LEAST nutritious seeds of all, ever) , buckwheat, rye, millet, kaniwa, spelt, teff, amaranth, emmer, chia seeds, quinoa (if u can afford it, lol) etc

oily seeds = hemp seeds, chopped peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds (black ones are better), melon seeds, safflower seeds, flaxseeds (linseeds), niger seeds (not being racist here), rapeseed (not being pervy here), almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecan nuts, pistachios, acorns, beech nuts, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, poppy seeds (mawseeds), pine nuts etc

an awesome winter mix (especially when you get a few ft of snow in a single night) is 30% legumes, 30% cereals, 40% oily seeds. sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of salt into this bag of mixed seeds (pigeons, like all warm-blooded animals, need some salt in their diet).

oily seeds are good for feral pigeons. oil is utilised differently by pigeons compared to us humans. in research done on racing pigeons, when they are fed grains, the pigeons immediately begin converting it into fat in their body for storage. unlike humans, pigeons readily utilize lipids as an important energy source. the high calorie oily seeds you feed to feral pigeons help them build up a fat reserve. in addition, oily seeds have the highest % of protein too and lots of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. in short, oily seeds are nutrient dense and uber good for feral pigeons (especially their feathers!). they instinctively know these are good for them and will eat these first.

if you dont have time to mix the seeds yourself, you can buy those commercially prepared seed mix (beware, it's far far far more expensive than your home mix). i find the ones prepared for Wild Birds the best as they contain the highest % of oily seeds (fat content of these mixes often go up to 30% which is wonderful for feral pigeons living in extreme cold weather).

like these

https://www.kaytee.com/all-products/wild-bird/fall-migration-blend Crude Fat (min.) 40.0% gasp, lol (fall/autumn mix is the best as they contain the highest amount of oily seeds EVER!)

https://www.kaytee.com/all-products/wild-bird/kaytee-western-regional-blend

https://www.kaytee.com/all-products/wild-bird/cardinal

thank you so much for your kindness. thanks again <3

ps - the above recommendation is only for feral street pigeons. NOT for your pet pigeons. feral pigeons need a lot of oily seeds because these seeds provide a LOT of energy which is beneficial for feral pigeons as they live in the cold and fly/forage constantly for food and help them build a fat reserve that they can utilise when they are starving (in the coming weeks)

pps - over the months, i received some private messages from friends asking me what they should get if you are in a hurry (ie no time to go around buying different seeds) or what they should buy because they are severely budget constrained. the answer for both question is rolled oats. you can find rolled oats readily available in ANY grocery store/supermarket/Walmart/Sainsbury's. it is really cheap and it arguably the MOST nutritious cereal grains for pigeons. it has 14 to 15% protein content (typical cereal grains only have 7 to 11% protein content), its protein profile is high quality (its composition of amino acids are like those types found in legumes, not cereals), technically speaking oats is a COMPLETE protein (it contains all 9 essential amino acids but are not considered a complete protein for humans due to lower lysine content), it has 7% fat content (which is really high for a cereal grain), it is rich in anti-oxidants, it has beta-glucan which slows down the digestion process, it has low GI which means it releases heat slowly to the pigeon, it has a aphrodisiac effect on pigeons (sow your wild oats, humans!) and pigeons love the taste of oats and rolled oats can keep for months without getting mouldy. so there you have it folks, if you are in rush or have very little money, rolled oats is your go-to grain!