The artist tells about the intricacies of his very dull painting process. Some people say they want to come watch him painting, but he advises against it. The magic is in the tedium.

The artist describes how he first began painting oil paintings. He copied the paintings on on poker chips confiscated during the cultural revolution.

The painter describes how he would travel all over his city in his teenage years to observe all the different oil painters he could see.

The artist talks about how art progresses and how that progression has to move slowly.

The artist talks about how in his day conversation was more lively and people weren't looking at their phones all the time.

In this episode, Yi Gongzi introduces the often overlooked museum specialty: ancient Chinese bronze ware.

As Yi Gongzi explains, ancient bronze tableware isn't for just anyone to use.

Yi Gongzi explains how bronze was discovered and formed in ancient China.

Yi Gongzi details the long and involved process of making bronzeware.

Making bronzeware is an arduous and involved process, and its usage has a strict hierarchy.

Dings were used by nobility as a way to capture all of life's special moments.

What defines luxury and wealth when it comes to tableware?

China's first statues did not come from the popular Song or Tang dynasties. Yi Gongzi explains.

Yi Gongzi describes the chaos and turmoil of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Yi Gongzi tells the tale of Xiaoming and how he discovered an important find during the Northern Qi Dynasty.

Why does the statue of Buddha suddenly bring calmness to those who have experienced suffering?

How do the Buddha statues from the Northern Qi Dynasty compare with those from the Northern Wei Dynasty?

Yi Gongzi explains how the face of the Buddha can show us what the deepest state of calmness and relaxation looks like.

How do we reach a fully relaxed state of being?

Yi Gongzi explains the meaning of the Buddha's expression of complete acceptance.

What is true and complete acceptance?

Listen to this make-believe story about how the twelve animals were selected to be the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. What terrible thing did the rat do to get its bad reputation and why do cats hate rats?!

This story is about Han Prime Minister Cao Cao's six-year-old son, Cao Chong (196 to 208 B.C.). The theory this little boy used to weigh an elephant is similar to Archimedes' Principle (287 to 212 B.C.), which is that the weight of an object submerged in fluid is equal to the weight of the displaced fluid.