Song Huizong had an uncanny way of making the invisible visible.

The complexity underlying the simplicity of Song Huizong's art is especially evident in the Ru porcelain of his time.

We may not be able to live as extravagantly as the emperors before us, but we can still afford to live life with a bit of elegance.

This episodes is a continuation of our Art series! We will be talking about Chinese sculpture in the next few videos. Sculpture in China has a long history and even predates most Western sculpture.

In the chaos and instability during Wei, Jin, and North-South dynasties people looked for hope and relief everywhere. When you have nothing how can you still have hope?

How and why did does an icon of Buddha stop refugees in their tracks? Is is because of the religious symbolism behind the icon or is there more to this classic, ethereal icon?

Let's compare the Beiqi Buddha to that of the Northern Wei! Who knew Buddha icons could represent the same ideology yet be so different visually. Take a look for yourself.

The expression that Buddha bears is one of deep peace, but where does this expression come from? What exactly is this so called, "deep peace" and how can we achieve this state of being?

Submission and acceptance of the world is something to respect. There is a phrase in Lao Tzu's "Dao De Jing", "the sage is ruthless, to them ten thousand things are but straw dogs". This phrase doesn't necessarily denounce sages or monks but rather reveres them for their ability to accept things as they are, which in it own right is a remarkable ability.

Living in the political instability of the Wei, Jin, North-South dynasties was in itself an experience of great suffering. How did people like Xiaoming survive? The Buddhist ideas of submission and acceptance may have played a part.

An older artist explains how there were no artist studios back in his day.

The artist begins by explaining his daily process of painting.

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.

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.

This idiom indicates that something seemingly bad may turn out to have been a good thing in the end, a blessing in disguise. The story in the video explains it quite well. And, while the idiom can also have the opposite meaning (a good thing becoming something bad), the former is more frequently used.

There are many different Chinese idioms out there that people use today in modern Chinese. "Dui Niu Tan Qin" literally means, "Playing the Zither for a Cow." It means that some people will just never understand or appreciate certain things.

This video concerns one of the stories from the very famous Chinese novel, "Journey to the West." It informs us from where the idiom, "to wolf down your food," originates.

This Chinese legend sheds light on the origin of the famous saying, "How you treat others is how you will be treated." It involves the famous and influential Chinese philosopher, Mencius, giving sage advice to a king during the Warring States period.

Learn the story behind the saying, "To kill two birds with one stone."