Listen to Both Sides and be Enlightened... Chinese Philosophy Scroll

Listen to Both Sides and be Enlightened,
Listen to One Side and be in the Dark

jiān tīng zé míng, piān tīng zé àn

A man named Wei Zheng lived between 580-643 AD. He was a noble and wise historian and minister in the court of the early Tang Dynasty.

The emperor once asked him, "What should an emperor do to understand the real-world situation and what makes an emperor out-of-touch with reality?"

Wei Zheng replied, "Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; listen to only one side and you will be left in the dark".

Then Wei Zheng went on to cite examples of leaders in history that were victorious after heeding both sides of the story, and other leaders that met their doom because they believed one-sided stories which often came from flattering lips.

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Chinese Calligraphy is only practiced by those with a keen and agile hand. It is an art that dates back thousands of years, and great artists, writers, and poets are often admired for their calligraphy ability and style.

The artist's name is "Li Dan-Qing" who is from Beijing, China. He is an older man who writes calligraphy for fun in his retirement.

To create this art, Li Dan-Qing used special Chinese ink on xuan paper (rice paper). It was then mounted to a silk brocade wall scroll at our workshop in Beijing.

This hanging scroll is really nice since it doesn't require framing. Just hang it on your wall as Chinese people have done for centuries.