This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Gan ua
贛語/赣语
Gan ua (Gan) written in Chinese characters
Spoken in	China
Region	central and northern Jiangxi, eastern Hunan, parts of Fujian, Anhui, Hubei
Ethnicity	Gan people (Han Chinese)
Native speakers	20.6 million  (1984) (no recent data available)
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Sinitic Chinese Gan–Hakka Gan ua
Language codes
ISO 639-3	gan
This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Gàn (simplified Chinese: 赣语; traditional Chinese: 贛語; Gan: Gon ua), alternatively Jiangxinese (Chinese: 江西话 Jiāngxī huà; Gan: Kongsi ua) is spoken as the native language by around 50 million people in the Jiangxi province of China, as well as important population in surrounding regions such as Hunan, Hubei, Anhui and Fujian. Gan is a member of the Sinitic languages of the Sino-Tibetan language family and Hakka is the closest language to Gan in terms of phonetics.

Different dialects of Gan exist, and the representative dialect is the Nanchang dialect.

Classification[link]

The classification of Gan is subject to debate. Like all other varieties of Chinese, there is a large amount of dispute as to whether Gan is a language or a dialect. There are three dominant views:

• The first viewpoint considers Gan to be a dialect of Chinese, which is supported by the scholars in mainland China. Actually, Gan and Xiang were carved out of the region of the Mandarin language until 1937 and some Gan speakers consider Gan a dialect of Chinese, mostly owing to political beliefs or nationalist sentiments. Gan has more similarities with Mandarin than with Cantonese or Min.
• Some consider Gan and Hakka one language, “Gan-Hakka”, or a group of languages with Hakka and Cantonese, because there are many similarities among the three.
• Others consider Gan an independent language because Gan is unintelligible with other Chinese languages.

See also: Identification of the varieties of Chinese for the issues surrounding this dispute.

This section requires expansion.

Name[link]

• Gan: the formal name. Scholars in mainland China use Gan or Gan dialect.
• Jiangxinese: the most common name. Since the borders of the language do not follow the borders of the province, this name is not geographically very exact.
• Xi: an ancient name. Now seldom used.
• Right-river language: an ancient name, used because most Gan speakers live in the south of Yangtze River, beyond the right-hand bank when traveling downstream.

Region[link]

The area coloured in light yellow shows the Gan-speaking region in the PRC.

Most of Gan speakers live in the middle and lower reaches of Gan River, the drainage area of the Fu River and the region of Poyang Lake. There are also many Gan speakers living in eastern Hunan, eastern Hubei, southern Anhui and northwest Fujian, etc.

According to the Diagram of Divisions in the People’s Republic of China,^[1] Gan is spoken by approximately 48,000,000 people: 29,000,000 in Jiangxi,^[2] 4,500,000 in Anhui,^[3] 5,300,000 in Hubei,^[4] 9,000,000 in Hunan,^[5] 270,000 in Fujian.^[6]

History[link]

Ancient Ages[link]

During the Qin Dynasty (221 BC), a large number of troops were sent to southern China in order to conquer the Baiyue (百越) territories in Fujian and Guangdong, as a result, numerous Han Chinese emigrated to Jiangxi in the years following. In the early years of the Han Dynasty (202 BC), Nanchang was established as the capital of the Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡) (this name stems from the original name of Gan River), along with the 18 counties (縣) of Jiangxi Province. The population of the Yuzhang Commandery increased to 1,670,000 (by AD 140) from 350,000 (in AD 2), with a net growth of 1,320,000. The Yuzhang Commandery ranked forth in population among the more than 100 contemporary commanderies of China. As the largest commandery of Yangzhou (揚州), Yuzhang accounted for two fifths of the population and Gan gradually took shape during this period.

Middle Ages[link]

As a result of continuous warfare in the region of central China, the first large-scale emigration in the history of China took place. Large numbers of people in central China relocated to southern China in order to escape the bloodshed and at this time, Jiangxi played a role as a transfer station. Also, during this period, ancient Gan began to be exposed to the northern Mandarin Guan-hua (官話) dialects. After centuries of rule by the Southern Dynasties, Gan still retained many original characteristics despite having absorbed some elements of Guan-Hua. Up until the Tang Dynasty, there was little difference between old Gan and the contemporary Gan of that era. Beginning in the Five Dynasties period, however, inhabitants in the central and northern parts of Jiangxi Province began to migrate to eastern Hunan, eastern Hubei, southern Anhui and northwest Fujian. During this period, following hundreds of years of migration, Gan spread to its current areas of distribution.

Recent History[link]

Guan-hua evolved into a standard language based on Beijing Mandarin, owing largely to political factors. At the same time, the differences between Gan and Guan-hua continued to become more pronounced. However, because Jiangxi borders on Jianghuai, a Guan-hua, Xiang, and Hakka speaking region, Gan proper has also been influenced by these surrounding languages, especially in its border regions.

Modern Times[link]

After 1949, as a “dialect” in Mainland China, Gan faced a critical period. The impact of Mandarin is quite evident today as a result of official governmental linguistic campaigns. Currently, many youths are unable to master Gan expressions, and some are no longer able speak Gan at all.

Recently, however, as a result of increased interest in protecting the local language, Gan now has begun to appear in various regional media, and there are also newscasts and television programs broadcast in the Gan language.

History of Gan^{[citation needed]}

Dialects[link]

There are differences within the dialect speaking region. For example in Anfu county which was categorized as Ji-Cha, there are two main dialects, called Nanxiang Hua (Southern region) and Baixiang Hua (Northern region). People from one region cannot even understand people from the other region if they were not well educated or exposed to the other dialects.

The main dialect areas of Gan in Mainland China.

According to 《Atlas of Chinese languages》(《中國語言地圖集》)(1987), there are 9 dialects in Gan.

Ps: name with * means Gan is partly spoken in this city.

Sounds[link]

Gan (e.g. Nanchang dialect) has 19 syllable onset (聲母), 65 syllable rimes (韻母) and 5 tones (counted as 7 in Chinese classifications).

Vowels[link]

Gan has 6 vowels:

Tone[link]

Like other Chinese languages, tones in Gan make phonemic distinctions. There are five phonemic tones in Gan, which are reduced to two 'entering tones' before stop consonants. In the traditional classification, these are considered separately:

tones of Gan

The 6th and 7th tones are the same as the 4th and 5th tones, except that the syllable ends in a stop consonant, /t/ or /k/.

Initials[link]

In each cell below, the first line indicates IPA transcription, the second indicates pinyin.

Finals[link]

consonantal finals[link]

• The finals in italic are at present only reserved in several Gan dialects.

Example[link]

Grammar[link]

In Gan, there are 9 principal grammatical tenses – initial （起始）, progressive （進行）, experimental （嘗試）, durative （持續）, processive （經歷）, continuative （繼續）, repeating （重行）, perfect （已然）, and complete （完成）.

The grammar of Gan is similar to southern Chinese languages. The sequence subject–verb–object is most typical, but subject–object–verb or the passive voice (with the sequence object–subject–verb) is possible with particles. Take a simple sentence for example: "I hold you". The words involved are: ngo ("I" or "me"), tsot dok ("to hold"), ň ("you").

• Subject–verb–object (typical sequence): The sentence in the typical sequence would be: ngo tsot dok ň. ("I hold you.")
• Subject–lat–object–verb: Another sentence of roughly equivalent meaning is ngo lat ň tsot dok, with the slight connotation of "I take you and hold" or "I get to you and hold."
• Object–den–subject–verb (the passive voice): Then, ň den ngo tsot dok means the same thing but in the passive voice, with the connotation of "You allow yourself to be held by me" or "You make yourself available for my holding."

Vocabulary[link]

• Gan Swadesh list

In Gan, there are a number of archaic words and expressions originally found in ancient Chinese, and which are now seldom or no longer used in Mandarin. For example, the noun ‘clothes’ in Gan is ‘衣裳’ while ‘衣服’ in Mandarin, the verb ‘sleep’ in Gan is ‘睏覺’ while ‘睡覺’ in Mandarin. Also, to describe something dirty, Gan speakers use ‘下里巴人’, which is a reference to a song from the Chu （楚國） region dating to China's Spring and Autumn Period.

Additionally, there are numerous interjections in Gan （e.g. 哈、噻、啵）, which can largely strengthen sentences, and better express different feelings.

Writing system[link]

Gan is written with Chinese characters, though it does not have a strong written tradition. There are also some romanization schemes, but none are widely used. When writing Gan speakers usually use Mandarin, which is used by all Chinese speakers.^[7]

See also[link]

• Old Gan
• History of the Gan language
• Varieties of Chinese

References[link]

• Chen Changyi. Summary of Gan. 
• Chen Changyi. Chorography of languages in Jiangxi. 
• Li Rulong. Investigation of Gan-Hakka. 
• Xiong Zhenghui. Dictionary of Nanchang Dialect. 
• Yan Sen. Division of languages in Jiangxi. 
• Yan Sen. Summary of modern Chinese·Gan. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gan

Gan language edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Classification of Gan Dialects
• Ethnologue report on Gan
• Gan Chinese Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words (from Wiktionary's Swadesh-list appendix)

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Rui En (Chinese: 瑞恩; pinyin: Ruì'ēn; stage name for Lu Rui En, 卢瑞恩, born January 29, 1981) is a Chinese Singaporean singer-actress based in Singapore currently.

Rui En was talent-spotted while appearing in SingTel's popular SingTel hi!Card commercial as the iconic "running girl" in 2001. She was offered a general management contract by Artiste Networks, a section of Hype Records. In 2002, Rui En debuted her acting career in Singapore with her first drama, titled ‘‘No Problem!’’. Since 2004, she has averaged one to three dramas per year. In late 2002, Rui En launched her music career in Taiwan, titled ‘‘Rui ∑n vol. 01’’, under the record company Alfa Music. Rui En released her second album in Singapore under Hype Records, titled ‘‘United Nations’’, in late 2008.

Notably after 2007, Rui En gained a significant pool of fans, earning her the title of Singapore’s Most Popular Local TV Actress^[1] in 2010 and subsequently, the title of Singapore's Most Popular Local TV Actor (Males & Females)^[2] in 2011. RBKD (Chinese: 瑞不可当) is her official fan club and accordingly to the group, the name was inspired from the Chinese idiom, 锐不可当^[3] (pinyin: ruì bù kě dāng), and is to mean 'Rui En is unstoppable'.

Life and career[link]

Education[link]

Rui En was educated at Singapore Chinese Girls' School for both her primary and secondary education. She took up Ballet as a Co-Curricular Activity in Primary Five but gave it up in Secondary One, citing the pressure of coming from a wrong socio-economic class as the reason.^[4] She joined the choir in Secondary Three and Four.^[4]

Rui En completed her pre-tertiary education in Raffles Junior College,^[5] in which she won the championship in National Schools’ Hockey Tournament. Despite claiming to be her Chinese teacher's worst nightmare because she was never good in her Chinese,^[6] Rui En penned all the lyrics to her second Chinese album, titled ‘‘United Nations’’.

Amidst her hectic schedule, Rui En managed to graduate from Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor of Business in 2004, specializing in Banking and Finance. In 2007, Rui En was presented with the Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award by her alma mater Nanyang Technological University in the annual affair.^[7] She did not attend the ceremony to receive the award personally.

Growing Up[link]

In December 2008, Rui En did a confessional interview with The Monday Interview titled Inside the Outsider,^[4] first published on The Straits Times. She confessed that she used to smoke and drink socially, and how she grew up feeling insecure as the only child in her broken family. Her parents subsequently divorced when she was seventeen.

The article struck a chord with the masses, especially those who grew up in similar environment. When asked of her rationale for such a heart-to-heart interview, she was quoted to say, "I am hoping that kids who read this might realise that no matter how bad your family situation is, you have a choice not to be a victim".^[4] The article was subsequently translated into a Mandarin version and published on Shin Min Daily News; other publications such as The New Paper and Elle (magazine): Singapore edition, have also taken reference to the article too.

Music career[link]

Rui En ventured into Taiwan in 2002 under the Chinese name of 芮恩 (pinyin: Ruì'ēn). She made her first appearance as the female lead in label mate Jay Chou's Music Video for Secret Code and went on to co-endorse Panasonic GD68 with him. Rui En subsequently released her debut regional Chinese album Rui ∑n vol. 01 in the same year under the co-production of Hype Records and Alfa Music. Jealous fans of Jay Chou were reported to have bore a grudge at Rui En for the help he rendered to her, warning her against getting too close to Jay Chou.^[8] There was however, another group of fans who gave Rui En full support on Jay Chou's account. Jay Chou composed the first hit of her debut album Rui ∑n vol. 01, titled White Feather.

Rui En was nominated as the Best Local Singer in the Singapore Hit Awards 2003 and was selected alongside Taufik Batisah to perform both the English and Mandarin versions of the 2005 National Day Parade's theme song - Reach Out For The Skies.

After a six years' break, Rui En released her second Chinese album in late 2008 under Hype Records, titled ‘‘United Nations’’. This album was only released locally in Singapore and all the lyrics were penned by Rui En herself. Since then, she resumed the use of her original name, 瑞恩 (pinyin: Ruì'ēn). In April 2009, Rui En was invited to perform at Singapore Day 2009 at London's Hampton Court Palace, a yearly event organised by the Overseas Singaporean Unit in the Prime Minister's Office to engage overseas Singaporeans.^[9]

Rui En is the voice behind the latest Anti-Drink Driving Campaign 2010 theme song - It All Slips Away. The advertorial was released on Channel 5 and Channel 8, ahead of the festive season and is commission by the Singapore Traffic Police Department.

Acting career[link]

Rui En landed in her first ever leading role in 2005, with A Promise For Tomorrow as the bubbly Fang Fang. In the following year, she was identified as one of the most promising young actresses in the Singapore Entertainment Industry by local entertainment magazine I-Weekly and was hence labeled as one of the 7 Princesses.^[10] Often dubbed and referred to as the Cool Princess for her nonconforming attitude, she has openly expressed her desire to be recognized and remembered for her performances rather than with the title. Admittedly, Rui En has improved on her acting only after rising to the rungs of leading actresses in the local acting industry.

Before winning her first Best Actress award in 2011, Rui En was already acknowledged as one of the finest local actress of her generation, receiving compliments from award-winning and veteran actors such as: Adrian Pang,^[11][12] Chen Hanwei,^[11][12] Chen Li Ping,^[13] Chen Shucheng^[11][12] & Zhu Houren^[14] etc.. Veteran actor Chen Shucheng named her in the company of acclaimed local actresses Huang Biren and Ivy Lee, all of whom, he said, could cry "beautifully" and reflect the demands of the scenes' context.^[11][12]

Straits Times complimented Rui En for giving worthy performance ^[15] in With You and Executive Producer Paul Yuen has also likened her to a younger Sheren Tang,^[16] well-known Hong Kong actress whose acting is critically acclaimed regionally.

[edit] Hot Favourite for Star Awards: Best Actress 2011

With three dramas, Rui En has been labelled as one of the 10 Faces to watch in 2010 ^[17] by MediaCorp's Buzz. She is tipped to be a strong contender for Best Actress in Star Awards 2011.^[18]

In an interview with I-Weekly, Rui En was singled out by veteran actor Zhu Houren as the most deserving contender to claim the coveted Best Actress recognition in Star Awards 2011.^[14] He was impressed by Rui En as Yang Xiaodong in Happy Family, describing it as 'natural' and 'just right' (an industry's term to describe perfect handling of the role, according to him).^[14] Known for his daring speeches, he claimed that Rui En should win the award next year unless the judges are incapable of appreciating fine acting.^[14] He also expressed his wish to collaborate with Rui En in future.^[14]

In Star Awards 2011, Rui En finally picked up her first acting nomination. Widely tipped as the forerunner by the media,^[19][20] Rui En went on to win the coveted title.^[21] Rui En acknowledges "there has been more lows than highs" ^[22] in her career and in her acceptance speech, she said "despite those who said I won't succeed with my personality and image, it shows with hard work you can do it." ^[21]

Popularity[link]

Since 2005, Rui En has garnered 7 consecutive Top Ten Most Popular Female Artiste trophies in the highly competitive Star Awards, a high profile annual award ceremony organised by MediaCorp Singapore to recognise the best and the most popular in the Singapore Acting Industry.

Following the success of her leading role as An Xiaoqian in Singapore's Best Drama of the year 2007 - Metamorphosis, Rui En gained a large fan following in Singapore.^[23] In March 2008, Rui En dethroned Fann Wong (previously a 5 time consecutive winner) in the annual popularity contest - Students' Idols Voting (Acting Category - Local/International), organised by now defunct newspaper, Friday Weekly, to claim the much coveted first runner-up position. The winner of the category went to Jay Chou.

In the year 2009's televised countdown event organised by MediaCorp Singapore's Channel 8, Rui En won one of the eight Top 8 Likable Female Lead Characters awards with her only production that year as Zhang Yu Hang in By My Side. She was rumored by some, to have garnered the most number of votes in this popularity contest. In February 2009, Rui En beat fellow actress Jeanette Aw, hot favorite after the huge success of The Little Nyonya, to the coveted title of Babe of the Year^[24] in the annual Flame Awards organised by The New Paper.

In an informal survey conducted by MediaCorp's Branding and Promotion Vice-President Paul Chan, Rui En and Elvin Ng were voted as the Best On-Screen Couple in 2009.^[25] Rui En and Elvin Ng also emerge tops as the Favourite On-Screen Partners in the annual Star Awards 2010. They won with their performance as Lin Jiaqi and Sato in The Dream Catchers.

Rui En was voted as the Most Popular Local TV Actress^[1] in Singapore Entertainment Awards 2010 organised by Singapore Press Holdings. Voting spanned across 4 weeks and Rui En secured the top position since Day One. In 2011, the Actors and Actresses were grouped collectively to complete in the Most Popular Local TV Actor category, voting spanned across 6 weeks. Despite keener competition, Rui En secured the top position since Day One, and emerged as the Most Popular Local TV Actor^[2] in Singapore Entertainment Awards 2011 for the second consecutive year.

In Star Awards 2010, Rui En's role as Zhang Luoyun (My School Daze emerge as the Top 10 Favourite Female Characters while her other role, Lin Jiaqi (The Dream Catchers), emerge as the Top 5 Favourite Female Characters.^[26] Voting spanned across 6 weeks and more than a hundred entries were nominated.

Rui En claimed the highly competitive Most Favourite Female Character award ^[27] with her role as the likable Yang Xiaodong (Happy Family) in Star Awards 2011. Results were solely determined by online votes and Rui En led in the top position since Day One. However, she lost out in the Favourite On-screen Couple (Drama) ^[28] category with a top three final position.

Controversies[link]

[edit] Missing out on Best Actress Nomination: Metamorphosis

In 2007, Rui En caused an uproar in the virtual community when she surprisingly missed out on a nomination in the Best Actress Category in Star Awards 2007 organised by MediaCorp Singapore, for her breakthrough role as Assistant Superintendent An Xiao Qian in Metamorphosis. An online petition was initiated with hundreds of signatures submitted, prompting MediaCorp Singapore's media team to interview recognized actor Chen Han Wei and Ivy Lee ^[29] for their takes on this issue. Subsequent reporting were published on online news, Xin.sg ^[29] and leading Chinese local newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao.

[edit] Role Rejection: The Defining Moment

In March 2008, Rui En was involved in a high profile rejection of the role as an ambitious businesswoman struggling with mental illness in The Defining Moment, which subsequently went to Fann Wong instead. She was reported to have rejected the role due to a rape scene in the script. Rui En is known to be firm on her stance against intimate, revealing or kissing scenes and has been criticized by some as unprofessional. She is reported to have been blacklisted by some producers^[4] after this role rejection incident but her supporters have avowed unwavering support.

[edit] Missing out on Best Actress Nomination: By My Side

In April 2009, despite an informal viewers' survey labeling Rui En as a strong contender ^[30] for the coveted Best Actress Award in the annual Star Awards organised by MediaCorp Singapore, Rui En again missed out on a nomination for her role as AIDS patient-cum-volunteer Zhang Yu Hang in By My Side. Her poor public relations skill was thought to be a contributing reason to why she has never garnered any nomination in the acting categories despite being generally acknowledged as one of the finer local actresses of her generation. However, she picked up her fourth consecutive Top Ten Most Popular Female Artiste trophy despite not being present at the Star Awards 2009 due to overseas work commitment.

Community[link]

Rui En is the theme song singer for the Community Chest Singapore. The song, titled Listen to Your Heart, has been released in the form of EP in years 2003 and 2009. Despite her hectic schedule, Rui En is a regular volunteer at Beyond Social Services.^[31] She has expressed her wish to remain low profile with regards to her volunteering as she has no wish to utilize this to benefit her public image.^[32]

Rui En has also participated in the various charity events such as True Hearts Charity Show, President's Star Charity Show and Sichuan Earthquake Charity Show to name a few.

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• Rui ∑n vol. 01 芮恩Rui ∑n同名專輯 (December 2002)
• United Nations 共和國 (October 2008)

Compilations[link]

• Morning Express VI 阳光系列6 (2003)

This compilation album consists of Rui En's The Way To Be Happy 快乐方式 (Track 3) and Test 考验 (Track 9). The songs were released under Rui En's birth name - 卢瑞恩 (Lú Ruì'ēn).

• Celebrating 25 Years Of Chinese Drama Collector's Edition 戏剧情牵25 (2007)

This album is a Collector's Edition composed of memorable theme songs spanning across the Singapore Chinese Drama's Twenty-Five years' History. Tracks from Rui En include a remix version of The Way To Be Happy 快乐方式 and Unfreeze 解冻. The songs were released under Rui En's stage name - 芮恩 (Ruì'ēn).

Singles[link]

• Listen to Your Heart (2003)

This is the theme song for Community Chest Singapore and there are English and Mandarin versions to this song. The songs were released in the form of a Single.

• Reach Out For The Skies (2005)

This is the theme song for National Day Parade, 2005 and there are English and Mandarin versions to this song. Music Videos were produced for both versions.

• Listen to Your Heart - Remix (2009)

A remix version of the theme song for Community Chest Singapore, the Mandarin track was first performed on televised charity show, TrueHearts Show 2009. The EP released in November 2009 consisted of the original tracks and the remixes in both English and Mandarin. This graphic artwork for this Single was designed by Rui En's fan club, RBKD, on behalf of Community Chest Singapore.

Drama Theme Songs[link]

• Beautiful Connection - The Way To Be Happy 快乐方式 (2003)

This song was nominated as Best Drama Theme Song in Star Awards 2003 and was first released in Morning Express VI. A remix version was released in Celebrating 25 Years Of Chinese Drama Collector's Edition.

• No Problem! - Test 考验 (2003)

This is an insert song released in Morning Express VI.

• Love at 0°C - Unfreeze 解冻 (2006)

This was Rui En's first set of self-penned lyrics published and also her first and only theme song for the drama she is starring in. This song is released in Celebrating 25 Years Of Chinese Drama Collecter's Edition.

• By My Side - Slow Dance 慢舞 (2008)

This is an insert song found in Rui En's United Nations.

Filmography[link]

MediaCorp Channel 8 Dramas[link]

Other Notable TV Programs[link]

Awards/Achievements[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• RBKD 瑞不可当 (Official Fanclub Website)
• Hype Records Pte Ltd
• United Nations 共和國 Official Microsite
• Lu Rui En for Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award Recipient
• 8频道跨年派对 8大最喜爱的女主角
• MediaCorp Star Awards

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Li Si (Chinese: 李斯; pinyin: Lǐ Sī; Wade–Giles: Li Ssu) (ca. 280 BC – September or October 208 BC) was the influential Prime Minister (or Chancellor) of the feudal state and later of the dynasty of Qin, between 246 BC and 208 BC. A famous Legalist, he was also a notable calligrapher. Li Si served under two rulers: Qin Shi Huang, king of Qin and later First Emperor of China—and his son, Qin Er Shi.^[1] A powerful minister, he was central to the state's policies, including those on military conquest, draconian centralization of state control, standardization of weights, measures and the written script, and persecution of Confucianism and opponents of Legalism. His methods of administration of China is seen by some as being an early form of totalitarianism.

Early life[link]

Li Si was originally from Shang Cai (上蔡) in the State of Chu.^[2] As a young man he was a minor functionary in the local administration of Chu. According to the Records of the Great Historian, one day Li Si observed that rats in the outhouse were dirty and hungry but the rats in the barnhouse were well fed. He suddenly realized that "there is no set standard for honor since everyone's life is different. The values of people are determined by their social status. And like rats, people's social status often depends purely on the random life events around them. And so instead of always being restricted by moral codes, people should do what they deemed best at the moment." He made up his mind to take up politics as a career, which was a common choice for scholars not from a noble family during the Warring States Period.

Li Si was unable to advance his career in Chu. He believed that achieving nothing in life while being so intelligent and educated would bring shame to not just himself but to all scholars. After having finished his education with the famous Confucian thinker Xun Zi, he moved to the State of Qin, the most powerful state at that time in an attempt to advance his political career.

Career in Qin[link]

During his stay in Qin, Li Si became a guest of Prime Minister Lu Buwei and got the chance to talk to the ruler of Qin, King Zheng who would later become the first emperor of a unified China, Qin Shi Huang. Li Si expressed that the Qin state was extremely powerful, but uniting China was still impossible if all of the other six states united to fight against Qin. Qin Shi Huang was impressed by Li Si's view of how to unify China. Having adopted Li Si's proposal, the ruler of Qin spent generously to lure intellectuals to the state of Qin and sent out assassins to kill important scholars in other states.

In 237 BC a clique at the Qin court urged King Zheng to expel all foreigners from the state to prevent espionage. As a native of Chu, Li Si would be a target of the policy so he memorialized the king explaining the many benefits of foreigners to Qin including "the sultry girls of Zhao".^[1] The king relented and, impressed with Li Si's rhetoric, promoted him.^[2] The same year, Li Si is reported to have urged King Zheng to annex the neighbouring State of Han to order to intimidate the other five remaining states. Han Fei, a member of the aristocracy from the State of Han, was asked by the Han king to go to Qin and resolve the situation through diplomacy. Li Si, who envied Han Fei's intellect, persuaded the Qin king that he could neither send Han Fei back (as his superior ability would be a threat to Qin) nor employ him (as his loyalty would not be to Qin). As a result, Han Fei was imprisoned, and in 233 BC convinced by Li Si to commit suicide by taking poison. The State of Han was later conquered in 230 BC.

After Qin Shi Huang became emperor Li Si persuaded him to suppress intellectual dissent.^[1] Li Si believed that books regarding things such as medicine, agriculture and prophecy could be ignored but political books were dangerous in public hands. It was hard to make progress and change the country with the opposition of so many "old school" scholars. As a result only the state should keep political books, and only the state run schools should be allowed to educate political scholars. Li Si himself penned the edict ordering the destruction of historical records and literature in 213 BC, including key Confucian texts, which he thought detrimental to the welfare of the state. It is commonly thought that 460 Confucian scholars were buried alive, from the well-known historical event "Burning Books and Burying Confucianists" (焚书坑儒), however this was a mistranslation in later historical texts. In reality the 460 people who were buried alive by the emperor Qin Shi Huang were mainly priests and shamans who were scamming the emperor of resources and wealth claiming to be looking for medicine that grants eternal life or apotheosis.^{[citation needed]}

Death[link]

When Qin Shi Huang died whilst away from the capital, Li Si and the chief eunuch Zhao Gao suppressed the late emperor's choice of successor, which was Fusu. At that time Fusu was close friends with Meng Tian. If Fusu became the next emperor there was a high chance Meng Tian would replace Li Si as prime minister. Fearing a loss of power, Li Si decided to betray the dead Qin Shi Huang. Li Si and Zhao Gao tricked Fusu to commit suicide, and installed another prince, Qin Er Shi (229B.C–207B.C) in his place. During the tumultuous aftermath, Zhao Gao convinced the new emperor to install his followers in official positions. When his power base was secure enough, Zhao Gao charged Li Si with treason. Qin Er Shi, who viewed Zhao Gao as his teacher, did not question his decision. Zhao Gao had Li Si tortured until he admitted the crime. In 208 BC Zhao Gao had Li Si executed by way of Waist Slice (腰斩).

Contributions[link]

Believing in a highly bureaucratic system, Li Si is considered to have been central to the efficiency of the state of Qin and the success of its military conquest. He was also instrumental in systemizing standard measures and currency in post-unified China. He further helped systemize the written Chinese language by promulgating as the imperial standard the small seal script which had been in use in the state of Qin all along. In this process, variant graphs within the Qin script were proscribed, as were variant scripts from the different regions which had been conquered. This would have a unification effect on the Chinese culture for thousands of years.^[a][3]
Li Si was also the author of the Cangjie Pian (仓颉篇/倉頡篇), the first Chinese language primer of which fragments still exist.^[4]

Popular culture[link]

Li Si is mentioned in Elias Canetti's novel: Auto-da-fe (1935). Li Si is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.

See also[link]

• Burning of books and burying of scholars

Notes[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Levi, Jean (1993). "Han fei tzu (韓非子)". In Loewe, Michael (ed., 1993). Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide, pp. 115–116. (Early China Special Monograph Series No. 2), Society for the Study of Early China, and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, ISBN 978-1-55729-043-4.
• Michael, Franz (1986). China through the Ages: History of a Civilization. pp. 53–67. Westview Press; SMC Publishing, Inc. Taipei. ISBN 978-0-86531-725-3; 957-638-190-8 (ppbk).
• Nivison, David S. (1999). "The Classical Philosophical Writings", pp. 745–812. In Loewe, Michael & Shaughnessy, Edward L. The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 B.C.. Cambridge University Press.
• Yap, Joseph P. (2009). Wars With The Xiongnu, A Translation from Zizhi tongjian. AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A. ISBN 978-1-4490-0604-4. Chapter 1.

Soulja Boy
Soulja Boy at YouTube Live doing his signature dance in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	DeAndre Cortez Way[1][2]
Also known as	Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
Born	(1990-07-28) July 28, 1990 (age 21) Chicago, Illinois
Origin	Batesville, Mississippi, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Stacks on Deck/Collipark Music/Interscope
Associated acts	Arab, Mr. Collipark
Website	thedeandreway.com

DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.

In September 2007, his single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was initially self-published on the internet, and it later became a number-one hit in the United States for seven non-consecutive weeks starting in September 2007.^[3] On August 17 Way was listed at #18 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010 earning $7 million for that year.^[4]

Way has currently released three studio albums and one independent album: his debut studio album Souljaboytellem.com (2007) was certified platinum by the RIAA. However, his next two albums, iSouljaBoyTellem (2008) and The DeAndre Way (2010) did not match the commercial success of his debut, the latter only selling 100,000 copies,^[5] despite the success of several singles across both albums, such as "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" and "Turn My Swag On" (iSouljaBoyTellem) and "Pretty Boy Swag" (The DeAndre Way).

On October 18, 2011, Soulja Boy released his documentary bio pic, Soulja Boy: The Movie.

As of 2011, Way has confirmed he is working on his fourth studio album, entitled Promise, which will be released in July 2012.^[6]

Early life[link]

DeAndre Way was born in Chicago and moved to Atlanta at age 6,^[7] where he became interested in rap music.^[8]

Career beginnings[link]

At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi, with his father, who provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions.^[7] In November 2005, Way posted his songs on the website SoundClick. Following positive reviews on the site, he then established his own web pages on YouTube and MySpace.^[9][10] In March 2007, he recorded "Crank That" and released his first independent album Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album, followed by a low-budget video filmed demonstrating the "Crank That" dance. By the end of May 2007, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" received its first airplay and Way met with Mr. Collipark to sign a deal with Interscope Records.

Music career[link]

[edit] 2007-08: Souljaboytellem.com

Soulja Boy performing "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" in February 2008.

On August 12, 2007, the song appeared on the Emmy-award winning HBO series Entourage, and by September 1, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters charts.^[11] Way's major label debut album Souljaboytellem.com, which was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio,^[8][12] was released in the United States on October 2,^[13] peaking at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.^[14]

For the 50th Grammy Awards, Way was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song with "Crank That (Soulja Boy)". He lost to Kanye West's and T-Pain's "Good Life".

Souljaboytellem.com received a favorable review from Allmusic,^[13] but received mainly negative reviews from other sources such as Entertainment Weekly.^[15] Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating he will likely be a one-hit wonder.^[16][17][18]

[edit] 2008-09: iSouljaBoyTellem

The follow-up to souljaboytellem.com, iSouljaBoyTellem, was released on December 16, 2008, to negative critical reception.^[19] The first single from the album, "Bird Walk", peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top 20 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart it was performed on the first YouTube Live on November 22, 2008, with an introduction from MC Hammer.^[20] "Kiss Me Thru the Phone", with Sammie, followed, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks charts.^[21] Chris Brown was originally Way's first choice to sing the hook, but respectfully turned down the offer. Way then tried to do it on his own with Auto-Tune but he found it unacceptable.^[22] It sold over 2,000,000 digital copies in the United States, becoming his second song to reach the two million mark in downloads.^[23][24]

On January 26, 2009 Way released his third single "Turn My Swag On". it topped the US Rap Charts and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has so far sold more than 1,000,000 digital downloads in the United States. It became Soulja Boy's third song to sell 1 million or more downloads.^[24]

[edit] 2009-2010: The DeAndre Way

The DeAndre Way^[25] is Way's third studio album, Way has stated that the album is intended to be his most personal and successful album thus far. When speaking on possible collaborations, he stated he wished to work with artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West,^[26] Eminem,^[27] among others. The lead single from the album, "POW", was released in January 2009 but failed to garner success and was dubbed a promo single. On October 30, 2009 Way released three mixtapes Paranormal Activity, Dat Piff & Cortez.^[28] Then it was announced on February 18, 2010 that the first single from the album was gone be "All Black Everything" but it was cancelled & was just put on his promotional mixtape Legendary.^[29] The album was titled "The DeAndre Way" but was changed in early 2010 to Dre with a commercial video snippet for "Do It Big" as the first single but it was cancelled as well.^[30] However it was reverted back to The DeAndre Way in July 2010.

But on June 8, 2010, the official lead single from the album was "Pretty Boy Swag". The single has reached #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, number six on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number five on the Billboard Rap Songs chart.^[31] The album's second single was due to be "Digital" but it was just used on his promotional mixtape Best Rapper.^[32] Then it was announced that "Speakers Going Hammer" was gone be the second single, but "Blowing Me Kisses" was released on August 31, 2010 as the second single instead.^[33] On October 13 Soulja Boy performed "Pretty Boy Swag" & a snippet of his third single "Speakers Going Hammer". On October 19, 2010 Way finally released "Speakers Going Hammer" on iTunes the single peaked at #48 on the Hot R&B & Hip Hop tracks Billboard.^[34] The DeAndre Way was released on November 30, 2010 it has so far has only sold 70,000 copies making this Way's lowest selling album. Soulja Boy was to be part of the Summerbeatz tour held in Australia alongside Flo Rida, Jay Sean and Travie McCoy in November 2010, but in lieu of his current album release date Soulja Boy had declined the offer & just embarked on his Who They Want tour.

[edit] 2011-present: Mixtapes and Promise

On January 22, Way released his first mixtape of 2011 Smooky which cover featured a cartoon version of Way on a bicycle doing a 360.^[35] Then On March 17, 2011 Way released the mixtape 1up which cover was based on the Naruto anime Way stated "If I was in a video game, this mixtape would advance me to the next level with an extra life. Power up with the new offering".^[36] On April 20, 2011 Way released his mixtape Juice which cover was based on the Juice the movie Way stated he would also released a mini movie of his own to go along with the mixtape Way stated that he was headed to greatness with the mixtape.^[37] In September 2011, Way confirmed he is working on a new album, called Promise, which will be released in October.^[38] Way also released the cover & title of his second independent album via Twitter, entitled "Skate Boy", which he said would be available in stores November 1, also via twitter.^[39][40]

Other ventures[link]

Stacks on Deck Entertainment[link]

Way founded his record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment in 2004. While Way was signed under Interscope and Collipark Music, he claimed that his label had distribution deals with Universal Music Group and eOne Music.^{[citation needed]}

Current artists

• Soulja Boy (Interscope/Collipark Music/SODMG)(CEO)
• Ja-Bar (TOKE Team/SODMG)
• Arab (Boss Money/SODMG)
• KillaCam (SODMG)
• 350 (SODMG)
• Rashad (SODMG)
• Antonio aka Tony The Deity (SODMG)
• J-Money aka J. Futuristic (SODMG)
• Spinning 9 (SODMG Germany/SODMG)
• M2ThaK (SODMG)
• Calico Jonez (SODMG)
• Riff Raff (SODMG)
• Young Sam (SODMG)
• Agoff (Ocean Gang/SODMG)
• Young L (Ocean Gang/SODMG)
• John Boy (FyreHouse/SODMG)
• Chief Keef (Glory Boyz/SODMG)

Managed DJ's

• DJ Whoogie

Managed Producers

• Soulja Boy
• G5Kids
• Kwony Cash
• R3$ource
• Jay Clink
• Supa Crank It
• Lil Keis

Record production[link]

Way also produces records, including his own. In 2009 Way produced V.I.C.'s single "Get Silly" which went certified Gold & Bow Wow's single "Marco Polo". Way beats often contain the beginning lines "Soulja Boy Tell 'em" But as of late Way has produced beats without using the lines. Also in 2009 Way was also supposed to been producing for Kanye West's fourth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy & Kanye was supposed to been producing for Ways third studio album The DeAndre Way but for unknown reasons neither of them used each other's beats.^[41] On May 13, 2011 Way stated that he had produced & submitted beats for 50 Cent's fifth studio album^[42]

Fashion designing[link]

On March 5, 2008 Way released his official clothing line of S.O.D clothing.^[43] Then also in 2008 Way released his own brand of the popular shoe line entitled "Yums".^[44]

Acting career[link]

In January 7, 2009 Soulja Boy announced that he was supposed to been releasing his own cartoon entitled Soulja Boy: The Animated Series but only one episode was ever released.^[45][46] On April 22, 2011 Way announced that he would be making his acting debut playing the main role as Bishop on the Juice remake & that it would air on BET in sometime.^[47] On July 21, 2011 Way released the trailer to his upcoming documentary about his life entitled Soulja Boy: The Movie that was released on October 18, 2011.^[48]

Personal life[link]

Legal issues[link]

On December 9, 2007, Way was sued by William Lyons (a.k.a. Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family) who created the stage name "Souljah Boy" in 1996.^[49]

On October 7, 2009, Way was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia on one count of obstruction, a misdemeanor, for running from police when he'd been ordered to stop while filming a video in an abandoned house. The rapper was released on $550 bond.^[50]

In May 2011, Way and his labels were sued by a local Pennsylvania promoter for failing to make promised payments in connection with a rescheduled concert.^[51]

On October 18, 2011, Way was traveling west on I-20 in Carroll County, Georgia with four other men when their vehicle was pulled over for a vehicle equipment violation. The police officer who made the stop searched the vehicle and found more than five ounces of marijuana. Way was arrested and released on bond during the same day.^[52]

Victim of robbery and battery[link]

On December 30, 2008, Way was robbed and battered in his home. Initial reports indicated that the robbers were six masked men with AK-47s and pistols but on December 31, 2008, video clips surfaced on the Internet of two masked men claiming sole credit for the crime.^[53] Soulja Boy described the incident to MTV News a month later: He had come home very late at night after attending an album release party and was recording songs with friends when the robbers came in pointing their guns.^[54]

Family tragedies[link]

On the night of March 22, 2011, Way's little brother Deion Jenkins was killed in a car crash.^[55] Then on March 24, 2011 Way's older brother threatened to commit suicide.^[56]

Controversies[link]

Way's music has been banned from some school dances for sexual or violent content and/or innuendos. However, he has denied these claims.^[57] In the original YouTube video for "Shootout", Soulja Boy demonstrates his dance while holding a handgun in each hand and pretending to shoot into the audience.^[58]

Nas[link]

On February 25, 2008, Way said in an interview that "Nas killed hip hop and his own career".^[59] Way later apologized for his comments.^[60]

Ice-T[link]

In June 2008, on DJ Cisco's Urban Legend mixtape, Ice-T told Way to "eat a dick" and criticized Way for "killing hip-hop" and his song "Crank That" for being "garbage" compared to the works of other hip-hop artists such as Rakim, Das EFX, Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube.^[61] The two then traded videos back and forth over the Internet.^[62] Rapper Kanye West defended Way by arguing that the younger artist created a new, original work for hip-hop, thus keeping the authentic meaning of the music.^[63] The feud was parodied in a 2010 episode of The Boondocks.

In May 2011, Way's feud somewhat reignited with Ice-T again regarding The film Juice. Way stated he would also released a movie of his own to go along with his mixtape of the same name again somewhat reignited with Ice-T following a statement during Ice-T's interview with Shade 45 in late April 2011. Ice-T stated that Way's role as Bishop, which was famously originated by Tupac Shakur was not an issue. But Ice-T would find the fact that the film being remade is problematic saying ""What?” he said. “But that’s Pac… At some point, somebody gotta stop it. I came out. I made some statements. Man, I don’t know. Do you, dude, do you. If the masses accept it, it shows you the state we’re in… Come on man, you think I’d try to remake Pac’s movie? Good luck though, I'm not a hater...eh." Way himself barraged Ice-T with retaliatory tweets on the same day, joking that someone should "get this guy a hairline." ^[64][65]

Charles Hamilton[link]

On December 9, 2008, Charles Hamilton commented in a interview by saying that Way was making it harder for new artists to be signed.^[66] Way responded by saying "X out the Sonic and fuck with Mario, you might want to got damn eat a mushroom."^{[67][further explanation needed]} Charles Hamilton responded with the diss song "I'm You Last Year With Talent".^[68] Then the diss song "Word Aight".^[69]

Bow Wow[link]

On February 2, 2009, Way challenged Bow Wow to a race in their Lamborghinis and claimed Bow Wow's Lamborghini was a rental.^[70] On February 4, 2009 Bow Wow proved that he owned his Lamborghini and said "its halloween in Bankhead for you everyday nigga..you scared..you all nervous and shit". Way responded on twitter by saying "HE FUCKED UP!!!! IM BOUT TO SHITTTT ON THIS NIGGA!! LOL!!!!!".^[71] On February 7, 2009 both artist sent diss songs to each other such as Way's "Fuck Bow Wow" & Bow Wow's "What I Think About You".^[72] Later that day during a phone conversation both rappers settled their differences.^[73]

Fabolous[link]

On December 28, 2010, Fabolous during a radio interview commented on the claim that Way does cocaine, saying "pretty boy swag but never coke my nose though",^[74] a reference to Way's song "Pretty Boy Swag. "Soulja Boy went on a tirade^[75] on Twitter in response, saying "I ignore dis foo like 5x before this. fuck that. If you send some niggaz to spray me @myfabolouslife at least I die I real nigga fuck you boy." 50 Cent also took to Twitter to say, "leave him the f*** alone before somebody get hurt." Way and Fabolous ended their beef on a radio interview.^[76]

U.S. Military[link]

In September 2011, Soulja Boy released the song "Let's Be Real". One of the lines of the song went: "Fuck the FBI and the army troops ... fighting for what? Be your own man ... I'll be flying through the clouds with green like I'm Peter Pan."^[77] After the song was released, Soulja Boy was highly criticized by the military members and their families, especially in regards to the timing relative to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.^[78][79][80] Soulja Boy apologized, "When I expressed my frustration with the US Army, not only did my words come out wrong, I was wrong to even speak them." He adds, "So, I write this to give my sincerest apology to all members of the United States military services, as well as their families that were offended by my most recent lyrics."^[77] Representatives for Soulja Boy have indicated that the song has been pulled from his upcoming album, Promise, and will not be available for sale. They are also attempting to remove the video from the internet.^[81]

On September 7, 2011, the New York Times cited the U.S. military has announced an official ban on Way's music. Way apologized for the content of the song and has offered to do free performances for American soldiers.^[82]

Discography[link]

Tours[link]

• America's Most Wanted (2009)
• Who They Want (2011)
• The World Is Yours (2012)

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

• BET Awards
  • 2007: Best New Artist (Nominated)
  • 2008: Viewer's Choice Award: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)
  • 2009: Viewer's Choice Award: "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)

• BET Hip-Hop Awards
  • '2007: Best Hip-Hop Dance (Won)'

• Grammy Awards
  • 2008: Best Rap Song: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)

• Ozone Awards
  • '2007: Patiently Waiting: Mississippi (Won)'
  • 2008: Best Breakthrough Artist (Nominated)
  • 2008: TJ's DJ's Tastemaker Award (Nominated)

• Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
  • 2007: Favorite Male Singer (Nominated)

• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2009: Choice Music: Rap Artist (Nominated)
  • 2009: Choice Music: R&B Track for "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)
  • 2009: Choice Music: Hook Up for "Kiss Me Thru the Phone"
  • 2009: Choice Music: Artist (Nominated)

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States

References[link]