The $26 Billion Poem – Zhang Jie’s “Book Burning Pit”

This week’s episode looks at a Tang Dynasty Poem that cost Meituan Dianping, one of China’s unicorn internet companies, 26 Billion dollars off its market capitalization. In this episode, we take a look at the Zhang Jie’s “Book Burning Pit” and explore the full story behind the poem that the media is not explaining.

Here is my translation of the “Book Burning Pit”:

Smoke melts the Bamboo strips of books, the imperial work is undone

The forts and rivers vainly lock up the home of the ancestor dragon

The book-burning pits are not yet cold and Shandong revolts

Liu Bang and Xiangyu originally could not even read.

Here is Rob’s translation:

The smoke from bamboo scrolls proved meaningless the emperor’s work

The Hangu pass was locked, the Yellow River empty to protect Qin Shihuang’s palace.

Shandong was in disorder before the ashes had even cooled

And Qin was overthrown by those who could not even read. 

And here is the original:

焚书坑

竹帛烟销帝业虚

关河空锁祖龙居。

坑灰未冷山东乱

刘项原来不读书