Barry Hughart (March 13, 1934 – August 1, 2019) was an American author of fantasy novels.
100-589: Hughart was born in Peoria, Illinois on March 13, 1934. His father, John Harding Page, served as a naval officer. His mother, Veronica Hughart , was an architect. Hughart was educated at Phillips Academy (Andover). After graduating from high school, he had undiagnosed depression, which was classified at the time as schizophrenia , and was treated in the Kings County Psychiatric Ward. Following his release he attended Columbia University , where he obtained
200-503: A Ssu-ma Ch'ien , but an obvious forgery. It has also been traced recently. Three days later they arrive at the Valley of Sorrows. Li Kao tells the story of Prince Liu Sheng , younger brother of Emperor Wu-ti . He was appointed as lord of Dragon Head Valley. He had the peasants plant gourds, and used the seeds to burn in horn lamps to light a salt mine. He used the brine and an area of shale that seeped an odorless, easily ignited gas to dry
300-643: A bachelor's degree in 1956. Upon his graduation from Columbia, Hughart joined the United States Air Force and served from 1956 to 1960 where he was involved in laying mines in the Korean Demilitarized Zone . During Hughart's military service he began to develop his lifelong interest in China that led him to plan a series set in "an Ancient China that never was". His connection to China continued after his military service, as he worked with TechTop ,
400-716: A work song from the Book of Odes , indicating that they require the Prince to destroy his ancestor's remains in the Pre-Confucian manner (punishable in the Eighth Hell ). With the deed done and the mummy smashed to pieces, the Prince shows them his paintings. The Prince studied with Three Incomparables , master of the p'o-mo (魄莫) style. Most of his paintings step outside those recommended in Mustard Seed Garden , an accumulated one and
500-496: A $ 55 million renovation and expansion by 2007. The Hotel Pere Marquette finished renovations in 2013 with a skyway linking to the Peoria Civic Center. A new 10-story Courtyard has been built adjacent to this hotel, completing a hotel campus for larger conventions. The Civic Center hosts a variety of events in its arena, convention center, and theatre, including Bradley Braves men's basketball , Peoria Rivermen (SPHL) ,
600-519: A brief obituary indicating his date of death as 1 August 2019. Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( / p i ˈ ɔːr i ə / pee- OR -ee-ə ) is a city in and county seat of Peoria County, Illinois , United States. Located on the Illinois River , the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 census , making it the eighth-most populous city in Illinois . It is the principal city of
700-407: A bureaucrat, but is knocked out by Wong. The trembling abbot of a humble monastery in the Valley of Sorrows approaches and asks them to investigate the killing of a monk and the theft of a strange manuscript from its library. He also says that The Laughing Prince, who has been dead for about 750 years, has arisen from his grave. Later, they walk through the part of Peking known as Heaven's Bridge,
800-559: A cavern where the Monks of Mirth are celebrating the Festival of Laughter . One is placed on Number Ten Ox's back and starts to squeeze his neck. The monks are revealed as living corpses and the one on his back is the Laughing Prince. He manages to oil the corpse and squeeze it off. He hacks it to pieces with an axe, but the pieces continue to speak and move. Finally he lights it with a torch and
900-448: A crime filled area. Master Li spots a robbery in progress and makes a detour to Fire Horse Park, specifically to the Eye of Tranquility, a small lake surrounded by old sinners hoping for salvation, following the tradition of Chiang Taikung , a Taoist who fished without worms. Li Kao wrings a confession about the mushrooms from a toadish fellow named Hsiang. He identifies the manuscript fragment as
1000-577: A dog park. Peoria has five public golf courses , as well as several private and semi-private golf courses. The Peoria Park District, the first and still largest park district in Illinois, was the 2001 Winner of the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation for Class II Parks. Various cultural institutions are located in Glen Oak Park. The Peoria Zoo , formerly Glen Oak Zoo,
1100-484: A game of social shuttlecock, a quoting game. He wins and asks her to direct him to a soundmaster. She gives him the name of Moon Boy, who is presently at the court of Shih Hu , the King of Chao . She loans him Grief of Dawn, the one person who can control Moon Boy. In return she asks that he find a new patron deity for prostitutes. Golden Lotus was the best, and her successors have been poor substitutes. She asks that he recommend
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#17328525012011200-456: A grade school, middle school, and high school. In addition, Concordia Lutheran School, Peoria Academy, Christ Lutheran School, Peoria Hebrew Day School , and several smaller private schools exist. Bradley University , Methodist College , OSF St. Francis College of Nursing, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, and the north campus of Illinois Central College are based in
1300-515: A half million years of exile. Master Li becomes suspicious about the fragment and discovers that it is actually real and that the 'mistakes' are actually clues, such as the number of a dragon 's scales (146, actually 153), the number of points in acupuncture (253, actually about 360) and so on. The decoded message reveals the location of the Stone. Master Li also reveals the mummy in Liu Sheng's tomb had
1400-481: A humble monastery in the Valley of Sorrows calls upon Master Li and Number Ten Ox to investigate the killing of a monk and the theft of a seemingly inconsequential manuscript from its library. Suspicion soon lands on the infamous Laughing Prince Liu Sheng —who has been dead for about 750 years. To solve this mystery and others, the incongruous duo will have to travel across China, outwit a half-barbarian king, and saunter into (and out of) Hell itself. A wild funeral and
1500-513: A meal of wine and devil's ear mushrooms . A plaque has the story of the Butterfly Dream . The mushrooms begin to take effect and they are directed to the garden. Master Li converses with a skull in a patch of reeds, which write in the air, communicating the thoughts of Liu Ling . The two talk of old times and Master Li tells it he wishes Moon Boy to look in a certain mirror. The skull is apprehensive since only three others ( Emperor T'ang , Chou
1600-722: A military surplus company that was based in Asia, from 1960 to 1965. From 1965 to 1970 Hughart was the manager of the Lenox Hill Book Shop in New York City. Barry Hughart's writing career started with his novel Bridge of Birds , published in 1984, which won the 1985 World Fantasy Award for best novel and also won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 1986, followed by The Story of the Stone in 1988 and Eight Skilled Gentlemen in 1990. He intended to write seven novels about
1700-668: A museum and visitor center showcasing Caterpillar past, present, and future. It is located in downtown Peoria along the Illinois River at the site formerly known as the Sears Block or Washington Square. The Block broke ground on September 7, 2010 and opened in October 2012. The Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum opened in June 2015 in the Glen Oak Pavilion. The Heart of Illinois Fair
1800-583: A performer on North Washington Street in the early 1960s. In 2021, Rita Ali became Peoria's first female and African American mayor. According to the 2010 census, Peoria has a total area of 50.23 square miles (130.10 km ), of which 48.01 square miles (124.35 km ) (or 95.58%) is land and 2.22 square miles (5.75 km ) (or 4.42%) is water. Peoria has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ), with cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers. Monthly daily mean temperatures range from 22.5 °F (−5.3 °C) to 75.2 °F (24.0 °C). Snowfall
1900-411: A series of polished chutes that exit in the underground river. Lio Pau is not there and they find tassels from his robe leading up a flight of stairs to a side passage. Moon Boy produces the illusion that they have entered and the roof of the tunnel collapses. They climb the staircase and accidentally discover a secret door leading into the paymaster's office. The fourth door leads to a sloping tunnel and
2000-529: A seriously evil soul. Li also discovers that the Laughing prince has yet to arrive in Hell. Eventually, they trick their way out of Hell, arriving back in the garden where they started, with the location of the apple. The potion works and Grief of Dawn is restored to health. The things she mentioned in her fever seem to confirm that she was Tou Wan's maid in a previous incarnation almost 800 years ago. He also concludes that
2100-480: A steep flight of steps and emerge in an antechamber with four statues holding four canopic jars in Chinese style and four doors. The first door leads to the tomb, where they discover that Tou Wan's Hairpin, which had a piece of the Stone, is indeed missing. The next door leads to a room containing the Laughing Prince's medical research. He was using the Stone to chart the patterns of ch'i and shih. The third door leads to
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#17328525012012200-588: A storm presage an attempt on Li Kao's life by a man disguised as a gambler. Number Ten Ox dumps the body in a canal. A footnote remarks that volumes two through five of the Memoirs of Number Ten Ox were seized and burnt by the Imperial Censors . Later in the Wineshop of One-eyed Wong, a low dive where classes mix, they encounter Lady Hou, a poet whose poems have been "attributed" to Yang Wan-Li . She attempts to murder
2300-400: Is Liu Sheng's real coffins, and the sacristy . The same mysterious inscription is there, but the Stone is not. The Laughing Prince's coffin is empty. Master Li deduces that there is another entrance to the tomb, since the air within was breathable. Since revealing the treasure would cause enormous problems, they decide to hide it again. Li Kao and Number Ten Ox leave for Ch'ang-an. The capital
2400-439: Is a series of three books about Li Kao, an ancient sage and scholar with "a slight flaw in his character", and his client, later assistant, the immensely strong peasant Number Ten Ox, who narrates the story. The series blends Chinese mythology—authentic and imagined, from several eras—with detective fiction and a gentle, ironic humour. The first book Bridge of Birds was published in 1984, the title derived from " The Cowherd and
2500-473: Is actually the Prince in disguise. Liu Pao had wanted the power of the Stone, which he kept hung around his neck. The stone is a natural inkstone . They manage to kill Liu Pao by using the Kung Shang Chueh call, thus knocking him off the gorge. It is revealed Moon Boy is the stunningly beautiful reincarnated Purple Pearl. When the Stone stumbled upon Purple Pearl all those years ago, it washed away all
2600-661: Is an overwhelming experience for Ox. While at the Brush Forest Academy (dropping off samples of the dead plants for analysis), Master Li tells the tale of Hong Wong , the young genius who was too smart for his own good. The Neo-Confucians are in power and innovation is anathema. Next he visits The Gate of the Beautiful Vista, headquarters of the Secret Service and seeks an audience with the Captain of Prostitutes. They play
2700-408: Is and after some hard work, break into Liu Sheng's real tomb. The first chamber contains the skeletons of the workers. An iron wall is the next obstacle, but Number Ten Ox manages to make a hole in it. The next chamber is of marble and is stacked with gold and jewels. Other rooms contain the skeletons of the rest of Liu Sheng's court, but the Monks of Mirth are nowhere to be found. Beyond the throne room
2800-475: Is as much a fantasy as a mystery, a long complex journey. Hughart imagined his own China with its own unique history, and each novel in his series builds upon the others. Hughart drew on numerous sources to create the Chinese mythology of Bridge of Birds . Hughart also wrote dialogue for the following films: A small note was posted to barryhughart.org stating "It has been confirmed as of 1-Aug-2019 that Mr. Hughart has passed on." Locus magazine also published
2900-509: Is common in the winter, averaging 26.3 inches (67 cm), but this figure varies considerably from year to year. Precipitation, averaging 36 inches (914 mm), peaks in the spring and summer, and is the lowest in winter. Extremes have ranged from −27 °F (−33 °C) in January 1884 to 113 °F (45 °C) in July 1936. According to the 2021 American Community Survey , Peoria's poverty rate
3000-609: Is conducted in Peoria annually. While the Renaissance Park research park project never came to full fruition, many of the original ideas from the original Renaissance Park concept still continue on a smaller level via The Renaissance Park Community Association. Businesses in Peoria with significant presence include: According to the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council's data, the top employers in
3100-559: Is continually rated as one of the 100 top art fairs in the nation. The Peoria Park District also partners with a variety of organizations to annually host Fiesta en el Rio, Peoria Irish Fest, River City Soul Fest and Gospel Fest, India Fest, Peoria Irish Fest, and Oktoberfest. The Peoria Symphony Orchestra is the 14th oldest in the nation. Peoria is also home to the Peoria Municipal Band, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale,
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3200-634: Is divided into five districts. Five council members are elected at-large via cumulative voting . The Township of the City of Peoria (also City of Peoria Township) is a separate government from the City of Peoria, and performs the functions of civil township government in most of the city. The township was created by the Peoria County Board to match the boundaries of the City of Peoria, which until then had overlapped portions of Peoria Township (now West Peoria Township ) and Richwoods Township . The border of
3300-467: Is located in Peoria. This is one of the labs where mass production of penicillin was developed. Northwoods Mall is the largest shopping mall in both Peoria and the Tri-County area. Other retail centers include The Shoppes at Grand Prairie , Junction City Shopping Center, Campustown Shopping Center, Sheridan Village, Metro Centre, Willow Knolls Court, and Westlake Shopping Center. Renaissance Park
3400-627: Is named after the Rabbit in the Moon , a notorious pervert. Moon Boy leaves, but they are again interrupted by Master Li. They sneak away under cover of one of Moon Boy's performances. 100 toads glutted with Chinese lantern-flies clear out the stables and they make their escape through the kings secret exit. They dodge pursuit by boating to Loshan down the Min , past the Three Gorges and over Five Misery Rapids , past
3500-403: Is planned to be completed by the end of 2025. The world headquarters for Caterpillar Inc. was based in Peoria for over 110 years until the company announced it was moving to Deerfield, Illinois in late-2017. It still remains a significant economic driver in the city, and is Peoria's the second-biggest employer. Health care has become a major part of Peoria's economy. Peoria was ranked as
3600-485: Is the final adventure of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. In an interview in 2000 Hughart blamed the end of the Master Li and Number Ten Ox series on unsympathetic and incompetent publishers. The style of his books made them difficult to classify and he felt his market was restricted by the decision to sell only to SF/fantasy outlets. As an example of publisher incompetence, Hughart notes that his publishers did not notify him of
3700-609: The August Personage of Jade . An omnibus edition, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox was first published in 1998 by The Stars Our Destination Books in both hardback and trade paperback. It was illustrated by Kaja Foglio . The first novel in the series, Bridge of Birds , received the 1986 Mythopoeic Award for Best Fantasy Novel and tied for the 1985 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel . It has been translated into at least six different languages: Bulgarian; French; German; Hebrew; Japanese; and Spanish. Hughart considered
3800-590: The Children's Hospital of Illinois . In 2023, Carle Health finalized a deal to purchase Methodist and Proctor Hospitals from UnityPoint. It is currently the third-biggest employer in the city, behind OSF HealthCare and Caterpillar Inc. In addition to the three major hospitals, the USDA 's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research , formerly called the USDA Northern Regional Research Lab,
3900-658: The County of Peoria was organized in 1825. The city was named after the Peoria people , a member of the Illinois Confederation . On October 16, 1854, Abraham Lincoln made his Peoria speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act . Prior to prohibition, Peoria was the center of the whiskey industry in the United States. More than 12 distilleries operated in Peoria by the end of the 19th century, more than any other city in
4000-590: The Leshan Giant Buddha . They then travel back to Ch'ang-an , past the village where Moon Boy was raised, resulting in some unusual scenes. Grief of Dawn's odd manners and knowledge, part peasant, part courtier are remarked on by Master Li. The samples show no traces of anything beyond natural decay. They make a visit to Serpentine Park , where Master Li cleverly obtains rubbings of the Confucian Stones. He later alters them to appear to be forgeries (changing
4100-630: The Peoria metropolitan area in Central Illinois , consisting of the counties of Fulton , Marshall , Peoria , Stark , Tazewell , and Woodford which had a population of 402,391 in 2020. Established in 1691 by the French explorer Henri de Tonti , Peoria is the oldest permanent European settlement in Illinois, according to the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Originally known as Fort Clark, it received its current name when
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4200-447: The poverty line . Peoria's first major industry was started in 1830 by John Hamlin and John Sharp, who constructed the flour mill on Kickapoo Creek . In 1837, another industry was begun with E.F. Nowland's pork planting industry. Many other industries started slowly in Peoria including carriage factories, pottery makers, wholesale warehousing, casting foundries, glucose factories, ice harvesting, and furniture makers. Peoria became
4300-743: The vaudeville era and is often spuriously attributed to Groucho Marx . Museums in the city include the Peoria Riverfront Museum , the Pettengill–Morron House and the John C. Flanagan House (both of which are managed by the Peoria Historical Society), and the Peoria Playhouse Children's Museum. Wheels o' Time Museum is near Peoria. Peoria is the oldest European settlement in Illinois, as explorers first ventured up
4400-469: The "world's most beautiful drive" during a 1910 visit, runs through both Peoria and Peoria Heights . In addition to Grandview Drive, the Peoria Park District contains 9,000 acres (36 km ) of parks and trails, making it the largest park system in Illinois. The Illinois River Bluff Trail connects four Peoria Park District parks: Camp Wokanda, Robinson Park, Green Valley Camp, and Detweiller Park;
4500-603: The Civil War came from Peoria's district, largely due to distilleries and breweries. Peoria also was one of the major bootlegging areas during Prohibition and home to the famed mobsters, the Shelton brothers . That great success placed Peoria into a building boom of beautiful private homes, schools, parks, churches, as well as municipal buildings. In addition to the distilleries came farm machinery manufacturing by William Nurse in 1837. Also, two men called Toby and Anderson brought
4600-608: The Gates of the Great Void. They enter the tomb. The tomb is a small, barren room with two stone coffins, containing also his principal wife Tou Wan . The expected mummies are in the coffins. In the village, the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts is beginning, it being the 15th day of the seventh moon. Despite the festivities, Master Li is worried. He speculates that the laughing of the Laughing Prince
4700-633: The IHSA State Chess Championship. Which claims to be the largest chess team tournament in the United States: Beginning in 2018, the teams were narrowed to 128 by the use of sectional elimination competitions, and as of 2018 the tournament has about 1500 players, including up to 8 players and 4 alternates per team. Library services in Peoria originated in 1855 with two rival libraries, the Peoria Mercantile Library and
4800-486: The Illinois River from the Mississippi. The lands that eventually would become Peoria were first settled by Europeans in 1680, when French explorers René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henri de Tonti constructed Fort Crevecoeur . This fort would later burn to the ground, and in 1813, Fort Clark, Illinois was built. When the County of Peoria was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria. Peoria
4900-576: The Laughing Prince is still in his tomb. The estate is large but rundown, with a large garden and many birds. Oddly enough, the Family Tablets are not there as they enter, but instead a plaque containing an essay by Chen Chiju , titled "The Home Garden", one of the Four Pillars of Civilization. The prince proves to be a tall, skinny man with wild hair. They discuss the case so far and Liu Pao shows them his ancestor's tomb. The family tablets are within
5000-525: The Laughing Prince, and includes a fragment of text similar to that found in the sacristy. A clue in the tale leads them to a hidden cave and the bodies of two gardeners who vanished 33 years ago. They explore the caves passages fruitlessly and emerge just as King Shih Hu and his Golden Girls catch up to them. Grief of Dawn is wounded in the struggle and the King and his Golden Girls depart sorrowfully. Grief of Dawn mutters in her fever, saying strange things that leave Master Li confused. To heal her, he requires
5100-752: The Peoria Library, which consolidated in 1856 as the Peoria City Library, and contained over 1,500 volumes. The Peoria Public Library has five locations, including the Main Library in downtown Peoria, the Lincoln Branch , a Carnegie library opened in 1911, the Lakeview Branch, McClure Branch, and North Branch. (Rugby Football Club) Robertson Field House Professional Baseball League Grandview Drive , which Theodore Roosevelt purportedly called
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#17328525012015200-658: The Rock Island Greenway (13 miles) connects the State of Illinois Rock Island trail traveling north to Toulon, IL and also connects southeast to East Peoria, IL and to the Morton Community Bikeway. Other parks include the Forest Park Nature Center , which features seven miles of hiking trails through prairie openings and forested woodlands, Glen Oak Park, and Bradley Park, which features disc golf as well as
5300-426: The Rouge and Crazy Ch'i) have returned from the trip. The trio enter Hell and successfully bypass the first gate to the levels of Feng-tu by impersonating an official inspector with his retinue, made possible by the Neo-Confucians having taken over the running of the place. Number Ten Ox's look in the mirror reveals this to be his first human incarnation. Moon Boy, however, is the most recent on an attempt to reform
5400-419: The Stone (Barry Hughart) The Story of the Stone ( Chinese : 石頭記 ; pinyin : Shítóu jì ) is a novel by Barry Hughart , first published in 1988. It is part of a series set in a version of ancient China that began with Bridge of Birds and continues with Eight Skilled Gentlemen . The story begins on the twelfth day of the seventh moon in the Year of the Snake 3,339 (AD 650). The abbot of
5500-449: The U.S. A major port on the Illinois River , Peoria is a trading and shipping center for a large agricultural area that produces corn, soybeans, and livestock. Although the economy is well diversified, the city's traditional manufacturing industries remain important and produce earthmoving equipment, metal products, lawn-care equipment, labels, steel towers, farm equipment, building materials, steel, wire, and chemicals. Until 2018, Peoria
5600-426: The Weaver Girl " myth. It was followed in 1988 by The Story of the Stone and in 1990 by Eight Skilled Gentlemen . No further books followed, although Hughart had planned a series of seven novels. In the last of these, Li Kao and Number Ten Ox would die facing the Great White Serpent (a conflict alluded to in Bridge of Birds ). They would then become minor celestial deities who would continue to cause problems for
5700-399: The Youth Music Illinois (formerly known as Central Illinois Youth Symphony), Central Illinois Ballet, and the Peoria Ballet. Several community and professional theaters have their home in and around Peoria, including the Peoria Players, which is the fourth-oldest community theater in the nation and the oldest in Illinois. Corn Stock Theatre is another community theater company in Peoria, and is
5800-467: The adventures of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, but his writing career was cut short due to issues with his publishers. After his last published novel, Hughart reportedly stopped writing. Hughart cites Alexandre Dumas , Robert Louis Stevenson , and Mark Twain as major influences in his work. Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Arabian Nights are two major works he also states as affecting his own writing. The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox
5900-423: The age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. Individuals made up 33.2% of all households, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. The age distribution of city population was the following: 25.7% under
6000-407: The age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 36,397. The per capita income for the city was $ 20,512. Some 18.8% of the population was below
6100-558: The awards given Bridge of Birds . He also points out that The Story of the Stone was published three months ahead of schedule, so that no purchasable copies were available by the time the scheduled reviews finally appeared; finally, the paperback edition of Eight Skilled Gentlemen was published simultaneously with the hardback edition resulting in few sales of the latter. When his publishers then refused to publish hardback editions of any future books, Hughart stated that he found it impossible to afford to continue writing novels, which brought
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#17328525012016200-422: The central theme of the story. The second book of the series. Master Li and Number Ten Ox set out on another adventure after the killing of a monk, to find out his murderer and to find a stolen manuscript from his library. The Story of the Stone takes place in the Valley of the Sorrows where they set out to find the Laughing Prince, the murder suspect. The third book of the series, Eight Skilled Gentlemen ,
6300-448: The city are: Museums in Peoria include the Pettengill-Morron House , the John C Flanagan House of the Peoria Historical Society, and the Wheels o' Time Museum . The Museum Block, opened on October 12, 2012, houses the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Caterpillar World Visitors Center. The Museum Block, also known as Museum Square, is a $ 100+ million project that contains the Peoria Riverfront Museum and The Caterpillar Experience,
6400-736: The city. The former Peoria campus of Roosevelt University is now closed. Additionally, Eureka College and the main campus of Illinois Central College are located nearby in Eureka and East Peoria , respectively. As of 2024 Nielsen ratings , Peoria is the 157th largest radio market in the United States and Peoria-Bloomington is the 122nd largest television market in the United States. The area has 14 commercial radio stations with six owners among them; four non-commercial full-power radio stations, each separately owned; five commercial television stations with two operating owners among them; one non-commercial television station; and one daily newspaper ( Peoria Journal Star ). The Story of
6500-507: The city. The population density was 2,543 inhabitants per square mile (982/km ). There were 52,621 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 62.4% White , 26.9% Black or African American , 0.3% Native American , 4.6% Asian , and 3.6% of mixed races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. The city has a sizable, established Lebanese population with a long history in local business and government. There were 45,199 households, out of which 29.0% had children under
6600-586: The cycle manufacturers, developed the first commercially available gasoline-powered automobile in the U.S. in 1893. At the time agricultural implement production declined, which led the earth moving and tractor equipment companies to skyrocket and make Peoria in this field the world leader. In 1925, Caterpillar Tractor Co. was formed from California-based companies, Benjamin Holt Co. and the C.L. Best Tractor Co. Robert G. LeTourneau 's earth moving company began its production of new scrapers and dozers in 1935, which evolved into Komatsu-Dresser, Haulpak Division. Today,
6700-564: The evil Purple Pearl had succumbed to. In return, Purple Pearl vowed to do the same to the Stone. After discovering this, Moon Boy fulfills the vow and commits suicide to be with Grief of Dawn. Library Journal stated that "This sequel to Bridge of Birds ( Del Rey , 1985) reaffirms Hughart's gift for comic fantasy as well as his talent for ingenious storytelling." The Washington Post stated that "the sly humorous tone and affectionate homage to our western ideas of early China are what really make Hughart special." Hughart "also incorporates
6800-409: The first draft of the book as completely "wrong" and set it aside for many years. His inspiration for finishing the book came about after reading The Importance of Understanding by Lin Yutang . Hughart stated that he realized his first version was about "monsters and marvels and mayhem" and that "the book hadn't really been about anything". When he decided to continue working on the book he made "love"
6900-401: The first world leader for distilleries thanks to Andrew Eitle (1837), Almiron S. Cole (1844), and Joseph B. Greenhut. Between 1837 and 1919, Peoria held over 24 distilleries and 73 breweries. Together, they produced the highest amount of internal revenue tax on alcohol (also known as ' Sin Tax ') of any single revenue district in the entire United States; as much as 50% of tax revenue during
7000-424: The flower, which exorcised the evil, causing the flower to fall in love with the stone. It vowed to do the same for the stone. Later the stone returned to earth. Lao Tzu briefly possessed it, but hurled it away, crying "Evil!", as did Chuang Tzu . The deciphered text agrees, citing a tablet from the Cave of Yu and gives a description of the appearance of the stone and that Ssu-ma Ch'ien had attempted to destroy
7100-441: The former area of Richwoods and what is now West Peoria Township . This township has the following neighborhoods: * - unincorporated towns that were assimilated by the City of Peoria: Peoria is divided between several public K-12 school districts: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria runs six schools in the city: five grade schools and Peoria Notre Dame High School . Non-denominational Peoria Christian School operates
7200-447: The grave to finish the destruction of the valley. The autopsy of Brother Squint-Eyes reveals a normal corpse that died of fright. It also reveals that he had feasted during a recent trip to Ch'ang-an . They visit the devastated Princes' Path, a flowered path whose upkeep is paid for by the Laughing Prince's fortune. The abbot tells them that the prince's descendant Liu Pao wishes to meet them. The peasants also wish them to be certain that
7300-452: The grotto where the Laughing Prince conducted his experiments. It also contains a large slate board where curious experiments mention a Stone. A poem is carved over the tablets: In darkness languishes the precious stone. When will its excellence enchant the world? When seeming is taken for being, being becomes seeming. When nothing is taken for something, something becomes nothing. The Stone dispels seeming and nothing, And climbs to
7400-456: The imposture, but is pleased with the performance. He collects rare people, of which Moon Boy is the jewel. The group settle in and the king serenades Grief of Dawn, as he wants her to join his all-female group of bodyguards, the Golden Girls. Ox and Grief of Dawn go off to be alone. The next morning, Ox and Grief of Dawn are interrupted in their love play by Moon Boy. Ox decides that Moon Boy
7500-488: The joint venture between Komatsu and Dresser Industries has long since passed; Komatsu bought out Dresser in 1996. The entity that remains is the off-highway truck manufacturing division for Komatsu America Corporation . In September 2024, Komatsu Limited announced that it was "enhancing its Peoria operations by constructing a new office building that will provide a collaborative space for engineering, sales, manufacturing, management and other functions." The new building
7600-544: The late Empress Wu , which he takes umbrage at. Ox becomes entranced with Grief of Dawn. The group are given postal service horses and leave. During the long journey, they learn that Grief of Dawn has no memory of her life before she was about 18. She was found covered in blood by an old woman who later raised her. Master Li gets in by pretending to be the Greatest Living Master of the Wen-Wu lute . The king sees through
7700-409: The monastery. The library has been ransacked and the room of Brother Squint-Eyes has been trashed. The corpse of another monk is discovered in the library, Brother Wu Shang, also frightened to death. Another section of the path is found destroyed. Number Ten Ox sketches characters from Great Seal script in the air and recounts an insight from a strange dream he had recently. The peasants begin to sing
7800-441: The monks cease to move. Master Li recovers the Stone from the Laughing Prince, where it had revitalized his corpse after his death. They are approached by Girl of Fire, who claims to know the location of Prince Liu Pao, but she tricks them into entering a collapsing cave. Grief of Dawn is killed but Moon Boy refuses to leave her body, instead carrying her to safety. They are then reunited with Girl of Fire. Master Li realises that she
7900-524: The old form of the character 且 to its newer form) and trades them at the Pavilion of the Blessings of Heaven, a library, for the tracings sold by Brother Squint-Eyes. Later, reclining under a tree, Master Li asks Ox to tell the story of Li Ling-chi, about an emperor who wanted tangerines in winter and was so expert in manipulating c-hi that he was able to pull the tangerine trees from where they were growing in
8000-506: The only outdoor theater company in Central Illinois. Peoria has hosted the Heart of Illinois Fair every year since 1949. The fair features livestock competitions, rides, concessions, motor contests, and concerts. The Peoria Civic Center includes an arena, convention center, and theater, and opened June 6, 1982, was designed by the famed late architect Philip Johnson . It completed
8100-434: The salt. When the salt ran out, he had work started on mining a vein of iron ore. He set up an Iron Works that used a combination of acids to produce a less brittle form of iron. The suffering of the peasants sent him into gales of laughter. At that time he became known as The Laughing Prince. The acids had a queer effect on the water of the valley. It turned bright yellow and glowed violet at night and fish, birds and trees in
8200-466: The seeds of a Bombay thorn apple . They stop at the abandoned Unicorn Hall, to look at a portrait of Tou Wan, specifically her hairpin, which had a point fashioned from stone. They arrive at the Temple of Illusion. Master Li intends that they take a voyage inside his mind, to rediscover the location of the thorn apple, which he has forgotten in the 60 years since. The three sit in a room in the temple and have
8300-683: The series to an end. Later in 2008, Hughart wrote Will there be more? I doubt it, and it's not because of bad sales and worse publishers. It's simply that I'd taken it as far as I could. ... [N]o matter how well I wrote I'd just be repeating myself. Barry Hughart's style has been considered difficult to classify. Hughart uses a "faux-oriental style" with "long alliterations, poetic hyperboles, and casual references to Chinese culture" and lighthearted humor. Reviewers identify many themes in Hughart's writing, from mystery, Chinese myths, humor, and thrill, to potions, magic plants, ghosts, and spells. Bridge of Birds
8400-424: The sixth midsize healthcare hub in the country by Business Facilities in 2021. Since 2021, OSF HealthCare has been the city's top employer, rising from fourth in 2014. Headquartered in Peoria since its founding in 1877, and it relocated its headquarters to a newly-renovated building in downtown Peoria in 2022. In February 2024, OSF Healthcare opened the $ 250 million OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute. It also includes
8500-561: The south and cause them to grow in the north. Master Li then reads a story from a scroll containing the frame story of Dream of the Red Chamber , concerning a legend of Nü Kua , a sentient Stone and an evil flower named Purple Pearl. The flawed stone gains an evil soul from the handling of the goddess. It wanders around heaven causing mischief, until the Jade Emperor brought it in contact with Purple Pearl. The stone brought water to nourish
8600-484: The steel plow circa 1843, which gained immediate success. The dominant manufacturing companies in Peoria were Kingman Plow Co., Acme Harvester Co., Selby, Starr & Co., and Avery Manufacturing Co. In 1889, Keystone Steel & Wire developed the first wire fence and has since been the nation's leading manufacturer. Around the 1880s, businesses such as Rouse Hazard Co. in Peoria, were dealers and importers of bicycles and accessories worldwide. Charles Duryea , one of
8700-423: The stone with an axe, splitting it in three pieces. It asks scholars to destroy the stone, as soldiers could not. Master Li wonders about the sound and the destruction of Princes' Path. Moon Boy explains that the sound was likely related to the phenomenon of the soul-sound of stone ( Lithophone ). Ox learns of the story of Wolf Boy and Fire Girl from the local boy's society. The plot deals with an attempt to kill
8800-407: The story of Wolf Boy and Fire girl has some basis in fact. Li mesmerizes Grief of Dawn to bring up her buried memories of how she escaped from the caves. She stops at a large boulder, which has a hidden door. They descend steps to an underground river with large stone statues at intervals of death gods from various cultures, like Yen-wang-yeh , Emma-hoo , Gilgamesh , Osiris and others. They climb
8900-460: The township grew with the Peoria city limits until 1990, when it was frozen at its current boundaries, containing about 53 sq mi (140 km ); the City of Peoria itself has continued expanding outside the City of Peoria Township borders into Kickapoo , Limestone , Medina , and Radnor township. In the years before the freeze, the Township of the City of Peoria had grown to take up most of
9000-445: The valley died. Protests were silenced when he showed that he had made quite a lot of money from it all. Then he lost all interest in making money and turned his interest to medicine. He vivisected a large number of subjects (including those who protested) and gathered like-minded people around him. He dubbed them his Monks of Mirth, and they helped him gather subjects. After a while, he fell ill and died, raving that he would return from
9100-514: The wrong color wrappings, imperial yellow instead of mourning white, meaning that the mummy was not that of Liu Sheng. On the way to the cold room, they see a painting of Liu Sheng. His clothing contains all twelve buttons of rank and one other, commonly used to represent the Second Lord of Heaven, placing him in line with the Jade Emperor . Number Ten Ox deduces where the entrance to the tunnel
9200-466: Was 19.7 percent. Median household income was estimated to be 53,568 in 2022. Population was estimated to have decreased approximately 1.9% from 113,176 to 111,021 between 2020 and 2022. According to 24/7 Wall St, in 2018 Peoria ranked as the 5th worst city for Black Americans based on income, educational, and unemployment disparities between Black and white residents. As of the census of 2010, there were 115,021 people and 47,202 households residing in
9300-411: Was appointed in 1837. The city was incorporated on April 21, 1845. This was the end of a village president and the start of the mayoral system, with the first mayor being William Hale. Peoria , Arizona , a suburb of Phoenix , was named after Peoria, Illinois because the two men who founded it in 1890 − Joseph B. Greenhut and Deloss S. Brown − wished to name it after their hometown. Peoria
9400-451: Was due to mercury poisoning , likely due to experiments with the Elixir of Life . Suddenly a mysterious sound is heard by Number Ten Ox that Li Kao cannot hear. Master Li climbs onto Number Ten Ox's back and tells him to follow the sound. He does, running blindly into a thick mist, finally emerging on the Prince's estate, having somehow crossed a deep gorge without knowing. An alarm rings out in
9500-465: Was established in 1949 and has run annually since. The Steamboat Classic , held every summer, is the world's largest four-mile (6 km) running race and draws international runners. The Peoria Santa Claus Parade, which started in 1888, is the oldest running holiday parade in the United States. The Peoria Art Guild, in partnership with the Peoria Park District, hosts the Annual Art Fair, which
9600-433: Was expanded and refurbished in recent years. Finished in 2009, the new zoo improvements more than triple the size of the zoo and feature a major African safari exhibit. Luthy Garden , established in 1951, is 5 acres (2.0 ha) and offers over a dozen theme gardens and a Conservatory. Peoria is a home rule municipality with a mayor and ten city council members. It has a council-manager form of government. The city
9700-464: Was named after the Peoria tribe , a member of the Illinois Confederation . The original meaning of the word is uncertain. A 21st-century proposal suggests a derivation from a Proto-Algonquian word meaning "to dream with the help of a manitou ." Peoria was incorporated as a village on March 11, 1835. The city did not have a mayor, though they had a village president, Rudolphus Rouse, who served from 1835 to 1836. The first Chief of Police, John B Lishk,
9800-685: Was originally designated as a research park, originally established in May 2003 as the Peoria Medical and Technology District. It consisted of nine residential neighborhoods, Bradley University , the medical district, and the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research . The Peoria NEXT Innovation Center opened in August 2007 and provides both dry and wet labs, as well as conference and office space for emerging start-up companies. Over $ 2 billion in research
9900-491: Was significant in the world of bicycle racing during the late 19th century. Held at Lake View Park, its U.S. bicycle racing stop hosted such notable names as Marshall "Major" Taylor, who would later become world champion. Taylor described Peoria as the "Mecca" for the sport. For much of the 20th century, a red-light district of brothels and bars known as the Merry-Go-Round was part of Peoria. Richard Pryor got his start as
10000-540: Was the global and national headquarters for heavy equipment and engine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. , one of the 30 companies composing the Dow Jones Industrial Average , and listed on the Fortune 100; the company relocated its headquarters to Deerfield, Illinois in 2018, and then Irving, Texas , in 2022. The city is associated with the phrase " Will it play in Peoria? ", which may have originated from
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