Tonight, we step quietly into Xuanyang Ward in Chang'an, nearly 1,300 years ago, at the height of the Tang Dynasty.

In this gentle sleep story, a lantern attendant begins his quiet round beneath the rain. Wearing a woven bamboo rain hat and straw rain cape, he carries lamp oil, a small wick-trimming tool, an ember tube, and a long bamboo pole with an iron hook. Through wet lanes, covered eaves, pale ward walls, and small amber circles of light, he tends each lantern until the night grows deep. Around midnight, he rests in the gatehouse with a warm cup of tea before walking the lanes again, listening to rainwater in the drains and distant watch clappers in the mist.

Settle in, relax, and drift gently into sleep.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome

01:46 Sleep story begins

24:17 Goodnight

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