The History of China

#325 - Taiping 2: The God Worshippers

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:05:00 -0000

Amidst the ashes of the Opium War, a new flame is beginning to kindle – not in the halls of power, but in the distant, forgotten hills and mountains. While the would-be prophet Hong Xiuquan returns home, his closest friend vanishes into the wilds of Guangxi – a world of ethnic tensions, criminal brotherhoods, pirates-turned-river-bandits… and a government far too distant and preoccupied to care. What Feng Yunshan finds there, and what he builds among its dispossessed and desperate Hakka denizens, will become the backbone of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: the God Worshipping Society.

Time Period Covered:
1844–1847

Major Historical Figures:
Feng Yunshan, organizer, founder of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]
Hong Xiuquan, Second Son of God [1814–1864]
Hong Ren'gan, cousin, convert [1822–1864]
Issachar J. Roberts, American Baptist missionary [1802–1871]
Karl Gutzlaff, German missionary, founder of the Chinese Union [1803–1851]

Major Sources Cited:
Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Scott, James C. The Art of Not Being Governed.
Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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#324 - Taiping 1: The Second Son of God

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:39:00 -0000

Even in the fallout of the Opium War, dreams endure—but what happens to a dream deferred?

In Canton, one young man’s starry-eyed visions of success run headlong into the brutal wall of the Imperial Examination system.

And when that dream finally shatters, it neither dries up, nor festers.... it explodes into prophetic visions so awesome and so terrible that they will shake the very foundations of Heaven itself.

Time Period Covered:

1827 – 1844

Major Historical Figures:

The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]

Hong Xiuquan (Hong Huoxiu), failed examination candidate, Second Son of God[1814–1864]

Li Jingfang, friend, relative, first convert [fl. 1840s]

Hong Rengan [1822–1864]

Feng Yunshan [1815–1852]

Liang Fa (Liang Afa), author of Good Words to Exhort the Age [1789–1855]

Major Sources Cited:

Hong Xiuquan. Taiping Heavenly Chronicle (Taiping Tianri).

Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

Liang Fa. Good Words to Exhort the Age (Quanshi Liangyan)

Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.

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Intelligent Speech 2026 - Nemesis, Mine

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:57:00 -0000

The
Kangxi Emperor’s Obsessive Pursuit of
Galdan Khan
to the Ends
of the Earth
Presented: 02/28/2026
audio-only cut (this is from my mic pick-up, so the host's audio is low... apologies... I'll replace it with a better final version once it's released!)
~20:00 - presentation

~20:00 - audience Q&A

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#323 - Opium War 8: Perfect Equality

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 03:34:00 -0000

The war is over. The treaty is signed, sealed, & delivered. Yet though the smoke has cleared, the haze of uncertainty over what - exactly - just happened... lingers on. And that misunderstanding will echo for the next century. While Qiying writes love letters to Pottinger and the opium clippers resume business at anchorages just outside the new treaty ports, the machine set in motion by the Treaty of Nanjing is only just beginning to roll out.

Time Period Covered:
Aug. 1842 - c. 1860

Major Historical Figures:

The Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Qiying, Imperial Commissioner and chief negotiator [1787–1858]
Yilibu, Imperial Commissioner and senior negotiator [1772–1843]
Zhang Xi, retainer and intermediary [fl. 1840s]
Lin Zexu, former Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850]
Howqua (Wu Bingjian), senior Hong merchant [1769–1843]
Hong Xiuquan, failed examination candidate [1814–1864]

The British Empire:
Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]
Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China
[1789–1856] Sir Hugh Gough, Commander of British Land Forces [1779–1869]
Charles Elliot, former Chief Superintendent [1801–1875]
Captain William Hutcheon Hall, commanding HMS Nemesis [c. 1797–1878]
William Jardine, co-founder, Jardine Matheson [1784–1843]
James Matheson, co-founder, Jardine Matheson [1796–1878]
John Robert Morrison, principal interpreter [1814–1843]

Other:
Captain Jean-Baptiste Cécille, commanding French frigate Erigone [1787–1873]
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff, missionary and civil magistrate [1803–1851]
William Lockhart, missionary physician [1811–1896]
Napoléon Libois, procurator, Missions Étrangères [1805–1872]

Major Sources Cited:
Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War, 1840–1842
Wakeman, Frederic Jr. "The Creation of the Treaty System" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10
Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast

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#322 - Opium War 7: The Throat of the Empire

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 05:37:00 -0000

The new envoy from London arrives at Qing's doorstep in August 1842 with a simple mandate: stop allowing Britain to be "humbugged" & finish the war Elliot started. What follows is the British Empire at its most efficient & brutal... and a treaty that, somehow, doesn't mention opium once...
Time Period Covered:
Aug. 1841–Aug. 1842

Major Historical Figures:
The Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Yijing, Imperial Commander [1793–1853]
Qiying, Imperial Commissioner [1787–1858]
Yilibu, Imperial Commissioner [1772–1843]
Niu Jian, Governor-General of Liangjiang [1785–1858]
Zhang Xi, intermediary [1840s]
Yuqian, Zhejiang Imperial Commissioner [1841]

The British Empire:
Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]
Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856]
Sir Hugh Gough, Commander of British Land Forces [1779–1869]
Admiral Sir William Parker, Commander-in-Chief, East India Station [1781–1866]
Captain William Hutcheon "Nemesis" Hall, HMS Nemesis [c. 1797–1878]
Captain Henry Keppel, HMS Dido [1809–1904]
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff, Prussian missionary & Civil Magistrate of Ningbo [1803–1851] Colonel George Mountain [1789–1863]
Harry Smith Parkes, attaché to Pottinger's staff [1828–1885]

Major Sources Cited:
Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War, 1840–1842.
Wakeman, Frederic Jr. "The Canton Trade and the Opium War" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China.
Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.

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#321 - Opium War 6: Imperial Ouroboros

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:56:00 -0000

The Ransom of Canton.
The lame-duck Superintendent watches helplessly as a triumvirate of Qing officials arrives to reverse every compromise his predecessor had wrought... & promptly launches the most ambitious Chinese military operation of the entire war. In the midst of that rain-soaked battlefield, a brief skirmish between British soldiers and peasant militiamen plants the seed of a legend that will haunt Chinese politics for the next century.

Time Period Covered:
Feb. 1841–Oct. 1841

Major Historical Figures:

The Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Yishan, Imperial Commissioner and Pacifier-General of the Rebellious (靖逆) [1790–1878]
Longwen, Manchu nobleman and ministerial attaché [d. 1841]
Yang Fang, Governor-General and military commander [c. 1770–1846]
She Baoshun, Prefect of Canton [fl. 1840s]
Yuqian, Imperial Commissioner for Military Operations in Zhejiang [fl. 1841]

The British Empire:
Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]
Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]
Sir Henry Pottinger, incoming Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856]
Sir Hugh Gough, Commander of British Land Forces [1779–1869]
Captain William Hutcheon Hall, commanding HMS Nemesis [c. 1797–1878]

Major Sources Cited:
Wakeman, Frederic Jr. "Canton Trade and the Opium War." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.
Wakeman, Frederic Jr. Strangers at the Gate: Social Disorder in South China, 1839–1861.
Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War, 1840–1842.
Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China.

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#320 - Opium War 5: Bayonets In the Dragon's Teeth

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 19:55:00 -0000

Britain carries the Opium War to Beijing's unready doorstep with steam and iron, moving the crisis from the border frontiers to the heart of the imperial court itself. As imperial defenses strain and diplomacy replaces defiance, the two empires probe each other’s resolve – and discover that both of their understandings of the other have been built on little more than smoke.

Time Period Covered:
July 1840 – March 1841

Major Historical Figures:The Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850]
Qishan, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Zhili [d. 1854]
Yiliang, Governor-General of Liangguang [fl. 1840s]
The British Empire:
Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]
Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]
Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856]
Sir James Bremer, Royal Navy commander [1786–1850]

Major Sources Cited:
Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age.
Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China.
Wakeman, Frederic Jr. Strangers at the Gate: Social Disorder in South China, 1839–1861.
Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast.

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Re'cast: #11 - Special: Gong Xi Fa Cai! (OG: 2014)

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:47:00 -0000

It's been 12 years since this initially was 'casted out - which means that the Year of the Horse is back, baby! Now it's the Fire Horse, but Happy Happy to Everyone!

马年快乐! 🔥🐎🧧

This Episode, we take a time-out from the historical flow to take advantage of the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities. We explore the history, legends, customs, and meaning behind this ancient and storied period of celebration. Happy Year of the Yang Wood Horse!

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#319 - Opium War 4: Peddling the Drug Peddlers' War

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Britain and China both saw the opium crisis clearly enough to know it would end in disaster. Each believed it understood the situation, and the other, well enough to keep events from spinning out of control. And yet... it happened anyway.
Time Period Covered:
Late 1839 – April 1840

Major Historical Figures:

The Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850]

The British Empire:
Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]
Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]
William Gladstone, Member of Parliament [1789–1898]
Sir James Graham, Member of Parliament [1792–1861]

Major Sources Cited:
Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age
Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China
Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast
Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates, 1840

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#318 - Opium War 3: Up In Smoke

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:09:00 -0000

Lin Zexu believed moral clarity and the largest drug bust in history could end the opium crisis and avert war. Yet, as his solution drained into Humen Bay, so too did the last hope of peace between China and Britain.
Time Period Covered:
1836–June 1839

Major Historical Figures:

The Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850]
Deng Tingzhen, Governor-General of Liangguang [1776–1846]
Huang Juezi, Minister and court official (opium policy advocate)

The British Empire:
King William IV [r. 1830–1837]
Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]
Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]
Lancelot Dent, Opium trader and head of Dent & Co. [1799–1875]
James Matheson, Merchant and political advocate for war [1796–1878]

Major Sources Cited:
Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast
Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age
Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. “The Canton Trade and the Opium War,” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10
Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. The Fall of Imperial China
Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China

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To: Queen Victoria, From: Lin Zexu (1839)

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 03:34:00 -0000

Letter to the queen of England, from the high Imperial Commissioner Lin, and his

colleagues.

From the Canton press.

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#317 - Opium War 2: Laboriously Vile Barbarian Eye

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 23:21:00 -0000

In 1834, Britain sent a man to China almost perfectly unsuited to the job... only to forbid him from actually doing it. William John Napier, naval officer, socialite, & dilettante with no experience in diplomacy, trade, or China, arrived at Canton convinced he was destined to break open the Qing Empire by force of his will alone. But he would not get quite the war he wanted. Nor the recognition he imagined. Nor the vindication he believed history owed him. Which is not to say he got nothing at all...

Time Period Covered:

January-October, 1834

Major Historical Figures:

The Qing Empire:

The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]

Lu Kun, Governor-General of Liangguang [1772–1835]

The British Empire:

King William IV [r. 1830-1837]

William John Napier, 9th Baron Napier, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1786-1834]

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston [1784–1865]

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey [1764–1845]

Major Sources Cited:

Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast

Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age.

Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. “The Canton Trade and the Opium War,” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.

Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. The Fall of Imperial China.

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#316 - Opium War 1: Chasing the Dragon

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 08:46:00 -0000

In this empire business, you gotta make the opium first. Then when you get the opium, you get the silver. Then when you get the silver, then you get the tea.
Time Period Covered:
ca. 1760-1839 CE
Major Historical Figures:
Qing Empire:
The Daoguang Emperor (Minning) [r. 1820–1850]
Governor-General of Liangguang, Ruan Yuan [1764–1849]
"The Hoppo" (Imperial Superintendent of Maritime Customs), The emperor’s personal revenue agent at Canton
Chinese Commercial Interests:
"The Cohong" (Gonghang), the licensed guild of Cantonese merchants authorized to trade with foreigners
"The Consoo Fund" (Gongsuo), the Cohong’s collective insurance pool
Yaokou Dealers & River Smugglers, opium wholesale intermediaries and armed transporters inland via the Pearl River system
British & Foreign Interests:
The British East India Company (EIC)
The Select Committee at Canton, the EIC's on-site management team
Dr. William Jardine (1784–1843), physician-turned-opium magnate
The True Protagonists:
Silver, shiny
Tea, fragrant
Opium, somniferous
Major Works Cited:Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast: The Opening of the Treaty Ports, 1842–1854.
Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age.Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. “The Canton Trade and the Opium War” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part I.

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#315 - Qing 46: Tripping Toward Taiping - Tribes, Triads, & Theology

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 03:10:00 -0000

Great Qing begins to buckle under early 19th c. internal pressures. Unrest first erupts not at the imperial core but along its social and geographic margins. This time, we look at three of the early warning shocks: the Miao frontier rebellions, the rise of Triad networks across the southern coastal cities, & the formation of the apocalyptic White Lotus uprising.
Time Period Covered:
~1790s-1840s CE
Major Historical Figures:
Qing Empire:
Fu Nai, Qing magistrate
Heshen, grand councilor under the Qianlong Emperor, (1750-1799)

Miao People:
Shi Sanbao, Miao rebel leader, (d. ~1796)
Shi Liudeng, Miao rebel leader, (d. 1797)
White Lotus Sect:
Lin Shuangwen, Leader of the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society), (1756–1788)
Liu Song, White Lotus sect figure/leader, (banished~1775; active 1770s–1790s)
Liu Zhishi, Disciple of Liu Song; charismatic White Lotus preacher, (active 1790s)
Major Works Cited:
Mann, Susan and Philip A. Kuhn. “Dynastic decline and the roots of rebellion” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part 1.Naquin, Susan. "Millenarian Rebellion in China: The Eight Trigrams Uprising of 1813."
Ownby, David. Brotherhoods and Secret Societies in Early and Mid-Qing China.Rowe, William. China's Last Empire: The Great Qing.

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#314 - Qing 45: The Big Squeeze

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 03:35:00 -0000

The Qing Empire did not collapse because it stopped working. It collapsed because it kept working — just barely — under pressures that compounded faster than reform could relieve them...

Time Period Covered:

~1790s-1840s CE

Major Works Cited:

Jones, Susan Mann and Philip A. Kuhn. “Dynastic Decline and the Roots of Rebellion.” The Cambridge History of China, vol. 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part I

Kuhn, Philip A. Rebellion and Its Enemies in Late Imperial China: Militarization and Social Structure, 1796–1864.

Pomeranz, Kenneth, The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy.

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#313 - Qing 44: Frontiers, Pt. 2: The Vastness Devours Us - Mountain Monasteries & Money Pits

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:46:00 -0000

From the koan chants of monasteries tucked between Himalayan peaks, to wending caravan paths stretching endlessly across the arid expanses of the Taklamakan & trackless steppes of Dzungaria, we finish out our look at the four primary frontier regions of the Qing Empire as of 1800, where they'd come from, how they were operated, & the imperial tonnage of headaches for Beijing that came with both.
Tibet - 00:01:21
Xinjiang - 00:22:08

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#312 - Qing 42: Frontiers, Pt. 1: The Vastness Devours Us - Of Willow Palisades & Reincarnation Permits

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 04:21:00 -0000

The world is coming to Qing's doorstep, but it has a whole other set of problems along its own frontiers...

Less chronologically tied-down than most of our episodes, today we look at two of the Qing Empire's four major "inner frontier zones" and how they - in spite of often getting upstaged by the "flashier" elements of the 1800s & Qings clashes with the wider world, many have played an even larger part in its imperial decay than the British East India Co. could've ever hoped to achieve. We start off today with Manchuria & Mongolia...

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#311 - Qing 42: Charting the Collision Course

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 02:15:00 -0000

The 19th Century is going to be exceedingly rough on Qing China. So, before we venture down into the chasm that is the "Chinese Century of Humuliation's" opening salvos, let's assess where we - and the Empire - sit as of 1810...

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#310 - Strange Tales X.2: An Unseen Balance

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 06:59:00 -0000

Back with pt. 2 of autumnal fictions of the spine-tingling variety. This time largely from (where else) Pu Songling, as well as several shorter entries from the Zibuyu.
00:01:15 - Friendship Beyond the Grave
00:10:25 - Karmic Debts
00:12:30 - Spiritual Man Luo Catches the Wrong Demon
00:16:39 - The Human Prawn
00:18:37 - The Hairy People of Qin
00:21:01 - The Magic Sword

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309 - Strange Tales X.1: Fateful Encounters

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 04:37:00 -0000

00:02:09 - "The Scholar & the Headless Ghost"

True music fans come in all types.

00:05:37 - "Magical Arts"

Let the buyer beware... but sometimes the non-buyer, too!

00:12:37 - "Ruby Jade"

Nobody knows you when you're down & out...

00:27:00 - "Examination for the Post of Guardian Angel"

The job offer of a lifetime!

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#308 - Zheng Yi Sao, Pt. 2: Into the Tiger's Mouth

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 05:38:00 -0000

The Pirate Queen’s Red Flag Fleet reigns supreme, but a three-way battle at Tiger’s Mouth tests even her grip on the seas.

Time Period Covered:

1807-1844 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Red Flag Fleet:

Zheng Yi Sao (AKA Ching Shih, née Shi Yang), Co-Commander of the Red Flag Confederation [1775-1844]

Zhang Baozai, Co-Commander of the Red Flag Fleet, later Qing Navy colonel [1783-1822]

Guo Podai, Commander of the Black Flag Fleet [178?-181?]

Qing Empire:

The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796-1820]

Bailing, Governor-General of Liangguang [d. 1829]

Sun Quanmou, Provincial Fleet Commander

Wen Chengzhi, Qing Chief Official Negotiator

Portuguese Empire:

Captain José Pinto Alcoforado e Sousa, Commander of Macau Flotilla [177?-18??]

Major Sources Cited:

Andrade, Tonio. The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History.

Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China.

Leonard, Jane Kate. "Maritime China in Transition, 1750–1850" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part 2: The Ch'ing Dynasty to 1800, Part 2.

Murray, Dian H. Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810.

Van de Ven, Hans J. Breaking with the Past: The Maritime Customs Service and the Global Origins of Modernity in China.

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Special - Mid-Autumn: Fly Me to the Moon

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:10:00 -0000

A brief history of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the tale of Hou Yi the Archer & the Ten Suns, and Chang’e & the Moon

In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you.

Sources:
Barlett, Scarlett. The Mythology Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Tales.
Masaka, Mori. “Restoring the ‘Epic of Hou Yi’” in Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 52, no. 5.
Yang, Lihui, Demin An, and Jessica Anderson Turner. Handbook of Chinese Mythology.

(initially broadcast in 2022)

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Bonus: R. Glasspoole & the Pirates

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 04:01:00 -0000

Richard Glasspoole thought he was going to have enough of an adventure sailing to the South Pacific. He didn't expect quite so much excitement as spending 3 months of 1809 as the compulsory "guest" of the Red Flag Fleet until the Company coughed up his ransom...

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#307 - Zheng Yi Sao, Pt. 1: Murders & Acquisitions, Mostly

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 03:12:00 -0000

天高皇帝远

"Heaven Is Vast & the Emperor is Far Away"

On the far side of the realm from th celestial halls of shining Beijing, an outcast girl born on the fringes of society will scrabble to survive amidt the coastal chaos of the end of the 18th Century. With little more than her looks and wits, she'll have to outwit & outplay freebooter, bandit, and official alike if she is ever going to rise above her station on the boats of Guangdong harbor.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1775-1807 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Zheng Yi Sao/Ching Shih (née Shi Yang), Pirate Queen of the Red Flag Fleet [1775-1844]

Captain Zheng Yi, Fleet Commander of the Red Flag Fleet [1765-1807]

Zhang Baozai (Cheung Po Tsai), "The Kid" [1783-1822]

Major Sources Cited:

Andrade, Tonio. The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History.

Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China.

Mann Jones, Susan and Philip A. Kuhn. "The Ch’ing Government and Its Problems, 1800–1812” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 10, Part 1: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911.

Murray, Dian. Pirates of the South China Coast.

Rawski, Evelyn. Education and Popular Literacy in Ch'ing China.

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#306 - Qing 41: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 01:19:00 -0000

Piracy in Great Qing surges to a "golden age" during the Qianlong & Jiaqing eras. Corsair Confederations like Zheng Yi Sao’s vast-beyond-reckoning Red Flag Fleet, backed by the likes of Vietnam’s Tay Son rebels, dominating the South China Sea through organized plunder and shadow economies. Jiaqing’s shift to accomodation, while necessary, may expose Qing naval vulnerabilities, paving the way for foreign interventions and imperial decline...

Time Period Covered:

Prelude: ca. 15th-18th Cs.

Main: ~1780-1810 CE

Major Sources Cited:

Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China.

Andrade, Tonio. Lost Colony: The Untold Story of China’s First Great Victory over the West.

Murray, Dian H. Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810.

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Qing Shilu (Veritable Records of the Qing Dynasty).

Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China.

Woodside, Alexander. "The Ch'ien-lung Reign" in The Cambridge History of China Vol. 9, Pt. 1: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800.

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#305- Qing 40: Heshen Must Die!

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 23:52:00 -0000

For nearly a quarter century, Heshen served the Qing Empire - and in the process managed to amass a fortune that nearly rivaled the throne itself. Yet with the death of his patron Qianlong, the once-favored Grand Councilor would find his remaining state tenure as short as the length of silk ultimately left in his cell.

Time Period Covered:

1799-1800 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796, d. 1799]

The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796-1820]

Heshen, Grand Councilor, Chief Grand Secretary, Minister of the Imperial Household, etc., etc. [1750-1799]

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#304 - Qing 39: Twilight of the Dragon

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 21:32:00 -0000

As both the Qianlong Emperor's extensive reign and the Eighteenth Century itself comes to a close, the Qing Empire faces - in spite of its outward posturing of timeless grandeur and invulnerability - an ever more uncertain future. By this time his successor, the Jiaqing Emperor, assumes power in fact, the winds of historic change have already begun to blow.

Time Period Covered:

~1735-1800

Major Historical Actors:

The Qianlong Emperor [Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735-1796, d. 1799]

The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796-1820]

Grand Secretary Heshen [1750-1799]

Major Sources Cited:

Crossley, Pamela Kyle. A Translucent Mirror: History and Identity in Qing Imperial Ideology.

Hsü, Immanuel C. Y. The Rise of Modern China. 6th ed.

Jones, Susan Mann, and Philip A. Kuhn. “The Chia-ch’ing Reign.” In The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part Two: The Ch’ing Empire to 1911.

Rowe, William T. China’s Last Empire: The Great Qing.

Woodside, Alexander. The Centre and the Borderlands in Chinese Political Culture.

Woodside, Alexander. “The Ch’ien-lung Reign” In The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part One: The Ch’ing Empire to 1800.

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#303 - Qing 38: The Macartney Expedition

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 23:42:00 -0000

From London’s harbors to Canton’s bustling hongs and the Qianlong Emperor’s Dragon Throne, Lord George Macartney’s 1792-94 mission to Great Qing unveils profound cultural divides, shaping centuries of Sino-Western relations. This series explores a pivotal diplomatic clash that redefined global history.

Time Period Covered:

1792-1794 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Empire:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796]

Chief Minister Heshen (1750–1799)

Wang Wenxiong, mid-level imperial bureaucrat

British Empire:

Lord George Macartney, ambassador extraordinaire [1737–1806]

Sir George Staunton [1737-1801]

William Alexander [1767–1816]

John Barrow, Comptroller [1764-1848]

Sgt. Maj. Samuel Holmes, 11th Lt. Dragoons

Major Works Cited:

Berg, Maxine. The Birth of the Modern World, 1780–1914: Global Connections and Comparisons.

Cranmer-Byng, John. “The Chinese Documents Relating to the Macartney Embassy.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1961.

Gao, Hao. Creating the Opium War: British Imperial Attitudes Toward China, 1792–1840.

Hevia, James L. Cherishing Men from Afar: Qing Guest Ritual and the Macartney Embassy of 1793.

Holmes, Samuel. Journal of the Macartney Expedition.

Macartney, Lord George. Journal of the Macartney Expedition.

Peyrefitte, Alain. The Immobile Empire: The First Great Collision of East and West. Knopf, 1992.

Qing Archival Records. Tr. in Presents and Tribute: Documents on the Macartney Embassy.

Staunton, George. An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China.

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#302 - Qing 37: Palace of Mirrors

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:13:00 -0000

Qianlong's empire shines as a beacon of both martial might and cultural splendor, yet its mirrored glory hides truths too fragile for celestial ambitions.

Time Period Covered:

~1770-1799CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Empire:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796, d. 1799]

Grand Councillor Heshen [1750-1799]

Great Britain:

Lord George Macartney (1737-1806)

Major Sources Cited:

Bland, J.O.P. and Lord Edmund Backhouse. Annals and Memoirs of the Court at Peking.

Fairbank, John King, and Denis Twitchett, eds. The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part 1: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800.

Perdue, Peter. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Woodside, Alexander. The Qing in the Age of Confucian Empire.

Yuan, Wei. Shengwu ji (Sacred Military Achievements).

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Special 2: To George, From Qianlong...

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 01:56:00 -0000

"O King of Wherever, New Throne Who Dis?"

0:00:00 - Edict of Emperor Qianlong to King George III, 1793

0:06:34 - The Second Edict to George III (in reply to Macartney's note)

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Special 1: To Qianlong, From George...

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 01:55:00 -0000

"Dear Emperor of China, will you be my friend? Check Yes or No..."

0:00:00 - Letter of Credence from King George III to Emperor Qianlong, 1793 CE

0:10:20 - Author's note

0:11:44 - Lord Macartney's Sixfold Proposals for the Improvement of Trade

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#301 - Qing 36: And I Think It's Gonna Be a Qianlong Time

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 04:01:00 -0000

In the wake of military victory, Qianlong turns inward—launching literary purges, rewriting history, and curating an image of himself as the enlightened ruler of a Confucian empire. Through censorship, spectacle, and the manipulation of memory, the Qing court fights a new kind of war: one for cultural supremacy and imperial legitimacy.

Time Period Covered:

~ 1735–1760 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735-1796]

Grand Secretary No'chin [d. 1749]

Historican Wei Yuan [1794-1857]

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Qian, Zhongshu – Tán Yì Lù, "On the Art of Poetry."

Qianlong Emperor. The Siku Quanshu (四库全书) - Qing Imperial Encyclopedia.

Woodside, Alexander. Lost Modernities: China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Hazards of World History.

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#300 - Qing 35: Empire of Images

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 20:37:00 -0000

What does it take to hold an empire together when conquest alone isn’t enough?

In this sweeping episode, we explore how the Qianlong Emperor fused culture, coercion, and Confucian performance to stabilize a multiethnic empire—crafting an imperial image as powerful as his armies.

Time Period Covered:

~ 1735–1760 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735-1796]

Grand Secretary No'chin [d. 1749]

Historican Wei Yuan [1794-1857]

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Qian, Zhongshu – Tán Yì Lù, "On the Art of Poetry."

Qianlong Emperor, The Siku Quanshu (四库全书) - Qing Imperial Encyclopedia.

Woodside, Alexander. Lost Modernities: China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Hazards of World History.

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#299 - Qing 34: Remember to Remember to Forget You Forgot Me

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 02:31:00 -0000

This was no peace borne of reconciliation; this was silence, enforced by amnesia.

Time Period Covered:

~ 1739-1759 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Empire:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796]

Minister Fuheng

General Bandi [d. 1755]

General Yongchang

Khalka Mongols:

Prince Erinchindorj [d. 1756]

Prince Chingünjav [d. 1757]

Dzungar Mongols:

Amursana [d. 1757]

Major Sources Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Woodside, Alexander. "The Ch'ien-Lung Reign" in The Cambridge History of Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, Part 1: To 1800.

Woodside, Alexander. Lost Modernities: China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Hazards of World History.

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#298 - Qing 33: Echoes of the Erased

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 04:26:00 -0000

The story of the last great nomadic empire’s fall - and the Qing’s ruthless imperial vision for a New Frontier.

Time Period Covered:

1739-1759 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Great Qing Empire:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796]

General Bandi [d. 1755]

Hojs, Hakim Beg of Ush

Dzungar Khanate:

Galdan Tseren [r. 1727–1745]

Tsewang Dorji Namjal [blinded 1750]

Lama Darja [r. 1750-52]

Dawaci, self-declared Hong Taiji, [r.1752-55]

Amursana [d. 1757]

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Supplemental: Qianlong's 1758 Dzungar Victory Stele

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:32:00 -0000

The "Old Man of 10 Victories" crows to the Heavens in words of stone of his crushing of the once-mighty Khanate.

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#297 - Qing 32: Tea, Trade, & Thunder

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 05:54:00 -0000

The Qing conquest of Dzungaria did not begin with any kind of cannon-fire or musketry. Instead, it began like many wars end: with a funeral.

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#296 - Qing 31: The Architect of Capacity

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 03:40:00 -0000

As his era of rule over Great Qing drows to a close, the Yongzheng Emperor spares neither expense nor detail to reform the empire he inherited and modernize it for the one who will inherit it from him. But this is no idle fancy - he has a definite purpose. Though no great warrior himself, he is nevertheless fully in-line with the century-long grand objective of his father and son: the absolute destruction of the Zhungar Khanate.

Time Period Covered:

1722-1735 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Yongzheng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen) [r. 1722-1735]

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735-1796, d. 1799]

Prince Yinxing [1686-1730]

General Longkedo [1648-1728]

Governor-General Qingfu

Governor-General Yinjishan

Dzungar Khanate:

Galdan Tseren, Khan of the Dzungars [r. 1727-1745]

Tsewang Dorji Namjal, Hongtaiji of the Dzungars [1746-1750]

Princess Ulan Bayar

Lama Darja/Dorji

Dawaci [d. 1759]

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#295 - Qing 30: Building Better Worlds

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 22:51:00 -0000

The Yongzheng Emperor seeks to capitalize on his father's greatness abroad - but cautiously. He wants to exterminate the barbarians... but delicately. He wants to build better worlds... no matter how many he has to destroy in the process. He's riding for a fall.

Time Period Covered:

~1725-1731 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Empire:

Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

Yongzheng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen) [r. 1722-1735]

Prince Yinti, the Fuyuan Daijiangjun [1688-1755]

Governor Nian Gengyao [1679-1726]

Governor-General Yue Zhongqi [1686-1754]

General Erentei [d. 1718]

Funingga [d. 1728]

Dzungar Khanate:

Tsewang Rabdan, Khong Tayiji [r. 1697-1727]

Galdan Tseren, Khong Tayiji [r. 1727-1745]

General Tsering Dondup

Tibetan Gelupa/“Yellow Hats”:

5th Dalai Lama [r. 1642-1682]

6th Dalai Lama [r. 1697]

7th Dalai Lama [r. 1720-1757]

sDe-pa Sangya Gyatso [1652-1705]

Polhanas (Polhané Sönam Topgyé) [1689-1747]

Kokonor Mongols:

Khoshots:

Güshi Khan (Torbaikhu) [r. 1642-1655]

Lhazang Khan [r. 1700-1717]

Prince Lobzang Danjin, Dalai Hongtaiji [d. 1731]

Sources Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. China marches west: the Qing conquest of Central Eurasia.

Rowe, William T. China's last empire: the great Qing.

Zelin, Madeline. “The Yung-chung reign” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, Part 1: To 1800.

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Rebroadcast 2025: Special - Tiananmen Square: The Declassified History - 06/01/1999 w/ postscript 2024

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 22:47:00 -0000

Doc 1: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, A Student Demonstration of Sorts in Tiananmen Square (11/21/85)

Doc 2: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Government Arrests Student Demonstrators (11/25/85)

Doc 3: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, More Student Demonstrations (12/23/85)

Doc 4: From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Student Demonstrations Update (12/24/86)

Doc 5: IPAC Daily Intelligence Summary 1-87, China: Student Demonstrations (01/02/87)

Doc 6: IPAC Daily Intelligence Summary 10-87, China: Hu Yaobang Resigns (01/17/87)

Doc 7: Memorandum of Conversation, [George Bush] Meeting with Wan Li, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Member of the Politburo, People’s Republic of China (05/23/89)

Doc 8: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/0289, China: Stalemate Continues

Doc 9: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/03/89, China: Police Use Tear Gas on Crowds

Doc 10: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 27: Martial Law with Chinese Characteristics (06/03/89)

Doc 11: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 28: Ten to Fifteen Thousand Armed Troops Stopped at City Perimeter by Human and Bus Barricades (06/03/89)

Doc 12: Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, and All Diplomatic and Consular Posts, TFCHO1: SITREP 1, 1700 EDT (06/03/89)

Doc 13: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/04/89, China: Troops Open Fire

Doc 14: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 32 (06/04/89)

Doc 15: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 33 (06/04/89)

Doc 16: Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, China Task Force Situation Report No. 3 (06/04/89)

Doc 17: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/05/89, China: After the Bloodbath

Doc 18: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 35 (06/05/89)

Doc 19: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/06/89, China: Descent into Chaos

Doc 20: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01--SITREP No. 37 (06/06/89)

Doc 21: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/07/89, China: Tense Standoff Continues

Doc 22: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01--SITREP No. 38 (06/07/89)

Doc 23: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/9/89, China: Uneasy Calm

Doc 24: Department of State Intelligence Brief, "Current Situation in China: Background and Prospects" (Ca. 06/10/89)

Doc 25: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/10/89, China: Mixed Signals on Purge

Doc 26: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 49, (06/11/89)

Doc 27: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/14/89, China: Back to Business, But Crackdown Continues

Doc 28: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/15/89, China: Accusation over Fang Lizhi

Doc 29: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/21/89, China: Swift Justice

Doc 30: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Eyewitness Account of June 4 PLA Tank Crushing 11 Students and Related Early Morning Events in Tiananmen Square (06/22/89)

Doc 31: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, What Happened on the Night of June 3/4? (06/22/89)

Doc 32: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01: SITREP No. 65 (06/27/89)

Doc 33: State Department document entitled "Themes" (06/29/89)

Doc 34: State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, "Status Report on Situation in China as of 07/ 26/89"

Doc 35: State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, "China: Aftermath of the Crisis" (07/27/89)

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#294 - Qing 29: The Conquest of Qinghai

Sat, 31 May 2025 18:40:00 -0000

While the Yongzheng Emperor attempts to get his domestic policy ducks in a row from the Forbidden City, out on the Western Frontiers, change is the only constant. Between squabbling Tibetan lamas, restless Kokonor Khans, and the ever-dangerous Dzungar Empire still on the loose out there, the new successor of the late, great Kangxi Emperor has some very big combat-boots to fill...

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1722-1728 CE

Major Historical Figures: Qing Empire: Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722] Yongzheng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen) [r. 1722-1735] Prince Yinti, the Fuyuan Daijiangjun [1688-1755]
Governor Nian Gengyao [1679-1726]
Governor-General Yue Zhongqi [1686-1754]
General Erentei [d. 1718]
Funingga [d. 1728]

Dzungar Khanate: Tsewang Rabdan, Khong Tayiji [r. 1697-1727]

Galdan Tseren, Khong Tayiji [r. 1727-1745] General Tsering Dondup

Tibetan Gelupa/“Yellow Hats”: 5th Dalai Lama[r. 1642-1682] 6th Dalai Lama [r. 1697]

7th Dalai Lama [r. 1720-1757]

sDe-pa Sangya Gyatso [1652-1705]

Polhanas (Polhané Sönam Topgyé) [1689-1747]

Kokonor Mongols (Khoshots):

Güshi Khan (Torbaikhu) [r. 1642-1655]

Lhazang Khan [r. 1700-1717] Prince Lobzang Danjin, Dalai Hongtaiji [d. 1731]

Sources Cited:
Perdue, Peter C. China marches west: the Qing conquest of Central Eurasia.
Rowe, William T. China's last empire: the great Qing.

Zelin, Madeline. “The Yung-chung reign” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, Part 1: To 1800.

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#293 - Qing 28: Three Treks Across Eurasia

Sat, 24 May 2025 06:05:00 -0000

Leaving behind the imperial court of Beijing, we return to the far frontiers of the northwest, where China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Russia all converge and vie for power. Glory and riches to the victors, subjugation or death for those destined to lose. Into this mix, we follow the travels of three emissaries as they cross deserts, mountains, words, and wits to ensure their sovereign emerges on top.

Time Period Covered:

~1712~1724 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Dzungar Khannate:

Tsewang Rabdan

Tsarist Russia:

Tsar Peter I

Leon Vasielevich Izmailov

Captain Ivan Unkovskii

John Bell

Governor Gragarin of Siberia

Glazunov

Great Qing Empire:

The Kangxi Emperor [r. -1722]

The Yongzheng Emperor [r. 1722-17]

Tulisen

Mongols:

Ayuki Khan of the Torghuts [r. 1673-1724]

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#292 - Qing 27: The Wonder Years

Wed, 14 May 2025 21:01:00 -0000

The Yongzheng Emperor brings Peace, Justice, & Security to his new Empire.

Time Period Covered:

1723-1728 CE

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. China marches west: the Qing conquest of Central Eurasia.

Qin, Han Tang (秦漢唐). 不同於戲裡說的雍正皇帝 [A different Yongzheng from the work of fiction]

Rowe, William T. China's last empire: the great Qing.

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#291 - Qing 26: The Cosplayer of Heaven

Wed, 07 May 2025 01:22:00 -0000

The Yongzheng Emperor's stylings:

https://bsky.app/profile/thoc.bsky.social/post/3lnvmogqntk2g

Please sign up to support the show at:

Patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

With the passing of his titan of a father, the Kangxi Emperor's 4th curviving son Prince Yinzheng, will assume the Dragon Throne amidst a tumultuous succession. Amid betrayals and backstabbings, this unlikely monarch will ultimately find himself sandwiched between his father and his son - two uncontestable pillars of Chinese history. And yet, he'll still find ways to shine through, all his own...

Time Period Covered:

1722~1728 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Manchu:

The Yongzheng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen) [r. 1723-35], Kangxi's 11th (4th surviving) Son

Empress Dowager Xiaogongren [1660-1723]

Longkodo, Commandant of the Capital Gendarmerie [d. 1728]

Prince Yunzhi, Kangxi's 10th (3rd) Son [1677-1732]

Prince Yinsi, Kangxi's 16th (8th) Son [1681-1726]

Prince Yintang, Kangxi's 17th (9th) Son [1683-1726]

Prince Yinxiang, Kangxi's 22nd (13th) Son [1686-1730]

Prince Yunti, Kangxi's 23rd (14th) Son [1688-1755]

O'er'tai [1680-1745]

Hanjun:

Chen Menglei [1650-1741]

Nian Genglao, Sichuan-Shaanxi Governor-General [1679-1726]

Zeng Qing [1679-1736]

Yue Zhongqi [1686-1784]

Lü Liuliang [1629-1683]

Jiang Tingxi [1669-1732]

Zhang Tingyu [1672-1755]

Li Wei [1687-1738]

Tian Wenjing [1662-1732]

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The History Of China Podcast/POA Crossover!| Puttin on Airs w/ Trae Crowder & Corey Ryan Forrester

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 21:49:00 -0000

I'm on with Trae Crowder & Cory Ryan Forrester to talk wild & crazy stories about China.
Please forgive the tech difficulties!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKVpUmzGr8o

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#290 - Qing 25: The End of a (Kangxi) Era

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 21:05:00 -0000

Beginning in Beijing, and then expanding out all the way to the "New Frontier" of Dzungaria, we take a survey-altitude view of the final decade-ish of the Kangxi Emperor's life & reign over the Qing Empire

Time Period Covered:

~1700-1722 CE

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Special: Barbarians At the Gates - A Conversation with Jeremiah Jenne

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:08:00 -0000

Original publication: 03/21/2025

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#289 - Qing 24: Kangxi's Five Stelae of Victory

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 03:43:00 -0000

In the wake of the Kangxi Emperor's flawless victory + fatality of Galdan Khan, he erects his own definitive version of "The Way Things Happened" - five stone stelae monuments as an everlasting tribute to his greatness, and his side of the story literally written in stone.

But even one so mighty as the Lord of Great Qing is not above the twist of fate's knife. For he has been receiving highly disturbing reports about his son and heir, Crown Prince Yinreng...

Time Period Covered:

1697-1707 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuande) [r. 1654-1722]

Crown Prince Yunreng [1674-1725]

Prince Yinxu

Minister Songgotu [1636-1703]

Minister Maci [1652-1739]

Jesuits/Catholic Church:

Pope Clement XI [r. 1700-1721]

Bishop Charles-Thomas Maillard De Tournon [1668-1710]

Fr. Joachim Bouvet [1656-1730]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Kingdom of France:

King Louis XIV, "The Sun King" [r. 1643-1715]

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Shelly, Percy Bysshe. "Ozymandias."

Spence, Jonathan D. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-hsi.

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HANZ X-Over: The Sino-Burmese War (1755-1759)

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 22:26:00 -0000

The History of Aotearoa/New Zealand asked for a little boost in the "what going on elsewhere in the world?" category ca. 1759. Well, we were inclined to be accommodating...

It also just so happened that the Qing Empire under the Qianlong Emperor happened to be engaged in a tremendous border clash far to its south...

Presenting: The Sino-Burmese War

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#288 - Special: Hail The The King, Baby

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 20:28:00 -0000

We end our trio of insider views into the Forbidden City by looking at the life - and strictures - of the Big Man himself: the emperor.

Turn out it's not all banquets and parades.

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#287 - Special: Caged Birds Sing

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 02:58:00 -0000

A look into the inner heart of the mysterious Forbidden City of Beijing, and at its most protected - and confined - denizens: the women of the Imperial palace. From Empress, to concubine, to lowly maid - women hold up half of Heaven.

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

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#286 - Special: Everything Eunuchs All At Once

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 00:07:00 -0000

Everything you ever wanted to know (and probably some you didn't) about Court Eunuchs in Imperial China

(warning: contains description of castration & its effects)

Mary M. Anderson, Hidden Power: The Palace Eunuchs of Imperial China.

Duhalde, Marcelo. "How an army of eunuchs ran the Forbidden City" in The South China Morning Post.

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#285 - Mongol 11: The Khan Is Dead; Long Live The Khan! (Ögedei Full)

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:52:00 -0000

Genghis Khan is dead, and his 3rd son Ögedei has ben selected to lead the Mongol Empire into an uncertain future. Once he is confirmed on the throne, he'll strike on in every direction against every foe at once. On the way, there will be virgin sacrifices, talking wolves, free money, mass enslavement, Persian princes, Assassins, poison, angry water spirits, battle-mages, cannibalism... and that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Time Period Covered:

1227-1234 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ogedeids:

Ogedei Khaghan

Subotai the Valiant

General Chormakhan

General Dokholkhu Cherbi

Minister Yelu Chu Cai

Toluids:

Tolui Khan

Sorkhakhtani Beki Khatun

Chagatids:

Chagatai Khan

Khwarazmia:

Jalal al-Din

Kingdom of Georgia:

Queen Rusudan

Jin Dynasty:

Emperor Aizong

General Wanyan Yi

General Cui Li

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#284 - Qing 23: Frozen Ashes

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 22:18:00 -0000

Galdan is dead. Kangxi's victory is total. It's all over but the crying.

... and the executions via slow-slicing... and the crushing of his bones... and the punishment of his family... and the writing him out of history...

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

1697-8 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Dynasty:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Gen. Fiyanggu

Gen. Sunsike

Dzungar Mongols:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Lamist Tibetans:

The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso [1683- after 1706]

sDe-pa Desi Sangye Gyampo [1653-1705]

Major Sources Cited:

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Spence, Jonathan D. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-hsi.

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#283 - Qing 22: Crimson Snow

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 04:23:00 -0000

The Kangxi Emperor ruthlessly tracks down Galdan Khan, leaving him and his followers with nowhere to turn and nowhere to hide. The end draws close...

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

1697-8 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Dynasty:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Gen. Fiyanggu

Gen. Sunsike

Dzungar Mongols:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Lamist Tibetans:

The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso [1683- after 1706]

sDe-pa Desi Sangye Gyampo [1653-1705]

Major Sources Cited:

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Spence, Jonathan D. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-hsi.

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#282 - Mongol 10: The Succession & The Last Battle

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:07:00 -0000

Even the invincible Genghis Khan must face the inevitability of death. It holds no fear for him personally, but before he surrenders at last to oblivion, he needs to see two tasks through to the end: who will succeed him as Emperor of the World, and making sure an old enemy gets what has long been coming to them...

Time Period Covered:

1220-1227 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Empire:

Genghis Khan [Temüjin] (1162-1227)

Börte Khatun (c.1161-c.1130)

Yesui Khatun (d. ?)

Jochi (1181-1226)

Chagatai Khan (1183-1242)

Ögedei Khan (c.1186-1241)

Tolui (c.1191-1232)

Xi Xia:

Emperor Shenzong [Li Zuxun] (r. 1211-1223)

Emperor Xianzong [Li Dewang] (r. 1223-1226)

Emperor Mo [Li Xian] (r. 1226-1227)

Empress Kurbelzhin (d. 1227)

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#281 - Qing 21: Kangxi & Galdan At Jao Modo, Their Eyes Red

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 03:03:56 -0000

The jaws of the Kangxi Emperor close in around Galdan Khan, as his own dream of "The Great Mongol Enterprise" crash down around him at a fateful stand of 100 trees abutting a tiny stream somewhere in the vastness of the steppes. To the victor go the draft histories...

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered

1696 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Dynasty:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Gen. Fiyanggu

Gen. Sunsike

Dzungar Mongols:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Lamist Tibetans:

The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso [1683-after 1706]

sDe-pa Desi Sangye Gyampo [1653-1705]

Major Sources Cited:

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Spence, Jonathan D. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-hsi.

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#280 Qing 20: Kangxi & Galdan At Jao Modo, Their Faces Black

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 02:57:21 -0000

Galdan Khan has slipped The Kangxi Emperor’s trap, but only by the skin of his teeth. Now having retreated deep into the heart of Central Asia, he’ll think himself safe. But the Dread Lord of Great Qing is not one to let a vendetta go so easily…

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered

1691-1696 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Dynasty:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Dzungar Mongols:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Lamist Tibetans:

The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso [1683- after 1706]

sDe-pa Desi Sangye Gyampo [1653-1705]

Major Sources Cited:

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Spence, Jonathan D. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-hsi.

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#279 - Qing 19: The Treaty of Nerchinsk

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 04:33:02 -0000

In an epic handshake of history, the Qing and Russian Empires hammer out the first major treaty between East and West. It's good for Great Qing, it's maybe good for Russia... but it's definitely not good for the Mongols who got iced out of the negotiations by a couple of Puritan hustlers, like Galdan Khan and his harried host of Dzungars. Not good news at all...

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

1690-91 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Dynasty:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Russian Empire:

Count Fedor Alekseevich Golovin [1650-1706]

Mongols/Tibetans:

Lamist Tibetans:

The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso [1617–1682]

Dzungar Mongols:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Khalkha Mongols:

Jebzongdanba Khutukhtu

Tusiyetu Khan

Chechen Khan

Tsewang Rabdan

Major Sources Cited:

Liu, Cixin. Death's End.

Munkh-Erdene, Lamsuren. The Taiji Government and the Rise of the Warrior State.

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Thokmay, Darig. “Game Changers of the Tibetan Buddhist Political Order in Central Asia in the Early Eighteenth Century” in The Tibet Journal, Vol. 46, No. 1.

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Extra: Interview with Vince & Cassie of the Autocrat Podcast

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 19:16:59 -0000

A chat with Vince and Cassie of the Autocrat Podcast comparing and contrasting the Roman and Chinese origins and genesis legends, folktales, & mythos.

Find Autocrat Podcast at: autocratpodcast.wordpress.com

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#278 - Strange Tales IX.2: To Mortal Strife

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 21:36:56 -0000

A hefty second helping of weird, whimsical, wondrous, and wicked tales of the supernatural from the Zhou, Han, Liu Song, Yuan, and Qing Dynasties, for evenings when leaves quake from branches & the walls between the worlds grows thin.

0:00:00 - "Finishing Jiao's Poem" By: The One Within the Mound (Tr. Larry Hammer & Chris Stewart).

0:02:51 - "The Taoist Monk" Liaozhai Zhiyi, vol. 3.

0:09:57 - "A Report From the Qin Imperial Envoy At Xicheng, Gan Zong" Baopuzi.

0:11:33 - "The Ghoul" Shuyiji.

0:14:23 - "The Devil's Advocate" Liaozhai zhiyi, vol. 3.

0:21:57 - "REPORT: Flock of Bears Goes Rogue" Xu Yijian zhi.

0:23:13 - "The Face-Stealer" Shuyiji.

0:26:39 - "Manfox/Foxman" Liaozhai zhiyi, vol. 10.

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Special: The Raven

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:49:00 -0000

By Edgar Allen Poe [1809-1849]

Published: 1845

Happy Halloween 2024!

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#277 - Strange Tales IX: Fox Tails

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 22:24:00 -0000

A trio of seasonal tales about the Korean version of the classic fox spirit, the kumiho (huli jing [CN]/kitsune [JP]) as well as their implications bout the societies they stemmed from.

"The Maiden's Grave" - 02:21

"The Bone The Was a Fox" - 03:39

"The Fox Sister" - 06:22

From:

Fenkl, Heinz Inzu. "Fox Wives & Other Dangerous Women."

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#276 - Qing 18: Kangxi Gets Personal

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 20:08:09 -0000

The Kangxi Emperor of Great Qing squares off again Galdan Khan of the Dzungar Khanate in the sociopolitical-religio-military showdown of the late 17th century! Kangxi wants to flex his imperial muscle - in person! - up to and including enacting a "Final Solution" against the un-subdued Mongol peoples under Galdan, but the wily khan will amply demonstrate that all the imperial planning from Beijing in the world means nothing once your army is out in the wilds of the steppe.

Please support the show!:

patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1690 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

The Lifan Yuan (Office of Barbarian Control)

Dzungar Khannate:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Other Mongols:

Erdeni Qosuuci

Morgen Alana Dorji

Lobzang Gunbu Labdan

Batur Erke Jinong [d. 1709]

Prince Gandu

Lamist Tibet:

The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso [1617–1682]

Russian Empire:

Count Fedor Alekseevich Golovin [1650-1706]

Major Works Cited:

Munkh-Erdene, Lamsuren. The Taiji Government and the Rise of the Warrior State.

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Thokmay, Darig. “Game Changers of the Tibetan Buddhist Political Order in Central Asia in the Early Eighteenth Century” in The Tibet Journal, Vol. 46, No. 1.

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Special - Mid-Autumn: Fly Me to the Moon

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 15:39:25 -0000

A brief history of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the tale of Hou Yi the Archer & the Ten Suns, and Chang'e & the Moon

In other words, please be true

In other words, I love you.

Sources:

Barlett, Scarlett. The Mythology Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Tales.

Masaka, Mori. “Restoring the ‘Epic of Hou Yi’” in Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 52, no. 5.

Yang, Lihui, Demin An, and Jessica Anderson Turner. Handbook of Chinese Mythology.

Republication, original Episode Sept. 22, 2022.

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#275 - Qing 17: Office of Barbarian Control

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 00:54:22 -0000

With its southern border finally pacified, the Qing Dynasty under its Kangxi Emperor must now contend with a rising challenge to the northeast: the ascent and enthronement of a real steppe wildcard, the chieftain Galdan, as reigning Khan of the Dzungar Mongols. Kangxi will strive to use him as he has used all other neighboring petty-potentates - as semi-disposable ablative armor for the soft innards of China proper under the longstanding guidelines of "Use The Barbarians to Deal With the Barbarians" foreign policy... but Galdan is mercurial enough to have ideas of his own, and friends in surprisingly high places (the Tibetan Highlands).

Time Period Covered:

~1679-1684 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

The Lifan Yuan (Office of Barbarian Control)

Dzungar Khannate:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Other Mongols:

Erdeni Qosuuci

Morgen Alana Dorji

Lobzang Gunbu Labdan

Batur Erke Jinong [d. 1709]

Prince Gandu

Lamist Tibet:

The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso [1617–1682]

Russian Empire:

Count Fedor Alekseevich Golovin [1650-1706]

Major Works Cited:

Munkh-Erdene, Lamsuren. The Taiji Government and the Rise of the Warrior State.

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Thokmay, Darig. “Game Changers of the Tibetan Buddhist Political Order in Central Asia in the Early Eighteenth Century” in The Tibet Journal, Vol. 46, No. 1.

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#274 - Qing 16: A Whole New Frontier

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 05:35:41 -0000

Across the trackless expanses of the northwestern frontier zones, far beyond the final vestiges of Great Qing sovereignty or protection, independent, oasis trade hubs survive and even thrive across central Asia during the chaos of the 16th & 17th centuries. They and their denizens, though largely cut off from the rest of the wider world, nevertheless serve a vital – though fragile – linkage between east and west. Here, north of the Taklamakan Desert, the Oirat Mongols continue to live much as they have these past several centuries… until a group known as the Dzungars under a rising leader called Batur Hong Taiji will start dreaming bigger: an Albany Plan of Union… with Mongol characteristics…

Time Period Covered:

~1680 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Four Oirat/Dzungar Mongols:

Baibagas Khan [r. 1585-1640]

Chechen Khan (Ochirtu) [r. 1640~1670]

Zaya Pandita [d. 1662]

Khara Khula [d. 1634]

Batur Hongtaiji [r. 1634-1653]

Sengge [r. 1653-1671]

Queen Anu of the Khoshuts [~1653-1696]

Boshoghtu Khan (Galdan) [1644-1697, r. 1671-97]

Other Mongols:

Altan Khan of the Golden Horde

Jasaku Khan of the Khalkhas

Dge-lugs-pa Tibetan Buddhist Sect:

The 5th Dalai Lama (Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso] [1617-1682]

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

Major Work Cited:

Amitai-Preiss, Reuven & David O. Morgan (eds.) The Mongol Empire & its Legacy.

Halkovic, Jr., Stephen A. The Mongols of the West.

Miyawaki, Junko. “The Chinggisid Principle In Russia” in The Frontier In Russian History, Vol. 19, No. 1/4.

Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Taupier, Richard. “Yeke Caaji, the Mongol-Oyirod Great Code of 1640: Innovation In Eurasian State Formation” in Asian Literature and Translation, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2018.

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#273 - Qing 15: Something Rotten In the Heir

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 21:24:00 -0000

With border disputes and foreign affair emergencies levelling off, the Kangxi Emperor is able to turn his attentions inward toward the domestic, the home and hearth. But it's not all bbqs and pickleball there, either - there's the questions of succession, for one... who will be next when Kangxi is no more? And an heir there is... but... does something seem a little *off* about the crown-prince??

Time Period Covered:

~1660-1722 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

Yunreng, Heir-apparent [1674-1725]

Prime Minister Songgotu [1636-1703]

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#272 - Special: A Midsummer Night's Dreams

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:25:22 -0000

A set of short fever dreams from Chinese folklore to beat the summer heat...

1:25 - A Pipa Competition, by: Li Zhi
4:45 - The "Magical" Pear Tree, by: Pu Songling
8:15 - Real Life In the Capital, by: Ji Yun
13:55 - The Realness of Paintings & Demons, by: Pu Songling

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Special - Tiananmen Square: The Declassified History - 06/01/1999 w/ postscript 2024

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 19:27:31 -0000

Doc 1: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, A Student Demonstration of Sorts in Tiananmen Square (11/21/85)

Doc 2: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Government Arrests Student Demonstrators (11/25/85)

Doc 3: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, More Student Demonstrations (12/23/85)

Doc 4: From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Student Demonstrations Update (12/24/86)

Doc 5: IPAC Daily Intelligence Summary 1-87, China: Student Demonstrations (01/02/87)

Doc 6: IPAC Daily Intelligence Summary 10-87, China: Hu Yaobang Resigns (01/17/87)

Doc 7: Memorandum of Conversation, [George Bush] Meeting with Wan Li, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Member of the Politburo, People’s Republic of China (05/23/89)

Doc 8: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/0289, China: Stalemate Continues

Doc 9: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/03/89, China: Police Use Tear Gas on Crowds

Doc 10: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 27: Martial Law with Chinese Characteristics (06/03/89)

Doc 11: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 28: Ten to Fifteen Thousand Armed Troops Stopped at City Perimeter by Human and Bus Barricades (06/03/89)

Doc 12: Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, and All Diplomatic and Consular Posts, TFCHO1: SITREP 1, 1700 EDT (06/03/89)

Doc 13: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/04/89, China: Troops Open Fire

Doc 14: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 32 (06/04/89)

Doc 15: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 33 (06/04/89)

Doc 16: Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, China Task Force Situation Report No. 3 (06/04/89)

Doc 17: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/05/89, China: After the Bloodbath

Doc 18: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 35 (06/05/89)

Doc 19: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/06/89, China: Descent into Chaos

Doc 20: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01--SITREP No. 37 (06/06/89)

Doc 21: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/07/89, China: Tense Standoff Continues

Doc 22: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01--SITREP No. 38 (06/07/89)

Doc 23: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/9/89, China: Uneasy Calm

Doc 24: Department of State Intelligence Brief, "Current Situation in China: Background and Prospects" (Ca. 06/10/89)

Doc 25: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/10/89, China: Mixed Signals on Purge

Doc 26: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 49, (06/11/89)

Doc 27: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/14/89, China: Back to Business, But Crackdown Continues

Doc 28: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/15/89, China: Accusation over Fang Lizhi

Doc 29: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/21/89, China: Swift Justice

Doc 30: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Eyewitness Account of June 4 PLA Tank Crushing 11 Students and Related Early Morning Events in Tiananmen Square (06/22/89)

Doc 31: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, What Happened on the Night of June 3/4? (06/22/89)

Doc 32: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01: SITREP No. 65 (06/27/89)

Doc 33: State Department document entitled "Themes" (06/29/89)

Doc 34: State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, "Status Report on Situation in China as of 07/ 26/89"

Doc 35: State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, "China: Aftermath of the Crisis" (07/27/89)

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#271 - Mongol 9: The Immortal

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 11:26:55 -0000

As he feels the inevitable passage of time take its toll on his body and soul, Genghis Khan looks for answers - about how to extend his rule and his life, perhaps even how to gain life everlasting. Thus, when word reaches him on the eve of his Khwarazmian campaign of a Daoist Immortal living in the mountains of Shandong, he will seek this master out in order to gain his wisdom. But this supposed immortal isn't quite what he claims to be...

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1219-1224 CE

Major Figures:

Genghis Khan (Temüjin)

Master Changchun, Leader of the Daoist Quanzhen Sect (Qiu Chuji)

Temuge-otchigin, Hearthkeeper of Mongolia

Liu Wen, alchemist, arrow-maker, caravan-leader

Yelu Chu Chi, brother of the Governor of Samarkand, translator for the Great Khan

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#270 - Qing 14: From Russia, Rome, and Ningxia With Love

Sat, 18 May 2024 12:52:06 -0000

Be sure to check out Airwave Media's list of 100 Best podcasts! ThoC is #69 (Nice!):

https://blog.feedspot.com/airwave_media_podcasts/

The Kangxi Emperor squashes his beef with the three rebellious feudatories of the south by squashing their traitorous lords, only to have to pivot northward once again to face down... who? The Russians? And the Mongols?! And Tibetans?! And the Catholic Church?!

Time Period Covered:

1670-1722 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor [r. 1661-1722]

Crown-Prince Yunreng [1674-1725]

Grand Secretary Songgotu [1636-1703]

Fan Chengmo, Governor-General of Fujian [1624-1676]

Nian Gengyao, Viceroy of Sichuan and Tibet [1679-1726]

Mei Wending, mathematician [1633-1721]

Tsarist Russia:

Tsar Alexis Romanov, "The Quietest" [r. 1645-1676]

Tsar Feodor III [r. 1676-1682]

Tsar Ivan V [r. 1682-1696]

Tsar/Emperor Peter I, "the Great" [r. 1682-1725]

Izmailov

Roman Catholic Church:

Pope Clement XI [1649-1721]

Cardinal Charles-Thomas Maillard de Tournon [1668-1710]

Jesuit Missionaires:

Fr. Jean-François Gerbillon [1654-1707]

Fr. Tomé Pereira [1645-1708]

Fr. Joachim Bouvet [1656-1730]

löd/Mongol/Dzungar Khanate:

Erdeniin Galdan, Boshugtu Khan [r. 1671-1697]

Tsewang Araptan [r. 1697-1727]

General Chereng Dondub the Elder [d. 1737]

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. (2009). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Spence, Jonathan D. "The K'ang-Hsi Reign" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, Part 1: To 1800.

Wakeman, Frederic Evans. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order In Seventeenth-Century China.

Wakeman, Frederic Evans. "Romantics,Stoics, and Martyrs In Seventeenth Century China" in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 43, No. 4.

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#269 - Mongol 8 - Subotai & Jebe's "Wyld Stallyns" Duology

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 17:51:00 -0000

The Excellent Adventure:

In the course of their pursuit of the fleeing Khwarazmian Amir, Genghis Khan’s two top commanders have reached the shores of the Caspian Sea, and heard some of the strangest tales about what – and who – lay beyond. When the Great Khan gives his go-ahead to scout it out, they’ll launch a three-year trek that will remake the world in their bloody image.

The Bogus Journey:

Reaching the far side of the Caucuses Mountains, Subotai and Jebe have a surprise in store. But the true wonders, riches, and opportunities still lie ahead among the forests and winding rivers north of the Black Sea.

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#268 - Qing 13: The War of the Three Feudatories

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 10:08:47 -0000

Just as the last vestiges of the Ming are being swept away, a new round of wars will erupt to challenge Manchu suzerainty over China. From both within - as in the rebellions led by the three great feudatory lords of the south - and without - as in the challenges coming from Mongolia and Taiwan - the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and the Qing Dynasty itself, will be tested as never before.

Time Period Covered:

~1661-1683 CE

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]

Prince Lergiyan

Gyesu, Prince Kang of the First Rank [1645-1697]

Shang Kexi, Prince of Pingnan [1604-1676]

Southern Ming:

Zhu Youlang, Prince of Gui [1623-1662]

Gen. Li Dingguo [1621-1662]

Gen. Bo Wenxuan [d. 1662]

Kingdom of Tungning:

Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) [1624-1662]

Zheng Jing [1642-1681]

The Three Feudatories:

Yunnan & Guizhou:

Wu Sangui "Emperor of Wu Zhou" [1612-1678]

Wu Shifan [1663-1681]

Guangdong:

Shang Zhixin "Prince Who Pacifies the South" [1636-1680]

Fujian:

Geng Jingzong, Prince of Jingnan [d. 1682]

Chahar Mongols:

Burni [d. 1675]

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#267 - Qing 12: The Four Regents of Kangxi

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0000

After the untimely death of Shunzhi, a regency will be established for the 8-year-old newly-enthroned Kangxi Emperor. These four powerful Manchu lords will each be vying with power for themselves, and the last thing they'll be expecting is a 13-year-old kid to outwit them all.

Time Period Covered:

1661-1669 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

Prince-Regent Oboi of the Gulwgiya Clan [c. 1610-1669]

Prince-Regent Soni of the Heseri Clan [1601-1667]

Prince-Regent Ebilun of the Noihori Clan [d. 1673]

Prince-Regent Suksaha of the Nara Clan [d. 1667]

Grand Empress-Dowager Xiaozhuang [1613-1688]

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#266 - Qing 11: Shunzhi's Personal Rule

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 10:57:23 -0000

With the untimely and mysterious death of Prince-Regent Dorgon, the thirteen-year-old Shunzhi Emperor takes personal command of the still unsteady Qing Empire. He's got a lot to do - and it will turn out, not terribly long to do it! From purging prince, to beheading grand secretaries, to winning conquests... to perhaps that hardest of them all: standing up to his own mother, it's Shunzhi in the driver's seat!

Time Period Covered:

1651-1661 CE

Major Historical Figures:

House of Aisin Gioro:

The Shunzhi Emperor (Fulin) [r. 1651-1661]

Prince-Regent Dorgon [1612-1650]

Jirgalang, Prince Zheng of the First Rank [1599-1655]

Qing Imperial Court:

Grand Secretariat Chen Mingxia [1601-1654]

General Tantai of the Plain Yellow Banner [1594-1651]

Grand Academician Feng Chuan [1596-1572]

Grand Academician Ning Wanwo [1593-1665]

General Ren Zhen

Hong Chengchou, Pacifying General of Jiangnan [1593-1665]

Wu Sangui, Prince of Western Pacification [1612-1678]

Southern Ming/Rebels:

Li Dingguo, Prince of Jin [1621-1662]

Zheng Chenggong, Koxinga, Prince of Yanping [1624-1662]

Works Cited:

Dennerline, Jerry. "The Shun-chih Reign" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, part 1: To 1800.

"Records of Emperor Shizuzhang, Vol. 74" in Records of the Qing Dynasty [Qing Shilu].

Wakeman, Frederic Evans. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China.

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Bonus - Mongol 7: The Punishment of God

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 13:38:12 -0000

Genghis Khan leaves the Jin Empire's subjugation to his generals, and makes his way home to Mongolia... only to find that his 5 years of campaigning have left his homeland in a bit of a mess. Siberians in rebellion and old foes cropping up in new places are things he can deal with... but when an unfamiliar warmongering powerhouse to the far West picks a fight, the nearly 60-year-old Great Khan will unleash the wrath of the Eternal Heaven down upon them.

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#265 - Qing 10: Zeelandia Has Fallen

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:48:16 -0000

Koxinga takes Taiwan by storm, forcing the Dutch East India Company off the island for good, and heralding the dawn of Chinese rule over that overseas outpost.

Time Period Covered:

1661-1664 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Southern Ming Loyalists [Xiamen, Fujian]:

Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), Lord of the Imperial Surname [1624-1662]

Yang Ying, Court Revenue Officer & Recordkeeper

Dutch East India Co. (VOC) [Ft. Zeelandia, Taiwan]:

He Tingbin, Headman & translator

Cornelius Caesar [Governor, 1651-1656]

Frederick Coyett [Governor, 1656-1662]

Hermanus Clenk van Odesse [Governor-select, dispatched 1662]

Admiral Jan van der Laan

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#264 - Qing 9: Koxinga Attacks!

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 07:25:17 -0000

Between the Southern Ming warlord Zheng Chenggong in Fujian, and the Dutch East India Company across the Taiwan Strait in Ft. Zeelandia, a curious figure named He Tingbin serves as the two powers' sole line of communication and diplomacy. But He Tingbin has only one true master - himself. And in his drive to maximize his own gains (and minimize his risk of exposure) he will throw the entire cross-strait dialogue into chaos...

Time Period Covered:

1657-1661 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Southern Ming Loyalists [Xiamen, Fujian]:

Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), Lord of the Imperial Surname [1624-1662]

Yang Ying, Court Revenue Officer & Recordkeeper

Dutch East India Co. (VOC) [Ft. Zeelandia, Taiwan]:

He Tingbin, Headman & translator

Cornelius Caesar [Governor, 1651-1656]

Frederick Coyett [Governor, 1656-1662]

Hermanus Clenk van Odesse [Governor-select, dispatched 1662]

Admiral Jan van der Laan

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#263 - Qing 8: Lord of the Imperial Surname

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 10:03:01 -0000

As the Manchu armies of Great Qing press ever-southward, they put increasing pressure on Ming loyalists seeking either escape or additional lands to feed their war efforts. The warlord of Fujian, Zheng Chenggong, the Lord of the Imperial Surname, will begin eying the holdings of the Dutch East India Co. on Formosa as just such a target.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1639-1659 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga), Lord of the Imperial Surname [1624-1662]

VOC:

Christiaan Beyer, Ft. Zeelandia Surgeon-in-chief

Taiwanese:

Guo Huaiyi, rebel leader [d. 1652]

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Dagon

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 11:02:26 -0000

by H.P. Lovecraft

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#262 - Qing 7: Triple-Colonization

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 11:09:00 -0000

Though the Japanese bow out of the race for Taiwan with the establishment of the Sakoku "Closed Country" laws, the Spanish set up shot on the northern shore in an effort to stymie Dutch efforts at Ft. Zeelandia in the south. Of course you realize this means war. And surely the Chinese must be around here somewhere, right? Also, there will be rice... and sugar.

Time Period Covered:

~1630-1643 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Dutch East India Co./ Ft. Zeelandia:

Governor Hans Putmans

Iberian Union/Santissama Trinidad

/Manila:

King Philip II

Luis Perez Dasmariñas, Governor of Manila

Hurtado de Corcuera, Governor-General of the Philippines

Ming Dynasty:

Zheng Zhilong

Other:

Yan Siqi

Aboriginal Factions:

Taparri

Kimaurri

Mattau

Soulang

Baccluan

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#261 - Qing 6: Taiwan Incognita, Pt. 2

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 11:25:00 -0000

Events on the high seas and islands alike reach a fevered pitch as the Dutch, Japan, China, and Portugal all vie for profit and supremacy over Taiwan and its lucrative trade. Meanwhile - call them what you will (because it's hard to keep track - but the "independent merchants" or "pirate lords" ... sometimes even turned government agents keep looking to exploit every opportunity to enrich themselves while avoiding the noose.

Take what you can, give nothin' back!

Timeframe Covered:

ca. 1600-1639

Major Historical Figures:

Dutch East India Company/Batavia/Ft. Zeelandia:

Capt. Elie Ripon

Pieter Nuyts, Governor of Formosa [1598-1655]

Catholic Church:

Georgius Candidus [1597-1647]

Independent Traders/Pirates of Taiwan:

Salvador Diaz of Macau

Yan Siqi [d. ~1625]

Li Dan "Captain China" [d. ~1625]

Li Kuiqi ("Quitsicq")

Zhong Bin

Liu Xiang

Ming China:

Chen Di, Ming imperial official [1541-1617]

Xu Xinsu ("Simpsou"), merchant-contact

"Patrolling Admiral" Zheng Zhilong [1604-1661]

Shogunate Japan:

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, "The Great Unifier" [1537-1598]

Suetsugu Heizo Masanao, merchant-lord [1546-1630]

Suetsugu Heizo Masafusa, the scion

Taiwan Aboriginal Groups:

the Sinkan

the Mattau

Major Sources Cited:

Andrade, Tonio (2005). How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Sevententh Century.

Andrade, Tonio (2004). "The Company's Chinese Pirates: How the Dutch East India Company Tried to Lead a Coalition of Pirates to War against China, 1621-1662" in Journal of World History, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Dec., 2004).

Clements, Jonathan (2004). Coxinga and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Ripon, Elie [Leonard Blussé & Jaap de Moor, trans.] (2016). Captain Ripon’s Maritime Adventures in the East Indies: The Diary of a Mercenary Soldier, 1617-1627.

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#260 - Qing 5: Taiwan Incognita, Pt. 1

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:49:00 -0000

Pirates!

Headhunters!

Samurai!

The Dutch!

Every day's high-stakes adventure on the island everyone's totally ignored until the 1600s!

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Strange Tales VIII.5: The Cask of Amontillado

Sat, 28 Oct 2023 14:19:46 -0000

Nemo me impune lacessit.

In pace requiescat!

by: Edgar Allen Poe, 1846

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#259 - Qing 4: Dorgon's Domination, Death, & Downfall

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:24:25 -0000

Prince Regent Dorgon of Great Qing is riding high, at the height of his majesty, power, and untouchability. Why, he's even starting to think of himself as more of the ruler than the 6-year-old emperor who is his charge. Those are mighty fine wings you've got there, Icarus...

Time Period Covered:

1646-1651 CE

Major Historical Actors:

Qing:

The Shunzhi Emperor (Fulin) [r. 1663-1661]

Prince Dorgon, Regent of Great Qing [1612-1650]

Ajige, Prince Ying of the First Rank [1605-1651]

Dodo, Prince of Yu [1614-1649]

Bolo, Prince Duanzhong [1613-1652]

Hong Chengchou [1593-1665]

Jirgalang, Prince Zheng of the First Rank [1599-1655]

Haoge, Prince Su [1609-1648]

Mandahai, Prince Xunjian of the First Rank [1622-1652]

Gen. Tantai of the Plain Yellow Banner [1594-1651]

Gen. Wu Sangui, "Prince of Western Pacification" [1612-1678]

Southern Ming:

Zhu Yujian, Prince of Tang/Longwu Emperor [1602-1646]

Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, Regent of Great Ming [1618-1662]

General Zheng Hongkui [d. 1654]

Zheng Zhilong (Nicholas Iquan Gaspard), Marquis of Tong'an [1604-1661]

Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) [1624-1662]

Other Rebel Forces:

Zhang Xianzhong, "Emperor of Xi" [r.1644-1647]

Jin Shenghuan [d. 1649]

Mi-la-yin [d. 1650]

Major Works Cited:

Dennerline, Jerry. "The Shun-chih Reign" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part One: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800.

Struve, Lynn A. "The Southern Ming, 1644-1662" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7 The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, part I.

Wakeman, Frederic. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China.

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#258 - Strange Tales VIII: Beyond the Veil

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:53:13 -0000

A panoply of season spookiness for your yearly, ear-ly shocks and delights!

0:00:44 - "The Secrets of Hanlin Academy" - Old haunts have many mysteries contained within, some best left alone...

0:04:55 - "Meat Vegetables" - You are what you eat...

0:08:30 - "The Appearance of the Sha" - Sometimes they come back...

0:16:10 - "What Qi Becomes" - ... And sometimes they want more than what you're willing to give...

0:21:02 - "That Which Remains" - Justice is swiftly forgotten; injustice frequently lasts beyond the grave...

0:25:05 - "A Conversation With a Friend About the End of Things" - What do we leave behind?

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Special - Mid-Autumn Festival: Fly Me to The Moon

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:33:04 -0000

A brief history of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the tale of Hou Yi the Archer & the Ten Suns, and Chang'e & the Moon

Fill my heart with song, and let me sing forever more

You are all I long for, all I worship and adore

Sources:

Barlett, Scarlett. The Mythology Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Tales.

Masaka, Mori. “Restoring the ‘Epic of Hou Yi’” in Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 52, no. 5.

Yang, Lihui, Demin An, and Jessica Anderson Turner. Handbook of Chinese Mythology.

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#257 - Qing 3: Lose Your Hair, Or Lose Your Head

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 13:54:00 -0000

Manchu occupation of the lands south of the Yangtze River proceed smoothly... right up until Prince Dorgon is convinced by some of his advisors that everyone needs a haircut.

Within Southern Ming, multiple princes vie for power - such as it it - at pretty much the worst possible time to be having a throne-fight.

Time Period Covered:

1645-1646 CE

Major Historical Actors:

Qing:

Prince Dorgon, Regent of Great Qing [1612-1650]

Dodo, Prince of Yu [1614-1649]

Bolo, Prince Duanzhong [1613-1652]

Hong Chengchou [1593-1665]

Southern Ming:

Zhu Yujian, Prince of Tang/Longwu Emperor [1602-1646]

Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, Regent of Great Ming [1618-1662]

General Zheng Hongkui [d. 1654]

Zheng Zhilong (Nicholas Iquan Gaspard), Marquis of Tong'an [1604-1661]

Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) [1624-1662]

Major Works Cited:

Dennerline, Jerry. "The Shun-chih Reiegn" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part One: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800

Struve, Lynn A. "The Southern Ming, 1644-1662" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7 The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, part I.

Wakeman, Frederic. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China.

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#256 - Qing 2: Greeted As Liberators

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:26:06 -0000

Beijing has been brutally captured, with the Ming emperor committing suicide rather than face the bandit army of Li Zicheng. However, before he can get comfortable, the full might of the Qing are on their way to "liberate" the Chinese empire from, well, the Chinese. What follows is as chaotic as it is lightning swift, as the Manchu hordes, chase the fleeing remnants of the fallen Ming court south to what they pray will be a refuge: Nanjing.

Time Period Covered:

Apr. 1644- Nov. 1645

Major Historical Figures:

Qing:

The Shunzhi Emperor (Aisin Gyoro Fulin) [r. 1643-1661]

Dorgon, Prince Ruizhong [1612-1650]

Ajige, Prince Ying [1605-1651]

Dodo, Prince Yu [1614-1649]

Prime Minister Fan Wencheng [1597-1666]

Ming:

The Chongzhen Emperor [r. 1627-1644]

General Wu Sangui [1612-1678]

General Hong Chengchou [1593-1665]

General Zuo Liangyu [1599-1645]

General Shi Kefa [1601-1645]

Bandit:

Li Zicheng [d. 1644]

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Bonus - Mongol 6: Agent of Chaos

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 08:23:00 -0000

It's been a hot summer, and a long break for me! Let's get back into things with a little extra Mongol action...

“The imperial city was ripped open … Zhongdu was not one but four cities. We took each of them in turn, methodically killing and razing everything that dared stand upright under Tenggeri. The palaces and gardens of the King of Gold [Jin] were ransacked, revealing such riches that the tribute paid three seasons before by the Jin emperor now seem derisory and humiliating.

“A whole moon was needed to collect the bodies and count them. And the city burned for another moon still, creating such a stench that even the scavengers kept away.”

- Jöchi, ca. 1215

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#255 - Ming 39: It's the End of the World As We Know It

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 10:19:18 -0000

For the once-great Ming, the 1630s... suck. Manchus are battering down the creaky northern defenses, foreign silver has dried up, the treasuries are empty, famine, plague and locust swarms are ripping through the populace, and bandit warlords are causing a ruckus in the west... with an increasing eye on the capital itself.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1638-1644 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Ming:

The Chongzhen Emperor (Zhu Youjian) [r. 1627-1644]

Xiong Wencan, Supreme Commander of Bandit Pacification [d. 1639]

General Yang Sichang [d. 1641]

General Sun Chuanting [d. 1643]

General Wu Sangui [1616-1678]

Great Qing:

Hong Taiji [1592-1643]

Prince Abatai [1589-1646]

Prince Dorgon [1612-1650]

Rebels/Bandits:

Li Zicheng, "The Dashing King" [1606-1645]

Zhang Xiangzhong, "The Yellow Tiger" [1606-1647]

Major Sources Cited:

Atwell, William. "The T'ai-ch'ang, T'ian-ch'i, and Ch'ung-chen reigns" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Brook, Timothy. The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

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05/35: Tiananmen Revisited

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 11:12:00 -0000

What does the aftermath of a massacre entail, on the world stage?

CIA Memo 6/10/89 - Begins: 2:25

US Beijing Embassy Cable 7/11/89 - Begins: 6:05

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Rebroadcast: 6/4: UK Cable on Tiananmen Square Massacre

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 11:11:35 -0000

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Bonus - Mongol 5: The Shaman

Sun, 28 May 2023 12:51:43 -0000

We're releasing one from the paid vaults to share with everyone! (Don't worry, there's still plenty more exclusive Mongol content)... consider heading on over to Patreon.com/thehistoryofchina to support the show and catch up with all things steppe-rider!

Genghis Khan rules the steppe. Yet before he'll be able to expand beyond its vast, rolling expanse, he'll have to deal with several in-house issues, particularly the ambitions of a powerful shaman named Teb Tengri, who may have designed on Genghis' power and position...

Time Period Covered: 1206-1209CE

Major Historical Figures:

Borjigin:

Genghis Khan (Temujin)

Börte, Temujin's First Wife

Ho'elun, Temujin's Mother

Khasar, Temujin's Second Brother

Temuge Otchigin, Prince of the Hearth, Temujin's Youngest Brother

Chaga, Temujin's 11th Wife

Mongol:

Kokhchu Teb Tengri, Shaman

Monglik

Jurchen Jin:

Emperor Zhangzong of Jin

Wanyan Yongji, Prince Shao of Wei

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#254 - Qing 1: Build Me An Army Worthy of Manchu

Sun, 21 May 2023 06:01:25 -0000

As the newly enthroned Khan of the Manchus, Hong Taiji has a lot of plates to keep spinning. Conquest of Joseon Korea to the east, conquest of the Chahar Mongols to the west, and continuing to pound against the ever-weakening Ming Dynasty to the south. But he still has time for aesthetic considerations, such as the fact that names like "Jurchen" and "Jin" are so passé, while names like "Manchu" and "Qing" are the new hotness.

Time Period Covered:

1626-1643 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing:

Hong Taiji (Emperor Taizong of Qing) [r. 1626-1643]

Prince Amin [1585-1640]

Prince Haoge [1609-1648]

Prince Dorgon [1612-1650]

Prince Fulin (The Shunzi Emperor) [r. 1643-1661]

Ming:

Gen. Mao Wenlong [1576-1629]

Gen. Yuan Chonghuan [1584-1630]

Gen. Zu Dashou [d. 1656]

Gen. Hong Chenchou [1593-1665]

Gen. Wu Sangui [1612-1678]

Joseon:

King Injo [r. 1623-1649]

Northern Yuan:

Ligdan Khan [r. 1603-1634]

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#253 - Ming 38: Manchus, and Pirates, and Rebels, Oh My!

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 07:09:48 -0000

The Chongzhen Emperor takes command of the Ming, but things are not going well... and they're not going to get any better. After purging his government of partisan elements, he find he's now condemned it to hopeless deadlock. Along the southern coasts, pirate fleets and Dutch privateers prowl the water, making trade all but impossible. Economic and currency woes lead, combined with repeated natural catastrophes lead to widespread banditry and rebel factions doing what they must to survive... and through it all, the Manchu threat to the north continue to press its advantage, breaking through the Great Wall, and going so far as to raid around Beijing itself!

Time Period Covered:

1628-1636

Major Historical Figures:

Ming Empire:

The Chongzhen Emperor (Zhu Yujian) [r. 1628-1644]

General Yuan Conghuan [1584-1630]

Zheng Zhilong, Admiral of the South Seas [1604-1661]

Grand Secretary Wen Tiren [1584-1639]

Qing Dynasty:

Hong Taiji (Emperor Taizong of Qing) [r. 1626-1643]

Amin [1585-1640]

Commander Kong Youde [d. 1562]

Geng Zhongming [1604-1649]

Rebels:

Li Zicheng [1606-1649]

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#252 - Ming 37: The Donglin Debacle

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 15:28:15 -0000

Great Ming's 15th emperor steps up to bat at the tender age of 15, but he's not terribly interested in tackling the challenges facing the empire. He'd rather sit in his room and... build models. As if that weren't enough, things go from already-bad to even-worse when a certain eunuch with a mountain of a chip on his shoulder manages to wrangle the reins of power from the teenage monarch.

Time Period Covered:

1620-1627 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Tianqi Emperor (Zhu Youjiao) [r. 1620-1627]

Exalted Duke Wei Zhongxian [1568-1627]

Madame Ke [1605-1627]

Minister of War Cui Chengxiu [1571-1627]

Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao [1559-1627]

Minister Liu Zongzhou [1578-1645]

Vice Censor-in-Chief Yang Lian [1572-1625]

Xu Hengru, White Lotus rebel leader [d. 1623]

The Chongzhen Emperor (Zhu Yujian) [r. 1627-1644]

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Special: History Daily - The Storm That Saved Japan

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:43:11 -0000

WE today join the host of The History Daily Podcast, Lindsay Graham, as he recounts the harrowing 1281 invasion of Japan by the fearsome combined force of Mongols, Chinese, and Koreans. All seems lost for the archipelagic kingdom... until a most unusual wind begins to blow...

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#251 - Ming 36: The Final Showdown

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 10:50:41 -0000

Please take a few minutes to help out the show by taking the Airwave listener survey! Thank you in advance!

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We revisit the pivotal Battle of Sarhu of 1619/20, but this time from the Ming perspective. Then we'll finally send the Wanli Emperor into his tomb and take stock of his reign and legacy, before getting into our final few emperors Great Ming has left in the tank.

Time Period Covered:

1619-1621 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yujin) [r. 1572-1620]

The Taichang Emperor (Zhu Changluo) [r. 1620-1620]

The Tianqi Emperor (Zhu Youjiao) [r. 1620-1627]

Consort Li

Supreme Commander Yang Hao [d. 1629]

General Du Song, "The Madman" [d. 1619]

General Ma Lin [d. 1619]

General Li Rubo [d. 1621]

General Liu Ting [d. 1619]

Manchu/Later Jin:

Nurhachi [r. 1616-1626]

Amba Beile Daisan [1583-1648]

Hong Taiji [1592-1643]

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#250 - Ming 35: Nurhachi, Part 2

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 15:43:41 -0000

With Manchuria all but tapped out, Nurhachi and his Manchus seek to expand in the only direction that makes any sense - south into Ming territory. It's time for the Airing of Grievances! He's got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're gonna hear about it!!

Time Period Covered:

~1618-1626 CE

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#249 - Ming 34: Nurhachi, Part 1

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:21:00 -0000

Please help support the show by taking this quick survey! Thanks very much!

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In the frigid wilds beyond the Great Wall, a young warrior will begin a grand campaign to establish himself as the sovereign of All Under Heaven, and overthrow an ancient rival.

Time Period Covered:

1559-1619 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Wanli Emperor

General Li Chengliang

Aisin-Gioro/Later Jin/Manchu:

Nurhachi, Heavenly Mandated Khan of Jin [1559-1626]

Giocangga [d. 1582]

Surhaci [d. 1611]

Cuyen [d. 1615]

Hong Taiji

Nikan Wilan

Dragon-Tiger General Meggebulu

Check out the French History Podcast by Dr. Gary Girod:

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#248 - Ming 33: Dragon Head, Snake Tail

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 14:40:00 -0000

Ming China gets down and dirty with a Miao Rebellion the the Southwest, a Mongol(-ish) urprising in the Northwest, and a newly re-unified Japan gettin just a little too big for their britches in Korea.

Time Period Covered: 1587-1600 CE

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#247 - Ming 32: State On the Wane

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 14:29:00 -0000

As Ming China enters the 16th century, the Wanli Emperor, his ministers, a new canal, Portuguese & Spanish explorers, the usual gaggle of Chinese neighbors, the Philippines, the Christian Church, The White Lotus, and - of course - the Jesuits all start becoming one another problems...

Time Period Covered:

~1600-1617 CE

Major Historical Figures:

MING:

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yizhun) [r. 1572-1620]

Li Zhi, persecuted Neo-Confucian philosopher [1527–1602]

Li Rusong, Ming Commander in Chief [d. 1598]

Wang Yangming, Master of the "School of the Mind" [1472–1529]

Wang Zhicai, politician & assaultee [d. 16??]

Zhang Zha, the "Attack With the Club" Intruder [d. 1617]

OTHERS:

Limahong (Lin Feng), Pirate Leader out of Manila [1499-1574]

Wang Wang Gao, Ming Captian/Spanish Liason [15??]

Fr. Martin de Rada [1533-1578]

Nurhaci, Mysterious Aisin Gyoro Leader [1559- 1626]

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#246 - 2022 Retrospective/Archive: The Mathematician of Heaven

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 10:07:00 -0000

First a brief lookback on the crazy, nutso year that was 2022, as our intrepid host deals with an unfortunate year-end bout of COVID... Then, a reach deep into the archives for an oldie, but goodie from a few centuries ago...

This short episode covers the life of one of the great mathematicians, astronomers, and engineers of ancient China: Zu Chongzhi. In his life from 429-500 CE, he will re-create an ancient precursor to the compass that had been lost for centuries, calculate the motions of the celestial objects with a degree of accuracy in excess of 99.9%, design a comprehensive new calendar system, and derive the value of π to a degree of accuracy that would not be surpassed the world over for another millennium.

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#245 - Ming 31: Event Horizon

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:09:30 -0000

Being the most powerful person in the empire must be nothing but the good life, right? Well... not so much. And especially with the truly dysfunctional Ming system facing the newly-adult Wanli Emperor, it's a system that promises all the perks, but delivers only drudgery, frustration, and disappointment. Not even 5,000 concubines can make up for that...

Time Period Covered:

1582-1600 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yizhun) [r. 1572-1620]

Empress Xiaoduan (Wang Xijie) [1564-1620]

Noble Consort Wang [1565-1611]

Prince Zhu Changluo, "First Imperial Son" [1582-1620]

Noble Consort Zheng [1565-1630]

Prince Zhu Changxun, "Third Imperial Son" [1586-1641]

Grand Secretary Zhang Zhuzheng [d. 1582]

Major Sources Cited:

Duhalde, Marcelo. “Life inside the Forbidden City: how women were selected for service” in South China Morning Post (July 12, 2018).

Huang, Ray. 1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline.

Huang, Ray. “The L’ung-ch’ing and Wan’li Reigns, 1567-1620” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Toshima, Yoriko [Su Chung]. Court Dishes in China.

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China Lockdown Update - 11/27/22: The Winter of Our Discontent

Sun, 27 Nov 2022 03:14:57 -0000

Protests erupt across Chinese cities in perhaps the largest demonstration of public outcry in more than 30 years. Today, we look at some of the major reasons why.

[WARNING: Disturbing Content - audio clips of deadly fire, protests, clashes with police]

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#244 - Ming 30: A Last Luminous Gloaming

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 10:16:00 -0000

At 29, the weak and ineffectual Longqing Emperor take the Dragon Throne in 1567. But it won't be long before the curse of the House of Zhu strikes him down, leaving Great Ming to his 9-year-old son, Wanli. That means - of course - the government is in the hands of the court ministers and its all-powerful Grand Secretary, the ruthlessly conniving Zhang Juzheng.

Time Period Covered:

1567-1582 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Longqing Emperor (Zhu Zaihou) [r. 1567-1572]

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yijun) [r. 1567-1620]

Grand Secretary Xu Jie [1503-1583]

Grand Secretary Gao Gong [1513-1578]

Senior Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng [1525-1582]

Sources Cited:

Huang, Ray. 1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty In Decline.

Huang, Ray. “Lung-ch’ing and Wan-li Reigns” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1.

Melvin, Shelia. “China’s Reluctant Emperor” in The New York Times (11/07/2011).

Miller, H. State Versus Gentry In Late Ming Dynasty China, 1572-1644.

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#243 - Ming 29: Ahh, Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal!

Sat, 05 Nov 2022 08:28:00 -0000

Great Ming has a pirate problem on its hands. Unable to effectively suppress it militarily, the officials in charge turn to wheeling and dealing to get the seabooters to give up their outlaw ways. But when the Jiajing Emperor starts sticking his nose in to such affairs from way up in Beijing, suddenly all bets are off...

Time Period Covered:

1549-1567 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Jiajing Emperor (Zhu Houcong) [r. 1521-1567]

Grand Chancellor Yan Song [1480-1567]

Nanjing Minister of War Zhang Jing [d. 1555]

Censor Zhao Wenhua [d. 1557]

Censor Hu Zongxian [1512-1565]

Commander Yu Dayou [1512-1579]

Commander Qi Zhiguang [1528-1588]

Pirates:

Wang Zhi, CEO of the High Seas [d. 1559]

Captain Xu Hai [d. 1556]

Lord Shimazi of Osumi Province

Works Cited:

Andrade, Tonio and Xing Hang. “Introduction: The East Asian Maritime Realm in Global History: 1500-1700” in Sea Rovers, Silver, and Samurai: Maritime East Asia in Global History, 1500-1700.

Chin, James K. “Merchants, Smugglers, and Pirates: Multinational Clandestine Trade on the South China Coast, 1520-50” in Elusive pirates, pervasive smugglers: violence and clandestine trade in the Greater China Seas.

Geiss, James. “The Chia-ching reign, 1522-1566” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Laver, Michael. “Neither Here nor There: Trade, Piracy, and the ‘Space Between’ in Early Modern East Asia” in Sea Rovers, Silver, and Samurai: Maritime East Asia in Global History, 1500-1700.

Petrucci, Maria Grazia. “Pirates, Gunpowder, and Christianity in Late Sixteenth-Century Japan” in Elusive pirates, pervasive smugglers: violence and clandestine trade in the Greater China Seas.

Wills, John E. “Maritime China from Wang Chih to Shih Lang: Themes In Peripheral History” in From Ming to Ch’ing: Conquest, Region, and Continuity in Seventeenth-Century China.

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Strange Tales VII.2 - The Facts In the Case of M. Valdemar

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 03:47:00 -0000

A man of science and his subject conduct one final experiment in an attempt to stave off death itself...

by. Edgar Allen Poe

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Shanghai Lockdown Update - 10/14/2022 - "The Banner Man vs. The Ban Hammer"

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 09:37:44 -0000

As I am once again locked in at home, things are getting rather touchy on a bridge in Beijing, as well as online, threatening to spoil the Party's Big Party...

All due credit to Samuel Wade for excellent episode name idea

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#242 - Strange Tales VII: The Lighter Side of the Other Side

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 05:21:00 -0000

Not all ghosts are scary! Some just want to be loved... some just want to write poems...

1:10 - Twenty Years a Dream

20:33 - A Fox Spirit Takes Off the Mask

25:32 - The Fire That Burst Into Flames Far From Where It was Set

29:08 - Yellow Leaf

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Strange Tales VII.1: The Cremation of Sam McGee

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 06:20:00 -0000

The Cremation of Sam McGee

By: Robert W. Service (1907)

There are strange things done in the Midnight Sun

By the men who moil for gold.

The Arctic trails have their secret tales

That would make your blood run cold...

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Update: Network Change - Airwave

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 02:52:00 -0000

Someone has to be there to switch the projectors at the exact moment that one reel ends and the next one begins. If you look for it, you can see these little dots come into the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

In the industry, we call 'em "cigarette burns."

That's the cure for a changeover. He flips the projector, the movie keeps right on going, and nobody in the audience has any idea.

In which THoC begins a glorious partnership with Airwave Media.

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#241 - Ming 28: Wokou! Wokou! A Pirate's Life For Me!

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 12:48:00 -0000

We're rascals and scoundrels, we're villains and knaves.

We're devils and black sheep, we're really bad eggs.

We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads,

Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,

Stand up me hearties, yo ho!

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1521-1550 CE

Sources Cited:

Andrade, Tonio and Xing Hang. “Introduction: The East Asian Maritime Realm in Global History: 1500-1700” in Sea Rovers, Silver, and Samurai: Maritime East Asia in Global History, 1500-1700.

Geiss, James. “The Chia-ching reign, 1522-1566” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Petrucci, Maria Grazia. “Pirates, Gunpowder, and Christianity in Late Sixteenth-Century Japan” in Elusive pirates, pervasive smugglers: violence and clandestine trade in the Greater China Seas.

Wills, John E. “Maritime China from Wang Chih to Shih Lang: Themes In Peripheral History” in From Ming to Ch’ing: Conquest, Region, and Continuity in Seventeenth-Century China.

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Special - Mid-Autumn: Fly Me to the Moon

Sat, 10 Sep 2022 09:33:00 -0000

A brief history of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the tale of Hou Yi the Archer & the Ten Suns, and Chang'e & the Moon

In other words, please be true

In other words, I love you.

Sources:

Barlett, Scarlett. The Mythology Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Tales.

Masaka, Mori. “Restoring the ‘Epic of Hou Yi’” in Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 52, no. 5.

Yang, Lihui, Demin An, and Jessica Anderson Turner. Handbook of Chinese Mythology.

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#240 - Ming 27: The Solecism of Power

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 13:15:00 -0000

The Jiajing Emperor rounds out the back-half of his interminably long reign by hiding away in his personal palace, and only occasionally coming out to tell everyone what a terrible job they're all doing. The Mongols seize on Ming weakness to basically do whatever they want, and the Ming respond by turtling even harder and building more walls. Without a imperial guiding hand, the ministers are left to their own devices... with predictably selfish and myopic results.

Time Period Covered:

1550-1567 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming Empire:

The Jiajing Emperor (Zhu Houcong) [r. 1521-1567]

Gen. Qiu Ruan [d. 1552]

Grand Secretary Xia Yan [1482-1548]

Grand Secretary Yan Song [1480-1567]

Grand Secretary Xu Jie [1512-1578]

Mongolia:

Altan Khan [1507-1582]

Prince Toghto

Major Works Cited:

Bacon, Francis. “Of empire” in The essays of Francis Bacon (1908).

Geiss, James. “The Chia-ching reign, 1522-1566,” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

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Shanghai Update (09/01/22): Lockdown Eternal

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 13:57:00 -0000

Let the state be small and the people few:

So that the people…

fearing death, will be reluctant to move great distances

and, even if they have boats and carts, will not use them.

So that the people…

Will find their food sweet and their clothes beautiful,

will be content with where they live and happy in their customs.

Though adjoining states be within sight of one another

and cocks crowing and dogs barking in one can be heard in the next,

yet the people of one state will grow old and die without having had any dealings with those of another.

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#239 - Ming 26: Red Lead Prescription

Sat, 20 Aug 2022 07:54:00 -0000

The Jianwen Emperor plays shell-games with his dad's spirit tablet, decides Confucius has had it too good for too long, gets gross in his pursuit for immortality, and tries breath-play with his concubines... oh yes, and fire. So, so much fire.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1524-1547 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Jiajing Emperor (Zhu Houcong) [r. 1521-1567]

Empress Dowager Zhang [r. 1505-1541]

Empress Chen [r. 1522-1528]

Empress Zhang [r. 1529-1534]

Empress Fang [r. 1534-1547]

Confucius [551-479 BCE]

Minister Xia Yan

Minister Huo Tao

Major Sources Cited:

Works Cited:

Geiss, James. “The Chia-ching reign, 1522-1566,” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Huang, Weibo. “The palace rebellion of ‘Renyin’ and the Jiajing Emperor’s belief in alchemy” in Xiang Chao.

McMahon, Keith. Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing.

Zhang, Tingyu. History of Ming, Vol. 114, Historical Biography 2, Empresses and Concubines 2.

Zhang, Yongchang. “The ‘Renyin’ palace rebellion: palace women sacrifice themselves” in Quanzhou Wenxue.

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#238 - Yuan 19.1: She-Wolf & Cub

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 15:26:00 -0000

ca. 1470-1480 CE

Under the tutelage of his queen Mandukhai, Dayan Khan grows from helpless boy to leader of men, learning along the way that vengeance is a dish best served cold.

Part 1 of 2 (whole version available at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchina):

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#237 - Yuan 18: Mandukhai, Warrior Princess

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 16:14:00 -0000

The widow-queen of the Mongols, Mandukhai, seizes the reins of her own fate, entreating the spirits of sky and earth to help her in her quest to reunite her broken people and return sovereignty and glory to Mongolia. Oh, and she also marries a 7-year-old, which is a little strange, but makes sense in context.

Time Period Covered:

1470~1480 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mandukhai Khatun [ca. 1449-1510]

Dayan Khan (Batu Mongke) [1462-1543?]

Gen. Une-Bolod [?-?]

Ismayil Taishi [d. 1486]

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#236 - Yuan 17: The Golden Prince & The Warrior Queen

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:49:00 -0000

In the chaos that grips the steppes in the mid 15th century, anarchy reins. Though there are though who call themselves khans, they were merely figureheads controlled by their own prime ministers, the taishis. The once mighty Borjigin Clan has been bled nearly dry, and usurpers are over every hill crest.

Into this world of destruction and disarray, two children are born on opposite sides of the vast Gobi. The first is one of the last members of the House of Borjigin, a boy called Bayan Möngke, who will in time become the heir to the office of Great Khan of the Mongols. The other a girl of seemingly little significance, Mandukhai, who will be given to the sitting Khan in marriage as his second queen.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1448~1478 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Northern Yuan:

Beg-Arslan Taishi

Ismayil Taishi

Manduul Khan, "The Old Khan" [ca. 1438-1478]

Bayan Möngke Jinong, "The Golden Prince" [ca. 145?-147?]

Yeke Qabar-tu Khatun, "Big Nose" [14??-14??]

Mandukhai Khatun [ca. 1448-1510]

General Une-Bolod [14??-14??]

Siker [144?-14??]

Boroghchin [ca. 14??-147?]

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Special: A Song of Yiti & China - The History of Westeros/History of China Mash-up!

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 10:44:00 -0000

Aziz, Ashaya, Sean, and myself have a ball discussing all the things GRRM took - and didn't - from Chinese history when he "created" the mysterious empire of Yi-Ti!

I had an absolute ball, and I hope you will, too!!

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Rebroadcast: 6/4: UK Cable on Tiananmen Square Massacre

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:24:00 -0000

It isn't over, not really

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#235 - Ming 25: Some Light Treason

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 12:47:00 -0000

Great Ming is having some problems with its border troops who think orders are actually "suggestions." The Jiajing Emperor is having some problems with his ministers being self-serving twits. Meanwhile, there's some strange happenings going on beyond the wild frontiers...

Time Period Covered:

~1510-1540 CE

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上海 Lockdown Update - Day 43/04: You Can Check Out Any Time You Like

Fri, 13 May 2022 15:43:00 -0000

05/13/2022

"Relax," said the night man,

"We are programmed to receive."

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#234 - Ming 24: The Grand Rites Controversy

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 14:31:00 -0000

With the Zhengde Emperor dead without an heir, the succession is in question and rebellion brewing. Fortunately, Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe has planned for this and calls in his backup - the 13-year-old Prince of Xing, Zhengde's younger cousin. He'll come to power as the Jiajing Emperor... but Secretary Yang will very quickly find out that, though young, Jiajing is a spitfire who's here to play the game, not be played.

Time Period Covered:

1519-1524 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Zhu Houcong (The Jiajing Emperor) [r. 1521-1567]

Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe [1459-1529]

Empress Dowager Zhang [1471-1541]

Lady/Empress Dowager Jiang

Major Works Cited:

Geiss, James. “The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.”

Legge, James. The Chinese Classics, Vol. III.

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Shanghai Total Lockdown Update, Day 15/04 :《This Content Not Available》

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 16:13:00 -0000

Day 15 of 4: An overview of individual accounts of the unfolding Covid lockdown situation in Shanghai, the siege-mentality that has set in, and the struggles of day to day existence both on- and offline in a city cut off from the rest of the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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#233 - Ming 23: General Zhu Shou's Ultimate Party Yacht River Cruise

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 17:07:00 -0000

There's trouble brewing in the south. A minor prince with delusions of grandeur gets a bit too big for his britches. Portuguese Pirates plunder peninsular ports before coming to call on Canton. This sounds like a job for the great General Zhu Shou, Heroic Defender of the Realm and Ultimate Party-Boat Enjoyer.

Time Period Covered:

~1514-1521 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Zhengde Emperor (Zhu Houzhao) [r. 1505-1521]

The Prince of Ning (Zhu Chenhao) [1477-1520]

Jiang Bin

Qian Ning [d. 1520]

Grand Secretary Fei Heng

Sun Sui, Governor of Jiangxi [d. 1519]

General Wang Yangming [1472-1529]

General Zhu Shou, Heroic Defender of the Realm, Duke of Zhenguo [?? -??]

Tomé Pires, Portuguese explorer and ambassador [c. 1465-1524? or 40?]

Major Works Cited:

Brook, Timothy. The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

Geiss, James. “The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.”

Keevak, Michael. Becoming Yellow: A Short History of Racial Thinking.

Pires, Tomé, Armando Cortesão & Francisco Rodrigues. The Suma oriental of Tome Pires; and account of the East, from the Red Sea to China, written in Malacca and India in 1512-1515; and, The book of Franciso Rodrigues: Pilot-Major of the armada that discovered Banda and the Moluccas: rutter of a voyage in the red sea, nautical rules, almanack, vol. 1.

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#232.5 (185 Mk. 2): Back to the Medicine Shoppe (De Materia Medica Rebroadcast+ 2022 Update))

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:39:00 -0000

A new update with all the new craziness 2 years on before we once again step into Ye Olde Chinese Medicine Shoppe for the tour...

Traditional Chinese Medicine – as its name duly implies – has been a part of China for at least 2,500 years. But what does it mean? Where does it come from? How does it work? And does it have a place it modern society?

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#232 - Ming 21: Animal House

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 16:56:00 -0000

The Zhengde Emperor decides that being the divine sovereign is *boring* and that being a cool war-hero would be way cooler... and... it goes weirdly better than expected. Also, he gives himself a cool nickname, and makes everyone call him that.

Time Period Covered:

1510-1518 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Zhengde Emperor (Zhu Houzhao) [r. 1505-1521]

Jiang Bin

Qian Ning

Liu Yun, Eunuch Commander

General Zhu Shou, Heroic Defender of the Realm [?? -??]

Tibet

The Prince of Rin-Sprungs [r. 1512-1544]

Mongols:

Dayan Khan (Batu Möngke) [r. 1479-1517]

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#231 - Ming 20: Liu Jin & the Eight Tigers

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 17:21:00 -0000

The adolescent Zhengde Emperor sits the throne, but everyone in the know knows that it is the eunuch-lord Liu Jin who truly controls Great Ming. Not everyone's exactly thrilled with this situation, and they're gonna get Liu Jin got... or die trying.

Time Period Covered:

1506-1510 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Zhengde Emperor (Zhu Houzhao) [r. 1506-1521]

Liu Jin, Director of the Ceremonial [1451-1510]

The Prince of Anhua (Zhu Zhifan) [d. 1510]

Commander Qiu Yue

General Yan Yiqing

Inspector-in-Chief Zhang Yong

Major Works Cited:

Bourgon, Jérôme, Muriel Detrie, & Regis Poulet."Execution in Canton" in Chinese Torture – Supplices Chinois.

Brook, Timothy. The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

Geiss, James. “The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.”

Meadows, Thomas Taylor. The Chinese and Their Rebellions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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#230 - Ming 19: A Futile & Stupid Barrier

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:27:00 -0000

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Great Ming decides that it's going to (re-)(re-)Build a Great, Great, Great Wall...and MAKE THE MONGOLS PAY FOR IT!*

(*claim disputed by Mongolia)

Major Work Cited:

Fairbanks, John King. China: A New History, 2nd Edition.

Mote, Frederick W. “The Ch’eng-hua and Hung-chih Reigns, 1465-1505” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, Part I.

Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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#229 - Ming 18: The Raven Himself Is Hoarse

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 17:54:00 -0000

After a very rocky start in life, the Chenghua Emperor takes the throne, only to be endlessly shoved around by overbearing mother, manipulative and murderous consorts, and conniving, terrorizing eunuchs. What else would one really expect for a guy with the personality of a west dishrag?

Time Period Covered:

1464-1487 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Chenghua Emperor (Zhu Jianshen) [r. 1464-1487]

The Hongzhi Emperor (Zhu Youcheng) [1470-1505]

Noble Consort Wan Zheng'er [1430-1487]

Empress Wang

Empress Wu

Empress Dowager Zhou

Empress Dowager Qian

Grand Secretary Li Xian

Lady Zhi Tangmei

Eunuch Zhang Min

Spymaster Wang Zhi

Notable Works Cited:

Mote, Frederick W. “The Ch’eng-hua and Hung-chih Reigns, 1465-1505” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, Part I.

Li Shizhen. Bencao Ganmu (The Compendium of Materia Medica)

Tsai, Shi-shan Henry. The Eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty.

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#228 - Special: 8th Anniversary Q&A

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 15:32:00 -0000

What the only thing better than 8 years on the podwaves? 8 years & 10,000,000 downloads, THAT'S WHAT!!

In this episode we talk about what the definition of "is" is, Zen masters, *yet more farming history!,* when I plan to shut up, me reading poetry in Mandarin... & then the same poem in *reconstructed Old Chinese from 2k+ yrs ago*, and divination, which includes Nazis, Princess Mononoke, pigs & fish, and fictions within fictions with fictions at the heart of the truth!

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#227 - Ming 17: The Cao Qin Rebellion

Sun, 28 Nov 2021 06:54:00 -0000

Emperor Yingzong is back on his throne thanks to the conspirators loyal to him. Only they turn out to be not so much loyal to "him," as they are to the idea that they should have more and more power. It all culminates with yet another coup d'etat..真讨厌...

Time Period Covered:

1457-1464 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Yingzong (Zhu Qizhen) [r. 1435-1449, 1457-1464]

Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen [b. 1448]

Yu Qian, Minister of War [d. 1457]

Xu Yuzhen, Earl of Wugong [?]

Shi Heng, Duke of Zhongguo [d. 1459]

Cao Zhixiang, Director of Ceremonies [d. 1461]

Grand Secretary Li Xian

Imperial Guard Commander Lu Gao [d. 1461]

General Cao Qin [d. 1461]

General Shi Biao [?]

General Sun Tang

General Ma Ang

General Wu Jin

General Wu Cong

Commander Ma Liang

Commissioner Wanzhe Tuliang

Vice Commissioner-in-Chief Esen Temur

Works Cited:

Qi, Dongfang. “Funerary Perception and Ritual Institution of Imperial Tang” in Kaogu Xuebao (tr. Lee Yun-kuen).

Robinson, David M. “Politics, Force and Ethnicity in Ming China: Mongols and the Abortive Coup of 1461” in The Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 59, No. 1.

Stutton, Donald S. “Death Rites and Chinese Culture: Standardization and Variation in Ming and Qing Times” in Modern China, Vol. 33, No. 1.

Twitchett, Denis & Tilemann Grimm. "The Cheng-t'ung, Ching-t'ai, and T'ien-shun reigns, 1436-1464" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth.

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#226 – Ming 16: Forcing the Palace Gate

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 16:24:00 -0000

Following the events at the Tumu Fort, Emperor Yingzong takes an unscheduled sabbatical in Mongolia, the Mongol warlord Esen Taishi attempts to return something lost for a price, Beijing battens down the hatches in preparation for Genghis Khan come anew, and brotherly love reaches its breaking point.

Time Period Covered:

1449-1457 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming Dynasty:

Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong) [r. Zhengtong Era: 1435-1449, Tianshun Era: 1457-1464]

Zhu Qiyu (the Jingtai Emperor) [r. 1449-1457]

Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen [b. 1447]

Crown Prince Zhu Jianzhi [1448-1453]

Minister Xu Yuzhen

Xing An, Head Imperial Eunuch

Yu Qian, Minister of War [1398-1457]

Northern Yuan/Oirat Mongols:

Esen Taishi [1407-1455, (r. as Khaghan of N. Yuan, 1453-1455)]

Toghto Bukha (Taisun Khaghan) [r. 1433-1453]

Xi Ning, turncoat eunuch [d. 1450]

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#225 - Special - Strange Tales VI: Notes From the Shadow Book

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 11:31:00 -0000

Our annual creepy charcuterie of 4 strange stories from all across Qing China, collected by Ji Yun from Beijing all the way to Urumqi.

Today, we have 4 tales to send shivers down your spine:

1) "Professional Notes on the Jiangshi & Other Revenants" (begins @ 2:50)

2) "Checkpoints" (begins @ 19:44)

3) "Yeti Stones" (begins @ 28:43)

4) "Visitors From Beyond" (begins @ 34:37)

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# 225.2 - Special - Strange Tales VI.2: The Thing On the Doorstep

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 03:25:00 -0000

"There are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths, and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through. When that happens, the man who knows must strike before reckoning the consequences."

By: H.P. Lovecraft

Read By: Chris Stewart

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#225.1 - Special - Strange Tales VI.1: Nyarlathotep

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 12:12:00 -0000

Nyarlathotep . . . the crawling chaos . . . I am the last . . . I will tell the audient void. . . .

Written By: H.P. Lovecraft

Read By: Chris Stewart

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#224 - Ming 15: The Tumu Fiasco

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 12:32:00 -0000

A child sits the throne of Great Ming, which goes surprisingly alright… at least for a while. But when the old guard of the imperial regency starts dying off, a combination of naive youthful exuberance and pure political ambition from the power behind the throne will throw everything into chaos on the plains north of Beijing.

Time Period Covered:

1435-1449 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Ming:

Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong, the Zhengtong/Tianshun Emperor) [r. 1335-1449, 1457-1464]

Grand Empress Dowager Chen [d. 1442]

Wang Zhen, Eunuch Lord [d. 1449]

Mongol Tribes:

Esen, Taishi of the Oirat [d. 1455]

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#223 - Ming 14: Maybe The Real Treasure Was The Friends We Made Along The Way

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 12:33:00 -0000

While dying emperors, shifting policies, and vindictive princes keep the capital busy, Admiral Zheng He will manage to sneak in on last joy-ride into the sunset aboard his beloved Treasure Fleet...

Time Period Covered:

1424-1435 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Hongxi Emperor (Zhu Gaochi) [r. 1424-1425]

The Xuande Emperor (Zhu Zhanji) [r. 1425-1435]

Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han [1380-1426]

Zhu Gaosui, the Prince of Zhao [1383-1431]

Grand Admiral Zheng He [1371-1433]

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#222 - Ming 13: Trouble In Paradise

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 05:17:00 -0000

Zheng He's Treasure Fleet finally arrives on the African coast, and the Yongle Emperor celebrates the apex of his reign with the grand opening of Beijing and the Forbidden City. But dark clouds continue to build, but in the emperor's aged, troubled mind, and literally on the horizon... a storm is coming...

Time Period Covered:

1416-1424 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424]

The Noble Consort Zhaoxian, née Wang [d. ca. 1420]

Grand Admiral Zheng He [1371-1435]

Mirza Sharukh, Sultan of the Timurid Dynasty [r. 1405-1447]

Major Works Cited:

Chan, Hok-lam. “The Yung-lo reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Pt. I.

Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433.

Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433.

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#221 - Mongol 18: Goliath's Fall

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:35:00 -0000

Having laid waste to the once glorious city of Baghdad, Hulegu Ilkhan now sets his sights east of the Euphrates, to the fertile lands of Syria and Egypt beyond. But what's to follow will set of a momentous clash in Galilee, at a spring called Ain Jalut, that will shake the very fundaments of history...

Time Period Covered:

1258-1260 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Empire:

Mongke Khaghan

Khubilai Ilkhan

Ariq Boke

Ilkhanate:

Hulegu Ilkhan

General Baiju

General Kitbuqa

Ayyubid Dynasty:

al-Muzzam Turanshah

al-Malik al-Nasir Yusuf

al-Aziz

al-Zayn al-Hafizi

Mamluks:

Saif ad-Din Qutuz

Baybars al Bunduqdari, "The Great Lord Panther"

European Christendom:

King Louis IX of France

Bohemond V of Antioch

Bohemond VI of Antioch

King Hethum I of Cilicia

Major Sources Cited:

Amitai, Reuven. Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk Ilkhanate War, 1260-1281.

Amitai, Reuven. “An Exchange of Letters in Arabic Between Abakha Ilkhan and Sultan Baybars (A.H. 667/A.D. 1268-69)” in Central Asiatic Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1.

Gillespie, Alexander. Causes of War, Volume II: 1000 CE to 1400 CE.

Grousset, René. Empire of the Steppes: A history of Central Asia.

Subani, Hamad. The Secret History of Iran.

Richard, Jean. The Crusades, C.1071-1291.

Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, Volume 3, The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades.

Tschanz, David W. “History’s Hinge: ‘Ain Jalut” in Saudi Aramco World.

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#220 - Ming 12: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Gift Them

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:51:00 -0000

The treasure Fleet goes on missions 2-4, resulting in increasingly strange, valuable, and even divine gifts being presented to Great Ming.

Time Period Covered:

1407-1415 CE

Major Historical Figures

Ming:

Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424]

Admiral Zheng He [1371-1435]

Commodore Yang Min

Ma Huan, translator & chronicler [1380-1460]

Kingdom of Malacca:

King Parameswara [r. 1402-1414]

Major Works Cited:

Chan, Hok-lam. “The Yung-lo reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Pt. I.

Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433.

Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Kéramos” in Keramos and Other Poems: A Book of Sonnets, Part II.

U.N. Museum. “Nanjing pagoda – Seven wonders of the medieval world.” www.unmuseum.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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#219 - Intelligent Speech 2021: Escaping the Mongols (Or at Least Trying!)

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 05:13:00 -0000

A live retelling (wart & all) of Genghis Khan's invasion of Khwarazmia ca. 1221, and the doomed flight of all who stood against his wrath... followed by a Q&A. From the 2021 Intelligent Speech Conference!

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The Sea Shanty of Zheng He

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 13:48:00 -0000

There once was a fleet that put to sea

All in name of the Imperial Ming

With phoenix sterns, & dragon prows

Oh go, my baochuan, go!

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

Commanded by an admiral

So tall he seem unnatural

His voice rang out like temple bell

To get those treasures stowed

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

They sailed the southern seas so vast

They’d catch the wind with all nine masts

Astrologers would watch the skies

From Champa to Guangzhou

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

But on wave-crest a Pirate Lord

He spied the fleet and greedily roared

“Make ready all your cannon shot,

We’ll take all their cargo!”

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

Through flame and smoke they battled on

Til in a flash a month was gone

The Pirate Lord would taste defeat

His ships sunk deep below

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

At last they came to Indian shores

In search of spice and jewels and more

The deal was struck, with solemn vow

To pay all that was owed

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

But homeward bound the skies grew dim

The winds did howl, their fate seemed grim

The sailors prayed, “Help us, Tianfei!”

The masts began to glow

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

The Goddess heard their earnest pleas

She stilled the waves & calmed the breeze

The sailors gave their sober thanks

She’s spared them from their woe

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor

To bring ceramics & silk galore

One day, when the trading is done

They’ll take our spice & go

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#218 - Ming 11: Soon May the Treasure Fleet Come

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 16:57:00 -0000

Zheng He & Co. have left the station and are sailing out! They leave the safety of the Yangtze River and set their compasses southbound and down, first to Fujian, then to Vietnam, Java, Sri Lanka, and finally all the way to India, all in the name of trade and riches. But the return journey will turn out to be anything but a pleasure-cruise. Between pirate raiders adn deadly storms, they might need a miracle to pull this off...

Time Period Covered:

1405-1407 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Grand Admiral Zheng He [1371-1433/5]

Chen Zuyi, Pirate Lord Extraordinaire [d. 1407]

Ma Huan, Chinese Muslim translator & chronicler [1380-1460]

Major Sources Cited:

Chan, Hok-lam. “The Chien-wen, Yung-lo, Hung-xi, Hsüan-te Reigns” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433.

Pregadio, Fabrizio (2004). The Encyclopedia of Taoism.

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05/35: Tiananmen Revisited

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 13:29:00 -0000

What does the aftermath of a massacre entail, on the world stage?

CIA Memo 6/10/89 - Begins: 2:25

US Beijing Embassy Cable 7/11/89 - Begins: 6:05

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Rebroadcast: 6/4 UK Cable on the Tiananmen Square Massacre

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 13:21:00 -0000

In this darkest of timelines, flickers of remembrance are more precious than ever...

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#217 - Ming 10: I'm On A Boat!

Mon, 31 May 2021 17:12:00 -0000

The Yongle Emperor decides it's time for Great Ming to bust out its swim trunks and its flippy-floppies... because he's going to make the biggest, bestest oceanic fleet of awesomesauce that the world has ever seen! And put in command is his trusted, tried-and-true battle-buddy: the Grand Admiral Zheng He!

Time Period Covered:

1371-1405 CE

Significant Historical Figures:

The Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424]

Grand Admiral Zheng He (né Ma He) [1371-1433]

Tianfei, the Goddess of the Sea and Patron Protector of Sailors [eternal]

Sources Cited:

Chan, Hok-lam. “The Chien-wen, Yung-lo, Hung-xi, Hsüan-te Reigns” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Levathes, Louise. The China Ruled the Seas:The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433.

Paterson, Erik T. “James Lind, Zheng He and the Prevention of Scurvy” in The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 20, No. 4.

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#216.2 - Special: Wonders of the World Interview, Pt. 2 - The Forbidden City

Sun, 23 May 2021 12:20:00 -0000

We're back with Part 2 of my conversation with Caroline Vahrenkamp of The Wonders of the World Podcast, this tie all about the little city that Yongle built mostly to show his dead dad up - Beijing, and at its heart, the city-within-the-city, the Imperial Purple Palace - The Forbidden City!

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#216 - Special: Interview with Caroline Vahrenkamp of The Wonders of the World Podcast, Pt. 1

Mon, 17 May 2021 12:29:00 -0000

Part 1 of my interview with Caroline Vahrenkamp of "The Wonders of the World Podcast" all about Beijing and it's meteoric rise as (the once and future) capital of China in the early Ming Dynasty!

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#215 - Ming 9: The Good Times Are Killing Me

Sun, 09 May 2021 09:46:00 -0000

The Yongle Emperor decides to build a new capital. It goes well!

He also decides to invade both Mongolia and Vietnam. It goes not so well.

Time Period:

1402-1424 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424]

General Zhang Fu [1375-1449]

Gen. Mu Sheng [1368-1439]

Mongol Khanates:

Bunyashiri of the Eastern Tribes [d. 1412]

Mahmud of the Oirat [d. 1416]

Arughtai of the Oirat [d. 1434]

Dai Viet:

Ho Qui Ly [1336- ca. 1407]

Tran Thien-binh [d. 1406]

Tran Nguy [?-?]

Tran Qui-khoang (Trung Quang Emperor) [d. 1414]

Le Loi [1384-1433]

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#214 - History's Most: "History's Worst Civil War," with Alexander Clifford & Peter Daisley

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 09:52:00 -0000

A great conversation with Alex & Peter of "History's Most" about the worst civil war many have *still* never heard of - the Taiping Rebellion!

Check out their great show at:

https://historysmost.libsyn.com/

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#213 - Ming 8: Oh, Happy Days!

Sun, 11 Apr 2021 16:22:00 -0000

The Yongle Emperor has taken command... and we're in for a really, really, really great time....

Time Period Covered: 1402-1424 CE

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#212 - Ming 7: The Incredible Vanishing Emperor!

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 09:20:00 -0000

The civil war between the Jianwen Emperor and his uncle, the Prince of Yan, rages on across the realm. Both sides will feel the terror and pain of the fearsome realities combat... but in the end, only one will be left standing.

Time Period Covered:

1399-1402 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Jianwen Emperor (Zhu Yunwen) [r. 1398-1402]

Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan [1360-1424]

Minister Huang Zicheng [1350-1402]

Minister Qi Tai [d. 1402]

Minister Fang Xiaoru [1357-1402]

General Geng Bingwen [1334-1403]

General Li Jinglong [1369-1424]

Major Works Cited:

Andrade, Tonio. “How Yongle learned to stop worrying and love the gun” in The Ming World.

Chan, Hok-lam. “The Chien-wen, Yung-lo, Hung-hsi, and Hsüan-te Reigns, 1399-1435” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1633, Part I.

Ditmanson, Peter. “Venerating the Martyrs of the 1402 Usurpation: History and Memory in the Mid and late Ming Dynasty” in T’oung Pao, Second Series, Vol. 93.

Ditmanson, Peter. “Fang Xiaoru: Moralistic Politics in the Early Ming” in The Human Tradition in Premodern China.

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#211 - Ming 6: The Jingnan Rebellion

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 04:54:00 -0000

In the wake of the Hongwu Emperor's death, his grandson - Zhu Yunwen - will assume command. He's been brought up and trained in the highest of Confucian ethics and morals, and will seek to curb the excesses of his dear grandfather's... more bloodthirsty policies. But not everyone is thrilled at the new leaf being turned in the book of the regime... especially those who stand to lose much more than they could possibly gain.

Time Period Covered:

1398-1399 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Jianwen Emperor (Zhu Yunwen) [r. 1398-1402]

Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan [1360-1424]

Minister Huang Zicheng [1350-1402]

Minister Qi Tai [d. 1402]

Minister Fang Xiaoru [1357-1402]

General Geng Bingwen [1334-1403]

General Li Jinglong [1369-1424]

Major Works Cited:

Andrade, Tonio. “How Yongle learned to stop worrying and love the gun” in The Ming World.

Chan, Hok-lam. “The Chien-wen, Yung-lo, Hung-hsi, and Hsüan-te Reigns, 1399-1435” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1633, Part I.

Ditmanson, Peter. “Venerating the Martyrs of the 1402 Usurpation: History and Memory in the Mid and late Ming Dynasty” in T’oung Pao, Second Series, Vol. 93.

Ditmanson, Peter. “Fang Xiaoru: Moralistic Politics in the Early Ming” in The Human Tradition in Premodern China.

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#210 - Ming 5: The Problem With Princes

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 13:45:00 -0000

The Hongwu Emperor enters the twilight of his life. But before he's ready to ride off into that long sunset, he's going to take a hell of a lot more people with him...

Time Period:

1387-1398 CE

Major Historical FIgures:

The Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang) [r. 1368-1398]

Crown Prince Zhu Biao [1355-1392]

Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen (The Jianwen Emperor) [1377-1402]

Zhu Shuang, the Prince of Qin [1356-1395]

Zhu Gang, the Prince of Jin [1358-1398]

Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan [1360-1424]

Zhu Su, the Prince of Zhou [1361-1425]

General Fu Youde [1327-1394]

General Feng Sheng [d. 1395]

Major Sources:

Langlois, John D., Jr. “The Hung-Wu-Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 13698-1644m Part I.

Robinson, David M. In the Shadow of the Mongol Empire: Ming China and Eurasia.

Sun, Bing. “The burial system of imperial concubines in the Ming Dynasty and the ‘ancestral system’ of the Ming Dynasty.”

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#209-Mongol 17.1: Rivers of Ink & Blood

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 04:26:00 -0000

(NOTE: This is Pt. 1 or 2. The Full Episode & all other bonus content is available via Patreon.com/thehistoryofchina)

Mongke has ascended as the Great Khan of the Mongols and set loose his younger brother, Hulegu Ilkhan to bring the Islamic world to heel. The Caliph of the Abbasid Dynasty, al-Mustasim, sits ensconced in his citadel city of Baghdad - the jewel of Islam - and believes that Allah above and his loyal subjects beneath will be more than a match for barbarian hordes.

He's about to learn a lesson neither he - nor the world - will ever forget...

Time Period Covered:

1258-1259 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Empire:

Hülegü Ilkhan [ca. 1215-1265]

General Kitbukha [d. 1260]

General Baiju [1201-1260]

Abbasid Caliphate:

al-Musta’sim-Billah Abu-Ahmad Abdullah bin al-Mustansir

Billah, 37th Caliph [1213-1258]

Governor Shahab al Din Sulaiman shah [d. 1258]

Vizier Ibn al Alkami [1197-1258]

Major Sources Cited:

Al-Din, Rashid. Jami al Tararikh (Compendium of Histories).

Al-Din, Rashid (tr. John Andrew Boyle). The Successors of Genghis Khan.

Chugtai, Mizra Azeem Baig. “The Fall of Baghdad” in The Annal of Urdu Studies.

Daftary, Farhad. The Isma’ilis: Their History and Doctrines.

Hillenbrand, Robert. “Propaganda in the Mongol ‘World History’” in British Academy Review, issue 17 (March 2011).

Hodgson, M. G. S. “The Isma’ili State” in The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods.

Jamal, Nadia Eboo. Surviving the Mongols: Nizari Quhistani and the Continuity of Ismaili Tradition in Persia.

Marozzi, Justin. Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood.

Paris, Matthew of (tr. John Allen Giles). Chronica Majora (Matthew Paris’s English History From the Year 1235 to 1273, Volume 1).

Saunders, J.J. The History of the Mongol Conquests.

van Ruysbroeck, Willem (tr. W. W. Rockhill & Peter Jackson). The journey of William of Rubruck to the eastern parts of the world, 1253-55, as narrated by himself, with two accounts of the earlier journey of John of Pian del Carpine.

Wiet, Gaston. Baghdad: Metropolis of the Abbasid Caliphate.

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#208 - Ming 4: To Pick at the Dragon's Scales

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 08:10:00 -0000

To both the north and south, the armies of Great Ming continue to achieve order from chaos and stability across the realm, in the imperial palace at Nanjing, the Hongwu Emperor sits the Dragon Throne - as mercurial and temperamental as its very namesake... and woe betide anyone who stokes the dragon's wrath. Still, in the name of greater peace (and fewer mass slaughters), many a brave (and often fatally foolish)scholar will tempt fate by trying to tell Hongwu what he's doing wrong.

Time Period Covered:

1379-1389 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang) [r.1368-1398]

Duke Li Wenzhong [d. 1384]

General Fu Youde [d. 1394]

General Feng Sheng [?]

General Lan Yu [d. 1393]

General Mu Ying [d. 1392]

Scholar Chen Wenhui [d. 1381]

Scholar Li Shilu [d. 1381]

Scholar Xie Jin [1369-1415]

Yuan/Yunnanese:

Toghus Temür Khan [d. 1388]

Basalawarmi, the Prince of Liang [d. 1382]

General Naghachu [d. 1388]

Si Lunfa, Chieftain of Shan [d. 1386?]

Major Works Cited:

Crossley, Pamela Kyle, et al. Empire at the Margins: Culture, Ethnicity and Frontier in Early Modern China.

Dillon, Michael. China’s Muslim Hui Community: Migration, Settlements and Sects.

Langlois, John D., Jr. “The Hung-Wu-Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 13698-1644m Part I.

Tsai, Shi-shan Henry. The Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty.g.

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#207 - Mongol 16: Assassin's Creed

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 13:44:00 -0000

Following the destruction of the Khwarazmian Empire in 1221, the Mongol Empire's appetite for conquest to the west is whetted. It will take a few Great Khans to kick it off, but with the accession of Möngke to the throne in 1251, the way will be laid bare - to be led by his brother Hülegü Khan.

The only thing standing between him and the beating heart of Islam is a ragged band of heretics scattered across the mountain fortresses of northern Persia - a group known as the Nizari Isma'ili... or more infamously: the Assassins.

Time Period Covered:

765-1257 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Empire:

Möngke Khaghan [r. 1251-1259]

Hülegü Ilkhan [r. 1251-1265]

General Ket-Buqa (Noyan) [d. 1260]

Nizari Isma'ili:

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq [702-765]

Hassan-i Sabbah [1050-1124]

Imam Jalal al-Din Hassan [1187-1221]

Imam Ala al-Din Muhammad III [1211-1255]

Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah [1230-1256]

Other:

Brother Matthew of Paris [1200-1259]

Friar William of Rubruck [1220-1293]

Ata-Malik Juvayni [1226-1283]

Rashid al-Din Hamadani [1247-1318]

Major Sources Cited:

Al-Din, Rashid (tr. John Andrew Boyle). The Successors of Genghis Khan.

Daftary, Farhad. The Isma’ilis: Their History and Doctrines.

Hillenbrand, Robert. “Propaganda in the Mongol ‘World History’” in British Academy Review, issue 17 (March 2011).

Hodgson, M. G. S. “The Isma’ili State” in The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods.

Jamal, Nadia Eboo. Surviving the Mongols: Nizari Quhistani and the Continuity of Ismaili Tradition in Persia.

Marozzi, Justin. Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood.

Paris, Matthew of (tr. John Allen Giles). Chronica Majora (Matthew Paris’s English History From the Year 1235 to 1273, Volume 1).

Saunders, J.J. The History of the Mongol Conquests.

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#206 - Ming 3: I Think I'm Paranoid

Sat, 26 Dec 2020 03:45:00 -0000

The founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor... has got a bit of a trust problem. It starts with him getting upset that his officials are "cutting corners" when it comes to official counts of tribute payments & the stamped documents verifying them. But it quickly spirals into full-blown paranoia that absolutely everyone is out to get them, and the only was he knows how to confront this problem is by getting all of his "enemies" first.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1373-1382 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang) [r. 1368-1398]

Crown Prince Zhu Biao [1355-1392]

Zhu Shuang, Prince Min of Qin [1356-1395]

Zhu Gang, Prince Gong of Jin [1358-1398]

Zhu Di, Prince of Yan [1360-1424]

Chancellor Hu Weiyong [d. 1380]

Gao Qi [1334-1374]

Prefect Ye Boju [d. 1376]

Academician Zheng Shili [d. 1376]

Sources Cited:

Brook, Timothy. The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China.

Langlois, John D., Jr. “The Hung-Wu-Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 13698-1644m Part I.

Laozi. Dao De Jing.

Luo, Yuming. A Concise History of Chinese Literature.

Strassberg, Richard E. Inscribed Landscapes: Travel Writing from Imperial China.

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#205 - Hangzhou: A City by the Bay

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 08:37:00 -0000

You might not be able to go on a real holiday - but today we take a little audio trip to the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang... famed across the millennia for its beautiful bay, canals, and the famous West Lake.

This is no ordinary tourist get-away, though, because we'll be skipping across time, looking at the highlights of its early history.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 5,000 BCE- ca. 960 CE

Major Sources:

Cotterell, Arthur. The Imperial Capitals of China – An Inside View of the Celestial Empire.

Giles, Lionel (tr.) Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.

Loewe, Michael and Edward L. Shaughnessey. The Cambridge History of Ancient China.

Mote, F.W. Imperial China.(900-1800).

Rossabi, Morris. China Among Equals: the Middle Kingdom and its Neighbors, 10th-14th centuries.

Schmidt, J. D. Within the Human Realm: The Poetry of Huang Zunxian, 1848-1905.

Yan, Zi. Famous Temples in China.

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#204 - Ming 2: Winning Was Easy, Young Ming, Governing Is Harder

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 09:55:00 -0000

The Hongwu Emperor officially accedes to the throne as the founding ruler of Great Ming, to as much pomp and circumstance as his ministers can possibly pack in to the ceremony. After the parties are all done and the sacrifices all made, however, the real work of governing an empire that has been ravaged for centuries begins… and not everyone is happy about having a new sovereign sitting atop the dragon throne.

Time Period Covered:

1367-1373 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Ming:

The Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang) [r. 1368-1398]

Empress Xiaocigao (née Ma Xuying) [1332-1382]

Zhu Biao, Crown Prince [1355-1392]

Zhu Shuang, Prince of Qin [1356-1395]

Zhu Gang, Prince of Jin [1358-1398]

Zhu Di, Prince of Yan [1360-1424]

Tao Kai, Minister of Rites

General Xu Da [1332-1385]

General Deng Yu

General Fu Youde [1327-1394]

Ambassador Zhao Zhi

Xia Kingdom (Sichuan):

Emperor Ming Yuzhen [r. 1360-1366]

Emperor Ming Sheng [r. 1366-1371]

Nanchō Japan:

Prince Kaneyoshi, the Chinzei Shogun [c. 1329-1383]

Monk Sorai

Major Works Cited:

Chan, Hok-Lam. “Ming Taizu’s Problem With his Sons: Prince Qin’s Criminality and Early Ming Politics” in Asia Major, Third Series, Vol. 20, No. 1 (2007).

Langlois, John D. “The Hung-wu Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1.

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#203 - Yuan 16: The White Hare's Curse

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 08:04:00 -0000

"The list of their disasters was much lengthened [...] and whenever they tried to force a way into the borders of the empire, they were beaten back. They were once more confined to the great desert, whence they originally sprang.”

“Although I am a woman, I have avenged the vengeance of my husband. When I die, there will be no regret.”

Time Period Covered:

1368~1399 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Yuan/ Northern Yuan:

Toghon Temür (Emperor Shun) [r. 1333-1368, 1368-1369]

Ayurshiridara (Biligtü Khan) [r. 1370-1378]

Prince Maidiribala [1338-1378]

General Köke Temür [1330-1375]

Elbeg Khan [r. 1393-1399]

Oljeitu Khatun [d. ~1399]

Ming:

Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) [r. 1368-1399]

Xu Da, "Barbarian-Conquering Generalissimo" [1332-1385]

General Li Wenzhong [1339-1383]

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#202.5 - Bonus: Strange Tales V.5: The Masque of the Red Death

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 11:53:00 -0000

You are invited to a very exclusive party. Everyone who's anyone will be there, dressed to the nines. You're sure to have the time of your life, and won't even know where the time's gone...

Story by: Edgar Allen Poe

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#202 - Special: Strange Tales V

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 13:10:00 -0000

The chill of autumn is in the air once again, which can only mean one thing! It’s time for more tales to terrorize & titillate, baffle & bemuse… it’s time to once again venture into the studio of Pu Songling and listen to his strange tales. So gather round the light of the fire… or the iPhone… and get ready for seven strange stories of sly foxes, flights of fancy, monstrous appetites, unusual encounters, otherworldly lessons, tricky traders, and enchanting apparitions...

00:58: The Half-Fox Girl

10:55: The Painted Wall

18:27: The Monster In the Buckwheat

21:48: The Girl From Nanjing

25:45: A Most Exemplary Monk

28:07: Stealing a Peach

33:38: The Hungry Bride

36:07: The Magic Sword & the Magic Bag

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#201 - Ming 1: Overflowing Martial Accomplishment

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 05:20:00 -0000

How does a peasant, orphan, son of a farmer

in the Black Death, made a monk in the middle of a forgotten spot

In central Anhui by providence impoverished

In squalor, grow up to be a rebel hero, then a monarch?

Time Period Covered:

1364-1368 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) [r. 1368-1398]

General Xu Da [1332-1385]

General Chang Yuchun [1330-1369]

Commander Li Wenzhong [1338-1384]

Yuan:

Emperor Toghon Temür [r. 1333-1368, 1368-1370]

Crown Prince Ayushiridara [1340-1378]

General Chaghan Temür [d. 1362]

General Köke Temür [1330-1375]

General Bolod Temür [d. 1364]

Wu:

Zhang Shicheng (King of Dazhou) [r. 1354-1367]

General Li Bosheng

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#200 - Special: Di Er Bai Ji!

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 07:48:00 -0000

It's our 200th(ish) episode!

And so we take to the listeners to answer some of their burning questions about... Daoist gods... Islam in China... The Mandate of Heaven... sacrifices! ... the political expedience of murdering Mongol ambassadors... The Duke ... the names of emperors... technology transfers ... Korean empresses... and more!

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#199 - Yuan 15: On the Waterfront

Sun, 30 Aug 2020 16:40:00 -0000

You don't understand! Chen Youliang coulda had class! He coulda been a contender! He coulda been somebody... instead of a bum, which is what he is after the fiasco on the waters of Lake Poyang. Let's face it.

Time Period Covered:

1360-1363 CE

Major Historical Figures:

State of Ming:

Zhu Yuanzhang

Commander Hua Yun [d. 1360]

Han Lin'er, "Emperor of Song"

General Kang Maocai

General Xu Da

General Hu Dahai [d. 1361]

General Shao Rong [d. 1361]

State of Han:

Emperor Chen Youliang [r. 1360-1363]

General Chen Yuren

Xu Shouhui, "Emperor" of Tianwan [d. 1360]

State of Wu:

Zhang Shicheng

Yuan Dynasty:

Emperor Toghon Temur

Prince Chaghan Temur [d. 1361]

Köke Temur (Wang Baobao)

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#198 - Mongol 15.1: The Toluid Revolution

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:28:00 -0000

When Ögedei dies in late 1241, the empire must choose a successor before it can move forward. In spite of the late Khan determining in advance that it should be his grandson, his empress has other ideas - namely, installing her own irascible son, Güyük, instead. This raises more than a few eyebrows, especially from the Lord of the Golden Horde (and Güyük's personal nemesis) Batu Khan. He'll spend then next 5 years doing absolutely everything in his power to prevent Güyüks' enthronement. And so, when Güyük is finally installed... is it any surprise that he'll seek to get even on his hated cousin? Their looking showdown on the fields of Dzungaria will set the stage for a truly unpredictable series of events, that will leave the Mongol Empire altered forever...

(NOTE: This is Part 1 of a Bonus Episode! Get the rest, and all other bonus content by subscribing via patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

1242-1254 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Empire:

Temuge Otchigin, Genghis Khan's youngest brother, Prince of the Hearth [1168-1246]

House Ögedei:

*Ögedei Khaghan [r. 1232-1241]

Toregene Khatun [r. 1242-1246]

Güyük Khaghan [r. 1246-1248]

Oghul Khaimish Khatun [r. 1248-1251]

Prince Shiremun [d. 1251]

Prince Khodan [d. 1246]

Lady Fatima [d. 1246]

House Tolui:

*Tolui Otchigin [1191-1232]

Sorkhakhtani Beki [1190-1252]

Möngke Khaghan [r. 1251-1259]

Prince Khubilai

Prince Hulagu

Prince Ariq Boke

General Menggesar, Noyan Companion of Mongke

House Jochi:

*Jochi [c. 1182-1225]

Batu, Khan of the Golden Horde [1205-1255]

Major Sources Cited:

De Nicola, Bruno. “Regents and Empresses: Women’s Rule In the Mongols’ World Empire” in Women in Mongol Iran: The Khatuns, 1206-1335.
Hamadani, Rashid-al-Din. Compendium of Chronicles. Dowson, John (tr.)
Juvaini, Ata-Malik. History of the World Conqueror. (tr. John Andrew Boyle).
Kim, Hodong. “A Reappraisal of Güyüg Khan” in Mongols, Turks, and Others: Eurasian Nomand and the Sedentary World.
Man, John. Kublai Khan: The Mongol King Who Remade China.
McLynn, Frank. Genghis Khan: This Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy.
Onon, Urgunge (tr.). The Secret History of the Mongols: The Life and Times of Chinggis Khan.
Rockhill, William Woodville (tr.). The journey of William of Rubruck to the eastern parts of the world, 1253-55, as narrated by himself, with two accounts of the earlier journey of John of Pian de Carpine.
Rossabi, Morris. “The Reigns of Ogodei and Guyug” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 6: Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368.
Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.

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#197 - Yuan 14: Battle Royale

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 12:44:00 -0000

As Guard-Captain of the Red Turbans, Zhu Yuanzhang sets his sights on the jewel of the southlands: Nanjing. Once that's in his grasp, he'll truly join the ranks of the top-tier warlords of the era... but when you've elbowed you way up to the head table, don't be surprised if those you bump up against take exception to you shoving them aside...

Time Period Covered:

1355-1360 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Yuan Dynasty:

Emperor Toghon Temur (Huizong/Shundi) [r. 1333-1368, 1368-1370]

General Shimo Yisun [d. 1360]

Red Turban:

Emperor of Song, Han Lin'er, the Little Lord of Light [r. 1351-1367]

Guo Zixing [d. 1355]

Ming:

Guard-Captain Zhu Yuanzhang, "Outstanding Hero" [1328-1398]

General Xu Da [1332-1385]

General Chang Yüchen

General Hu Dahai [d. 1362]

Minister Song Lian [1310-1381]

Han:

King Chen Youliang [1320-1363]

Wu:

Zhang Shicheng, the "Heaven Blessed" King, Salt-Smuggler Extraordinaire [1321-1367]

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#196 - Special: ReConsidering China with Xander Snyder & Eric Fogg

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 08:55:00 -0000

My long-lost conversation with the hosts of the excellent ReConsider Podcast, Xander and Eric... now *finally* delivered to you!

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#195 - Yuan 13: The Lords of Light

Sat, 11 Jul 2020 10:44:00 -0000

As the cataclysmic decade of the 1340s rolls in to the 1350s a planned rerouting of the Yellow River will trigger a massive uprising by what the Yuan authorities call the Red Turban Rebels. But who are they really? What do they believe? Why are they fighting? And how do they tie in with the eventual overthrow of the Mongols from their hegemony over China?

Major Historical Figures:

Maitreya Buddha, Successor to Gautama Buddha [???]

Mani the Last, Prophet of Manichaeism [ca. 216-277 CE]

Red Turbans:

Peng Yingyu, Buddhist Monk, "Father" of the Red Turbans [d. ca. 1348-1358]

Northern:

Han Shantong, Lord of Light [d. 1351]

Han Lin'er, the Young Lord of Light [1340-1367]

General Liu Futong (AKA "Liu Fangshi") [1321-1363]

Guo Zixing, Leader of Red Turban Army, Lord of Haozhou [d. 1355]

Zhu Yuanzhang, Buddhist mendicant monk, Guard Commander of the Red Turbans [1328-1398]

Southern:

Xu Shouhui, cloth-merchant, Emperor of Tianwan Kingdom, Maitreya Incarnate [1320-1360]

Qing Dynasty:

Huang Yupian, Qing Dynasty Magistrate and White Lotus Hunter [mid-19th century]

Major Sources Cited:

Brook, Timothy. The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China.

Buckley Ebrey, Patricia and Anne Walthall. Pre-Modern East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Volume I.

Chao, Wei-pang. “Secret Religious Societies in North China in the Ming Dynasty” in Folklore Studies, Vol. 7.

Farmer, Edward L. Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society following the Era of Mongol Rule.

Flower, Theresa. “Millenarian Themes of the White Lotus Society.”

Hung, Hing Ming. From the Mongols to the Ming Dynasty: How a Begging Monk Became Emperor of China, Zhu Yuan Zhang.

Lin, Wushu. “A Study On Equivalent Names of Manichaeism in Chinese” in Popular Religion and Shamanism.

Lin, Wushu. Manichaeism and its Dissemination in the East.

Ma, Xisha. “The Syncretism of Maitreyan Belief and Manichaeism in Chinese History” in Popular Religion and Shamanism.

Mote, Frederick W. Imperial China: 900-1800.

Mote, Frederick W. “The Rise of the Ming Dynasty, 1330-1367” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty.

Overmeier, Daniel L. “Folk-Buddhist Religion: Creation and Eschatology in Medieval China” in History of Religions, Vol. 12, No. 1.

Shek, Richard. “Religious Dissenters in Ming-Qing China” in Religion and the Early Modern State: Views from China, Russia, and the West.

Tan, Chung. Across the Himalayan Gap: An Indian Quest for Understanding China.

Ter Haar, B.J. The White Lotus Teachings in Chinese Religious History.

Wang, Kristen. “Scandalous Tales Behind Nanjing’s 70 Ancient Names” in The Nanjinger, 07/04/2019.

Waterson, James. Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars, 1209-1370.

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#194 - Intelligent Speech: Hidden Narratives from the Middle Kingdom

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 03:37:07 -0000

My presentation to the 2020 Intelligent Speech Convention, on Women, Minorities, and reading between the bamboo scrolls of history to find the hidden stories. Also with a Q&A session after.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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#193 - Yuan 12:Blue Sky, Red Turban, White Lotus, Black Death

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 09:53:00 -0000

As Toghon Temur - the eleventh and final Great Khan of the Yuan, takes the throne - the dam holding back the near century of bad decisions back begins to buckle. Things are not helps by a dramatic climate shift, or the outbreak of one of the worst pandemics in human history, either... can we really blame the apocalyptic cults that spring up for thinking it's the end of the world?

Time Period Covered:

1333~1344 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Toghon Temur Khaghan [r. 1333-1368, 1370]

Grand Chancellor Bayan Ba'atur of the Merkid [1280-1340]

Zhu Yuanzhang [1328-1398]

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Rebroadcast: 6/4 - UK Cable on the Tiananmen Square Massacre

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 01:46:00 -0000

31 years later,

To forget is to risk it all happening anew...

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#192 - Mongol 14.1: There & Back Again

Wed, 20 May 2020 03:39:00 -0000

In the aftermath of the Golden Horde's devastating strike into Eastern Europe, Christendom reels. As apocalyptic as the assaults were, the great enemy's sudden and inexplicable evaporation offers no comfort, and only more questions.

In order to get some answers, the Holy See will dispatch an unlikely candidate to make his way across the whole of Eurasia in an attempt to first find, and then meet with, the King of the Tartars - whoever, and wherever he may be...

Time Period Covered:

1245-1247 CE

Major Historical Figures:

European Christendom:

Pope Innocent IV [r. 1243-1254]

Friar Giovanni da Pian del Carpine (John of Plano Carpini) [ca. 1185-1252]

Friar Benedict of Poland [ca. 1200-ca. 1280]

Friar Stephen of Bohemia

Konrad I, High Duke of Krakow [ca. 1187-1247]

Prince Daniel Romanovich of Galacia [1201-1264]

Grand Prince Vasilko (Basil) Romanovich of Kiev [1203-1269]

Grand Prince Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich of Vladimir [1191-1246]

Mongol Empire:

Guyük Khaghan [r. 1246-1248]

Toregene Khatun [r. 1241-1246]

Batu Khan of the Golden Horde [ca. 1205-1255]

Grand Secretary Chinqai of Khwarazm

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#191 - Special: "Superpower Interrupted," an Interview with Author Michael Schuman

Mon, 11 May 2020 05:56:00 -0000

My interview with Beijing-based author and journalist Michael Schuman about China's history, present, future, and food... and of course about his upcoming book, "Superpower Interrupted: The Chinese History of the World," available on June 9th, 2020.

Find Michael on Twitter under the handle @michaelschuman

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#190 - Yuan 11: The War of the Two Capitals

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 07:54:00 -0000

We start today in the aftermath of the murder of the 9th Great Mongol Khan and the 5th Emperor of Yuan. We end a decade later, at the beginning of the 15th Great Khan and 11th Yuan Emperor... coincidentally (or not) the last of both. The treachery, assassinations, wars, and power-plays that get us from that start to that end will threaten to split the very soul of the empire in two. Also, there's a lot of Temürs along the way... like, a *lot,* a lot!

Time Period Covered:

1323-1333 CE

Major Events:

* Coup at Nanpo [Sept. 4, 1323] - Outcome: assassination of Shidebala Khaghan, accession of Yesün Temür Khaghan

* War of the Two Capitals [Aug. 1328-Nov. 14, 1328 (sporadic resistance thru 1332)] - Outcome: Khaishan Restorationist victory/ Shangdu Loyalist defeat, overthrow of Aragibagh & enthronement of Jayaatu Khaghan

* Incident at Ongghochatu [Aug. 26-30, 1329] - Outcome: assassination of Khoshila, restoration of Togh Temur Khaghan to the throne

Relevant Historical Figures:

Great Yuan:

Shidebala (Gegeen Khaghan/Yuan Yingzong) [r. 1320-1323]

Yesün Temür (Khaghan/Yuan Taiding) [r. 1323-1328]

Aragibagh (Khaghan/Yuan Tianshun) [r. Oct.-Nov. 1328]

Togh Temür (Jayaatu Khaghan/Yuan Wenzong) [r. Oct. 1328-Apr. 1329, Sept. 1329- Sept. 1332]

Khoshila (Khutughtu Khaghan/Yuan Mingzong) [r. Feb. 1329-Aug. 1329]

Rinchinbal (Khaghan/Yuan Ningzong) [r. Oct. 29, 1332-Dec. 14, 1332]

Toghon Temür (Ukhaghatu Khaghan/Yuan Huizong) [r. 1333-1368]

Empress Budashiri [1307-1340]

Crown Prince Aradnadara [d. 1330]

Prince El Tegüs [c. 1329-c. 1340]

Daula-shah, Grand Councilor of the Right [d. 1228]

El Temür, General & Grand Councillor of the Right [d. 1333]

Bayan of the Merkids, General & Grand Councillor of the Left [d. 1340]

Chagatai Khanate:

Esen Bukha I, Khan [r. 1310-1318]

Eljigidey Khan [r. 1326-1329]

Golden Horde:

Öz Beg Khan [r. 1313-1341]

Ilkhanate:

Abu Sa'id (Bahadur Khan) [r. 1316-1335]

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#189 - Yuan 10: The Third Rail

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:47:00 -0000

Temur Khan's death without an heir sparks a power vacuum within the Yuan court - two brothers will come to power together, but only one will be able to sit the throne at a time, who will succeed? Meanwhile, as money issues continue to plague the empire, the Mongol nobility get more and more fed-up with the Yuan Borjigins' continual shift toward Chinese-style reforms.

Time Period Covered:

1307-1323 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Khaishan (Külüg Khaghan/Emperor Wuzong) [r. 1307-1311]

Ayurbarwada (Buyantu Khaghan/Emperor Renzong) [r. 1311-1320]

Shidebala (Gegeen Khaghan/Emperor Yingzong) [r.1320-1323]

Grand Empress Dowager Targi [d. 1322]

Empress Bulukhan [d. 1307]

Khosila, Prince of Zhou

Prince Ananda [d. 1307]

Grand Councilor of the Right, Harghasun [d. 1307]

Grand Councilor of the Right, Temüder [d. 1322]

Grand Councilor of the Left/Right, Baiju [d.1323】

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#188 - Mongol 13: O Lord, Why Are Thy Judgements So Deep?

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 10:34:00 -0000

King Bela IV of Hungary has a bit of a barbarian problem. You see, he let in some Cumans, but now some different barbarians are demanding that he give them back. So Bela does the sensible thing: he kills the Mongol emissaries. Batu Khan and General Subotai are less than pleased...

Time Period Covered:

c. 1239-1242 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Empire:

Batu Khan [c. 1205-1255]

General Subotai Ba'atur ("the Valiant") [c. 1175-1248]

General Khadan [d. 125?]

General Shiban [d. 1266]

Kingdom of Greater Hungary:

King Bela III [r. 1172-1196]

King Andrew II [r. 1205-1235]

King Bela IV [r. 1235-1265]

Duke Coloman of Slavonia [d. 1241]

Archbishop Ugolin of Kaolocsa [d. 1241]

Duke Palatine of Hungary [d. 1241]

Bishop Benedict of Oradea [d. 1241]

Templar Master Rembald de Voczon [d. 1241]

Archdeacon Thomas of Spalato [1200-1268]

Master Roger of Torre Maggiore, Archdeacon of Varad [1205-1266]

Cuman Tribes:

Chieftain Khotan [d. 1140]

Austria:

Duke Frederick of Austria "the Quarrelsome" [d. 1245]

Holy Roman Empire:

Emperor Frederick II [r. 1220-1250]

Conrad IV, King of Italy, Germany, the Romans, and Jerusalem [r. 1228-1254]

Roman Catholic Church:

Pope Gregory IX [r. 1227-1241]

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#187 - Yuan 9: Blessed Iron Khan

Sun, 08 Mar 2020 17:02:00 -0000

Olziyet Temur - the Blessed Iron Khan - takes the throne as the Yuan Dynasty's second emperor, Changzong "The Preserver." He has taken it upon himself to uphold and protect his grandfather Khubilai's glorious legacy... but granddad sure left a bit of a mess for him to try to clear up.

Time Period Covered:

1294-1307 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Olziyet Temur Khan (Emperor Changzong of Yuan) [r. 1294-1307 CE]

Empress Bulukhan

Crown Prince Deshou [d. 1306]

Empress-Dowager Kököchin

Gammala, Prince of Jin

Öljei, Grand Councilor of the Right [d. 1303]

Sayyid Boyan al-Dīn, Finance Minister

Khaidu Khan of House Ögedei [d. 1301]

Du'a Khan of House Chagatai

Öljeitu, Ilkhan of House Hülegü

General Bayan of the Barin, "Hundred Eyes"

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#186 - Yuan 8: Khan With the Wind

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 18:09:00 -0000

Khubilai is ancient, pained, and sick... but he still has more Mongol justice to mete out before he joins the Eternal Sky. Still, some campaigns will go better than others.

Period Covered:

ca. 1287-1294 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Yuan Dynasty:

Khubilai (Emperor Shizu) [r. 1260-1294]

Crown Prince Olziit Temur (Emperor Chengzong) [r. 1294-1307]

Prince Esen Temur

Prince Temur Bukha

General Shibi

General Gao Xing

Admiral Yike Musi

Ambassador Meng Qi

Phagspa Lama, Imperial Preceptor of Tibet [1235-1280]

Imperial Preceptor Dharmapalarasita

Kingdom of Pagan (Burma):

King Narathihapate [r. 1256-1287]

Kingdom of Singhasari (Java):

King Kertanagara [d. 1292]

Prince Raden Vijaya [r. 1293-1309]

Duke Jayakatwang of Kediri [d. 1293]

Mongol Khanates:

Du'a Khan of the Chagatids

Khaidu Khan of the Ögedeids [d. 1301]

Prince Nayan [d. 1287]

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#185 - Special: De Materia Medica

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 13:45:00 -0000

Traditional Chinese Medicine - as its name duly implies - has been a part of China for at least 2,500 years. But what does it mean? Where does it come from? How does it work? And does it have a place it modern society?

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#184 - Yuan 7: Mark It Zero

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 18:21:00 -0000

Khubilai Khan has led a pretty blessed existence as of the year 1279. But fate has a way of balancing things out in starkly brutal fashion...

Time Period Covered:

~1279-1287 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Yuan Dynasty:

Emperor Khubilai

Empress Chabi (d. 1281)

Crown Prince Zhenjin (1242-1285)

Prince Toghon, Prince of Suppression of the South

Finance Minister Ahmad Fanakati (d. 1282)

Finance Minister Lu Shijing (d. 1285)

Admiral Hong Tau

General Fan Wenhu

General Xindu

General Nasir al-Din

Commander Sodu (d. 1285)

Commander Arigh Khaya

Japanese Shogunate:

Hojo Tokimune, Regent of the Shogun

Kingdom of Pagan:

King Narathihapate

Kingdom of Champa:

King Jaya Indravarman VI

Kingdom of Dai-Viet:

Emperor Tran Than-Tong

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#183 - Yuan 6: Cultural Hot-Pot for the Soul

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 12:26:00 -0000

Khubilai Khan is a man astride multiple worlds - trying to be both the Khan of the Great Mongol Nation, and the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. This will take quite a bit of accommodation, and between Mongolian shamanism, Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, and Christianity... more than a little behaving like a cultural chameleon to square those civilizational circles.

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#182 - Mongol 12.1: The Golden Horde

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 15:04:00 -0000

Jochi was tasked with subduing the Cuman tribes of the western steppes. Jochi failed. Now, under the second Great Khan Ögedei, it will fall to his successor, Batu, Khan of the Golden Horde, to finish what his father could not. He won't be going alone, though. In addition to his invincible tumens, he'll bring with him a host of imperial princes, as well as the greatest commander to ever mount a steed - Subotai the Valiant, now returns to the Western expanses to finish what he began 15 years ago...

Note: this is part 1 of an extended bonus episode! Find the full episode and all other Bonus Episodes by become a patron at patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1235-1240 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol Khanate:

Ögedei Khaghan (1186-1241)

Subotai Ba'atuur, The Last Orlok (ca. 1176-1248)

General Uriyangkhadai (1201-1272)

House Ogedeid:

Guyuk (1206-1248)

Khadan (?)

Khaidu (c. 1230-1301)

House Jochi (Golden Horde):

Batu Khan (ca. 1205-1255)

House Tolui:

Möngke (1209-1259)

Bujek (?)

House Chagatai:

Baidar(?)

Buri (d. 1252)

Kipchak-Cuman Confederacy:

Bachman Khan (d. 1237)

Khoten Khan (d. 1241)

Russian Principalities:

Grand Prince Yuri II of Vladimir (1188-1238)

Prince Roman of Vladimir (d. 1238)

Prince Michael of Chernigov (1179-1246)

Dmitri, Voivode of Kiev (?)

Kingdom of Hungary:

King Béla IV (1206-1270)

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#181 - Special: 6th Anniversary Q&A

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 06:47:00 -0000

It's finally time to give holiday thanks and - of course - submit myself before the high inquisitors pelting me with questions day and night!

Topics this year ranged far and wide:

1. How wide-ranging was Genghis Khan's last command in Western Xia?

2. How do I keep my loud mouth out of trouble with the PRC?

3. How "good" were the good times of dynasties for the normies?

4. Which Khan has got it goin' on?

5. Were there plagues in ancient China? How were they dealt with?

6. Did the Mongols trigger anti-foreign conservatism in the Ming?

7. Where should we divide "Chinese" history from "non-Chinese" history?

8. Just how incompetent was the Song Dynasty?

9. Why does THoC be like it do?

10. How did the Mongols relay orders over long distances before writing?

11. How much was opium to blame versus other factors in the decline and fall of the Qing Dynasty?

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#180 - Yuan 5: Dismounting the Horse to Sit the Dragon

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 17:15:00 -0000

While his armies have been keeping busy in every direction on both offense and defense, Emperor Khubilai had been hard at work re-organizing the mess his family made in China and reformatting it into a stable, lawful Yuan Dynasty. And Grandpa Genghis was right: it's was a *lot* more work to run an empire, than to conquer one...

Period Covered:

ca. 1261-1290

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#179 - Yuan 4: Traditional Family Values

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 14:09:00 -0000

Khubilai must face off against his most potent threat - his own traditionalist cousin, Khaidu. Meanwhile, Khaidu frets over his daughter Khutulun - a girl as desirable as she is formidable, and will brook no husband who cannot best her at wrestling.

Time Period Covered: ca. 1265-1306 CE

Notable Historical Figures:

Yuan Dynasty:

Khubilai Khan

Prince Zhenjin

Prince Nomukhan

Prince Kokochu

Prime Minister of the Right Antong

General Bayan

Chagatai Khanate:

Khaidu Khan

Princess Khutulun

Rebel Princes:

Togh Timur

Shiregi

Yobukhur

Melik Timur

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#178 - Yuan 3: Divine Wind

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 13:17:00 -0000

The armies of Great Yuan sweep across the east, destroying and conquering all who would stand against them. Goryeo Korea eventually sees the writing on the wall and cuts a deal with the Great Khan. Khubilai will then turn his sights out over the waters of the Pacific, to the Land of the Rising Sun... and send its monarch a friend request.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1257-1275 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Yuan Dynasty:

Khubilai, Great Khan of Mongolia, Emperor of Yuan

Princess Hutulun Jielimishi

Zhao Liangbi, Yuan Emissary to Japan

Goryeo Korea:

Choi Ui, Warlord of Korea [d. 1257]

King Wonjong [r. 1260-1274]

Im Yon, Warlord [d. ca. 1271]

Pan Pu, Yuan Emissary to Japan

Kamakura Japan:

Hojo Tokimune, Regent of the Shogun (Shikken, de facto ruler of Japan)

Shoni Sukeyoshi, Magistrate of Chikuzen City

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#177 - Yuan 2: Brother Mine

Sun, 20 Oct 2019 16:47:00 -0000

With the untimely death of Möngke Khaghan outside the walls of Chongqing, the Mongol Empire will be fore to choose for a new emperor for the 5th time in just three decades. Unlike the first four conclaves, however, this will result in not one, but two khuriltais, and two who would be Great Khan. Möngke’s brothers, Khubilai and Ariq Böke, will duel it out across Central Asia to determine who will rule all under the Eternal Blue Sky.

Time Period Covered:

1259-1266 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Toluids:

Möngke Khaghan [d.1259]

Khubilai’s Supporters:

Khubilai Khaghan [r. 1260-1289]

Chabi Khatun [1225-1281]

Hulegu Ilkhan [d. 1265]

General Ked Bukha [d. 1260]

King Hethum I of Armenia [r. 1226-1270]

Ariq Böke Supporters:

Ariq Böke Khaghan [r. 1260-1264, d. 1266]

Berke Khan (Golden Horde/Jochid) [d. 1266]

Alghu Khan (Chagatids) [d. 1265]

Jumukhur (Ilkhanate)

Urung Tang (Möngke Toluid)

General Alandar [d. 1262]

General Durchi

Mamluk Sultanate:

Sultan Saif ad-Din Qutuz [r. 1259-1260]

Sultan Baibars [r. 1260-1277]

Song Dynasty:

Chancellor Jia Sidao [d. 1273]

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#176 - Special: Strange Tales 4, "Zibuyu"

Sat, 12 Oct 2019 14:49:00 -0000

Confucius talked about a *lot* ... but there were certain things about which even the Master dare not speak. Today we break that ancient taboo with 4 stories of spooky strangeness...

2:01 - "A Karmic Meal"

5:30 - "The Concubine's Revenge"

20:22 - "Too Poor to Be Haunted"

24:26 - "A Hell of a Trial"

Adapted from:

Zibuyu "What the Master Would Not Discuss" by Yuan Mei

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#175 - Mongol 11.1: Ögedei Cometh

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 08:39:00 -0000

Note: This is part 1 of the 2-part conclusion to the life of Genghis Khan, with the conclusion available to subscribers via: www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Time Period Covered:

1227-1234 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ogedeids:

Ogedei Khaghan

Subotai the Valiant

General Chormakhan

Minister Yelu Chu Cai

Toluids:

Tolui Khan

Sorkhakhtani Beki Khatun

Chagatids:

Chagatai Khan

Khwarazmia:

Jalal al-Din

Kingdom of Georgia:

Queen Rusudan

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Proclamation of the Central People's Government of the PRC, October 1, 1949

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:50:00 -0000

The people throughout China have been plunged into bitter suffering and tribulations since the Chiang Kai-shek Kuomintang reactionary government betrayed the fatherland, colluded with imperialists, and launched the counter-revolutionary war. Fortunately our People's Liberation Army, backed by the whole nation, has been fighting heroically and selflessly to defend the territorial sovereignty of our homeland, to protect the people's lives and property, to relieve the people of their sufferings, and to struggle for their rights, and it eventually wiped out the reactionary troops and overthrew the reactionary rule of the Nationalist government.

Now, the People's War of Liberation has been basically won, and the majority of the people in the country have been liberated. On this foundation, the first session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference , composed of delegates of all the democratic parties and people's organization of China, the People's Liberation Army, the various regions and nationalities of the country, and the overseas Chinese and other patriotic elements, has been convened. Representing the will of the whole nation, [this session of the conference] has enacted the organic law of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, elected Mao Zedong as chairman of the Central People's Government; and Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Song Qingling, Li Jishen, Zhang Lan, and Gao Gang as vice chairmen [of the Central People's Government]; and Chen Yi, He Long, Li Lisan, Lin Boqu, Ye Jianying, He Xiangning, Lin Biao, Peng Dehuai, Liu Bocheng, Wu Yuzhang, Xu Xiangqian, Peng Zhen, Bo Yibo, Nie Rongzhen, Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, Seypidin, Rao Shushi, Tan Kah-kee [Chen Jiageng], Luo Ronghuan, Deng Zihui, Ulanhu, Xu Deli, Cai Chang, Liu Geping, Ma Yinchu, Chen Yun, Kang Sheng, Lin Feng, Ma Xulun, Guo Moruo, Zhang Yunyi, Deng Xiaoping, Gao Chongmin, Shen Junru, Shen Yanbing, Chen Shutong, Szeto Mei-tong [Situ Meitang], Li Xijiu, Huang Yanpei, Cai Tingkai, Xi Zhongxun, Peng Zemin, Zhang Zhizhong, Fu Zuoyi, Li Zhuchen, Li Zhangda, Zhang Nanxian, Liu Yazi, Zhang Dongsun, and Long Yun as council members to form the Central People's Government Council, proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China and decided on Beijing as the capital of the People's Republic of China.

The Central People's Government Council of the People's Republic of China took office today in the capital and unanimously made the following decisions: to proclaim the establishment of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China; to adopt the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as the policy of the government; to elect Lin Boqu from among the council members as secretary general of the Central People's Government Council; to appoint Zhou Enlai as premier of the Government Adminstration Council of the Central People's Government and concurrently minister of Foreign Affairs, Mao Zedong as chairman of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government, Zhu De as commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army, Shen Junru as president of the Supreme People's Court of the Central People's Government, and Luo Ronghuan as procurator general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the Central People's Government, and to charge them with the task of the speedy formation of the various organs of the government to carry out the work of the government.

At the same time, the Central People's Government Council decided to declare to the governments of all other countries that this government is the sole legal government representing all the people of the People's Republic of China. This government is willing to establish diplomatic relations with any foreign government that is willing to observe the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Mao Zedong

Chairman

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#174 - Yuan 1: In Xanadu Did Kubla Khan...

Sun, 22 Sep 2019 00:34:00 -0000

You know it’s hard out there for a prince. The fourth sons of a fourth son, Khubilai of the Borjigin will grow up little recognized, and bound for a life of little more than comfortable obscurity. But between his mother’s machinations, his wife’s guidance, his own skills… and a healthy smattering of good fortune, he’ll find himself suddenly thrust into the spotlight and tasked with overseeing the conquest of the Mongols’ oldest foe.

Time Period Covered:

1215-1259 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Mongol:

Tolui [c. 1191-1232] – 4th son of Genghis Khan, Khubilai’s father

Sorkhokhtani Beki [c. 1190-1252] – Khubilai’s mother, Nestorian Christian

Möngke Khaghan [1209-1259] – Tolui’s eldest son, 4th Great Khan of the Mongols

Khubilai, Ilkhan of the Left [1215-1289] – favored grandson of Genghis

Hulagu, Ilkhan of the Right [1218-1265] – 3rd son of Tolui and Sorkhokhtani

Ariq Böke [1219-1266] – youngest son of Tolui, Otchigin “Hearthkeeper”

Chabi Khatun [1225-1281] – Khubilai’s 2nd wife & only love, Tibetan Buddhist

North China:

Minister Yao Shu

Liu Bingzhong, Buddhist Monk, Adviser & Architect of Kaiping/Shangdu city

The Phagspa Lama [1235-1280]

Dali Kingdom:

King Duan Xingzhi [r. 1251-1254, 1256-1260 (as Maharaja)]

Prime Minister Gao Taixiang [d. 1253]

Major Sources:

Atwood, Christopher P. Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire.

Broadbridge, Anne F. Women and the Making of the Mongol Empire.

Clements, Jonathan. A Brief History of Khubilai Khan: Lord of Xanadu, Founder of the Yuan.

May, Timothy (ed.). The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia, vol. 1.

McLynn, Frank. Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy.

Rossabi, Morris. “The Reign of Khubilai Khan” in The Cambridge History of China, v. 6: Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368.

Weatherford, Jack. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens.

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"Kubla Khan" - By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 13:51:00 -0000

Kubla Khan

BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground

With walls and towers were girdled round;

And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,

Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted

Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!

A savage place! as holy and enchanted

As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted

By woman wailing for her demon-lover!

And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,

As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,

A mighty fountain momently was forced:

Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst

Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,

Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:

And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever

It flung up momently the sacred river.

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion

Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,

Then reached the caverns measureless to man,

And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;

And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far

Ancestral voices prophesying war!

The shadow of the dome of pleasure

Floated midway on the waves;

Where was heard the mingled measure

From the fountain and the caves.

It was a miracle of rare device,

A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

A damsel with a dulcimer

In a vision once I saw:

It was an Abyssinian maid

And on her dulcimer she played,

Singing of Mount Abora.

Could I revive within me

Her symphony and song,

To such a deep delight ’twould win me,

That with music loud and long,

I would build that dome in air,

That sunny dome! those caves of ice!

And all who heard should see them there,

And all should cry, Beware! Beware!

His flashing eyes, his floating hair!

Weave a circle round him thrice,

And close your eyes with holy dread

For he on honey-dew hath fed,

And drunk the milk of Paradise.

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#173 - S. Song 15: Swan Song

Sat, 07 Sep 2019 01:29:00 -0000

Hangzhou is surrounded by the Mongol Yuan army, and is soon to fall. When the child-emperor and the Empress Dowager are taken captive, it will fall to the last two princes of House Zhao to flee to the islands and archipelagos of the Deep South, if they’re to stand any chance at all of keeping the flame of the Song from guttering out forever.

Time Period Covered:

1275-1279 CE

Southern Song:

Grand Empress Dowager Xie

Empress Dowager Chuan

Emperor Zhao Xian (Gong of Song) [r.1274-1276, d. 1323]

Emperor Zhao Shi (Duanzong) [r. 1276-1278]

Emperor Zhao Bing [r. 1278-1279]

Chancellor Chen Yizhong

Mongol Yuan Dynasty:

Khubilai, Mongol Khan & Emperor of Yuan

General Bayan, Commander of the Southern Campaign

General Atzuhan

Admiral Dong Wenping

Lt. Menkhutai

Lt. Fan Wenhu

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#172 - S. Song 14: The Tightening Noose

Sat, 24 Aug 2019 11:34:00 -0000

Mongolia is gripped in a civil war of its own, meaning the Song Empire has a chance to breathe. But with the immediate threat allayed for now, other problems become apparent. And when the new Great Khan, Khubilai, returns his attention to the land south of the Yangtze, China will find out whether it was a decade well spent in preparation for the coming assault, on one utterly squandered.

Time Period Covered:

1259-1275 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song Empire:

Emperor Lizong (Zhao Yun) [r. 1221-1264]

Emperor Duzong (Zhao Qi) [r. 1264 -1274]

Grand Empress Dowager Xie [1210-1283]

Chancellor Jia Sidao [1213-1275]

Mongolia:

Möngke [1209-1259]

Khubilai [1215-1294]

Ariq Böke [1219-1264]

General Aju [1227-1287]

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#171 - Mongol 10.1: The Succession

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 08:26:34 -0000

Genghis Khan is old, wracked by pain in his body and heart, and in spite of his best efforts, has come to accept there is one foe he cannot defeat: mortality itself. Thus, even before setting out on his campaign against the Khwarazmian Empire, he will assemble his four sons and together reach a fateful decision - who among them will rule when Genghis is gone?

Note: This is part 1 of the 2-part conclusion to the life of Genghis Khan, with the conclusion available to subscribers!

Time Period Covered:

1220-1227 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Genghis Khan [Temüjin] (1162-1227)

Börte Khatun (c.1161-c.1130)

Jochi (1181-1226)

Chagatai Khan (1183-1242)

Ögedei Khan (c.1186-1241)

Tolui (c.1191-1232)

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#170 - S. Song 13: Stay of Execution

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 11:47:00 -0000

The Mongol Khanate is on the warpath against all who would stand against it... until several unexpected system errors for the whole system to reboot. How will Song China deal with these unexpected years of preparatory time?

Time Period Covered:

1241-1260 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song Dynasty:

Emperor Lizong

Chancellor Jia Sidao

Mongol Empire:

Ögedei Khan

Toregene Khatun

Guyuk Khan

Oghul Khaimish Khatun

Sorkhokhtani Beki

Möngke Khan

Khubilai Ilkhan

General Uriyangkhadai

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#169 - S. Song 12: Instant Regret

Sun, 14 Jul 2019 10:14:00 -0000

Just off of the heady victory over the Jin Dynasty with their new BFFs, the Mongols, a first-in-a-century visit to the Imperial Tombs gives the Song court a brilliant idea - what if we just took them back without asking? What's the worst that could happen?

Time Period Covered: 1234-1241 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song Dynasty:

Emperor Lizong

Chancellor Zheng Qingzhi

Chancellor Shi Miyuan [d. 1233]

General Zhao Kui

General Quan Zicai

Mongol Khanate:

Ögedei Khaghan

Töregene Khatun

Prince Khödan

Prince Khöchu

Ambassador Wang Qi

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Bonus 4.1 - Mongol 8.1: Subotai & Jebe's Excellent Adventure

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 13:44:00 -0000

In the course of their pursuit of the fleeing Khwarazmian Amir, Genghis Khan's two top commanders have reached the shores of the Caspian Sea, and heard some of the strangest tales about what - and who - lay beyond. When the Great Khan gives his go-ahead to scout it out, they'll launch a three-year trek that will remake the world in their bloody image.

Time Period Covered:

1220-1221 CE

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#168 - S. Song 11: Twilight of the Golds

Sat, 29 Jun 2019 13:00:00 -0000

The Jin Dynasty is surrounded on all sides. It cannot get out. Soon enough, the Mongol stranglehold around Kaifeng will signal the Empire of Black & Gold's death-knell.

Time Period Covered:

1224-1234 CE

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#167 - S. Song 10: ...Is My Enemy's Enemy, No More, No Less

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 12:40:00 -0000

With enemies on all sides, and the Mongol sledgehammer poised to strike its crushing blow against them, the Jin Dynasty seeks an out by plunging southward, only to find that the Song defenses have become the anvil on which they rest. Exhausted, they’ll seek peace at any cost… but will it be enough to save the tatters of their empire?

Time Period Covered:

1217-1225 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song:

Emperor Ningzong (Zhao Kuo) [r. 1194-1224]

Emperor Lizong (Zhao Yun) [r. 1224-1264]

Empress Yang [1162-1232]

Chancellor Shi Miyuan [1164-1233]

Crown Prince Zhao Xun [1194-1220]

Prince Zhao Hong [1207-1225]

General Zhao Fang

An Bing, Commandant of Sichuan

Jin:

Emperor Xuanzong (Wudubu/Wanyan Xun) [r. 1213-1224]

Emperor Aizong (Ningjiasu/ Wanyan Shouxu) [r.1224-1234]

Mongol:

Genghis Khan (Temüjin) [r. 1206-1227]

General Mukhali [1170-1223]

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6/4: UK Cable on Tiananmen Square Massacre

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 09:28:00 -0000

Even after 30 years...

When you're ordered to forget, to remember becomes an act of defiance.

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#166 - S. Song 9: The Enemy of My Enemy...

Sun, 19 May 2019 14:30:00 -0000

The Jin Empire is all at once ripped apart from 4 different directions all at once: Shandong rebels from the east, Khitan from the northeast, Mongols from the northwest, and Tanguts from the West. So they decide to go the only direction left… and invade Southern Song.

Time Period Covered:

1208-1217 CE

Relevant Historical Figures:

Song:

Emperor Ningzong

Chancellor Shi Miyuan

Minister Zhen Dexiu

Jin:

Prince Wei

Emperor Xuanzong

Commander Hesheli Zhizhong

Councilor Zhuhele Guoleqi

Mongol:

Genghis Khan

Red Jacket Rebels:

Yang the Saddler

Khitan:

Yelu Liuge, puppet-Emperor of Liao

Dazhen Kingdom:

Heavenly King Puxian Wannu

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#165 - S. Song 8: The Kaixi War

Sat, 04 May 2019 11:21:00 -0000

Chancellor Han Tuozhou is down-but-not-yet-out following his ill-fated attempting to bring down the Neo-Confucians. Thus, in an attempt to salvage his career and reputation, he'll launch the Song Empire into full-scale war against the Jin Dynasty... with unexpected results.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1200-1207 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Ningzong of Song

Empress Yang

Chancellor Han Tuozhou

Minister Shi Miyuan

General Wu Xi

Commissioner Cheng Song

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#164 - S. Song 7: Out With the New, In With the Old

Sun, 21 Apr 2019 12:38:00 -0000

Neo-Confucianism has made a strong comeback through the synthesis of its various doctrines under the philosophical guidance of Zhu Xi of the Southern Song court. He and his likeminded ministers seek to bring back the perfection of eras gone by by being perfectly morally upright, and expecting everyone else to do the same. But when it turns out that certain other loose-living party-boys like Chancellor Han Tuozhou and Emperor Ningzong aren’t so thrilled about their buzzkilling ways, it will set up a massive conflict at court.

Time Period Covered:

1194-1202 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Ningzong

Chancellor Han Tuohzou

Minister Zhu Xi

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#163 - S. Song 6: Filial Impiety

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 13:27:00 -0000

Back in Song China, we have a tale of two emperors: one who is devoted utterly to his father, and the other who's...well... not.

Time Period Covered:

1165-1194 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Retired Emperor Gaozong [r. 1127-1162, as retired emperor 1162-1187]

Emperor Xiaozong [r. 1162-1189, as retired emperor 1189-1194]

Emperor Guangzong [r. 1189-1194]

Empress Dowager Wu [1115-1197]

Empress Li [1144-1200]

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Announcement: Bonus Mongol Content!

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 13:11:00 -0000

You know you want to...

www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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#162 - Mongol 4: The Great Khan

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:09:00 -0000

Temujin Khan crushes his enemies, sees them driven before him, and hears the lamentations of their women!!!

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1202-1206 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Borjigin/Mongol:

Temujin (Genghis Khan)

Khasar, Temujin's Brother

Börte - Temujin's 1st Wife

Yesugen - Temujin's 2nd Wife

Yesui - Temujin's 3rd Wife

Jochi, Temujin's first son(?)

Jirkho’adai (Jebe the Arrow)

Khubilai

Jelme

Subedei

Jadaran:

Jamukha (Gurkhan) - Temujin's anda/nemesis

Kereyid:

To'oril (Ong Khan)

Senggum, Ong's son

Cha'ur Beki, Ong's daughter

Naiman:

Tayang Khan

Queen Gürbesu, Tayang's Wife/Stepmother

Works Cited:

Allsen, Thomas (1994). “The Rise of the Mongolian Empire and Mongolian Rule in North China” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 6: Alien Regimes and Border States.

Kahn, Paul (tr.) (2005). The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan.

Onon, Urgunge (2001). The Secret History of the Mongols: The Life and Times of Chingghis Khan.

Ostrowski, Donald (2002). Muscovy and the Mongols: Cross-Cultural Influences on the Steppe Frontier, 1304-1589.

Pelliot, Paul (1959). Notes on Marco Polo, Vol. 1.

Weatherford, Jack (2005). Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.

Weatherford, Jack (2017). Genghis Khan and the Quest for God.

Weatherford, Jack (2011). The Secret History of the Mongol Queens.

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#161 - Mongol 3: The Anda, The Arrow, & The Airag

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 12:23:00 -0000

Temujin will enlist the aid of his recently-sworn father, To'oril AKA Ong Khan of the Kereyid to rescue his stolen wife, Börte. But his successful rescue of his beloved will only mark the beginning of his remarkable journey from isolated herder, to powerful khan of the steppes. Unfortunately, one of the sacrifices he'll be forced to make along the path to power will be that most-sacred: his sworn brotherhood with Jamukha, who will transform from Anda to Nemesis for Temujin.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1178-1201 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Borjigin:

Temujin, Khan of the Borjigin

Börte, wife of Temujin

Ho'elun, mother of Temujin

Khasar, Brother of Temujin

Belgutei, Half-Brother of Temujin

Jelme, Companion of Temujin

Bo'orchu, Companion of Temujin

Jochi, Temujin's first-born son(?)

Kereyid:

To'oril, Khan of the Kereyid (Ong Khan)

Jadaran:

Jamukha (Gurkhan)

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#160 - Mongol 2: The Black Sable

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 16:48:00 -0000

In spite of difficulties, Ho'elun and her family endeavor to persevere. Temüjin discovers the power of friendship, and the clarity of purpose that comes with true love <3.

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#159 - Mongol 1: The Blood Clot

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 13:39:00 -0000

High in the wildlands of the Khentii Mountains, a tribe of hunters and scavengers comes into possession of a young and captured bride. Ripped out of her old life, she and the family her new husband create at the edge of the world will have to find a way to survive.

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1158~1170 CE

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#158 - S. Song 5: A Changing of the Guard

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 15:22:00 -0000

Both Song and Jin have a new set of emperors at the helm... it will mean war... and peace... but the riptides of history will ensure that, whatever the outcome of this conflict, very little will remain the same for much longer.

Time Period Covered: ~1140-1162 CE

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#157 - S. Song 4: Peace at What Cost?

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 14:40:00 -0000

Emperor Gaozong really, *really* wants his dad's coffin.

Qin Hui really, *really* wants to give the Jurchen whatever they ask for.

The Jurchen really, *really* want the Mongol khan to stop tweaking their emperor's beard.

Time Period Covered: 1135-1160 CE

Major Works Cited:

Allsen, Thomas. “Chapter 4: The rise of the Mongolian empire and Mongolian rule in north China” in Vol. 6, Alien Regimes and Border States.

Franke, Herbert. “Chapter 3: The Chin Dynasty” in Vol. 6, Alien Regimes and Border States.

Tao, Jing-Shen. “The Move to the South and the Reign of Kao-Tsung” in Vol. 5, the Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors.

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#156 - S. Song 3: Yue Fei, Pt. 2 - The Long-Legged Treachery

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 07:54:00 -0000

General Yue Fei will reach career highs as he strikes back against Jurchen aggression with remarkable success. He'll drive his enemies so fast and hard, that he'll drive the Jin Dynasty close to its breaking point. But on the precipice of victory, ministerial machinations back in Hangzhou will spell the undoing of him and his life's work...

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#155 - S. Song: Yue Fei, Pt. 1-The Flying Fury

Sat, 08 Dec 2018 05:44:00 -0000

In this first of a two-part look into the life and legend of this epic Chinese hero, we chronicle Yue Fei's early life and education, his induction into the military to serve his nation with utmost loyalty, his meteoric rise through the ranks, and his stalwart resolve in facing the greatest crisis his country his known in centuries, all while garnering a cult-like following of soldiers, and the panicked attention of the imperial court.

Time Period Covered:

1103-1137 CE

Major Works Cited:

Foster, Robert W. The Human Condition in Premodern China.

Jenne, Jeremiah. “The Execution of Yue Fei: 875 Years of Patriotic Myth” from radiichina.com

Li, Xiaobi. China at War.

Lorge, Peter. War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900-1795.

Mote, Fredrick W. “Ch. 13: The Southern Song and Chinese Survival” in

Imperial China 900-1800.

Tao, Jing-shen. “The Move to the South and the Reign of Kao-tsung” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 05: The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors, 907-1279.

Wills, Jr., John E. E. Mountain of Fame: Portraits in Chinese History.

Zhou, Zuoren, trans. Tim Cronen. “A View of the Hero Yue Fei and the Traitor Qin Hui” in The China Heritage Quarterly No. 28, December 2011.

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#154 - S. Song 1: Song of the South

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 07:57:00 -0000

The JURCHEN JIN reigns. Having decimated the Song Dynasty, Emperor Jin Taizong now deploys his merciless legions to seize military control of the Yellow River Valley.

Only Prince Zhao Gou and his band of LOYALIST ministers stand against the rising tyranny, certain that the last scion of Zhao can yet restore a spark of hope to the fight.

But the Loyalists have been exposed. As the Jin cavalry speeds toward Yintian Fu, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape....

Historical Period Covered:

1127-1130 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song Dynasty:

Prince Zhao Gou, Prince of Kang (Emperor Gaozong of Song) [r. 1129-1162]

Chancellor Li Gang [1083-1140]

Yue Fei, LEGENDARY CHINESE HERO [1103-1142]

General Zong Ze, He Tried [d. 1129]

General Du Cheng, Brave Sir Du Cheng Ran Away... Bravely Ran Away, Away!

General Han Shizheng, He Means Business

Jin Dynasty:

Emperor Taizong of Jin (Wuqimai) [r. 1123-1135]

Prince Wanyan Wuzhu, Commander of Jin Strikeforce [d. 1148]

Zhang Bangchang, Puppet Emperor of Great Chu [r. 1129-1129]

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#153 - N. Song 18: Requiem for Jingkang

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 14:18:00 -0000

The Song Dynasty manages to epically pull defeat from the jaws of victory when it manages to twice goad its nominal ally, the Jurchen Jin, into a border war. The first time, it’s beaten so badly that it has to give up almost half of its northern holdings. But when even that’s not enough to quench Emperor Qinzong’s delusions of grandeur, he and his regime will pay with everything they have…

Time Period Covered:

1125-1127 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Northern Song:

Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) [r. 1100-1126, ret. Emperor 1126-1127]

Emperor Qinzong of Song (Zhao Huan) [r. 1126-1127]

General Tong Guan [1054–1126]

General Wang Bing [d. 1126]

Jurchen Jin:

Emperor Taizong of Jin (Wuqimai) [r. 1123-1135]

Prince Wanyan Zonghan (Nianhan) [1080-1136]

Prince Wanyan Zongwang (Wolibu) [c. 1073-1133?]

Zhang Bangchang, Puppet Emperor of Chu [1081–1127]

Major Works Cited:

Levine, Ari Daniel. “The Reigns of Hui-Tsung and Ch-in-Tsung” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol.05: The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors, 907–1279. Part 1.

Lorge, Peter Allen. War, Politics, and Society in Early Modern China, 900-1795

Tao, Jing-shen. “The Move to the South and the Reign of Kao-Tsung (1127–1162)” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol.05: The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors, 907–1279. Part 1.

Various. the Accounts of Jingkang

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#152 - Special: Strange Tales 3.5 [NSFW]

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 15:41:00 -0000

A very sexy Halloween edition...

Stir Fry - 1:45

Steel Skin - 4:15

Silkworm - 5:35

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#151 - Special: Strange Tales 3

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 04:49:00 -0000

Our third entry of Seasonal Spookiness for your unsettling aural pleasure.

From Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (聊齋志異) by: Pu Songling

1:25 - "The Girl in Green"

8:30 - "A Very Sharp Sword"

10:45 - "He Came Back"

18:25 - "A Transformation"

22:45 - "Mr. Miao"

34:05 - "A Prank"

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#150 - N. Song 17: Smoke On the Water Margin

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:32:00 -0000

Emperor Huizong’s Song Dynasty’s luck runs dry with a series of epic screw up that throw the whole system in disarray. War with the Tangut Xi Xia goes badly awry – and his generals won’t even tell him about it. And then rebellions start breaking out in the south – on by a millennialist death-cult led by a 12th century Jim Jones: Fang La… and another breaking out in the swamps and marshes of Liangshan, and led by Chinese Robin Hood of literary fame: Song Jiang. All of this will throw the Song military's carefully laid plans against the crumbling Khitan Liao into disarray, and make their would-be allies the Jurchen Jin wary of how reliable a partner the Chinese might actually be.

Time Period Covered: 1103-1123 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) [r. 1100-1126]

Chancellor Cai Jing [1047-1126]

General Tong Guan, Commander of the Imperial Armies, eunuch [1054-1126]

Fang La, lacquer farmer-cum-millenialist death-cult leader and rebel commander, mad as hell and not going to take it anymore [d. 1121]

Song Jiang, Liangshan rebel commander, Leader Star of Destiny, “Timely Rain,” Haohan Hero [d. ca. 1123]

"Chapter/Poetry Music" "Spring River Flower Moon Night" 古筝 - 春江花月夜 - played on guzheng

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#149 - N. Song 16: Empire of Black & Gold

Sun, 23 Sep 2018 13:05:00 -0000

To the north of Song China, sandwiched between Goryeo Korea and the invincible Liao Empire, a new force arises on the banks of the Black and Gold Rivers, that will shake the very foundations of All Under Heaven...

Time Period Covered:

1099-1123 CE

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#148 - N. Song 15: A Campaign of Dunces

Sun, 02 Sep 2018 17:16:00 -0000

With Wang Anshi out of the picture, Emperor Shenzong's ministers find to their horror that theg uy they thought was radicalizing the monarch... had actually be holding him back this whole time. Now there's nothing to stop Shenzong from fulfilling his lifelong ambition to conquer Western Xia... nothing, that is... except the idiocy of the commanders he'll put in charge of the operation.

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#147 - N. Song 14: The New Policies, Pt. 3

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 08:34:00 -0000

Wang Anshi's heady, glorious dream at last comes crashing into the cold, mechanical reality of imperial bureaucracy, to everyone's chagrin.

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#146 - N. Song 13: The New Policies, Pt. 2

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 08:15:00 -0000

Wang Anshi weilds his newfound power to implement, through his hand-picked Finance Planning Commission, a sweeping series of reforms aids at revitalizing that dynasty's sagging economy. They'll include a government loan program, new tax policies to pay for laborers, a rethink of the state's very relationship with commerce and traders, and a re-formatting of the empire's volunteer self-defense forces.

Time Period Covered:

1069-1073 CE

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#145 - N. Song 12: The New Policies, Pt. 1

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 03:14:00 -0000

In this first part of a mini-arc, southern provincial nobody Wang Anshi rises above his station and attracts both the curiosity and the attention of Emperor Shanzong and his court by laying out a bold new vision to lead the Song Dynasty out of its economic malaise before disaster inevitably strikes. But when neither Wang nor his critics are willing to give an inch on their principles, sparks fly...

Time Period Covered:

1021-1070 CE

Relevant Historical Figures:

Emperor Shenzong of Song (Zhao Xu) [r. 1067 - 1085]

Wang Anshi, Economic Maverick [1021-1086]

Sima Guang, Conservative Historian [1019-1086]

Ouyang Xiu, "Old Drunkard" [1007-1072]

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#144 - N. Song 11: Only A Northern Song

Sat, 30 Jun 2018 15:24:00 -0000

"Like milk on a hot day in San Diego, it turned out that Emperor Yingzong was a bad choice."

Time Period Covered: 1063-1067 CE

Important Historial Figures:

Song:

Emperor Renzong (Zhao Zhen)[r. 1022-1063]

Emperor Yingzong (Zhao Shu)[r. 1063-1067]

Emperor Shenzong (Zhao Xu) [r. 1067-1085]

Empress Cao [1016-1079]

Chancellor Han Qi（韩琦）[1008-1075]

Prime Minister Fu Bi

Chief Censor Sima Guang [1019-1086]

Minister Ouyang Xiu [1007-1072]

Western Xia:

Li Liangzuo (Weiming Liangzuo)[b. 1046, r. 1048-1067]

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#143 - N. Song 10: Inertia, Inaction, Insurrection

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 17:30:00 -0000

Emperor Renzong of Song continues to twiddle his thumbs. Confucianism get a much-needed adrenaline shot to the arm via Daoism. Zhuang superpatriot Nong Zhigao declares simultaneous war on China and Vietnam in the name of his people's liberation.

Time Period Covered:

1043-1054 CE

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#142 - N. Song 9: Dithering the War Away

Sun, 20 May 2018 14:58:00 -0000

Emperor Renzong of Song isn't exactly... into the whole "rule" thing. He'd much rather wile away his days talking about Confucian philosophy, writing calligraphy, and making love to his concubines. But he'll be forced to uneasily embody the might of Song China when the Tangut state of Western Xia declares its independence, triggering a massive conflict on the borderlands.

Time Period Covered:

1033-1044 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song:

Emperor Renzong

Chancellor Li Yijian

Fan Zhongyan, Commander of Yanan Circuit

Xi Xia:

Li Yuanhao (Weiming Nangxiao), Emperor of Xia

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#141 - N. Song 8: Childless Mother of the World

Wed, 02 May 2018 13:29:00 -0000

When Emperor Renzong of Song takes the throne, he's just a boy of 12 and surely in need of his mother's guidance... but how long until Mom becomes more of a hinderance than a help? ... And what if she's not really his mother?

Time Period Covered:

1022-1033 CE

Important Historical Figures:

Emperor Renzong of Song [Zhao] (r. 1022-

Empress Dowager Liu (-1033)

Lady Li (-1032)

Chancellor Ding Wei

Chancellor Wang Zeng

Assistant Minister of the Palace Library, Lu "Fish-Head" Zongdao (-1029)

Sun Shi, Director of Education

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#140 - Special: Turn Of The Millennium Q&A

Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:36:00 -0000

A Q&A like this only comes around once in a thousand years!

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#139- N. Song 7: The Heavenly Text Affair

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 05:48:00 -0000

After feeling forced to sign the costly and humiliating Treaty of Chanyuan with the Liao Dynasty to end the Liao-Song War, Emperor Zhenzong needs a pick-me-up to make himself feel better. He thinks that a ritual that hasn't been performed in 3 centuries might be the way... and that's when the text messages from Heaven start popping up in his inbox...

Time Period:

1004-1022 CE

Major Historical Figures

Emperor Zhenzong of Song (Zhao Heng)[r. 997 - 1022]

Wang Qinruo, Minister of Grand Ritual [c. 962 – 1025]

Chancellor Kou Zhun [c. 961 – 1023]

Du Hao, Imperial Antiquarian.

Minister Sun Shi, Grand Imperial Buzzkill.

Major Works Cited:

Cahill, Suzanne E. "Taoism at the Sung Court: The Heavenly Text Affair of 1008" in Bulletin of Sung and Yüan Studies, No. 16.

Choi, Mihwa. Death Rituals and Politics in Northern Song China.

Lau Nap-Yin and Huang K'uang-Chung. "Founding and Consolidation of the Sung Dynasty" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 5: The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors, Part 1.

Li, Tao. Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian ("The Extended Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Government")

Sima, Guang. Sushui Jiwen ("Records of Rumors from Sushui").

Toqto'a and Alutu. Songshi ("The History of the Song").

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#138 - N. Song 6: Peace In Our Time

Sun, 11 Mar 2018 11:22:00 -0000

The new Song Emperor, Zhenzong, sits uneasily on the Chinese throne after his father’s untimely death in 997. But court intrigues and attempted coups will only be the tip of the iceberg for this untested and unlikely sovereign, because the Liao Dynasty to the north has its eyes and hearts set on revenge for Chinese slights, and will send a massive force bent on crushing Song resistance to their will.

Time Period Covered:

997-1005 CE

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#137 - N. Song 5: A Song of Rice and Flour

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 08:38:00 -0000

"Rice is great if you're really hungry and want eat 2,000 of something." - Mitch Hedberg

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#136 - N. Song 4: E Pluribus Xia

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 02:28:00 -0000

To the Northwest of the Song Empire, a group of non-Chinese known as the Tanguts have long been subject to the whims and subjugations of their greater neighbors. But with the Chinese focused on their struggle against the Khitan Liao, and the Tibetans and Uighur states having collapsed to the far west, the Tanguts need to unite - in spite of their often fractious nature - if they're to seize the moment and carve out their place in history.

Time Period Covered: ~735-1001 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Song Dynasty:

Emperor Taizong of Song (Zhao Jiong) [r. 976-997]

Emperor Zhenzong of Song (Zhao Heng) [r. 997-1022]

Western Xia:

Governor-General Tuoba Sigong (Li Sigong)of Dingnan, Duke of Xia [d. 886?]

Li Yiyin/Yixin, Prince of Xia (posthumous) [d. 967]

Li Kerui, Governor-General of Xia [r.967-978]

Li Jiqian, rebel leader against Song Dynasty[963–1004]

Li Deming (post. Emperor Taizong of Western Xia), founder of Xi Xia Dynasty [981–1032]

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#135 - N. Song 3: A Lesser Empire

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 09:15:00 -0000

Song's second emperor, Taizong, wants to achieve the heights of Chinese glory, power, and territory just like the Tang and Han before him. But aspirations are easier than results, and he's going to have to contend with neighbor states on all sides far more powerful than his predecessors - and with his own position far weaker. Still it's either that or the utterly unthinkable: acknowledge that China is no longer the preeminent superpower of the East, but now just one state among equals.

Time Period Covered:

976-986 CE

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#134 - N. Song 2: Golden Cupboard, Flickering Shadows

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 01:52:00 -0000

Zhao Kuangyin has seized the north and now aims to reunify China under his new Song Dynasty by smashing the south. And it’s super effective! But when a strange order of succession leaves question mark surrounding his legacy, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen next.

Time period covered:

960-976 CE

Major Historical Figures

Emperor Taizu of Song (Zhao Kuangyin) [r. 960-976]

Emperor Taizong of Song (Zhao Guangyi) [r. 976-997]

Prince Zhao Dezhao [951-979]

Chancellor Zhao Pu [922-992]

Liu Chang, Emperor of Southern Han [r. 958-972]

War Elephants!!!

Li Yu, King of Southern Tang [r. 961-976]

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#133 - N. Song 1: The Coup at Chen Bridge

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 08:24:00 -0000

The Duke of Song Circuit and Grand Marshal of the armies of Later Zhou is dispatched by the 6-year-old emperor and his mom to the northeast to investigate and drive out a reported incursion by the Khitan Liao and their Northern Han allies. But he won’t make it very far at all before the nature of his mission changes dramatically…

Time Period Covered:

960-962 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Gong of Later Zhou (Guo Zongxun) [r. 959-960, d. 973]

Zhao Kuangyin (Emperor Taizu of Song) [r. 960-976]

Zhao Kuangyi (Guangyi) [939-997]

Zhao Pu (922-992)

Governor Li Yün of Luzhou [d. 960]

Governor Li Chengjin of Yanzgzhou [d. 960]

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#132 - 5D10K 9: The Southern Kingdoms

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:25:00 -0000

We round out our overview of the 10 Kingdoms of the south by looking at the trials and tribulations of Chu, Former & Later Shu, Jingnan, and Southern Han’s travails against Annam… but little do they know, they’re one and all riding for a fall…

Time Period Covered:

870-960 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Huang Chao

Chu:

Governor Liu Jianfei,

King Ma Yin,

Minister Gao Yu,

King Ma Xifan,

Prince Ma Xi’ou,

King Ma Xiguang

Former/Later Shu:

King Wang Jian (“Bandit Wang Eight”) [r. 903-918],

Minister Feng Juan,

Minister Wei Zhuang,

King Wang Yan [r. 918-925]

King Meng Zhixiang [r. 933-965]

Governor Dong Chang [d. 930]

Jingnan:

King Gao Zhichang [r. 907-]

King Gao Congmei

Southern Han:

Governor Liu Qian, of the Man People [d. 896]

Prince Liu Yin of Nanhai [r. 896-911]

Emperor Liu Yan, “The Heavenly Dragon” [r. 911-942]

Emperor Liu Hongdu [r. 942-960]

Annam (N. Vietnam):

Governor Duong Dinh Nghe [d. 938]

Ngo Quyen [r. 939-]

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#131 - 5D10K 8: The Southeast

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 11:57:00 -0000

We sweep over 4 of the southern kingdoms along the southeastern coast.

WuYüe: which remains rich and prosperous owing to its favorable trade and geographic positions at the mouth of the Yangtze.

Wu: which starts off strong only to be subsumed from within, giving way to Southern Tang.

Min: whose coastal location is fatally undermined by it own geographic atomization, unto civil war, breakup, and destruction.

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Strange Tales 2: The Living Dead

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:21:00 -0000

✩★★★★

Worst. Hotel room. EVER!

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#130 - 5D10K 7: South Before North

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 03:21:00 -0000

With the rise of the last of the 5 Dynasties, Later Zhou, the North China Plains is able to go onto the offensive for the first time in decades; not against the endless expanses of the northern steppes, but a new strategy to reinvigorate the north by seizing the fertile and as of yet untouched reaches of the southern kingdoms, who are ripe for the plucking. Through it all, a brilliant military commander by the name of Zhao Kuangyin will prove his valor and skill, and is ultimately rewarded with a fateful governorship to the city of Song.

Time Period Covered:

954-959 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Later Zhou:

Chai/Guo Rong (Emperor Shizong) [r. 954-959]

Chancellor Wang Pu [d. 957]

General Zhao Kuangyin

Southern Tang:

Li Jing (Emperor Yuanzong) [r. 943-961]

Northern Han:

Liu Chong (Emperor Shizu) [r. 951-954/5]

Liu Jun (Emperor Ruizong) [r. 955-968]

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#129 - 5D10K6: Emperor Jerky

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 16:00:00 -0000

Emperor Deguang of Liao has conquered the North China Plain with ease and packed the Later Jin emperor off to eternal exile. But he doesn’t plan to stick around… instead, he’ll pack up everything – and everyone – he deems valuable to take back home. But when illness strikes him dead, new challengers will arise to do battle over the fate of northern China.

Time Period Covered:

947-954CE

Major Historical Figures:

Liao:

Yelü Deguang (Emperor Taizong) [r. 927-947]

Yelü Ruan (Wuyu, Emperor Shizong) [r. 947-951]

Yelü Jing (Emperor Muzong) [r. 951-969]

General Xiao Han [d. 949]

General Zhang Yanze [d. 947]

Later Han:

Liu Zhiyuan (Emperor Gaozu) [r. 947-948]

Liu Chengyou (Emperor Yin) [r. 948-951]

Northern Han:

Liu Chong (Emperor Shizu) [r. 951-954]

Later Zhou:

Guo Wei (Emperor Taizu) [r. 951-954]

Chai/Guo Rong (Emperor Shizong) [r. 954-959]

Sources Utilized:

Sima Guang, et al. 1084. Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance).

Standen, Naomi. 2009. “The Five Dynasties” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 5, pt. 1: The Sung Dynasty and Its Precursors 907-1279 (Denis Twitchett and Paul Jakov Smith, ed.)

Standen, Naomi. 2005. “What Nomads Want: Raids, Invasions and the Liao Conquest of 947” in Mongols, Turks, and Others: Eurasian Nomads and the Sedentary World (Reuven Amitai and Michal Biran, ed.)

Toqto’a (Tuotuo), et al. 1344. Liao Shi (History of the Liao).

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#128 - 5D10K 5: The Exiled Emperor

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 16:00:00 -0000

Later Jin seems to have its bed made within its steadfast alliance with Liao - in spite of the humiliating stipulations such a relationship imposes onto a proud Son of Heaven. Yet when Later Jin's first emperor dies, his replacement will do his level-best to unmake all the gains his nation has made... at his own peril.

Time Period Covered:

937-947 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Later Jin:

Shi Jingtang (Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin) [r. 936-942 CE]

Shi Chonggui (Emperor Chu of Later Jin) [r. 942-947 CE]

Governor-General An Chongrong [d. 942]

Chancellor Feng Dao [882-954 CE]

General Jing Yanguang [892-947 CE]

Liao:

Yelü Deguang (Emperor Taizong of Liao) [r. 927-947 CE]

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#127: 5D10K 4: Towering Inferno

Thu, 24 Aug 2017 16:00:00 -0000

In the state of Later Tang, things go from bad to worse as a revolving door of emperors combines with a suddenly-mercenary imperial guard corps... all to bring the state itself to an untimely, but fiery, demise.

Time Period Covered:

926-937 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (Li Siyuan)[r. 926-933]

Prince Li Congrong [d. 933]

Emperor Li Conghou of Later Tang [r. 933-934]

Chancellor Zhu Hongjiao [d. 934]

Chancellor Feng Yun [d. 934]

Emperor Li Congke of Later Tang [r. 934-936]

Shi Jingtang, Emperor of Later Jin [r. 936-942]

Meng Zhixiang, Emperor of Later Shu [r. 933-934]

Emperor Taizong of Liao (Yelü Guangde) [r. 927-947]

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#126 - 5D10K 3: Lineage of the Liao

Fri, 04 Aug 2017 13:00:00 -0000

We track the Khitan people of Mongolia/Manchuria from their origins in the mythological mists of pre-history, all the way through their reformation under Abaoji Kaghan into a Chinese-style state, known as the Liao Dynasty.

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#125 - 5D10K 2: The War for Supremacy

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:00:00 -0000

The Later Liang Dynasty is forced back onto the defense following the murder if its first two emperors by its third, coupled with the rise of the latest Prince of Jin, Li Cunxu, who is waging a war to restore the Tang regime. But he’ll be forced to decide whether a restoration premised on putting himself on the throne rather than the old imperial clan can really be called a “restoration” at all.

Time Period Covered:

915-926 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Later Liang Dynasty:

Zhu Wen (Emperor Taizu) [d. 915]

Zhu Youzhen (Emperor Mo) [r. 916-923]

Later Tang Dynasty:

Li Cunxu, Prince of Jin (Emperor Zhuangzong) [r. 923-926]

Li Siyuan (Emperor Minzong) [r. 926-933]

Crown Prince Li Zhizhi [d. 926]

Former Shu Dynasty:

Wang Yen (Emperor Houzhu) [r. 918-925]

Liao Dynasty:

Yelü Abaoji Kaghan (Emperor Taizu of Liao) [r. 907-926]

Works Cited:

Standen, Naomi. "The Five Dynasties" in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 5, Part 1: The Sung Dynasty and its Precursors, 907-1279.

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#124 - 5D10K 1: Live By the Sword...

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 13:30:00 -0000

Zhu Wen has proclaimed the dissolution of the Tang and the formation of Later Liang, with him as its Emperor Taizu... but there are more than a few people ready, willing, and able to object rather strongly to that claim...

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#123 - Tang 34: In the Rearview

Sun, 14 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

We take a sweeping look back at all 289 years of the Tang one more time before pressing into the 5 Dynasties and beyond, and also take a look at some of the aspects of 9th centuryChinese society that are more frequently overlooked... like women's fashion, regional cuisine, playing cards, and toilet paper.

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#122 - Special: End of Dynasty Q&A

Mon, 01 May 2017 06:20:00 -0000

We've made it to the end of the Tang and questions abound! From portrayals of Han Emperors, to my favorite Emperor, and the best Dynasty EVER, to battle tactics and armor, to grat Chinese kung fu movies and how much a protsitute would have been worth... we've had a whole host of excellent questions that I do my very best to answer!

Cheers!

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#121 - Tang 33: Tang of the Dead

Sun, 16 Apr 2017 05:10:00 -0000

Take the army, go to the capital, kill the imperial clan, exterminate the eunuchs, usurp the throne, have a nice cold pint and wait for all this to blow over. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

Time period covered:

888-907 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang [r. 887-905]

Prince Li Yu [d. 905]

Prince Li Zuo (Emperor Ai) [r. 905-908]

Han Jian, Governor of Hezhong

Li “the One-Eyed Dragon” Keyong, Commander of the Shatuo Turks

Li Maozhen, Governor of Fengxiang

Wang Xingyu, Governor of Pinning

Zhu Wen/Quanzhong/Huang, Governor of Hedong (Emperor Taizu of Later Liang)

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#120 - Tang 32: A Thousand Cuts

Fri, 31 Mar 2017 08:01:00 -0000

The rebel-general and usurper-emperor Huang Chao will wear out his welcome in Chang’an, and meet his doom in the Valley of Tigers and Wolves… but his reign of terror over the capital will only be the first act of its terrible, drawn out fate – a fate that will mirror the Tang Dynasty’s as a whole. Emperor Xizong, already put to flight once, will return to the capital – only to swiftly find himself on the run yet again as China’s general and governors alike realize that they are no longer servants of the dynasty, but masters of their own domains… if they can hold them.

Time Period Covered:

882-888 CE (“The Era of Radiant Beginnings”)

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Xizong of Tang (Li Yan) [r. 873-888]

Prince Li Jie (Emperor Zhaozong)

Chief Eunuch Tian Lingzi [d. 893]

Chen Jingxuan, Governor of Sichuan

General Zheng Tian, Commander of the Northwest

General Li Keyong, “The One-Eyed Dragon”, Khan of the Shatuo Turks

Huang Chao, Rebel Usurper [d. 884]

Governor-General Zhu Mei, Rebel Warlord, would-be-usurper [d. 887]

Li Yun, Prince of Xiang, would-be-puppet-monarch [d. 887]

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#119 - Tang 31: Reap the Whirlwind

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 04:21:00 -0000

The poison seeds that have been planted across China for the last century and longer will all begin to sprout, as the rebel commander Huang Chao takes command of the latest and greatest of internal threats to imperial stability. Yet it won't be the rebels themselves that will prove the decisive factor in the chaos to come... but instead the Empire's own supposedly "loyal" generals and soldiers... already looking ahead to their own places in the post-Tang world.

Time Period Covered:

878-882 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Dynasty:

Emperor Xizong of Tang (Li Yan/Xuan) [r. 874-888]

General Zhang Zimian

Governor-General Li Tiao of Guangdong [d. 879]

General Gao Pian, "The General Who Lost the North"

Xi Dynasty:

Huang Chao, "The Heaven-Storming General" [d. 884]

Sources Referenced:

Levy, Howard S. (1955). Biography of Huang Ch'ao

Somers, Robert M. (2008). "The end of the T'ang" in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3: Sui and T'ang China, 589–906 AD, Part One(ed. Denis C. Twitchett)

Wei, Chuang(881). "Lament of the Lady of Qin"(tr. Lionel Giles)

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#118 - Tang 30: Sow the Wind

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 07:49:00 -0000

Dear empire, we’re having a very mild case of severe rebellion, um, everywhere. But don’t worry, it’s totally under control. Everything’s fine, we’ve got this. Don’t panic. PS, rebel leaders if you’re reading this we’ll give you more than you’ve ever dreamed of if you’ll just stop attacking us, pretty please. But no it’s fine, we’re totally going to win, for sure. PPS, Imperial Army please stop refusing to fight. We’re totally serious about this. Joke’s over, it’s not funny anymore. Fight the rebels or we’re going to be, like, super angry with you. Victory is assured. No problem whatsoever. PPS, local magistrates, please recruit your peasants to fight the rebels – promise them whatever you have to. Seriously, anything. Long live the victorious Tang. No, the plane engines only look like they’re on fire. They’re supposed to look like that. That’s completely normal.

Love, Emperor Xizong.

Time Period Covered:

873-878 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Dynasty:

Emperor Yizong of Tang [d. 873]

Emperor Xizong of Tang (Li Wen) [r. 873-888]

Tian Lingzi, court eunuch-official

General Song Wei

General Zhang Zimian

Rebel Commanders:

Wang Xianzhi, Supreme Rebel General [d. 877]

Huang Chao, Heaven-Storming General [d. 884]

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#117 - Tang 29: The Gathering Storm

Sat, 11 Feb 2017 12:00:00 -0000

The Tang Empire enters its death spiral. The cumulative effects of more than a century of economic mismanagement intersects with the peasantry and military's respective gripes with the government to disastrous effects south of the Yangtze River. Rebellions beget further rebellions as the whole enterprise spirals down toward the drainpipe.

Time Period Covered:

859-873 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Yizong of Tang (Li Wen/Cui) [r. 859-873]

Princess Tongcheng [d. 870]

General Wang Shi

General Zhuye Chixin (later Li Guochang)

Governor-General Linghu Tao

Qiu Fu, rebel leader, "Grand Generalissimo of the Empire" [d. 860]

Pang Xun, rebel leader [d. 869]

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#116 - Tang 28: I, Xuānzong

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 16:55:00 -0000

Li Yi was never trained to be emperor. Not only was he the thirteenth son of Xianzong, but he'd been ruthlessly mocked and belittled his whole life by his entire family for being an idiot, an invalid, and a mute. But when his hated nephew dies in 846, he's going to shock the world by revealing he was faking it the whole time, and go on to become the last good emperor of the Tang before its final bow.

Time Period Covered:

846-859 CE

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#115 - Tang 27: The Third Disaster of Wu

Sun, 08 Jan 2017 11:03:00 -0000

The new Emperor Wuzong will have a lot on his plate right from the get-go. Foreign threats and domestic squabbles will frame his early reign, but it's his own fanatical devotion to Daoism and antipathy to Buddhism that will define his reign.

Period Covered:

840-846 CE

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#114 - Tang 26: The Sweet Dew Plot

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 05:44:00 -0000

Behind the throne of Tang is where the true power lies in the mid-9th century, among squabbling bureaucrats, shadowy factions, and conniving eunuchs. But this game of shadows is difficult to follow. Nevertheless, when events reach a head in 835 we’ll need to know how all the pieces on the imperial chessboard got where they are, and so we take a look at the real movers and shakers of the late Tang court.

Time Period Covered:

808-836 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Emperors:

Emperor Xianzong of Tang (Li Chun) [r. 805-820]

Emperor Muzong of Tang (Li Heng/You) [r. 820-824]

Emperor Jingzong of Tang (Li Zhan) [r. 824-827]

Emperor Wenzong of Tang (Li Han/Ang) [r. 827-840]

Crowned Prince Li Yong [d. 838]

Emperor Wuzong (Li Chan) [r. 840-846]

Niu Faction Officials:

Niu Sengru, Duke of Qizhang

Li Zhongmin

Li Xun [d. 835]

Li Faction Officials:

Li Jifu, Duke of Wei [d. 814]

Li Deyu, Duke of Wei

Nonaligned Officials:

Zheng Zhu [d. 835]

Eunuch Officials:

Wang Shucheng [d. 835]

Qiu Shiliang, Duke of Chu

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#113 - Tang 25: The Longshoreman's Prophecy

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 03:30:00 -0000

In the wake of Emperor Xianzong’s unexpected death in 820, his work remains unfinished… and now left in the hands of his incapable, incompetent successors. The eunuchs are hard at work securing ultimate authority for themselves, and have no time for a strong central leader, and the Governor-generals of the northeast are eager to get out from under the imperial thumb once again. Into all this madness, a dock-worker, a fortuneteller, and an army of vagabonds will make a quixotic bid for the throne.

Time Period Covered:

February, 820- January, 827 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Muzong of Tang (Li Heng) [r. 820-824]

Emperor Jingzong of Tang (Li Zhan) [r. 824-827]

Emperor Wenzong of Tang (Li Ang) [r. 827-840]

Prince Li Han of Jiang [d. 827]

Eunuch-Official Liang Shoujian

Eunuch Official Liu Keming [d. 827]

Chief Minister Xiao Mian

Su Xuanming, Fortuneteller Extraordinaire [d. 824]

Zhang Shao, Unlikely Sitter of Thrones [d. 824]

Sources:

Dalby, Michael T. (1979). “Court politics in late T’ang times: Mid-Ninth Century Court (820-59)” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

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#112 - Tang 24: Make Tang Great Again!

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 18:47:00 -0000

Young Emperor Xianzong has a plan to restore China's supremacy in the 9th century world... and - surprisingly enough - it involves precisely zero walls being built.

Time Period Covered:

805-820 CE

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#111 - Special: Strange Tales

Sun, 23 Oct 2016 17:27:00 -0000

Today, we veer off our main narrative and into several seasonal tales which celebrate the spooky season in Chinese fashion. We feature a ghostly gathering, a bewitched battle, injurious jests, and lethal looks.

Author: Pu Songling [1640-1715 CE]Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

Featuring:

The Golden Goblets (begins: 2:15)

The Necromancer (begins: 13:30)

The Killing Joke (begins: 21:15)

The Painted Skin (begins:

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#110 - Tang 23: Where the Wangs Went Wrong

Sat, 15 Oct 2016 13:16:00 -0000

We take a look at the final years of Emperor Dezong's reign, his political successes and failures, and the strange, mysterious,short-lived Wang Party that would seize control over government for about 5 minutes before being kicked out by Dezong's grandson Xianzong. Also, we have a paralyzed, mute emperor, so there's that, too!

Time Period Covered:

ca. 790-806 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Dynasty:

Li Kuo, Emperor Dezong of Tang [r. 780-805]

Li Song, Emperor Shunzong of Tang [r. 805]

Li Chun, Emperor Xianzong of Tang [r. 805-820]

Dou Wenchang, Eunuch Protector of the Army

Huo Xianming, Eunuch Protector of the Army

Wang Shuwen, Wang Party Founder

Wang Pi, Wang Party Member

Tibetan Empire:

Prime Minister Shang Jiecan (Shan-rgyal-btsan)

Uyghur Khannate:

Tun-Baga-Tar Khan

Major Sources Cited:

Dalby, Richard. "Court Politics in Late Tang Times" in The Cambridge History of China vol. 3

Zizhi Tongjian

Jiu Tangshu

Wang, Yunsheng (1963). "Second Treatise on the Historic Significance of that Bastard Sima's Political Innovations" in Lishi Yanjiu.

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#109 - Tang 22: Innie or Outie?

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:40:00 -0000

Dezong has had it up to here with his mumbling, bumbling, stumbling courtiers and their inability to solve the empire’s problems. So he’s going to give them 3 last shots to prove the worth of the bureaucracy, and when they strike out, he’ll turn toward his private inner count to make the Tang Empire great again.

Time Period:

786-795 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Dezong of Tang [r. 779-805]

Chancellor Cui Zao (term of office: 785-787, exiled and d. 787)

Chancellor Li Mi [term: 787-789, d. 789]

Chancellor Dou Can [term: 789-792, d. 793 by forced suicide]

Chancellor Lu Zhi [term: 792-794, exiled]

Director of Finances Pei Yanling [792-796, d. 796]

Major Works Cited:

Dalby, Michael T. "Court Politics in Late Tang Times" in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 234, 235

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#108 - Tang 21: General Disaster

Mon, 05 Sep 2016 14:12:00 -0000

The echoes of the An Lushan Rebellion still reverberate destructively through Tang China even three decades after its conclusion. As the new emperor, Dezong, attempts to revitalize the glory days of old, he’ll kick off an new round of wars with the governor-warlords of Hebei who don’t want to have to listen to him anymore.

Time Period Covered:

781-785 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Dezong of Tang (Li Kuo) [r. 779-805]

Li Zhengji, Governor-General of Pinglu [d. 781]

Zhu Tao, King of Ji

Zhu Ci, Governor-General of Huaixi, Emperor of Qin/Han [d. 785]

Duan Xiushi, Tang double-agent [d. 783]

General Li Huaiguang

General Li Sheng

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#107 - Tang 20: This Is Only a Test

Sun, 21 Aug 2016 10:18:00 -0000

Today we explore the insanely difficult, stressful, byzantine... and sometimes fatal... world of the would-be imperial official as they attempt to climb their way through the labyrinth of tests explicitly designed to fail them out. One unlikely success of this system is Yuan Zai, who will going from impoverished nobody to Chancellor of the Empire... all before getting his head lopped off. We then finish out Emperor Daizong's time on the throne before the reign of his son Emperor Dezong.

Time Period Covered:

762-781 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Daizong of Tang (Li Yu) [r. 762-779]

Emperor Dezong of Tang (Li Kuo) [r. 779- 805]

Chancellor Yuan Zai [d. 777]

General Guo Ziyi [d. 781]

Major Works Cited:

Dalby, Michael T. "Court Politics in Late Tang Times" in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Miyazaki, Ichisada. China's Examination Hell.

Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 225.

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#106 - Tang 19: Not Quiet on the Western Front

Sun, 07 Aug 2016 15:59:00 -0000

You would think that finally quelling the largest rebellion on Earth would by the realm back into peaceful harmony. Unfortunately for the Tang, you’d be wrong. While China was forced to spend every waking moment in the Northeast desperately trying to drive back An Lushan for the past 7 years, the Tibetans went ahead and moved in from the West, cutting off Chinese access to the Far West Protectorate, and by 763 poised to deliver a devastating broadside to the already-devastated Tang Empire. And as if that’s not enough, in the middle of all this, a loyal military commander has false accusations of treason leveled against him by a paranoid regional official, but then through a series of zany happenstances is forced to actually rebel against the government for fear of being convicted and killed for the initial false charges. This is why we can’t have nice things…

Time Period Covered:

763~770 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Empire:

Emperor Daizong of Tang (Li Yu) [r. 762-779]

Crowned Prince Li Kuo

General Guo Ziyi, Guard Commander of Chang’an

General Pugu Huai’en [d. 765]

Luo Fengxian, Imperial Eunuch Official

Xin Yunjing, Governor of Hedong

Yu Chao’en, Commander of the Army of Divine Strategy [d. 770]

Tibetan Empire:

Tsenpo Trisong Detsen

Uyghur Khaganate:

Tengri Bögü Khagan (Qutlugh Tarqan Sengün)

Major Works Cited:

Chamney, Lee (2012). “The An Shi Rebellion and Rejection of the Other in Tang China, 618-763.” University of Alberta.

Dalby, Michael T. (1979). “Court Politics in Late Tang Times” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Liu, Xu. (945). Jiu Tang Shu.

Ouyang, Xiu (1060), (tr. Colin Mackerras, 2004) “The History of the Uyghurs” in Xin Tang Shu.

Sima, Guang. (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.

Wang, Bing-Wen (2012). “A Tragedy of Marriage and Politics: the Puku Huai’-en Rebellion” in New History Journal (新史學雜誌).

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#105 - Tang 18: Retrospective

Wed, 27 Jul 2016 06:01:00 -0000

Before getting into the latter half of the Tang Dynasty, we take a look back at the 175 years we’ve covered since the Sui first reunified China at the conclusion of the Period of Disunion. Join us on this high-altitude, rapid journey charting the highs and lows the the 2 & a half dynasties we’ve looked at since Episode 76.

Time Period Covered:

581-764 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Sui Dynasty:

Emperor Wen (Yang Jian) [r. 581-604]

Emperor Yang (Yang Guang) [r. 604-617]

Tang Dynasty:

Emperor Gaozu (Li Yuan) [r. 618-626]

Princess Pingyang [d. 623]

Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) [r. 627-649]

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) [r. 650-683]

Emperor Zhongzong (Li Xian) [r. 684-684]

Emperor Ruizong (Li Dan) [r. 684-690]

Zhou Dynasty:

Empress Regnant Wu Zetian (Wu Meiniang) [r. 690-705]

Tang Dynasty (restored):

Emperor Zhongzong (Li Xian) [r. 705-710]

Emperor Ruizong (Li Dan) [r. 710-712]

Princess Taiping [d. 712]

Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) [r. 712-756]

Emperor Suzong (Li Heng) [r. 756-762]

Emperor Daizong (Li Yu) [r. 762-779]

Northeastern Protectorate/ Yan Dynasty:

Emperor An Lushan [r. 756-757]

Emperor An Qingxu [r. 757-759]

Emperor Shi Siming [r. 759-761]

Emperor Shi Chaoyi [r. 761-763]

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#104 - AnShi 4: Crowns in the Gutters

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 16:57:00 -0000

The AnShi Rebellion grinds on to its bitter conclusion, claiming lives at a rate unprecedented in human history. Crowns and throne will be cast to the wind by fathers and sons alike, and in the end China will before force to decide between national cohesion and national sovereignty… a true devil’s choice, if ever there was one.

Time period covered:

756 – 764 CE

Major Historical Actors:

Tang Dynasty:

Retired Emperor Xuanzong [d. 762]

Emperor Suzong (Li Heng) [r. 756-762]

Emperor Daizong (Li Yu) [r. 762-779]

Yan Dynasty:

An Lushan [d. 757]

Emperor An Qingxu [r. 757-759]

Emperor Shi Siming [r. 759-761]

Emperor Shi Chaoyi [r. 761-763]

Uyghur Khaganate:

Tengri Bügü Khagan [r. 759-779]

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#103 - AnShi 3: Strange Bedfellows

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 08:18:00 -0000

Reeling from the loss of both capital cities to the rebel army, Emperor Xuanzong and his heir Li Heng split up. Three days later from the northern garrison at Lingwu, the Crowned Prince declares himself the new emperor, Suzong – surprise, Dad! Newly enthroned, Suzong will be forced to cobble together an unlikely coalition of China’s neighbors in order to have any hope of turning the tide of the civil war that threatens to drown the Tang Dynasty in blood. Arabs, Transoxianans, Ferghanans, and even Uyghur Stepperiders will join forces with a corps of Han Chinese soldiers willing to die to the last man if it means stopping An Lushan and his Yan rebel army in its tracks.

Time Period Covered:

July 756 – December 757 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Dynasty:

(Retired) Emperor Xuanzong [Li Longji] (r. 712-756, as retired emperor 756-762)

Emperor Suzong of Tang [Crowned Prince Li Heng ] (r. 756-762)

Crowned Prince Li Yu [b. 727]

General Guo Ziyi

Yan Dynasty Rebels:

An Lushan [d. 757]

An Qingxu [r. 757-759]

General Yan Zhuang

Uyghur Khaghanate:

Bayanchur Khan [r. 747-759]“The Viceroy” (Yagbu), Field Commander of the Uyghur Cavalry

Major Works Cited:

Chamney, Lee (2012). “The An Shi Rebellion and Rejection of the Other in Tang China, 618-763.” University of Alberta.

Dalby, Michael T. (1979). “Court Politics in Late Tang Times” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Inaba, Minoru. (2010). “Arab Soldiers in China at the Time of the An-Shi Rebellion” in The Memoirs of the Toyo Bunko, 68.

Liu, Xu. (945). Jiu Tang Shu.

Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (1976). “The An Lu-Shan Rebellion and the Origins of Chronic Militarism in Late T’ang China” in Essays on Tʻang Society: The Interplay of Social, Political and Economic Forces.

Ouyang, Xiu (1060), (tr. Colin Mackerras, 2004) “The History of the Uyghurs” in Xin Tang Shu.

Twitchett, Denis. (1979). “End of the Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Sima, Guang. (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.

Wang, Qinruo, et al. (1013). Cefu Yuangui.

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#102 - AnShi 2: Song of Everlasting Sorrow

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 06:47:00 -0000

An Lushan marches south, occupying Louyang with blinding speed and leaving the Tang Dynasty reeling. Still, ultimately the tide seems ready to turn against the rebel general and self-styled-Emperor of Yan, until Chancellor Yang Guozhong's bungling ruins absolutely everything.

Time Period Covered:

Jan-July, 756

Major Historical Actors:

Tang Dynasty:

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang

Chancellor Yang Guozhong (d. 756)

Consort Yang Guifei (d. 756)

Crowned Prince Li Heng

General Feng Chengqian (d. 756)

General Gao Xianzhi (d. 756)

General Geshu Han

Dongan Protectorate/Yang Dynasty:

An Lushan

An Qingzong (d. 756)

Major Works Cited:

Abramson, Marc S. (2008). Ethnic Identity in Tang China.

Chamney, Lee (2012). “The An Shi Rebellion and Rejection of the Other in Tang China, 618-763.” University of Alberta.

Twitchett, Denis. “End of the Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.De la Vaissière, Étienne, (tr.)

James Ward (2002). Sogdian Traders: A History.

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#101 - AnShi 1: Heart & Belly, Claws & Teeth

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 04:15:00 -0000

The aged Emperor Xuanzong of Tang rest uneasily on his throne as 751 brings not just the sting of defeat at Talas, but also to the far south and northeast. He and his chancellor will become increasingly reliant on the Governor-General of Dongan Protectorate, the Sogdian-Turk An Lushan. But at a time when loyalty, ethnicity, and what it means to be Chinese is increasingly strained, how much pressure can the system take before it snaps?

Time Period Covered:

751-755 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang)

Chancellor Li Linfu (d. 753)

Chancellor Yang Guozhong

Consort Yang Huiyuan

Crowned Prince Li Heng

An Lushan, Governor-General of the Andong Protectorate

Geshu Han, Governor-General of the Anbei Protectorate

An Qingzong (Gen. An’s eldest son and heir)

Sources Cited:

Abramson, Marc S. (2008). Ethnic Identity in Tang China.

Chamney, Lee (2012). “The An Shi Rebellion and Rejection of the Other in Tang China, 618-763.” University of Alberta.

Twitchett, Denis. “End of the Reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

De la Vaissière, Étienne, (tr.) James Ward (2002). Sogdian Traders: A History.

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#100 - Special: Di Yi Bai!

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 13:45:00 -0000

Title Meaning: “Hundredth!” It’s a Q&A between you listeners and myself on topics far and wide! They range from yet further exploration of Empress Wu, to the nature of Chinese alcohol, my favorite Chinese movies, Chinese classes and slavery within the Empire and even today, China’s relations with Southeast Asia and why it seems to be a particularly difficult place to conquer across time, the end of the Ming Dynasty, the surprisingly contentious history of silk, and finally a question likely to land me in hot water: a question on how China might change in the century to come (bring it on, Fifty Cent Party!)

Enjoy!

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#99 - Tang 17: The Battle of Talas

Sun, 29 May 2016 07:43:00 -0000

The armies of the Far West Anxi Protectorate of the Tang face down a force commanded by the ascendant Abbasid Islamic Caliphate, fresh off its victorious insurgency over the Umayyad Caliphate. But in this one and only clash between Chinese and Arab might, the ramifications for both will be felt long after the blood dries on the battlefield along the Talas River.

Time Period Covered:

May- September, 751

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Dynasty –

Protectorate of Western Pacification

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Longji)

Governor-General Fumeng Lingcha

Governor-General Gao Xianzhi (Go Seonji)

Bian Lingchen, Court Eunuch on Assignment to Anxi

Lieutenant Li Siye

Officer Duan Xiushi

Transoxiana:

Lesser Bolü Kingdom (Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan)

Shi Kingdom (Tashkent, Uzbekistan)

Turgesh Khannate

Karluk (Qarluq) Turks

Tibetan Empire

Abbasid Islamic Caliphate:

Governor Ziyad ibn Salih

Major Works Cited:

Bartold, Vasily (1928). Turkestan Down to the Mongol Invasion (Trans. T. Minorsky & C.E. Bosworth).

Chen, Sanping (2012). Multicultural China in the Early Middle Ages.

Golden, Peter B. (1990). “The Kharakhanids and early Islam” in The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia, vol. 1 (ed. Denis Sinor).

Hoberman, Barry (Sept/Oct. 1982). “The Battle of Talas” in Aramco World, vol. 33 no. 5.

Ibn al-Athir, Ali (ca. 1231) The Complete History.

Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.

Soucek, Svak (2000). A History of Inner Asia.

Starr, S. Frederick (2004). Xinjiang: China’s Muslim Borderland.

Szczepanski, Susan (2015). “Battle of Talas River” in About.com: http://asianhistory.about.com/od/centralasia/a/BattleofTalas.htm

Tsien Tsuen-hsuin (1985). “Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 1: Paper and Printing.” In Science and Civilization in China: Vol. 5.

Twitchett, Denis (ed.) (1979).“Hsuang-Tsüng: Li-Lin Fu’s Regime” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

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#98 - Tang 16: All Along the Watchtowers

Tue, 17 May 2016 08:31:00 -0000

We leave the capital behind to take a tour of the Tang Empire’s neighbors, both old and new. A tenuous peace with Tibet leads to a westward push putting the Chinese into contact – and eventual conflict – with the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate. Meanwhile, to the north and east rebellious Khitan tribesmen will spark a huge military buildup in the region under the control of one man, while the former Goguryeo reorganizes itself into the powerful state of Balhae, forcing the Tang Court to re-assess its diplomatic options.

Time Period Covered:

730-750 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang Dynasty:

Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) [r. 712-756]

Gen. Zhang Shougui, Military Governor of Fanyang

Gen. An Lushan, Military Governor of Pinglu, Prince of Dongping

Tibetan Kingdom:

Turgesh Kaghanate:

Sulu Kaghan [d. 738]

Abbasid Islamic Caliphate:

Second Turkic Kaghanate:

Bilgé Kaghan [r. 716-734]

Kul Tigin [d. 731]

Khitan and Xi Tribes:

Ketuyu [d. 733]

Balhae Kingdom:

King Go [r. 698-719]

King Mu [r. 719-737]

King Mun [r. 737-793]

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#97 - Tang 15: Law & Order: XZU

Mon, 09 May 2016 10:06:00 -0000

In the Justice System of the Tang Imperial Court, the throne’s interests are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the Confucians, who argue for traditional ethics, and the Legalists, who argue for the unbending application of the letter of the law. These are their stories…

Time Period Covered:

731-740 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang

Chief Minister Zhang Jiuling

Chief Minister Li Linfu

Eunuch Commander Gao Lishi

General Wang Maozhong

Major Sources Cited:

Herbert, Penelope A. "A Debate in T'ang Chinaon the State Monopoly on Casting Coin" in T'oung Pao LXII.

Twitchett, Denis. "Hsuang-Tsüng: The Middle Reign" in The Cambridge history of China, vol. 3.

Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian.

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#96 - Tang 14: The Sacrifices of Feng and Shan

Tue, 26 Apr 2016 19:01:00 -0000

Military reforms mark our entrance into Xuanzong’s early-middle reign, which is more or less a basket of unicorn foals: external peace, internal stability… now if only that darned economy would fix itself! But the emperor will turn a fateful corner in the 724, when his official Zhang Yue convinces him to conduct the Feng and Shan Sacrifices: the highest ritual a Chinese ruler could conduct – a sacrifice to Heaven and Earth atop holy Mount Tai.

Time Period Covered:

714 – 726 CE

Important Historical Figures:

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Longji) [r. 714- ]

Empress Wang [d. 724]

Lady Wu

Chief Minister Zhang Yue

Minister Yuwen Rong

Minister Cui Yinfu

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#95 - Tang 13: Xuanzong Can Fix It!

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 13:08:00 -0000

Wu Zetian’s grandson Li Longji (aka Xuanzong of Tang) is left to pick up the pieces of 50+ years’ worth of overindulgence, royal excess, and the rampant deconstruction of the entire imperial bureaucratic apparatus. Thanks, grandma. Fortunately, he’ll prove uniquely suited to the role of maintenance-man, and under his unexpectedly capable leadership, he’ll reign in his family members, do away with the thousands of excess positions, reform the government, and stabilize the regime. He’s building up to a second Golden Age for the Tang Dynasty… all he has to do is get his obnoxious Aunt Taiping out of the way first…

Major Historical Figures:

Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) [r. 712-756]

Princess Taiping [d. 713]

Li Dan (Retired Emperor Ruizong) [r. 710-712, d. 716]

Yao Chong [650- ]

Song Jing [663 - ]

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#94 - Tang 12: Two Second Reigns

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 06:03:00 -0000

The Tang Dynasty has been restored following Empress Wu's eldest son's coup d'etat. But dynastic restoration does not equate to societal reformation, and many of the problems Wu inherited or exacerbated remain. Throw into that mix a decade long period of palatial infighting between princes and princesses, and we have a period so chalk full of intrigue, espionage, and assassination... that classical historians have preferred to steer around this decade rather than even deign to acknowledge it.

Time Period Covered:

705-712 CE

Notable Historical Figures:

Deposed Empress Wu Zetian [d. 705]

Li Xian (Emperor Zhongzong of Tang) [2nd r. 705-710]

Li Dan (Emperor Ruizong of Tang) [2nd r. 710-712]

Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) [r. 712- ]

Princess Taiping

Empress Wei [d. 710]

Princess Anlou [d. 710]

Wu Sansi [d. 707]

Crowned Prince Li Chongjun [d. 707]

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#93 - Tang 11: Dynasty of One

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 05:26:00 -0000

Wu Zhao sits on the Throne of Heaven as divine sovereign in her own right. But challenges from expansionistic neighbors such as the Tibetans, the Turks, and the Khitan will throw her regime’s stability into question, an ongoing economic crisis will spiral out of control, and her scandalous affair with two pretty-boy half-brothers will throw the entire imperial court into turmoil, potentially spelling an end to her singular era of rule.

Time Period Covered:

690-705 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang/Zhou Dynasty:

Wu Zhao [The Holy Empress Regnant Zetian] (r. 690-705)

Prince Li Xian [former Emperor Zhongzong] (re-confirmed as heir in 698)

Prince Li Dan [former Emperor Ruizong]

Princess Taiping

Minister Wei Yuancheng

Xue Huaiyi, head of White Horse Temple (d. 695)

High Inquisitor Lai Junchen (d. 698)

Zhang Yizhi (d. 705)

Zhang Changzong (d. 705)

Turkic Khannate:

Qapaghan Khan [Mouchou] (d. 716)

Tibetan Empire:

Tridu Tsongsan Tsampo [King of Tibet]

the mGar Clan (d. 698)

Khitan Tribe:

Chieftain Li Qincheng (d. 697)

Chieftain Sun Wanzheng (d. 697)

Major Works Cited:

Clements, Johnathan. Wu: the Chinese Empress Who Schemed, Seduced and Murdered Her Way to Become A Living God.

Dash, Mike. “The Demonization of Empress Wu” in The Smithsonian found at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/?no-ist

Fitzgerald, C.P. The Empress Wu.

Guisso, Richard W. L. “The Reigns of the empress Wu, Chung-tsung and Jui-tsung (684-712)” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Guisso, Richard W.L. Wu Tse-T’ien and the Politics of Legitimation in T’ang China.

Liu, Xiu. Jiu Tangshu.

Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian.

Woo, X.L. Empress Wu the Great.

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#92 - Tang 10: Sage Mother, Divine Sovereign

Sun, 06 Mar 2016 12:21:00 -0000

A white stone bearing a prophecy tells of an era of eternal prosperity, a disastrous rebellion spells the doom of the majority of the imperial Li Clan, an obscure sutra tells of the reincarnation of a goddess to rule over the world, the written word itself is altered to fit the times… all of these are will fit together today to explain how and why the 66-year-old Empress Dowager of Tang will manage to become the first and only woman Emperor of China in the year 690.

Time Period Covered:

689-693

Major Historical Figures:

Empress-Regnant Wu Zhao of Zhou, Sage Mother, Divine Sovereign, Maitreya the Peerless [r. 690-705]

Li Dan (Emperor Ruizong of Tang) [r. 689-690]

Chancellor Li Zhaode

Chancellor Ji Xu

Heir-Expectant Wu Chengsi

Prince Li Chuan of Dengzhou [d. 689]

Prince Li Cheng [d. 689]

Prince Li Chen [d. 689]

High Inquisitor Lai Junchen

An Jingcan (he has guts)

Major Works Cited:

Guisso, Richard W. L. “The Reigns of the empress Wu, Chung-tsung and Jui-tsung (684-712)” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3.

Chen, Jinhua. “Sarira and Scepter. Empress Wu’s Political Use of Buddhist Relics” in the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol. 25 No. 1-2 (2002).

Kory, Stephen N. “The Remarkably Resonant and Resilient Tang Dynasty Augural Stone” in Tang Studies, 26 (2008).

Liu, Xiu. Jiu Tangshu.Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 206.

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#91 - Tang 9: Reign of Terror

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 08:02:00 -0000

With her husband dead, Empress Wu is unrivaled in Chang'an, but that situation is tenuous as she has no legal basis for that power. Her eldest (surviving) son will take up the throne as Emperor Zhongzong for... all of two months before she decides he's got to go. Her timid, youngest son will fit her style much better as Ruizong, but when the high lords of the realm are exposed as conspiring against her, she will unleash her full fury on their ranks, employing tactics and methods that will decimate the literati class.

Time Period Covered:

683-686 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Empress Dowager Wu Zhao

Li Xian (Emperor Zhongzong) [r. 684]

Li Dan (Emperor Ruizong) [r. 684-689]

Empress Wei

Wei Xuanzhen

Li Jingye [d. 684]

Chancellor Pei Yan [d. 684]

General Cheng Wuding, "Terror of the Turks" [d. 684]

High Inquisitor Lai Junchen [d. 697]

High Inquisitor Zhou Xing [d. 691]

Monk Xue Huaiyi

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#90 - Special: Monkey Business

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 14:13:00 -0000

In celebration of the Year of the Monkey, this week we take a look at China's most famous demonic simian, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, and his Journey to the West guarding the Buddhist monk Xuanzang. Then we'll look at the historical 15 year long westward journey of Xuanzang as he seeks sutras from India to bring enlightenment to China.

Time Period Covered:

602-664 CE

Major Historical Figures:

San Zang Master Xuanzang (Chen Hui) [602-664]

Major Fictional Figures:

Sun Wukong (The Handsome Monkey King, Mei Hou Wang)

Zhu Bajie (Pig of the Eight Commandments)

Sha Wujing (The Sandy Friar)

Bodhisattva Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy and Compassion)

Major Works Cited:

Wu, Chang'en, The Journey to the West (1592).

Xuanzang, Da Tang Xiyu Ji (Great Tang Records of the Western Regions) (646).

"The History of Xuan Zang." http://www.vbtutor.net/Xiyouji/history.htmInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang) (602—664 C.E.)" https://web.archive.org/web/20130116083307/http://www.iep.utm.edu/xuanzang/#H1

Cao, Shibang. "Fact vs. Fiction" in Dust in the Wind: Retracing Dharma Master Xuanzang's Western Pilgrimage

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#89 - Tang 8: Clash on the Borderlands

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 16:00:00 -0000

Tang China goes to town on its neighbors over the course of the mid-7th century. First, the Western Regions of central Asia will feel the full force of a reunited Middle Kingdom, culminating in the collapse and Chinese annexation of the whole Western Turkic Khannate, putting Chinese borders (briefly) right up against Persia. Then, Emperor Gaozong will commit himself to completing what his father begun: the final destruction of Goguryeo. but this time he'll enlist the aid of South Korean Silla to carve out a toehold on the peninsula to give himself a better shot at success. But when a Japanese war-fleet responds to North Korean pleas for aid, it will be a showdown on the high seas for which Asian power will control the Korean Peninsula.

Time Period Covered:

649-673 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Tang:

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi)

Empress Wu Zhao

General Su Dingfang "The Turk Destroyer"

General Li Shiji

Western Türkic Kaghanate (Onoq):

Dielishi Kaghan Shabulou Khan (Ashina Holu)

Grousset, René. Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia

Karam Skaff. Jonathan. Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Relations

Ō no Yasumaro, Prince Toneri. Nihon Shoki.

Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian

Twitchett, Denis (ed.), Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3

Unger, J.M. "The Role of Contact in the Origins of the Japanese and Korean Languages."

Yi, Pae-yong. Women in Korean History

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#88 - Tang 7: Empress Wu Behind The Curtain

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 02:57:00 -0000

The more than two-decade period following Wu Zhao’s ascension as Emperor Gaozong’s empress-consort will serve to point out three things: how weak the emperor is, how powerful Empress Wu has become, and how there is absolutely nothing she won’t do to keep it that way. By the middle of the episode, she’ll be considered even at the time the co-equal ruler of her husband, on of the so-called “Two Holy Ones.” But power is a slippery fish to hang on to… especially when you have no legal means of maintaining it, and several sons just waiting in the wing to snatch it all away.Time Period Covered:656-683 CEMajor Historical Figures:Emperor Gaozong of Tang (Li Zhi) [r. 649-683]Empress Consort Wu Zhao Crowned Prince Li Hong (Emperor Xiaojing [posthumous title]) [652-675]Crowned Prince Li Xián [653-684]Crowned Prince Li Xiǎn (Emperor Zhongzong) [b. 656- , r. 684]Li Zhong, Prince of Liang [d.665]Chancellor Zhangsun Wuji [d. 665]Chancellor Shangguan Yi [d. 665]Chancellor Xu Jingzong [retired 670, d. 673]Major Sources:Dash, Mike. “The Demonization of Empress Wu” in The Smithsonian. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/?no-istJiang, Chen An. Empress of China: Wu Ze Tian.Karem Skaff, Jonathan. Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Neighbors: Culture, Power, and Connections, 580-800.Sima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian.Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China. “Kao-Tsung (Reign 649-83) and the Empress Wu: The Inheritor and the Usurper.”Old Book of Tang.New Book of Tang.

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#87 - Tang 6: Femme Fatale

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 10:27:00 -0000

With Taizong of Tang's death, his ninth son Li Zhi will ascend to the throne as Emperor Gaozong. But his weak will will ensure that his reign will be dominated by those around him. First by his ministerial backers, but more and more by a seductive young concubine who will do anything to win the game of intrigue at the imperial court, and will ruthlessly dispose of anyone who gets in her way.

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#86 - Tang 5: Family Matters

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 05:29:00 -0000

Our third and final episode in our suite on Emperor Taizong of Tang, this time focuses on the family crisis that would grip the latter half of his reign, as the ill-fated conquest of Goguryeo raged on in the periphery. His eldest son and heir will prove himself too… well, strange… for anyone to feel comfortable with on the throne. Meanwhile his favorite son will go to any means to secure the top job for himself. In the ensuing brotherly scuffle assassinations will be plotted, banishments pronounced, and the royal family’s trust shattered forever. But who will emerge on top is anyone’s guess…Time Period Covered: 626-649 CENotable Figures:Tang:Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong) [r. -649]Empress Wende [née Zhangsun] [d. 636]Crowned Prince Li Chengqian [618-645]Li Tai, Prince of Wei [618-652]Li Zhi, Prince of Jin [b. 628]Chancellor Wei ChengChancellor Zhangsun Wuji“Chengxin,” Li Chengqian’s singing boyGegan Chengji, Royal BodyguardMajor Sources UsedChen, Jack Wei. Poetics of Sovereignty: On Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China. “Taizong: The Consolidator”.Wu, Jing. Zhenguan Zheng Yao, “Essentials on Governance from the Zhenguan Era”.Li, Shimin. Difan, “Plan for the Emperor”.

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#85 - Tang 4: The Wild West

Sat, 26 Dec 2015 09:30:00 -0000

1,000,000 show downloads!Emperor Taizong turns outward seeking to re-conquer the lost territories of the late, great Han at its height. But it’s easier said than done: to the west he’ll find that there’s a whole new cast of regional powers ready to stake their own territorial claims… meanwhile to the northeast, his rising ambitions about taking the Goguryeo Kingdom at any cost may lead him to follow in the ruinous footsteps of the Sui instead.And since it’s that time of the year, we’ll finish out with a look at China’s very first encounter with a strange monotheistic religion from the Roman Empire, calling itself Nestorian Christianity.Time Period Covered:634-649 CEMajor Historical Figures:Tang China:Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) [r. 626-649]Retired Emperor Gaozu [d. 635]Empress Zhangsun [d. 636]Bod Chen Po (Tibetan Empire):Songtsen Gampo (King of Tibet)Tuyuhun Kingdom:Murong Fuyun KhaganMurong Shun KhanGoguryeo Kingdom:King Yeongyang [d. 618]King Yeongnyu [r. 618-642]King BojangDae Mangniji Yeon Gaesomun (Military Dictator)Others:Yazdegerd III (Shah-an-Shah of Sassanid Persia)Constans II (Emperor of Eastern Roman Empire)Monk Aluoban/Alopan/Abraham (Nestorian Christian Evangelist)Major Works Cited:East Asian History Sourcebook: Ch'ing-Tsing: Nestorian Tablet: Eulogizing the Propagation of the Illustrious Religion in China, with a Preface, composed by a priest of the Syriac Church, 781 A.D.Jenkins, Peter. The Lost History of Christianity: the Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia - and How It DiedSørensen, Per and Harrassowitz Verlog, Otto (trans.). The Mirror Illuminating the Royal Genealogies: Tibetan Buddhist Historiography : an Annotated Translation of the XIVth Century Tibetan Chronicle : RGyal-rabs Gsal- Baʼi Me-long.Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China. “Taizong: The Consolidator”.Zhang, Guangda. Collected Drafts on the Historical Geography of the Western Regions.

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#84 - Tang 3: The Khan Of Heaven

Sun, 13 Dec 2015 08:31:00 -0000

Li Shimin assassinated his two brothers and put his father out to pasture in order to snag the top job as Emperor Taizong. But a mere three weeks into his reign, this “rock star” monarch will face an existential challenge to his reign and the future of the Tang Dynasty as a whole: the wrath of the Göktürk Khaganate. It will prove to be a wild ride to determine whether Tang China will be doomed to remain a vassal of the Turks, or whether Taizong’s “true vision” will prove enough to rise to the challenge.Time Period Covered:626-630 CEMajor Historical Figures:Tang:Prince Li Shimin [Emperor Taizong]Retired Emperor GaozuGöktürk Khaganate:Illig KhaganTölis KhanLiang Dynasty (Turkic Vassal):Emperor Liang Shidu (d. 628)Xueyantuo Tribe (alt. Se-Yento, Syr-Tardush)Uyghur Tribe (alt. Huige, Hui-ho)Khitan TribeWorks Cited:Drompp, Michael. Tang China And The Collapse Of The Uighur Empire: A Documentary HistoryGrousset, René. The Rise and Splendor of the Chinese Empire.Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3

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#83 - Tang 2: The Incident at Xuanwu Gate

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 10:12:00 -0000

The Tang will achieve hegemony over the entirety of China’s heartlands, both North and South. But with external foes subdued, simmering tensions within the royal household will begin bubbling to the surface, culminating in a showdown that will decide the future of the Dynasty.Time Period Covered:618-626 CEMajor Historical Figures:Tang Dynasty:Li Yuan (Emperor Gaozu) Crowned Prince Li JianchengPrince Li YuanjiPrince Li ShiminLi Xiaogong, Prince of ZhaoGuard Captain Yang Wen’ganGeneral Yuchi JingdeLiang Dynasty:Xiao Xian (Emperor of Liang)Gokturk Khannate:Shibi Khan [d. 619]Illig Khan (alt. Xieli)Sources Cited:Weschler, Howard. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3 (1979).Zhao, Ying and Liu, Shu. Jiu Tangshu (The Old Book of Tang). (945)

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#82 - Tang 1: The Tiger's Trap

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 10:35:00 -0000

The Duke of Tang had taken control of China’s primary capital at Chang’an, and is now in position to seize the throne for himself. But even that momentous shift will only mark the beginning of the struggle to reclaim imperial authority and unite China under his single banner. For there are other claimants to the throne, and powerful warlords who have their own designs for China. But it will be in the cauldron of chaos that is the North Plains of the Yellow River that the new Tang Dynasty will truly be put to the test – will it remain a mere regional player in a multi-polar struggle, or does it have what it takes to reforge the nation into its united whole?Period Covered:617-621 CEMajor Historical Figures:Tang:Li Yuan, Duke of Tang (Emperor Gaozu) [566-635CE]Prince Li ShiminSui:Emperor Yang [d. 617]Emperor Gong [r. 617-619]General Yuwen Huaji [d.]Gansu/Qin:Xue Zhu (Emperor/Warlord of Qin) [d. 618]Xue Rengao [d. 618]Zheng:General Wang Shichong (Emperor/Commandant of Luoyang) [d. 621]Xia:Dou Jiande (Prince of Xia) [d. 621]Li Mi Rebel Faction:Commander Li Mi [d. 619]

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#81 - Sui 5: Disintegration

Sun, 08 Nov 2015 08:48:00 -0000

With its push against Goguryeo rather catastrophically stalled out, the whole enterprise begins to unravel with spectacular speed for the Sui Dynasty. All the while, its Emperor Yang will maintain a disturbingly unaffected demeanor for the suffering his edicts are creating across the countryside - in large part because his lackeys have created a "reality-distortion filter" around him they'll literally kill to maintain.But elsewhere, agents of insurrection will rise to challenge the waning star that is Sui China, especially in the form of one Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang and his family.Time Period Covered:614-618 CEMajor Historical Figures:SuiEmperor Yang of SuiEmpress Xiao Prince Yang You (Emperor Gong)Prince Yang Hao, Prince of QinGeneral Yuwen HuajiRebel Tang ForcesLi Yuan, Duke of TangLi ShiminLady Li/ Pingyang, Commander of the Woman's ArmyGokturk KhannateShibi KhanWorks CitedSima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian.Wright, Arthur F. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 3Bennett Peterson, Barbara. Notable Women of China: From the Shang to the Early 20th CenturyWen, Daya. The Diary of the Founding of the Great Tang

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#80 - Sui 4: Ringing Blood From The Stone

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 15:11:00 -0000

Emperor Yang of Sui has ventured forth to the far northeastern border of China in an attempt to rescue his honor from the clutches of the impudent King of Goguryeo, Yeongyang. Little does King Yeongyang know that the Sui Empire has secretly begun construction on a new waterway even more navigable that the first dreaded Grand Canal. When completed, this ultimate weapon will spell certain doom for the small kingdom of Koreans struggling to resist a renewed Chinese domination of East Asia…

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#79 - Sui 3: Yang's Imperial Tour

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:28:00 -0000

The second emperor of the Sui Dynasty gets bad rap - his postmortem regnal name means "the Slothful" and he's commonly lumped together with the rest of the "bad-last emperors" as being hedonistic, wasteful, and just generally monstrous. But is this really the case, or was Emperor Yang the victim of a historical hatchet job?Today we look at the upbringing and early life of Prince Yang Guang, his unlikely rise to power, and then the early period of his reign over China as Emperor Yang, and how he picked up where his father had left off in trying to reignite the glory of the ancient Han.Time Period Covered:605-609 CEImportant Figures:SuiYang Jian (Emperor Wen of Sui) [d. 605]Empress Dugu [d. 602]Yang Guang (Emperor Yang of Sui) [r. 605-618]Empress XiaoGeneral Yang "Axe Man" SuIntelligence Chief Pei JuJapanPrince Shotoku [Sovereign of Nihon]Gökturk KhannateQimin Khan [alt. Yami Khan]Goguryeo Kingdom (North Korea and Manchuria)King YeongyangWorks CitedSima, Guang. Zizhi Tongjian (Reflections of Governance) (1084 CE)Vout, Caroline. The Hills of Rome: Signature of an Eternal CityWei, Zheng, et al. Sui Shu (The Book of Sui). (636 CE)Wright, Arthur F., Chaffee and Twitchett (ed.) The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 3 (1979)

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#78 - Sui 2: Reconstruction

Sun, 18 Oct 2015 11:49:00 -0000

Today we finish out out look into the reign of the Sui Dynasty’s founding emperor, Wen. We begin first with the military roferms he imposed on his newly reunited state, mirroring those he made to the civil government. Once completed, Sui China will find itself on a footing it hasn’t reliably been for centuries: outward-facing and expansionist. The repercussions of this epochal change in circumstance for Chine will be felt across the globe.Time Period Covered:581-605 CEMajor Historical Figures:Sui DynastyYang Jian (Emperor Wen of Sui) [r. 581-605 CE]Crowned Prince Yang GuangPrince Yang YongGeneral Yang SuGeneral Liu FangChampa KingdomKing ÇambhuvarmanMajor Works Cited:Hirth, Friedrich (1913). “The Mystery of Fu-Lin” in The Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 33. Pp. 133-208. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/592825Arthur F. Wright, Chaffee and Twitchett (ed.) The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 3 (1979)

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#77 - Sui 1: Internal Affairs

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:37:00 -0000

Emperor Wen of Sui is potentially the most important monarch you've never heard of. For him, militarily reuniting China wasn't his legacy - it was his prelude. Both pre- and post-reunification, we explore the internal facets of his truly impressive reign today: his origins, personality, outlook, confidantes, the existential problems he inherited from the Period of Disunion, and the novel, world-changing solutions he'd craft to ensure China's reunification would be factual, rather than just rhetorical.Time Period Covered:581-600 CEMajor FiguresYang Jing (Emperor Wen of Sui)[r. 581-604]Empress Dugu QieluoGao JiangYang SuSu WeiLi DelinArthur F. Wright, Chaffee and Twitchett (ed.) The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 3 (1979)

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#76 - S&N 20: Taking Stock

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 05:44:00 -0000

So what does it all mean? Before stepping boldly into the Sui Dynasty, we take this episode to pan out to low-Earth orbit and watch the macro-developments of the past 300-plus years of Disunity, reviewing the dramatic sweep of a period of time often left out of many Western historical understandings of Chinese history due to is sheer complexity and confusing nature.Time Period Covered:220-589 CE

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#75 - S&N 19: Reunion

Wed, 23 Sep 2015 06:49:00 -0000

Northern Zhou seems to have plotted a course for ultimate victory in the contest between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, having already annexed Northern Qi and turned its sights on Chen to the south. But it’s amazing how quickly dynastic fortunes can reverse themselves, and the Yuwen Clan’s line of emperors find itself stopped short, destroyed not by external threat but from an enemy within: the Duke of Sui, the man who would be Emperor of all China.Time Period Covered:577-589 CEMajor Figures:Northern Zhou:Yuwen Yan (Emperor Xuan; “The Responsible”) [r. 577-578, as Retired Emperor Tianyuan; “The Heavenly and Fundamental” r. 578-580]Yuwen Chan (Emperor Jing; “The Silent”) [r. 578-581]Gen. Yuchi Jiong [d. 580]Gen. Yin ShouSui:Duke Yang Jiang of Sui (Emperor Wen; “The Cultured”) [regent of Northern Zhou 580-581, Emperor of Sui r. 581-604]Chen:Chen Xu (Emperor Xuan; “The Responsible”) [r. 569-582]Chen Shubao (Houzhu; “Final Ruler”) [r. 582-589]Western Liang (vassal of Northern Zhou/Sui):Xiao Cong (Emperor Jing; “The Meek”) [r. 585-587]

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#74 - S&N 18- The Fall Of Northern Qi

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:22:00 -0000

In the Northeast of China, Northern Qi just can’t catch a break. First it was Emperor Wenxuan’s murderous paranoia, and now it will be subjected to Wucheng’s indolent hedonism, “immoral games,” and general excesses… and then the penultimate Qi emperor, Houzhi, will decide that the state treasury is his own personal piggy-bank and startin singing “Hakuna Matata” while the state burns.Meanwhile to the West, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou will finally break out of his uncle Yuwen Hu’s shadow – by shattering his skull – and then begin eying the swiftly foundering Northern Qi debacle hungrily, eager to reunite the North after almost a half-century of seperation. By episode’s end, it will be a climactic showdown between the two powerful states: one waxing, one waning… which will emerge victorious?Time Period Covered:561-578 CENotable Figures:Northern Qi:Emperor/Retired Emperor Wucheng (Gao Dan) [r. 561-565, d. 569]Empress Hu [565-572]Prime Minister He Shikai [524-571]Zu Ting [550-577]Emperor Houzhu (Gao Wei) [r. 565-578]Gao Heng (Youzhu) [570-577]Northern Zhou:Emperor Wu (Yuwen Yong) [r. 560-578]Emperor Xuan (Yuwen Yun) [r. 579-582]Yang Lihua (Crowned Princess/Empress of Zhou) [r. 579-582]Prime Minister Yuwen Hu [513-572]Yang Jian, Duke of Sui [541- ]Göturk Khannate:Muqan Khagan (Ashina Yando) [554-572]Empress Ashina [551-582]

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#73 - S&N 17: The Only Tear Shed For Wenxuan

Mon, 07 Sep 2015 06:11:00 -0000

Today’s episode takes us through the turmoil within northern China and beyond over the 550s. We begin looking outside of China proper as the rulers of the Rouran Steppe Confederacy are overthrown and replaced by the vassal-turned-enemy the Göktürks, and briefly touch on the Khitan Tribe of Manchuria. We then go through the reign of Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi, who will initially lead his newfound dynasty to power and prominence before his mounting madness will plunge it into chaos and terror.Time Period Covered550-561 CENotable FiguresAshina Bumin/Tumen (Illig Khagan of Göktürk) [r. 550]Issik Khagan of East GokturkIstemi Khagan of West GokturkGeneral Gao Huan (Warlord of Eastern Wei) (d. 550)Gao Yang (Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi) [r. 551-560]Crowned Prince Gao Yin (Emperor Fei of Northern Qi) [r. 560]Gao Yan, Prince of Chanshan (Emperor Xiaozhao of Northern Qi) [r. 560-561]Prime Minister Yang Yin [d. 560]Works CitedThe History of the Northern Dynasties (Bei Shi) – Li Dashi and Li YanshouThe Zizhi Tongjian – Sima GuangEarly Chinese Religion: The Period of Division (220-589 AD) Pt. 1 & 2 – John Lagerway and Lü Pengzhi

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#72 - S&N 16: As The World Burns

Mon, 31 Aug 2015 05:10:00 -0000

In the post-557 world, the three new major powers of China must confront the wide ranges of changes and struggles they must each face now that the political order of the entire empire has been turned on its head. This time, we look at the situation in the south as Northern Zhou and Chen vie for control over the central reaches of the Yangtze River.Dates Covered: 557-568Important Figures:Northern QiWarlord Yuwen Tai [d. 556]Yuwen Jue (Emperor/Heavenly Prince Xiaomin) [r. 556-557]Yuwen Yu (Emperor Ming) [r. 557-560]Yuwen Yong (Emperor Wu) [r. 560-578]Duke Yuwen Hu of Jin (Regent of Northern Zhou) [r. 557-572]ChenGeneral Chen Baxian (Emperor Wu) [r. 557-559]Chen Qian (Emperor Wen) [r. 559-566]General Wang Lin (Liang Loyalist Rebel Leader) [555-560]Crowned Prince Chen Chang [d. 559]Prime Minister Hou Andu [d. 563]Warlord Zhou Di (Rebel Leader) [r. 563-565]Chen Bozong (Emperor Fei) [r. 566-568]Chen Xu (Emperor Xuan) [r. 569-582]

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Supplemental Biopic: The Mathematician Of Heaven

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 18:29:00 -0000

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#71 - S&N 15: The Crowded Hour

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 06:22:00 -0000

“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades take place.”It’s an out and out brawl as everything comes to a head at once in the 550s, all across China. In the south, the Liang princes struggle against both the rebel general Hou Jing who holds the capital and the emperor, but also among themselves. In the north, Eastern and Western Wei similarly are undergoing their own internal struggles, which will see the overthrow of all the dynasties we’ve come to know with a whole new batch of contenders.Time Period Covered:549-557 CEMajor Figures:Liang/Han/ChenWarlord/Emperor Hou JingEmperor JianwenPrince Xiao Yi of Xiangdong (Emperor Yuan of Liang)Prince Xiao Ji of Wuling (Emperor of Western Liang) [posthumously renamed Taotie]Prince Xiao HuanPrince Xiao YuPrince Xiao Cha (Emperor Xuan of Western Liang)General Chen Baxian (Emperor Wu of Chen)Western Wei/Northern ZhouWarlord Yuwen TaiYuwen Jue (Emperor Xiaomin of Zhou)Eastern Wei/Northern QiWarlord Gao ChengEmperor Xiaojing of Eastern WeiGeneral Murong ShaozongGao Yang (Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi)Lan Qin

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#70 - S&N 14: The Hou Jing Disturbance

Fri, 17 Jul 2015 08:16:00 -0000

The end of Emperor Wu’s 5-decade-long rule over the Liang Empire is jam-packed with action. Following the split between Eastern and Western Wei in the North, it seems like there’s might be peace and quiet in the South for once. But this will prove short-lived, indeed. First, Vietnam will rise up in it first major rebellion in centuries against Chinese hegemony, and then a general from the far north will go rogue, defect from his warlord, and offer up his territories to Liang. It seems like an offer too good to be true… and as Emperor Wu will learn the hard way, what seems too good, usually is…Time-Frame Covered:535-557 CEMajor Historical Figures:LiangEmperor Wu of Liang (née Xiao Yan) [r. 502-549]Acting Prime Minister Zhu YiMarquis Xiao Zi, Governor of Jiao PrivinceMarquis Xiao YuanmingXiao Yong, Governor of Kuang ProvinceGeneral Chen BaxianEastern WeiWarlord Gao HuanPrince Gao ChengEmperor XiaowenGeneral Murong ShaozongGeneral Hou JingWestern WeiWarlord Yuwen TaiEmperor XiaojingRouran KhaganateChiliantoubingdoufa KhanVietnam (Jiao Province/Van Xuan Empire)Ly Bon (Ly Nam De/ Emperor Ly of the South)Trieu Tuc, Chieftain of Chu-dien CityTrieu Quang Phuc (Trieu Viet Vong/King Trieu of Viet)

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#69 - S&N 13: The Ransom Of The Boddhisatva Emperor

Wed, 08 Jul 2015 06:50:00 -0000

Buddhism has taken Southern China by storm, but few more than its emperor, Wu of Liang. He’ll try to talk a monk out of setting himself on fire, have an awkward chat with the founder of Zen Buddhism, and even enter a monastery and refuse to leave, prompting his whole court to “ransom” him back by bribing the monks to kick him out. All of this while civil war ripples through Northern Wei.Time Period Covered:517-535 CENotable Figures:Emperor Wu of Liang (née Xiao Yan)Consort Ding LingguangCrowned Prince Xiao TongCrowned Prince Xiao GangMarquis Xiao ZhengdeMonk DaoduMonk BoddhidharmaSources Used:Burning for the Buddha by James A. BennZizhi Tongjian by Sima GuangBlue Cliff Record (BiYan Lu) by Yuanwu Keqin Textual History of the Mahāyāna-mahāparinirvāna-sūtra by Stephen Hodge

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#68 - S&N 12: Dam It, Wu!

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 06:15:00 -0000

Going back about 50 years to the beginning of the 6th century, we move South once more to visit the new Dynasty that has destroyed the Qi: Liang, and it’s founding Emperor Wu. In this first half of Wu of Liang’s reign, wars will be fought, religions will be adopted, and a massive dam will be constructed as a siege weapon.Time Period Covered: 464-517Major Figures:Emperor Wu of Liang (née Xiao Yan) [r. 502-549]Prince Xiao HongXiao Baojuan, Emperor of Southern Qi [483-501]Xiao Baorong (Emperor He of Southern Qi) [r. 501-502]Chief Engineer Chen ChengboGeneral Kang XuanGeneral Zhang BaozhiEmpress Dowager Hu of Northern Wei

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#67 - S&N 11 All The Wei Down

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 10:14:00 -0000

Though Northern Wei has been a beacon of steadiness amid the ephemeral Southern Dynasties, its time has come to an end. Wracked by ineptitude and betrayal, weighed down by jealous Empress dowagers, ambitious generals, and infant emperors, and with a society split between traditional customs and the new normal, it will devolve into civil war, mass purges, and – ultimately – a permanent split between East and West.Time Period Covered:515-535 CEMajor Characters:Grand/Empress/Dowager Hu (r. 515 - 528)Emperor Xiaoming (510 - 528)Prince Yuan Cha (d. 525)Erzhu Rong (492 - 530)Emperor Xiaowu’s Daughter (528 - ?)Yuan Zhao [Emperor Youzhu] (526 – 528)Emperor Xiaozhuang (r. 528 – 530)Gao Huan (496 - 547)Emperor Xiaowu (510 - 535)

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#66 - S&N 10: Cold Case File

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 15:39:00 -0000

We continue our look at Northern Wei at the dawn of the 6th century. The imperial bookends will be Xiaowen - the chief proponent of sinicization among the Tuoba Xianbei - and his son Xuanwu, a placeholder in just about every sense of the term. The real drama will unfold around two of Xuanwu's wives... and whether or not one killed the other in a murder mystery 1500 years old.Period Covered:499-515 CEMajor Figures:Yuan Hong [Emperor Xiaowen] (r. 467-499)Yuan Ke [Emperor Xuanwu] (r. 499-515)Empress Yu (~488-507)Prince Yuan Chang (506-506)Consort/Empress Gao (d. 518)Gao Zhong, Prime Minister (d. 515)Empress Dowager Hu (d. 528)Crowned Prince Yuan Xu [Emperor Xiaoming] (r. 515-528)

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#65 - S&N 9: What's In A Name?

Mon, 25 May 2015 16:19:00 -0000

While the South of China self-destructs time and again, the North is undergoing its own revolutionary shift - not of dynastic head, but something even more fundamental: total social re-organization - from Asian Steppe Society, to one trying to out-play the Chinese at their own game by switching social structure, language, dress, and even taking the ancient Chinese capital as their own in the latter half of the 5th century.Time Period Covered: 465-499 CENotable figures:Tuoba Hong (Emperor Xianwen) r. 465-471, d. 476Grand/Empress/Dowager Feng (442-490)Yifu Hun (d. 466)Tuoba Hong (r. 471- 499)Crowned Prince Tuoba/Yuan Xun (483-496)Crowned Prince Tuoba/Yuan Ke (Emperor Xuanwu) r. 499-815Empress Feng Run (Empress You) d. 499

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#64 - S&N 8: The Rise And Fall Of Southern Qi

Sat, 16 May 2015 06:39:00 -0000

The successor state to Liu Song will start off strong, but it will soon hit the rocks of instability, rebellion, and overthrow all in just a little more than 2 decades. At the dawn of the 6th century, its end will largely parallel its beginning.Time Frame: 479-502 CEMajor Participants:Xiao Daocheng (Emperor Gao of Southern Qi) r. 479-482Xiao Ze (Emperor Wu of Southern Qi) r. 482-493Xiao Zhaoye (Emperor/Marquis of Donghun) r. 493-494Xiao Luan (Emperor Ming of Southern Qi) r. 494-498Xiao Baojuan (Emperor of Southern Qi) r. 498-502Xiao Baorong (Emperor of Southern Qi) r. 501-502Xiao Yan (Duke/Prince/Emperor Wu of Liang) r. 502-549

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#63 - S&N 7: Going Off The Rails

Thu, 07 May 2015 10:22:00 -0000

The fates have not been kind to the Liu Song Dynasty. It keeps rolling the monarchy dice, and they keep coming up crazy-eyes. Emperor Ming will start strong, but descend into cruelty and paranoia. His successor seems to have just been born bad, and the final monarch of the dynasty won’t have enough time fall one direction or the other before a rising star will unseat him, and Liu Song altogether, as the true power of Southern China.Period Covered: 465 – 479 CEMajor Figures:Emperor Ming of Liu Song (née Liu Yu, r. 465-472)Emperor Houfei (née Liu Yu, r. 472-477)Emperor Shun (née Liu Zhun, r. 477-479)General Xiao Daocheng General Shen YouzhiYang Yufu, Imperial Attendant

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#62 - S&N 6: State Of Emergency

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 06:53:00 -0000

In the mid-5th century, Southern China is at a boiling point. Between the decade reign of Emperor Xiaowu, and the 1-year abomination of his son Liu Ziye, there will be rebellion, murder, torture, and incest... so, so much incest. All of leading toward a terminal decline for the Liu Song Dynasty.Period Covered: 453-465 CEImportant Figures:Emperor Xiaowu (Liu Jun)r. 453-464Prince Liu YigongPrince Liu Yixuan of NanjiaoPrince Liu Dan of JinglingCrowned Prince Liu Ziye (Emperor Qianfei) r. 464-465Prince Liu ZiluanDai FaxingHe MaiPrincess Shanyin (Liu Chuyu)Prince Liu Yu of Xiangdong (Emperor Ming) r. 465-472

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#61 - S&N 5: The Forgotten God-King

Tue, 14 Apr 2015 07:03:00 -0000

Emperor Taiwu has been described as "Northern Wei's Teddy Roosevelt", and overshadows many of the Tuoba emperors to follow his reign of conquest and war. But the most forgotten of those successors, his grandson Emperor Wencheng, may have actually been far more responsible for the longterm success and stability of Wei than most realize. Though Taiwu gets all the glory for conquering the North, poor, unsung Wencheng would be the one responsible for keeping and governing it.[Show Notes]Timeframe: 452-465Major Figures:Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei (née Tuoba Jun)Empress Dowager ChangConsort LiConsort/Empress FengCrowned Prince Tuoba HongBuliugu Li (Li the Bulgar)Yuan HeRouran Khaganate Gaoche Turkic TribesMajor Locations:Pingcheng (N. Wei capital)Yungang GrottoesHexi CorridorMajor sources:Scott PearceA King’s Two Bodieshttp://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.3868/s020-001-012-0006-6?crawler=true#

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#60 - S&N 4: The More Things Change...

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 06:49:00 -0000

The decade long détente between the South and North will be shattered in 449 by a series of tit-for-tat campaigns by both sides, resulting in the destruction of much of the lands south of the Yellow River. But it will be assassins, not soldiers, who will most drastically shape the fates of both Northern Wei and Liu Song, one right after the other.[WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?]Dates: 446-453Cast - Northern Wei: Emperor Taiwu (Tuoba Tao) Crowned Prince Tuoba Huang Prince Tuoba Han Prince Tuoba Yu (briefly emperor) Tuoba Jun (Emperor Wenzheng)Zang Ai (Eunuch, Duke of Qing) Liu Song: Emperor Wen (Liu Yilong)Crowned Prince Liu Shao (briefly Emperor Yuanxiong)Prince Liu Jun of ShixingPrince Liu Jun of Wuling (Emperor Xiaowu)General Wang XuanboGeneral Zang ZhiGeneral Lu XiuYan Daoyu (witch) Locations: Shengle, Jiankang (Nanjing), Pengcheng, Xuanhu, Xiancheng, Qian’ao, Liu’an, Huatai, Xunyang,

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#59 - S&N 3: Buddhist Blades, Daoist Flames

Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:16:00 -0000

Over the course of the 5th century, Buddhism had become the rising star within China, in spite of its foreign origins. That would run into direct conflict with China's own home-grown religion: Daoism. As the two co-mingled, some would accept both... but others, especially in Northern Wei, would use all the might to eradicate what they deemed to be a heretical foreign influence on their Chinese culture.

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#58 - S&N 2: Thirty-Six Stratagems

Mon, 23 Mar 2015 10:02:00 -0000

Northern Wei uses Liu Song's hesitation to move north of the Yellow River as an opportunity to reintegrate the last of the 16 Kingdoms into its hegemony. Koreans, Huns, and Mongols all get caught up in the fray.

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#57 - S&N 1: Bipolarity

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 07:43:00 -0000

What had been sixteen kingdoms in the North and an uneasy Dynasty in the South has calcified into a seemingly permanent polar split. After some shenanigans, both halves of China will - surprisingly - find themselves with capable leaders. The coming showdown will be one for the history... um... podcasts...

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Update: Episode Name Change

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 14:26:31 -0000

Explanation of THoC's name switcheroo...

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#56 - 16K 9: The Two Deaths Of Jin

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 07:40:00 -0000

We track back down south to discover what's been going on with the Jin Dynasty. An imbecile emperor will precipitate multiple governmental crises, ultimately resulting in overthrow, restoration, and then second overthrow the the dynasty.

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#55 - 16K 8: No Country For Old Yan

Thu, 19 Feb 2015 17:46:00 -0000

The Xianbei Tuoba Clan from the northwest fills the power-vacuum left by the collapse of Former QIn, and will soon add much of Later Yan to its conquests. But its rulers will be sorely tempted by the trappings of power, and as we all know in this tumultuous period, indulgence is a swift path to downfall.

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#54 - 16K 7: Best Laid Plans...

Fri, 06 Feb 2015 09:59:00 -0000

Fratricide, regicide, and genocide are hallmarks of this period in the north. Though the tumult, Former Qin shall emerge triumphant to reunite both the North and Sichuan under its banner... only to watch it all crumble in the span of two years.

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#53 - 16K 6: The Year Of Five Emperors

Sat, 24 Jan 2015 10:13:00 -0000

The second half of Shi Hu's reign over Later Zhao, his scheming heirs, and the short, unhappy reigns of his eventual successors... all leading the the once-supreme kingdom being pulled apart like so much carrion by its neighbors.

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#52 - 16K 5: The Two Caligulas Of China

Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:40:00 -0000

Following the death of Emperor Shi Le, Later Zhao will swiftly succumb to the bloody revenge of Shi Hu. But it's his heir, Shi Sui, who is the true terror of this episode...

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#51 - 16K 4: Infighting

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 14:50:00 -0000

South of the Huai River, The Eastern Jin discover that a house divided against itself cannot long stand. Meanwhile in the north, the barbarian kings have turned on each other with the Xiongnu emperor of Han Zhao squaring off against the Jie Prince of Later Zhao.

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#50 - 16K 3: Splinters

Sun, 21 Dec 2014 09:24:00 -0000

The Jin Dynasty has lost the north, and now hides on the southern banks of the Yangtze River, trying to pull themselves together. Meanwhile the Xiongnu-led tribal coalition calling itself Northern Han will discover that defeating Jin was the easy part, and it's the stresses of governing that will either make or break with tenuous coalition.

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#49 - 16K 2: Barbarians At The Gates

Sun, 07 Dec 2014 17:03:00 -0000

Following the bloody struggle between the eight princes, the Jin Dynasty lies in tatters. Into the void will step five non-Chinese tribes, initially led by the ancient enemy of China, the Xiongnu.

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#48 - 16K 1: The Disorder Of The Eight Princes

Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:48:00 -0000

Emperor Wu goes on an 8-year, goat-powered orgy through 5000 concubines, leaving the empire in the hands of his mentally disabled son, and the Imperial princes and empress will fight it out over who gets to control him.

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#47 - Special: Happy Anniversary!

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 04:56:00 -0000

As promised, here we take a short break before launching into the Jin Dynasty of the late 3rd century to celebrate our first anniversary and of course answer those pressing questions you guy have sent in.

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#46 - 3K 5: Long United Must Divide, Long Divided Must Unite

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 06:32:10 -0000

We arrive at the climactic finale of the Three Kingdoms period, as Emperor Wu of Jin orders a massive warfleet constructed to deal the coup de grace to Eastern Wu.

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#45 - 3K 4: House Of The Rising Sun

Thu, 06 Nov 2014 07:31:10 -0000

The state of Eastern Wu has been busy, busy, busy, in spite of all the focus given to the rivalry between its Western and Northern neighbors. But when Shu Han crumbles and The Cao Clan is overthrown by the Simas, they'll be in for their greatest test yet.

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#44 - 3K 3: The Southern Strategy

Wed, 29 Oct 2014 19:50:14 -0000

Warping back in time half a century, we take a different look at the Three Kingdoms through the eyes of Shu Han of Sichuan, its regent lord Zhuge Liang, and his five campaigns against the northern stare of Cao Wei between 228 and 234.

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#43 - 3K 2: Ode Of The Hidden Dragon

Sun, 19 Oct 2014 11:50:36 -0000

The state of Cao Wei comes under the pretty-much-permanent regency of the Sima Family and launches a wildly successful blitzkrieg into Shu Han, meanwhile the teenaged Cao Emperor writes angsty poetry about how lonely he is and no one understands him.

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#42 - 3K 1: The King In The North!

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:31:46 -0000

The war between the Three Kingdoms has ground to a bloody stalemate. Hoping to seize the initiative,Cao Wei and Sun Wu will turn their attention to Manchuria and Korea in search of allies to exploit and foes to crush.

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#41 - E. Han 8: A Farewell To Hans

Sun, 05 Oct 2014 15:20:29 -0000

We reach the end of the road for the Han Dynasty... well, sort of... it's complicated. In any case, there will be two emperors and a king by the time this episode is over. The Three Kingdoms are officially here.

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#40 - E. Han 7: The Red Cliffs Of Chibi

Sun, 28 Sep 2014 12:10:49 -0000

The warlord Cao Cao has crushed any rivals to his power in the North, and now turns South to reunify China under his new regime. South of the mighty Yangtze River, the rival lords of Jing Province and Wu Prefecture must put aside their differences and unite if they're to have any hope of stopping the northern invasion at the river's shores

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#39 - E. Han 6: Warlords, White Wolf, Winter Winds

Sun, 21 Sep 2014 12:22:31 -0000

In the Southeast, the young but ambitious Sun Ce has splintered off to form his own power bloc, but intrigue will leave his legacy in jeopardy. To the Southwest, the thrice defeated Liu Bei has fled to the refuge of Jing Province under his cousin's protection, to lick his wounds. And to the far North, Cao Cao wages a daring - and dangerous - campaign to stomp out the last vestiges of resistance to his absolute rule.

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#38 - E. Han 5: The Battle Of Guandu

Sun, 14 Sep 2014 06:42:09 -0000

In the aftermath of the tyrant Dong Zhou's death, the two commanders of the former anti-Dong coalition vie for power and legitimacy. Cao Cao will take control of Emperor Xian, prompting his one time ally Yuan Shao to launch an all-out invasion of Cao's province. The forces will clash climactically around the fortress at Guandu.

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#37 - E. Han 4: Things Fall Apart

Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:41:42 -0000

Corruption and plutocracy run rampant throughout Han, leading to a religious uprising called the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It's swiftly put down, but the problems are only beginning as we enter the end-phase of the Han and the opening act of the Three Kingdoms Period.

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#36 - E. Han 3: Live Fast, Die Young

Sun, 24 Aug 2014 05:13:20 -0000

Coming on the heels of Han's last Golden Age, emperors will begin dropping like flies, opening the Empire up to corruption from its empresses, military commanders, and the newly-empowered eunuch-lords. Also, paper will be invented.

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#35 - E. Han 2: Reclamation

Sun, 17 Aug 2014 08:10:12 -0000

It is a Golden Age for the Eastern Han. After decades of tumult, famine, and civil war, the Chinese Empire is poised once again to reclaim its status as preeminent East Asian power. Retaking the abandoned Western Vassal Kingdoms, sending envoys to India and even Rome, and at long last finishing the 200 year old war with the rapidly disintegrating Xiongnu Empire to the north.

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#34 - E. Han 1: One Han, Two Han, Red Han, True Han

Sun, 10 Aug 2014 11:32:34 -0000

In the power vacuum left by the defeated Xin Dynasty's collapse, no fewer than six claimants to the long-vacant Throne of Han will vie for power... one backed by the Lülin Rebels, another by the Red Eyebrow Army, another a northern lord with an axe to grind, and a fortune-teller playing the role of a lifetime... who will emerge victorious to reunify the fractious Chinese Empire?

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#33 - Xin 2: The Red Eyebrow Rebellion

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:33:49 -0000

All hell breaks loose for Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty when the Yellow River flooding its banks in 11 CE combines with the Xin's own incompetent response, leading to famine, rebellion, and a complete breakdown of the social order and the dynasty itself.

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#32 - Xin 1: Han, Interrupted

Sun, 27 Jul 2014 03:15:29 -0000

Confucian Wang Mang overthrows Han and sets up his Xin Dynasty to renew the Golden Age of Zhou through land nationalization, wealth redistribution, and currency reform. It seemed like a great idea on paper, but in practice things begin to horribly wrong almost immediately.

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#31 - W. Han 9: The Decline Of Han

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 13:42:31 -0000

The Han Dynasty has slipped into a malaise that seems difficult to pull out of. Emperor Yuan is an indecisive Confucianist, his successor Cheng an impotent and free-spending hedonist, and Ai a flamboyant grandma's boy who will try to bequeath the entire Empire to his male lover Dong Xian, with less than successful results. Is this the end for Han?

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#30 - W. Han 8: Getting Over Wu

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 06:48:52 -0000

Following the historically long reign of Emperor Wu, the Han Empire struggles to find a replacement, in light of the designated heir being dead. The first choice will die without ever having tasted real power, the second an incompetent buffoon who won't last a month in office, until finally a real alternative can be found from the most unlikely of places: prison.

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#29 - W. Han 7: Every Direction But The Sea

Sun, 06 Jul 2014 13:57:32 -0000

In this last of three parts of Wu of Han, with the back of the once-mighty Xiongnu Empire broken, Emperor Wu's Han turns to the South, North, and West to gobble up most of its neighbor states in an orgy of expansion. At home, the aging Wu must contend with peasant uprisings, witchcraft directed against him, and his own building paranoia... any of which could destabilize that which he's spent a lifetime building.

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#28 - W. Han 6: The Sino-Xiongnu War

Sun, 29 Jun 2014 13:17:35 -0000

Tensions between the Han and Xiongnu Empires boil over into full-scale war after decades of humiliation at the hands of the northern horse-lords. When the traditional methods of neutralizing Xiongnu power fails, Emperor Wu must turn to a new generation of strategists to turn the Xiongnu's own strength against them: cavalry.

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#27 - W. Han 5: Go West, Young Han!

Sun, 22 Jun 2014 11:29:45 -0000

The young Emperor Wu of Han struggles to step out of the shadow of his grandmother and seize power in his own right. Meanwhile, he has sent an emissary behind enemy lines to find what mysterious peoples and empires lie far to the West, but it's uncertain what he'll find... or if he'll live to tell the tale.

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#26 - W. Han 4: The Rule Of Wen And Jing

Sun, 15 Jun 2014 08:41:38 -0000

The reigns of Han Emperors Wen and Jing took enormous strides to stabilize the dynasty both within and without. Lowered taxes, more lenient laws, and normalization of international relationships saw life under Wen and Jing greatly improve. But a blunder dealing with the autonomous Imperial Princes threatens to unmake everything...

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#25 - W. Han 3: The Bloody Empress

Sun, 08 Jun 2014 14:54:51 -0000

With Han's first Emperor, Gaozu, dead, his wife the first Empress of China Lü Zhi plans on making a few... *alterations* to the goings on of court life. And she doesn't care who she has cut the arms and legs off of to achieve her goals.

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#24 - W. Han 2: Xiongnu to the Left of Me, Rebels to the Right...

Mon, 02 Jun 2014 07:29:04 -0000

The Han Dynasty is established by Liu Bang, who crowns himself it's first Emperor Gaozu. But though this is the beginning of a golden age for China, it get's off to a rough start, as to the north the steppe tribes have united into the terrifying Xiongnu Empire under the ancestor of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan: Batur Chanyu. Within the empire itself, a murder-happy Empress Lü will inadvertently incite rebellions against her husband's rule.

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#23 - W. Han 1: The Chu-Han Contention

Sun, 25 May 2014 14:46:34 -0000

With the Qin Dynasty dead and buried, the victorious rebels turn on one another to establish who will be the next power in China. The Hegemon-King of Chu, Xiang Yu, squares off against his great rival the King of Han, Liu Bang.

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#22 - Qin 3: Web Of Deception

Sun, 18 May 2014 09:18:06 -0000

Following the First Emperor's "Weekend At Bernie's"-esque death, the Qin Dynasty is thrown into turmoil over who will succeed the Emperor who sought to live forever. But at the heart of this web of intrigue sits the eunuch Zhao Gao, pulling the threads of the dynasty itself toward his own mysterious ends.

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#21 - Qin 2: One Nation Under Qin

Thu, 08 May 2014 17:23:46 -0000

The victor of the Warring States Period has unified China into its first Empire and taken the name Shi Huang Di. Thereafter, he will expand his borders, unify his nation's language, build a Great Wall to the north, and attempt to stave off death itself.

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#20 - Qin 1: There Can Be Only One

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 06:17:13 -0000

In this final conclusion of the Warring States Period, the King of Qin at last begins his campaign to destroy the other six kingdoms and unify China under a new dynasty. But he'll have to contend with military setbacks, tenacious defenders, and assassins who will do anything to stop him.

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#19 - E. Zhou 8: The End Of Zhou

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 14:28:57 -0000

In this first of two part exploring the end of the Warring States Period, Qin continues its campaign again the six other fractious kingdoms, decimating Zhao and Yan before putting the Zhou Dynasty itself to rest forever.

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#18 - E. Zhou 7: Shifting Loyalties, Uneasy Alliances

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 08:19:08 -0000

Qin's power continues to grow unabated, as the other states struggle to put aside their own differences long enough to deal with this emergent threat to their balance of power. As hastily put together "Vertical Alliance" might have the capacity to check Qin encroachment, but the King of Qin has dispatched his own agents to foreign courts to lure them away from their allies by promising them the moon and stars...

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#17 - E. Zhou 6: Qin's Reformation And Ascension

Wed, 09 Apr 2014 09:57:09 -0000

A brief synopsis of Tomb Sweeping Festival, it's traditions and expectations... then onto the state of Qin's early defeats at the hands of a combined Wei and Han. It's Qin's subsequent reforms at the hand of the Legalist Shang Yang,however, that are the real focus of this episode. Newly centralized and militarized, the now Kingdom of Qin begins it it's expansion, beginning with the independent realms of Sichuan. And for his efforts, Shang Yang will find himself pulled apart by chariots, and his family annihilated. Some thanks, indeed.

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#16 - E. Zhou 5: The Partition of Jin

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 03:30:00 -0000

The transition from the Spring and Autumn to the Warring States Period is, all in all, an eight decade process. But the major event that would shape the conflict to come is the civil war that would destroy the pre-eminent power of the 6th century BCE Zhou Empire, and result in the total breakup of the State of Jin into three of the seven soon-to-be warring states: Han, Wei, and Zhao.

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#15 - E. Zhou 4: The Art of War

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 06:16:53 -0000

The magnum opus of the legendary general and tactician of the Spring and Autumn Period, Sun Tzu. In this episode, we go over the life of the military genius, as well as an overview of his manual to success on the battlefield, and how it remains relevant and insightful even today.

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#14 - E. Zhou 3: Confucius Says...

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 15:09:00 -0000

This episode we chronicle the life of Master Kong A.K.A. Confucius, as well as detail his socio-political philosophies which would shape the future of China, as well as those of much of the rest of East Asia.Less fighting, more thinking, in the first of two interim episodes before plunging headlong into the chaos of the Warring States...

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#13 - E. Zhou 2: The Widening Gyre

Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:29:00 -0000

Spheres of domination, intrafamiliar betrayal, and tangled alliances are the markers of the second portion of the Spring and Autumn period, called the Age of Encroachments. All of this leading to the major powers of the Zhou Empire to engage in decades-long draw out proxy-wars along their borders... all leading toward war outright and the near-destruction of Chu by a new player from the southeast, Wu.

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#12 - E. Zhou 1: The Shattered Empire

Sat, 15 Feb 2014 11:30:00 -0000

King You of Zhou lays headless, the capital a smouldering ruin, and royal authority utterly destroyed. Regional lords exploit the chaos at hand to expand their own domains - and at times declare their own kingdoms - while the new, toothless Eastern Zhou kings struggle to stabilize the situation. After a holiday break, we're right back into the action with the beginnings of the Spring and Autumn Period.

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#11 - Special: Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:24:00 -0000

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#10 - W. Zhou 2: The King Who Cried "Barbarian!"

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 14:33:00 -0000

This episode, we start at the mid-point of the Western Zhou period, and follow it all the way down to its conclusion with the shattering of Royal authority, the sacking of the capital, and the vengeance of the White Wolf Clans on the Zhou. By the end of the episode, though a Zhou king will remain on the throne, we've seen the end (for now) of a unified state in anything but name...

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#9 - W. Zhou 1: Heaven Does Not Make Propositions

Sun, 12 Jan 2014 15:27:00 -0000

The self-proclaimed Kung Wu of Zhou stands triumphant amid the smoking ruins of the Shang Dynasty... but though the war is over, victory is far from assured. With his premature death, his unready heir will prompt rebellion against the fledgling Zhou Dynasty - not only by the Shang remnant, but also his own uncles! To cement their hold on power, the Zhou will be forced to construct a new standard of legitimacy: The Mandate of Heaven.

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#8 - Shang 3: The Shang Vanquished

Sun, 29 Dec 2013 09:43:00 -0000

This episode we chronicle the decline and eventual fall of the once-glorious Shang Dynasty to the same vices and evils that spelled doom for the Xia centuries ago. In the West, a powerful new clan calling itself the Zhou has risen to power, eventually with an eye to make right what the final Shang Kings have twisted so horribly wrong. Along the way, we'll colonize the Japanese islands and raise a minor Chinese prince to the King of Korea.

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#7 - Shang 2: The Shang Triumphant

Sun, 22 Dec 2013 03:57:00 -0000

In this first of two parts, we look at the first half of the Shang Dynasty beginning with the victory and reign of Tang "The Perfect" and leaving off 21 emperors, five capitals, and 400 years later with the amazing reign of Wu Ding and his warrior-priestess wife Lady Fu Hao. Along the way, there are warlike redheaded Xirong, Demonic Mongols, and Blue Barbarians.

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#6 - Shang 1: Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Oracle Bones

Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:46:00 -0000

We take a "time out" from our forward-marching chronology to examine the evidence we have of the Shang state, and how we came to know what we know about his period. Mostly, it's about what we can learn from reading divine messages off of dragon bones.

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#5 - Xia 3: The Fall Of The House Of Xia

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 12:26:00 -0000

This episode we cover our source materials, and then delve into the latter half of the Xia Dynasty post Shao Kang's restoration. It all ends with the corrupt and cruel Emperor Jie coming face to face with the Army of Shang bearing down on him, intent on ending his reign of terror once and for all.

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#4 - Xia 2: Revenge of the Xia!

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:06:00 -0000

This time, we take an in depth look into Shao Kang, the prince born in hiding who would rise from his dynasty's ashes to seek revenge against the Usurper-General Han Zhuo who had ruthlessly pursued him. Through a combination of skill, luck, and patience, Shao Kang will cobble together a force able to meet Han Zhuo's armies in battle.

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#3 - Xia 1: The Xia, China's First Dynasty

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 10:20:00 -0000

This week we move into the beginnings of China’s dynastic period where rulers began favoring birthright over merit – and the consequences will be almost immediately apparent. Beginning with the triumphant reign of the heroic Yu the Great, the Xia’s semi-accidental trip into dynastic succession will swiftly spiral downward, eventually leaving a usurping general in power, and the House of Xia all but exterminated after decades in exile. Rebooted as of 09/06/2016

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#2 - Origins 2: Five Emperors, Twelve Islands

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 10:14:00 -0000

This episode, we enter the second half of our gaze into the Chinese origins mythos. Focusing on the Five Emperors descended from the Yellow Emperor, this period marks the beginning of the transformation of the Huaxia People from settled tribe, to dynastic feudal kingdom. There will be betrayal, cataclysmic flooding, bird kingdoms, the Vietnamese, magical earth, and – of course – dragons.

UPDATE: as of 08/28/2016, this episode has been fully rebooted from the ground up. Enjoy!

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#1 - Origins 1: The Mythical Origins Of The Middle Kingdom

Mon, 25 Nov 2013 16:00:00 -0000

In episode 1, we begin with an introduction to this podcast, followed by a brief overview of what we’ve come to know about early human migration and settlement in the region that will eventually become China. Finally, we’ll delve into the mythological origin story that purports to tell of the three divine Sovereigns who would create and then rule over the Han people. I’m very excited to be getting this journey underway! Once again welcome, and thank you for listening. UPDATE: As of 08/28/2016, this episode has been completely rebooted from the ground-up. Enjoy!

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