The History of China

A journey through the 5000 years of history documented by one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. For all the episodes for free, as well as additional content, please subscribe and/or visit http://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com.

History
126
#212 - Ming 7: The Incredible Vanishing Emperor!
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:1...
32 min
127
#211 - Ming 6: The Jingnan Rebellion
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... m...
40 min
128
#210 - Ming 5: The Problem With Princes
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 CEMajor Historical FIgures:The Hongwu Emperor...
43 min
129
#209-Mongol 17.1: Rivers of Ink & Blood
(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...
34 min
130
#208 - Ming 4: To Pick at the Dragon's Scales
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 namesak...
44 min
131
#207 - Mongol 16: Assassin's Creed
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 l...
68 min
132
#206 - Ming 3: I Think I'm Paranoid
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 s...
41 min
133
#205 - Hangzhou: A City by the Bay
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, thoug...
29 min
134
#204 - Ming 2: Winning Was Easy, Young Ming, Go...
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 re...
45 min
135
#203 - Yuan 16: The White Hare's Curse
"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...
46 min
136
#202.5 - Bonus: Strange Tales V.5: The Masque o...
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
16 min
137
#202 - Special: Strange Tales V
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 ...
40 min
138
#201 - Ming 1: Overflowing Martial Accomplishment
How does a peasant, orphan, son of a farmerin the Black Death, made a monk in the middle of a forgotten spotIn central Anhui by providence impoverishedIn squalor, grow up to be a rebel hero, then a monarch?Time Period Covered:1364-1368 CEMajo...
39 min
139
#200 - Special: Di Er Bai Ji!
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... T...
74 min
140
#199 - Yuan 15: On the Waterfront
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 ...
52 min
141
#198 - Mongol 15.1: The Toluid Revolution
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...
29 min
142
#197 - Yuan 14: Battle Royale
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...
33 min
143
#196 - Special: ReConsidering China with Xander...
My long-lost conversation with the hosts of the excellent ReConsider Podcast, Xander and Eric... now *finally* delivered to you!
68 min
144
#195 - Yuan 13: The Lords of Light
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 fi...
34 min
145
#194 - Intelligent Speech: Hidden Narratives fr...
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.
35 min
146
#193 - Yuan 12:Blue Sky, Red Turban, White Lotu...
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 pand...
40 min
147
Rebroadcast: 6/4 - UK Cable on the Tiananmen Sq...
31 years later,To forget is to risk it all happening anew...
11 min
148
#192 - Mongol 14.1: There & Back Again
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 orde...
42 min
149
#191 - Special: "Superpower Interrupted," an In...
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 Jun...
50 min
150
#190 - Yuan 11: The War of the Two Capitals
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, ass...
40 min