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.
Episodes
#335 - Taiping 12: The Man In Hunan
While the Northern Expedition dies in the freezing mud of Shandong, the Taiping's second strike — the Western Expedition — turns its sights on the provinces they've already ridden through on the Yangtze, a kingdom to go with their new Heavenly Capital. But waiting for them in Hunan is a man unable to ride a horse, or command an army... who will nevertheless set about constructing their ultimate do
#334 - Taiping 11: The Spear of Heaven and the Winter Wolf
The Taiping Army commits to one of its most audacious acts yet – an assault on the Qing throne itself, a thousand miles north in Beijing. To reach it, it will launch its great Northern Campaign: a single spear-throw that, if its aim holds true, might end the entire war before the teeth of winter bite down.Time Period Covered:May 1853 – March 1855 CE
Major Historical Figures:
Taiping Heavenly Kin
#333 - Taiping 10: All Things In Common
Finally pooled and stilled at Nanjing, in the afterglow of victory, the Taiping reflect on what they’ve become, and what they’ve yet to accomplish. In the cold light of the morning after, though, dreams do not equal result, nor clouds a working constitution. And as the world begins to take note and come knocking, the question hanging over it all remains: what will come next?
Time Period Covered:
#332 - Taiping 9: Heaven Is A Place On Earth
The Heavenly Host arrives at last before the walls of the South Capital. What follows is not a battle so much as a verdict – rendered in powder, fire, and seven days of smoke and blood. A city is taken, renamed, and remade in the image of a kingdom the likes of which the world has never seen before. This is the story of the Becoming that finally arrived; of the current that finally found its place
#331 - Taiping 8: Kingdom Come
The Heavenly Host marches north out of Hunan. Ahead of them lies the spine of China itself – the mighty Yangtze; maker and breaker of dynasties. The trading capitals strung along its southern bank glimmer like beads on a thread. They have and continue to transform, to build a fleet, a state. Now they will find out what it’s all been leading toward. This is the story of the Kingdom In Motion, and t
#330 - Taiping 7: Beneath the Walls of Changsha
The Heavenly Host has arrived at the great provincial capital of Hunan - Changsha. The mighty bastion that will prove to be the first city on the long march north that simply refuses to fall. For two months in late 1852, the largest army the Taiping has yet fielded throws everything it knows at these walls... but the city endures. This is the story of the underground war fought by nameless men in
#329 - Taiping 6: River of Souls
The army that marches north out of Quanzhou in June 1852 is not the same one that left Jintian 18 months prior. It has left its prime architect in an unmarked grave, massacred the city that killed him, and crossed into the unknown territory of Hunan. At Daozhou, for the first time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom starts speaking to Empire at large, calls upon brotherhood to honor their blood-oaths, &
#328 - Taiping 5: The Way Ahead
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been proclaimed — but proclamations don't feed armies. As such, its Divine Host will enjoy all of 11 days before sheer arithmetic forces them back onto the road. What follows is eight months of movement through the hills and river valleys of Guangxi: not quite a military campaign, not quite a refugee march. When they finally stop, it will be inside the walls of a c
#327 - Taiping 4: The Heavenly Kingdom
The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain managed to survive their first test — but now the world itself seems dead-set on finishing the job. When unprecedented rains lead to flooding, famine, and pestilence across southern China, the last institutions holding things together collapse, leaving those on the margins to their own survival.
Until, that is, the divine summons of the Second Son of God ca
#326 - Taiping 3: The Image-Breakers
The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain, under the dual leadership of Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan, had gone from being a quirky, backwater oddity... to, by 1847, a real local headache. When they get bold enough to deface a local temple, the law finally takes action to end their machinations. Yet they emerge from this early crucible unbroken... harder, better, faster, stronger... and even weirder
#325 - Taiping 2: The God Worshippers
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. W
#324 - Taiping 1: The Second Son of God
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 o
Intelligent Speech 2026 - Nemesis, Mine
TheKangxi Emperor’s Obsessive Pursuit ofGaldan Khanto the Endsof the EarthPresented: 02/28/2026audio-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
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
#322 - Opium War 7: The Throat of the Empire
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-
#321 - Opium War 6: Imperial Ouroboros
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
#320 - Opium War 5: Bayonets In the Dragon's Teeth
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:Ju
Re'cast: #11 - Special: Gong Xi Fa Cai! (OG: 2014)
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 ce
#319 - Opium War 4: Peddling the Drug Peddlers' War
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, Imperi
#318 - Opium War 3: Up In Smoke
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-Gen
To: Queen Victoria, From: Lin Zexu (1839)
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
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
#316 - Opium War 1: Chasing the Dragon
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 CEMajor 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
#315 - Qing 46: Tripping Toward Taiping - Tribes, Triads, & Theology
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 CEM
#314 - Qing 45: The Big Squeeze
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,
#313 - Qing 44: Frontiers, Pt. 2: The Vastness Devours Us - Mountain Monasteries & Money Pits
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.Ti
#312 - Qing 42: Frontiers, Pt. 1: The Vastness Devours Us - Of Willow Palisades & Reincarnation Permits
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 la
#311 - Qing 42: Charting the Collision Course
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
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 Grave00:10:25 - Karmic Debts00:12:30 - Spiritual Man Luo Catches the Wrong Demon00:16:39 - The Human Prawn00:18:37 - The Hairy People of Qin00:21:01 - The Magic Sword
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309 - Strange Tales X.1: Fateful Encounters
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
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
Special - Mid-Autumn: Fly Me to the Moon
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 trueIn 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
Bonus: R. Glasspoole & the Pirates
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
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 abov
#306 - Qing 41: Dead Men Tell No Tales
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 f
#305- Qing 40: Heshen Must Die!
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 Qianlon
#304 - Qing 39: Twilight of the Dragon
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
M
#303 - Qing 38: The Macartney Expedition
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 E
#302 - Qing 37: Palace of Mirrors
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
Special 2: To George, From Qianlong...
"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...
"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
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 Fi
#300 - Qing 35: Empire of Images
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. 173
#299 - Qing 34: Remember to Remember to Forget You Forgot Me
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]
#298 - Qing 33: Echoes of the Erased
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]
La
Supplemental: Qianlong's 1758 Dzungar Victory Stele
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
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
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 des
#295 - Qing 30: Building Better Worlds
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]
Yo
Rebroadcast 2025: Special - Tiananmen Square: The Declassified History - 06/01/1999 w/ postscript 2024
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
#294 - Qing 29: The Conquest of Qinghai
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 C
#293 - Qing 28: Three Treks Across Eurasia
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.
#292 - Qing 27: The Wonder Years
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
The Yongzheng Emperor's stylings:
https://bsky.app/profile/thoc.bsky.social/post/3lnvmogqntk2g
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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 ultima
The History Of China Podcast/POA Crossover!| Puttin on Airs w/ Trae Crowder & Corey Ryan Forrester
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
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
Original publication: 03/21/2025
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#289 - Qing 24: Kangxi's Five Stelae of Victory
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 dis
HANZ X-Over: The Sino-Burmese War (1755-1759)
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
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
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.
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#286 - Special: Everything Eunuchs All At Once
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)
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
#284 - Qing 23: Frozen Ashes
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...
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Time Period Covered:
1697-8 CE
Major Historical Figures:
Qing Dynasty:
The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuanye) [r. 165
#283 - Qing 22: Crimson Snow
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...
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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, Purita
#282 - Mongol 10: The Succession & The Last Battle
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:
Genghi
#281 - Qing 21: Kangxi & Galdan At Jao Modo, Their Eyes Red
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...
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Time Period Covered
1696 CE
Major Historical Figures:
Qing Dynasty:
The K
#280 Qing 20: Kangxi & Galdan At Jao Modo, Their Faces Black
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…
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Time Period Covered
1691-1696 CE
Major Historical Figures:
Qing Dynasty:
The Kangxi Emperor (Ais
#279 - Qing 19: The Treaty of Nerchinsk
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...
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patreon.
Extra: Interview with Vince & Cassie of the Autocrat Podcast
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
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
Special: The Raven
By Edgar Allen Poe [1809-1849]
Published: 1845
Happy Halloween 2024!
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#277 - Strange Tales IX: Fox Tails
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
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
Special - Mid-Autumn: Fly Me to the Moon
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 Tu
#275 - Qing 17: Office of Barbarian Control
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 innar
#274 - Qing 16: A Whole New Frontier
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 betwee
#273 - Qing 15: Something Rotten In the Heir
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??
#272 - Special: A Midsummer Night's Dreams
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
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.
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