The History of China

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

by H.P. Lovecraft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pirates! Headhunters! Samurai! The Dutch! Every day's high-stakes adventure on the island everyone's totally ignored until the 1600s! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nemo me impune lacessit. In pace requiescat! by: Edgar Allen Poe, 1846 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please take a few minutes to help out the show by taking the Airwave listener survey! Thank you in advance! www.surveymonkey.com/r/airwave  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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please help support the show by taking this quick survey! Thanks very much! www.surveymonkey.com/r/airwave. 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: http://thefrenchhistorypodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 ? to a degree of accuracy that would not be surpassed the world over for another millennium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A man of science and his subject conduct one final experiment in an attempt to stave off death itself... by. Edgar Allen Poe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 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... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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): Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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?] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It isn't over, not really Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices