The China History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The History of Taiwan (Part 12) Mar 05, 2023

Show notes

Another barnburner of an episode here in Part 12. The 1960s and 70s witnessed a lot of turbulence in Taiwan. Following the Sino-Soviet Split, Chiang Kai-shek had a funny feeling his U.S. ally was going to try to make hay of this opportunity. Facing an uncertain future Chiang front-burner'd economic reform. As things gather steam throughout the 1970s, a middle class emerges and grows. Taiwan was moving full speed ahead in the direction of becoming one of the Four Asian Tiger economies. Chiang knew the knock on the door was coming sooner or later. December 1969 he is told by the US ambassador the US will end things with the ROC in favor of recognizing the PRC. That created a very complicated and sensitive situation. The KMT starts grooming more native Taiwanese and carries out aggressive outreach. And we'll close off with the death of Chiang in April 1975.

The History of Taiwan (Part 11) Feb 19, 2023

Show notes

The focus for this time will be on the main events of 1957-1962. The KMT and the ROC government had been on a wartime footing throughout the 1950s. We'll also look at the infamous KMT repression and martial law as well as the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. By the end of this episode, Chiang figures out the US is never going to back him in any attempts to recover the mainland and overthrow the CCP. Now Chiang turns his attention to another perceived enemy, opposition parties, and anyone going against the KMT grain.

The History of Taiwan (Part 10) Feb 05, 2023

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The first five years of the 1950s were ones to remember. The Korean War, the Cold War, The First Taiwan Strait Crisis, the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, Formosa Resolution Act, Tuapse Incident, May 24th Incident, the MAAG, the USTDC, and all these other acronyms that surrounded the US-Taiwan alliance. Buckle your seatbelts and sit back for the next forty minutes. If you think tensions in today's whacky world are outta sight, get a load of what was going on off the coast of the People's Republic of China during the immediate years following Liberation on the Mainland.

The History of Taiwan (Part 9) Jan 22, 2023

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We finished last time with the 228 Incident. In Part 9 Chiang Kai-shek has to not only mop up from this PR disaster but get the island all prepped and ready for his later arrival, along with more than a million others feeling the communists. With the three victorious campaigns of 1948-49, the Nationalists are cornered and The Great Retreat steps into high gear. Everything that Chiang will need to keep his regime going is moved to Taiwan. This included soldiers, government officials, and KMT members, gold, and cultural treasures from the past few thousand years of Chinese history. Once everything is settled on Taiwan Chiang carries out a purge and puts Chen Cheng in place to whip Taiwan into shape. If Chiang was going to take back the Mainland he needed to get his house in order first.

Surfing History in China With Nik Zanella Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Surfing and China are two words I didn't think you could put together in the same sentence. It turns out not only is there a rather large surfing scene in China, there's also a history that dates back to the Song Dynasty. Italian Nik Zanella first came to China in 1993 and is now based in Surfer's Paradise of Western Hainan. He came out with a book several years ago called "Children of the Tide" (弄潮儿). Though the lion's share of China's surfing history is limited to the tidal bore of the Qiantang River, it's still a rather interesting and amusing story. Thanks to Mr. Nik Zanella for taking the time to appear on the CHP.

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The History of Taiwan (Part 8) Jan 08, 2023

Show notes

This Part 8 episode of the History of Taiwan series runs a little longer than usual. About 50 minutes. This time we'll look at the period immediately following the handover of sovereignty in 1945. Needless to say, things didn't go so smoothly and the tone was set for the next several decades on Taiwan. The smash-and-grab events following Retrocession and the infamous 228 Incident are discussed in this episode. It's going to be a long hard slog from here on out. Wishing you all a great rest of the year and a Fab 2023.

The History of Taiwan (Part 7) Dec 25, 2022

Show notes

Taiwan's history continues into the 1930s during the period of Japanese rule. We pick up where we left off last time in 1930. In Part 7 we'll take the history all the way to the end of WWII and the defeat of Japan. We'll look at several of the events of the 1930s such as The Taiwan Exposition, the Kōminka Movement, Taiwan's role in the war, and what happened when it was all over.

The History of Taiwan (Part 6) Dec 12, 2022

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The History of Taiwan continues with the Japanese colonial period during the 1920s. Despite all the transformational things the Japanese were carrying out on the island, not everyone was signing up for allegiance to the emperor. The Beipu Uprising, the 2nd Truku War, Ta-Pa-Ni Incident, and the horrific Musha Incident were all evidence of anti-Japanese resistance and retribution. We also look at Jiang Weishui and Lin Xiantang, two important figures in the movement to establish a Taiwanese Parliament. No one was trying to kick out the Japanese. By the 1920s they began to ask for more representation in government affairs in Taiwan. This was going to be a long struggle.

The Great Wall, Featuring William Lindesay Dec 02, 2022

Show notes

Laszlo had the honor and pleasure to welcome Mr. William Lindesay onto the CHP to discuss The Great Wall, a topic he is most eminently qualified to speak about. Sit back and enjoy this very informative and entertaining episode introducing the history and lore behind The Great Wall. A special thanks to William for his time and for sharing his Great Wall experiences over the past 35 years. We're planning to have William and his two sons Tommy and Jimmy back on the show soon to talk about more Great Wall history. Enjoy!

William Lindesay's Amazon Page

https://www.amazon.com/William-Lindesay/e/B00XFI60OY/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

The Lindesay Brothers YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@thelindesaybrothers7331

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The History of Taiwan (Part 5) Nov 27, 2022

Show notes

More Taiwan history for you in Part 5. This time we only get as far as the first decade of the Japanese colonial period. Quite a bit of exciting and little-known stuff went down in Taiwan between the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the moment the Japanese tamped down major resistance, seized control, and got to photograph themselves under a "Mission Accomplished" banner. The first years were characterized by acts of defiance against the Japanese takeover. We'll also examine "Asia's first republic" and those five months from 1895. We also harken back to an old History of Tea episode to look at Li Chunsheng and John Dodd's contribution to launching Taiwan's tea industry. All of this and more for you in Part 5. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to your emails and comments.

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