The China History Podcast

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Kawashima Yoshiko (Part 2) Feb 24, 2020

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We continue on with Part 2 of the strange life of the Manchu Princess, Kawashima Yoshiko. Now she's on her own, in China, without any "adult supervision" and in full sartorial splendor. The early years of the 1930's are presenting a few opportunities for Yoshiko after making all kinds of new "friends" in Shanghai.

Kawashima Yoshiko (Part 1) Feb 10, 2020

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We leave the warlords behind but not the time period. This time, in this first of a three part series, we examine the strange and tragic life of Kawashima Yoshiko. Born a princess in the Manchu Qing royal family, she went on to have quite an extraordinary life. In this Part 1 episode we'll look at her early days and rehash some old Qing Dynasty history from the 17th century.

The Warlord Era (Part 10) Jan 27, 2020

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In this concluding episode, we close the book on this China Warlord Era overview that began in 1916 and lingered on and on until 1930. By the time it was over Japan was on the cusp of their invasion of Manchuria plunging China into another national crisis. In Part Ten we'll look at Zhang Zongchang's Warlord Rebellion in Northeast Shandong and a special focus on Liu Zhennian, the Red Spears, and the Central Plains War.

The Warlord Era (Part 9) Jan 11, 2020

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As the Northern Expedition ramps up and the Warlord Era starts to wind down, there's still plenty of action and violence to go around. In this episode, we look at the events following the Shanghai Massacre when Chiang and his "ally" Wang Jingwei take the fight to Zhang Zuolin's northern warlord alliance. The Manchurian Warlords meets his end in this episode. We'll finish off the series next time in Part 10.

The Warlord Era (Part 8) Dec 30, 2019

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Part 8 in this series first presents a brief overview of "The Model Governor" Yan Xishan and his home province of Shanxi. After some daring moves on Chiang Kai-shek's part, he bests his opponents and takes control of the KMT and the National Revolutionary Army. Under his command, Chiang launches the Northern Expedition. This episode will focus on the fateful years of 1926-1927.

The Warlord Era (Part 7) Dec 16, 2019

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In this Part 7 episode, the decade of battling warlords is coming to an end. Anhui and Zhili, then Zhili and Fengtian...and then Zhili and Fengtian again. The last of these series of clashes between warlords contending for supremacy in China will be the Anti-Fengtian War (covered in this very episode). After 1925 everyone had had enough with these military governors. Was anyone going to step up and take them on and deal with the warlords once and for all?

The Warlord Era (Part 6) Dec 02, 2019

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Things were looking on the up and up for Wu Peifu after his defeat of Zhang Zuolin in the First Zhili-Fengtian War. In this episode, we look at the years 1922-24 and the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. And you can't talk about the Second Zhiuli-Fengtian War without also mentioning the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War. The Christian Warlord Feng Yuxiang is featured in this episode. Besides the old stalwarts, also mentioned in this episode will be Lu Yongxiang, Qi Xieyuan, Sun Chuanfang, and Zhang Zongchang.

The Warlord Era (Part 5) Nov 18, 2019

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In Part 5 Laszlo gives the backstory to the Anhui-Zhili War and introduces another warlord, the famous Zhang Zuolin…The Manchurian Warlord. With this civil war within the Beiyang Organization, the unity that existed since the time of Yuan Shikai is smashed. We'll look at the very brief war between the forces of Duan Qirui and their Zhili opponents led by Wu Peifu as well as the aftermath up to and including the First Zhili-Fengtian War, 1922-1924.

The Warlord Era (Part 4) Nov 02, 2019

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The saga continues with the splintering of the Beiyang Army into factions or cliques who will battle each other for supremacy of the government. Hubei military governor Wang Zhanyuan will be examined as one of the textbook examples of how these generals evolved into warlords. Zhili Clique leaders Cao Kun and Wu Peifu will also be introduced.

The Warlord Era (Part 3) Oct 21, 2019

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The saga continues as the demise of Yuan Shikai is followed by the rise of Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang. The Beiyang Military machine begins to crack into two main factions or cliques. In this episode, we will also hear about the exploits and imperial dreams of the Mafoo Warlord, Zhang Xun. And as the world mainly focused on the Great War in Europe, these two years of 1917-1918 were filled with so many momentous events in Republican China.

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