The China History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Deng Xiaoping (Part 5) Dec 15, 2011

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This week's episode looks at the exciting events that all went down in 1976. Deng Xiaoping is on the defensive thanks to his 1975 policies to revive the nation. But a concatenation of events will happen starting on January 8 and ending on October 6 that will both bring Deng back and rock China.

Deng Xiaoping (Part 4) Dec 03, 2011

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After a bit of a delay, this week we look again at Deng Xiaoping and his struggles during the Cultural Revolution Years from 1966 to 1975. Seems we still have a long way to go yet.

Deng Xiaoping (Part 3) Nov 23, 2011

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Today in Part 3 of our Deng Xiaoping overview we look at The Great One's life from 1952 after his return from the Southwest Bureau all the way up to the start of the Cultural Revolution.

Deng Xiaoping (Part 2) Nov 14, 2011

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This time we continue on with our overview of the great leader Deng Xiaoping. We pick up in 1937 with the invasion by Japan, the civil war, and the founding of the PRC. We examine Deng's achievements all the way up to 1952, the year he left the Southwest Bureau and returned to Beijing to serve as Vice Premier and to take the lead, with Mao, Zhou, Liu Shaoqi, and others in building the PRC from the ground up.

Deng Xiaoping (Part 1) Nov 07, 2011

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Laszlo is happily back in Cali with a new episode that looks at the early years of Deng Xiaoping. Most of the narrative is based on passages gleaned from Ezra Vogel's new biography of The Great One. Inspired by the events of May Fourth, 1919, Deng Xiaoping was a lifelong revolutionary and by the end of his days had personally seen to it that China ended up the nation it was meant to be on the world stage. In this multi-part series on the life of Deng Xiaoping, we'll trace his life, all the triumphs as well as the tragedies. We'll look at why he is lionized as one of the greatest 20th-century world leaders and also why some have vilified Deng for his actions. His life itself is an interesting prism from which to view 20th century China.

Four Noted Foreigners Buried at Babaoshan Oct 31, 2011

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This time we take a look at four Westerners who committed their lives to the People's Republic of China. These four foreigners, Agnes Smedley, Anna Louise Strong, George Hatem and Israel Epstein were all friends of China and were admired by China's leaders.

The First Twelve Months of the PRC Oct 17, 2011

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Today we jump over much of the history of the 1940′s and zero in on the moment when the PRC was officially established on Oct 1, 1949. Today's podcast episode offers a general overview of the first year of the PRC and some of the multitude of challenges Mao and China's new leaders faced.

Sir Robert Hart Sep 19, 2011

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This week's episode runs a little long as there won't be anything for the following week. Today's episode looks at the life and interesting career of Sir Robert Hart (赫德), an Ulsterman from Northern Ireland. For most of his life he lived in China in the employ of the Zongli Yamen.

Mid-Autumn Festival Sep 11, 2011

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Mid-Autumn Festival takes place every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar. This year that date falls on September 12. The Chinese world will be celebrating the holiday in very much the same way that generations have enjoyed going back to ancient times.

China and Japan 1895-1945 Sep 03, 2011

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Thanks to RL in Hefei for the inspiration, this week we take a look at China and Japan's difficult history. We focus on the historical events that led to "2,000 years of friendship and 50 years of confrontation," as CPCCC member Zhao Qizheng 赵启正 said recently in the People's Daily.

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