The Context

Latest Episodes:

Creation of the Gods: The Wronged King Zhou of Shang Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll look into the life and times of King Zhou – the most infamous tyrant in Chinese history who was cinematically brought back to life in a much-anticipated summertime blockbuster this year.

White Crane Ridge: The Great Underwater Wonder Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll introduce you to the world’s oldest hydrographic station that measured water level changes in the Yangtze River for more than 1,000 years. It’s located in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, and as a precious cultural relic, the site was turned into the world’s first underwater museum.

Poet Li Bai: The Banished Immortal Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll tell you about an animated summertime blockbuster that brings to life some of the most iconic figures in Chinese literary history and has revived interest in a Tang Dynasty poet whose name alone can evoke legends.

The Night Revels of Han Xizai: A Spy Report-Turned Masterpiece (II) Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’re going to further explore the thousand-year-old painting called Night Revels of Han Xizai. We will also reveal what happened to the disillusioned scholar official after the “spy report” was presented to the emperor, as well as the fortune of the fragile kingdom and the truth about the painting itself.

The Night Revels of Han Xizai: A Spy Report-Turned Masterpiece (I) Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we’re going to tell the story behind a painting during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period from more than 1,000 years ago. Originally intended as a “spy report”, the painting offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the scandalous intrigues of court life.

Liang Qichao: Between the Old and the New Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll tell the life story of an encyclopedic figure at the turn of the 20th century, who was best known for his advocacy for modernization and social reform, as well as his contributions to Chinese literature, philosophy, and political thought.

Robert Morrison: Man on a Mission Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll talk about Robert Morrison, a 19th-century Protestant missionary who is credited as the initial translator of the Bible into Chinese and compiled the first Chinese-English dictionary – and that was just the beginning.

Li Shizhen: Father of Traditional Chinese Medicine Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll talk about a 16th century medical expert who dedicated thirty years of his life to correcting, standardizing, and expanding the practice of herbal medicine in China by writing a medical masterpiece that is still celebrated to this day.

Sanxingdui: The Lost Civilization Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

Today, we’ll introduce a popular museum in southwest China’s Sichuan Province that is set to open a new exhibition hall in July to display newly excavated artifacts that offer insights into a civilization that’s more than 3,000-year-old and still shrouded in mystery.

China’s Titanic: The Forgotten Wreck Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

Today, we will continue talking about Chinese shipwrecks but today’s story is a relatively modern one about a steamship packed with refugees fleeing the mainland for Taiwan on the eve of Chinese New Year in 1949 when it collided with a cargo ship, leaving almost no survivors.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected