The History of China

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**The History of China**

A journey through the 5000 years of history documented by one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. For all the episodes for free, as well as additional content, please subscribe and/or visit http://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com.

Latest Episodes:

Strange Tales VIII.5: The Cask of Amontillado Oct 28, 2023

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Nemo me impune lacessit.

In pace requiescat!

by: Edgar Allen Poe, 1846

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#259 - Qing 4: Dorgon's Domination, Death, & Downfall Oct 23, 2023

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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.

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#258 - Strange Tales VIII: Beyond the Veil Oct 08, 2023

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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?

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Special - Mid-Autumn Festival: Fly Me to The Moon Sep 29, 2023

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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.

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#257 - Qing 3: Lose Your Hair, Or Lose Your Head Sep 17, 2023

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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.

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#256 - Qing 2: Greeted As Liberators Aug 21, 2023

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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]

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Bonus - Mongol 6: Agent of Chaos Jul 30, 2023

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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

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#255 - Ming 39: It's the End of the World As We Know It Jun 18, 2023

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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.

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05/35: Tiananmen Revisited Jun 03, 2023

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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

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Rebroadcast: 6/4: UK Cable on Tiananmen Square Massacre Jun 03, 2023

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