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[SupChina] A 17th-century mushroom cloud: The Wanggongchang explosion

China Stories

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China Stories, Produced by Sub China

Explosion in 16 26 killed tens of thousands and left centre of capital a smoking ruin. Official investigation determined explosion had been heavenly incident, reflecting chaos and misrule of the tianshe emperor. Consensus soon emerged depicting blast as part of general ming decline. Events like wan kong chang were portents warning Ming was failing to live up to its values.

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