The China History Podcast

Over the past year, I've had the great pleasure of working with a talented group of game developers at Paradox Tinto, one of the studios where they design and develop history-based grand strategy games. These Grand Strategy Games are enjoyed all over the world. One member of the team at Paradox Tinto who I had the pleasure to work with, was Barcelona-based Álvaro Sanz. Together we worked on a selection of history-based lectures that accompany the Europa Universalis IV Mandate of Heaven DLC (DLC: Downloadable Content). The time period covered in the game coincides with the Ming and early Qing Dynasties. This series of lectures accompanied the time period of the Mandate of Heaven DLC. And as of June 20th, everything's now available to all players of Europa Universalis IV. This experience of collaborating with the team at Paradox to develop all this new content was also a great learning experience for me. Grand Strategy Games are passionately embraced by enthusiasts the world over. During this past year I have discovered how these computer-based games are a fantastic and unique way to learn about history. Paradox Interactive: https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/ Europa Universalis IV: https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/our-games/all-games?Brand=Europa%20Universalis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this first episode of a multi-part series, we'll look at Yunnan's ancient beginnings during the Zhou Dynasty and take things up to the end of the Nanzhao Kingdom in the 10th century. The Dian Kingdom, the Cuanman, the beginnings of Nanzhao, and the rocky relationship between Tang Dynasty China, Tibet and Nanzhao. All of that will be looked at in this episode. Then next time in Part 2 we'll begin the Dali Kingdom. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we'll focus on modern China-Cambodia Relations. The rise of the Cambodian communists (Khmer Rouge) will be highlighted, along with how China helped to facilitate their rise and keep them in power. In addition to PRC support for the Khmer Rouge, we'll also look at the aftermath of their fall in 1979 and the complicated PRC-Vietnam-Cambodia triangle. The episode concludes with a look at present-day relations and China's Belt & Road projects in Cambodia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emma's been integral to the CSP for a few seasons now. Here's one more nice chengyu that has loads of utility value. This time Emma herself, introduces the story behind the saying 世外桃源 Shì Wài Táo Yuán. This comes straight from the great Eastern Jin literatus Tao Yuanming. Many of us dreamers have thought about getting away from it all to escape to a utopian paradise. I hope you enjoy the story and Emma's telling of it. We'll be back next season with more useful and interesting Chinese Sayings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part 1 of a 2-part series covering the history of the relations between China and Cambodia. In this first half of the series, I present the early history. Some of this material was covered in the China-Vietnam series: Funan, Zhenla, and the Khmer Empire. This is a nice refresher if you forgot about that. Cambodia didn't have the same historical relations with China as their two neighbors and sometimes antagonizers, Thailand and Vietnam. A lot of what happened later on, in Part 2, had its roots in mid-19th century Cambodia. I hope this episode is useful as an intro to Cambodian history. We'll take things up to 1965 here and finish off next time.

I discovered a whole bunch of new podcasts that are produced out of Singapore, Malaysia, HK, and the Philippines. My listening diet has always been heavy on US-UK-Australian shows. Podcasting is on the rise in Asia too. 1 Up Media, led by Singaporean Yeo Guang Jin has a couple of shows that are quite good. The first (I'm playing for you here) concerns the stories behind great business empires. They've done deep dives on Ten Cent, Sony, and Samsung so far. The show is called Empires: An Asian Business Podcast. https://www.tiktok.com/@empirepod They also have another show that is sure to satisfy all imbibers of True Crime Podcasts. Over in Southeast Asia, they have their own murders and gruesomeness, some of which are featured in Heinous: An Asian True Crime Podcast. https://www.tiktok.com/@heinous_1upmedia Back when I started the CHP in 2010, podcasting was still in its infancy. Now in 2023 there are so many great shows behind produced all over the world by so many talented independent podcasters. I hope you take advantage of the many rich pickings out there beyond the borders where you live. Have a great weekend everyone. Links to the shows are below: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empires-an-asian-business-podcast/id1674467595 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fCGvywzRXGe5Q1GVP8Rtb?si=eaba0892a5644da4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I hope everyone is enjoying these Chinese Sayings Podcast episodes that I began posting to this podcast feed. We end Season 7 with an old one from the Book of Jin 晋书 that contains two venerable co-stars from the Three Kingdoms era. This time we look at the amusing story behind the 巾帼英雄 Jīn Guó Yīng Xióng. The CSP will be back one more time with a bonus episode featuring Emma, the G.M. of the Teacup 成语研究中心. You won't want to miss that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Taiwan series now behind us, it's onwards and upwards. This time I wanted to select one of the many great Chinese American heroes of his day, Chin Gee Hee. Chin was another Toisan native who came to the American west coast, not to the usual haunts of San Francisco and Los Angeles, but to Seattle. He arrived in the 1860s and stayed till 1904. Following a career in labor contracting and other entrepreneurial ventures that made him quite wealthy, he returned to his native Toisan where, together with a partner, he built the Sun Ning Railway 新宁铁路. The Sun Ning was one of the very few rail projects funded entirely by Chinese investors. During his decades living in the Washington Territory Chin Gee Hee faced the worst racism and anti-Chinese violence the future state would ever see. And when he returned to China during the final years of the Qing Dynasty to build his railroad, his best intentions encountered a different set of challenges and disappointments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was happy to welcome Curtis Chin onto the CHP to chat about his life growing up Asian American in the black-and-white city of Detroit and coming out in his working-class immigrant community. Curtis's ancestors came to America over a hundred years ago and ended up in a place that not many Chinese back then gravitated to. His family-owned restaurant "Chung's" was a longtime fixture in the Cass Corridor where Detroit's Chinatown was located. His book isn't coming out till later this year but if you'd like to find out more go to https://www.curtisfromdetroit.com/ I hope you enjoy the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our ninth offering of the season here's another golden oldie with a story that goes back almost 2,700 years to the time of the early Spring and Autumn Period. The story concerns the two major states of Qí and Yān and the two minor (and mostly forgotten) states of Lìngzhī and Gūzhú. Two major and extremely consequential characters from those times star in this story. These were Duke Huán of Qí and his advisor Guǎn Zhòng. They led their troops into the mountains on a punitive expedition and ended up getting hopelessly lost in the process. Fortunately, for all concerned, 老马识途 Lǎo Mǎ Shí Tú, and they were able to escape from their dilemma and live on to fight another day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices