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The China History Podcast

Latest episodes

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Mar 12, 2023 • 14min

Locked and Loaded | The Chinese Sayings Podcast

I don't do this too often but I'm featuring this week's Chinese Sayings Podcast in the CHP feed. Firstly this is a tale rooted in 7th century BC Spring and Autumn history. But also, just in case you never heard of this other show of mine, I wanted to introduce it to you. You can find the Chinese Sayings Podcast wherever you find the CHP.Here comes one more textbook chengyu from the Spring and Autumn Period, as written by Master Zuo Qiuming 左丘明 himself: 厉兵秣马 Lì Bīng Mò Mǎ. Lots of marquee names from that exciting time, including Duke Mu of Qin and Duke Wen of Jin. Be sure to check out the teacup.media website for a handy downloadable cheat sheet listing all the Chinese names and terms. This one has a fair number of characters and place names. The kind of inter-kingdom rivalries that were one of the hallmarks of the Eastern Zhou are front and center in this 7th-century BC tale. This is a good Chinese Saying that has a few useful applications in real life. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Mar 5, 2023 • 46min

Ep. 321 | The History of Taiwan (Part 12)

Another barnburner of an episode here in Part 12. The 1960s and 70s witnessed a lot of turbulence in Taiwan. Following the Sino-Soviet Split, Chiang Kai-shek had a funny feeling his U.S. ally was going to try to make hay of this opportunity. Facing an uncertain future Chiang front-burner'd economic reform. As things gather steam throughout the 1970s, a middle class emerges and grows. Taiwan was moving full speed ahead in the direction of becoming one of the Four Asian Tiger economies. Chiang knew the knock on the door was coming sooner or later. December 1969 he is told by the US ambassador the US will end things with the ROC in favor of recognizing the PRC. That created a very complicated and sensitive situation. The KMT starts grooming more native Taiwanese and carries out aggressive outreach. And we'll close off with the death of Chiang in April 1975.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Feb 19, 2023 • 48min

Ep. 320 | The History of Taiwan (Part 11)

The focus for this time will be on the main events of 1957-1962. The KMT and the ROC government had been on a wartime footing throughout the 1950s. We'll also look at the infamous KMT repression and martial law as well as the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. By the end of this episode, Chiang figures out the US is never going to back him in any attempts to recover the mainland and overthrow the CCP.  Now Chiang turns his attention to another perceived enemy, opposition parties, and anyone going against the KMT grain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Feb 5, 2023 • 47min

Ep. 319 | The History of Taiwan (Part 10)

The first five years of the 1950s were ones to remember. The Korean War, the Cold War, The First Taiwan Strait Crisis, the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, Formosa Resolution Act, Tuapse Incident, May 24th Incident, the MAAG, the USTDC, and all these other acronyms that surrounded the US-Taiwan alliance. Buckle your seatbelts and sit back for the next forty minutes. If you think tensions in today's whacky world are outta sight, get a load of what was going on off the coast of the People's Republic of China during the immediate years following Liberation on the Mainland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 22, 2023 • 41min

Ep. 318 | The History of Taiwan (Part 9)

We finished last time with the 228 Incident. In Part 9 Chiang Kai-shek has to not only mop up from this PR disaster but get the island all prepped and ready for his later arrival, along with more than a million others feeling the communists. With the three victorious campaigns of 1948-49, the Nationalists are cornered and The Great Retreat steps into high gear. Everything that Chiang will need to keep his regime going is moved to Taiwan. This included soldiers, government officials, and KMT members, gold, and cultural treasures from the past few thousand years of Chinese history. Once everything is settled on Taiwan Chiang carries out a purge and puts Chen Cheng in place to whip Taiwan into shape. If Chiang was going to take back the Mainland he needed to get his house in order first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 10, 2023 • 54min

Surfing History in China With Nik Zanella

Surfing and China are two words I didn't think you could put together in the same sentence. It turns out not only is there a rather large surfing scene in China, there's also a history that dates back to the Song Dynasty. Italian Nik Zanella first came to China in 1993 and is now based in Surfer's Paradise of Western Hainan. He came out with a book several years ago called "Children of the Tide" (弄潮儿). Though the lion's share of China's surfing history is limited to the tidal bore of the Qiantang River, it's still a rather interesting and amusing story. Thanks to Mr. Nik Zanella for taking the time to appear on the CHP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 8, 2023 • 54min

Ep. 317 | The History of Taiwan (Part 8)

This Part 8 episode of the History of Taiwan series runs a little longer than usual. About 50 minutes. This time we'll look at the period immediately following the handover of sovereignty in 1945. Needless to say, things didn't go so smoothly and the tone was set for the next several decades on Taiwan. The smash-and-grab events following Retrocession and the infamous 228 Incident are discussed in this episode. It's going to be a long hard slog from here on out. Wishing you all a great rest of the year and a Fab 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 25, 2022 • 37min

Ep. 316 | The History of Taiwan (Part 7)

This podcast explores Taiwan's history during the 1930s under Japanese rule, including the Taiwan Exposition, the Kōminka Movement, Taiwan's role in WWII, and the surrender of Japan in Taiwan in 1945.
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Dec 12, 2022 • 44min

Ep. 315 | The History of Taiwan (Part 6)

The History of Taiwan continues with the Japanese colonial period during the 1920s. Despite all the transformational things the Japanese were carrying out on the island, not everyone was signing up for allegiance to the emperor. The Beipu Uprising, the 2nd Truku War, Ta-Pa-Ni Incident, and the horrific Musha Incident were all evidence of anti-Japanese resistance and retribution. We also look at Jiang Weishui and Lin Xiantang, two important figures in the movement to establish a Taiwanese Parliament. No one was trying to kick out the Japanese. By the 1920s they began to ask for more representation in government affairs in Taiwan. This was going to be a long struggle.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 2, 2022 • 1h 29min

The Great Wall, Featuring William Lindesay

Laszlo had the honor and pleasure to welcome Mr. William Lindesay onto the CHP to discuss The Great Wall, a topic he is most eminently qualified to speak about. Sit back and enjoy this very informative and entertaining episode introducing the history and lore behind The Great Wall. A special thanks to William for his time and for sharing his Great Wall experiences over the past 35 years. We're planning to have William and his two sons Tommy and Jimmy back on the show soon to talk about more Great Wall history. Enjoy!William Lindesay’s Amazon Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/William-Lindesay/e/B00XFI60OY/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1The Lindesay Brothers YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@thelindesaybrothers7331 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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