The China History Podcast

Just in time, we look at all the recent finds at the newly discovered six sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui. Archaeologists and historians are pretty sure all these exciting discoveries going back to 1986 at Sanxingdui, Jinsha, Shangwangjiaguai are from the ancient state of Shu. This topic has been requested constantly throughout the years. I'm glad I waited until now to unleash it on you. Be looking for even more incredible discoveries at the Sanxingdui site that will be announced in the coming months and years.  

In this CHP Special Episode Laszlo is thrilled to welcome Mr. Ian McCollum to discuss his new book, "Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949." If you're a fan of antique and historical firearms, you already might know Ian from his Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel. What poetry was to the Tang Dynasty, arms manufacturing, and procurement was to the Chinese Warlord Era. A special thanks to Ian for sharing his expertise on this very popular topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a brief intro to the life of Dr. Yuan Longping who passed away on. May 22, 2021. It was covered quite extensively last week in the Chinese and international press as well as in all the China newsletters. But just in case you missed reading about him I wanted to post this short intro to his life and achievements.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're going to finish off this survey of Henan from Neolithic times to the 20th century. In this episode, you'll get a closer look at Zhengzhou and a few other noteworthy slivers of Henan history. We'll close off with the hard times that hit Henan in 1887, 1938, 1942, 1959, and 1975. If you never appreciated Henan's place in Chinese history I hope this three-part series was able to offer you a gateway to understanding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The saga continues. More poking around Henan in Part 2. We'll look at the Zhou Dynasty era states that made up the province in ancient times. We'll also focus on Luoyang, Kaifeng and Anyang. If the multitude of Chinese names starts to overwhelm, go to the website at Teacup.Media and download a nice cheat sheet I put together especially for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Part 1 of a four-part series focusing on the Chinese history that happened in one of China's oldest provinces. In Part 1 we get the lay of the land in Henan, discuss its mythical beginnings as well as the neolithic cultures of Peiligang, Yangshao, Longshan, and Erlitou. We also take the offramp to look at a couple of the more well-known Henan dishes. We'll get as far as the Xia and Shang dynasties and a little of the Western Zhou. All the Chinese terms from this episode (and there's a LOT of them this time) can be viewed in Pinyin, Chinese characters, and English at the website at: https://teacup.media/chinahistorypodcastepisodes/ep-273-henan-province-part-1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this shortest CHP episode since 2011, we conclude the series that explored the lives of eunuchs in Chinese history. This time around we wind things down with eunuchs during the time of the Last Emperor Puyi in the course of his residency in the Forbidden City, Tianjin and Manchukuo. Then we look briefly at the life of the Last Eunuch Sun Yaoting and the Ming Dynasty "good eunuch" Tian Yi. A big giant thanks to everyone who enjoyed this series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this penultimate episode of the Eunuchs series, we finally make it to the Qing Dynasty. After everything that transpired during the Ming, the Qing is tame by those standards. From Dorgon to Daoguang things were pretty tame in the Qing. But once Empress Dowager Cixi grabs hold of the reigns of power, she allows her eunuchs, most notably An Dehai and Li Lianying, to do their worst. We'll finish off next episode with the tale of The Last Eunuch and clean up loose ends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three of the Four Tigers, Wang Zhi, Liu Jin, and Wei Zhongxian get a once over this time around in Part 4. Many historians agree these guys offered the most generous contribution to the fall of the Ming Dynasty. At least no emperors were captured in battle during their time in the palace. But one emperor did have to hang himself from a tree thanks in no part to one of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story continues. After wrecking the Han and Tang Dynasties, the eunuchs emerge again in the Ming as a particularly destructive force. In this episode we'll also look at the Song Dynasty eunuch general and politician Tong Guan. Then we'll look at the life of the first of the so-called Four Eunuch Dictators of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Zhen. His greed and avarice almost caused the Ming Dynasty to fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices