Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchConstitutional Monarchy
Episode 78
The recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom brings to mind a fascinating moment in Chinese history.
In the early-20th century, duri…
3 years, 7 months ago
Zhang Xueliang and the Xi'an Incident
Episode 77
Zhang Xueliang, known as "the Young Marshal," lived one of the most interesting lives of 20th century China.
After inheriting Manchuria from his fath…
3 years, 7 months ago
536 A.D.
Episode 76
Historian Michael McCormick has nominated 536 A.D. as the worst year in history to be alive. It was a "year without a summer," and around the globe s…
3 years, 8 months ago
Plagues in Ancient Rome and the Han Dynasty
Episode 75
In the previous episode we looked at how climate change in the Roman Empire paralleled climate change in Han Dynasty China and contributed to the ris…
3 years, 8 months ago
Climate in Ancient Rome and the Han Dynasty
Episode 74
In his book, "The Fate of Rome," Prof. Kyle Harper argues that much of the history of the Roman Empire can be attributed to climate: the period known…
3 years, 8 months ago
Vasily Chuikov
Episode 73
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union, is chiefly remembered in Russia as the iron-willed commander who successfully defended Staling…
3 years, 8 months ago
Lu Yu, the God of Tea
Episode 72
The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, originated in borderlands of southwestern China and what is now Burma. For many centuries, though, people didn't co…
3 years, 9 months ago
Ni Kuang: Hong Kong Master of Sci-Fi
Episode 71
Ni Kuang, the hyper-prolific leading light of Hong Kong science fiction, died in early July.
This is his improbable legend, from his beginnings as a b…
3 years, 9 months ago
Cernuschi Museum, Paris
Episode 70
Henri Cernuschi, an Italian revolutionary who became a French banker, came to collect East Asian and particularly Chinese artifacts later in life.
Tod…
3 years, 9 months ago
The Mogao Caves of Dunhuang Part 2: Foreign Devils on the Silk Road
Episode 69
As discussed in the previous episode, the rediscovery of the Mogao Caves at the beginning of the 20th century has immeasurably enriched our understan…
3 years, 9 months ago