Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Mongol Conquest of the Rus
Episode 48
In connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the story of the 13th century invasion of the Slavic lands by Batu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan…
4 years, 2 months ago
The Republic of Formosa
Episode 47
The year was 1895. The (First) Sino-Japanese War was just winding down. And news came out of Shimonoseki in Japan that the peace terms would include …
4 years, 2 months ago
The Great Explosion of 1626
Episode 46
On May 30, 1626, a screaming came across the sky over Beijing, the imperial capital of Ming Dynasty China. Within moments, thousands of people lay de…
4 years, 3 months ago
The General and the Novelist
Episode 45
Bai Xianyong, or Pai Hsien-yung as his name is spelled in the Wade-Giles style, has been a leading light of Taiwanese literature for decades. His wor…
4 years, 3 months ago
The Lunar New Year
Episode 44
When I was a child in Taiwan, I was told a legend about how the Lunar New Year commemorated a monster that used to haunt the Chinese people around th…
4 years, 3 months ago
Empress Lü of the Han Dynasty
Episode 43
Be warned, boys and girls, for this is a gruesome tale.
We previously told the story of the founding of the Han Dynasty and its first emperor, Liu Ban…
4 years, 3 months ago
The Rise of the Tang Dynasty
Episode 42
We've already done several episodes relating to events and personalities from the Tang Dynasty. Retroactively, then, let's set the stage for how the …
4 years, 4 months ago
Detective Dee and the Curious Case of the Dutch Sinologist
Episode 41
Tsui Hark, that maestro of Hong Kong cinema, has in recent years churned a trilogy of films set in ancient China about one "Detective Dee" who goes a…
4 years, 4 months ago
Remembering Jonathan Spence
Episode 40
On Christmas Day, Jonathan Spence, the leading light of Western sinology and my former professor, passed away.
Over a long and distinguished career, P…
4 years, 4 months ago
From Tang Dynasty Fiction to Contemporary Sci-Fi Fantasy
Episode 39
The Chinese-American sci-fi fantasy writer Ken Liu draws a lot from Chinese tradition. In his short story collection, "The Hidden Girl and Other Stor…
4 years, 4 months ago