Podcast Episodes

The Boxer Rebellion, a.k.a. the Invasion of the Eight Allied Nations

Episode 10

To paraphrase a couple of Avengers: You and I remember Beijing very differently. 

Around 1900, a group of kung fu practitioners in China who came to be known as "the Boxers" began assaulting just abou…

Published on 4 years, 4 months ago

Erotic Fiction in Ancient China

Episode 9

Sex! One of the greatest works of fiction in Chinese literature, "The Plum in the Golden Vase," is also one of the most risqué. We discuss this Ming Dynasty novel alongside other works of erotic fict…

Published on 4 years, 4 months ago

Emperor Chongzhen vs. Climate Change

Episode 8

In the early months of 1644, everything seemed to be crashing down upon Chongzhen. Fated to hang himself from a tree, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty faced a massive domestic rebellion led by a …

Published on 4 years, 4 months ago

Chinese Gods vs. Everyone Else

Episode 7

Religion in Chinese culture contrasts sharply with religions in other civilizations. For one thing, many Chinese gods were flesh-and-blood human beings who came to be deified, unlike most ancient god…

Published on 4 years, 4 months ago

Kangxi and Louis XIV, or How a Child Plotted a Coup

Episode 6

During his years on the throne, Louis XIV, the Sun King of France, longed to make the acquaintance of Emperor Kangxi of China. The two men had a great deal in common: they both acceded to the throne …

Published on 4 years, 4 months ago

The Battle of Changping; the Siege of Handan

Episode 5

Students of Chinese history know that Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor and the founder of the Qin Dynasty, ended the Warring States Era and unified China in 221 B.C. But unification by the Kingdom of…

Published on 4 years, 4 months ago

I Ching and Computer Science

Episode 4

Did a 3,000-year-old Chinese book of divination anticipate modern computer science? When a Jesuit missionary brought him a copy of the I Ching, or more properly Yi Jing, "The Book of Changes," the Ge…

Published on 4 years, 5 months ago

The Yang Family Generals

Episode 3

In the years immediately before and after 1,000 A.D., three generations of the Yang family, men and women, defended the northern borders of Song Dynasty China. Their (surprisingly feminist) legends h…

Published on 4 years, 5 months ago

Three Kingdoms and the Iliad

Episode 2

The Three Kingdoms era following the collapse of the Han Dynasty was a pivotal period in Chinese history. Many Chinese traditions date to this time. And the many heroes that rose up like a rushing sp…

Published on 4 years, 5 months ago

Who Was the Master of Demon Gorge?

Episode 1

In the 4th century B.C., a reclusive master of all trades and his four students shaped China's destiny.

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Published on 4 years, 5 months ago