Stuff You Missed in Chinese History

There are 1.4 billion Chinese people, so you may already know somebody from China and have some ideas about the country. What comes to mind when you do think of China? Do you see her as a rooster shape on the world map? Is it calligraphy, tea, or Tai Chi? Is it the delicious cuisine or the cadenced pronunciation of the language? Well, they are all part of China, but it is not the whole picture. Let's take a closer look. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever heard of George Macartney? He was the 1st Earl Macartney in Britain, a statesman, a colonial administrator, and a diplomat. However, among the Chinese, he is often remembered for his refusal to kowtow to the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emperors during the Qing Dynasty used the title of "Bogd khaan" when dealing with the Mongols. "Bogd" means "sage" in Mongolian. While in Tibet, they turned out to be patrons of Tibetan Buddhism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sent out his treasure fleet seven times to visit Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Western Asia, and East Africa. Each expedition was commanded by a Muslim admiral and court eunuch named Zheng He. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The short-lived Yuan Dynasty had a history of just under 100 years. What mistakes did the Mongol administrators make? Our first guess is their tyranny, but what did that involve? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know the book "The Travels of Marco Polo" was written in prison? And that both the book and its author shared a funny nickname? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You must have heard of the Silk Road, but do you also know about its nautical counterpart? Called the Maritime Silk Road, let's find out how it developed and where is its starting point. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long ago in China, the nomads in the north and the farmers of the Central Plains were mostly in a state of conflict. After the Chanyuan Treaty was signed though, the regions enjoyed 120 years of development. Why did this nomadic regime love peace so much? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which dynasty in Chinese history was the wealthiest? You might think that it was either the Han or Tang but, believe it or not, it was the Song Dynasty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are talking about the An Lushan Rebellion, which marked the turning point of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline. It was instigated by An Lushan, a member of the Hu, raising the question of whether the dynasty should have elevated such people to important positions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you suddenly traveled back in time to ancient China, could you make a distinction between the "Hu people" of that era? If you arrived during the Western Han Dynasty, they were Xiongnu people. If you arrived at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, these people were of the Western Regions. And by the Tang Dynasty, things had changed completely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my! Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty personally led the army to conduct a western expedition, accompanied by family, ministers and even his concubines. However, they encountered unexpected heavy snow and freezing temperatures during midsummer, resulting in the emperor's sister freezing to death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The term "Hu" was used by Han Chinese to describe anyone who was not of ethnic Han Chinese descent. While there are many cases of the “Hanization” of the Hu people in history, there are also instances of Han becoming Hu. This episode is all about the integration of ethnicities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We know that China's Han Dynasty consisted of the Western Han and the Eastern Han. The military and economic strength of the Western Han were stronger than those of the Eastern Han. But the Xiongnu, the almost life-long enemy of the Han, were eventually destroyed by the weaker Eastern Han instead of its more powerful predecessors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may have heard the story of Wang Zhaojun. As one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, she was the most famous princess of the Han Empire. She was sent to marry a Xiongnu ruler to make peace. But do you know how many such ‘beauties of peace' were sent off to marry nomad rulers during the Han Dynasty? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diplomat Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty never expected that his failed diplomatic mission would open the most important trade route in the world, the Silk Road. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that the Qin Dynasty only lasted for 15 years and that heavy rain helped wash it out completely? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may already know that Shang Yang was the first person in Chinese history to successfully carry out a reform, the result of which strengthened and unified the Qin Dynasty. However, did you know that he died because of his accomplishment? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did wearing nomadic clothing, riding horses and shooting arrows from horseback elevate King Wuling of Zhao into one of the greatest people in Chinese history? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Human-faced beasts, nine-headed snakes, three-legged birds, people with wings, and monsters with no heads but, two nipples as eyes. These are all stories from a mysterious ancient Chinese book called “Classic of Mountains and Seas.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow the podcast series, ‘Stuff You Missed in Chinese History', to learn more fun facts about what has happened during the past few thousand years in this country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.