Podcast appearances and mentions of Ming dynasty

rWotD Episode 2954: Lihu Park Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Thursday, 5 June 2025, is Lihu Park.Lihu Park is a park located in Binhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. It covers an area of 300 acres and it is free to the public. In the late Ming Dynasty, some scholars said that Fan Li and Xi Shi boated here. So, it becomes more popular because of this legend. There is a very big Ferris Wheel in the park which you can see the time you get into the park. There are also other interesting spots in it, such as carousel, maze and The Arctic World. There are many sculptures in it which are featured in the cold world. When you get into it, the guards will give you some thick clothes because it is very cold in it but there many beautiful things in it. The park also has many old buildings behind trees which make them look very mysterious and attractive. It is next to TaiHu, so you can just go there by boating.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:13 UTC on Thursday, 5 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Lihu Park on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Aria.

This week, we're diving into a debut thriller that's frothy, funny, and unhinged in the best way. Liann Zhang joins me for a laugh-out-loud conversation about her new novel, Julie Chan Is Dead—a genre-blending con-artist thriller about identical twin sisters whose lives split in dramatically different directions… until one of them winds up dead.When the authorities mistake Julie for her famous sister, she makes a bold choice: to step into Chloe's perfectly curated shoes and steal her life. What follows is a fast-paced, satirical exploration of influencer culture, viral content, and the dark side of social media fame.In the spirit of the influencer theme, we share the most bizarre influencer swag we've ever received before digging into how a pandemic-fueled fascination with influencer culture allowed Liann to take a break from her dreams of writing about the Ming Dynasty.We also talk about what it's like to write a morally murky protagonist, the grotesque cult subplot that takes things to the next level, and why this book just might be Bunny meets Yellowface with a touch of The Bling Ring.In this fun conversation, Liann and I discuss:How Liann pivoted from writing about the Ming Dynasty to a con-artist thrillerWhy influencer culture during the pandemic was the perfect satirical settingCreating the character of Julie: an intriguing anti-heroine who fully leans into her morally gray side.The ongoing need for critical consumption of influencer content

遍地開花 biàn dì kāi huā - to bloom everywhere; something that is widespread故宮博物院 gù gōng bó wù yuàn - the National Palace Museum最具代表性 zuì jù dài biǎo xìng - the most representative宋朝 sòng cháo - Song Dynasty (960–1279)元朝 yuán cháo - Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)明朝 míng cháo - Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)清朝 qīng cháo - Qing Dynasty (1644–1912)宮廷文物 gōng tíng wén wù - imperial court artifacts翠玉白菜 cuì yù bái cài - Jadeite Cabbage肉形石 ròu xíng shí - Meat-shaped Stone 毛公鼎 máo gōng dǐng - Ding cauldron of Duke Mao國立台灣博物館 guó lì tái wān bó wù yuàn - National Taiwan Museum珍貴物種 zhēn guì wù zhǒng - precious species縮影 suō yǐng - miniature; epitome標本 biāo běn - specimen泰雅族 t ài yǎ zú - Atayal Tribe (an indigenous group in Taiwan)長衣 cháng yī - traditional long clothing史前標本 shǐ qián biāo běn - prehistoric specimen莫那魯道 mò nà lǔ dào - Mona Rudao (a famous indigenous hero in Taiwan)珍貴 zhēn guì - valuable; precious文化資產 wén huà zī chǎn - cultural heritage順益台灣原住民博物館 shùn yì tái wān yuán zhù mín bó wù yuàn -Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines不僅 bù jǐn - not only保存 bǎo cún - to preserve; to conservePlanning to travel or move to Taiwan? If you'd like to improve your Chinese before you go, feel free to book a one-on-one lesson with me.I'll help you improve your Chinese so you can settle in more comfortably when you arrive.Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

On 24th April 1644, the Chongzhen Emperor walked to Meishan, a small hill in present-day Jingshan Park and hanged himself on a tree, bringing a sudden end to the Ming dynasty. The writing had been on the wall for him for some time. By 1640, the unfortunate emperor faced multiple pandemics, an invasion, two internal rebellions, persistent drought, widespread famine, and an economic collapse. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the fifth son of a low ranking concubine ultimately became emperor; reveal wythe Chongzhen Emperor used to sleep clutching a sword at night; and reveal why in medieval China, the gods could grant a monarch a mandate to rule, but they could also take it away if they felt like it…  Further Reading: • ‘A death on Coal Hill' (The China Project, 2022): https://thechinaproject.com/2022/04/20/a-death-on-coal-hill/  • ‘The Fall of the Ming Dynasty in China in 1644' (Thought Co., 2018): https://www.thoughtco.com/the-fall-of-the-ming-dynasty-3956385  • ‘Why did Ming explode into chaos? (Animated History)' (Laith - The Social Streamers, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTBQJFOA-Tk  CONTENT WARNING: suicide, mass suicide #1400s #China Love the show? Support us!  Join 

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Rediscovering Roots: A Writer's Journey on the Great Wall Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-04-07-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 清明节到了，春天在长城上显得格外美丽。En: The Qingming Festival had arrived, and spring appeared especially beautiful on the Great Wall.Zh: 花树盛开，鸟儿歌唱，风轻柔地吹过古老的砖石。En: Trees bloomed, birds sang, and the wind gently blew across the ancient bricks.Zh: 这天，长城上一片祥和，游客们带着各自的心事，沿着历史的足迹漫步。En: On this day, the Great Wall was peaceful, with tourists carrying their own thoughts, walking along the tracks of history.Zh: 明是一个内向的作家，他站在长城上，心中满是疑虑。En: Ming is an introverted writer, standing on the Great Wall, full of doubts.Zh: 他的朋友李拉他来参加这次导游团，希望能为他的小说找到灵感。En: His friend Li brought him to join this guided tour, hoping he could find inspiration for his novel.Zh: 但对明来说，重新感受到文化根源并非易事。En: But for Ming, reconnecting with his cultural roots was not an easy task.Zh: 他有些怀疑，这次旅行是否真的对他有帮助。En: He was somewhat skeptical about whether this trip would really help him.Zh: 导游是姐，活泼而充满激情。En: The tour guide, Jie, was lively and passionate.Zh: 她深知长城的历史，她的声音在空中回荡，仿佛在讲述一个古老的传奇。En: She knew the history of the Great Wall well, and her voice resonated in the air, as if telling an ancient legend.Zh: “这段长城建于明朝时期，是为了抵御北方游牧民族的入侵。”姐说道，En: "This section of the wall was built during the Ming Dynasty, to fend off invasions from northern nomadic tribes," said Jie.Zh: 她的话仿佛把大家带回了动荡的过去。En: Her words seemed to take everyone back to turbulent times.Zh: 明犹豫地站在一旁，不愿加入其他人的互动。En: Ming stood hesitantly aside, unwilling to join in others' interactions.Zh: 但当姐讲述起长城的故事时，明的心中似乎开始发生变化。En: But as Jie narrated the story of the Great Wall, Ming felt a change within his heart.Zh: 姐的声音里充满了热情，那种对历史的热爱深深吸引了他。En: Jie's voice was full of passion, and her love for history deeply attracted him.Zh: 终于，在团体活动结束后，明跟随姐来到了一个长着樱花的长城角落。En: Finally, after the group activities ended, Ming followed Jie to a corner of the Great Wall where cherry blossoms grew.Zh: 他们坐在石阶上，春风轻轻地吹着，花瓣在空中飞舞。En: They sat on the stone steps, with a gentle spring breeze blowing and petals dancing in the air.Zh: 明心中似乎有些明朗，“我一直在寻找灵感，却忽视了自己文化的根源，”他说。En: Ming seemed to gain clarity, "I've been searching for inspiration while neglecting my cultural roots," he said.Zh: 姐微笑着，“有时候，灵感就藏在我们身边。长城是我们的历史，也是我们的未来。”她的眼神闪烁着智慧。En: Jie smiled, "Sometimes, inspiration is hidden around us. The Great Wall is both our history and our future." Her eyes sparkled with wisdom.Zh: 明深吸了一口气，那石墙，那花树，那远山，仿佛在他的心里植下了一颗种子。En: Ming took a deep breath, the stone walls, the blossoming trees, the distant mountains, all seemed to plant a seed in his heart.Zh: 他想起了自己的根，他的文字应该流淌着更真实的情感。En: He thought of his roots, realizing that his words should flow with more genuine emotion.Zh: 与此同时，他与姐的友谊也在逐渐加深，也许将展开新的篇章。En: At the same time, his friendship with Jie was gradually deepening, perhaps opening up a new chapter.Zh: 随着夕阳慢慢降下，明感到一种前所未有的放松和满足。En: As the sunset slowly descended, Ming felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation and satisfaction.Zh: 他终于回到了自己文化的怀抱，他也许找到了比小说更重要的东西——一段珍贵的友谊。En: He finally returned to the embrace of his culture, perhaps finding something more important than a novel—a precious friendship.Zh: 从此，明在写作中注入更多文化的灵感，En: From then on, Ming infused more cultural inspiration into his writing.Zh: 他不再孤独，因为他重拾了对过去的认同，以及和姐共度的美好时光。En: He was no longer lonely because he had reclaimed his identity with the past, as well as the wonderful times shared with Jie. Vocabulary Words:doubts: 疑虑introverted: 内向inspiration: 灵感cultural roots: 文化根源skeptical: 怀疑passionate: 激情resonated: 回荡legend: 传奇fend off: 抵御invasions: 入侵nomadic tribes: 游牧民族hesitantly: 犹豫地narrated: 讲述clarity: 明朗petals: 花瓣genuine emotion: 真实的情感sparkled: 闪烁wisdom: 智慧deepening: 加深unprecedented: 前所未有satisfaction: 满足reclaimed: 重拾identity: 认同infused: 注入embrace: 怀抱solitude: 孤独turbulent: 动荡ancient: 古老的interactions: 互动chapter: 篇章

Move over Hollywood, China's Ne Zha 2 is here. The film has stormed the global stage, proving that animated storytelling isn't confined to talking toys or singing princesses, and that Asia is more than capable of producing world-class animation.好莱坞让路吧，中国的《哪吒之魔童降世》来了。这部电影席卷了全球舞台，证明动画故事不仅限于会说话的玩具或会唱歌的公主，亚洲完全有能力制作世界级的动画。This dazzling sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Ne Zha isn't just a film; it's a cultural phenomenon, a visual masterpiece, and a reminder that the most compelling stories transcend borders.这部令人眼花缭乱的2019年大片《哪吒》的续集不仅仅是一部电影；它是一种文化现象、一部视觉杰作，并提醒人们，最引人入胜的故事是超越国界的。With superlative animation, breathtaking special effects, and a narrative that seamlessly blends humor, heartbreak and moral depth, Ne Zha 2 isn't merely the biggest animated film of the moment — it's a triumphant celebration of China's artistic renaissance and a beacon of its growing soft power.凭借一流的动画、令人惊叹的特效以及将幽默、心碎和道德深度完美融合的叙事，《哪吒2》不仅是当下最卖座的动画电影，更是中国艺术复兴的胜利庆典，也是中国日益增长的软实力的灯塔。Picking up where the first film left off, Ne Zha 2 follows the mischievous, gap-toothed demon boy Ne Zha and his noble dragon prince companion Ao Bing as they navigate a world teeming with gods, dragons and ocean-dwelling monsters. The stakes are higher, the battles more epic, and the emotional punches land with even greater force.《哪吒2》延续了第一部电影的剧情，讲述了淘气的、牙齿不齐的魔童哪吒和他高贵的龙王子同伴敖丙在一个充满神仙、龙族和海底怪物的世界中闯荡的故事。这部电影更加紧张刺激，战斗更加史诗化，情感冲击也更深刻。Director Yang Yu, returning from the first installment, masterfully weaves a sprawling mythological tapestry drawn from The Investiture of the Gods, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel, ensuring that newcomers can follow the plot. That said, if you haven't seen the first Ne Zha, do yourself a favor and watch it before diving into this one. Trust me, you'll thank me later.导演杨宇从第一部归来，巧妙地编织了一幅庞大的神话画卷，取材于明朝(1368-1644)小说《封神演义》，确保新观众也能跟上剧情。话虽如此，如果你还没看过第一部《哪吒》，在看这部电影之前，请先看第一部。相信我，你以后会感谢我的。What sets Ne Zha 2 apart is its ability to balance spectacle with soul. The animation is breathtaking — think shimmering dragon scales, gravity-defying celestial palaces, and battle sequences that rival anything Marvel or DC Comics has ever produced. But what truly elevates this film is its focus on the human and demonic emotions at its core.《哪吒2》的与众不同之处在于它能够平衡奇观和灵魂。动画令人叹为观止——想想闪闪发光的龙鳞、凌空的天宫，以及可与漫威或DC漫画的任何作品相媲美的战斗场景。但真正让这部电影升华的是它对人性和妖魔情感的关注。Ne Zha remains the brash, immature kid we fell in love with, but his journey toward self-discovery and redemption is profoundly moving. His bond with Ao Bing, rooted in their shared destiny as two halves of the Chaos Pearl, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. And let's not forget the tearjerker moments involving Ne Zha's parents, Lady Yin and Li Jing, whose unwavering love for their son will leave you reaching for tissues.哪吒仍然是我们爱上的那个无礼的、幼稚的的孩子，但他自我发现和救赎之路令人感动不已。他与敖丙的联系源于他们作为混沌珠的两半的共同命运，既温暖又令人心碎。让我们不要忘记哪吒与父母——殷夫人和李靖的催泪时刻，他们对儿子坚定不移的爱会让你忍不住流泪。Of course, it's not all heavy drama. Ne Zha 2 delivers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, thanks to its signature potty humor. The film's humor is delightfully juvenile, but it never feels out of place in a story that's ultimately about growing up, finding your place in the world and learning to wield your power responsibly. It's a rare blockbuster that can make you laugh, cry and cheer — sometimes all at once.当然，这部电影并不全是沉重的戏剧。《哪吒2》带来了许多令人捧腹大笑的时刻，这要归功于它标志性的低俗幽默。这部电影的幽默充满童真，但在一个最终讲述成长、找到自我位置以及学会负责任地运用力量的故事中，幽默从不显得格格不入。这是一部罕见的大片，能让你时而笑、时而哭、时而欢呼——有时是同时进行。But Ne Zha 2 isn't just a triumph of storytelling and animation; it's a milestone for Chinese cinema and culture. The film's record-breaking box office success — about 15 billion yuan ($2.07 billion) and counting — is a testament to China's growing influence in the global entertainment industry, but it's also a celebration of the country's rich cultural heritage.但《哪吒2》不仅仅是叙事和动画的胜利；它还是中国电影和文化的里程碑。这部电影创纪录的票房成功——约150亿元人民币（20.7亿美元）且还在增长——证明了中国在全球娱乐业的影响力日益增强，但它也是对中国丰富文化遗产的庆祝。At a time when the world is increasingly interconnected, Ne Zha 2 serves as a bridge between East and West, introducing global audiences to myths and legends that have shaped Chinese civilization for millennia. It's a reminder that China's cultural renaissance isn't just about economics — it's about reclaiming a legacy that dates back 5,000 years.在世界日益互联的时代，《哪吒2》充当了东西方之间的桥梁，向全球观众介绍了几千年来塑造中华文明的神话和传说。它提醒我们，中国的文化复兴不仅仅是经济问题，更是对绵延五千年的文化遗产的重拾。In many ways, Ne Zha 2 feels like a modern-day echo of the glorious Tang Dynasty (618-907), when China's cultural and economic power reached its zenith, influencing much of East Asia. This film is more than just entertainment; it's a celebration of China's rising soft power, a testament to the enduring influence of art and culture to foster understanding and connection. And let's be real: If a movie about a demon boy and a dragon prince can captivate audiences worldwide, imagine what else China's creative minds have in store.从很多方面来看，《哪吒2》都像是辉煌的唐朝（618-907）的现代回响，当时中国的文化和经济实力达到顶峰，影响了东亚大部分地区。这部电影不仅仅是娱乐作品；它更是一种对中国日益增长的软实力的颂歌，证明了艺术与文化对促进理解和联系的持久影响力。说得直白一点：如果一部关于魔童和龙王子的电影可以吸引全世界的观众，想象一下中国富有创造力的头脑还能带来什么。Whether you're a fan of animation, mythology, or simply great storytelling, Ne Zha 2 is a must-watch. It's a film that proves sequels can surpass their predecessors, that animation is a medium for all ages, and that the stories we tell have the power to unite us.无论您是动画爱好者、神话迷还是单纯喜欢精彩故事的观众，《哪吒2》都是必看之作。这部电影证明了续集可以超越前作，动画是老少皆宜的媒介，而我们所讲述的故事具有把我们凝聚在一起的力量。As the credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe — not just at what I'd just watched, but at the cultural awakening it represents. Ne Zha 2 is more than a movie; it's a movement. As the world embraces this mythical masterpiece, one thing is clear: The future of storytelling is boundless, and a peacefully resurgent China is leading the charge.随着片尾字幕的滚动，我不禁心生敬畏——不仅仅是因为我刚刚观看的影片，更是因为它所代表的文化觉醒。《哪吒2》不仅仅是一部电影，更是一场运动。随着世界拥抱这部神话杰作，有一点已然清晰：讲述故事的未来无限宽广，而一个和平复兴的中国正在引领这一潮流。animationn.动画compelling adj.引人入胜的triumphant adj.胜利的beacon n.灯塔sprawlingadj.庞大的tapestry n.画卷shimmering adj.闪闪发光的brash adj.傲慢的，无礼的tearjerkeradj.催泪的millennia n.千年zenith n.顶点，顶峰resurgent adj.复兴的

I review the Switch version of this Chinese visual novel!

In this sleepy bedtime history episode, I tell you about the History of the Great Wall, the "Ten-Thousand Mile Wall" (万里长城). Through it, we will explore the history of Ancient China from the birth of civilization around the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, to the Ming Dynasty, the last one to maintain and expand the Wall. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Listen ad free and get access to bonus content on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/LightsOutLibrary621⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LightsOutLibraryov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ¿Quieres escuchar en Español? Echa un vistazo a La Biblioteca de los Sueños! En Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1t522alsv5RxFsAf9AmYfg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-biblioteca-de-los-sue%C3%B1os-documentarios-para-dormir/id1715193755⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LaBibliotecadelosSuenosov⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa See's novel Lady Tan's Circle of Women is inspired by a medical textbook published in 1511  by an eminent female doctor, Tan Yunxian. In this episode, we talk to See about the origin of her novel, and to Lorraine Wilcox, the scholar who translated the original Chinese text, about what the practice of medicine was like for a female doctor during the Ming Dynasty. Tan Yunxian was almost lost to history, but the chronicle of her cases was reprinted by a great nephew and, amazingly, one copy survived through the centuries. Through serendipitous scholarly connections, Wilcox translated it and See used that translation as the inspiration for her novel. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Propelled by enthusiasm from fans domestically as well as overseas, Ne Zha 2, China's box office champion, has made history by surpassing Pixar's blockbuster Inside Out 2 to become the world's highest-grossing animated film of all time.凭借国内外影迷的热情支持，中国电影票房冠军《哪吒2》一举超越皮克斯大片《头脑特工队2》，成为全球票房最高的动画电影，成功创造历史。As of Tuesday evening, 20 days after the movie's premiere on the first day of the Spring Festival holiday, which is the country's most lucrative box office season, Ne Zha 2 has earned 12.35 billion yuan ($1.69 billion), including presales and revenue from overseas markets such as North America and Australia.截至2月18日晚，即该片在春节假期第一天首映后的第20天（春节假期是中国票房收益最高的电影档期），《哪吒2》票房已达123.5亿元人民币（16.9亿美元），包括预售和北美、澳大利亚等海外市场的票房。The movie has also risen to become the world's eighth highest-grossing film and is the sole non-Hollywood film on the top 10 list, according to industry trackers Maoyan Pro and Beacon.据行业追踪机构猫眼专业版和灯塔的数据显示，该片还跃升至全球票房总榜第8名，并且是票房前十榜单中唯一一部非好莱坞电影。As the sequel to the 2019 runaway hit Ne Zha, the movie continues to use a subverted way to narrate the legend of its titular character, a 3-year-old deity who rides on flaming wheels and wields a red ribbon to harness his superpowers. The film has garnered widespread acclaim for portraying the character as someone who bravely fights an unfair fate and pursues his own path.作为2019年热门电影《哪吒》的续集，该片继续采用颠覆性方式讲述同名主人公哪吒的传奇故事。哪吒年仅三岁，脚踏风火轮、身披混天绫，而且拥有超能力。该片因塑造了哪吒这一勇于反抗不公命运、追求自我道路的角色而广受赞誉。Widely regarded as representing the pinnacle of Chinese animation, the movie took five years to produce, and involved over 4,000 animators from 138 companies who created more than 1,900 visual-effect shots.这部电影被广泛认为是中国动画的巅峰之作，耗时五年制作完成，共有来自138家公司的4000多名动画师参与，创作了1900多个视觉特效镜头。Lu Shengzhang, the former dean of Communication University of China's Department of Animation and Comics, told China Daily that the film, loosely inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) classic Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), shows that the country's rich history and culture can serve as a gold mine to inspire further appealing movie stories.中国传媒大学动画学院前院长路盛章接受《中国日报》采访时表示，该片大致受到明代（1368-1644年）经典作品《封神演义》的启发，这表明中国丰富的历史文化是一座宝库，可以激发创作更多引人入胜的电影故事。Evita Mei, a Chinese immigrant in Tauranga, a city on New Zealand's North Island, told China Daily that she took her teenage son to watch the film, and that most of her neighbors and friends in the Chinese community have a sense of national pride.新西兰北岛陶朗加市的一位中国移民伊维塔·梅告诉《中国日报》，她带着十几岁的儿子去看了这部电影，而且她所在华人社区的大多数邻居和朋友都表现出民族自豪感。Some families see the film as a way to enhance youngsters' understanding of Chinese mythology and literature.一些家庭想通过这部电影，增强孩子们对中国神话和文学的理解。Melina Weber, a German citizen who is living in Beijing, said that Ne Zha 2 was the only film she watched during the Spring Festival holiday, adding that she was impressed by the movie's presentation of Chinese culture in various ways, such as showcasing local food and beautiful landscapes.居住在北京的德国公民梅莉娜·韦伯表示，《哪吒2》是她在春节期间观看的唯一一部电影，并补充说，她对这部电影以多种方式展现中国文化印象深刻，比如对当地美食和美景的呈现。investituren.授职典礼；授权仪式

Tourism authorities in several provincial-level regions have vied to promote their areas as the "real birthplace" of the Ne Zha character, hoping to ride the wave of popularity of the hit blockbuster, attract more tourists and boost economic growth.多个省级地区的旅游部门争相将本地宣传为哪吒的“真正诞生地”，希望借助这部热门大片的浪潮吸引更多游客并推动经济增长。tourism authorities 旅游部门real birthplace 真正诞生地ride the wave of popularity 借助热潮boost economic growth 推动经济增长However, experts have called for some restraint as the fervor over the mythical character has gone beyond expectations.然而，专家呼吁保持克制，因为对这一神话角色的狂热已经超出预期。fervor 狂热mythical character 神话角色The animated film Ne Zha 2, or Ne Zha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea, has become China's highest-grossing movie of all time, with over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in ticket sales since its opening on Jan 29 during the Spring Festival holiday.动画电影《哪吒2》（又名《哪吒：魔童闹海》）自1月29日春节档上映以来，票房已突破100亿元人民币（约合14亿美元），成为中国影史票房最高的电影。highest-grossing movie 票房最高的电影ticket sales 票房The box-office sensation is adapted from Chinese mythology and loosely based on the novel Fengshen Yanyi, or The Investiture of the Gods, which was written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).这部票房奇迹改编自中国神话，并部分借鉴了明代（1368-1644年）小说《封神演义》。box-office sensation 票房奇迹loosely based on 部分借鉴In the film, a boy named Ne Zha, who was born with a demonic destiny and mighty power, fights against his fate and takes down villains with his best friend Ao Bing.在电影中，一个名叫哪吒的男孩天生背负魔童命运并拥有强大力量，他与好友敖丙一起反抗命运并击败反派。demonic destiny 魔童命运mighty power 强大力量take down villains 击败反派According to the novel, Ne Zha was born in Chentang Pass during the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC). However, the location of Chentang Pass in real life remains controversial, causing a "bidding war" for Ne Zha's birthplace online.根据小说，哪吒出生于商代（约公元前16世纪至公元前11世纪）的陈塘关。然而，现实中的陈塘关位置仍存在争议，引发了网上对哪吒诞生地的“争夺战”。Chentang Pass 陈塘关bidding war 争夺战Yibin, a city in the southwestern province of Sichuan, said that it has over 20 places, relics and natural sites closely related to the folklore around Ne Zha.四川省西南部的宜宾市表示，该市有20多处与哪吒传说密切相关的地点、遗迹和自然景观。folklore 传说relics 遗迹Other cities and provincial-level regions such as Tianjin, Henan and Anhui are also claiming to be Ne Zha's birthplace based on their folk tales or historical relics.其他城市和省级地区，如天津、河南和安徽，也根据民间传说或历史遗迹声称自己是哪吒的诞生地。folk tales 民间传说historical relics 历史遗迹Experts said that it is still difficult to determine the real locations depicted in Ne Zha's story, as the character is a fictitious one, though it is loosely modeled on a real person in history.专家表示，由于哪吒是一个虚构角色（尽管部分借鉴了历史人物），因此很难确定故事中的真实地点。fictitious 虚构的loosely modeled on 部分借鉴The fact that Chinese regions are vying to be known as the character's birthplace shows that local authorities are trying to benefit from the in-vogue film to boost their tourism and economies, they said.专家称，中国各地争相成为哪吒诞生地的事实表明，地方政府正试图借助这部热门电影推动旅游业和经济发展。in-vogue 热门的boost tourism 推动旅游业Figures from travel portals appear to support this claim. According to online travel agency LY.com, the number of Yibin hotel room bookings and the average price of the rooms both grew 30 percent year-on-year from Feb 1 to Feb 9.旅游门户网站的数据似乎支持这一说法。根据在线旅游平台同程艺龙的数据，2月1日至2月9日期间，宜宾酒店预订量和平均房价同比均增长30%。travel portals 旅游门户网站year-on-year 同比Travel portal Qunar also reported that during the Spring Festival holiday from Jan 28 to Feb 4, hotel bookings in Yibin rose 50 percent year-on-year on its platform.旅游平台去哪儿网也报告称，1月28日至2月4日春节期间，宜宾酒店预订量同比增长50%。Spring Festival holiday 春节假期It is not the first time that a Chinese folklore or film or entertainment product based on mythology has intrigued people's interest in Chinese traditional culture and prompted hordes of enthusiasts to visit certain regions.这并非中国神话、电影或娱乐产品首次引发人们对中国传统文化的兴趣，并促使大批爱好者前往特定地区。intrigued people's interest 引发兴趣hordes of enthusiasts 大批爱好者The Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong, based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, was all the rage worldwide after being released last year.基于中国经典小说《西游记》的中国电子游戏《黑神话：悟空》去年发布后在全球掀起热潮。all the rage 掀起热潮A large number of gamers and fans have flocked to Shanxi province, which is home to 27 of 36 scenes in the game, with most of the scenes closely related to Buddhist culture and Taoism.大量玩家和粉丝涌入山西省，该省是游戏中36个场景中的27个所在地，其中大部分场景与佛教文化和道教密切相关。flocked to 涌入Buddhist culture 佛教文化Taoism 道教Tang Yezhe, a 32-year-old engineer in Beijing, said he's a fan of the Ne Zha films and Black Myth: Wukong.32岁的北京工程师唐烨哲（音译）表示，他是《哪吒》系列电影和《黑神话：悟空》的粉丝。fan 粉丝"Ne Zha 2 is really stunning. The story, the characters and the special effects of the film are all exciting and vivid. I watched the film twice with my wife," he said.他说：“《哪吒2》非常震撼。电影的剧情、角色和特效都令人兴奋且生动。我和妻子看了两遍。”stunning 震撼的special effects 特效He added that he traveled to Datong, Shanxi, in October with his family to see sites associated with the Black Myth: Wukong game.他补充说，10月他与家人前往山西大同，参观了与《黑神话：悟空》游戏相关的景点。sites associated with 相关景点"I've heard about the online birthplace contention of Ne Zha. I think it's hard to define where exactly Ne Zha comes from as he is a mythical figure," Tang said. "Sichuan and Tianjin are so far the two strongest candidates, and I may pay a visit to Sichuan's Yibin city to see the relics about Ne Zha."“我听说过网上关于哪吒诞生地的争论。我认为很难确定哪吒到底来自哪里，因为他是一个神话人物。”唐烨哲说，“四川和天津是目前最有力的两个候选地，我可能会去四川宜宾看看与哪吒相关的遗迹。”birthplace contention 诞生地争论mythical figure 神话人物Wang Peng, an associate researcher from the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said in a recent interview with news outlet CQCB.com that Ne Zha is one of China's most popular mythical figures and has boosted short-term public attention to destinations concerning Ne Zha's story.北京市社会科学院副研究员王鹏近日在接受《重庆晨报》采访时表示，哪吒是中国最受欢迎的神话人物之一，并短期内提升了与哪吒故事相关目的地的公众关注度。associate researcher 副研究员boosted short-term attention 提升短期关注度He suggested local authorities combine their own cultural and tourism advantages with the influence of Ne Zha to ensure more sustainable tourism development, rather than blindly jumping on the bandwagon or ignoring their local tourism resources.他建议地方政府将自身的文化和旅游优势与哪吒的影响力结合起来，以确保更可持续的旅游发展，而不是盲目跟风或忽视本地旅游资源。sustainable tourism development 可持续旅游发展jumping on the bandwagon 盲目跟风

This episode we kick off a series of episodes following the famous monk Xuanzang, aka the Tripitaka Master of the Law, Sanzang Fashi.  Known in Japanese as Genjo, and founder of the Faxiang school of Yogacara Buddhism, also known as the Hosso school, it was brought back to the archipelago by students who studied with the master at his temple north of the Tang capital of Chang'an.  He was particularly famous for his travels across the Silk Road to India and back--a trip that would last 16 years and result in him bringing back numerous copies of sutras from the land of the Buddha, kicking off a massive translation work.  It also would see his recollections recorded as the Record of the Western Regions, which, along with his biography based on the stories he told those working with him, give us some of the best contemporary information of the various places along the Silk Road in the 7th century. Part 1 focuses on Xuanzang's journey out of the Tang empire, braving the desert, and somehow, against the odds, making it to the country of Gaochang. For more, check out the blogpost page:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-120 Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 120:  Journey to the West, Part 1 The monks from far off Yamato were enthralled.  They had journeyed across the waves on a foreign vessel, traversed a greater distance than they probably thought possible growing up in the archipelago, and had finally arrived at the capital of the Great Tang Empire, Chang'an.  They had then been sent north, to a temple where they met others from Yamato. They had come to study the Law, the Dharma, with some of the most famous teachers of the Tang dynasty, and there were few more famous than the Tripitaka Master Genjou himself.   Everyone in the monastery knew his story—he had traveled all the way to India, the birthplace of the Buddha, and returned with copies of the sutras in Sanskrit, which he and the other monks were translating. In between sessions of meditation, sutra readings, and various lectures, the students would gather round the feet of the master as he recounted his journeys.  The stories themselves were fantastic stories, telling of far off cities and people.  There were stories of bandits, and meetings with kings.  The students must have thought about how it mirrored what they, themselves, had gone through—their own Journey to the West. Last episode we talked about Tukara and what that mysterious placename might mean—and where it could be referring to.  For that we traveled all the way to the end of the Silk Road.  In this episode and continuing into the next, we are going to travel that same road with a different perspective, as we take a look at one of the most famous travelers of the Silk Road:  the monk Xuanzang, or Genjou in Japanese.  And as I hinted at in the introduction, if you're at all familiar with the famous Journey to the West, well, this and the following episodes will explore the actual history behind that story, and how intertwined it is with the history of the archipelago. For those who don't know, Xuanzang was a monk, born Chen Hui near present-day Luoyang in Henan.  He is known by many names, but one of his most famous comes from the title “Sanzang Fashi”, aka “Tripitaka Master of the Law”, from which we get the simplified name in some English sources of just “Tripitaka”.  Sanzang, or “Tripitaka”, literally translates to “Three baskets” or “Three storehouses”, referring to the Buddhist canon.  It is quite fitting, given Xuanzang's incredibly famous Journey to the Western Regions and, eventually, to India, where he journeyed to obtain the most accurate version of the Buddhist scriptures to ensure that they had the most accurate versions.  On his journey, Xuanzang apparently took detailed records of the trip, and his   “Records of the Western Regions”  provides a lot of what we know of the towns and cultures that existed there back in the 7th century – even if not all of it was experienced firsthand and  may have come through translators and second or third-hand sources. In addition, Xuanzang's biography and travelogue add a lot more information to his journey, even if they weren't necessarily written by him, but instead by his fellow monks based on his recitations to them  combined with various records that they had access to at the time.  As such, it isn't always the most reliable, but it is still highly detailed and informative.  Xuanzang would return to China and teach for many years, translating the works that he had brought back, and founding a new school of Yogachara Buddhism, known as Faxiang in Chinese, but “Hossou” in Japan.  The Hossou school was particularly popular in the 8th and 9th centuries, having been transmitted by Yamato students who had actually studied at the feet of the venerable teacher.  These included the monk Doushou, who travelled over to the continent in 653.  In 658, there are two others who came over, named Chitatsu and Chiitsu. They had travelled to the Tang court in the 7th month of that year, where they are said to have received instruction from none other than Xuanzang himself.  If this indeed was in 658, it would have been only 6 years before Xuanzang's death. Their journey had almost not happened.  The year previous, in 657, envoys were sent to Silla to ask that state to escort Chitatsu to the Tang court, along with Hashibito no Muraji no Mimumaya and Yozami no Muraji no Wakugo, but Silla refused.  They must have relented, however, as they apparently were escorting at least the monks a year or so later. Chitatsu and Chiitsu would eventually return to Yamato, as would Doushou.  Doushou is also said to have been introduced to a student of the second patriarch of the Chan, or Zen school as well.  He would return to teach at Gango-ji, the later incarnation of Asukadera, spreading the Hossou teachings from master Xuanzang. In fact, Xuanzang's impact would be felt across Asia, and much of the Buddhist world.  He would continue to be known in Japan and in the area of China, Korea, and beyond.  Japanese translations of his journeys were made between the 8th and 10th centuries from texts that had come from Xuanzang's own monastery. Nine centuries after his death, during the Ming Dynasty, Xuanzang would be further immortalized in a wildly popular novel:  Journey to the West.  The “Journey to the West” is an incredibly fantastical retelling of Xuanzang's story.  In it, Xuanzang is sent on his task by none other than the Buddha himself, who also provides three flawed traveling companions.  There is  Zhu Bajie, aka “Piggy”—a half human half pig who is known for his gluttony and lust.  Then there is Sha Wujing, aka “Sandy”—a man with a red beard and blue skin who lived in a river of quicksand.  Despite a rather frightful backstory, he was often the straight man in the story.  And then there is the famous Sun Wukong, aka “Monkey”, the most famous of the three and often more famous than Xuanzang himself.  In fact, one of the most famous English versions of the story is just called “Monkey”, an abridged telling of the story in English by Arthur Waley in 1942. “Journey to the West” is perhaps the most popular novel in all of Asia.  It has spawned countless retellings, including numerous movies and tv series.  The character of “Monkey” has further spun off into all sorts of media.  Of course, his addition was all part of the novel, but nonetheless, that novel had an historical basis, which is where we really want to explore.  Because for all of the magic and fantasy of the Ming novel, the real story is almost as fascinating without it. We are told that Xuanzang was born as Chen Hui—or possibly Chen Yi—on the 6th of April in 602 CE in Chenliu, near present-day Luoyang.  Growing up, he was fascinated by religious books.  He joined the Jingtu monastery and at the age of thirteen he was ordained as a novice monk.  However, he lived in rather “interesting times”, and as the Sui dynasty fell, he fled the chaos to Chengdu, in Sichuan, where he was fully ordained by the age of 20. Xuanzang was inspired reading about the 4th century monk Faxian, whom we mentioned back in Episode 84.  Faxian had visited India and brought back many of the earliest scriptures to be widely translated into Chinese.    However, Xuanzang was concerned, as Faxian had been, that the knowledge of the Chinese Buddhist establishment was still incomplete.  There were still works that they knew about but didn't have, and there were competing Buddhist theories in different translations of the texts.  He thought that if he could go find untranslated versions of the texts then he could resolve some of the issues and further build out the corpus of Buddhist knowledge. Around the age 25 or 27, he began his journey.  The exact date is either 627 or 629, based on the version that one reads.  That has some importance for the events that his story tells, as some of the individuals whom he is said to have met are said to have died by 627 CE, meaning that either the dates of the journey are wrong or the dates we have in other sources are wrong.  As you can imagine, that's rather important for an accurate history, but not so much for our purposes, as I think that we can still trust the broad brush strokes which paint an image of what the Silk Road was like at the time. For context, back in Yamato, this was around the time that Kashikiya Hime—aka Suiko Tenno—passed away, and Prince Tamura was placed on the throne, passing over Prince Yamashiro no Oe, the son of the late Crown Prince, Umayado, aka Shotoku Taishi.  Whoever was on the throne, Soga no Emishi was actually running things, and the Soga family were heavily involved in the establishment of Buddhism in the archipelago.  This is relatively around the time of Episode 103. When Xuanzang took off to the West, his intentions may have been pure, but truth be told, he was breaking the law.  Tang Taizong had come to power in 626, and the routes along the Tarim Basin were under the control of the Gokturks, whom the Tang were fighting with.  As such, travel to the Western Regions was strictly controlled.  Xuanzang and several companions had all petitioned Emperor Taizong for permission to leave, but the Emperor never replied. So Xuanzang did not have permission to leave—but he decided to head out, anyway.  His companions, however, lost their nerve, and so he set out alone. Of course, he didn't simply set off for the West.  At first he went city to city, staying at local Buddhist monasteries and sharing his teachings.  To all intents and purposes, this probably seemed like normal behavior for a monk, traveling from monastery to monastery, but it was actually taking him towards the western border. And it was going well until he reached Liangzhou—known today as Wuwei.  Li Daliang, governor of Liangzhou, enforced the prohibition that "common" people were not permitted to go to the regions of the western tribes.  Word had spread about Xuanzang, and when the governor caught wind of what was going on, he called Xuanzang into an audience to find out what he was planning to do.  Xuanzang was honest and told him he was going to the West to search for the Dharma, but the governor ordered him to return to Chang'an instead. Fortunately, there was a Buddhist teacher, Huiwei, who heard about all of this this and decided to help Xuanzang.  He had two of his own disciples escort Xuanzang to the west.  Since the governor had told him not to go, this was illegal, and so they traveled by night and hid during the day until they reached Guazhou. In Guazhou, the governor, Dugu Da, was quite pleased to meet with Xuanzang, and either hadn't heard about the order for him to return to Chang'an or didn't care.  From there, Xuanzang's path was largely obstructed by the deep and fast-flowing Hulu river.  They would have to travel to its upper reaches, where they could go through Yumenguan--Yumen Pass--which was the only safe way to cross, making it a key to the Western regions. Beyond Yumenguan there were five watchtowers, roughly 30 miles apart.  These watchtowers likely had means to signal back and forth, thus keeping an eye on the people coming and going from Yumen Pass.  Beyond that was the desert of Yiwu, also known as Hami. Xuanzang was not only worried about what this meant, his horse died, leaving him on foot.  He contemplated this in silence for a month.  Before he continued, though, a warrant arrived for his arrest.  They inquired with a local prefect, who happened to be a pious Buddhist.  He showed it to Xuanzang, and then ended up tearing up the document, and urged Xuanzang to leave as quickly as possible. Yumenguan lies roughly 80-90 kilometers—roughly 50 miles or so—from the town of Dunhuang, the last major outpost before leaving for the Western Regions.  Dunhuang had a thriving Buddhist community, and the paintings in the Mogao caves are absolutely stunning, even today—one of the most well-preserved of such collections, spanning the 4th to the 14th century.  However, at this point, Xuanzang was a wanted man, and stopping in at Dunhuang might very well have curtailed his journey before it had even begun.  Instead, he would likely need to find a way to sneak across the border without alerting anyone and then, somehow, sneak past five watchtowers, each 30 miles or so apart, with no water except what he could carry or steal at each point. At this point, one of Xuanzang's escorts had traveled on to Dunhuang, and only one remained, but Xuanzang wasn't sure his remaining companion was up to the strain of the journey, and he dismissed him, deciding to travel on alone.  He bought a horse, and he fortunately found a guide--a "Hu" person named "Shi Pantuo".  "Hu" is a generic term often translated simply as "foreigner" or "barbarian" from the western lands, and the name "Shi" referred to Sogdians from Tashkent.  The Sogdians were a people of Persian descent living in central Eurasia, between the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers.  That latter was also known as the Oxus river, hence another name for the region: Transoxiana.  Sogdiana appears as early as the 6th century BCE as a member of the Achaemenid Empire, and the region was annexed by Alexander the Great in 328 BCE.  It continued to change hands under a succession of empires. The Sogdian city-states themselves were centered around the city of Samarkand, and while they did not build an empire themselves, the Sogdians nonetheless had a huge impact on cultures in both the east and the west.  Sogdians became famous as traders along the silk roads, and they built tight knit communities in multiple cities along the route.  Families kept in touch over long distances, setting up vast trading networks.  In fact, there were even Sogdian communities living in Chang'an and elsewhere in the Tang Empire.  The Sogdian An Lushan would eventually rise through the ranks of the Tang dynasty court—but that was almost a century after Xuanzang's travels. There are many material items that the Sogdians helped move across the silk road, but perhaps one of the most striking things were a style of patterned textiles.  Sassanid Persia was known for its silk textiles, often woven in images surrounded by a border of pearl-shapes:  Small circles in a circular pattern around a central figure, often duplicated due to the way the fabrics were woven.  This pearl-roundel pattern was especially taken up by the Sogdians, and their fashion sense made it popular across Eurasia.  Large pearl roundel designs were used on caftans, popular throughout the Gokturk qaghanate, and the Tang court would eventually pick up the fashion of these foreigners—generally classified as “hu” by those in Chang'an.  With a round neck, closing at the side, this western-style caftan-like garment eventually found its way into Japan as the people of the Japanese archipelago adopted Tang dynasty clothing and fashion.  In fact, Japan boasts one of the most impressive collections of silk road artifacts at the Shosoin repository of Todaiji temple in Nara, and it includes clothing and fabric that show the influence of Sogdian and Turkic merchants.  The Shosoin collection contains multiple examples of those pearl roundel patterns, for example, and you can even buy reproductions of the design today in Nara and elsewhere.  The garments themselves would continue to influence the fashion of the court, indeed giving rise to some of the most popular court garments of the Nara period, and the design continued to evolve through the Heian period until it was almost unrecognizable from its origins. Sogdians were so influential that their language—an Eastern Iranian language known simply as “Sogdian”—was the lingua franca, or the common tongue, through most of the Silk Road.  If you knew Sogdian, you could probably find a way to communicate with most of the people along way.  Today, Sogdian is extinct, with the possible exception of a single language that evolved from a Sogdian dialect. Sogdians are often known in Sinitic sources by their names—by the time of the Tang dynasty, it was common practice to give foreigners, whose names didn't always translate well into Chinese dialects, a family name based on their origin.  For the Sogdians, who were quite well known and numerous, they weren't just classified with a single name, but rather they were divided up by seven names based on where they were from.  So the name “Shi”, for instance, indicated that someone was from the area of Tashkent, while the name “An” referred to a Sogdian who was descended from people from the Bukhara, and so on.  This was a practice that went at least as far back as the Han dynasty. So, returning to the story, Xuanzang's new Sogdian guide's name is given as “Shi Pantuo”.  The name "Pantuo", which would have likely been pronounced more like "b'uan d'a" at the time, is likely a version of the name "Vandak", which was indeed a very common Sogdian name meaning something like “servant” and was often used to indicate things like religious devotion, which could be related to his status as a devout Buddhist, though it also might just be coincidental.  Xuanzang was so happy with his guide's offer to help, that he bought him clothes and a horse for his troubles. And so they headed out towards Yumenguan, the Jade Pass or Jade Gate, so called because of the caravans of jade that would head out from the Middle Country ever since the Han dynasty.  In fact, the Jade Gate was originally established as part of the western end of the Han dynasty “Great Wall”.  This was not necessarily the famous Ming Dynasty wall that most people are familiar with, but the Han Dynasty wall would have been impressively high enough, with regular patrols and beacon towers.  So if you tried going over the wall, someone was likely to see you and give chase.  There is also the issue that if you had any amount of supplies you have to bring those as well—this isn't just hopping a fence.  The wall was augmented by natural features—mountains and deep and fast-flowing rivers, for example, which made walls unnecessary.  And then there was also the fact that in many places, it was just open wilderness, which was its own kind of barrier.  Trying to go off the beaten path meant wandering through uncharted territory, which someone like Xuanzang was probably not prepared to do.  It isn't like he had GPS and Google Maps to help him find his way, and if you got lost in the desert, then who knows what might happen to you. By the way, this was true even in relatively settled places, like the Japanese archipelago, up until modern times.  While there were some areas where it was relatively flat, and you could navigate by certain landmarks, if you left the roads and trails you might easily find yourself lost without access to food or shelter.  Maps were not exactly accurate.  The safest way to travel was to stick to the more well-traveled routes. Unfortunately, that meant going through the Yumen Gate itself.  There was a garrison where the road left the territory of the Tang Empire , and that garrison would be responsible for checking the papers of anyone coming into or leaving the empire.  Xuanzang, of course, didn't have the proper papers, since he didn't have permission to be there.  Fortunately, he had a guide, who seemed to know the area, and that would allow him to bypass the official checkpoint, which Xuanzang recalls seeing off in the distance.  Together, Xuanzang and Vandak snuck past the Yumen gate, and traveled several miles up the river.  There, they found a spot where the river was only about 10 feet across, near a grove of trees, and so they chopped down a few of them and made an impromptu bridge for them and their horses to cross. From that point on, until they reached Yiwu, they would have to get past the watchtowers.  Not only were these watchtowers garrisoned with men of the Tang army, but they were also the only place to get fresh water.  The travelers would need to sneak in at night to steal water from the watchtowers without getting caught. The farther they traveled, the more Vandak seemed to be getting cold feet.  Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue had they been normal travelers, but in trying to avoid the watchtowers they were making themselves into fugitives.  If they were caught they could both be killed.  He protested several times that they should just go back, and at one point Xuanzang seemed worried that Vandak was contemplating how much easier this would be for him if he just killed the old monk.  Finally, Xuanzang told Vandak that he should leave, and solemnly swore that if he was caught he wouldn't rat out Vandak for his help.  Vandak, who had been worried about just such a scenario, nonetheless took Xuanzang's word and the two parted ways. From that point on, Xuanzang recounted that the trail through the desert was marked by nothing but skeletons and horse droppings.  He thought at one point he saw an army in the desert, but it turned out to be a mirage.  Finally, he saw one of the watchtowers he had been warned about.  Not wanting to get caught, he lay down in a ditch and hid there until the sun went down. Under cover of darkness, he approached the tower, where he saw water.  He went to have a drink, and maybe wash his hands, but as he was getting out his water bag to refill it and arrow whizzed through the air and he almost took an arrow to the knee.  Knowing the jig was up, he shouted out: "I'm a monk from the capital!  Don't shoot!" He led his horse to the tower, where they opened the door and saw he really was a monk.  They woke up the captain, who had a lamp lit so he could see whom it was they had apprehended.  Right away it was clear that this traveler wasn't from around those parts—not that anyone really was, it seems. The Captain had heard of Xuanzang, but the report that had been sent said Xuanzang had gone back to Chang'an.  Xuanzang, for his part, showed a copy of the petition he had sent to the Emperor--one that he hadn't actually heard back from.  He then told the captain what he planned to do.  The captain was moved, and decided to look the other way.  He gave him a place to stay for the night and then showed him the way to the fourth watchtower, where the captain's brother was in charge, and would give him shelter. Sure enough, Xuanzang made it to the fourth watchtower, but he wasn't sure if he could entirely trust the captain, so again he tried to just secretly steal the water, but again he was caught.  Fortunately, the captain there was also sympathetic.  He let Xuanzang stay and then actually told him how to get around the fifth watchtower, since the captain there might not be as lenient.  He also told Xuanzang about an inconspicuous oasis where he could get water for himself and his horse. Reinvigorated, Xuanzang had another challenge to face.  Beyond the watchtowers was a long stretch of desert.  It was a journey of several hundred miles, and it started poorly.  First off, he missed the oasis that the captain of the fourth watchtower had indicated he could use without anyone firing arrows at him.  Then, he dropped his water bag, such that he was left with nothing.  He thought of turning back, but he continued, chanting mantras to himself.   He was dehydrated and exhausted, but he continued onward.  Some days into his journey, his horse suddenly changed course of its own accord.  Despite his efforts, it kept going, eventually coming to a pasture of grass around a pond of clean, sweet water.  That ended up saving him, and he rested there for a day, before traveling on.  Two days later, he arrived at Yiwu, aka Hami.  He had made it.  He was free. Or at least, he was until he returned to the Tang empire.  After all, Xuanzang did plan to come back, and when he did, he would have to face the music.  That was a problem for future Xuanzang.  Of course, he was also a lone traveler.  He might be free, but he was far from safe.  He was now entering the Western regions, and he would need to be on the lookout. The people of Hami, also known as Yiwu, were known to the Han dynasty as members of the Xiao Yuezhi—the kingdom or coalition that once controlled much of the northern edge of the Tarim basin.  They had been displaced by the Xiongnu, and the area would go back and forth between different hegemons, so that by the time of the Sui and early Tang dynasties they were under the sway of the Gokturks.  Still, as close as it was to the Tang borders, they no doubt had contact, and indeed, Xuanzang was given lodging at a monastery with three other monks who were “Chinese”, for whatever that meant at the time. If you've heard of Hami today you may know it for something that it was famous for even back in the 7th century:  their famous melons.  You can sometimes find Hami melons in stores to this day. Regarding the melons and other such fruits and vegetables—the area of Hami is a fairly arid land.  Hami does get some water from the Tianshan mountains, but in order to have enough for agriculture they instituted a system that is still found today in Hami, Turpan, and other parts of the world, including arid parts of northwest India and Pakistan through the middle east to north Africa.  It is called a Karez, or in Persian it is called a Qanat, and it is thought to have originated in ancient Persia around the first millennium BCE and spread out through the various trade routes. The idea is to basically create underground aqueducts to take water from one place to another.  This would keep them out of the heat and dry air above ground to allow them to continue to flow without losing too much to evaporation.  To do that, however, required manually digging tunnels for the water.  This would be done by sinking wells at regular intervals and connecting the wells to each other with tunnels.  But it wasn't enough for the tunnels to be connected, they had to also slope slightly downwards, but not too much.  You want enough flow to keep the water clear, but if it flows too quickly or creates waves, the water might erode the underground channels in ways that could cause problems, such as a collapse.  All in all, they are pretty amazing feats of engineering and they can carry water a great distance.  Many are under 5 km, but some are around 70 km long. These karez would have been the lifelines of many towns, creating a reliable oasis in the desert.  Rivers were great, but the flow could vary from floods to a mere trickle, and the karez system provided relatively constant flow.  This allowed for agriculture even in the dry areas of the Western Regions, which helped facilitate the various kingdoms that grew up in this otherwise inhospitable region. While eating his melons in Hami and chatting it up with his fellow eastern priests, Yiwu was visited by an envoy from the neighboring kingdom of Gaochang.  Now Hami, or Yiwu, sits at the eastern edge of the Turpan-Hami basin, aka the Turfan depression, a large desert, much of which is actually so low that it is below sea level.  In fact, the basin includes the lowest exposed point in the area of modern China at Ayding Lake, which is 158 meters below sea level.  From Yiwu to Gaochang, you would follow the edge of the mountains west, to an area near a small break in the mountain range.  Follow that break northwest, and you would find yourself at the city of Urumqi, the current capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in modern China. Xinjiang covers much of the area known in ancient times as the “Western Regions” that remains within the modern political boundaries of the PRC. The envoy from Gaochang heard about Xuanzang, and reported back to his lord, King Qu Wentai, who immediately sent a retinue out to escort the Buddhist monk across the desert to his city.  They included multiple horses for Xuanzang, so he could change at regular intervals.  His own horse was left behind, to be brought along later.   After six days on the road, they came to the city of Paili, and since the sun had already set, Xuanzang asked to stop for the night, but the escorts urged him on to the Royal City, which was not much farther on. And so he arrived around midnight, which means he likely couldn't immediately take in the size of the city.  Gaochang was an immense walled city, and even today, ruined as it is, the site of it is quite formidable, and it is so well preserved it is considered a UNESCO world heritage site.  Perhaps since wood was relatively scarce, this is why so much of the construction was made of brick and earthworks.  Fortunately, this means that many of the walls remain, even today—eroded and crumbling, but still towering over those who come to see them.  In places they have also been rebuilt or reinforced.  And in a few, very rare instances, you can still see some of the traces of paint that would have once been so prevalent throughout a city like this.  At this time in history, Gaochang, also known as Karakhoja, was under the command of the Qu family.  The population was largely Han Chinese, and it had often been overseen or at least influenced by kingdoms in the Yellow River basin.  But it was also the home of Turks, Sogdian merchants, local Turfanians, and more.  It was even called “Chinatown” by the Sogdians, and yet attempts to further sinicize the region had provoked a coup only a couple of decades earlier.  Even though he showed up in the middle of the night, Xuanzang is said to have been welcomed by the ruler of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, as he entered the city.  Perhaps this is why the escorts had been pushing so hard—the King himself was awake and waiting for Xuanzang to make an appearance.  The King and his attendants came out with candles in their hands, and they were ushered behind curtains in a multi-storey pavilion.  The king apparently grilled him through the night, asking about his journey until it was almost daybreak, at which point Xuanzang requested rest.  He was finally shown to a bedroom that had been prepared for him and allowed to sleep. The next day king assembled the leading monks of his kingdom before his guest.  These included the monks Tuan Fashi and Wang Fashi.  Tuan Fashi had studied in Chang'an for many years, and he knew his Buddhist scholarship. And Wang Fashi was a superintendent, and it was his duty to look after Xuanzang and butter him up with the hope that he might stay and provide the king with the prestige of having such an esteemed monk.  They put him up at a monastery next to the royal palace—the “daochang”, aka “dojo” in Japanese, which would be a whole different diversion. Ding Wang suggested that this might be the same as the Chongfu Monastery mentioned in a colophon on a 7th century copy of the Sutra of Perfection of Wisdom for Benevolent Kings. It was found by a German expedition at a site in the Turfan basin in the early 20th century, and now sits in the possession of Shitenno-ji, in Osaka—rather appropriate given that Shitenno-ji was around at the same time all of this was happening.  The colophon is attributed to a “Xuanjue”, and a “Xuanjue” from Gaochang, in the Turpan basin, was associated with helping Xuanzang in his later years.  Perhaps this Xuanjue first met Xuanzang during this first trip to Gaochang. Qu Wentai tried his best to dissuade Xuanzang from continuing on.  This may be simple platitudes from his biographers, but it also may have been genuine.  Having a learned foreign monk from the Tang dynasty staying at the palace monastery would likely have added to Qu Wentai's prestige by association, and it would have potentially brought more individuals to the city of Gaochang. Speaking of which, all of this first part of the journey—up to Gaochang—comes primarily from Xuanzang's biography by the monk Huili.  Xuanzang's own “Records of the Western Regions” didn't include much on it, probably because by the time that he returned to the Tang empire, Tang Taizong had annexed Yiwu and Gaochang, so all those were now considered part of the empire, rather than foreign regions to the West. After staying a month at Gaochang, Xuanzang decided it was time to continue his journey.  Disappointed though Qu Wentai may have been that his guest would be leaving, he nonetheless outfitted him handsomely.  He provided goods, including coins, as well as 24 letters to the 24 countries that he would pass along the road, adding a roll of silk to each as a sign that they came from the King of Gaochang.  He also gave him food, a small retinue, and horses to help carry everything.  Letters of introduction would have been important across the Silk Road.  There was, after all, no way to contact someone ahead of time, unless you sent runners. Merchant communities, in particular, would often be connected across long distances through regular caravans, which carried letters to their relatives, facilitating communication across vast distances.  Merchants who were bringing in a caravan of goods would know that there was a friendly community waiting to help them when they arrived, and would likely even have an idea of what was happening and what to bring. For someone traveling alone, however, having a letter of introduction would have been important, as they didn't necessarily have access to those communities by themselves.  The letters would provide introduction and let people know who you were and may even ask for assistance on your behalf.  It may seem a small thing, but it was the kind of gesture that was likely a great help to a traveler like Xuanzang.  Remember, he was not on an official mission from the Tang court—almost expressly the opposite, as he had not been given permission to leave.  So he wouldn't have had anything identifying him, and after Gaochang he likely couldn't count on being able to communicate with his native tongue. And so he was sent on his way.  As he left the city of Gaochang, the king and others accompanied Xuanzang about 10 li, or about 3 or 4 miles, outside of the city.  As they watched him head off, who could have known if he would complete his quest?  Or would he just end up another ghost in the desert? Next episode, we'll pick up Xuanzang's story as he strikes out for Agni and beyond.  Until then thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Ne Zha 2, China's box-office sensation, smashed through the key 10 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) mark in ticket receipts on Thursday, including presales and overseas revenue, signaling the vast potential of the domestic cinema industry.中国票房巨作《哪吒2》于周四突破了关键的100亿元人民币（约合13.7亿美元）票房大关，这一数字包括预售和海外收入，显示出国内电影产业的巨大潜力。Since its debut on Jan 29, the film - a sequel to the 2019 top-grossing movie in China Ne Zha - has consistently broken box office records, with audience enthusiasm showing no signs of abating.自1月29日首映以来，这部作为2019年中国票房冠军《哪吒》续集的电影，不断打破票房纪录，观众的热情丝毫未减。Its latest achievement saw it leap ahead of Hollywood blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. Movie to become the world's third highest-grossing animated movie.其最新成就使其超越了好莱坞大片《超级马里奥兄弟大电影》，成为全球票房第三高的动画电影。It also makes Ne Zha 2 the 17th highest-grossing film in global cinematic history. This production is the first non-Hollywood movie to be part of the top 30 list.这也使《哪吒2》成为全球电影史上票房第17高的电影。该作品是首部进入前30名的非好莱坞电影。Directed by Yang Yu, better known as Jiaozi, the film employs a bold and innovative narrative to reinterpret the titular character, a renowned figure in Chinese mythology.该片由杨宇（艺名饺子）执导，采用大胆创新的叙事方式重新诠释了这位中国神话中的著名角色。The mythology surrounding Nezha spread across China in the wake of the arrival of Buddhism. Studies of Buddhist literature from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) have found that Nezha was depicted as the third son of one of the four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism.围绕哪吒的神话随着佛教的传入在中国广泛传播。对唐代（618-907年）佛教文献的研究发现，哪吒被描绘为佛教四大天王之一的第三子。In Buddhist works, Nezha often appears together with his father, carrying a magical miniature pagoda. His duty is to help him ward off evil spirits, and protect people.在佛教作品中，哪吒经常与父亲一起出现，手持一座神奇的微型宝塔。他的职责是帮助父亲驱邪避灾，保护人民。Also depicted as a mischievous celestial being in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel Fengshen Yanyi (The Investiture of the Gods), the character evolved into a heroic figure who fights against feudal patriarchy in the 1979 classic animated film Nezha Conquers the Dragon King.在明代（1368-1644年）小说《封神演义》中，哪吒也被描绘成一个调皮的天神，而在1979年的经典动画电影《哪吒闹海》中，他演变成一个反抗封建父权的英雄形象。In the 2019 film, the character's traditional image was subverted with an unconventional design — a child sporting dark circles under his eyes and a gap-toothed smile. Through humor and unexpected twists, the movie captivated audiences by recounting an unlikely hero who fights his unfair fate. This year's sequel has adhered to the familiar formula but expanded upon it, delving into a deeper and broader theme and resulting in all characters possessing profound personalities.在2019年的电影中，这一角色的传统形象被颠覆，采用了非常规的设计——一个孩子，眼下有黑眼圈，咧嘴一笑露出牙缝。通过幽默和意想不到的转折，这部电影讲述了一个与不公命运抗争的另类英雄，吸引了观众。今年的续集延续了熟悉的套路，但进行了扩展，深入探讨了更深更广的主题，使所有角色都具有深刻的个性。Yang Chenxi, a 17-year-old senior middle school student from Huzhou, Zhejiang province, resonated with the spirit of the movie. She watched Ne Zha five times and Ne Zha 2 once during the Spring Festival holiday.来自浙江省湖州市的17岁高三学生杨晨曦（音译）与这部电影的精神产生了共鸣。她在春节期间看了五遍《哪吒》，看了一遍《哪吒2》。"There might be a similarity between Nezha and me. We both care how other people see us," she says. "This version of Nezha is different from the typical storyline of a divine being reincarnated to save others and himself. Instead, it begins with Nezha as an underestimated demon who gradually proves himself, defying fate to start anew."她说："哪吒和我可能有相似之处。我们都在乎别人怎么看我们。这个版本的哪吒不同于天神转世拯救他人和自己的典型故事情节。相反，它从哪吒作为一个被低估的恶魔开始，逐渐证明自己，反抗命运，重新开始。"According to Maoyan Pro, a leading industry tracker, the movie is projected to exceed 16 billion yuan in total box office earnings.根据领先的行业追踪平台猫眼专业版的数据，该片预计总票房将超过160亿元人民币。Lai Li, an analyst with Maoyan Pro, said that it is a historic moment to witness Ne Zha 2 becoming China's first film to gross over 10 billion yuan in the global market.猫眼专业版分析师赖丽（音译）表示，见证《哪吒2》成为中国首部在全球市场票房超过100亿元的电影，这是一个历史性时刻。Ne Zha 2 was released in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea on Thursday, one day ahead of its release in the US and Canada.《哪吒2》于周四在澳大利亚、新西兰、斐济和巴布亚新几内亚上映，比在美国和加拿大上映提前一天。Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, attributed the box office achievement of the film to its incorporation of Chinese mythology with modern expressions.中国电影评论学会会长饶曙光将这部电影的票房成绩归功于其将中国神话与现代表达相结合。He also pointed out the success proves the global appeal of Chinese stories, but the industry still needs more diversified themes and mechanism to cultivate talents.他还指出，这一成功证明了中国故事的全球吸引力，但该行业仍需要更多元化的主题和机制来培养人才。Lynn Wu, a 43-year-old Chinese mother of two residing in Brisbane, told China Daily that Ne Zha 2 has ignited widespread enthusiasm within the Chinese community.43岁的中国母亲吴琳恩（音译）居住在布里斯班，她告诉《中国日报》，《哪吒2》在中国社区引发了广泛热情。"We are incredibly proud that China has produced such a visually stunning and captivating animated film. Almost everyone on my WeChat moments is discussing plans to visit theaters and watch this movie," she added.她补充说："我们非常自豪中国能制作出如此视觉震撼、引人入胜的动画电影。我微信朋友圈里的几乎每个人都在讨论去电影院看这部电影的计划。"

The improbable destinies of two Soviet female spies, connected by a modernist building in North London, is an intriguing premise for any spy novel, let alone one that introduces elements of architectural design in its story. But when those destinies reflect a larger literary opus and sources of inspiration, as they do for today's guest, then the conversation expands significantly. My guest today is Maryam Diener, an Iranian-born author, publisher and poet, whose work has been translated into French, German and English. Her picks are absolutely stellar, and I'm happy to admit that I've actually gone out and bought a couple of them to add to my shelves since this interview took place. Our conversation today took place in person, in Maryam's West-London home, which was a real treat. It's always so enriching to speak with people in their ‘natural habitat', as it were. Today's chat was a very special one for me – stay tuned to find out why. Maryam Diener's four books were: Green Mountain, White Cloud: A Novel of Love in the Ming Dynasty, François Cheng (2004) Another Birth (Tavallodi Digar), Forough Farrokhzad (1963) In praise of the shadows, Junichiro Tanizaki (1933, translated into English in 1977) Marie-Antoinette; The Portrait of an Average Woman, Stefan Zweig (1932) Lit with Charles loves reviews. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review of your own, and follow me on Instagram at @litwithcharles. Let's get more people listening – and reading!

In Episode 264 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg intervews Kim of New York City's Chinatown Cantonese Toisan group about her efforts to promote Cantonese and Toisan langauge and culture. Indigenous to China's Guangdong province, these tongues are spoken by millions in a global diaspora. Thanks to the efforts of State Sen. Iwen Chu, Feb. 12 is now Taishan (Toisan) Day in New York state, commemorating the day in 1499, during the Ming Dynasty, that Toisan County was officially created—and honoring the contributions of Toisan immigrants, most notably in the dangerous work of building the Transcontinental Railroad. It was a Toisan man born in San Francisco, Wong Kim Ark, who won the 1898 Supreme Court case that established birthright citizenship as a constitutional right. Yet in China, Cantonese and Toisan are relegated to the status of fangyan (regional dialects) and officially discouraged in favor of Mandarin—leading to protests in provincial capital Guangzhou in 2010. Even in the US, the children's book Coolies, about the Cantonese railroad workers, has been banned from public libraries by local forces of intolerance. Through exhibits, social gatherings and a weekly language class, Kim works to keep Cantonese and Toisan heritage and pride alive in the New York metropolitan area. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. Books discussed: Fusang: The Chinese who Built America by Stan Steiner, Harper & Row 1979 Coolies by Yin & Chris K. Soentpiet, Philomel Books 2001 https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 70 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 71!

With the Singapore History series out of the way, and 2025 off and running, here's the first special interview episode of the year. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joel Bigman, author of a new book called "The Second Journey." If you're familiar with the Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West," this one by Joel might sound familiar. You might never look at "Journey to the West" the same way again. This was quite an interesting and unique story that combined two ancient cultures. It's been called “The World's first Chinese-Jewish Historical Fantasy.” Nuff said. I hope you enjoy this interview. Here's a link to the book: https://a.co/d/9oRyiN8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Singapore History series out of the way, and 2025 off and running, here's the first special interview episode of the year. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joel Bigman, author of a new book called "The Second Journey." If you're familiar with the Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West," this one by Joel might sound familiar. You might never look at "Journey to the West" the same way again. This was quite an interesting and unique story that combined two ancient cultures. It's been called “The World's first Chinese-Jewish Historical Fantasy.” Nuff said. I hope you enjoy this interview. Here's a link to the book: https://a.co/d/9oRyiN8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Singapore History series out of the way, and 2025 off and running, here's the first special interview episode of the year. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joel Bigman, author of a new book called "The Second Journey." If you're familiar with the Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West," this one by Joel might sound familiar. You might never look at "Journey to the West" the same way again. This was quite an interesting and unique story that combined two ancient cultures. It's been called “The World's first Chinese-Jewish Historical Fantasy.” Nuff said. I hope you enjoy this interview. Here's a link to the book: https://a.co/d/9oRyiN8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Singapore History series out of the way, and 2025 off and running, here's the first special interview episode of the year. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joel Bigman, author of a new book called "The Second Journey." If you're familiar with the Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West," this one by Joel might sound familiar. You might never look at "Journey to the West" the same way again. This was quite an interesting and unique story that combined two ancient cultures. It's been called “The World's first Chinese-Jewish Historical Fantasy.” Nuff said. I hope you enjoy this interview. Here's a link to the book: https://a.co/d/9oRyiN8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we'll talk about a Ming Dynasty treasure that has been re-imagined as a series of creative cultural products, including a popular refrigerator magnet. Combining traditional craftsmanship with modern design, a phoenix coronet has captivated consumers and brought the rich history of the crown closer to the public.

Last time we spoke about the Long March. Amidst escalating conflicts, the Red Army, led by the newly empowered Mao Zedong, faced immense pressures from the Nationalist Army. Struggling through defeats and dwindling forces, they devised a bold retreat known as the Long March. Starting in October 1934, they evaded encirclement and crossed treacherous terrain, enduring heavy losses. Despite dire circumstances, their resilience allowed them to regroup, learn from past missteps, and ultimately strengthen their strategy, securing Mao's leadership and setting the stage for future successes against the KMT. During the Long March (1934-1936), the Red Army skillfully maneuvered through treacherous terrain, evading the pursuing National Revolutionary Army. Despite harsh conditions and dwindling numbers, advances and strategic ploys allowed them to cross critical rivers and unite with reinforcements. Under Mao Zedong's leadership, they faced internal struggles but ultimately preserved their unity. By journey's end, they had transformed into a formidable force, setting the stage for future victories against their adversaries and solidifying their influence in China.   #131 The Complicated Story about Xinjiang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. I've said probably too many times, but theres one last major series of events I'd like to cover before we jump into the beginning of the 15 year war between China and Japan. When I say Xinjiang I imagine there are two responses from you in the audience, 1) what the hell is Xinjiang or number 2) oh what about that place in northwest China. That pretty much sums it up, the history of this province, or region if you want to call it that is almost never spoken about. It was a place as we have seen multiple times in the series, where conflicts come and go like the weather. But in the 1930's things really heated up. What I want to talk about is collectively part of the Xinjiang Wars, but more specifically I want to talk about the Kumul Rebellion. There's really no way to jump right into this one so I am going to have to explain a bit about the history of Xinjiang.  Xinjiang in a political sense is part of China and has been the cornerstone of China's strength and prestige going back to the Han dynasty over 2000 years ago. In a cultural sense however, Xinjiang is more inline with the Muslim dominated middle-east. It's closer to th Turkic and Iranian speaking peoples of Central Asia. From a geographical point of view Xinjiang is very much on the periphery. It is very isolated from western asia by the massed ranks of the Hindu Kush, the Pamirs, the Tien Shan, the Indian Subcontinent of Karakoram, Kunlun, the Himalaya ranges and of course by the Gobi desert. It neither belongs to the east or west. As a province of China its the largest and most sparsely populated. It can be divided into two main regions, the Tarim Basin and Zungharia and then into two lesser but economically significant regions, the Ili Valley and Turgan Depression. The Tien Shan mountain range extends roughly eastward from the Pamir Massif, creating a formidable barrier between Zungharia and the Tarim Basin. This natural obstacle complicates direct communication between the two regions, particularly during winter. The Ili Valley, separated from Zungharia by a northern extension of the Tien Shan, is physically isolated from the rest of the province and can only be easily accessed from the west. This western area came under Russian control in the mid-nineteenth century and now forms part of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Now it has to be acknowledged, since the formation of the PRC in 1949, Xinjiang changed in size and ethnic composition. The CCP drove a massive Han migrant wave over. Regardless, Han's make up a minority and according to some population statistics taken during the 1940s, Xinjiang was dominated by 7 Muslim nationalities, roughly 3.5 million people out of a total population of 3.7 million. 200,000 of these were Han settlers, while 75,000-100,000 were Mongols, Russians, Tunguzic peoples (those being Sibo, Solon and Manchu), a few Tibetans, Afghans and Indians. Among the various indigenous Muslim nationalities of Xinjiang, the Uighurs stand out as the most numerous and politically important. This Turkic-speaking group primarily consists of sedentary agriculturalists who reside in the oases of the Tarim Basin, Turfan, Kumul, and the fertile lowlands of the Hi Valley. In the late 1940s, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang was estimated to be approximately 2,941,000. Following the Uyghurs, the second-largest Muslim nationality in the region is the Kazakhs, with an estimated population of around 319,000 during the late Republican Period. Kirghiz come in third, with an estimated population of about 65,000 at the same time. Both the Kazakhs and Kirghiz in Xinjiang are nomadic Turkic-speaking peoples, with the Kazakhs primarily found in the highland areas of Zungharia and the Hi Valley, while the Kirghiz inhabit the upland pastures of the Tien Shan and Pamirs. There also exist a small group of Iranian-speaking 'Mountain' Tajiks living in the upland Sarikol region in the far southwest, with an estimated population of 9,000 in the mid-1940s; a primarily urban group of Uzbeks residing in larger oasis towns and cities of the Tarim Basin, numbering approximately 8,000 in the mid-1940s; and a smaller group of Tatars settled mainly in Urumqi and the townships near the Xinjiang-Soviet border, estimated at 5,000 during the same period. Lastly, it is important to mention the Hui, a group of Chinese-speaking Muslims dispersed throughout China, particularly in Zungharia and Kumul within Xinjiang, as well as in the neighboring northwestern provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia. Known as 'Tungan' in Xinjiang, the Hui population was estimated at around 92,000 in the mid-1940s and held significant political and military influence during the Republican Period. Excluding the Ismaili Tajik's of Sarikol, the Muslim population of Xinjiang, whether Turkic or Chinese speaking, are Sunni following the orthodox of Hanafi Madhhab.  As for the non Muslim population, excluding the Mongols who numbered roughly 63,000 and inhabit a narrow strip of land along the northeastern frontier between Xinjiang and the Mongolian People's Republic, Tien Shan, Ili Vally and Chuguchak, most were newcomers, migrants from the mid 18th century while the region was being conquered. Again according to the same statistics from the 1940s I mentioned, Hans represented 3-4 % of the population. Although the Han population disproportionately held power with the main administrative areas, they had no sizable territorial enclaves. The Han population can basically be divided into 5 groups; descendants of exiled criminals and political offenders; Hunanese settlers who came over after Zuo Zungtang's conquests; Tientsin merchants who were supplying Zuo's army; Shanxi caravaneers who came to trade and Gansu colonists. Lastly there were the Tunguzic Peoples and Russians. The Tunguzic speaking Sibo, Solon and Manchu settled mostly in the Ili region. The Russians also tended to live in the Ili region. These were mostly White Russian refugees from the civil war.  Xinjiang's first Republican governor was Yang Zengxin, a Yunnanese native. He had previously worked as the district magistrate in Gansu and Ningxia earning a reputation as a good manager of the local Tungan Muslim population. In 1908 he was transferred to Xinjiang and quickly found himself promoted to by the last Qing governor of Xinjiang. He held out his post after the Xinhai revolution and quelled a Urumqi rebellion soon after. Yang Zengxin's survived politically by always siding with whichever faction he thought was winning. For example in 1917, President Li Yuanghong dispatched Fan Yaonan to watch over Yang and try to replace him if possible. Yang recognized quickly whichever Warlord faction held power over the Beiyang government should be courted. Thus Yang held out for a long time and his province was comparably peaceful compared to most of warlord era China. To maintain his power, Yang enacted a divide and rule style, trying to placate the conflicts between certain groups within Xinjiang, but made sure to exclude Russian influence. Basically Yang tried his best to keep groups who could come into conflict away from each other, keeping the Uyghurs of southern Xinjiang away from the pastoral nomads of Zungharia and Tien Shan. Above all Yang considered the Bolshevik Russians to be the greatest threat to his regime, in his words “The Russians ... aimed at ... isolating the country from all outside influence, and at maintaining it in a state of medieval stagnation, thus removing any possibility of conscious and organised national resistance. As their religious and educational policy, the Russian administrators sought to preserve the archaic form of Islam and Islamic culture. . . Quranic schools of the most conservative type were favoured and protected against any modernist influence”. During his 16 year of power, Yang established himself as a competent autocrat, a mandarin of the old school and quite the capable administrator. Yet his economic policies were long term exploitative causing hardship and exhausting the province. Yang realized he was reached the threshold of what the population was willing to endure and endeavored to allow corruption to emerge within his administration provided it remained within acceptable limits. IE: did not spring forward a Muslim revolution. He opened junior positions in the administration to Muslims which had a duel effect. It made the Muslim community feel like they were part of greater things, but placed said officials in the path of the populations anger, insulating senior Han officials. Ironically it would be his fellow Han Chinese officials who would become angry with him. Some were simply ambitious of his power, others felt that Xinjiang should be more closely inline with China proper.  Rumors have it that after a dinnr party, Yang deliberately surrounded himself with opium addicts, stating to his subordinates “the inveterate opium smoker thinks more of his own comfort and convenience than of stirring up unrest among his subordinates”. Needless to say, Yang later years saw him seriously alienating senior officials. By 1926 he claimed “to have created an earthly paradise in a remote region” so he seemed to be quite full of himself. That same year he turned against his Tungan subordinates. He accused many of conspiring with Ma Qi, a Tungan warlord of Xuning in Qinghai, whom he also thought were driven by Urumqi. Deprived of his formerly loyal Tungans, Yang found himself increasingly isolated. A expedition was sent to Urumqi in 1926, whr G. N Roerich noted “The Governor's residence consisted of several well-isolated buildings and enclosed courtyards. The gates were carefully guarded by patrols of heavily armed men ... The Governor's yamen seemed to us to be in a very dilapidated condition. The glass in many of the windows on the ground floor was broken and dirty papers and rags had been pasted on the window frames. Numerous retainers roamed about the courtyards and villainous bodyguards, armed with mauser pistols, were on duty at the entrance to the yamen.” It seems likely Yang had decided to leave Xinjiang at that point. He had amassed a immense personal fortune and sent much of it to his family in China proper and also to Manila where he had a bank account. Further evidence of this was provided by Mildred Cable and Francesca French, two members of the China inland Mission who reported 'Wise old Governor Yang ... as early as 1926 ... quietly arranged a way of escape for his family and for the transference of his wealth to the security of the British Concession in Tientsin. Later in the same year, accompanied by several 'luggage cases of valuables', Yang's eldest son was sent out of Sinkiang, travelling incognito, in the company of these missionaries”. It was also at this time Yang erectd a statue of himself in th public gardens at Urumqi. According to Nicholas Roerich, this memorial was paid for with forced contributions 'from the grateful population'; by all accounts the statue was in execrable taste . While the NRA was marching upon Beijing in June of 1928, Yang ordered the KMT flag to be raised in Xinjiang. This gesture indicated to all, Yang was about to depart the province. One of Yang's most dissident subordinates, a Han named Fan Yaonan decided to act. Fan Yaonan was an ambitious modernist who received his education in Japan and someone Yang distruste from day one. Fan was appointed the post of Taoyin of Aksu by the Beijing government, an appointment Yang could have easily ingored, but was grudgingly impressd by Fans abilities. Fan proved himself very useful to Yang and was soon promoted to the Taoyin of Urumqi alongside becoming the Xinjiang Provincial Commissioner for Foreign Affairs. It seems Fan and Yang mutually disliked each other. At some point in 1926 Fan got together with a small group of like minded officials, such as the engineer at Urumqi's telegraph station and the Dean of the local school of Law, and Fan told them he wanted to assasinate Yang. Some believe Fan sought to gain favor with the KMT as motivation. Regardless on July 7th of 1928, 6 days after Yang took the post of Chairman of the Xinjiang Provincial Government under the KMT, Fan attacked. On that day, Yang was invited to a banquet to celebrate a graduation ceremony at the Urumqi law school. Fan had arranged the banquet, with 18 soldiers present, disguised as waiters wearing “red bands around their arms and Browning pistols in their sleeves”. During the meal, Fan proposed a toast to the health of Yang at which time “shots rang outsimultaneously, all aimed at the Governor. Seven bulletsin all were fired, and all reached their mark. Yang, mortally wounded, but superb in death, glared an angry defiance at his foes, 'who dares do this?' he questioned in the loud voice which had commanded instant obedience for so many years. Then he fell slowly forward, his last glance resting upon the face of the trusted Yen, as though to ask forgiveness that he had not listened to the advice so often given to him”. According to Yan Tingshan who was also wounded, Fan Yaonan finished Yang Zengxin off with two shots personally. After the assassination, whereupon 16 people were killed or wounded, Fan went to Yang official residence and seized the seals of office. He then sent a letter summonig Jin Shujen, the Commissioner for Civil Affairs in Xinjiang and Yang's second in command. Jin called Fan's bluff and refusing to come, instead sending soldiers to arrest the assassin. It seems Fan greatly miscalculated his personal support as a short gun battle broke out and he was arrested by Jin and shortly thereafter executed with his complices on July 8th. And thus, Jin Shujen found himself succeeding Yang, a less able man to the job. Jin Shujen was a Han Chinese from Gansu. He graduated from the Gansu provincial academy and served for a time as the Principal of a Provincial normal school. He then entered the Imperial Civil Service, where he came to the attention of Yang, then working as the district Magistrate at Hozhou. Yang took him on as district magistrate and Jin rose through the ranks. By 1927 Jin became the Provincial Commissioner for Civil Affairs at Urumqi. After executing Fan, Jin sent a telegram to Nanjing seeking the KMT's official recognition of his new role. Nanjing had no real options, it was fait accompli, they confirmed Jin into office and under the new KMT terminology he was appointed Provincial Chairman and commander-in-chief. In other words an official warlord.  Following his seizure of power, Jin immediately took steps to secure his newfound power. His first step was to double the salaries of the secret police and army. He also expanded the military and acquired new weaponry for them. Politically, Jin maintained the same old Qing policies Yang did, pretty much unchanged. Jin did however replace many of the Yunnanese followers under Yang with Han CHinese from Gansu. Jins younger brother, Jin Shuxin was appointed Provincial Commissioner for military affairs at Urumqi and his other brother Jin Shuqi was given the senior military post at Kashgar. His personal bodyguard member Zu Chaoqi was promoted to Brigade Commander at Urumqi. Jin maintained and expanded upon Yang's system of internal surveillance and censorship, like any good dictator would. According to H. French Ridley of the China Inland Mission at Urumqi “people were executed for 'merely making indiscreet remarks in the street during ordinary conversation”. Jin also introduced a system of internal passports so that any journey performing with Xinjiang required an official passport validation by the Provincial Chairman's personal seal, tightening his security grip and of course increasing his official revenue. Travel outside Xinjiang became nearly impossible, especially for Han officials and merchants seeking trade with China proper.  Under Jin Xinjiang's economy deteriorated while his fortune accumulated. Yang had introduced an unbacked paper currency that obviously fell victim to inflation and Jin upted the anty. Within a process of several stages, he expanded the currency, causing further inflation. Under Yang the land taxes had been a serious source of the provincial revenue, but Yang was not foolish enough to squeeze the Turkic peasantry too hard, he certainly was intelligent enough to thwart peasant revolts. Jin however, not so smart, he tossed caution to the win and doubled the land taxes, way past what would be considered the legal amount. Jin also emulated Ma Fuxiang, by establishing government monopolies over various profitable enterprises, notably the gold mine at Keriya and Jade mine at Khotan. He also monopolized the wool and pelt industry, using his police and army to force the sale of lambskins at a mere 10% of their market value. Just as with Yang's regime, wealth flowed out of the province in a continuous stream, straight into banks within China proper. According to George Vasel, a German engineer and Nazi agent hired to construct airfields in Gansu during the early 1930s, he knew a German pilot named Rathje who was secretly employed by Jin to fly a million dollars worth of gold bullion from Urumqi to Beijing. Jin did his best to keep all foreign influence out of Xinjiang and this extended also to KMT officials from China proper. Jin also of course did his best to conceal his corrupt regime from Nanjing. For all intensive purposes Jin treated Xinjiang like a feudal, medieval society. He tried to limit external trade to only be through long distance caravans. All was fine and dandy until Feng Yuxiang occupied Gansu and thus disrupted the traditional trade routes. Alongside this the Soviets had just constructed a new railroad linking Frunze, the capital of Kirghiz with Semipalatinsk in western siberia. This railroad known as the Turksib was aimed primarily to develop western Turkstan, integrating it within the new soviet system. The railroad was constructed 400 miles away from the Xinjiang frontier, on purpose to limit any activities with capitalists. When the railway was completed in 1930 it virtually strangled Xinjiang. China's share of Xinjiang's market dropped by 13% and the value of trade with the Soviets which had dropped to zero since the Russian civil war was not rising past 32 million roubles by 1930. The Soviet trade gradually was seizing a monopoly over Xinjiang and this of course affected the merchants and workers who were unable to compete. The revenue of the merchants and workers declined as new taxes were levied against them. Meanwhile alongside an increase in Soviet trade, the new railway also increased Soviet political influence over Xinjiang. It was also much faster and easier to travel from China proper to Xinjiang via Vladivostok, the trans-siberian railway and Turksib than across the North-West roads of China. For the Turkic speaking Muslims of Xinjiang, it was quite impressive and many wanted to do business and mingle with the Soviets. However to do so required a visa, and thus KMT officials in Nanjing held the keys. Jin's policies towards the Turkic Muslims, Tungans and Mongols were extremely poor from the very beginning. It seems Jin held prejudice against Muslims, some citing bad experiences with them in Gansu. Whatever the case may be, Jin rapidly antagonized both his Turkic speaking and Tungan Muslim citizens by introducing a tax on the butchering of all animals in Xinjiang and forbidding Muslims to perform the Hajj to Mecca. Some point out he did that second part to thwart a loophole on leaving Xinjiang for trade. Obviously the Muslim majority of Xinjiang and the military powerhouse of Torgut Mongols in the Tien Shan bitterly resented Jin. Despite wide scale hostility against him, the first challenges at his autocratic rule came not from various minority groups, but some ambitious Han officers under his command. Palpatin would say it was ironic.  In May of 1929 the Taoyin of Altai attempted a coup against Jin, but he was forewarned and able to confine the fighting to the Shara Sume area. In the spring of 1931 troubles broke out in Urumqi as discontented Han officers and soldiers attacked Jin's yamen. The attack failed, and the instigators of the plot were all executed. The same year, Jin annexed the Kumul Khanate, known to the Chinese as Hami, finally pushing the Turkic speaking Muslims into open rebellion. Going back in time, after Zuo Zengtangs reconquest of Xinjiang in the 1870s, a few local principalities were permitted to survive on a semi-autonomous basis. Of these Kumul was the most important and was ruled by a royal family dating back to the Ming Dynasty and descended from the Chaghatay Khans. The Khanate of Kumul dominated the chief road from Xinjiang to China proper and was therefore of strategic importance to the Chinese. It extended from Iwanquan northwards to the Barkul Tagh and along the mountains to Bai and south to Xingxingxia along the Xinjiang-Gansu border. During the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, Maqsud Shah was sitting on the throne of Kumul. He was known to the Chinese as the Hami Wang, to his subjects as Khan Maqsud or Sultan Maqsud and to Europeans as the King of the Gobi. He was the last independent Khan of Central Asia as the rest were tossing their lot in with the progress of the times. During Yangs regime he was content with allowing Kumul to train its semi autonomous status, mostly because Maqsud Shah was very friendly towards the Chinese. He spoke Turkic with a marked Chinese accent and wore Chinese clothes. On the other hand he had a long whit beard and always wore a turban or Uyghur cap. He was a staunch Muslim ruling a petty oasis kingdom from an ancient and ramshackle palace in Kumul proper, one of three towns making up the capital of Kumul, known to the Chinese as Huicheng. He had a bodyguard consisting of 40 Chinese soldiers armed with mausers and had a Chinese garrison billeted in fortified Chinese town. The third city in his domain was known as New City or Xincheng, populated by a mix of Chinese and Turkic peoples. By 1928, shortly after the assassination of Yang, it was estimated Maqsud Shah ruled over roughly 25,000-30,000 Kumulliks. He was responsible for levying taxes, dispensing justice and so forth. His administration rested upon 21 Begs, 4 of whom were responsible for Kumul itself, 5 others over plains villages and the other 12 over mountain regions of Barkul and Karlik Tagh. Maqsud Shah also maintained a Uyghur militia who had a reputation as being better trained than its Chinese counterpart at Old City. Throughout Yangs regime, Kumul remained relatively peaceful and prosperous. Maqsud Shah paid a small annual tribute to Urumqi and in return the Xinjiang government paid him a formal subsidy of 1200 silver taels a year. Basically this was Yang paying for the Sultans compliance when it came to moving through his strategic Khanate. For the Uyghurs of Kumul, they were free from the typical persecution under Chinese officials. The only tax paid by citizens of Kumul was in livestock, generally sheep or goats, given annually to the Khan. The soil of the oasis was rich and well cultivated. Everything was pretty fine and dandy under Yang, but now was the time of Jin. In March of 1930, Maqsud Shah died of old age. His eldest son Nasir should have inherited the throne of Kumul, but Jin and his Han subordinates stationed in Kumul Old City had other plans. Shortly after Maqsud Shah's death, Nasir traveled to Urumqi, most likely to legitimize his rise upon the throne. Nasir was not very popular amongst his people, thus it seemed he needed Jin's aid to bolster him. However there also was the story that it was Jin who ordered Nasir to come to Urumqi to perform a formal submission. Now at the time of Maqsud Shah's death, Li Xizeng, a Han Chinese divisional commander stationed in Kumul suggested to Jin that the Khanate should be abolished and annexed officially. There was of course a great rationale for this, if Jin took control over Kumul it would offer increased revenue and new positions for his Han Chinese officials. Thus Jin ordered a resolution be drawn up by his ministers to abolish the Khanate, dividing Kumul into three separate administrative districts, Hami centered around the capital, I-ho and I-wu. When Nasir arrived in Urumqi he was given the new position of Senior Advisor to the provincial government, but forbidden to return to Kumul. Basically it was the age old government via hostage taking. Meanwhile another official named Yulbars was sent back to Kumul with a group of Chinese officials to set up the new administration.  While the people of Kumul had no love for Nasir and were taxed pretty heavily by his father, this did not mean that they wanted the Khanate to end. For the Turkic Muslims the Khanate held a religious significance. For Uyghurs there was a question of national pride associated with it. Of course there were economic issues. Within Xinjiang Han were allowed to settle, but in the Khanate there were restrictions. In the words of the Nanjing Wu Aichen on the situation “subject peoples obstinately prefer self-government to good government”. Well Jin's government was definitely not good, so what outcome does that give? The newly appointed Han administration upset the people of Kumul from the very minute of its installation. When it was announced the privilege of being except from direct taxation by Urumqi was to be abolished, ompf. To add insult to injury, one years arrears of taxes were to be collected from the Uyghurs. On top of that, Kumul was tossed wide open to Han settlers who were incentivized to settle by giving them a tax exemption for two years. Yeah that be some wild policies. To add even more misery, Kumul being situated on the chief road from northwestern Gansu to Xinjiang saw an enormous flow of refugees from famine and warfare going on in Gansu. A column of these refugees were seen by Berger Bohlin of the Sino-Swedish Expedition of 1931. His account is as follows “During my stay at Hua-hai-tze I witnessed a curious spectacle. The Chen-fan region had for a number of years been visited by failure of the crops and famine, and large numbers of people therefore emigrated to more prosperous tracts. Such an emigration-wave now passed Hua-hai-tze. It consisted of a caravan of 100 camels, transporting 150 persons with all their baggage to Sinkiang, where it was said that land was being thrown open”. It seemed to Bohlin that the refugees looked carefree and happy and that the ruler of Xinjiang, Jin Shujen, a Gansu man himself was enthusiastic to have them come settle his province. Jin had his official in charge of I-ho district Lung Xulin provide land for the would-be settlers coming from Gansu. Lung Xulin responded by forcing his Uyghur population to leave their cultivated land and simply handed it over to the refugees. The expropriated Uyghurs were compensated for their land by being given untilled lands on the fringe of the desert where most soil was barren. The Uyghurs were also assessed for their land tax based on their old holdings. To make this even worse hear this, untilled land was exempt from taxation for two years, so they didn't even get that, while the Gansu refugees were excused from tax payments for three years. So yeah the Kumul people quickly organized a petition and sent it to the yamen in Urumqi. There was zero acknowledgement from the yamen it was received and nothing was done to address the long list of grievances, especially from the Uyghurs. Instead the Gansu settlers kept flooding in and with them the price of food skyrocketed, largely because of the enormous amount of provincial troops sent in to watch over everybody. Now for the moment the Turkic speaking Muslims in the region remained relatively peaceful, and this perhaps lulled Jin into a false sense of security. But according to Sven Hedin of the Sino-Swedish Expedition “Discontent increased; the people clenched their teeth and bided their time; the atmosphere was tense and gloomy. Inflammable matter accumulated, and only a spark was needed to fire the powder magazine.”  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The history of Xinjiang is unbelievably bizarre, complicated and quite frankly really fun. Before researching this I had no idea about anything and am really enjoying this as I write it. The next episode is going to be on the Kumul Rebellion, so buckle up buckaroo. 

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Autumn Awakenings: Li Wei's Journey on the Great Wall Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2024-11-18-23-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 秋天的长城总是令人惊叹。En: The Great Wall in autumn is always breathtaking.Zh: 琥珀色的阳光洒在古老的石墙上，墙下的红叶和黄叶随风摇曳，像一幅画。En: Amber sunlight spills over the ancient stone walls, while the red and yellow leaves below sway in the wind like a painting.Zh: 学校组织了这次秋游，李伟、梅玲和陈一起参加。En: The school organized this autumn outing, and Li Wei, Mei Ling, and Chen participated together.Zh: 李伟对历史很感兴趣，他总是读很多书，但他很少和同学们交流。En: Li Wei is very interested in history; he always reads a lot of books, but he rarely interacts with his classmates.Zh: 这次，他们来到长城。En: This time, they came to the Great Wall.Zh: 在长城脚下，李伟深吸一口气。En: At the foot of the wall, Li Wei took a deep breath.Zh: 他心里有个愿望：能够和同学们分享他对长城的热爱，尤其是梅玲。En: He had a wish in his heart: to share his love for the Great Wall with his classmates, especially with Mei Ling.Zh: 梅玲是一个活泼开朗的女生，李伟一直想多和她交流。En: Mei Ling is a lively and outgoing girl, and Li Wei has always wanted to communicate more with her.Zh: 出发前，李伟做了一个决定。En: Before setting off, Li Wei made a decision.Zh: 他志愿当这段长城的学生导游。En: He volunteered to be the student guide for this section of the Great Wall.Zh: 虽然很紧张，但他希望这是一个很好机会可以和大家分享他的知识。En: Although he was nervous, he hoped it would be a great opportunity to share his knowledge with everyone.Zh: 队伍开始沿着长城的台阶行走，空气清新而凉爽。En: The group began walking along the steps of the Great Wall.Zh: 空气清新而凉爽。En: The air was fresh and cool.Zh: 李伟一直走在前面，手心微微出汗。En: Li Wei always walked at the front, his palms slightly sweating.Zh: 他心里默念着准备好的讲解词。En: He silently recited the prepared explanations in his mind.Zh: 走到一段陡峭却壮观的墙头，大家都停下来，望向远方的景色。En: When they reached a steep yet magnificent section of the wall, everyone stopped and looked out at the distant scenery.Zh: 就是这里，李伟知道这段长城的故事最多。En: It was here that Li Wei knew the most stories about this part of the Great Wall.Zh: 他心跳加速，觉得有点恐惧，但这是他的机会。En: His heart raced, and he felt a bit afraid, but this was his chance.Zh: 他在心里鼓励自己：“加油！”En: He encouraged himself silently: "Come on!"Zh: 李伟抬起头，对同学们说：“大家，这里很特别。”En: Li Wei raised his head and said to his classmates, "Everyone, this place is very special."Zh: 他的声音有些颤抖，但他继续说：“这段长城建于明代，是为了保护边疆。En: His voice trembled a little, but he continued, "This section of the Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty to protect the border.Zh: 你们看到这些崖壁吗？En: Do you see these cliffs?Zh: 古时候，士兵从这里守望敌人的动静。”En: In ancient times, soldiers watched for enemy movements from here."Zh: 同学们静静地听着，梅玲也在仔细看他。En: His classmates listened quietly, and Mei Ling watched him attentively.Zh: 李伟渐渐感到自信。En: Li Wei gradually felt confident.Zh: 他继续讲述长城的故事，每一个细节都充满了他对历史的热爱。En: He continued sharing stories about the Great Wall, each detail filled with his passion for history.Zh: 他的紧张慢慢消失，变成了一种享受分享的快乐。En: His nervousness slowly disappeared, turning into the joy of sharing.Zh: 讲解结束，大家开始往回走。En: After the explanation ended, they began to walk back.Zh: 梅玲走过来，对李伟说：“谢谢你，李伟，你讲得真好！”En: Mei Ling came over and said to Li Wei, "Thank you, Li Wei, you spoke really well!"Zh: 她的笑容如同今天的阳光那般温暖。En: Her smile was as warm as today's sunshine.Zh: 李伟心里一阵开心，En: Li Wei felt a surge of happiness in his heart.Zh: 他点了点头，终于说出那句：“谢谢，我也很喜欢。”En: He nodded and finally said, "Thank you, I liked it too."Zh: 这次秋游不仅让他分享了知识，也让他交到了新朋友。En: This autumn outing not only allowed him to share his knowledge but also helped him make new friends.Zh: 他知道，以后他会更加自信和开放，因为他发现，热情真的能让人们连接在一起。En: He knew that in the future, he would be more confident and open because he discovered that passion truly can connect people. Vocabulary Words:breathtaking: 令人惊叹amber: 琥珀色spill: 洒ancient: 古老sway: 摇曳outgoing: 开朗recite: 默念tremble: 颤抖cliff: 崖壁steep: 陡峭magnificent: 壮观attentively: 仔细passion: 热爱explain: 讲解confident: 自信volunteer: 志愿guide: 导游prepare: 准备sweat: 出汗silently: 默默opportunity: 机会border: 边疆enemy: 敌人movement: 动静soldier: 士兵distant: 远方communicate: 交流surge: 一阵nervousness: 紧张connect: 连接

Last week's election of Donald Trump to a second term as U.S. President disappointed half of the American electorate and much of the world (outside the Kremlin). To help Jeremiah and David process what's next, they're joined by Brendan O'Kane— writer, translator, expert in the literature of the late Ming Dynasty, and a Pennsylvania voter. Brendan explores the works of Zhang Dai (張岱 1597-1634), the Jin Ping Mei 金瓶梅, and other literary examples from the twilight of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). What was it like to witness the end of an era and the collapse of an entire state? Was the Obama era an American "restoration" (中興)? What do people do when the political order is overturned and the dynasty falls? We delve into Chinese history and literature, searching for insights to ease the pain and make sense of what lies ahead. David also shares reactions from his students in Beijing on the election results—as well as rumors of a surprising (and unsettling) prank their peers in the U.S. may have pulled at campus polling stations.Brendan O'Kane on substackThe Southern Ming by Lynn Struve, 1984The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China by Frederic Wakeman, 1986Voices from the Ming-Qing Cataclysm: China in the Tiger's Jaws. Edited and translated by Lynn A. Struve, 1993

In tonight's episode we highlight the outstanding performances from Highland Rams QB Keaton Belnap and the Madison Bobcats girls volleyball team. We take a close look at girls and boys soccer standings as districts approach, and look ahead at the biggest football, volleyball and cross-country matchups.The East Idaho Prepcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you listen to podcasts.Follow our East Idaho Prepcast team on Twitter: @idahosports, @SeanKane182, @E1educadorLike our Facebook pageFor more Idaho high school sports coverage, visit www.idahosports.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel

In this episode, we return following an unanticipated long hiatus as the randomizer goes all the way back to 2022 to pick the first episode of a Chinese romantic comedy streaming series from China's video-sharing site Bilibili. In this period piece set during the Ming Dynasty, we follow a woman's journey from humble beginnings to her position as head chef for the crown prince at the imperial palace, all while the show's aesthetics combine mouth-watering culinary footage, Hanna-Barbera sound effects and jokes about turning kidnappers into eunuchs until it gets to the point where you really have to wonder, "what even IS Disney+ anymore?" Ah well, at least you'll probably be able to sue Disney if THIS chef accidentally kills you. Join Tony Goldmark, Charlie Callahan, Haley Baker Callahan and Cassie Shima as they fulfill their DELICACIES DESTINY, Episode One! Check out my guests' stuff! CHARLIE CALLAHAN Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThemeSnark  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/rbgprods    HALEY BAKER CALLAHAN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricksterbelle  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tricksterbelle  CASSIE SHIMA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassies_island Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/wimdpod And check out this show on social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/efvdpodcast Host's Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonygoldmark Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/972385353152531 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tonygoldmark Hear new episodes early by supporting this show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tonygoldmark

The story of the deeply influential Ming Dynasty philosopher.Support the Show.

Around the same time as the Mayflower was landing at Cape Cod, on the other side of the world tourism was thriving in China, giving rise to a fascinating genre of travel writing.In this episode, first released in February 2022, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the wonderfully rich prose and travel diaries of the period with Professor James Hargett. His research and translations reveal extraordinary insights into the society and culture of the late Ming Dynasty.Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastEnjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS' https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >

Most Americans have at least a basic sense of key elements of European history, but that's not necessarily true when it comes to places like China. And that's true for us, too. Today we take our first dive into China's extremely long history - 4,000 years by some accounts! - to meet three notably trashy emperors of the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644. Hongwu Emperor was the first Ming Emperor, who seized the throne after a long-running rebellion against the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. He is credited with various reforms, which unfortunately often took the form of purges, which were carried out as bloodily as you would fear. Yongle Emperor unseated his own nephew to take the throne, then dispatched everyone associated with his short reign. Zhengde Emperor was a foppish drunkard who preferred visiting the animals and people he'd installed in his Imperial Zoo to governing, and met a ridiculous end at just 29 years old. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that in that in 1850, Hong Xiuquan, a man who interpreted literal fever demons as religious visions from God informing him that he was Jesus's little brother and that he needed to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and take over all of China, almost did just that? He raised an army that fought imperial China for over decade and waged a war that left between 20 and 70 million people dead.  Perhaps the craziest historical event I've ever heard of that I didn't know anything about before starting this podcast.Hope you enjoy the sound of the new recording equipment! Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.Sign up through Patreon, and for $5 a month, you get access to the entire Secret Suck catalog (295 episodes) PLUS the entire catalog of Timesuck, AD FREE. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. And you get the download link for my secret standup album, Feel the Heat.

After the fall of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty drove the few small Nestorian Christian communities in China underground and largely closed China off to foreigners. Only in the 16th century with the arrival of Portuguese traders did contacts with the West begin to be revived. The newly founded Jesuit order organized a mission to China led by Matteo Ricci. After finding his efforts at establishing a presence in the country stymied by the government, Ricci discovered that the key to securing a permanent Jesuit presence in China was his knowledge of Western astronomy.

The Hubbard Broadcasting Walking Challenge for interoffice employees has Dawn in a highly competitive nature, and she walks in her pajama top by accident; Ancient structures in Crete unearthed and 2 Ming Dynasty shipwrecks found; Ben Affleck buys an RV and JLO makes a plan to depart on their own summer vacations; Game show roulette Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Hubbard Broadcasting Walking Challenge for interoffice employees has Dawn in a highly competitive nature, and she walks in her pajama top by accident; Ancient structures in Crete unearthed and 2 Ming Dynasty shipwrecks found; Ben Affleck buys an RV and JLO makes a plan to depart on their own summer vacations; Game show roulette Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I mention Aphrahat the Persian Sage, the Apostle Paul, Constantine the Great, King Sharpur II, Yazdegerd I, Nestorius of Constantinople, Bishop Mar Mari Immanuel, Mohammad, Genghis Kahn, Tamerlane, Aristotle, Plato, the Ming Dynasty, Doubting Thomas, Patrick Bets-David, Jacob Faturechi (  @faturechi  ), James McGrath, the Mandaeans, Mar Awa III, Bishop Barron, Robert Shlimon, Andrew Tate, Jake Brancatella the Muslim Metaphysician (  @TheMuslimMetaphysician  ), Daniel Haqiqatjou,  @ReasonandTheology  , Trent Horn, Elon Musk, Michael Servetus, John Calvin, Marian Hillar, Fausto Sozzini, Lelio Sozzini, Socinianism, John Locke, Benedict Spinoza, Pierre Bayle, Voltaire, David Hume, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Justinian, Theodosius the Great, Khalil Andani, Shabir Ally, Robert Spencer, Paul Vanderklay (  @PaulVanderKlay  ), Tim Keller, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, (  @triggerpod  ), Tom Holland, Louis Perry, (  @maidenmothermatriarch  ), Aphrahat the Persian Sage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mH3BDSMIbg PBD (  @PBDPodcast  ) religious roundtable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzjoHtYN05k Jake on Transfigured - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11wxT_FYRbs Jake on Mar Mari - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHH-tP-RmXc&t=127s Tim Keller on secularism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n7BDf9KK-s&t=328s Ayaan Hirsi Ali - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4VJofC_PFA&t=443s

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Unveiling the Secrets: An Adventure Back to the Ming Dynasty Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/unveiling-the-secrets-an-adventure-back-to-the-ming-dynasty Story Transcript:Zh: 在一个阳光明媚的早晨，王伟、李娜和张强来到了故宫。En: On a sunny morning, Wang Wei, Li Na, and Zhang Qiang arrived at the Forbidden City.Zh: 他们手中握着一个神秘的装置，那是一个时间旅行设备。En: They held a mysterious device in their hands, a time-travel apparatus.Zh: 他们准备冒险，探索明朝的秘密。En: They were ready for an adventure to explore the secrets of the Ming Dynasty.Zh: 王伟按下按钮，瞬间，他们出现在了明朝。En: Wang Wei pressed a button, and instantly, they appeared in the Ming Dynasty.Zh: 故宫陈设豪华，屋顶金光闪闪。En: The Forbidden City was luxuriously furnished, with golden roofs glistening.Zh: 张强有些惊讶地说：En: Zhang Qiang, somewhat surprised, exclaimed, "We really are back in the Ming Dynasty!"Zh: 李娜提醒大家要低调行事。En: Li Na reminded everyone to act discreetly.Zh: 他们小心翼翼地走进了一间房间，里面摆满了古代文物。En: They cautiously walked into a room filled with ancient artifacts.Zh: 墙上挂着一幅卷轴，上面写着：“永乐大典。”En: Hanging on the wall was a scroll, inscribed with "Yongle Encyclopedia."Zh: 王伟走近卷轴，仔细察看。En: Wang Wei approached the scroll and examined it closely.Zh: 他发现卷轴背面有一个小开关。En: He found a small switch on the back of the scroll.Zh: 按下开关，墙壁突然移动，露出了一个秘密房间。房间里陈列着许多古书和宝物。En: Pressing the switch caused the wall to move suddenly, revealing a secret room filled with many ancient books and treasures.Zh: “三人小心注意，不要让人发现。”李娜轻声说。En: "Everyone, be careful and don't let anyone discover us," Li Na whispered.Zh: 他们开始翻阅古书，寻找着明朝的秘密。En: They began to browse through the ancient books, searching for the secrets of the Ming Dynasty.Zh: 忽然，张强发现了一本记载皇宫秘史的古书。En: Suddenly, Zhang Qiang found a book recording the secret history of the imperial palace.Zh: 他激动地举起书，说：“快看，这就是我们找的！”En: Excitedly, he held up the book and said, "Look, this is what we are looking for!"Zh: 就在他们聚精会神地翻阅时，一位身穿古装的守卫进入了房间。En: As they were engrossed in reading, a guard dressed in ancient attire entered the room.Zh: 他发现了他们，大声喊道：“你们是谁？”En: He discovered them and shouted, "Who are you?"Zh: 王伟急中生智，用流利的明朝官话解释说：“我们是来保护这些书的。”En: Thinking quickly, Wang Wei explained in fluent Ming Dynasty Mandarin, "We are here to protect these books."Zh: 守卫有些疑惑，但没有多问。En: The guard, albeit suspicious, did not inquire further.Zh: 他挥了挥手，让他们继续。En: He waved his hand, allowing them to continue.Zh: 他们继续研究，终于发现了一段关于明朝皇帝的秘密。En: They resumed their study and finally uncovered a secret about the Ming Dynasty emperor.Zh: 这段秘密若传到后世，将改变历史。En: If this secret were to be passed down to future generations, it would change history.Zh: “我们得赶紧回去，把这些记录带回去。”李娜说。En: "We need to hurry back and take these records with us," Li Na said.Zh: 王伟再次按下时间旅行装置的按钮，三人被传送回了现代。En: Wang Wei pressed the button on the time-travel device again, and the three of them were transported back to the present day.Zh: 回到现代，三人激动地展示他们的发现。En: Back in the modern world, the three of them excitedly presented their findings.Zh: 专家们也为之震惊，对他们大加赞赏。En: Experts were also astonished and praised them greatly.Zh: 借助这些古老的秘密，人们加深了对明朝的理解。En: With the help of these ancient secrets, people gained a deeper understanding of the Ming Dynasty.Zh: 从那天起，王伟、李娜和张强决定继续他们的时间旅行冒险。En: From that day on, Wang Wei, Li Na, and Zhang Qiang decided to continue their time-traveling adventures.Zh: 他们知道，未来还有更多的谜团等待揭开。En: They knew that many mysteries awaited them in the future.Zh: 他们的故事才刚刚开始。En: Their story had only just begun. Vocabulary Words:sunny: 阳光明媚mysterious: 神秘device: 装置adventure: 冒险explore: 探索secrets: 秘密instant: 瞬间luxuriously furnished: 陈设豪华glistening: 金光闪闪discreetly: 低调cautiously: 小心翼翼inscribed: 上面写着examine: 察看switch: 开关revealing: 露出ancient artifacts: 古代文物hidden: 洶过secret room: 秘密房间treasures: 宝物scroll: 卷轴engrossed: 聚精会神imperial palace: 皇宫history: 历史guard: 守卫ancient attire: 古装astonished: 震惊praised: 大加赞赏protected: 保护generations: 后世researching: 研究

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Family's Journey Through the Forbidden City Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/familys-journey-through-the-forbidden-city Story Transcript:Zh: 阳光明媚的一天，小明、丽丽和建国准备去故宫参观。En: On a sunny day, Xiaoming, Lili, and Jianguo are preparing to visit the Forbidden City.Zh: 他们从家里出发，乘坐地铁到天安门广场。En: They set off from home and take the subway to Tiananmen Square.Zh: 建国是小明和丽丽的爸爸。En: Jianguo is Xiaoming and Lili's father, and he is a teacher with extensive knowledge of Chinese history.Zh: 他是一位老师，很懂中国历史。En: As they enter the Forbidden City, Dad says, "The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of ancient China, built during the Ming Dynasty.Zh: 走进故宫，爸爸说：“故宫是中国古代的皇宫，建于明朝。En: It is full of stories and culture."Zh: 这里有很多故事和文化。En: Xiaoming curiously looks at the tall red walls and golden rooftops.Zh: ”小明好奇地看着高高的红墙和金色的屋顶。En: He asks, "Dad, did emperors live here?"Zh: 他问：“爸爸，这里住过皇帝吗？En: Dad nods, "Yes, many emperors lived and worked here."Zh: ”爸爸点点头：“是的，许多皇帝在这里生活和工作。En: Their first stop is the Hall of Supreme Harmony.Zh: ”他们首先来到太和殿。En: Lili sees the ornate dragon throne and excitedly asks, "What is this?"Zh: 丽丽看到华丽的龙椅，很开心：“这是什么？En: Dad explains, "This is the emperor's throne, symbolizing power."Zh: ”爸爸解释说：“这是皇帝的宝座，象征着权力。En: Xiaoming imagines himself sitting on the dragon throne, feeling very majestic.Zh: ”小明想象自己坐在龙椅上，非常威风。En: Next, they visit the Palace of Heavenly Purity.Zh: 接着，他们来到乾清宫。En: This is the emperor's sleeping quarters and also the place where daily affairs were handled.Zh: 这里是皇帝的寝宫，也是处理日常事务的地方。En: Lili exclaims, "This place is huge!"Zh: 丽丽说：“这里真大啊！En: Dad laughs, "The Forbidden City has 9,999 and a half rooms."Zh: ”爸爸笑了：“故宫有九千九百九十九间半房间呢。En: Suddenly, Xiaoming spots a small bronze object on the ground.Zh: ”突然，小明发现地上有一个小铜器。En: He picks it up.Zh: 他捡起来，爸爸说：“这是古代的一个小玩具。En: Dad says, "This is a small toy from ancient times."Zh: ”小明很兴奋，他觉得穿越回古代，自己像个小皇子。En: Xiaoming is very excited and feels like he has traveled back in time, imagining himself as a little prince.Zh: 最后，他们来到御花园，爸爸讲了很多关于花园设计的故事。En: Finally, they arrive at the Imperial Garden, where Dad tells many stories about its design.Zh: 丽丽跑在前面，说：“这里真美，我喜欢这个花园！En: Lili runs ahead, saying, "This place is so beautiful, I love this garden!"Zh: ”一天的参观让他们学到了很多。En: The day's visit taught them a lot.Zh: 走出故宫，爸爸对小明和丽丽说：“今天我们不仅看到了故宫的美景，还了解了更多中国的历史和文化。En: As they leave the Forbidden City, Dad says to Xiaoming and Lili, "Today, we not only saw the beautiful sights of the Forbidden City but also learned more about Chinese history and culture."Zh: ”丽丽和小明点头，满载而归。En: Lili and Xiaoming nod, their hearts full.Zh: 回到家，妈妈已经做好了晚饭。En: When they get home, Mom has already prepared dinner.Zh: 小明和丽丽把今天的故事讲给妈妈听。En: Xiaoming and Lili share the day's stories with her.Zh: 妈妈笑着说：“明天我们再去别的地方看看吧！En: Mom smiles and says, "Tomorrow, let's go see another place!"Zh: ”这一家人在这个阳光明媚的日子里，不仅度过了美好的时光，还收获了知识和快乐。En: On this sunny day, the family not only had a wonderful time but also gained knowledge and joy.Zh: 故事结束了，他们期待着更多的探险。En: The story ends with them looking forward to more adventures. Vocabulary Words:sunny: 阳光明媚preparing: 准备subway: 地铁extensive: 很懂imperial: 古代palace: 皇宫dynasty: 朝代stories: 故事culture: 文化walls: 墙rooftops: 屋顶emperors: 皇帝ornate: 华丽throne: 宝座symbolizing: 象征majestic: 威风quarters: 寝宫affairs: 事务huge: 大bronze: 铜object: 器toy: 玩具traveled back: 穿越imagine: 想象design: 设计sights: 美景beautiful: 美knowledge: 知识share: 讲looking forward: 期待

For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/could-hema-ever-be-big-in-china-with-zeng-yang/ To support the show, come join the Patrons at  https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Today's episode is with Zeng Yang, who is a doctoral student at the Shanghai Sport University, where he is pursuing a PhD in the history of European swordsmanship from the 14th to the 17th centuries. He is a lifelong martial artist having begun training in Wushu at the age of eight. His master's degree is a comparison of Duan Bing and HEMA. In our conversation, we talk about the spread of Chinese martial arts to the Western world, through things like kung fu movies and immigration, but the question is, why the same hasn't happened in the other direction? How could HEMA become more popular in China? We hear about a new term, Bing Ji, which combines all steel weapons in an exciting new form of cross-cultural communication. Here's a bit of detail on some of the terms that come up in this episode: Wushu: The official name of Chinese martial arts Guoshu: The name of Wushu in the early 20th century that literally means "the art of the nation", thus elevating the status of martial arts to the level of the country. But currently people no longer use this term. Tau lu (routine or form): It is a pre-designed practice method and an important form of expression in Chinese martial arts. It had already emerged in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and has been widely used since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). It is very similar to Assalto in Marozzo. It usually has a fixed start and end action. Each routine roughly contains dozens of actions. Bing Ji: The literal meaning is "fighting with cold weapons", which broadly refers to all fighting sports related to steel weapons, and narrowly refers to the fighting sports of historical martial arts. It is a term that emerged around 2016 to replace the concept of HEMA. Because China's HEMA not only involves European weapons, but also includes Chinese weapons, many people believe that continuing to use HEMA is inappropriate. Therefore, this new term has been created to describe historical martial arts sports. At present, Bing Ji has been widely used in China, and it is used in almost all historical martial arts competitions.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Discovering the Forbidden City: A Journey Through History's Heart Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/discovering-the-forbidden-city-a-journey-through-historys-heart Story Transcript:Zh: 在一个阳光明媚的早晨，李明、王芳和张伟来到了北京最著名的景点——故宫。En: On a sunny morning, Li Ming, Wang Fang, and Zhang Wei arrived at Beijing's most famous landmark—the Forbidden City.Zh: 导游小李站在大门口，热情地迎接他们。En: Tour guide Xiao Li stood at the entrance, warmly welcoming them.Zh: “大家好！今天我们一起探访故宫。这是中国最重要的历史建筑之一。”小李的声音很有活力。En: "Hello everyone! Today we will explore the Forbidden City together. It is one of the most significant historical buildings in China," Xiao Li said with great enthusiasm.Zh: 李明兴奋地看着高大的宫墙，心里想着：“这就是古代皇帝住的地方啊！”En: Li Ming excitedly looked at the tall palace walls, thinking to himself, "This is where the ancient emperors lived!"Zh: 小李带着大家进入了太和殿。En: Xiao Li led them into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.Zh: “这里是皇帝举行大典的地方。过去，皇帝在这里进行许多重要的仪式。”小李解释道。En: "This is where the emperor held grand ceremonies. In the past, the emperor performed many important rituals here," Xiao Li explained.Zh: 王芳对这里的一切都感到好奇。她问：“这些柱子为什么这么高？”En: Wang Fang was curious about everything she saw. She asked, "Why are these columns so tall?"Zh: 小李微笑着回答：“这是为了显示皇权的威严。你们看到的所有建筑都是对称的，象征着皇帝的权力和地位。”En: Xiao Li smiled and replied, "This is to display the majesty of imperial power. All the buildings you see are symmetrical, symbolizing the emperor's authority and status."Zh: 接着，他们来到了乾清宫。En: Next, they arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity.Zh: “这是皇帝的寝宫。在这里，皇帝每天处理政务。”小李继续讲解。En: "This is the emperor's sleeping quarters. Here, the emperor handled daily state affairs," Xiao Li continued.Zh: 张伟低声问：“这些宫殿修建有多长时间了？”En: Zhang Wei quietly asked, "How long have these palaces been standing?"Zh: 小李说：“故宫建于明朝的永乐年间，大约有六百年的历史了。每一处建筑都有它自己的故事。”En: Xiao Li replied, "The Forbidden City was built during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, roughly six hundred years ago. Each building has its own story."Zh: 参观了一圈，小李带他们来到了御花园。En: After touring around, Xiao Li led them to the Imperial Garden.Zh: 这里有美丽的花草树木，还有静谧的湖水。大家不由得被这份宁静吸引了。En: There, they found beautiful flowers, trees, and a tranquil lake. Everyone was captivated by the serenity.Zh: 李明说：“这地方真美，像是人间仙境。”En: Li Ming said, "This place is so beautiful, like a fairyland on earth."Zh: 就在这时，天空突然下起了小雨。大家躲在一棵大树下避雨。En: Just then, it began to drizzle. They took shelter under a large tree.Zh: 小雨过后，彩虹出现在天边，给故宫增添了一份神秘感。En: After the rain, a rainbow appeared across the sky, adding a touch of mystery to the Forbidden City.Zh: 小李看着远方的虹，说：“这真是难得的美景。大家可以在这里拍些照片留念。”En: Xiao Li looked at the distant rainbow and said, "This is such a rare and beautiful sight. Feel free to take some memorable photos here."Zh: 最后，参观结束了。En: Finally, the tour came to an end.Zh: 小李问大家：“今天的参观大家觉得如何？”En: Xiao Li asked, "How did everyone find today's tour?"Zh: 王芳笑着说：“非常棒！我学到了很多。”En: Wang Fang smiled and said, "It was fantastic! I learned a lot."Zh: 张伟也点头表示同意：“这是一次难忘的经历。”En: Zhang Wei nodded in agreement, "It was an unforgettable experience."Zh: 李明则兴奋地说：“我一定会再次来这里。”En: Li Ming excitedly said, "I will definitely come back here again."Zh: 李明、王芳和张伟高兴地离开了故宫。En: Li Ming, Wang Fang, and Zhang Wei happily left the Forbidden City.Zh: 尽管天空再次飘起了小雨，但他们的心中充满了对故宫的美好回忆。En: Although the sky began drizzling again, their hearts were filled with wonderful memories of the Forbidden City.Zh: 故事在这里结束。En: The story ends here.Zh: 大家带着对历史的敬意和对未来的期待，走出了古老的宫门，迎接新的旅程。En: With respect for history and anticipation for the future, they walked out of the ancient palace gates, ready to embrace new journeys. Vocabulary Words:sunny: 阳光明媚significant: 重要enthusiasm: 活力emperor: 皇帝ceremonies: 大典rituals: 仪式majesty: 威严imperial: 皇权authority: 权力status: 地位affairs: 政务reign: 年间fairyland: 人间仙境shelter: 躲tranquil: 宁静captivated: 吸引drizzle: 小雨rainbow: 彩虹mystery: 神秘rare: 难得memorable: 留念unforgettable: 难忘fantastic: 非常棒palace: 宫殿landmark: 景点explore: 探访symmetrical: 对称columns: 柱子entrance: 大门口handled: 处理

To most Westerners, the Mughal Empire is a forgotten stepchild of world history. Even though it produced the Taj Mahal and controlled nearly all modern-day India, the Mughal Dynasty's accomplishments are crowded out by those of the Romans, Chinese, and British. Nevertheless, it was a great Asian power from the 16th-19th centuries, comparable to the Ming Dynasty in wealth, population, and military strength, dwarfing its European contemporaries. And one of the greatest figures in that empire was Princess Gulbadan (1523-1603), a daughter of the first Mughal Emperor who wrote the empire's first history.  Gulbadan was a dynamic and influential figure and a trusted advisor to the Empire. She was part of the peripatetic royal household. The Mughals had moved often across long distances, living for extended periods in the open country in royal tents pitched in gardens, and in citadels. But when Gulbadan was in her 50s, her nephew Akbar the Great established a walled harem in his capital Fatehpur-Sikri near Agra — an effort to showcase his regal authority as Emperor. From behind these walls, Gulbadan longed for the exuberant itinerant lifestyle she'd long known.  With Akbar's blessing, Gulbadan led a remarkable and unprecedented four-year pilgrimage of Mughal women to the distant Muslim Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina and beyond. Amid increasing political tensions, the women were expelled for their “un-Islamic” behavior, a thinly veiled effort to curb Mughal influence in the Holy cities, controlled at the time by the Ottoman Sultans of Turkey. Their travels home included a dramatic shipwreck in the Gulf of Aden.  After her return to India, Akbar asked Gulbadan to record her memories of the Mughal Dynasty to serve as a source for the first official history of the Empire. What she wrote was unparalleled in both form and content. She captured the gritty and fabulous daily lives of ambitious men, subversive women, brilliant eunuchs, devoted nurses, gentle and perceptive guards, captive women, and children who died in war zones.    To explore Gulbadan's life is today's guest, Ruby Lal, author of “Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan.”

1279 - 1644 - We track the downfall of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty of China before reviewing the rise of the Ming Dynasty and how they changed China in a world where long distance trade links were becoming more vital. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

As we near the end of our medieval Far East episodes, we look at what remains for Volume 4 and there's a brief reminder about the Podcast Show 2024 in Islington, London this week. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

Last time we spoke about the first Guangdong-Guangxi War. The First Anhui-Zhili War not only affected northern China, it also put into motion many events in the south. Viceroy Lu Rongting, working for Duan Qirui and his Anhui Clique was sent south to take over the position as governor of Guangdong. But those already in the Guangdong Clique wanted nothing to do with the north, nor with Lu Rongting and this led to conflict. A bitter struggle emerged between the southern cliques, all seeking to influence the Guangzhou southern government. Forces from Guizhou, Guangxi and Yunnan invaded Guangdong and it looked like they would have their way, until Chen Jiongming entered the scene. Chen Jiongming led the Guangdong Clique beside the common people of the province to rid themselves of the invaders resulting in the first Guangdong-Guangxi war. This resulted in the near annihilation of the Old Guangxi Clique and the return of Dr Sun Yat-Sen to Guangzhou.   #100 The Spirit Soldier Rebellions   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Hey before we jump into it, just wanted to acknowledge this is episode 100 for the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, sheesh. Thank you all for surviving this far into the wild story of China's Century of Humiliation, you are all awesome. Perhaps if you got a moment, could you do me a huge favor? Unlike Youtube with a built in comment section, its hard to get feedback for audio podcasts. If you get a second could you toss feedback, what you like, what you don't like, suggestions going forward anything. You can toss it to the Pacific War Channel Discord server or literally just comment any video over at the Pacific War Channel. Would mean a lot to me, lets get on with the show! As one can imagine, China's warlord era was not something one would refer to as stable. After the absolute mess Yuan Shikai made before his death he basically provided the perfect environment for any wannabe strongman to compete for their place amongst the warlords. The warlords fleeced their respective regions of control to pay for their private armies. They would overly tax, steal away funds and get involved in just about any means to acquire more money to pay their soldiers. Even after fleecing the population, these warlords would then allow their troops to plunder, rape and enslave. Combine this with the incredible amount of regionals wars, plus natural disasters, famine and an insane rise in banditry, it was not a great time to live in China to say the least. Some regions suffered more than others. The less developed provinces, the more remote areas of China, typically in the center, south and west were hit the worst. Here the common people were poor, more isolated and when major crises occurred, they were far less likely to see any outside assistance. The warlord armies in these regions were less equipped, less fed, less disciplined compared to their Northern or coastal counterparts. The troops of these warlords treated the citizenry especially bad. As a result of the unrelenting hardship, the peasants of these parts of China perceived the warlord soldiers, tax collectors and foreign state agents as literal parasites, hell wouldn't you? In a rather vain attempt to rid themselves of these parasites, the peasants launched a large number of uprisings, riots and protests. Some were tiny villages squabbles, others could bring down warlords. They often came directly after a bad harvest season. Some but not all saw peasants join secret societies, acting as self defense forces….yes it sounds exactly like the Yihetuan all over again. Yet in most cases these peasant groups were not coordinated enough to really make a dent, more often than naught, warlords crushed them. Now after the National Protection War against Yuan Shikai, the provinces of Hubei and Sichuan fell into miserable chaos. As we have talked about in the previous episode where I introduced the Southern Warlords, Sichuan province literally was cut up into pieces and dominated by a large number of what I would call Petty Warlords. Some of these Petty Warlords had little more than a few villages under their thumb, others led armies in the several tens of thousands. The situation in Hubei was not as bad, but comparable, seeing numerous warlords battle each other, resulting in hundreds of thousands of soldiers, militiamen and bandits roaming both provinces. To complicate things, these Petty Warlords in a means to try and bolster themselves often flirted with the Beiyang government. They did so similar to how the last episode saw figures trying to negotiate north-south resolutions, basically they would acknowledge the authority of the Beiyang government. The two provinces were also affected by socio-ethnic divisions. Within the valley and plains of Sichuan and Hubei were mostly Han Chinese, but in the highlands there were many non Han such as Miao and Tujia. For those interested, the Miao people speak Hmongic languages, a subfamily of the Hmong-Mien languages. Something notable about the Miao is how their women historically exercised more independence, especially in terms of socio-political mobility. Unlike the majority of asian cultures at the time, Miao women had the freedom to choose the men they marry. The Tujia people speak Tujia, a Sino-Tibetan language, they were at the zenith of their power under the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu basically adopted a carrot and stick approach to the Tujia, by gifting compliant chieftains and hindered non compliant ones. The Tujia resented any central body trying to exert control over them and during the Taiping Rebellion many flocked to the Taiping. These non han groups felt oppressed and historically had always resisted Han immigration into their lands. The highlanders were much more versed in organized self defense forces and thus prone more so to uprising.  The environments these people lived in were the type to foster ancestor worship and belief in magic, spiritualism, possession and such. Within the context of these people struggling for further autonomy this led to the development of “spirit soldiers”. Similar to the Yihetuan, this was the belief people could summon divine beings that would fight alongside or possess them, granting them power. These beliefs were also part of messianic and apocalyptic movements, think of the White Lotus apocalypse. There were many who believed the spirit soldiers would help establish a new and fair rule on earth. In 1920 there was a large power vacuum that hit western Hubei province. A 30,000 strong army commanded by the Warlords Li Tiancai, Bao Wenwei, Lan Tianwei and Wang Tianzong came into the area. The reason for this was because Wang Zhanyuan the governor of Hubei had evicted them from the Enshi-Hefeng area. Having suffered so greatly, the peasants of Hubei and Sichuan became increasingly discontent and in 1920, major conflicts emerged. A group of Taoist priests began a spiritual movement with a militant wing behind it. They were fighting against over taxation in Lichuan of Hubei province and the abuses upon them by warlord troops. In the beginning they were no more than 100 people chanting the slogan "Kill the Warlords and Out with Rotten Officials and Loafers". Their slogans were very appealing and as more people joined up the priests began to tell them they could bless them to become spirit soldiers through magical rituals. Again similar to the Yihetuan, these rituals consisted of acts like drinking special potions or consuming ashes of various things like burned amulets. Supposedly this would make the spirit soldiers invulnerable to gunfire and raise their bravery, so yeah it really does feel like the Boxer Movement 2.0. Of course these young males were emboldened and felt they could mount a serious rebellion against the warlord troops, who were vastly better armed. The spirit soldiers typically were armed with melee weapons such as spears or a dao. They quickly overran Lichuan county and killed the local magistrate there. Upon that success further uprisings sprang up like wildfire.  After the taking of Lichuan it is estimated the spirit soldiers numbered over 10,000 and they would only continue to grow. Given their numbers, they were gradually beginning to organize themselves seriously, though they would still operate in numerous cells, they never unified. Three main spirit armies emerged alongside countless militias. They rarely coordinated, lacked real military training, had very few firearms, no uniforms, but nonetheless tried to act like real armies. They implemented military ranks and identified as such with yellow bands around their left hands middle finger, the color yellow being their official movement color. Similar to the Taiping Rebellion, which they definitely took inspiration from. Major spirit soldier armies and militias wore distinct colors based on their region. For example in western Hubei, they wore red turbans and sashes, many also carried red flags with their leaders' names inscribed upon them or with slogans. Some of these slogans were about “heavenly kingdoms being established on earth” yes Hong Xiuquan would approve.  These spirit soldier groups did not want to seize power, nor did they have any real revolutionary ideologies. Even from a class point of view, they were not exactly championing the impoverished or anything, when they took over counties they did not change the counties social order. Typically they stormed a county, killed or replaced the magistrate with someone they deemed to be a fair person. Ironically this often led to an even more corrupt person taking the magistrate position, making the lives of people worse. But you know what, when these spirit soldiers showed up to your county, as a regular peasant you were probably pretty happy about it, because anything was better than being ruled by a warlord. The great thing about the Spirit armies was when they came to your town they fought the tax and rent collectors off alongside warlord troops and bandits. It was said, under spirit rule, the people could finally travel unarmed without fear. Now soldiers no matter what god or spirit resides within them need to eat, thus money was required. To make ends meet the Spirit armies fought bandits and warlords and seized control over salt and opium trade routes running from Sichuan and Guizhou through western Hubei. Just like the Yihetuan, the Spirit soldiers also persecuted christians and foreigners. Most of them were under the belief western modernization efforts and christianity were the reason for all of china's troubles.  Once the Spirit soldier rebellion began to see tens of thousands enlist, they gradually advanced west into Sichuan province. There lies a regional trade hub, the city of Wanzhou, lying on the upper reaches of the 3 gorges of the Yangtze River. In the late part of 1920, a spirit army from Lichuan approached Wanzhou, spreading slogans of their movement, such as "Stand Against Rents and Taxes, Kill the Grey Dogs". Gray dogs refers to warlord troops. Now they did not attack Wanzhou, instead they allowed members to infiltrate the city and the local towns to mass recruit. After a few months they managed to nearly gain 5000 new spirit soldiers. They also set up a military HQ at a local temple dedicated to Yama. For those unaware Yama is a deity shared by Hindus and Buddhists. This temple was dedicated to the Buddhist variety of Yama. Yama here is regarded as one of the 20-24 Devas, a group of protective Dharmapalas. If you were a spirit soldier, it would be an ideal location to set up shop, +20 to spirituality and such. They were armed mostly with bamboo spears when they assaulted Wanzhou on March 5th of 1921. The assault was performed in two waves of roughly 2000 spirit soldiers each. Despite being armed with firearms, the local warlord troops were terrified by the tenacity of the spirit soldiers who very much performed like Boxers. They fought bare chested, unafraid of bullets, some performed martial arts and incantations. Just like what happened to Qing militia's and green standard troops in 1900, the warlord troops were terrified the spirit soldiers might actually be wielding magic, and soon routed fleeing Wanzhou's outskirts to hide behind fortified walls in the inner city.  The Spirit troops stormed through Wanzhou quickly seizing most of the city, however unlike a warlord army who would have plundered and left or heavily fortified the city, well the spirit army was simply not that kind of army. As soon as they took footholds within, they began performing public incantations and rituals. Basically they were doing exactly what the Boxers had done, however the Boxers had been facing governmental forces who were not really keen on fighting back. For the spirit soldiers their enemy were warlords who relied on fleecing the population and Wanzhou was a major trade center, prime real estate. The warlord forces fortified parts of the inner city, hiding behind walls where the Spirit troops simply could not breach, nor did they try to do so. After 3 days, the Warlord leaders slapped their troops around, telling them not to be afraid of magic and they launched a counter attack on the 8th. That day saw brutal street to street fighting, which did benefit the melee wielding spirit warriors, but guns certainly would win the day. After an entire day of battle, the spirit forces were pushed out of the city. Nearly 500 were killed during the battle, the majority being spirit soldiers. On the 12th, the Warlord Chou Fu-yu after receiving distressed requests for help arrived in Wanzhou with reinforcements. Once he figured out they were holding up at the Yama temple he organized an offensive against their HQ. Chou Fu-yu's forces stormed the temple massacring over 1000 of them. Chou Fu-yu's men specifically hunted down their leadership, executing them publicly to send a message. After seeing the carnage the spirit army collapsed and fled the Wanzhou area swiftly, most would return to civilian life, though others would fight for another day. Those who chose to keep championing the cause formed small militia groups that honestly were more akin to Honghuzi. Local officials in Hubei and Sichuan would refer to them as such "the whole country districts [were] laid waste, by these rebels who plundered wherever they went". The spirit milita's did not attempt to seize any significant towns or cities, they simply stormed them hunting for christians and foreigners, before moving to the next. They would do this for years in the Hubei-Sichuan region with power bases located along their border. Now despite the major setback at Wanzhou, the spirit armies would continue to expand, but instead of heading westwards into Sichuan, they turned back to Hubei. This had a large effect on Hubei based warlords who sometimes were pushed out of their spheres of influence. Spirit armies seized Yichang, Badong, Xuan'en, Enshi and countless other counties. One Spirit leader, a farmers' work hand named Yuan declared himself the new Jade Emperor and attempted to seize most of western Hubei. From around 1920-1922, acting as an emperor he issued numerous edicts. For the most part he led a campaign against pretty much every class imaginable: students, farmers, business owners, land owners, merchants, the military, workers, missionaries, and more. He called for killing christians, placing blame upon them for all of China's problems, promising his followers once the Christians were all gone, China would be at peace. There were those amongst his flock and others who were Ming loyalists, the age old secret society types trying to restore the Ming Dynasty. Similar to the wannabe Jade Emperors belief that getting rid of Christianity would save China from her plight, the Ming loyalists saw the Ming Dynasty as a golden age that needed to be re-ushered in.  The Spirit armies were largely successful because of the fighting amongst the warlords of Hubei and to a lesser extent Sichuan. Western Hubei in particular was ripe with chaos, for there was not only Spirit armies and warlord armies, there were large groups of Honghuzi roaming the region. Now I could cut this story about the spirit soldiers here, but instead I will try to not allude to things in the future too much. But around 1921, armies of the Zhili Clique began to invade Hubei and Sichuan from their power base in Hunan province. The Zhili armies soon fought battles against both Hubei and Sichuan warlord armies and were gradually forced back north. In the process some Sichuan warlords seized Badong, Zigui and Xingshan, fleecing the populations for all they were worth before departing. The Sichuan warlord, Yang Sen, notably seized Lichuan and Jianshi in October of 1921 and would hold them until February of 1923. Yang Sen was a Taoist master and an avid polygamist. He met the Taoist Master Li Ching-yuen, who claimed he had lived to be 250 years old. He was quite famous, hell Wu Peifu while leading the Zhili clique would take Li Ching-yuen into his home trying to discover his secret method of living for so long. Li Ching-yuen died in 1933, but claimed he produced over 200 descendants and had 24 wives over the course of his very long life. Yang Sen wrote a famous book after his death titled “A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man” Within the book he described Li Ching-yuen "He has good eyesight and a brisk stride; Li stands seven feet tall, has very long fingernails, and a ruddy complexion." Allegedly, Li was born in Qijiang county of Sichuan province back in 1677. At the age of 13 he embarked on a life of gathering herbs in the mountains amongst 3 elders of his village. At 51 years of age he served as a topography advisor in the army of General Yue Zhongqi. At 78 he retired from military service after fighting in a battle at the Golden River, whence he returned to a life of gathering herbs on Snow Mountain of Sichuan province. Due to his military service under Yue Zongqi, the government sent him a document congratulating him on his 100th birthday and this was done on his 150th and 200th. In 1908 Li co-wrote a book a disciple of his, Yang Hexuan called “the secrets of Li Qingyuns immortality”. In 1920 General Xiong Yanghe interviewed Li and published an article about him at the Nanjing university. In 1926 Wu Peifu took him under his home and Li took up a job teaching at Beijing university's Meditation Society branch. In 1927 General Yang Sen invited Li to Wanxian where the first known photograph of the man was taken, if you google him you can see it. After hearing about the famous 200+ year old man, General Chiang Kai-Shek requested he visit him in Nanjing, however when Yang Sen sent envoys to find Li at his hometown of Chenjiachang, his current wife and disciplines broke the news, he had died, the year was 1928. You might be raising an eyebrow, yes, after his supposed death, newspapers began writing pieces claiming he died in 1929, 1930, then the last report was in 1933, no one has ever verified how he died, they all just list natural cases. Now about this fascinating case of his age, Li Ching-yuen claimed he had been born in 1736, it was a professor at Chengdu University, Wu CHung-Chieh who asserted he was born in 1677. According to an article by the New York Times in 1930, Wu discovered imperial records from 1827 congratulating Li on his 150th birthday, then another one for his 200th birthday in 1877. In another New York Times article from 1928, correspondence wrote that many old men of Li's village asserted that their grandfathers all knew him as young boys and that he had been a grown man at the time. Now many researchers have pointed out his claim to be 256 years of age was a multiple of 8, considered a lucky number in Chinese culture. Many researchers also point out the prevalence of such myths as extreme old age to be very common in China and the far east. They believed he was just telling a tall tale like countless others before him. One of Li's disciplines, Master Da Liu said of his master, when Li was 130 years old he encountered an older hermit in the mountains claiming to be 500 years old. This old hermit taught him Baguazhang, that is a style of martial arts and Qigong, these are breathing, meditation and posturing exercises. Alongside dietary habits all combined was what gave the hermit his longevity. Du Liu would say “his master said that his longevity is due to the fact that he performed the exercises every day – regularly, correctly, and with sincerity – for 120 years." Sorry for the extreme side story, but I just found it fascinating haha.  So General Yang Sen had seized Lichuan and Jianshi and would be involved in numerous wars in Sichuan. He often fought the Governor of Sichuan, Xiong Kewu who was gradually defeated by 1923, where upon he took his armies into western Hubei. Yang Sen amongst other warlords exploited the absence of Xiong Kewu and invaded Sichuan. The departure of Xiong Kewu from Sichuan also allowed Petty warlord Kong Gen to seize territory and for a large Honghuzi army led by Lao Yangren to invade Yunxian. Things got so bad for Xiong Kewu, he turned to a very unlikely group to form an alliance, the Spirit Soldiers. Xiong Kewu allied the Spirit armies encamped at Enshi and Hefeng. In 1924 a large part of Xiong Kewu's army were advancing through the Wu Valley, trying to link up with him. The Wu valley was a strategic stronghold for the Spirit armies, thus in order to gain free passage he joined up with them. Chaos would reign supreme in both Hubei and Sichuan for many years, not aided much when General Yang Sen took the governorship over Sichuan. Once governor there he provoked several of his loose allies who all formed a coalition to oust him from his position by early 1925. Like Xiong Kewu, now it was Yang Sen retreating west into Hubei, eventually forming a base at Badong. One of his opponents, the Petty warlord Yuan Zuming, a member of the Guizhou clique invaded the region and seized Lichuan and Shinan, before setting his eyes on Hefeng. Meanwhile the Spirit Armies, bolstered by Xiong Kewu spread again into Sichuan where they offered protection to locals from warlord troops and Honghuzi. They fought a large battle around Wangying that allegedly turned the local river crimson red with blood. By early 1926 the Spirit movement had surged past 100,000 troops and dominated over 40 counties in Hubei. Yet they never fully centralized their organization, rarely coordinated between armies and differing groups and were not heavily armed with firearms. Honestly by becoming a larger force and by becoming more sedentary, it actually spelt their doom. While they were smaller and more mobile, they were harder to catch and less appetizing to warlord armies, now they were fully on the menu. In 1926 three divisions of warlord troops were sent against them. The Spirit armies were absolutely crushed in waves of one sided battles. Their leaders were hunted down and executed, that is if they did not die on the battlefield or simply off themselves prior to being caught. Yet 1926 would bring an entirely new element at play, it was when the Northern Expedition began and such a colossal event would save the Spirit soldiers from complete annihilation.  Don't want to give anything away, but the Northern Expedition would affect both Yang Sen and Xiong Kewu and by proxy the areas they controlled. This would cause further chaos in Hubei and Sichuan which in turn would be exploited by countless figures. For example a large Honghuzi army of Lao Yangren, perhaps 20,000 men strong or more ran rampant in both provinces. Honghuzi loved to follow behind warlord armies, exploiting areas they passed through since the rival warlords would have been kicked out. With the Northern Expedition brushing aside countless warlords in the area, both Honghuzi and Spirit soldiers expanded. Some Spirit Soldiers even decided to join up with a new group hitting the scene, Red Armies. The CCP were falling into a war with the KMT and they began to latch onto anyone who would join forces with them. Two prominent CCP figures, Xu Xiangqian and He Long worked with Spirit Soldiers. He Long came to view them as nothing more than another version of Honghuzi, but acknowledged they wanted to protect the local people which was admirable. Their quasi alliance allowed the Spirit Soldiers to expand into northern and central Sichuan, western Henan and eastern Guizhou well into the 1930s. Despite the incredible amount of wars that would occur over the decades, the last known Spirit Army rebellion would take place in February of 1959.  As you can imagine it was an anti-communist uprising, that occurred in Sizhuang county of Henan province. This was directly a result of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward enacted the year prior. For those who don't know, the Great Leap Forward encompassed a change of pretty much all aspects of Chinese society and it was disastrous to say the least. Mao sought to reconstruct the entire nation from an agrarian economy into a real industrialized society, but on fast forward mode. He did so via peoples communes, while decreeing every possible effort to increase grain yield must be done so they could bring industry to rural China. This resulted in one of the worst man made famines in history. Alongside this came an economic disaster, unbelievable governmental abuses upon the people. An estimated 15-55 million would die. Many resisted the government's actions, but the government had decreed no one could leave their village or farms, thus it made it extremely difficult to coordinate a resistance movement. Desperate peasants tried to resist, alongside countless secret societies. Numerous rebellions broke out, but they were quite small in scale. Armed resistance broke out in Henan in 1959, where large bandit groups began to steal weapons from armories and attacked major roadways. A secret society known as the “shenbingtuan / regiment of spirit soldiers” gathered 1200 fighters from hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi and began to attack government officers in Sizhuang county. It took the red army roughly 20 days to quell the uprising. Thus ended the Spirit Soldier movement. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Spirit Soldier Movement was a drop in the bucket for China's Warlord Era. They were a group amongst many others who tried to navigate a very cruel world. As comedic as they may come off, they were brave people who were trying to protect the population from what they deemed to be villains, many became twisted as a result.

Across the Green Sea: Histories from the Western Indian Ocean, 1440-1640 (University of Texas Press, 2024) by Dr. Sanjay Subrahmanyam presents a history of two centuries of interactions among the areas bordering the western Indian Ocean, including India, Iran, and Africa. Beginning in the mid-fifteenth century, the regions bordering the western Indian Ocean—“the green sea,” as it was known to Arabic speakers—had increasing contact through commerce, including a slave trade, and underwent cultural exchange and transformation. Using a variety of texts and documents in multiple Asian and European languages, Across the Green Sea looks at the history of the ocean from a variety of shifting viewpoints: western India; the Red Sea and Mecca; the Persian Gulf; East Africa; and Kerala. Dr. Subrahmanyam sets the scene for this region starting with the withdrawal of China's Ming Dynasty and explores how the western Indian Ocean was transformed by the growth and increasing prominence of the Ottoman Empire and the continued spread of Islam into East Africa. He examines how several cities, including Mecca and the vital Indian port of Surat, grew and changed during these centuries, when various powers interacted until famines and other disturbances upended the region in the seventeenth century. Rather than proposing an artificial model of a dominant center and its dominated peripheries, Across the Green Sea demonstrates the complexity of a truly dynamic and polycentric system through the use of connected histories, a method pioneered by Dr. Subrahmanyam himself. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose forthcoming book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Across the Green Sea: Histories from the Western Indian Ocean, 1440-1640 (University of Texas Press, 2024) by Dr. Sanjay Subrahmanyam presents a history of two centuries of interactions among the areas bordering the western Indian Ocean, including India, Iran, and Africa. Beginning in the mid-fifteenth century, the regions bordering the western Indian Ocean—“the green sea,” as it was known to Arabic speakers—had increasing contact through commerce, including a slave trade, and underwent cultural exchange and transformation. Using a variety of texts and documents in multiple Asian and European languages, Across the Green Sea looks at the history of the ocean from a variety of shifting viewpoints: western India; the Red Sea and Mecca; the Persian Gulf; East Africa; and Kerala. Dr. Subrahmanyam sets the scene for this region starting with the withdrawal of China's Ming Dynasty and explores how the western Indian Ocean was transformed by the growth and increasing prominence of the Ottoman Empire and the continued spread of Islam into East Africa. He examines how several cities, including Mecca and the vital Indian port of Surat, grew and changed during these centuries, when various powers interacted until famines and other disturbances upended the region in the seventeenth century. Rather than proposing an artificial model of a dominant center and its dominated peripheries, Across the Green Sea demonstrates the complexity of a truly dynamic and polycentric system through the use of connected histories, a method pioneered by Dr. Subrahmanyam himself. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose forthcoming book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

From the BBC World Service: The International Monetary Fund predicts that artificial intelligence is likely to cause disruptions for jobs across the globe — but it won’t have an even effect on workers and global economies. Then, two British brothers are on trial in Switzerland for stealing Ming Dynasty porcelain worth nearly $3.7 million. And the soccer tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, has kicked off in the Ivory Coast.

From the BBC World Service: The International Monetary Fund predicts that artificial intelligence is likely to cause disruptions for jobs across the globe — but it won’t have an even effect on workers and global economies. Then, two British brothers are on trial in Switzerland for stealing Ming Dynasty porcelain worth nearly $3.7 million. And the soccer tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, has kicked off in the Ivory Coast.

Events on the high seas and islands alike reach a fevered pitch as the Dutch, Japan, China, and Portugal all vie for profit and supremacy over Taiwan and its lucrative trade. Meanwhile - call them what you will (because it's hard to keep track - but the "independent merchants" or "pirate lords" ... sometimes even turned government agents keep looking to exploit every opportunity to enrich themselves while avoiding the noose. Take what you can, give nothin' back! Timeframe Covered: ca. 1600-1639 Major Historical Figures: Dutch East India Company/Batavia/Ft. Zeelandia: Capt. Elie Ripon Pieter Nuyts, Governor of Formosa [1598-1655] Catholic Church: Georgius Candidus [1597-1647] Independent Traders/Pirates of Taiwan: Salvador Diaz of Macau Yan Siqi [d. ~1625] Li Dan "Captain China" [d. ~1625] Li Kuiqi ("Quitsicq") Zhong Bin Liu Xiang Ming China: Chen Di, Ming imperial official [1541-1617] Xu Xinsu ("Simpsou"), merchant-contact "Patrolling Admiral" Zheng Zhilong [1604-1661] Shogunate Japan: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, "The Great Unifier" [1537-1598] Suetsugu Heizo Masanao, merchant-lord [1546-1630] Suetsugu Heizo Masafusa, the scion Taiwan Aboriginal Groups: the Sinkan the Mattau Major Sources Cited: Andrade, Tonio (2005). How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Sevententh Century. Andrade, Tonio (2004). "The Company's Chinese Pirates: How the Dutch East India Company Tried to Lead a Coalition of Pirates to War against China, 1621-1662" in Journal of World History, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Dec., 2004). Clements, Jonathan (2004). Coxinga and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty. Ripon, Elie [Leonard Blussé & Jaap de Moor, trans.] (2016). Captain Ripon's Maritime Adventures in the East Indies: The Diary of a Mercenary Soldier, 1617-1627. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Rinella talks with Phil Lavretsky, Janis Putelis, Matt McCormick, Brady Davis, Max Barta, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider. Topics discussed: The open-faced sandwich; a red stag hunt in Scotland and skull plates; when you have a genetics lab named after you; “field to gene'; Flying V like the Army Corps of Engineers; get tickets for the MeatEater Live Tour; how the New Jersey black bear hunt is back on; the Cal Pouch and the waterfowl system from FHF, DSD's waterfowl decoys like fine art, and Phelps duck and geese calls; Montana artist Chuck Black wins the Federal Duck Stamp competition for 2024; when all of the extinct species are in the same drawer; be as good or better than everyone else; how genetic analysis plays into management; releasing pen-raised mallards is a thing; so much hybridization; the Ming Dynasty as the first to domesticate ducks; when you send your wife out to track known game farm mallards; game farm duck DNA mixing with wild duck DNA; Oh, Jersey!; back-crossing; physiological and morphological shifts; volunteers are needed for the new waterfowl research project; calling all duck hunters to apply today to be a citizen scientist!; and more. Connect with Steve and MeatEater Steve on Instagram and Twitter MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube Shop MeatEater MerchSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prince Regent Dorgon of Great Qing is riding high, at the height of his majesty, power, and untouchability. Why, he's even starting to think of himself as more of the ruler than the 6-year-old emperor who is his charge. Those are mighty fine wings you've got there, Icarus... Time Period Covered: 1646-1651 CE Major Historical Actors: Qing: The Shunzhi Emperor (Fulin) [r. 1663-1661] Prince Dorgon, Regent of Great Qing [1612-1650] Ajige, Prince Ying of the First Rank [1605-1651] Dodo, Prince of Yu [1614-1649] Bolo, Prince Duanzhong [1613-1652] Hong Chengchou [1593-1665] Jirgalang, Prince Zheng of the First Rank [1599-1655] Haoge, Prince Su [1609-1648] Mandahai, Prince Xunjian of the First Rank [1622-1652] Gen. Tantai of the Plain Yellow Banner [1594-1651] Gen. Wu Sangui, "Prince of Western Pacification" [1612-1678] Southern Ming: Zhu Yujian, Prince of Tang/Longwu Emperor [1602-1646] Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, Regent of Great Ming [1618-1662] General Zheng Hongkui [d. 1654] Zheng Zhilong (Nicholas Iquan Gaspard), Marquis of Tong'an [1604-1661] Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) [1624-1662] Other Rebel Forces: Zhang Xianzhong, "Emperor of Xi" [r.1644-1647] Jin Shenghuan [d. 1649] Mi-la-yin [d. 1650] Major Works Cited: Dennerline, Jerry. "The Shun-chih Reign" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part One: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800. Struve, Lynn A. "The Southern Ming, 1644-1662" in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7 The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, part I. Wakeman, Frederic. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part two of the summer 2023 unearthed finds includes the potpourri/hodgepodge category, as well as medical stuff, climate, repatriations, books and letters, religious artwork, weapons and tools, and birds. Research: “Archaeologists unearth 4,000-year-old ‘Stonehenge of the Netherlands'.” The Guardian. 6/21/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/archaeologists-unearth-stonehenge-netherlands Alberge, Dalya. “' Startling' new evidence reveals gladiators fought in Roman Britain.” The Guardian. 3/4/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain Anderson, Abigail et al. “The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women's contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts.” PLOS One. 6/28/2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287101 “Norse Greenlanders found to have imported timber from North America.” Phys.org. 4/18/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-norse-greenlanders-imported-timber-north.html “Olmec Sculpture Will Return to Mexico.” 4/4/2023. https://www.archaeology.org/news/11325-230404-mexico-repatriation-olmec ArtNet News. “A Roman-Era Vase, Once Considered a Cremation Vessel, Turns Out to Be an Early Form of Sports Memorabilia for a Gladiator Fan.” 4/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/colchester-vase-sports-memorabilia-2270088 Artnet News. “A Woman Bought Four Ceramic Plates at a Salvation Army for $8. They Turned Out to Be Original Picassos and Worth Over $40,000.” 5/17/2023. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvation-army-picasso-plates-2303661 Associated Press. “A Hebrew Bible that is 1,100 years old sells for $38 million at an auction.” 5/18/2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176805209/a-hebrew-bible-that-is-1-100-years-old-sells-for-38-million-at-an-auction Associated Press. “Italy returns ancient stele, illegally exported, to Turkey.” 4/28/2023. https://apnews.com/article/italy-turkey-archaeology-stele-ancient-greece-6fd526892963aa5b0e240289c4d222f7 Benzine, Vittoria. “An 8-Year-Old Schoolgirl Found a Rare Stone-Age Dagger on a Playground in Norway.” Artnet. 5/17/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/an-8-year-old-schoolgirl-found-a-rare-stone-age-dagger-on-a-playground-in-norway-2302958 Blondel, Francois et al. “Mummy Labels: A Witness to the Use and Processing of Wood in Roman Egypt.” International Journal of Wood Culture. https://brill.com/view/journals/ijwc/3/1-3/article-p192_10.xml Borreggine, Marisa, Sea-level rise in Southwest Greenland as a contributor to Viking abandonment, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209615120. Brockell, Gillian. “MLK's Famous Criticism of Malcolm X was a ‘Fraud', Author Finds.” 5/10/2023. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/05/10/mlk-malcolm-x-playboy-alex-haley/ Chow, Vivienne. “Nigeria Has Transferred Ownership of the Benin Bronzes to Its Royal Leader, Creating a ‘Better Environment' for Future Restitution.” Artnet. 4/27/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/benin-bronze-oba-ownership-2291586 Chun, Alex. “Bought for $6,000, Grime-Covered Windows Are Actually Tiffany—and Worth Up to $250,000 Each.” Smithsonian. 5/17/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiffany-glass-windows-philadelphia-180982193/ Dafoe, Taylor. “An Ancient Roman Bust Purchased for $35 at a Texas Thrift Store Is Now Being Repatriated to Germany.” Artnet. 4/18/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-roman-bust-texas-goodwill-repatriation-germany-2287242 Dafoe, Taylor. “Austria Will Return Two Small Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Officials Hope the Move Will Encourage Britain to Follow Suit.” Artnet. 5/3/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/austria-reptriates-two-small-parthenon-marbles-to-greece-2294596 Dafoe, Taylor. “Japan Has Repatriated a Nazi-Looted Baroque Painting to Poland After Authorities Yanked It From a Tokyo Auction Block.” 6/2/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/japan-repatriated-looted-baroque-painting-poland-2313856 Dafoe, Taylor. “Stolen Ancient Tomb Carvings Sat in Storage at the Met Museum for Decades. Now, They've Been Returned to China.” Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-ancient-tomb-carvings-storage-met-repatriated-2299182 Dzirutwe, Macdonald. “Return of Benin Bronzes delayed after Nigerian president's decree.” Reuters. 5/10/2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/return-benin-bronzes-delayed-after-nigerian-presidents-decree-2023-05-10/ Fine Books & Collections. “Thomas Cromwell's Holbein Portrait Book of Hours Discovered.” 6/8/2023. https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/thomas-cromwells-holbein-portrait-book-hours-discovered Foody, Kathleen. “Michigan researchers find 1914 shipwrecks in Lake Superior.” Associated Press. 4/12/2023. https://apnews.com/article/lake-superior-shipwrecks-1914-2e0b4a2a8b5c2ebae589c964cadfe7c9 Global Times. “2,000-year-old traditional rice dumpling Zongzi unearthed in C.China's Henan, being oldest excavated.” 6/24/2023. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202306/1293063.shtml “Medieval cannon turns up in garden rockery – and it could blow up bidding at auction.” 6/13/2023. https://hansonsauctioneers.co.uk/medieval-cannon-turns-up-in-garden-rockery-and-it-could-blow-up-bidding-at-auction/ Heritage Daily. “Etruscan Tomb Discovered in Ruins of Ancient Vulci.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/04/etruscan-tomb-discovered-in-ruins-of-ancient-vulci/146815 Higgins, Charlotte. “Lavish ancient Roman winery found at ruins of Villa of the Quintilii near Rome.” The Guardian. 4/17/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/17/ancient-roman-winery-found-ruins-villa-of-quintilii-rome Hokkaido University. “Chicken breeding in Japan dates back to fourth century BCE.” Phys.org. 4/20/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-chicken-japan-dates-fourth-century.html Jarus, Owen. “1st-century Buddha statue from ancient Egypt indicates Buddhists lived there in Roman times.” Live Science. 5/2/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/1st-century-buddha-statue-from-ancient-egypt-indicates-buddhists-lived-there-in-roman-times Kent State University. “Despite the dangers, early humans risked life-threatening flintknapping injuries.” Phys.org. 5/25/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-dangers-early-humans-life-threatening-flintknapping.html Killgrove, Kristina. “Ancient 'urine flasks' for smelling (and tasting) pee uncovered in trash dump at Caesar's forum in Rome.” LiveScience. 5/1/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/ancient-urine-flasks-for-smelling-and-tasting-pee-uncovered-in-trash-dump-at-caesars-forum-in-rome Kuta, Sarah. “Ancient DNA Reveals Who Wore This 20,000-Year-Old Pendant.” Smithsonian Magazine. 5/8/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-pendant-new-research-180982129/ Kuta, Sarah. “Divers Are About to Pull a 3,000-Year-Old Shipwreck From the Depths.” 6/16/2013. Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/handsewn-shipwreck-recovered-180982389/ Kuta, Sarah. “Lost for 50 Years, Mysterious Australian Shipwreck Has Finally Been Found.” Smithsonian. 5/31/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blythe-star-shipwreck-found-180982269/ Kuta, Sarah. “Searchers Find WWII Ship That Sank With More Than 1,000 Allied POWs Aboard.” Smithsonian. 4/26/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/searchers-find-ss-montevideo-maru-180982053/ Langley, Michelle. “Who owned this Stone Age jewellery? New forensic tools offer an unprecedented answer.” Phys.org. 5/6/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-stone-age-jewellery-forensic-tools.html Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “A BBC True Crime Podcast Is Asking Museums for Help Locating a Murder Victim's Remains to Solve a Cold Case.” Artnet. 5/4/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/true-crime-podcasters-invite-museums-solve-cold-case-2295029 Luzer, Daniel. “German researchers figure out how lager first developed in Bavaria.” EurekAlert. 4/27/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987496 Manhattan District Attorney. “D.A. Bragg Announces Three Antiquities Repatriated to Yemen.” 4/28/2023. https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-three-antiquities-repatriated-to-yemen/ Martin, Samantha. “New insight into the mystery of ancient Gaza wine.”EurekAlert. 4/26/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987388 McCaffrey, Kate. “A Book Fit for Two Queens.” The Morgan Library & Musuem. 5/28/2021. https://www.themorgan.org/blog/book-fit-two-queens Metcalfe, Tom. “1,000-year-old wall in Peru was built to protect against El Niño floods, research suggests.” LiveScience. 6/26/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1000-year-old-wall-in-peru-was-built-to-protect-against-el-nino-floods-research-suggests Metcalfe, Tom. “2,300-year-old Buddhist elephant statue from India is one of the oldest known.” LiveScience. 6/6/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2300-year-old-buddhist-elephant-statue-from-india-is-one-of-the-oldest-known Metcalfe, Tom. “Ancient Romans sacrificed birds to the goddess Isis, burnt bones in Pompeii reveal.” LiveScience. 5/16/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/ancient-romans-sacrificed-birds-to-the-goddess-isis-burnt-bones-in-pompeii-reveal Metcalfe, Tom. “Top-secret special-ops submarine from World War II discovered after 20-year search.” LiveScience. 6/13/2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/top-secret-special-ops-submarine-from-world-war-ii-discovered-after-20-year-search Mexico News Daily. “Rare statue of Mayan god K'awiil discovered on Maya Train route.” 4/28/2023. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/rare-statue-mayan-god-kawiil-found-maya-train/ Moon, Katherine L. et al. “​Comparative genomics of Balto, a famous historic dog, captures lost diversity of 1920s sled dogs.” Science. 4/28/2023. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5887?adobe_mc=MCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1682688995 Nalewicki, Jennifer. “12,000-year-old flutes carved of bone are some of the oldest in the world and sound like birds of prey.” Live Science. June 9, 2023. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/12000-year-old-flutes-carved-of-bone-are-some-of-the-oldest-in-the-world-and-sound-like-birds-of-prey National Park Service. “National Park archeologists find remains of an underwater hospital and cemetery at Dry Tortugas.” 5/1/2023. https://www.nps.gov/drto/learn/news/underwater-hospital-and-cemetery.htm Niazi, Asaad and Guillaume Decamme. “Iraq's ancient treasures sand-blasted by climate change.” 4/16/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-iraq-ancient-treasures-sand-blasted-climate.html Niccum, Jon. “Puzzling rings may be finger loops from prehistoric weapon systems, research finds.” Phys.org. 5/24/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-puzzling-finger-loops-prehistoric-weapon.html Nowakowski, Teresa. “Archaeologists Find 3,000-Year-Old Sword So Well Preserved It ‘Almost Still Shines'.” Smithsonian. 6/21/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bronze-age-sword-germany-180982399/ Nowakowski, Teresa. “Germany Returns Sacred Wooden Masks to Colombia.” 6/23/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/germany-sacred-masks-colombia-180982419/ Nowakowski, Teresa. “Small Dog Wearing Red Bow Found Hidden in Picasso Painting.” Smithsonian. 5/18/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/picasso-small-dog-discovered-180982198/ Nowakowski, Teresa. “Van Gogh Painting Gets a New Name Thanks to an Eagle-Eyed Chef.” Smithsonian. 5/11/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/van-gogh-red-cabbages-onions-garlic-180982155/ Parker, Christopher. “Buckingham Palace Refuses to Repatriate Remains of Ethiopian Prince.” Smithsonian. 5/25/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/prince-dejatch-alemayehu-ethiopia-england-repatriation-180982239/ Parker, Christopher. “Eight-Year-Old Norwegian Girl Discovers Neolithic Dagger at School Playground.” Smithsonian. 5/11/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-schoolgirl-in-norway-found-a-3700-year-old-dagger-buried-at-her-schoo-180982163/ Paterson, Alistair et al. “The Unlucky Voyage: Batavia's (1629) Landscape of Survival on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia.” Historical Archaeology. 5/4/2023. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41636-023-00396-1 Platt, Tevah. “Digesta: An overlooked source of Ice Age carbs.” University of Michigan. 4/24/2023. https://news.umich.edu/digesta-an-overlooked-source-of-ice-age-carbs/ Py-Lieberman, Beth. “The Smithsonian's Historic Carousel Undergoes Restoration.” Smithsonian. 5/5/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/smithsonian-historic-carousel-undergoes-restoration-14274606/ “Spain to begin exhumation of 128 Civil War victims from burial complex, el Pais reports.” 6/11/2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-begin-exhumation-128-civil-war-victims-burial-complex-media-2023-06-11/ Shahar, Noga. “Genetic link between two modern varieties of red and white grapes and grape varieties cultivated over 1100 years ago.” EurekAlert. 5/3/2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/988090 Skowronek, Tobias B. et al. “German brass for Benin Bronzes: Geochemical analysis insights into the early Atlantic trade.” PLOS One. 4/5/2013. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0283415 Solon, Zach. “Ancient Native American canoe brought to surface from beneath Lake Waccamaw.” WECT. 4/12/2023. https://www.wect.com/2023/04/12/ancient-native-american-canoe-brought-surface-beneath-lake-waccamaw/?fbclid=IwAR0dMNcSQQPDCdKMbM-VHU6HIxEraYZLX0yqGkWHeOlEhvtz0Bpq4DwYnl0 Sullivan, Will. “Humans May Have Eaten Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 4/5/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-may-have-eaten-giant-snails-170000-years-ago-180981929/ Swiss National Science Foundation. “Mummies provide the key to reconstruct the climate of the ancient Mediterranean.” Phys.org. 4/4/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-mummies-key-reconstruct-climate-ancient.html Szotek, Andrzej. “New discoveries in Old Dongola. Protection for Tungul: new, unique wall paintings discovered in Old Dongola, Sudan.” University of Warsaw. 4/5/2023. https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2023/04/05/new-discoveries-in-old-dongola-protection-for-tungul-new-unique-wall-paintings-discovered-in-old-dongola-sudan/ The History Blog. “1,000-year-old Native American canoe raised.” 4/19/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67045 The History Blog. “1st c. surgeon buried with his tools found in Hungary.” 4/27/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67108 The History Blog. “Intact Etruscan tomb with last meal found in Vulci.” 4/8/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66946 The History Blog. “Ming Dynasty shipwrecks laden with porcelain, wood found in South China Sea.” 5/24/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67334 The History Blog. “Neolithic ritual axe with tiger engraving found in China.” Via JSTOR. 4/5/2023. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66918 “The National Museum of Denmark to Donate Rare Feather Cape to Brazil.” 6/27/2023. https://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/the-national-museum-of-denmark-to-donate-rare-feather-cape-to-brazil?publisherId=13560791&releaseId=13700505&lang=en University of Cambridge. “Unique 'bawdy bard' act discovered, revealing 15th-century roots of British comedy.” Phys.org. 5/30/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-unique-bawdy-bard-revealing-15th-century.html Whiddington, Richard. “Archaeologists Digging in the Deserts of Oman Have Discovered a Mysterious Monument They're Calling ‘Arabian Stonehenge'.” Artnet. 5/5/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-digging-in-the-deserts-of-oman-have-discovered-a-mysterious-monument-theyre-calling-arabian-stonehenge-2291997 Zdziebłowski, Szymon. “Armenia/ Large amounts of flour residue discovered in 3,000 years old building.” Science in Poland. 5/21/2023. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C96541%2Carmenia-large-amounts-flour-residue-discovered-3000-years-old-building.html  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This installation of literally and figuratively unearthed items includes updates to previous podcast topics, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, and some surprises -- including items that turned out to be surprisingly valuable. Research: “Archaeologists unearth 4,000-year-old ‘Stonehenge of the Netherlands'.” The Guardian. 6/21/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/archaeologists-unearth-stonehenge-netherlands Alberge, Dalya. “' Startling' new evidence reveals gladiators fought in Roman Britain.” The Guardian. 3/4/2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain Anderson, Abigail et al. “The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women's contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts.” PLOS One. 6/28/2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287101 “Norse Greenlanders found to have imported timber from North America.” Phys.org. 4/18/2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-norse-greenlanders-imported-timber-north.html “Olmec Sculpture Will Return to Mexico.” 4/4/2023. https://www.archaeology.org/news/11325-230404-mexico-repatriation-olmec ArtNet News. “A Roman-Era Vase, Once Considered a Cremation Vessel, Turns Out to Be an Early Form of Sports Memorabilia for a Gladiator Fan.” 4/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/colchester-vase-sports-memorabilia-2270088 Artnet News. “A Woman Bought Four Ceramic Plates at a Salvation Army for $8. They Turned Out to Be Original Picassos and Worth Over $40,000.” 5/17/2023. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvation-army-picasso-plates-2303661 Associated Press. “A Hebrew Bible that is 1,100 years old sells for $38 million at an auction.” 5/18/2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176805209/a-hebrew-bible-that-is-1-100-years-old-sells-for-38-million-at-an-auction Associated Press. “Italy returns ancient stele, illegally exported, to Turkey.” 4/28/2023. https://apnews.com/article/italy-turkey-archaeology-stele-ancient-greece-6fd526892963aa5b0e240289c4d222f7 Benzine, Vittoria. “An 8-Year-Old Schoolgirl Found a Rare Stone-Age Dagger on a Playground in Norway.” Artnet. 5/17/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/an-8-year-old-schoolgirl-found-a-rare-stone-age-dagger-on-a-playground-in-norway-2302958 Blondel, Francois et al. “Mummy Labels: A Witness to the Use and Processing of Wood in Roman Egypt.” International Journal of Wood Culture. https://brill.com/view/journals/ijwc/3/1-3/article-p192_10.xml Borreggine, Marisa, Sea-level rise in Southwest Greenland as a contributor to Viking abandonment, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209615120. Brockell, Gillian. “MLK's Famous Criticism of Malcolm X was a ‘Fraud', Author Finds.” 5/10/2023. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/05/10/mlk-malcolm-x-playboy-alex-haley/ Chow, Vivienne. “Nigeria Has Transferred Ownership of the Benin Bronzes to Its Royal Leader, Creating a ‘Better Environment' for Future Restitution.” Artnet. 4/27/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/benin-bronze-oba-ownership-2291586 Chun, Alex. “Bought for $6,000, Grime-Covered Windows Are Actually Tiffany—and Worth Up to $250,000 Each.” Smithsonian. 5/17/2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiffany-glass-windows-philadelphia-180982193/ Dafoe, Taylor. “An Ancient Roman Bust Purchased for $35 at a Texas Thrift Store Is Now Being Repatriated to Germany.” Artnet. 4/18/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-roman-bust-texas-goodwill-repatriation-germany-2287242 Dafoe, Taylor. “Austria Will Return Two Small Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Officials Hope the Move Will Encourage Britain to Follow Suit.” Artnet. 5/3/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/austria-reptriates-two-small-parthenon-marbles-to-greece-2294596 Dafoe, Taylor. “Japan Has Repatriated a Nazi-Looted Baroque Painting to Poland After Authorities Yanked It From a Tokyo Auction Block.” 6/2/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/japan-repatriated-looted-baroque-painting-poland-2313856 Dafoe, Taylor. “Stolen Ancient Tomb Carvings Sat in Storage at the Met Museum for Decades. 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