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Nowadays, it is very difficult to overstate the importance of China-ASEAN cooperation. This relationship is marked by robust political and diplomatic engagement over the decades. China-ASEAN trading relations are among the largest in the world. In addition, thanks to shared heritage, history, and cultural bonds, people-to-people exchanges between China and ASEAN countries have been more than robust and dynamic over the years.

During his visit to Dhammagiri, Bhante Jinaratana shared these reflections on gratitude and sympathetic joy (muditā). He also reades out a passage from Ajahn Lee's biography, to show how we can combine gratitude, muditā and recollection of sangha (sanghānussati) in reference to spiritual teachers. About the Speaker: Bhante Jinaratana was born in Toronto, Canada. He became interested in meditation as a student at the University of Toronto, and began attending intensive retreats in 2002. After graduating with an H.B.Sc. (neuroscience, mathematics) in 2004, he taught English for a year in Nanning, P.R.C. Desiring to ordain, but without knowing a suitable place to do so, he travelled to Brisbane Australia and completed a Graduate Diploma in Education in 2008 at the Queensland University of Technology. During that time he had the opportunity to stay for an extended period at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage as eight-precept meditator. The guidance he received there helped him to gain the confidence to finally ordain. Bhante Jinaratana received novice ordination at Na Uyana Forest Monastery in Sri Lanka in July 2011, and higher ordination in June 2012 (Na Uyana is the main monastery of the Shri Kalyani forest tradition, the same lineage where Ajahn Dhammasiha originally ordained). Most Venerable Na Uyane Ariyadhamma Mahāthera was the preceptor for bot ceremonies. From 2019-2021 he stayed at Pa Auk Monastery, Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar, meditating under the guidance of Sayadaw U Kumārabhivaṃsa and Most Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw Āciṇṇa. He currently resides at Dhamsuwa Forest Monastery, Melbourne. Bhante has kindly accepted our invitation to visit Dhammagiri for 3 weeks in November/December. ⁠Dhammagiri Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Spotify Playlists⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dhammagiri Youtube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pics⁠⁠⁠ #mudita #gratitude #sympatheticjoy #brahmavihara

Ven Jinaratana Thera uses the very well known novella: "A Christmas Coral" from Charles Dickens to explain fundamental Buddhist principles like generosity, kamma, and finding more meaningful happiness in life. He also speaks about the importance of framing our perception according to Dhamma principles. About the Speaker: Bhante Jinaratana was born in Toronto, Canada. He became interested in meditation as a student at the University of Toronto, and began attending intensive retreats in 2002. After graduating with an H.B.Sc. (neuroscience, mathematics) in 2004, he taught English for a year in Nanning, P.R.C. Desiring to ordain, but without knowing a suitable place to do so, he travelled to Brisbane Australia and completed a Graduate Diploma in Education in 2008 at the Queensland University of Technology. During that time he had the opportunity to stay for an extended period at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage as eight-precept meditator. The guidance he received there helped him to gain the confidence to finally ordain. Bhante Jinaratana received novice ordination at Na Uyana Forest Monastery in Sri Lanka in July 2011, and higher ordination in June 2012 (Na Uyana is the main monastery of the Shri Kalyani forest tradition, the same lineage where Ajahn Dhammasiha originally ordained). Most Venerable Na Uyane Ariyadhamma Mahāthera was the preceptor for bot ceremonies. From 2019-2021 he stayed at Pa Auk Monastery, Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar, meditating under the guidance of Sayadaw U Kumārabhivaṃsa and Most Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw Āciṇṇa. He currently resides at Dhamsuwa Forest Monastery, Melbourne. Bhante has kindly accepted our invitation to visit Dhammagiri for 3 weeks in November/December. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dhammagiri Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Spotify Playlists⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dhammagiri Youtube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pics⁠⁠⁠ #dickens #xmas #christmas #buddhism #dhamma #reframing

Last time we spoke about the battle of Ormoc Bay. Amid the fierce Battle of Leyte in November 1944, American and Japanese forces clashed across rugged terrains and stormy weather. A typhoon swept the island, halting supply lines, while Colonel Verbeck's forces launched a determined assault on Breakneck Ridge, advancing against Colonel Miyauchi's well-defended lines. Meanwhile, Japanese reinforcements suffered devastating losses from American air raids. Through relentless attacks and strategic maneuvers, the Americans gained ground, signalling the turning point toward Japanese retreat and Allied victory on Leyte. Meanwhile a Japanese convoy led by Rear-Admiral Sato suffered devastating losses to Allied submarines and air attacks while attempting to transport troops. Concurrently, Australian and American forces launched aggressive operations in New Guinea, and American B-29 Superfortresses, despite some challenges, intensified the bombing campaign against Japan. This episode is the Fall of Peleliu Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  In our previous update, General Gill's 32nd Division had arrived to relieve the exhausted 24th Division and take charge of the main offensive down the Ormoc Valley. During this lull in the battle, General Kataoka took advantage of the pause to reposition his 1st Division and ordered Colonel Miyauchi's 57th Regiment to counterattack toward Breakneck Ridge. The counterattack had limited success, ultimately leaving the 57th Regiment significantly weakened. On November 16, Colonel John Hettinger's 128th Regiment moved in to relieve the 21st Regiment at Breakneck Ridge but was unable to capture Corkscrew Ridge following a fierce battle. Simultaneously, General Cunningham's 112th Cavalry was deployed to secure and patrol the Mount Minoro area, while Colonel Clifford's reinforced 1st Battalion advanced to Kilay Ridge behind Japanese lines, where it faced artillery fire and unsuccessfully attempted to link up with Colonel Chapman's 2nd Battalion roadblock on Highway 2. To the south, the 32nd Regiment moved toward Baybay to launch a second push toward Ormoc, initiating an advance north to the Damulaan-Caridad area on November 14. Meanwhile, General Yamagata's 26th Division, including Colonel Saito Jiro's 13th Independent Regiment, advanced in the same direction with plans to assault Burauen, setting up a confrontation with the American forces on Shoestring Ridge. By November 17, Hettinger's 1st Battalion had entrenched on the slopes of Corkscrew Ridge while the 3rd Battalion progressed roughly 1,000 yards down the highway, securing a ridge about 500 yards north of Limon. At the same time, Clifford's patrols finally made contact with Chapman's 2nd Battalion, but they struggled to establish a communication line due to the strong enemy presence between them. The following day, Clifford positioned machine guns for a firefight against the enemy on a ridge to the southeast. Throughout the night and into November 19, Japanese machine-gun fire targeted the perimeter, successfully disabling one gun and surrounding Clifford's southernmost outpost, eventually forcing the Americans to withdraw. Meanwhile, Hettinger's 1st Battalion launched another assault on Corkscrew Ridge on November 18, though it achieved only minor gains. Additionally, Colonel Kora Keijiro's 49th Regiment infiltrated the enemy's left flank, initiating a two-pronged advance toward Colasian and Capoocan, but this had limited impact on Gill's offensive. As a result, Hettinger's 1st Battalion continued its siege of Corkscrew Ridge until November 20, while the 3rd Battalion held positions on a ridge overlooking Limon. On November 20 and 21, Japanese forces also gained ground against Clifford's defenses on Kilay Ridge. At the same time, the 32nd Regiment had established a defensive stance on Shoestring Ridge, while the 13th Independent Regiment fortified the opposite ridge with trenches, machine-gun pits, and other installations, sending a reinforced battalion eastward toward Burauen. On November 22, the 11th Airborne Division arrived to relieve the 7th Division, which subsequently redeployed to the west coast. Gill resumed his offensive, sending Hettinger's 2nd and 3rd Battalions south while the 1st Battalion contained Corkscrew Ridge. The Americans fought their way to Limon, establishing defensive positions along a tributary of the Leyte River south of the town after repelling a fierce Japanese counterattack. Meanwhile, Japanese assaults intensified on Kilay Ridge, pushing back Clifford's troops, though they held firm. Fortunately, the Japanese did not press further on November 23, as Kataoka needed to reorganize his forces following the fall of Limon. To support the division's left flank along the Limon-Ormoc highway, he dispatched the 49th Regiment and his reserve battalion, coinciding with the arrival of the 1st Regiment to reinforce the heavily weakened 57th Regiment. However, the withdrawal of the 49th created a significant gap between the 1st and 102nd Divisions, which the 126th Regiment quickly exploited, advancing through the Hill 1525 area to strike at the enemy's rear. The 128th Regiment also took this time to realign and consolidate its positions, focusing the next three days on extensive patrols and placing harassing fire along an east-west ridge overlooking the highway about 1,000 yards south of Limon. Additionally, on November 24, the 112th Cavalry began advancing southwest from Mount Minoro toward the highway with a similar objective. With the occupation of Limon, the Battle of Breakneck Ridge concluded, costing the 24th and 32nd Divisions a total of 1,498 casualties, while the Japanese suffered an estimated 5,252 fatalities and had eight captured. The American victory was largely aided by the establishment of a roadblock south of Limon by Chapman's 2nd Battalion and the defense of Kilay Ridge in the Japanese rear by Clifford's battalion.  From November 12 to 23 the 2nd Battalion, 19th Regiment had defended the roadblock under extremely difficult conditions. The operations report of the 24th Division graphically summarizes the deeds for which the battalion received a presidential citation: “These bearded, mud caked soldiers came out of the mountains exhausted and hungry. Their feet were heavy, cheeks hollow, bodies emaciated, and eyes glazed. They had seen thirty-one comrades mortally wounded, watched fifty-five others lie suffering in muddy foxholes without adequate medical attention. Yet their morale had not changed. It was high when they went in and high when they came out. They were proud that they had rendered invaluable aid to the main forces fighting in Ormoc corridor, by disrupting the Japanese supply lines and preventing strong reinforcements from passing up the Ormoc road. They were proud that they had outfought the Emperor's toughest troops, troops that had been battle trained in Manchuria. They were certain they had killed at least 606 of the enemy and felt that their fire had accounted for many more. And they were proud that this had all been accomplished despite conditions of extreme hardship. 241 of the battalion's officers and enlisted men were hospitalized for skin disorders, foot ulcers, battle fatigue, and sheer exhaustion.” These units, facing constant fire and heavily outnumbered, prevented General Suzuki from reinforcing Limon. Abandoning a potential counteroffensive here, Suzuki redirected his primary efforts to the Burauen front for his Wa offensive. Despite Yamagata's preparations for combat, the effectiveness of the 26th Division depended heavily on acquiring more heavy weapons, ammunition, and equipment. Thus, a convoy with three transports and a submarine chaser departed Manila on November 23, carrying the essential supplies to Ormoc. As night fell over Shoestring Ridge, Saito finally launched his main offensive against the stretched defenses of the 32nd Regiment. Artillery, mortars, and machine guns provided cover for two companies advancing forward to capture sections of the ridge. The next morning, the 2nd Battalion of the 32nd Regiment reorganized its defensive positions, enabling the Americans to push back a Japanese force that had penetrated south of the Palanas River and east of Hill 918. Meanwhile, General Tominaga initiated a large-scale air offensive to support Operation TA's latest convoy, deploying sixty planes from the 2nd Air Division to strike the Leyte airfields, while thirty Navy aircraft targeted enemy shipping in Leyte Gulf. Over the next four days, daily air attacks were conducted in the Leyte area, and the 7th Air Division carried out coordinated strikes against enemy bases on Morotai. However, on November 24, the convoy's transports were sunk by an air attack off Masbate Island, just as another convoy consisting of three transports and one destroyer was dispatched to Ormoc. This convoy was similarly destroyed the next day off Marinduque Island by carrier aircraft, resulting in a complete operational failure. Back in Leyte, on the night of November 24, Saito's troops launched another ferocious assault on enemy positions, beginning with the heaviest artillery barrage the 32nd Regiment had yet encountered. The Americans quickly responded with their own supporting weapons, effectively repelling repeated Japanese attacks. Only Company K was pushed back, but American artillery, mortars, and machine guns prevented the Japanese from exploiting this breakthrough. After failing to penetrate the front lines, Saito's troops desperately attempted to neutralize the artillery supporting the 32nd Regiment before ultimately retreating, allowing the defenders to regroup. By nightfall, the Japanese employed the same tactics as in their previous assault but were ultimately pushed back after a fierce grenade battle and some close-quarters fighting. At the same time, Kataoka's newly deployed reserve battalion launched an attack on Kilay Ridge during the night. However, the weary defenders were able to fend off the assault, resulting in casualties for both sides. After reinforcing Shoestring Ridge, the 32nd Regiment faced another attack on the night of November 26.  At 2100 Colonel Saito renewed the assault against the American position, following the pattern set by the previous night actions. The Japanese first laid down mortar and machine gun fire, and then heavy-weapons fire of the 13th Infantry Regiment hit the right platoons of Company G, shifting to the east in about fifteen minutes. Immediately afterward, about a battalion of Japanese infantry attacked Company G, while twelve machine guns started to fire from a ridge 1,200 yards to the east. The Japanese moved into the fire of their own heavy weapons. The 32d Infantry, using all of its artillery batteries, mortars, machine guns, and rifles, started throwing lead against the enemy force as fast as its men could load and fire. The Japanese, employing an estimated fifty machine guns, continued to come on. "All hell broke loose" as the enemy shot off flares to guide their own artillery fire. The sharp declivity in front of the American lines did not allow for a close concentration of friendly artillery fire. Just as it appeared that the lines were to be overrun, some more enemy flares went up, and the Japanese withdrew, covered by heavy machine gun and mortar fire. Colonel Finn, taking advantage of this fortunate circumstance, hastily rearranged riflemen to fill gaps caused by casualties and replenished his ammunition supplies. The mortars of the regiment continued to fire into the draw. After a short lull Colonel Saito renewed the attack. There was no preparatory artillery fire, but the mortars and machine guns introduced the assault. The attack did not seem as determined as the previous one, though the number of troops was apparently about the same. The 32d Infantry again called down all types of fire upon the enemy. Elements of the 13th Infantry Regiment continued to advance, although "the carnage was terriffic," and attempted to pass through the American lines. A strong enemy group moved into a bamboo grove on a nose in front of the center platoon of G Company. From this position the enemy launched an attack which the company resisted with grenades and bayonets. As Colonel Finn later reported: "The battle continued to flare up and die down as the valiant soldiers fought like devils to hold our lines." The 81-mm. mortars from the mortar platoon of H Company fired 650 rounds in five minutes, and fire from the 60-mm. mortars was "practically automatic." After an hour's intense fighting, the enemy force withdrew. Unbeknownst to the Americans, however, the left and center platoons of Company G fell back in confusion during the fight, allowing the Japanese to infiltrate the American lines in the bamboo thicket previously occupied by the center platoon. The Japanese had not attacked the left flank of Company G. These troops heard the battle raging to the right and the sounds of the Japanese forming below them. A non-commissioned officer in charge of a listening post sent a man to get permission for his 3-man group to withdraw. After receiving permission he shouted the order from a distance of 50 yards. As the men from the listening post started back, they were joined by the left platoon and two squads from the center platoon. Within 45 minutes the two platoons, less one squad, plus the section of heavy machine guns, were moving south on the highway. "There was no thought in their minds that the withdrawal was not authorized." After proceeding down the road 250 yards they met the executive officer of Company H who ordered them back. It was too late, the damage was done. Though the left platoon was able to regain its position without trouble, the two squads from the center platoon found the enemy well dug-in in the bamboo thicket where the squads had been. It was later learned that there were about 200 hostile troops with 20 machine guns in the thicket. The Japanese were within the American lines and in a position from which they could fire on A Battery and the flanks of Companies E, L, I, and K. Although the surprised defenders managed to contain the infiltrators—who seemingly did not recognize the Americans' precarious situation, as they made no attempt to capitalize on it—the situation remained unstable until the 1st Battalion, 184th Regiment arrived on November 27 and regained the lost ground. At this point, all the assault elements of General Arnold's 7th Division had crossed to the eastern shore of the Camotes Sea, and reinforcements were en route. On November 28, the 184th Regiment relieved the exhausted defenders on Shoestring Ridge and successfully repelled a small Japanese attack that night. Meanwhile, Yamashita decided to shift most of his division toward Burauen to initiate Suzuki's planned offensive, leaving only a small detachment to prevent the Americans from reaching Albuera and cutting off the base of his attack. By the end of November, the 184th had successfully taken control of Shoestring Ridge and the Bloody Bamboo Thicket, although it was unable to advance further north due to the enemy's strong resistance. At the same time, Tominaga made an unsuccessful attempt to drop off a raiding unit over Burauen on November 26, marking the first use of a tactic that would be repeated in the coming weeks. On November 27, Admiral Okawachi launched another convoy carrying heavy equipment for the 26th Division, which successfully reached Ormoc Bay overnight. However, it was intercepted by PT boats the following day, resulting in the loss of one frigate and one subchaser during the encounter. The convoy faced further attacks from aircraft on November 29, which sank one transport before the remaining ships departed for Manila. On their return journey, the last two vessels were ultimately destroyed by air strikes. Back in Leyte, on November 29, Clifford's exhausted troops managed to fend off one final heavy assault before being relieved by Hettinger's 2nd Battalion. By the end of the month, the Americans had solidified their positions on Kilay and Shoestring Ridges and were prepared to advance their two offensives against Ormoc. However, we must now shift our focus from the Philippines to Peleliu, where Colonel Nakagawa's remaining 700 men continued to hold out against American assaults with their dwindling strength. At the beginning of November, Colonel Watson's 323rd Regiment had taken over the task of neutralizing the Umurbrogol Pocket, with Colonel Dark's 3rd Battalion on Walt Ridge and Mortimer Valley being the last unit remaining from the 321st Regiment. After a brief pause in combat at the end of October, operations became more active again on November 2. Watson's 2nd Battalion successfully attacked the Five Sisters from the southwest, while elements of the 1st Battalion advanced north along the ridges west of Death Valley, pursuing the remaining Japanese forces from South Pocket. Meanwhile, part of the 3rd Battalion moved slowly south through the ridges and rugged terrain at the northern end of China Wall. However, before Watson could continue his offensive, heavy rains began on November 4, escalating into a typhoon that persisted for four days. By November 12, no significant progress had been made by any unit, with slow patrols and sandbagging ongoing. The 81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop and elements of the 321st Regiment focused on securing additional offshore islets north of Peleliu. Attacks in the Umurbrogol resumed on November 13, with Watson's 1st Battalion advancing eastward from the ridges west of Death Valley, and his 2nd Battalion pushing north into the gorge and Wildcat Bowl, though little ground was gained in the following days. Despite this slow advancement, a key center of resistance was identified in the rough terrain west of central Death Valley. On November 16, oil was sent forward through a hose from fuel tanks set up in covered positions 300 yards distant and poured into a large cave which seemed to be the center of the new-found defenses. Ignited by white phosphorus hand grenades lobbed into the cave, the flaming oil produced such promising results in driving Japanese into the open or killing them, that the same method of conquest continued to be used by the 1st Battalion and in other parts of the pocket. Over the next five days, tanks and LVT-flamethrowers targeted enemy caves at the bases of China Wall and Five Brothers, effectively destroying or sealing all accessible enemy positions and leaving Nakagawa with only 150 men still capable of fighting. By November 21, infantry patrols could operate largely unimpeded throughout Wildcat Bowl and the southern section of Death Valley. The next day, the 323rd launched an assault on the China Wall, where the majority of Nakagawa's weary troops were entrenched, effectively compressing the enemy into a space measuring 125 yards wide by 285 yards long. Meanwhile, on November 23, Five Brothers Ridge was finally cleared. The following day, a second assault on the China Wall gained additional ground, leaving only 57 enemy troops alive. To enable tanks and LVT-flamethrowers to access the central hollow of China Wall, engineers began constructing a ramp up the east wall at the northern end of Wildcat Bowl. As the ramp ascended, Nakagawa realized his situation was hopeless.  On November 24th, Nakagawa burnt the regimental colors and performed harakiri.  He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general for his valor displayed on Peleliu. His final message to General Inoue read  “Our sword is broken, and we have run out of spears.” The 57 remaining soldiers were divided into 17 small teams, instructed to hide during the day and raid American positions at night. With the enemy largely absent, American forces cautiously advanced into the area. On November 26, tanks and LVT-flamethrowers moved up the completed ramp to bombard caves and other defenses in the hollow center of China Wall. The next morning, as units from the north and south finally linked up, Watson declared that hostilities had come to an end. What General Rupertus had anticipated would last only four days had, in fact, extended to nearly two and a half months. The 323rd suffered significant losses during that battle, with approximately 118 soldiers killed and 420 wounded. The overall casualties for the Battle of Peleliu reached over 1,573 American deaths and 6,531 injuries. In contrast, the Japanese forces experienced a total of 10,695 men killed and 301 taken prisoner. Although the fighting was officially declared over and Peleliu secured, isolated groups and individual Japanese troops remained hidden in pockets and caves, primarily in the northern part of the island and the Umurbrogol mountains. For several months afterward, the units of the 81st Division assigned to garrison the island continued to root out stragglers and seal off caves. Many of these soldiers would survive in the mountains and swamps until the war's conclusion and beyond. In fact a Japanese lieutenant with 26 men of the 2nd Infantry soldiers and eight 45th Guard Force sailors held out in the caves in Peleliu until April 22nd of 1947 and surrendered after a Japanese admiral convinced them the war was over. The effort to reduce the Japanese pocket around Umurbrogol Mountain is often regarded as the most challenging battle faced by the U.S. military throughout the entire war. The 1st Marine Division suffered heavy losses and remained inactive until the invasion of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945. During their month on Peleliu, the 1st Marine Division incurred over 6,500 casualties, representing more than one-third of the division's strength. The 81st Infantry Division also experienced significant losses, with approximately 3,300 casualties during their time on the island. Postwar analyses indicated that U.S. forces required more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition to kill each Japanese defender. They expended a staggering 13.32 million rounds of .30-caliber ammunition, 1.52 million rounds of .45-caliber, 693,657 rounds of .50-caliber bullets, 118,262 hand grenades, and 150,000 mortar rounds.The battle sparked considerable controversy in the United States, as many believed that the high number of American casualties was unjustified for an island with minimal strategic importance. The Japanese defenders were incapable of hindering potential U.S. operations in the Philippines, and the airfield captured on Peleliu did not significantly influence subsequent military actions. Instead, the Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands was utilized as a staging ground for the Okinawa invasion. The casualty rate from this battle surpassed that of any other amphibious operation in the Pacific War. Moreover, coverage of the battle was limited, as only six reporters were motivated to report from the shore, influenced by General Rupertus's prediction of a quick victory within three days. The battle also received less attention due to General MacArthur's return to the Philippines and the Allies' advance toward Germany in Europe. The battles for Angaur and Peleliu illustrated the typical patterns of Japanese island defense, yet few adjustments were made for the subsequent battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Naval bombardment before the amphibious assault at Iwo Jima proved to be only marginally more effective than at Peleliu, while the preliminary shelling for Okinawa saw significant improvements. Underwater demolition teams, known as frogmen, conducted operations at Iwo Jima that confused the enemy by targeting both coasts, but this tactic later alerted Japanese defenders to the precise assault beaches during the Okinawa invasion. American ground forces gained valuable experience at Peleliu in assaulting heavily fortified positions similar to those they would encounter again at Okinawa. Admiral William Halsey Jr. recommended canceling the planned occupation of Yap Island in the Caroline Islands. He also suggested that the landings at Peleliu and Angaur be abandoned in favor of deploying their Marines and soldiers to Leyte Island; however, this recommendation was ultimately overruled by Admiral Nimitz. Turning our attention to China, we need to discuss the conclusion of the pivotal Operation Ichi-Go, as the 11th and 23rd Armies pressed on with their offensives against Guilin and Liuzhou. Back in August, following battles in Hunan and Guangdong, the 11th and 23rd Armies of the IJA initiated offensives toward Guilin and Liuzhou, respectively. The NRA troops defending the region were primarily remnants from the Battle of Hengyang, resulting in only 20,000 soldiers being present in Guilin on November 1 when the Japanese commenced their assault on the city. The Chinese government recognized that it could not hold Guilin but chose to prolong the battle for political reasons, sending food and supplies to those besieged. Most civilians had fled Guilin weeks earlier, leaving the city heavily scorched by fire. Defenses were reinforced with pillboxes, barbed wire, and Guangxi troops commanded by Muslim General Bai Chongxi. General Joseph Stilwell, who had a good relationship with Bai, made considerable efforts to supply American munitions to Bai's forces. Trenches were also dug throughout the hilly terrain. By early November, General Yokoyama's forces had effectively surrounded Guilin, with the 3rd and 13th Divisions ready to advance toward Liuzhou, while General Tanaka's units were also preparing to move north following the fall of Wuxuan. Consequently, most of Yokoyama's troops continued to tighten their grip on Guilin, where the determined defenders inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese as they facilitated the withdrawal of American personnel. Additionally, the 13th Division advanced through Yongfu on November 6, the 3rd Division captured Luzhaizhen on November 8, and the 104th Division began its movement toward the area west of Liuzhou. On November 9, just as the 11th Army initiated its main assault on Guilin, General Okamura assigned the 3rd and 13th Divisions to the 23rd Army to enhance coordination for the attack on Liuzhou. Fortunately for them, the Chinese forces offered minimal resistance, leading to the city and its airfield falling the next day. Simultaneously, with the support of the 5th Air Army, Yokoyama successfully captured Guilin, achieving the primary goal of Operation Togo II.  To eliminate the retreating enemy forces, the 23rd Army continued its advance westward. On November 15, the 104th Division took Xincheng, while the 3rd Division captured Yizhou and the 13th Division moved towards Hechi, effectively cutting off the Chinese retreat and destroying the remaining enemy troops. The 3rd Division then advanced north, capturing Huanjian on November 27, while the 13th Division continued west, successfully taking Nandan on November 28 and Dushan on December 2. In response, Tanaka dispatched the 22nd Division and the 23rd Independent Mixed Brigade to capture Nanning, which fell by November 28. By early December, elements of the 22nd Division joined forces with the Indochinese garrison near Shangsi, marking the conclusion of Operation Ichi-Go. After ten days of fierce fighting, the Japanese forces captured Guilin and entered Liuzhou on the same day. Sporadic fighting persisted as Chinese forces retreated rapidly. By November 24, the Japanese had taken control of 75 counties in Guangxi, encompassing about two-thirds of the region. Reports indicate that they killed 215,000 civilians in reprisals and during crossfire, injuring over 431,000. After the fall of Guilin and Liuzhou, the majority of NRA troops lost their morale and retreated without ever confronting the enemy, leading to significant losses in both equipment and personnel. This event became one of the most devastating defeats of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War. Nevertheless, despite having destroyed the airbases in this area, the USAAF could still launch attacks on the Japanese mainland from their other bases. While the Japanese achieved some objectives of Operation Ichigo, it ultimately expanded the territory they needed to defend and significantly weakened their lines, creating a favorable scenario for future counterattacks by Chinese forces. After destroying enemy air bases and annihilating the main enemy forces in the Guilin-Liuzhen area, the 6th Area Army assigned the 22nd Division and the 22nd Independent Mixed Brigade to the 11th Army to secure strategic locations in the region, while the 23rd Army returned to Guangzhou and the Leizhou Peninsula. By the operation's end, Japanese losses were estimated at around 100,000 killed, 200,000 wounded, and significant material losses, including 1,938 small river vessels and 367 aircraft. In contrast, Chinese losses totaled approximately 310,000 killed, 410,000 wounded, and 80,000 captured, along with substantial war material losses, including 312 Allied aircraft, resulting in the deaths of 100 Americans. Additionally, the entire Japanese offensive resulted in the deaths of approximately 500,000 civilians. 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 fight on Leyte gruels on as the fight for Peleliu finally came to an end. The controversial battle of Peleliu would have major ramifications for American planners going forward. In China, absolute horror was continuing to be inflicted upon the Chinese people, leaving to the massacre of hundreds of thousands in a war that just never seemed like it would end.

ChinaTalk columnist Alexa Pan and Jake Newby of the China music substack Concrete Avalanche (https://jakenewby.substack.com/) No election content whatsoever! 1. 'Hohhot Aquarium' - NarrowLaneAngel 窄巷天使 One of the stand-out acts from the Kind of Shoegaze Vol. 1 compilation focused on young Chinese bands that was released at the start of the year, NarrowLaneAngel formed in Inner Mongolia in 2023. In August of that year, they released an eponymous debut EP. 2. 'Limpid' - Forsaken Autumn Based in Shanghai, Forsaken Autumn have been together since 2011, propelled by the talents of britlulu (who also founded the East Asia Shoegaze Festival) and singer Ecke Wu. Released at the tail-end of 2015, Forsaken Autumn's record Whenere — dubbed “the Chinese Loveless” by one commenter on Bandcamp — is a classic in Chinese shoegaze circles. 3. 'Nostalgia' - Summer Daze Founded in 2021, Summer Daze are another band who featured on the Kind of Shoegaze compilation series from Amemoyo. After a couple of early EPs, they've put out four new singles over the course of this year. 4. 'Firework' - The White Tulips Xiamen music scene stalwart Chen Zhenchao (also known as Soda) has moved away from shoegaze into surf-rock and dream- and city-pop territory with his more recent projects, but in 2015 he and his band The White Tulips delivered the decidedly shoegazey Fondle. It's re-release on vinyl in 2021 was a nod to its status as a Chinese shoegaze classic. 5. 'Float' - Chocland.doc 巧克力文件岛 Hebei five piece Chocland.doc apparently first came together at a former residence of Eileen Chang, but are seemingly yet to write a song based on Lust, Caution or any of her other novels. "Of course, the name of the band has no meaning," they say, "what you understand is what you understand." 6. 'Is your dream still out-focus' - Lunacid Another one of China's newer shoegaze acts, Lunacid were formed in 2023. The trio hail from Changsha and also featured on the Kind of Shoegaze compilation series. 7. '迷航' ('Dazedtrek') - 哲学思潮 (Philosophy Currents) Formed just last year, 哲学思潮 hail from Nanning in Guangxi province, near the border with Vietnam. Their debut album Dazedtrek was recently made available on Bandcamp.  8. 'Detached' - The Numen Shanghai-based quartet The Numen met on arts review platform Douban and have pursued a shared love of shoegaze and indie-rock since the summer of 2023. They namecheck shoegaze greats such as My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields among their influences.  9. 'Cat Tenant (Summer)' - Baby Formula Formed by “three boring people with no expectations for the unknown journey ahead”, Beijing band Baby Formula came seemingly out of nowhere, dropped an impressive eponymous debut album in the autumn of 2013, and then promptly disappeared again. Still, their music continues to resonate over a decade later. 10. 'star' - Dear Eloise As frontman for long-running band PK14, Yang Haisong is one of the godfathers of Chinese post-punk. Yet he's also played a pivotal role in bringing more experimental, noisy, and yes, shoegazey sounds to the fore. Formed in 2007 with his wife (and one-time PK14 bassist) Sun Xia, Dear Eloise have released a string of atmospheric records over the years and remain an influential act in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ChinaTalk columnist Alexa Pan and Jake Newby of the China music substack Concrete Avalanche (https://jakenewby.substack.com/) No election content whatsoever! 1. 'Hohhot Aquarium' - NarrowLaneAngel 窄巷天使 One of the stand-out acts from the Kind of Shoegaze Vol. 1 compilation focused on young Chinese bands that was released at the start of the year, NarrowLaneAngel formed in Inner Mongolia in 2023. In August of that year, they released an eponymous debut EP. 2. 'Limpid' - Forsaken Autumn Based in Shanghai, Forsaken Autumn have been together since 2011, propelled by the talents of britlulu (who also founded the East Asia Shoegaze Festival) and singer Ecke Wu. Released at the tail-end of 2015, Forsaken Autumn's record Whenere — dubbed “the Chinese Loveless” by one commenter on Bandcamp — is a classic in Chinese shoegaze circles. 3. 'Nostalgia' - Summer Daze Founded in 2021, Summer Daze are another band who featured on the Kind of Shoegaze compilation series from Amemoyo. After a couple of early EPs, they've put out four new singles over the course of this year. 4. 'Firework' - The White Tulips Xiamen music scene stalwart Chen Zhenchao (also known as Soda) has moved away from shoegaze into surf-rock and dream- and city-pop territory with his more recent projects, but in 2015 he and his band The White Tulips delivered the decidedly shoegazey Fondle. It's re-release on vinyl in 2021 was a nod to its status as a Chinese shoegaze classic. 5. 'Float' - Chocland.doc 巧克力文件岛 Hebei five piece Chocland.doc apparently first came together at a former residence of Eileen Chang, but are seemingly yet to write a song based on Lust, Caution or any of her other novels. "Of course, the name of the band has no meaning," they say, "what you understand is what you understand." 6. 'Is your dream still out-focus' - Lunacid Another one of China's newer shoegaze acts, Lunacid were formed in 2023. The trio hail from Changsha and also featured on the Kind of Shoegaze compilation series. 7. '迷航' ('Dazedtrek') - 哲学思潮 (Philosophy Currents) Formed just last year, 哲学思潮 hail from Nanning in Guangxi province, near the border with Vietnam. Their debut album Dazedtrek was recently made available on Bandcamp.  8. 'Detached' - The Numen Shanghai-based quartet The Numen met on arts review platform Douban and have pursued a shared love of shoegaze and indie-rock since the summer of 2023. They namecheck shoegaze greats such as My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields among their influences.  9. 'Cat Tenant (Summer)' - Baby Formula Formed by “three boring people with no expectations for the unknown journey ahead”, Beijing band Baby Formula came seemingly out of nowhere, dropped an impressive eponymous debut album in the autumn of 2013, and then promptly disappeared again. Still, their music continues to resonate over a decade later. 10. 'star' - Dear Eloise As frontman for long-running band PK14, Yang Haisong is one of the godfathers of Chinese post-punk. Yet he's also played a pivotal role in bringing more experimental, noisy, and yes, shoegazey sounds to the fore. Formed in 2007 with his wife (and one-time PK14 bassist) Sun Xia, Dear Eloise have released a string of atmospheric records over the years and remain an influential act in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the Sino-Soviet Conflict of 1929. In 1919, Soviet Commissar Lev Karakhan promised China the return of the Chinese Eastern Railway at no cost, aiming to foster good relations amid the Russian Civil War. However, the Soviets retracted the offer, causing tensions. Over the next decade, control of the railway shifted between Chinese and Soviet hands, sparking conflicts. By 1929, Zhang Xueliang, a Chinese warlord, attempted to reclaim the railway, leading to military confrontations. Despite initial diplomatic efforts, the situation escalated into a full-scale war. The Soviets, under General Vasily Blyukher, launched a powerful offensive, using their superior military force to overpower the Chinese defenses. After intense battles, including naval engagements, the Soviets gained the upper hand, leading to heavy Chinese casualties and loss of territory. The conflict ended with the Soviets firmly in control, highlighting the fragile nature of Sino-Soviet relations during this tumultuous period.   #122 The Chiang-Gui War 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. With the reunification of China, China's Warlord Era was over…but it really wasn't. Chiang Kai-Shek came to Beijing via a trail laid open by Yan Xishan. The Northern Expedition had been completed by August, just as the Generalissimo promised it would. According to previous agreements amongst the KMT, he tendered in his resignation upon completing the Northern Expedition. But the party refused to accept it, instead the Generalissimo was commanded to go visit the tomb of Dr Sun Yat-Sen over in the western Hills. He was accompanied by many of his generals who all oversaw a impressive ceremony, culminating with Chiang Kai-Shek weeping before Dr Sun Yat-Sen's shrine. Now Beijing was of course a symbol of China's Manchu past. The KMT and all revolutionaries within China for that matter hated it for that reason. It was seen as suitable enough for the government of North China, but not for the national capital, no this was moved to Nanking. Nanking of course had been seen as the secondary capital for centuries and held ancient history as being the first capital of China. Yet there was a lot of opposition to this. The Northern Chinese of course wanted to retain Beijing as the capital, many Chinese scholars had arguments against it, the foreign legations were annoyed at the idea of moving their residence and staff, so on and so forth. There was a great love for the northern capital, for its wonderful shops, restaurants rich history and such. Many did not believe Nanking could match Beijing's beauty. But the KMT assured all Nanking would become the gem of China. Beijing, which was actually called Peking at this time, again I just keep using modern terms to not confuse you guys, but Peking was then changed to Peiping translating to “northern peace”. As much as the capital was ruffling feathers, another more pressing issue was the enormous NRA army now that they had no Northern Expedition to run. Armies are not cheap, demobilization obviously needed to be done. However the KMT dragged their feet on the issue. Demobilization is something many governments face, but China's situation was rather unique. The NRA held many professional armies, made up of men who had never been anything but soldiers with no desire to become civilians. Many of the NRA generals also did not wish to carry on as civilians. Most of these men were doing a career and knew nothing else. In June of 1928, over 2 million men were on military pay roll. The minister of finance, T.V Soong, believed in keeping straight books and protested the enormous military expense. The KMT central committee passed resolutions and formed a plan; the standing army, needed to be cut down to at least 715,00 men. But when it came to deciding who gets disbanded, here lay the troubles.  There was another issue, the mechanics of the new government. In the first days of the peace, Chiang Kai-Shek had proven himself a pretty good manager. He had a lot of help from his political right hand man, Hu Hanmin, and they were on good terms. Chiang Kai-Shek was quite popular in the beginning, many looked up to him. However as the days went by, things started to crumble. The first major conflict occurred when Chiang Kai-Shek attempted to do away with the political subcouncils in Guangzhou and Wuhan. Chiang Kai-Shek argued this new united China did not need any more than a single central federal government office. The regimes in Guangzhou and Wuhan needed to disband and become integrated properly at Nanking. However Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren were the respective governors of the two provinces that held these regimes and they very much liked their current status. They obviously resented what they saw as a slight against them by Chiang Kai-Shek. Both men began using the term “dictator” to describe Chiang Kai-Shek, they said things like he was getting too big for his boots.  Now going back to the roots of the KMT, Dr Sun Yat-Sen had hoped to implement a national constitution. Yet simply flinging out what Sun Yat-Sen had once written down was out of the question, a new constitution needed to be drafted. Thus, basically for the next 5 years, China went through an awkward transformation process, trying to become a real voting republic. But in the meantime the country was controlled by a government of 5 “yuans” (committees). These were the executive, legislative, control, judicial and examination committees. The high officials of these committees were members of the State council, also seen as a cabinet, headed by the President. Chiang Kai-Shek became the first president and was very careful on who he included in his cabinet. Yan Xishan became the Minister of the Interior and Feng Yuxiang Minister of War. Both of these men were still bonafide warlords, but they were the two leaders who helped reunify China with him. He had to keep them happy, they controlled vast private armies, he also knew to keep them close.  Nanking was fraught with activity, but no demobilization. Months went by. Chiang Kai-Shek was happy, it was quite a creative time for him, but the reality was, the government was filled with potential traitors, great amounts of land were not really assimilated, nor were their populations. Nonetheless China had not seen such unity in centuries. Chiang Kai-Shek felt an immense sense of pride, he himself was full of energy and overworking. Chiang Kai-Shek began promising to rebuild Nanking in a fitting style. A magnificent tomb was planned for the slope of Purple Mountain, above the ruins of the old Ming temple, where Sun Yat-Sens remains would be moved. The city was remodeled, its old narrow and messy streets were cleared out. Nanking possessed a certain antiquity look, and many were fond of it and hated the construction efforts. Chiang Kai-Shek envisioned retaining the Chinese style of architecture, with sloping roofs, painted ceilings, tiles and courtyards, but also clean, cool interiors with electrical appliances. He basically wanted to blend the new with the old. Chiang Kai-Shek found an American architect to help rebuild Nanking. He also began hunting down advisors for just about every field. He looked up foreign farmer experts, German military advisors, American educational advisors, medical advisors, highway construction advisors and such. The climax to it all was recognition of the new Nanking government from the great powers. Chiang Kai-Shek found himself stuck in interviews with diplomats nearly every day. It is said the Generalissimo worked from dawn to night, with his wife Meiling as his secretary. Her primary role was translating important work into English, she was also his English interpreter. Meiling pushed Chiang Kai-Shek to try and learn English so he would be less dependent on her. She taught him as best as she could, and he was apparently making good headway until he had a incident. One day he was meeting with the British Minister and tried to practice his english by saying “good morning, Lampson” but instead he said “kiss me, Lampson”. Henceforth he never tried talking in English with foreigners. In May came some excitement with the Sino-Soviet conflict. Zhang Xueliang literally tossed the Soviet ultimatum to Nanking, an unwelcome gift to Chiang Kai-Shek. Ultimately Zhang Xueliang could do nothing against the Soviet power. It was certainly a blow to China, but perhaps in the grand scheme of things, Chiang Kai-Shek's mind worried more about the Japanese. The Soviets and Japanese were not all Chiang Kai-Shek should have been worried about, there were plenty of internal enemies. Back in July of 1928, it was estimated the NRA held over 2.2 million soldiers within 84 corps and 272 divisions. This accounted for an annual expenditure of over 800 million yuan, when the national fiscal revenue was something like 450 million yuan. Chiang Kai-Shek advocated for demobilization, hoping to bring it down to 1.2 million with 80 divisions, thus reducing expenditures to 60% of the national budget. By January of 1929 the issue came up again, now based on German military advisors advice, Chiang Kai-Shek wanted to reduce the NRA to 50 divisions at around 800,000 troops. His First Army belonging to the central system would be reorganized into 20 divisions, and the remaining army groups would be divided into 10 divisions. Uh huh you see where this is going. Chiang Kai-Shek also proposed establishing a 200,000 man strong military police force. So if you remember from the end of the Northern Expedition, there were 4 NRA collective armies. The 1st was led by Chiang Kai-Shek, the 2nd by Feng Yuxiang, the 3rd by Yan Xishan and the 4th by Li Zongren. Each of these men were warlords in the own right with cliques behind them. For example Li Zongren was the leader of the New Guangxi Clique who controlled Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei and parts of the Shanhai pass connecting Hubei to Tianjin. The NRA 4th army had 16 divisions and 6 independent units, some 200,000 troops. When Wang Jingwei went into exile, Li Zongren inherited his Wuhan regime government. Li Zongren also had the support of Li Jishen who controlled Guangdong. Now Chiang Kai-Shek certainly had the upper hand, his first NRA army was 500,000 strong and he was the President of the nation. Yan Xishan had over 200,000 troops in his 3rd NRA army and controlled the Shanxi clique, Shanxi province, northern Hubei, Beijing and Tianjin. Lastly Feng Yuxiang had 400,000 troops in his 2nd NRA army, was the leader of the Guominjun and controlled a large part of northwest China, alongside Henan. Alone none of the others could challenge Chiang Kai-Shek, but what if they united against him?  The Guangxi clique led by Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren had won a lot from the northern expedition. They controlled Wang Jingwei's old Wuhan Regime, Guangxi, Hubei, but did not control all of Hunan. They both felt they should control Hunan and its lucrative revenues of course. Yet the governor of Hunan insisted the taxes collected were property of Nanjing. So Bai Chongxi and Li Zongrenplaced him under house arrest. After this Lu Diping was appointed by Li Zongren to preside over Hunan's civilian government affairs. Lu Diping was forced to work with a bitter rival, He Jian. What the Guangxi Clique members did not know was that Lu Diping had been groomed by Chiang Kai-Shek. Chiang Kai-Shek also began arming Lu Diping's private army in February of 1928. He Jian found out about this and reported it to the rest of the Guangxi clique. Li Zongren took notice of the situation and immediately had Lu Diping removed from office and deported. He was replaced by He Jian, go figure. Lu Diping then fled to cry to Chiang Kai-Shek. Chiang Kai-Shek was furious his man had been taken out of office and began threatening the Guangxi clique. Li Zongren's family were living in Nanking at the time and he took them quickly over to the Shanghai concession as he believed a storm was brewing. Li Zongren then met with Chiang Kai-Shek striking a peaceful deal by march 2nd, both agreeing He Jian would temporarily serve as the chairman over Hunan. However back over in Hunan, the situation was quickly deteriorating. Guangxi troops were taking out political opponents in the province and looked to be fomenting a rebellion. Chiang Kai-Shek took decisive action and mobilized his forces to pacify the Guangxi clique. Li Jishen, fearing a war would break out at any moment, sped north to Nanking to mediate, only to be arrested upon arriving by Chiang Kai-Shek. He was charged with treason. With Li Jishen out of Guangdong, the Cantones Generals Chen Jizhen and Chen Mingshu tossed their lot in with Chiang Kai-Shek, thus severing the Guangdong-Guangxi alliance. On March 21st Nanking issued a statement expelling Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi and Li Jishen from the KMT, accusing the 3 men of treason.  Now Chiang Kai-Shek actually was dealing with a lot more than insubordination from the Guangxi clique, in fact there was a growing anti-Chiang Kai-Shek coalition forming. I wont get into it here, but Feng Yuxiang was raising hell in the northwest, Yan Xishan was not at all happy with the new Nanking government and even Wang Jingwei over in Europe was tossing public accusations against Chiang Kai-Shek. This led a lot of KMT officials to resign in protest. Chiang Kai-Shek had a serious rebellion, perhaps a civil war on the horizon. He reacted first by bribing key Northern Chinese leaders to be neutral for the time being so he could focus all of his attention on the Guangxi clique menace. Chiang Kai-Shek did another clever thing, he reconciled with the exiled Tang Shengzhi. Many forces under Bai Chongxi were former soldiers under Tang Shengzhi, many of whom were still loyal to him. Chiang Kai-Shek brought Tang Shenzhi back over to China from Japan and dispatched him to Tangshan in Hubei, where he was ordered to steal back two of his old divisions from Bai Chongxi.  Yes Chiang Kai-Shek was playing the divide and conquer strategy. First he bribed as many as he could, so he could focus on the Guangxi clique. Then amongst the Guangxi he tried to bribe some and arrest others, isolating Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren. In the face of the situation, Zhang Xueliang was the first to publicly express his support for Chiang Kai-Shek, he was followed by Liu Wenhui, the warlord over Sichuan, then Yan Xishan and finally a reluctant Feng Yuxiang.  Initially Bai Chongxi was going to lead his troops station in Hubei to march south to Xuzhou to try and link up with other Guangxi clique forces to advance east and attack Nanking. However as he quickly found out, most of his troops were loyal to Tang Shengzhi who purchased their service and stole them from him. Bai Chongxi lost control over a significant part of his army, panicked and fled Hubei by boat. He intended to flee for Hong Kong, but Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the Navy to halt the ship, and if it did not stop to sink it. Li Zongren quickly asked support from Japanese allies to get Bai Chongxi safely to Hong Kong. Meanwhile Li Zongren began mobilizing 3 armies under Guangxi Generals Xia Wei, Tao Wei and Hu Zongqi. These armies were intended to be deployed in Huangpu and Wuxue, however Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi could not physically get over to them to command them. Meanwhile Chiang Kai-Shek appointed General Zhu Peide in command of 5 divisions in Jiujiang and Nanchang. Their job was to occupy the Wuchang-Changsha railway, thus cutting off the withdrawal of any troops from Guangxi. Chiang Kai-Shek also placed General Liu Zhi  in command of 5 divisions over in Anhui and Hubei's border area with orders to attack Wuhan and General Han Fuju would take 5 divisions from southern Henan to attack Wuhan. On March 31st, Chiang Kai-Shek dispatched his general attack orders. Subsequently He Jian betrayed the Guangxi clique and joined Chiang Kai-Shek. Within the Guangxi clique, the Generals Hu Zongtang, Tao Shu, Li Mingrui and Yu Zuobai all began inhouse fighting over old petty grudges. Chiang Kai-Shek learnt of the situation and bribed Yu Zuobai and Li Mingrui to join his side for 400,000 silver dollars. On April 3rd, Li Mingrui's troops began to defect over in Huayuan and Xiaogan. A bunch of other Guangxi Generals began contacting Chiang Kai-Shek privately, tell him they would not participate in the civil war and asked if they could take their men safely out of the region. So many gaps in the Guangxi cliques defensive lines around Wuhan were exploited by Nankings forces coming from Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan and Yichang. Nearly surrounded at Wuhan, the Guangxi forces fled into western Hubei. At the same time, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi both arrived in Hong Kong and made their way to Guangxi only to find the situation an utter mess.  On April 11th, Nanking issued a message calling upon the Guangxi clique's soldiers to give up resistance. The demoralized Guangxi troops of Xia Wei, Tao Jun, Hu Zongtang all began surrendering themselves at Shashi, Yichang and other places. On April 25th, Chiang Kai-Shek unleashed an offensive into Guangxi. The response by the surviving Guangxi Clique was to establish an anti-Chiang Kai-Shek coalition on May 5th. They dispatched a telegram calling upon everyone to join them and initiated an offensive first aimed at Guangdong. By the 15th, Feng Yuxiang heeded the call, and began discussing how the Guominjun might send troops to attack Chiang Kai-Shek. However Feng Yuxiangs colleagues, Han Fuyu and Shi Yousan urged Feng Yuxiang not to do so. Then Chiang Kai-Shek offered Feng Yuxiang the position as president of the Executive committee, control over Hubei and Hunan if he continued to support him and send forces against the Guangxi rebels. Feng Yuxiang superficially agreed to Chiang Kai-Sheks request, mobilizing his forces between Henan and Hubei. While this looked like he was helping Chiang Kai-Shek, in reality he was eagerly waiting in the shadows for Chiang Kai-Shek and the Guangxi clique forces to weaken so he might pounce upon Wuhan. By mid May Guangxi's troops began entering Guangdong from two directions, easily overwhelming he Guangdong Provincial army, and marched into Guangzhou. Chiang Kai-SHek mobilized further armies in Hunan, Yunnan and Guizhou to invade Guangxi. This soon saw major battle break out in the Baimu region, ultimately dislodging the Guangxi troops from Guangdong and back into Guangxi. However, simultaneously, the Guangxi forces advanced on the front lines in Guilin and Liuzhou, defeating the Xiangjun, Qijun, and Qijun troops. In the same month, in Hunan, a significant push was made from Shonan to Guilin; meanwhile, Chen Guangdong's forces attacked Zhaoqing from Wuzhou, He County, and Guizhou's Dushan County, ultimately seizing Liuzhou. Chiang Kai-shek quickly mobilized forces led by Li Mingrui, Yu Zuobai, and the old Guangxi clique army under Yang Tenghui to move south towards Guangdong and west to attack Guangxi. Thanks to the strong efforts of these forces, they swiftly captured Wuzhou and Guiping. Wei Yunwei abandoned the city, and the Guangxi forces were unable to sustain the fight. Guangxi Province was attacked from three fronts, with enemy forces advancing from Longzhou. By June, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and Huang Shaoxiong had fallen. Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and others fled to Hong Kong, Sai Kung, Haiphong, and other locations. On June 27, Li Mingrui and his troops entered Nanning. The new Guangxi clique was defeated, and Chiang appointed Li Mingrui, Yu Zuopeng, and Yang Tenghui to govern Guangxi Province. The war concluded with Chiang's victory. What became known as the Chiang-Gui War had lasted for 3 months and ended in victory for Chiang Kai-Shek. It was a severe blow to the Guangxi Clique, though not a fatal one. The Guangxi clique leaders had lost considerable power, but those like Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi would return to cause further trouble.  Victory would be short lived however. As Feng Yuxiang arrayed his forces between Henan and Hubei hoping to pounce on Wuhan at the right moment, Chiang Kai-Shek defeated the Guangxi clique far too quickly. Feng Yuxiang's opportunity was lost and he became extremely bitter over this. Knowing full well what Feng Yuxiang had been planning to do, Chiang Kai-Shek mobilized forces in Shandong and Henan to suppress the Guominjun.  Feng Yuxiang then declared himself commander in chief of the Northwest National salvation army, officially joining the anti-Chiang Kai-Shek cause. Chiang Kai-Shek then bribed Generals Han Fuju and Shi Yousan to defect over to his side greatly hurting Feng Yuxiang. Chiang Kai-Shek also unleashed propaganda warfare accusing Feng Yuxiang of sabotaging the revolution, being treasonous, trying to obstruct the unification of China and such. On May 23rd, the KMT central committee removed Feng Yuxiang from all of his posts and permanently expelled him from the party. Two days later Chiang Kai-Shek personally called Feng Yuxiang, asking him to go into exile abroad and hand over his remaining forces. Completely isolated politically and militarily, Feng Yuxiang sent a nationwide telegram on the 27th expressing his resignation. In order to mitigate Chiang Kai-Shek's advances, and in order to see if he could gain an alliance, Feng Yuxiang took his family to Shanxi on June 21st, claiming to the nation he was about to go abroad. Instead he had Yan Xishan place him under house arrest within the Jinci Temple at Jian'an village.  Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan were not friends by any measure. But they were quick to reach an understanding. The two Warlords made a formidable combination and had similar attributes. Both were strongmen, with firmly loyal and affection forces. Feng Yuxiang had his theatrical Christian values and rustic simplicity. Yan Xishan had this record of being a just man of the people. Both understood their names combined would see many join their cause. They named their coalition the Peoples Army.Yan Xishan then joined Feng Yuxiang to publicly label Chiang Kai-Shek a dictator. Despite the energy and charisma, what the two men lacked as a brilliant political mind, and suddenly Wang Jingwei came out of the woodwork. Wang Jingwei joined their coalition, obviously hoping to get revenge and dethrone Chiang Kai-Shek. He supplied them with loftier motives and more stylish vocabulary. Together they publicly accused Chiang Kai-Shek of departing from the original spirit of the revolution; that he was the scourge of democracy; nothing more than a military man who sought to seize the power of government. Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren bandwagoned and it seemed a large part of China was becoming very anti-Chiang Kai-Shek. After this a “telegraph war: erupted for over a month. Yan Xishan demanded the currently KMT government step down so he and Wang Jingwei could lead a reorganization, implementing proper votes by all party members to determine the party's policies going forward in a more fair manner. Chiang Kai-Shek responded he was willing to step aside for Yan Xishan but not Wang Jingwei. Then Chiang Kai-Shek bribed Yan Xishan with 12.5 million dollars of foreign currency if he backed down. To make matters more complicated, during all of this, Feng Yuxiang sent a secret message with his subordinate Lu Zhonglin to forces in Shaanxi asking them to send people to contact Chiang Kai-Shek. He did this deliberately, making sure Yan Xishan found the note and of course suspected him of being in league with Chiang Kai-Shek. Some real game of thrones shit. It seems Feng Yuxiang pulled a big brain move, because Yan Xishan under the belief Feng Yuxiang was colluding with Chiang Kai-SHek, then publicly claimed he was the commander in chief of the anti-Chiang Kai-Shek coalition and that his deputy commanders were Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren and Zhang Xueliang. So, it seems Feng Yuxiang had dragged Yan Xishan to be binded to the cause because perhaps he knew Chiang Kai-Shek was trying to bribe and divide them?  On February 23, under the leadership of Yan Xishan, 45 generals including Feng Yuxiang , Li Zongren, Zhang Fakui, He Jian, Han Fuju, Shi Yousan, and Yang Hucheng jointly sent a telegram demanding a "general vote of all party members to establish a unified party." On February 27, 1930, Yan Xishan personally visited Feng Yuxiang in Jian'an Village, where they apparently hugged each other and cried, saying to each other: "We live and die together, share hardships, and fight against Chiang until the end" Then they  pledged their blood to form an alliance. Very theatrical. The next morning Yan Xishan hosted a banquet for Feng Yuxiangs family where 34 representatives joined the anti-chiang kai-shek coalition. This became known as the Taiyuan conference. On March 1st the coalition sent officials into 19 provinces and cities including Peiping, Nanking, Guangzhou and overseas to attack Chiang Kai-Shek. They stated "If Chiang refuses to give up, the revolutionary forces will be increasingly destroyed by him. I sincerely hope that our compatriots and comrades throughout the country will , rise up together and eliminate the thieves together.". That sam month the Nanking government held their third plenary session where they expelled Wang Jingwei officially from the party. Yan Xishan then called Chiang Kai-Shek asking him personally to step down. On March 15th, 57 generals from the former 2nd, 3rd and 4th NRA armies sent representatives to Taiyaun to discuss the anti-chiang movement. There they listed 6 crimes Chiang Kai-Shek had committed and promoted Yan Xishan to officially be the commander in chief of the army, navy and air forces of a new Republic of China. Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang and Zhang Xueliang would be his deputy commanders. Yan Xishan's army moved into the government offices in Peiping where KMT forces were disarmed. In April 1st, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang and Li Zongren announced the inauguration in Taiyuan, Tongguan and Guiping of their anti-chiang army, however one name was not present, that of Zhang Xueliang. 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. After performing the Northern expedition and finally reunifying China it took all but…what just over a year for it to collapse? It really seemed most of China hand banded together against the Generalissimo, but he was no fool and had planned accordingly. The anti-Chiang Kai-shek coalition would find themselves in a war they may very well lose. 

①China will cut banks' reserve requirement ratio by 50 basis points. How will this move, along with other stimulus measures, impact the economy? (00:47)②At the UN Summit of the Future, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on major countries to serve as propellers for world solidarity and anchors for peace. How does that align with China's role on global stage? (14:03)③China-ASEAN Expo is underway in Nanning. What are the major highlights of this year's event? (24:04)④China and Switzerland start talks on FTA upgrade for mutual benefit. What signal does it send out amid rising global protectionism and economic uncertainty? (32:47)⑤Argentina and Venezuela have issued warrants for the arrests of each other's presidents. What's behind the deepening rifts between the two countries? (41:56)

Printemps 2024  - Aude se souvient de la veille du Nouvel An chinois 2000, le 5 février 2000. Elle est à Nanning dans le sud de la Chine, elle y habite depuis septembre 1998. Elle est à vélo avec la caméra à cassette d'un ami dans le panier juste devant. Une caméra pour filmer des sons et des images, des souvenirs de sa première expatriation chinoise et du Nouvel An.  Aujourd'hui, ce film existe sans doute quelque part mais le souvenir ce n'est pas lui. C'est l'histoire qui vient juste après. Après le vélo, la caméra mais toujours la veille du Nouvel An chinois 2000.  Ecoutez pour savoir et souvenez-vous à votre tour de cet épisode de vie à l'étranger qui aurait pu mal tourner.  Merci Aude de t'être souvenue et de contribuer à créer la première collection de souvenirs sonores où la mémoire individuelle est une brique précieuse de notre mémoire collective.   Avec "À nos souvenirs !", chacun a la place de raconter, déposer, encapsuler, libérer, figer, partager, transmettre... SON PRÉCIEUX SOUVENIR. Si toi aussi tu as envie de te souvenir, écris-moi en mp Instagram @a_nos_souvenirs.podcast / ou par mail : anossouvenirs.podcast@gmail.com --- Jingle : Sizzla - Born A King / Beatpick

Last time we spoke about the tyrannical regime of Ungern-Sternberg in Mongolia. Ungern-Sternberg's secret police led by Colonel Leonid Sipailov targeted Reds and Jews, executing nearly 900 people, including over 50 Jews. Meanwhile, Ungern-Sternberg built his Asiatic Cavalry Division, aiming to form a Mongolian national army. Damdin Sukhbaatar emerged as a Red leader, trained in military tactics and part of Mongolia's independence movement. The Soviet Union supported Mongolia against Ungern-Sternberg's occupation, aiding the Mongolian People's Party. Sukhbaatar led successful campaigns against White Russians, ultimately capturing Urga. Ungern-Sternberg's forces were defeated by the Red Army, leading to his capture and execution. After his downfall, Mongolia faced internal political struggles, including purges and power struggles within the Mongolian People's Party. Meanwhile, Tibet faced its own challenges, negotiating with China and Britain over its status and borders, leading to the establishment of the McMahon Line, though China disputed the agreement. #103 the First Zhili–Fengtian War 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. Well hello there, we are back in the thick of things in north China again. As a bit of a refresher, the Anhui-Zhili War of 1920 had resulted from a combination of Duan Qirui basically pissing off everyone else. The Zhili and Fengtian cliques banded together to defeat the Anhui clique, now Duan Qirui went into a bit of a self exile and most of his territory was seized. The Anhui were not down for the count, but now a fraction of what they once were and confined to Fujian and Zhejiang province. Meanwhile Zhang Zuolin and his Fengtian clique maintained their hold over Manchuria and even added some parts of Inner Mongolia to their booming empire. Cao Kun and Wu Peifu of the Zhili clique had benefited the most from the war, grabbing Beijing, Anhui and northern Zhili province, adding it to their heartland in the Yangtze Valley. Wu Peifu had largely been the mastermind behind the war effort and earned great fame as a result. He became known as a military genius, earning monikers such as “the jade marshal”.  The coalition' victory did not bring stability to north China. Jin Yunpeng was the leader of the Anfu Club and was supported and engineered to Premiership by Cao Kun and Zhang Zuolin. They supported him largely because he was the rival of Xu Shichang and a large rift was ongoing in the Anfu club because of them. Despite being a Anhui clique member, he was a relative of Zhang Zuolin by marriage and an early patron to Wu Peifu. While Duan Qirui was in power, his appointment met the needs of all 3 cliques. Thus when Duan Qirui and many of the other Anhui clique officials were cast out, Jin Yunpeng was one of the select few who kept their job. Meanwhile the Ministry of communications, foreign services and other national services all gradually shifted their allegiance to the Zhili clique. Cao Kun was now facing a lot of public hostility from Dr Sun Yat-Sen and his Canton coalition. Immediately after the Anhui-Zhili war, Zhang Zuolin left 30,000 troops within the Beijing area under one of his trusted deputies. Zhang Zuolin's real award however was the captured weapons and equipment of the Anhui forces controlling Chahar, Jehol and Suiyuan province. Random side track, I just so happen to be covering the 1930's wars in Chahr, Jehol and Suiyuan province. If thats of interest to you check out my Japanese invasion of Inner Mongolia series over on the Pacific War Channel at Youtube or listen to the podcast versions at the Pacific War Channel on all podcast platforms. Zhang Zuolin had also inherited Xu Shuzheng's job of reconquering Outer Mongolia. That area as we know had been recently taken over by the White Russian General Baron von Ungern-Sternberg who was trying to recreate some sort of Mongolian empire with him as a reincarnated Chinggis Khan. Fortunately for I would say all parties, Ungern-Sternberg was defeated and killed in late July of 1921. The communists then began to seize Mongolia, but Zhang Zuolin would become too preoccupied to face them, because of a new conflict in the south.  Wu Peifu lessened his hold over Hunan during the Anhui-Zhili War and as a result a power vacuum was filled by Hunanese forces under Tan Yankai. Tan Yankai was a KMT hero associated with Dr Sun Yat-Sen. Anhui Clique generals Wy Kuanghsin and Chang Chingyao had been left with no territory after the war and Military governor of Shaanxi, Ch'en Shufan, also a Anhui general, were all threatened. All 3 of them controlled vast sums of money from their years in government, stored in banks in the foreign concession of Hankow. Meanwhile the Hunanese military, being supported by a coalition of civilian leaders inHunan were looking to form a provincial constitution and to elect a civilian governor. The 3 disenfranchised Anhui generals sought them out and arranged to finance a Hunan invasion of Hubei. The Zhili clique general Wang Chanyuan who had been the military governor of Hubei since 1916. In July 1921 the invasion began seeing Wang Chanyuan defeated, he fled to Wuchang in August.  In response to this, Cao Kun appointed the military genius Wu Peifu to lead an army to reconquer Hubei, supported by Wu Peifu's protege Xiao Yaonan and Wang Chanyuans former subordinate Sun Chuanfang. Wu Peifu moved with his customary speed and decisiveness, moving by rail from Loyang. The Hunan Army had abandoned the Wuhan when Wu Peifu ordered naval units to move up to Wuhan. They were assailed as they moved southward up the Yangtze River. Meanwhile Wu Peifu marched his army overland and by August 27th captured Yueyang, a river port where the Dongting lake flows into the Yangtze. It also happened to hold a railway station for the Wuhan-Chansha railway. Thus Wu Peifu had effectively cut off the Hunan Army's line of retreat in one fell sweep. Trapped now, the Hunan army agreed to return to Hunan and remain there. Wu Peifu kept Yueyang and her strategic railway junction as he then turned his gaze towards Sichuan province. Sichuan's warlords had also come through the Yangtze valley to attack Yichang just a pit upstream from Yueyang. Wu Peifu's forces fought the Sichuanese for over a month until they also agreed to evacuate Hubei province. These small victories bolstered Wu Peifu's image of a military mastermind and enhanced Cao Kun. The Zhili Clique in 1921 controlled provinces containing the two north-south railway lines, the Beijing-Hankou and Tientsin-Pukow. Alongside this they also controlled two prominent east-west lines of communication, the Lunghai railway and Yangtze River. The only other big dog on the bloc at this point remained the Fengtian Clique who controlled 6 Manchuria and Inner Mongolian provinces. Yan Xishan of Shanxi at this point was content with his province, most leaving him alone, thus he remained independent and honestly that's all he really wanted.  Now when Duan Qirui had been defeated, Zhang Zuolin emerged the only significant warlord to be backed by the Japanese. In fact his realm of Manchuria and Inner Mongolia were of grave interest to the Japanese. The Japanese had just lost their poster boy, and now felt very threatened by Chinese nationalism in the south and Anglo-American cooperation, both of these forces creating anti-Japanese sentiment in China. Thus the Japanese heavily supported Zhang Zuolin, making sure his position in the northeast was very stable. However Zhang Zuolin was making things quite difficult. Zhang Zuolin publicly denounced the Zhili clique, particularly Cao Kun and Wu Peifu, labeling them puppets of Anglo-American interest and allies to the radical Dr. Sun Yat-Sen with his KMT and even CCP leanings. Relations between Zhang Zuolin and Wu Peifu were pretty bad, allegedly they began to really sour during the conference in Beijing after the Zhili-Fengtian war. Zhang Zuolin apparently referred to Wu Peifu “as a mere division commander, who only held ceremonial status to himself and Cao Kun”. Zhang Zuolin was ambitious, he was gazing at the territory south of his little empire. He also knew the Zhili clique was not whole heartedly unified, they were vulnerable. At a conference in Tientsin in April of 1921, where Jin Yunpeng was going to reorganize his cabinet, Zhang Zuolin suddenly went out of his way to treat Wang Chanyuan, now the military governor of Hubei and Hunan as an equal to himself and Cao. Now during this time period, our old friend the Christian Warlord, Feng Yuxiang, a Zhili clique member was becoming a rising star. After the Tientsin conference, the Beijing government appointed Yen Hsiangwen, the commander of the 20th division and a close associate of Wu Peifu as military governor over Shaanxi. Wu Peifu added the 7th Division and Feng Yuxiangs 16th Mixed Brigade to Yen Hsiangwens army. Feng Yuxiang's brigade performed very well under Yen Hsiangwen and he was soon rewarded with the 11th Division. Then Yen Hsiangwen committed suicide, or so its alleged on August 23rd, and Feng Yuxiang succeeded him as military governor.  Back over in Beijing, the political scene was increasingly becoming concerned with funding. The usual lenders to China had agreed that a unified Chinese government would be necessary to guarantee future loans. Premier Jin Yunpeng was doing an ample job securing the dissolving Anhui parliament at Beijing, but Dr Sun Yat-Sen remained adamantly oppositional over in Guangzhou. Any prospect of obtaining future loans were evaporating. The banking system within China was dominated by a smaller clique revolving around officials working in the ministry of communications. Many of these officials did not get along with Jin Yunpeng. Then suddenly on December 24th President Xu Shichang appointed Liang Shiyi, the head of the communication group as prime minister. Within just two days after this, the central government funding for Wu Peifu's armies in Hubei and Hunan was cut and the Anhui clique officials were all receiving full pardons. Wu Peifu was taken by complete surprise in these actions, it seemed clear to him the Fengtian, Communications officials and Anhui cliques were forming a coalition against him. Hell even some in the Zhili clique seemed to be involved. Hunan and Hubei were the vast sum of Wu Peifu's power, this was directed at him. Wu Peifu lashed out swiftly by publishing telegrams accusing Liang Shiyi of treason for recent actions during the Washington conference. While the conference was primarily about naval buildups, particularly limiting those between Britain, Japan and the US, there was also a clause signed guaranteeing the territorial integrity of China. Yet apparently Liang Shiyi had cabled the Chinese delegation to go easy on the Japanese, hoping they would reciprocate with some loans to China. Wu Peifu had hard evidence of these actions and laid them out publicly trying to force Liang Shiyi from office. However, Zhang Zuolin began publicly supporting Liang Shiyi. It would turn out the appointment of Liang Shiyi was Zhang Zuolin's doing. Regardless of Zhang Zuolin's support, Liang Shiyi would be forced out of office. Yet Wu Peifu was deserted by other Zhili generals and it seemed even Cao Kun was not whole heartedly supporting him anymore. Meanwhile Zhang Zuolin had gained support of the Communication officials, Duan Qirui, Zhang Zun and Dr Sun Yat-Sen. Yes its kind of like the sinister six getting together to fight spiderman. So Liang Shiyi stepped down, stating it was because of poor health on January 19th of 1922. Zhang Zuolin considered his sacking to be a personal attack on the part of Wu Peifu. Thus Zhang Zuolin resolved to alienate Wu Peifu from the rest of the Zhili clique and destroy him. Zhang Zuolin had a lot working for him, he was loosely related through marriage to Cao Kun and both men began meeting between their HQ's in Mukden and Baoting. Cao Kun controlled roughly 10,000 men and would definitely make for a formidable ally. However Cao Kun refused to publicly issue any statements against Wu Peifu. By March of 1922, anti-Wu Peifu figures began to meet at Tientsin where they agreed on a strategy. Dr Sun Yat-Sen would become the new president, Liang Shiyi would return as Premier, Zhang Xun would become the inspector general of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi and Duan Qirui would become the military governor of Zhili. To accomplish all of this, Dr Sun Yat-Sen and the Anhui generals Lu Yung-hsiang and Lihouchi of Zhejiang and Fujian would attack Wu Peifu from the south while the Fengtian army would attack from the north. Once Wu Peifu was defeated he would be confined to the position of inspector general over Hunan and Hubei as the sinister 6 would govern China leading to a happily ever after.  Zhang Zuolin's coalition to defeat spider man collapsed immediately. He had been counting on Japanese support, and it did not materialize. The Japanese backed Chinese 2nd Squadron based out of Shanghai had helped Wu Peifu by lending him river gunboats during some war actions in Hubei the previous year and when the first Zhili-Fengtian war broke out, they announced support for Wu Peifu. Their support made it difficult for the Anhui generals of Zhejiang and Fujian who received naval training from them to move against Wu Peifu. Likewise the Japanese backed Chinese 1st squadron based out of Guangzhou caused issues for Dr Sun Yat-Sen to get his forces into the war. When Zhang Xun tried to mobilize, the public who still hated him for his attempt to restore the Qing dynasty basically stopped him in his tracks. Duan Qirui reading the tea leaves, simply became inactive, leaving Zhang Zuolin hung to dry on his own.  As for Cao Kun, since 1920, Wu Peifu held significant power because he controlled the Hankow north-south railway line. As of 1922, he lost control of it and from his point of view Cao Kun did not seem to be a good ally. Wu Peifu would deploy roughly 100,000 troops, he was commander in chief and commander of the western front. The commanders of the central and eastern fronts were Wang Chengbin and Zhang Guorong, with Zhang Fulai as deputy commander over the eastern front. By far his best units was the 3rd division led by Feng Yuxiang. Zhang Zuolin would deploy roughly 120,000 men and was commander in chief of the Fengtian army and commander of the eastern front with Sun Liechen as deputy commander. The commander of the western front would be Zhang Jinghui and under him were deputies Bao Deshan, Zhang Xueliang and Li Jinglin.  In a direct repeat of the Zhili-Anhui war, Zhang Zuolin would attack Zhili along two fronts, east and west. Zhang Zuolin took Junliangchang as his eastern front HQ. Zhang Jinghui took his western HQ at Changxindian and divided his forces into 3 echelons. Wu Peifu took Baoding for his HQ and deployed forces across 3 fronts. Wu Peifu's forces headed by Feng Yuxiangs 3rd Division in the west deployed in the region of Liulihe; Wang Chengbin deployed at Gu'an; Zhang Guorong at Dacheng with Zhang Fulai. On April 28th, Zhang Zuolin arrived at Junliangcheng and deployed the troops along the Beijing-Fenghuang and Jindu-Fuzhou railway lines. The next day the war broke out. On the eastern front, both armies had begun to skirmish on april 21st, but on the 29th, Fengtian General Zhang Zuoxiang led the 4th battalion of the Guards brigade and the 1st Regiment of the 4th mixed Brigade to attack the Zhili 26th division. This saw the Zhili forces retreat towards Renqiu. On the 30th 10,000 Fengtian troops began an assault against Renqiu. Wang Chengbin deployed reinforcements over to Renqiu who defeated the Fengtian forces and pushed them back towards the Yaomadu and Baiyang bridges. On the 31st Dacheng was retaken by the Zhili forces. Zhang Xueliang led 10,000 infantry, 1 cavalry brigade and 1 artillery regiment to counter attack. However Feng Yuxiang's 3rd Division came over leading to a fierce battle. The Fengtian forces were defeated again and now we're pulling back towards Yangliuqing. The Zhili forces then launched an attack upon Machang on May 3rd. The Fengtian forces at Jinghai and Yangliuqing launched a counter attack. A major stalemate emerged along the Yaomadu and Baiyang bridge area. Yet by this time the war in the middle had decisively turned to the Zhili's favor, thus morale was beginning to crumble for the Fengtian. The Zhili unleashed a heavy counterattack, forcing the Fengtian forces to withdraw towards Jinghai. Meanwhile the Zhili forces captured Machang and Qinxian before defeating the Fengtian at Jinghai. By May 4th, news spread that the Fengtian in the western front had lost, causing countless to surrender in the east or retreat to Junliangcheng.  Within the Western front, the battle was mainly fought along the Beijing-Hankow railway line. On April 28th the 24th Division under Zhang Fulai and the 13th mixed brigade under Dong Zhengguo launched an attack against the Fengtian western HQ at Changxindian. They were met by the Fengtian 1st and 16th divisions. The battle was fierce, seeing heavy casualties on both sides. The Zhili forces were about to breach the Fengtian defensive lines, when Fengtian General Li Jinglin rushed over to dislodge the enemy. The Zhili forces withdrew and the next day the Fengtian forces pursued them. The two armies clashed at the Liuli river, where it seemed the Fengtian would win, but the Zhili gradually defeated them. Then the Zhili forces seized Liangxiang and began advancing upon Changxindian and Nangangwa during the night. The Fengtian forces held firm again at Changxindian, mobilizing the 9th and 2nd Brigades of the 28th Division and a Cavalry Brigade from Chahar. However ultimately the Fengtian were relying on their artillery to keep the Zhili forces at bay. Over the course of 2 days both sides were taking heavy casualties. Then on the 30th Wu Peifu personally went to the western frontlines ordered the men to cease offensive actions and focus on heavy artillery shelling of the Fengtian front lines, while he ordered a outflanking maneuver aimed at the Fengtian rear. Wu Peifu divided his forces into 3 groups and launched a fierce attack on May 4th. While this was occuring, the ex-zhili commander of the Fengtian 16th division defected over to Wu Peifu, a very typical situation of warlord era china battles. The Zhili and Fengtian forces suffered tremendously during the days of battle that followed. Many commanders were killed leading the forces on both sides. However the battle would ultimately come down to that of artillery attrition and the Fengtian were consuming more shells than the Zhili and could not replenish them in time. Wu Peifu discovered the situation for what it was and launched a frontal attack to attract the Fengtian artillery fire while also ordering the 21st mixed brigade, an elite formation to sneak behind the Fengtian rear. The 21st Mixed Brigade made a long detour through the Fenghuang mountains, managing to get behind the Fengtian lines. Now surrounded, with artillery munitions nearly exhausted, the Fengtian 16th division surrendered. Zhang Jinghui then jumped into a car heading for Tianjin as the Fengtian army in the west fell into chaos and routed. The Zhili forces stormed Changxindian on the 5th and began an attack against Fengtai. The Fengtian forces fled towards Shanhaiguan, while 30,000 of them were captured alongside their weapons and equipment. Within the middle front, Wu Peifu directed the Zhili forces to focus upon Gu'an. Fengtian General Zhang Zuoxiangs forces were stationed around Yongqing. Zhang Xueliang and Guo Songling were stationed around Ba county. Both sides launched fierce attacks and counterattacks, but gradually the Zhili overwhelmed the Fengtian and seized Shengfeng and Gu'an quickly. Zhang Zuoxiang personally led the 27th and 28th division to try and recapture them, but was repelled. On May 4th, the Zhili army erected a siege upon Yongqing from three sides. After a day of fighting the Fengtian could hold on no longer. Many surrendered outright, some fled for Tianjin, including Zhang Zuoxiang. After the fall of Yongqing the Zhili forces captured Langfang and accepted the surrender of thousands. Casualty reports suggested the Fengtian suffered 20,000 deaths, 10,00 desertions and 40,000 men were captured. However these numbers are absolutely exaggerated, in fact all battles of China's warlord Era are. Some casualty reports listed a total of 10,000 to a possible 30,000 for both sides included and even that seems high. Foreign military advisors and observers noted Wu Peifu's seemed to be far better trained and disciplined compared to their Fengtian counterparts. The Zhili forces also had superior arms, but many of Zhang Zuolin's better units impressed the foreigners with their armaments. Wu Peifu quickly occupied Beijing. Zhang Zuolin met his fleeing troops and Luanzhou, between Tientsin and Shanhaiguan where he gave every soldier 10$ tip. At this point their monthly wage was around 4.20$ thus this was a big saving grace for them. During the battle and afterwards a ton of rumors emerged. It was alleged President Xu Shichang had threatened to attack the Fengtian army from the rear with 3 neutral divisions stationed at Beijing, whether true or not he remained neutral and did not act.  Zhang Zuolin looked over the reports from commanders and found many of his best trained officers had been ignored by subordinate commanders. He also found his generals with banditry backgrounds commanding divisions did extremely poorly. These factors would greatly influence him in reorganizing his army. Meanwhile during the battle a warlord in Hunan, Zhoa Ti had rebelled, spreading rumors that Wu Peifu had been decisively defeated by Zhang Zuolin during the battle and was in fact killed in action. Feng Yuxiang quickly stormed Kaifeng and was rewarded the appointment as military governor over Hunan. He would quickly go to work recruiting troops and instructing them in the doctrines of christianity.  Despite the grand victory, Wu Peifu had major issues. The entire ordeal proved the Zhili clique was not unified. He was unable to pursue Zhang Zuolin's fleeing army into Manchuria to finish them off as a result. Instead a game of politics came about. Liang Shiyi walked away. On May 14th, Sun Chuanfang called for the resignation of the Presidents in both Beijing and Guangzhou and for the old constitution to be revived. President Xu Shichang took the message to heart and resigned on June 2nd. The Zhili clique then persuaded the ever reluctant Li Yuanhong to come back as President and he did so, not realizing he was merely a seat warmer for Cao Kun. Unable to fully defeat Zhang Zuolin, Wu Peifu negotiated a peace with the British mediating. They met on a British warship anchored off the coast of Qinhuangdao on June 18th where general guidelines suggested by the British were established. Shanhaiguan would become the border between the two cliques. Beijing now was under the fully domination of the Zhili clique, but the relationship between Wu Peifu and Cao Kun had certainly been strained.  The war also had a profound effect on south China. Dr Sun Yat-Sens government had collapsed just as he was planning his Northern Expedition. Dr Sun Yat-Sen had made the Yunnan Clique warlord Li Liejun his chief of staff. Chen Chongming opposed this, so Dr Sun Yat-Sen removed him as governor of Guangdong and as military commander of the Guangdong army. Dr Sun Yat-Sen achieved this by marching from Wuzhou along the Guangdong-Guangxi border to Guangzhou with his most loyal troops. He intended to make good on his commitment to Zhang Zuolin, to march north against Wu Peifu, albeit it was part of his northern expedition plans mind you. However Chen Chongming's forces were mostly at Nanning in Jiangxi because of a previous war there, thus he was forced to flee to Huizhou to preserve his eastern Guangdong base. Dr Sun Yat-Sen was advised by many colleagues, including a young Chiang Kai-Shek to postpone the Northern Expedition and first focus on crushing Chen Chongming.  Dr Sun Yat-Sen however believed commencing the northern expedition alongside Zhang Zuolins war was too great an opportunity to pass up. He also believed Chen Chongming would not betray the movement. So on May 6th he began an invasion into southern Jiangxi. While capturing cities in southern Jiangxi on June 13th, it was discovered Chen Chongming and Zhili clique generals were planning a mutiny in Guangzhou. Dr Sun Yat-Sen rushed back to Guangzhou to reason with Chen Chongming who surrounded his office on June 15th threatening his life. Dr Sun Yat-Sen managed to escape the situation, fleeing aboard the cruiser Haichi, then to gunboat Yungfeng. Thus Dr Sun Yat-Sen lost touch with the Guangzhou scene. Meanwhile Wu Peifu orchestrated a propaganda campaign labeling Zhang Zuolin and Liang Shiyi as pro-Japanese stooges. Dr Sun Yat-Sens alliance with Zhang Zuolin got him caught up in the mess. Many influential figures began sending letters to Dr Sun Yat-Sen suggesting he step down as head of the Guangzhou government. Most of the foreign powers in Guangzhou also added to this as the KMT forces were naval bombarding the area threatening the lives and property of many. Meanwhile Chen Chongming's forces seized Whampoa on July 14th. The Chinese 1st squadron in the area changed command to a Wu Peifu loyalist. Thus to all it seemed Dr Sun Yat-Sen was done, but he was still in the game. He still had control over the Northern Expeditionary Army, mostly 10,000 Yunnanese and Guangdong forces. Then Duan Qirui urged action to support Dr Sun Yat-Sen against Chen Chongming. Multiple KMT factions fell into a chaotic war between those loyal to Sun or Chen. Chen Chongming was under attack from all directions and could not hold Guangzhou thus he fled to Huizhou and by January 15th 1923 announced his retirement. Dr Sun Yat-Sen returned to Guangzhou and retook his generalissimo title. 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. Thus Zhang Zuolin's plot to defeat Wu Peifu basically backfired. Instead of alienating and defeating his rival, his allies all collapsed on him, he was defeated, humiliated and now it seemed Wu Peifu may have very well taken complete control over Beijing. Would Wu Peifu be able to reunify China? Or would they all just keep fighting, what do you think? 

Rescuers evacuate stranded residents on Saturday in the flood-hit city of Shaoguan, Guangdong province.2024年4月20日，广东省韶关市的救援人员疏散被困居民。Relevant departments in Guangdong province are making all-out efforts to combat severe flooding, with their top priority being safeguarding people's lives and property, as torrential rainfall over the past few days left several areas inundated and meteorologists warned of further devastation due to rising water levels in arterial rivers.广东省有关部门正在全力抗击严重的洪水，他们的首要任务是保护人民的生命和财产，因为过去几天的暴雨导致一些地区被淹没。气象学家警告说，由于主要河流的水位上升，进一步的破坏。Calling the situation "grim", local weather officials said that sections of the Beijiang and Xijiang rivers are hitting water levels in a rare spike that has just a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Sunday.据中国中央电视台周日报道，当地气象官员称形势“严峻”，称北江和西江部分地区的水位达到了罕见的峰值，这种情况在任何一年都只有五十分之一的可能性。The southern province started a Level II emergency response for flood control on Saturday night, when water in the Pearl River tributaries including the Beijiang reportedly rose up to 5.58 meters above their warning levels due to continuous downpours, according to a statement on Sunday by the Guangdong Department of Water Resources.据广东省水利厅21日发布的一份声明称，由于持续暴雨，包括北江在内的珠江支流的水位超过警戒线5.58米，广东省于20日晚启动了二级防洪应急响应。China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.中国有四级防洪应急响应系统，其中一级是最严重的。Wu Xiaolong, director of the Pearl River Water Resources Commission, said this round of heavy downpours is characterized by high intensity, a wide impact area, concentrated rainstorm areas and the rapid rise of water levels in the Beijiang and other rivers, resulting in a situation that demands measures for severe flood control.珠江水利委员会主任吴小龙表示，本轮暴雨具有强度大、影响范围广、暴雨区集中、北江及其他河流水位迅速上升等特点，需要采取严厉的防洪措施。With heavy downpours forecast in the central and eastern parts of the Pearl River basin, the Beijiang River water level is expected to rise further, so the Pearl River commission will continue to guide local authorities to prepare for floodwater storage and discharge on Monday and Tuesday.随着珠江流域中部和东部地区的强降雨预报，北江水位预计将进一步上升，因此珠江委员会将在22-23日继续指导地方当局为蓄洪和泄洪做好准备。A 12-hour stretch of heavy rain, starting from 8 pm on Saturday, battered the central and northern parts of the province, including the cities of Zhaoqing, Shaoguan, Qingyuan and Jiangmen, according to Xinhua News Agency.据新华社报道，从20日晚上8点开始，持续12小时的暴雨袭击了该省中部和北部地区，包括肇庆、韶关、清远和江门等城市。The Guangdong Department of Emergency Management has urged relevant departments to launch special emergency response measures for timely distribution of disaster relief funds and daily necessities to people affected by the flooding.广东省应急管理部门已敦促有关部门启动专项应急措施，及时向受灾群众发放救灾资金和生活必需品。Located in northern Guangdong, Shaoguan and Qingyuan have been the hardest hit, with many highways, streets, houses and farmland flooded or damaged over the weekend. In Shaoguan's Jiangwan township, landslides reportedly buried some houses.位于广东北部的韶关和清远受灾最严重，周末期间，许多高速公路、街道、房屋和农田被淹或受损。据报道，在韶关江湾镇，山体滑坡掩埋了一些房屋。A total of 14,779 residents from 4,502 households in Yangshan county and another 19,349 people in Yingde were evacuated to safety on Saturday and Sunday. Both areas are administered by Qingyuan.20-21日，阳山县4502户14779名居民和英德县19349名居民被疏散到安全地带。这两个地区都由清远管理。All kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools in Qingyuan's Qingcheng district, the city of Yingde and Fogang county have been advised to suspend classes on Monday.清远市青城区、英德市和福冈县的所有幼儿园、小学和中学已被建议在周一停课。In Zhaoqing, the organizing committee had to terminate an ongoing cross-country race on Saturday. The event, which began at 7 am, was called off at noon following heavy downpours and a flooding alert. All 1,250 participants were evacuated to safety by 5 pm, according to the organizing committee.在肇庆，组委会不得不终止20日正在进行的越野赛。该活动于上午7点开始，由于暴雨和洪水警报，该活动于中午取消。据组委会称，所有1250名参与者在下午5点前被疏散到安全地带。Affected by heavy rainfall, Zhongshan in Guangdong also terminated an ongoing marathon on Sunday, while Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, called off a half marathon for women.受强降雨影响，广东中山市21日暂停了正在进行的马拉松比赛，广西壮族自治区首府南宁也取消了女子半程马拉松比赛。In the provincial capital Guangzhou and the industrial hub Shenzhen, downpours led to large-scale flight cancellations and delays over the weekend, stranding many passengers at airports.在广东省省会广州和工业中心深圳，暴雨导致周末大规模航班取消和延误，许多乘客滞留在机场。devastation毁坏，荒废downpour倾盆大雨

Ven Jinaratana There offers guidance how we can experience and contemplate the four elements ('Cātu-mahā-bhūtikā') in in our own bodies. Paṭhavī-dhātu = Earth Element /Solidity Āpo-dhātu = Water Element / Liquidity Tejo-dhātu = Fire Element / Heat (or lack of heat, i.e. cold) Vāyo-dhātu = Wind Element (energy movement) Bhante Jinaratana was born in Toronto, Canada. He became interested in meditation as a student at the University of Toronto, and began attending intensive retreats in 2002. After graduating with an H.B.Sc. (neuroscience, mathematics) in 2004, he taught English for a year in Nanning, P.R.C. Desiring to ordain, but without knowing a suitable place to do so, he travelled to Brisbane Australia and completed a Graduate Diploma in Education in 2008 at the Queensland University of Technology. During that time he had the opportunity to stay for an extended period at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage as eight-precept meditator. The guidance he received there helped him to gain the confidence to finally ordain. Bhante Jinaratana received novice ordination at Na Uyana Forest Monastery in Sri Lanka in July 2011, and higher ordination in June 2012 (Na Uyana is the main monastery of the Shri Kalyani forest tradition, the same lineage where Ajahn Dhammasiha originally ordained). Most Venerable Na Uyane Ariyadhamma Mahāthera was the preceptor for both ceremonies. From 2019-2021 he stayed at Pa Auk Monastery, Pyin Oo Lwin Myanmar, meditating under the guidance of Sayadaw U Kumārabhivaṃsa and Most Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw Āciṇṇa. He currently resides at Dhamsuwa Forest Monastery, Melbourne. Bhante has kindly accepted our invitation to visit Dhammagiri for 10 days in April. Our Podcast is also available on our own Dhammagiri Website, no need for any special app, just listen in any browser: https://www.dhammagiri.net/podcast More about Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage: https://www.dhammagiri.net/news Our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dhammatalksatdhammagiri8724 Our email Newsletter: https://www.dhammagiri.net/newsletter Our Podcasts on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SHWfWEGkO8OAtSWNJlqyD Our Podcasts on Apple/itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dhammagiri-buddhist-podcasts/id1534539834 .

A woman who attended a music concert for singles on Tuesday night in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said meeting like-minded people is the most important part of dating.4月9日晚，广西壮族自治区首府南宁市举办了一场单身音乐会，其中一位女性观众表示，结识志同道合的人是约会的意义所在。"I'm a music enthusiast, and this concert, combined with the singles' activities, makes me very excited," she said, adding that those attending the concert all loved music, making it easier to communicate该女士谈到：“我自己很爱听音乐，这场活动不仅有音乐，还融合了单身人士社交活动，参加音乐会的人往往都喜欢音乐，更有共同语言。所以我享受”。The "Love in Nanning" event was held ahead of Thursday's Sanyuesan Festival, a traditional festival of the Zhuang ethnic group that is held on the third day of the third month in the Chinese lunar calendar.“爱在南宁”活动于4月9日举办，两天之后就是三月三节。这是一个壮族的传统节日，固定在农历三月初三。Singers and bands performed classic love songs at the concert to create a romantic atmosphere for single men and women.The concert opened with the song Love ING as a soundtrack for mixing activities and climaxed with a bonfire around which nearly 1,000 people danced.音乐会上有歌手、乐队演绎经典情歌，为单身男女营造浪漫氛围。音乐会以歌曲《恋爱ING》作为开场音乐，现场各种活动热闹非凡，近千人围着篝火翩翩起舞，将音乐会推向高潮。Social media platforms helped spread word of the event, which was repeated on Wednesday and Thursday. Concerts are also planned every Saturday, with tickets for available shows already sold out.社交媒体平台也对该活动进行了广泛宣传。周三和周四均有单身音乐会场次。每周六会举办音乐会，现有演出门票已售罄。"In addition to the single men and women participating in the event, all the staff members on the stage are also single, making it a true singles party," said Zhang Chao, the concert's director, adding that he hopes participants enjoy the music and find romance.音乐会总监张超表示：“除了参加活动的单身男女外，舞台上的所有工作人员也都是单身，这是一场真正的单身派对。希望参与者能够享受音乐，享受快乐。寻找浪漫”。To ensure all participants are single, the information they provide when registering, including their name and ID number, is sent to the civil affairs bureau for verification.为了确保所有参与者都是单身，注册参加者提供的姓名和身份证号码等信息将被发送至民政局进行验证。give a shot尝试一下the Civil Affairs Bureau民政局

Last time we spoke about the battle for Kohima and the mop up of the Admiralty islands. The battle for Kohima led to battles raging over the Kohima Ridge. At one point only 2500 allied defenders were facing nearly 15,000 Japanese. Numerous features fell to the Japanese top Kohima ridge. The Japanese were taking heavy casualties while pushing the defenders close to Kohima. A decisive moment presented itself, the Japanese had an open shot against Dimapur. However, mostly because of animosity towards General Mutaguchi the chance to deliver a kill blow was lost. If Dimapur had been taken, it may have changed the entire Burma War. Over in the Admiralty Islands, Los Negros and Manus were finally all mopped up and now the allies had forward airfields to further smash the inner Japanese perimeter. General MacArthurs triumphant return to the Philippines was on its way. This episode is the Defense of India Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Last we spoke, General Mutaguchi had initiated a grand offensive against Kohima. General Slim, knew the seizure of Kohima would be attempted only in conjunction with the seizure of the much more important target, Dimapur. It was at Dimapur where an enormous allied supply dump lied over the Ledo-Imphal line, it was the hub for which all allied activity in the region revolved. If Dimapur fell, the province of Manipur would be impossible to defend and the Brahmaputra valley would be interdicted thus cutting off all overland supply to China. To everyone's shock the Japanese instead invested an entire division to attack Kohima. Slim thought this was a enormous blunder on the part of General Sato Kotoku, going as far as to ask the RAF not to bomb the Generals HQ as “it never struck him that he could inflict terrible damage on us without taking Kohima at all”. In truth it was not really Sato at fault, it was more so upon his superior General Kawabe Mazakazu who did not trust nor like Mutaguchi and rightly suspected the man's megalomaniac plan to invade India. Thus Mutaguchi's Operation U-Go, the intended invasion of India saw the 33rd and 15th divisions closing in on Imphal by the end of March as the 31st Division attacked Kohima. General Cowan's 17th Division was able to effectively retreat to Imphal by April 4th, with the 49th Brigade acting as rearguard. Meanwhile General Yanagida had just replenished ammunition and provisions after the battle at Tonzang and now ordered the 214th and 215th Regiments to resume their advance. Colonel Sasahara Masahiko's 215th regiment departed Singgel on March 27th and crossed the India-Burma border by April 3rd. They advanced to Churachandpur by the 7th as the 214th followed closely behind them. Meanwhile, the Right Assault Unit, the Yamamoto unit had been in hot pursuit of General Gracey's 20th division since the start of April, and the 3rd battalion, 213th regiment of the Mitsui Unit had just captured the town Chamol. Additionally the 1st battalion, 60th regiment attempted, but failed to break through Laiching Hill in late March. Afterwords the unit was ordered to turn back and attempt a development of Gravey's left flank by Moving through Lamlong and then Kampang in early April. To the north, General Yamauchi's Divisional Headquarters advanced to Kasom on March 28. Yamauchi ordered two companies of the 1st Battalion, 67th Infantry to attack and occupy Kameng, which presented an easy approach route to Imphal. The 123rd Indian Brigade, 5th Indian Division had closed the gap with barbed wire and set up defensive positions in the hills to the immediate north and south of the road. The attack was made on the night of April 3 against the positions held by the 1/17th Dogras of the 123rd Indian Brigade on a hill off the Ukhrul Road, south of the village of Kameng, but failed to achieve its objective. They were then furiously counter-attacked by the guns of the 28th Field Regiment and by the Dogras themselves. A troop of tanks each of the 3rd Carabiniers and 7th Cavalry were also positioned on either side of the hill and fired on what were easy targets. By the next morning, almost 100 Japanese bodies were found; the few survivors had withdrawn. It is believed that the ultimate objective of this attack had been the fair-weather Kangla Airfield farther south. It was now felt the 15th Division's strength was spreed too thinly, thus the Japanese believed their detachments holding along the Imphal-Ukhrul road were badly in need of reinforcement. As such, Yamauchi ordered the 60th and 51st regiments to get into closer contact and by the 4th of April they were moving into positions north of Imphal. On that same day, Colonel Matsumura started moving down the road to seize the supply depot known as the 221 Advance Ordnance Depot, the largest in the Imphal Area justnorth of Kanglatongbi. As Japanese pressure on the road increased, its men and some of the most valuable supplies, including ammunition and explosives, were moved into a defensive area at Kanglatongbi known as Lion Box. The 2nd battalion managed to take Hill 3813 by April 6th, the 3rd battalion was less fortunate facing the Lion Box. The Lion Box had very few fighting troops among the several thousand men within its perimeter. The box was defended against mounting Japanese assaults from 4 to 7 April, while the evacuation of the supplies to Imphal continued apace. Its defense was assisted by units of the 9th Indian Brigade and tanks of the 3rd Carabiniers, who would travel up from Sekmai in the south during the day. On the 5th while the 9th Indian BRigade and tanks of the 3rd Carabiniers were patrolling forward to help out the Lion Box, Cowan's 63rd Brigade arrived to Sekmai to reinforce the northern defenses, and this in turn allowed the 9th Brigade to take up a position to defend Nungshigum. On the 6th, Colonel Omoto's 3rd battalion attacked Nungshigum's northern Hill, known as Hill 3833, successfully overrunning the hastily developed Indian defenses there, while the 1st battalion marched upon Hill 4057. There was a heroic counter attack by a platoon led by 18 year old Jemadar Abdul Hafiz serving as Naib Subedar, Junior Commissioned Officer in the 9th Jat Regiment, British Indian Army. His platoon managed to recover Hill 3833 by the end of the day. Jemadar Abdul Hafiz was tasked with recovering it with two sections of his platoon. He fearlessly led the way and recovered the feature in the face of a hail of machine-gun fire and grenade attacks, killing several Japanese in the process. Injured by now, Hafiz continued the attack, fought to his death and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The hill became known as Runaway Hill because of the way the Japanese had fled from Hafiz's brave actions. April the 7th saw a follow-up charge with Omoto's 3rd battalion re-seizing the hills around Nungshigum. In the four days that followed, Nungshigum exchanged hands a couple of times: the 3/9th Jats recovered it, only to lose it again to the Japanese of the 3/51st Battalion by 11 April who dug in well on the northern and southern bumps around Nungshigum. Meanwhile Matsumura was continuing to exert heavy pressure upon the Lion Box, finally forcing the battle weary defenders to evacuate the box as the position became impossible to defend. The valiant efforts of the Lion Box defenders had earned the British-Indian troops valuable time to evacuate a large amount of critical supplies back to Imphal, preventing their use to the Japanese. Do remember Mutaguchi literally planned the entire offensive on the basis their logistical supply line was simply seizing the allies supply depots. That is what we call a bold strategy. Matsumura's troops had suffered heavy casualties in their efforts against the Lion Box. Now he ordered the 60th regiment east to reassemble around the villages of Tingsat, Molvom and their surrounding heights by April 8th. They would be reinforced by the honda raiding units coming from the north. On the 9th, Omoto's 1st battalion assaulted Hill 4057 taking it from elements of the 123rd Indian Brigade, as the 3rd battalion secured Nungshigum. This breakthrough posed an unacceptable threat to the British, leaving the 4th Corps HQ, the Imphal Main and Kangla airfield vulnerable to further Japanese attacks. This prompted General Brigg's to get forces together to evict the Japanese from their recently gained heights. Brigg's was reinforced with the 254th Indian Tank Brigades armor for the job. An unrelenting artillery and aerial bombardment began against the 51st regiment, greatly reducing the strength of Omoto's companies. Suffering such horrific losses, Omoto was forced to retreat over to the eastern side of the Iril River. At around dusk on the 12th, Omoto's 3rd battalion withdrew from Nungshigum to take up better positions in the hills north of Hill 4057. From this position the 3rd battalion was able to cover the 1st battalion's withdrawal from Hill 4057 during the night.  Simultaneously, Briggs launched his main counteroffensive, tossing two companies of the 1/17th Dogras and B Squadron of the 3rd Carabiniers. That morning, the infantry and tanks began climbing up via two spurs on the south-eastern side of Nungshigum. On each spur was a troop of M3 Lee-Grant tanks, together with a company of Dogras. The division's artillery, together with another troop of tanks, had been placed to the east and west of Nungshigum on the plain. As the infantry and armor climbed, the Vengeance dive-bombers and Hurricanes bombed and strafed the peaks. Soon thereafter, the 88 pieces of artillery and tanks on the plain plastered the same area. The two groups of infantry and tanks joined up at the peak named Pyramid and proceeded in a single file up a narrow ridge towards the Japanese on Southern Bump. As they approached the Japanese defenses, fierce fighting erupted. The tanks were sprayed with machine-gun and rifle fire, and grenades were thrown at them. But there was only so much the Japanese could do. The use of armor on Nungshigum, which rose over 1,000ft above the valley floor, was a masterstroke. The Japanese had never expected to encounter tanks and they had nothing to counter them effectively. The British had to pay a high price, too. All of the British tank officers were killed and the infantry officers wounded later that day. The former had been shot as they stuck their heads out of their tanks' turrets to guide them safely on the narrow and steep ridgeline. It was finally left to the VCO of the Dogras, Subadar Ranbir Singh, and Squadron Sergeant-Major Craddock of the 3rd Carabiniers to complete the battle. They rose to the occasion; the tanks finally destroyed the main bunkers and the infantry charged at and killed any survivors. There were casualties on both sides, but Japanese losses were especially heavy, leaving 250 bodies. This was the closest the Japanese would come to Imphal as a large, organized force in 1944. Yamauchi's 15th Division would never be able to pose such an urgent threat from the north again.  On April 13th, the Honda unit and 2nd battalion, 60th infantry launched an unsuccessful attack against Sengmai. In another attack on the 18th, the 2nd battalion gained a foothold in the enemy positions on the eastern hill of Sengmai, but would be forced off it quickly losing 150 men. The failure to breach the defenders at Sengmai marked a turning point in the operation, forcing the Right Assault Unit onto the defensive. Meanwhile Omoto's withdrawal had opened a gap between his units and Matsumura's, leaving Matsumura isolated around the Imphal-Kohima road and the Mapao-Molvom range. This also left Matsumura's supply lines increasingly vulnerable to attacks by Brigg's 5th Division. General Scoones ordered the 23rd Indian Division to push back on the Ukhrul Road to regain control over the area, while Briggs cleared the Japanese out of the Imphal-Kohima and Mapao-Molvom Range. For this Major-General Ouvry Roberts dispatched the 37th Brigade up the Ukhrul Road while the 1st Brigade made a wide flanking maneuver to the right to swing north in an attempt to capture Yamauchi's HQ. A composite unite of the 51st regiment known as the Suzuta unit formed out of two companies and Suzuta's HQ managed to resist the Indian attacks at Yaingangpokpi. Their mission was to hold the pass near Hill 3524 and they were met by numerous enemy counterattacking groups. The Suzuta Unit was faced with a serious crisis when it was attacked by a strong enemy tank force on 18 April. Meanwhile back on the 15th, the sudden appearance of the 1st Brigade at Hill 5515.. With his headquarters threatened by this new enemy maneuver, Yamauchi decided to move 15th Division headquarters and the Suzuta Unit to the rear of the Right and Center Assault Units. This move was complicated in that it entailed the evacuation of large numbers of casualties, among whom was General Yamanouchi himself. Upon arriving in the vicinity of Nungga intense enemy activity was encountered. It was found impossible to move west, to the desired destination and the headquarters was forced to move toward Lungshong via Ukhrul. The Suzuta Unit troops reverted to their parent organizations. The command post of the Division was finally established at a point about three miles southwest of Lungshong on 29 April. By april 22nd, Robert's Brigades made contact over the Ukhrul Road near Litan and began hunting down Yamauchi's HQ. They searched for it around Shongphel to the north. They converged on the spot, only to find Yamauchi was not there. To the east the 9th Brigade attacked the Mapao-Molvom Range on the 23rd, making some initial gains at Mapao. Their field guns with Hurricane bombers smashed Mapao, allowing the Jats and Punjabis to fight their way up and capture it in two days. But farther north, the heights around Molvom were better defended and the Japanese defied attempts to infiltrate these positions. The brigade soon got bogged down. Further east the 123rd Brigade advanced up the Iril River Valley facing some of Omoto's retreating men and would reach Sengmai by mid-may. The Japanese at this point were also preparing to continue their offensive further south. General Yanagida received reports on the progress of the 15th Division and that Kohima had already fallen. So he decided to bypass the expected resistance in the Moirang vicinity and advance directly upon Imphal. This prompted Colonel Sasagara to send his 2nd battalions of the 215th and 213th regiment to attack the Torbung positions on the 9th. They managed to successfully outflank the 49th brigade and exerted so much pressure in the area, the 49th brigade were forced to withdraw over the next few days. With the Japanese in hot pursuit, Cowan dispatched the 32nd Indian Brigade to defend the Tiddim Road with Brigadier David MacKenzie shifting his main position further back to Bishenpur. The Bishenpur village was well located: it was where the hills touched the Tiddim Road to its west; to the east lay the upper reaches of the Loktak Lake. Bishenpur was considered the best place to position a defense of the southwestern approach to Imphal. It was also important because from here a track wriggled west over the mountains to Silchar in Assam. Besides the Imphal–Kohima Road, the Bishenpur–Silchar Track was the only other navigable route back out to the rest of India. Unsurprisingly then, it was also of interest to the Japanese. On April 12th the Japanese attacked Potsangbam, but the 2nd battalion, 213th regiment was held up by heavy artillery and aerial bombardment from Bishenpur. The Japanese forayed into the villages of Kwa Siphai and Khoijuman to the northeast, but they were rebuffed. To counter them, aerial bombardments were called in on Potsangbam and the next large village, Ningthoukhong. Strategic Air Force Liberators pattern-bombed the two villages with 1,000lb bombs. The British sent tanks, together with infantry units, across the paddy fields towards Potsangbam, but their advance was held up by fierce opposition. Unlike at Nungshigum, the Japanese here were armed with anti-tank guns. Evicting them would require that much more effort. The 4th Independent Engineer Regiment was brought up to reinforce the 2nd Battalion, 213th Infantry at Potsangbam about 20 April, but it would be unable to break through nonetheless. To the west Sasahara's men tried to break through Kokadan on the 14th. They made repeated attacks for over a month, but would be unable to penetrate Mackenzie's defenses. The 214th regiment tossed three attacks against Hill 5846 from their position on Ingourok by April 24th. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued as each side sought to gain possession of these hills. The British had brought up a troop of Lee-Grant tanks of the 150th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps from Bishenpur and these were pressed into battle, firing in close support of the infantry. By 26 April, Point 5846 and Wooded Ridge were under their firm control, while the Japanese had Wireless Hill. Meanwhile the 2nd battalion reinforced the 214th regiment to skirt around Hill 5846 from the west, going just due north of the track. This endeavor ultimately failed in the end, and the men would have to turn back by the end of the month. Due to his failures and disagreements, General Mutaguchi consequently lost faith in Yanagida, who was ignored from this point onwards while his chief-of-staff, Colonel Tanaka Tetsujiro, effectively commanded the 33rd Division.  Meanwhile over on the hill of the Shenam Saddle, the battle for Nippon Hill had been raging since early April. Gracey's initial piecemeal attempts to retake the feature only saw his men fail. On the other side, the Yamamoto Detachment launched a general attack from Chamol on the 8th, trying to make a breakthrough to Nippon Hill, to relieve the outnumbered 11th company, 213th regiment. While the Japanese were held up by crossfire from Tengnoupal, the 80th Brigade sent three companies of the 1st Devon's to recapture Nippon Hill on the 11th. Following heavy artillery and aerial bombardment, the British troops stormed the hill with a fierce lobing of grenades and machine gun fire, seizing the feature by the end of the day. Nonetheless the Japanese, General Yamamoto kept committing troops to continuous attacks over the next few days. What was witnessed on Nippon Hill was to be repeated on many occasions around Imphal. Japanese defensive positions would be subjected to intense bombardments, which it was hard to imagine anyone surviving. And yet, time and again, the Japanese would emerge out of the targeted positions and counter-attack. In fact, Nippon Hill was one such place where, even days after it had been recaptured by the British, a lone Japanese soldier would emerge from the rubble and attack. This after being buried for hours, or even days, usually without recourse to food or water. This behavior was a measure of the extraordinary capabilities of the Japanese, as defenders in particular, and of their dedication to their cause in general. It was also a testament to the strength of their defenses. On features like Nippon Hill, the Japanese had shown themselves to be adept at digging an extensive, deep network of underground tunnels and holes within their positions. These allowed them to withstand bombardments, while the small openings allowed for a sustained fire to be kept up on anyone who approached. After a week of fighting, the 3rd Battalion, 213th Regiment finally recaptured Nippon Hill on April 16, and this time it was to stay with the Japanese until the end of July. The hill would allow the Japanese to observe allied movements over the Shenam Saddle and the road below, so accurate firing from well-sited guns on this hill and the adjacent ridge would cause many casualties among the defenders. Yamamoto ramped up his efforts trying to break through towards Imphal. With additional tank and artillery support the 3rd battalion, 213th regiment managed to overrun Crete East on the 22nd as the 80th Brigade evacuated to the isolated Cyprus. Pressing onwards, Yamamoto attacked Crete West, tossing multiple attacks at the feature over the next two weeks. Despite the ferocity of the invaders, the defenders would manage to hold on until the end of April. Meanwhile the 1st battalion, 60th regiment was unable to break through Hill 5240 near Kampang, so on the 20th they were redirected to hit the northern sector of Palel. The battalion had suffered 300 casualties, unable to pose much of a threat any longer to Gracey's men. To their left was the 1st INA Division's 2nd Gandhi Brigade,  deployed on the left flank of Yamamoto Force and an initial group that had rushed through the hills towards Palel. They were targeting the airfield from the south in coordination with the Japanese closing in via Langgol from the east. They clashed with Indian and Gurkha defenders at Purum Chumban on May 2nd. There are differing accounts of what happened during the battle of Purum Chumbang. One has the INA group reaching very close to the airfield, while another has it reach some 8km short of it. What is common to both, however, is the reaction of the Fourteenth Army units (Indian and Gurkha) to the INA's effort. A parley between the two is supposed to have taken place at some point, where the latter tried to convince their brethren on the British side not to fight. This being rejected, the INA attacked and was repulsed. At least 50 INA men were killed in the retaliatory response. It has been argued that these attacks by their fellow Indians affected INA morale. They had not expected to be considered traitors by their former comrades of the Indian Army. Several hundred INA men deserted before the end of the battle, although the majority of the force remained in the hills around the Tamu–Palel Road, wracked by disease and hunger. In the meantime, the Kohima Garrison received relief on their ridge positions, now General Grover was formulating a plan to recapture lost territory in the Kohima area and to annhilate the 31st division. His plan was to hold Zubza and Periphema in the rear while Brigadier John Shapland's 6th Brigade would launch an attack against the Japanese center and gradually push them towards the southern and southwestern flanks of the Kohima Ridge. Brigadier Victor Hawkins 5th Brigade would would perform a flanking maneuver to the north while Brigadier William Goshcens 4th Brigade did the same in the south. On April 18, Hawkins thus dispatched his first units across the deep Zubza nullah to the Merema Ridge to cut the Kohima-Merema-Bokajan road, with the rest of the brigade following in an excruciating march and finally assembling at the Merema Ridge by April 27.  Further to the north, in parallel with the 2nd Divisions advance, Brigadier Perowne's men have been performing an extremely difficult march into the Naga Hills. Their task was to prevent the Japanese from escaping the Brahmaputra Valley, taking a track leading from Merema to Bokajan. For weeks the Chindit Brigade had conducted an effective operation, ambushing Japanese supply routes, denying them territory, encouraging local Naga resistance efforts and causing general havoc. General Mutaguchi and ordered Sato to send his 124th Infantry Regiment to support the struggling 15th Division in the south.  Sato decided to occupy Garrison Hill prior to complying with Mutaguchi's directive, immediately sending the 1st Battalion, 138th Regiment to support the attacks of the 58th Regiment. The assault failed on the 23rd and this further convinced Sato he would be unable to hold Kohima if he sent the reinforcements Mutaguchi requested. His decision was also heavily influenced by his increasing anger at his superior as Mutaguchi was completely failing to supply his men. He had been promised at least 250 tons of resupplies would arrive by April 8, Sato testily demanded food and ammunition. In fact, very few supplies ever reached the 31st Division from Burma, the men having to survive on what they had brought with them, what they could beg or steal from Naga villages, or what 'Churchill Rations' they could capture from British stockpiles. Sato's fury at the lack of promised supplies reaching Kohima was fuelled by his belief that the 31st Division was being let down by Mutaguchi's abject failure to break into Imphal. In response to Mutaguchi's demand that he send troops to assist in the Imphal battle, on April 20 Sato sent the first of a number of increasingly tetchy signals to the army commander: 'We captured Kohima in three weeks as promised. How about Imphal?' Mutaguchi replied: 'Probable date for capture of Imphal April 29', which was the Emperor's birthday. Sato plainly did not believe him. On April 30, Sato signaled again: '31st Division at the limit of its endurance. When are you going to destroy Imphal?' To this he received no reply.  The relationship between Sato and Mutaguchi had never been good, but now it was really bad. Over the next two weeks, the battles on Kohima Ridge were not seeing results. Repeated attacks were made against Garrison Hill as Shapland's men tossed desperate attacks at the extreme northern edge of the ridge allowing for a troop of Lee/Grant tanks to lumber up the western end of Naga Hill in order to provide armored support for the 5th Brigade. The plan to get tanks onto the back of Naga Hill by driving through the Japanese positions overlooking the TCP finally succeeded on April 27, the Lee/Grants trundling along the track, wary of mines, but taking the Japanese entirely by surprise at this stroke of legerdemain. Peppered on all sides futilely by bullets, they joined 5th Brigade on Naga Hill, albeit at the cost of 28 Dorset dead, who had kept intense pressure on the TCP end of the Kohima Ridge to distract the Japanese during the operation. In the fighting for control of the tennis court no means of overcoming Japanese bunkers could be discovered using infantry alone, and attempts were made to bulldoze a path up to the remains of the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow to allow a Lee/Grant tank to move onto the tennis court and engage the bunkers directly with its 75mm gun. Unhappily the first effort failed when the Lee/Grant went into reverse, pulling the bulldozer to which it was attached back down the steep slope in a heap of crashing, twisted metal. Four days later a similar attempt with a Stuart Light tank of the 45th Indian Light Cavalry also failed, as the Japanese had brought up a 3.7in. anti-tank gun that put the tank out of action, fortunately with no loss to the crew.By the 27th, the tanks made a break through to the Naga Hill. The Japanese suffered terrible casualties causing them to suspend operations against Garrison Hill. The 31st división was not fully adopting a defensive stance. Meanwhile, Goschen's men had set out on a long march to cut the Imphal Road below the Aradura Spur on the night of April 25. They were advancing through some of the worst terrain of the entire region, it was deep, nearly vertical jungle-covered gullies falling between  Mount Pulebadze and the face of Mount Japfu.  The 4th Brigade would reach the valley between Pulebadze and Japfu in three days. One there, General Stopford ordered Goschen to climb over Pulebadze Ridge then come down into Kohima to hit the Japanese position on the GPT ridge, which were giving serious problems to Shaplands men. The brigade accordingly turned left, climbing up and over the Pulebadze Ridge and beginning the slow descent through the jungle down onto the Kohima side. A prominent pimple above the GPT Ridge known as Oaks Hill, sitting at 6,000ft, was occupied by the Norfolks and the 143rd Company on 1 May, the presence of British troops 1,500ft above the Japanese positions becoming known to them for the first time. But that is all for today for India, as there is something else cooking up in the CBI theater. Since early 1943, the United States had steadily increased its air force in China. By the beginning of 1944 there were more than 500 US planes in this area, whereas, in spite of the organization of the 5th Air Army,the Japanese Air Force had less than half this number of planes in China. Furthermore, with the war situation rapidly growing worse in the Pacific, the Japanese Air Force in China could not hope for any replenishment. Enemy planes not only interfered with Japanese ground operations, but also harassed the lines of communication and attacked the occupied areas. General Chennault's 14th Air Force had been causing such problems, the Japanese were forced to act. The catalyst for their future action was because of a raid against Formosa carried out by 14 B-25s, 8 P-38s and 8 P-51s on November 25, 1943, which caught the Japanese by surprise as the Chinese-American aircraft strafed and dropped bombs over Shinchiku airfield, successfully destroying its installations along with 42 planes on the ground at the cost of three fighters lost.  This prompted the Japanese commanders to target strategic points along the Hunan-Guangxi, Guangzhou-Hankou and Southern Beijing-Hankou Railways. Thus the infamous Operation Ichi-Go was born. Ichi-Go's primary targets were Guilin and Liuzhou's airfields where the US was developing bases for B-29's to launch strikes against the Japanese home islands. If you are interested in a in-depth talk about this by the way, over on the Pacific War Channel on Youtube or Spotify, I did an interview with Dave from the Coldwar about the bombing of Japan and we talked about this very subject. Pretty neat episode I recommend it! Now in general the main objectives were to link railways in Beijing and Hankou in northern China to the southern Chinese coast at Guangzhou. This would spare shipping and avoid the pesky American submarine force who were now ruining havoc; it was also to take out airfields in Sichuan and Guangxi to thwart further US bombing of Formosa and the Japanese home islands. This also in turn would open a land route to Indochina and hopefully would destroy enough NRA units to collapse Chiang Kai-Sheks government, finally solving the China Problem. Ichi-Go would start in late April with an offensive  by the 12th Army of Lt General Kita Seiichi, later replaced by Lt General Uchiyama Eitaro. This was codenamed Operation Kogo, tasked with capturing the areas along the South Beijing-Hankou railway, centered around Zhengzhou and Luoyang, and destroying the main strength of the 1st War Area. Then, early in June, the 11th Army of General Yokoyama would launch Operation Togo, with the objective of capturing Changsha and Hengyang and destroying the main force of the 6th and 9th War Areas. Following the conclusion of the first phase, late in July, the 11th Army would be assisted by the 23rd Army of Lt General Tanaka Hisaichi and the Indochina Garrison Army of Lt General Viscount Machiiji Kazumoto would capture Guilin and Liuzhou and the destruction of the 4th War Area.  Finally, the third phase of Operation Togo would see the 23rd Army capture the strategic areas along the south Canton-Hankou railway, centered around Nanning, by destroying the 7th War Area in September while the 11th Army continued the advance south towards Suichwan Arfield to link with the Indochina forces. For the entire operation, the 5th Air Army of Lt General Shimoyama Takuma would support the offensives from the skies, tasked with annihilating the American-Chinese air force and attaining air supremacy over China. The logistics of Operation Ichi-Go constituted was one of the most notable examples of the IJA's offensive preparations. Between some of the measures taken was the emplacement of dozens of anti-air batteries throughout the Yangtze River to limit the Chinese-American air activity against troop concentrations at its southern channel; the transfer of dozens of thousands of troops by railway without interference from Chinese guerrillas because security at the railway lines was increased; the monthly river transport of 40000 tons of supplies; the secret storage of 600 pontoons; and the constructions of hideouts for a munitions arsenal that should last for two years and of hundreds of deposits that harbored 50 million liters of gasoline that should last for eight months: 40 million for land vehicles and 10 million for planes.By early April General Hata had amassed 62,000 men, 52,000 Japanese and 10,000 collaborationist units alongside 800 tanks, 1550 artillery pieces, 250 aircraft, 15550 motorized vehicles and 100000 horses.  Meanwhile the British Eastern Fleet had been receiving more naval resources due to the successes in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe and could now carry out more aggressive actions in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Agreement had been reached, after objections from Admiral Ernest King, but new procedures would need to be learnt by naval crews and Fleet Air Arm aircrew. To this end, Operation Diplomat, a training exercise, took place in late March 1944. The objective was for the fleet to rendezvous with a group of tankers, escorted by the Dutch cruiser HNLMS Tromp and practice refueling at sea procedures. The ships then rendezvoused with USN Task Group 58.5 built around aircraft carrier USS Saratoga and three destroyers. To further support the coming Hollandia and Aitape landings, Admiral King requested that, during April, the Eastern Fleet should engage Japanese forces in their area and hold them there to reduce the opposition that could be encountered by the Americans at Western New Guinea. In response, Admiral Somerville launched Operation Cockpit on April 16, an air attack against Sabang off Sumatra. The fleet sailed from Trincomalee on 16 April, and two days later the Gambia and Ceylon were detached from Force 69 to strengthen the anti-aircraft defense of the carrier force. On the morning of April 19, 17 Barracudas and 13 Corsairs from the carrier Illustrious and 29 Dauntless and Avenger bombers and 24 Hellcats from Saratoga took off towards Sumatra and subsequently caught the Japanese completely by surprise, finding no opposition there. Thirty Japanese aircraft were destroyed on the airfield and a direct hit by a 1000-pound bomb set a large oil tank on fire. The power-station, barracks and wireless station were badly damaged. The submarine HMS Tactician reported large fires in the dockyard burning fiercely hours after the fleet had left the area. The raid was a clear success, with Somerville later saying that the Japanese "had been caught with their kimonos up".  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 invaders it seems bit off more than they could chew when they attacked India. General Mutaguchi was facing a determined enemy and very pissed off and somewhat insubordinate colleagues. Operation Ichi-Go was being prepared and the Royal Navy was sending forces into the Indian and Pacific Oceans adding to the IJN's misery.

With its enchanting allure and captivating attractions, Harbin, the picturesque ice city of Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, has become a social media sensation, leaving netizens mesmerized by its myriad splendors.哈尔滨位于中国东北黑龙江省，是一座风景如画的冰城，以其独特的魅力和美丽的景点，在社交媒体上走红，令无数网友心驰神往。Among these fascinating sights are a group of 11 charismatic children from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China, who fearlessly embarked on an educational trip to Harbin, instantly winning the hearts of online communities.在这些迷人的景点之间，一群来自广西南宁壮族自治区的孩子，一行十一人，勇敢地踏上了哈尔滨的游学之旅，在网络上赢得广泛关注。Clad in vibrant orange attire, they are fondly referred to as the "little tangerines", with the oldest just 6 and a half years old, while the youngest only 3 years and 5 months old. The nickname symbolizes both their cute orange outfits and Guangxi's prominent citrus production.他们身着鲜艳的橙色服装，被网友们亲切地称为“小砂糖桔”，他们中最大的只有6岁半，最小的只有3岁零5个月。这个绰号既因为他们可爱的橙色服装，也表现着广西全国领先的柑橘产业。Each day, their enchanting presence is trending on various social media platforms. Wherever they venture, they are warmly embraced and showered with affection by the locals.每天，他们可爱的身影都在各种社交媒体平台上传播。无论他们走到哪里，都会受到当地人的热烈欢迎和喜爱。In Harbin, they savored the local delicacies, and watched a firework display amid the snowy landscape.在哈尔滨，他们品尝了当地的美食，还在一篇白雪皑皑中观看了烟花秀。Liang, the lead teacher of their tour, confirmed their arrival in Mohe, a pivotal destination in their educational itinerary. Upon their arrival, the tour group was warmly welcomed by a local travel agency in coordination with the city's tourism bureau.此次游学的带队老师梁老师表示他们已经抵达了漠河，这是他们游学中的关键一站。抵达后，游学团受到当地旅行社与漠河市旅游局的协调的热烈欢迎。At the northernmost police outpost of China, they sang the national anthem and saluted the border guards, marking an important part of their educational trip.在中国最北的派出所，他们唱了国歌，向边防卫兵敬礼，这是他们游学之旅的重要内容。Moreover, the police officers at the station prepared snow sculptures and snowmen to treat the "little tangerines".此外，车站的警察还准备了雪雕和雪人来招待“小砂糖桔”们。A parent of one of the children expressed gratitude for the collective support and concern shown by netizens and friends from Northeast China. The use of orange coats worn by the children was chosen by a vote among the parents, primarily for safety reasons. Such gestures of care have provided the parents with peace of mind, allowing them to wholeheartedly embrace the adventure, according to a report by The Cover, a news outlet in Sichuan province.其中一位孩子的家长对东北地区的网友和网友们的集体支持和关心表示感谢。孩子们穿橙色外套的使用是由父母投票选出的，主要是出于安全考量。根据四川省新闻媒体的报道，网友们的关心让父母们安心，让“小砂糖桔”们能够全身心地投入这次冒险。Following their remarkable online journey, these children have received an invitation from cultural and tourism authorities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.由于他们的游学之旅在网络上走红，这些孩子收到了新疆维吾尔自治区文化和旅游部门的邀请。"Parents are strongly requesting to go to Xinjiang. However, it still needs further discussion", said Liu Ben, organizer of this study tour.“家长们强烈希望去新疆。但是，我们仍然需要进一步讨论“，这次游学团的组织者刘本（音译）说。To express gratitude for the hospitality received in Heilongjiang, a free batch of tangerines from Lipu of Guangxi was sent to the province on Thursday.为了感谢黑龙江的热情款待，周四，一批免费的砂糖桔从广西荔浦运出。Data show that Harbin welcomed more than 3 million visitors, raking in 5.9 billion yuan ($830 million) of tourism revenue during the three-day New Year holiday, which ended on Monday.数据显示，在周一结束的为期三天的元旦假期中，哈尔滨的游客接待量超过300万，旅游收入超过59亿元人民币（8.3亿美元）。Tangerine英/tæn(d)ʒə'riːn/ 美/'tændʒə'rin/n. 柑橘Educational tripn. 游学

Persatuan atau komuniti usahawan berperanan penting dalam membantu dan memfasilitasi PMKS tempatan untuk terus melangkah maju dan bersaing di peringkat global. Ekspo China-ASEAN (CAEXPO) KE-20 di Nanning, China merupakan platform penting bagi PMKS tempatan menyerlah dan meluaskan pasaran mereka. Kita ikuti perkongsian Wartawan, Firdaus Azil. 

①China-ASEAN Expo is underway in Nanning. Chinese Premier Li Qiang says China-ASEAN relations are the most successful model in Asia-Pacific cooperation. (00:40) ②Senior Chinese and US officials meet in Malta for "substantive and constructive" talks. (13:20) ③The Summit of the Group of 77 and China has concluded with emphasis on empowering the Global South. (24:34) ④Okinawa Governor is visiting Geneva to oppose the relocation of a US military base in Japan. (32:26) ⑤China posted better-than-expected economic data in August. (40:47)

Wartawan, Firdaus Azil menemu bual Presiden Dewan Perniagaan Usahawan Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abu Hasan Mohd Nor yang kini berada di Nanning, China seiring China-ASEAN Expo Ke-20 yang berlangsung ketika ini.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has addressed the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo, which is underway in Nanning.

Nearly 2,000 enterprises are attending this year's China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning. The four-day event in the capital of South China's Guangxi will also include 19 forums.

Typhoon Talim, the fourth typhoon this year, landed in the coastal area of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region early Tuesday, the typhoon's second landfall in China after it first landed in Guangdong province on Monday night.今年第4号台风“泰利”于7月18日凌晨登陆中国南部沿海广西壮族自治区，这是继“泰利”17日晚登陆广东省的后第二次登陆。The typhoon landed at 5:45 am on Tuesday in the city of Beihai in Guangxi, and reached the city of Qinzhou at 9 am, according to the regional meteorological bureau. 广西壮族自治区气象局表示，台风于18日凌晨5点45分在广西北海市登陆，并于9时进入钦州市境内。The maximum wind speeds near the center of the typhoon reached 25 meters per second, and it is expected to move toward the northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 km per hour.台风中心附近的最大风速达25米/秒，预计将以每小时15至20公里的速度向西偏北方向移动。Rainstorms are forecast in the cities of Qinzhou, Fangchenggang and Chongzuo, with the gust speeds reaching as high as 33 meters per second in the southern and central parts of the region, the bureau said.气象局表示，预计广西钦州、防城港和崇左市将有暴雨，广西南部和中部地区的阵风速度高达33米/秒。Guangxi raised its emergency response for typhoons and flooding from Level III to Level II earlier on Tuesday, according to flood control and drought relief authorities of the region.广西壮族自治区防汛抗旱指挥于18日早些时候，将台风三级应急响应提升为二级。The meteorological authorities of Guangxi raised its emergency response for major meteorological disaster (typhoon) to Level II on Monday night.自治区气象局于17日晚间提升重大气象灾害（台风）Ⅲ级应急响应为Ⅱ级应急响应。The water resources and meteorological authorities of Guangxi jointly issued an alert for mountain torrents, predicting that cities including Fangchenggang, Chongzuo, Nanning, Wuzhou and Hezhou are likely to be hit by mountain torrents in the period from 8 pm Monday to 8 pm Tuesday.自治区水利厅和自治区气象局联合发布山洪灾害气象预警，预计17日20时至18日20时，防城港、崇左、南宁、梧州、贺州等地可能遭受山洪袭击。The city of Beihai ordered school, production and market suspension from 10 pm Monday, and Fangchenggang required construction sites, shopping centers, entertainment venues, restaurants and farmers' markets to halt operations on Tuesday.北海市于17日22时起，实行停课、停工、停市等，防城港市自18日起，要求建筑工地停工、各商场、娱乐场所、餐馆以及农贸市场停止营业。At 6 am Tuesday, China's national observatory issued a yellow alert for the typhoon, which weakened to the level of severe tropical storm early Tuesday.中央气象台于18日06时发布台风黄色预警，台风已于当日早些时候减弱为强热带风暴级别。In the next 24 hours, heavy rainfall will lash regions including Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan and Guizhou, and gales will also be expected in most of the South China Sea and coastal areas, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement. 中央气象台表示，未来24小时内，广东、广西、福建、湖南和贵州等地区将迎来强降雨，预计南海大部分地区和沿海地区也将迎来大风。China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for typhoons, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.中国台风预警信号分为四级，采用四种颜色表示，其中红色代表最严重的预警，其次是橙色、黄色和蓝色。Flights were canceled, vessels were called back to ports, high-speed train services were suspended and people in South China were told they should stay home on Monday ahead of Typhoon Talim's landfall.受台风影响，相关地区航班取消，船只召回，高铁停运，华南地区居民于17日台风“泰利”登陆前居家防范。 Strong wind and rain were expected to hit parts of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces from 2 pm Monday to 2 pm Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center said on Monday.中央气象台17日表示，17日14时至18日14时，预计广东、广西和海南部分地区将有强风和降雨。The center renewed its orange alert, the second-highest alert level, for Talim on Monday, while the China Meteorological Administration raised its emergency response for typhoons to Level III.17日，中央气象台将台风预警更新为第二高的橙色预警，并将台风应急响应提高至三级。The meteorological center said Talim made landfall in coastal areas of the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province at around 10:20 pm on Monday night.中央气象台表示，“泰利”于17日22点20分左右在广东省湛江市沿海地区登陆。At 3:30 pm Sunday, the marine department of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge temporarily closed the sea channels that operate under the bridge to avoid any accidents.为避免发生事故，16日15时30分，港珠澳大桥海事局临时封闭桥梁航道。Markets in Hong Kong were prompted to close on Monday as the city's observatory hoisted a storm signal.17日，鉴于香港天文台发出暴风信号，香港交易所宣布港股全天休市。The city of Zhanjiang is expected to be hardest hit by the typhoon.湛江市或将成为台风灾害的重灾区。All fishing boats have been required to return to shelters, and major bridges and scenic spots have been temporarily closed.渔船被要求全部回港，主要桥梁和景点已暂时关闭。In addition, the city's water conservancy departments are required to be on duty 24 hours to help deal with any emergencies over the next two days.此外，湛江市水利部门将在未来两天24小时值班，以应对紧急情况。Ferry and cruise services along the Pearl River were suspended at noon on Monday in Guangzhou, and China Railway Guangzhou Group decided to suspend passenger train operations among the cities of Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Maoming and Haikou from Monday to Tuesday.17日中午，广州水上公交和珠江游停运，广铁集团决定将暂停17日全天及18日江门、湛江、茂名和海口等城市的客运列车。In Haikou, capital of Hainan province, authorities ordered all nurseries and training institutions to suspend classes. Students from other schools are on summer vacation.海南省省会海口有关部门下令所有托儿所和培训机构停课。其余学校学生正处于暑假期间。Meilan International Airport in Haikou canceled all outboundplanes on Monday, with all three ports of the city shutting down.海口美兰国际机场于17日取消了所有出港航班，海口三港全部关闭。Hainan's circular high-speed railway and Haikou suburban trains were suspended, and parks, scenic spots, malls and markets were also closed.海南环岛高铁和海口市郊列车全线停运，公园、景点、商场和市场关闭。Wu Qiancheng, director of the command center of the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, said it will use information methods to strengthen ship monitoring, release warnings in a timely manner and prepare for emergencies.海南海事局指挥中心主任吴乾诚表示，将利用信息化手段加强对船舶的监测，及时发布预警信息，为突发事件做好准备。"We have coordinated and deployed five professional rescue boats and two rescue helicopters, which can respond to maritime emergencies at any time," Wu said.“海南海事局已经协调部署了五艘专业救援船和两架救援直升机，可随时应对海上突发情况，”吴乾诚说。Residents in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, experienced howling winds and periods of intense rainfall as city authorities prepared for work and school closures, but the city's emergency management bureau decided against closures as the center of the storm was moving away from the city.广东省深圳市遭受风雨影响，深圳市已做好停工停课准备，但由于台风中心正在远离该市，应急管理局决定不关闭。"We have prepared for work and school closures, but as the center of the storm moves away from Shenzhen, we have made a scientific judgment and decided not to issue such instructions," Wang Changxiao, director of the disaster prevention department of Shenzhen Emergency Management Bureau, told China Daily.深圳市应急管理局防灾部主任王常效在接受《中国日报》采访时表示:“应急管理部门已经做好停工停课准备，但随着风暴中心逐渐远离深圳，部门做出了科学研判，决定不推行此项措施。”Typhoon英 /taɪˈfuːn/美 /taɪˈfuːn/n. 台风Alert 英 /əˈlɜːt/美 /əˈlɜːrt/n.警报

In deze aflevering ontvangt Bert van Aalten burgemeester Nanning Mol van Laren. Bert en Nanning spreken over zijn jeugd, zijn studie tijd, de loopbaan aar burgemeester en de toekomst. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dorpsradio-laren/message

Meet Alessandro Munge, the Founder of Studio Munge; a visionary, interior designer and magician when it comes to transforming spaces. The design from Toronto joins as Editor and host Hamish Kilburn's special guest for episode 32 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Geberit.Munge, who has helped to redefine spaces around the world, using a human-centric approach to design, first met Kilburn when he was a guest on the Travel By Design podcast, by Marriott, where the two explored the fabrics and design story inside Muir Halifax, Autograph Collection.On this episode, Kilburn's aim was to start where they left off from that meaningful episode to understand more about Munge's approach to projects and how he has helped brands, through clever and social design, to amplify perhaps a different side of their personality. In addition to understand the architecture and design narrative of Muir, Kilburn speaks to Munge about sensitively designing EDITION's first residences in Miami, how to effortlessly amplify a brand's language through design and the challenges involved in designing Shangri-La's tallest hotel within its portfolio, which will open soon in Nanning, China.DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by Geberit, produced by Mel Yates and hosted by Hamish Kilburn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. 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

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

Set in the remote, mountainous Guangxi Autonomous Region and based on ethnographic fieldwork, Families We Need: Disability, Abandonment, and Foster Care's Resistance in Contemporary China (Rutgers UP, 2022) traces the movement of three Chinese foster children, Dengrong, Pei Pei, and Meili, from the state orphanage into the humble, foster homes of Auntie Li, Auntie Ma, and Auntie Huang. Traversing the geography of Guangxi, from the modern capital Nanning where Pei Pei and Meili reside, to the small farming village several hours away where Dengrong is placed, this ethnography details the hardships of social abandonment for disabled children and disenfranchised, older women in China, while also analyzing the state's efforts to cope with such marginal populations and incorporate them into China's modern future. The book argues that Chinese foster families perform necessary, invisible service to the Chinese state and intercountry adoption, yet the bonds they form also resist such forces, exposing the inequalities, privilege, and ableism at the heart of global family making. Erin Raffety is a research fellow at the Center for Theological Inquiry, an empirical research consultant at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an associate research scholar at Princeton Seminary's Institute for Youth Ministry. Raffety researches and writes on disability, congregational ministry, and church leadership and is an advocate for disabled people. Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anjo Miedema in gesprek met Nanning Mol en Leo Jansen over hun passie voor de Johannes Passion uitgevoerd door het Barrock orchestra olv Ton Koopman. kaarten voor de uitvoering in Laren op 2 april zijn te verkrijgen via larenklassiek.nl --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dorpsradio-laren/message

In het kader van de Dag voor de Verdraagzaamheid en het monument wat vanavond in Laren wordt onthult, worden de programma's van Dorpsradio.nl vandaag vanuit het Brinkhuis door gastpresentatoren gemaakt. Dit uur hoort u burgemeester Nanning Mol. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dorpsradio-laren/message

Apa signifikannya Malaysia diiktiraf sekali lagi sebagai Negara Kehormat pada Ekspo China-ASEAN (CAEXPO) ke-19 yang berlangsung di Nanning, China baru – baru ini? Diskusi Sabtu 9 malam.

Apa signifikannya Malaysia diiktiraf sekali lagi sebagai Negara Kehormat pada Ekspo China-ASEAN (CAEXPO) ke-19 yang berlangsung di Nanning, China baru – baru ini? Diskusi Sabtu 9 malam.

The China-ASEAN Expo has concluded in Nanning, with a record number of deals made. This year's expo attracted more than 1,600 enterprises from 40 countries.

commander in charge of Huguang province, Prince Nikan. Meanwhile Qing princes Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao were dispatched to pacify Guangdong and Guangxi. Wu Sangui was ordered to pacify Sichuan, but was being tied down heavily in its northern sector, maybe he was fighting all the tigers.    Wu had discovered that Sichuan was so devastated it made things ruinous for military campaigns. He lacked the resources to do much against the countless bandits armies and the newly emerged forces of Sun Kewangs which he referred to as a “poison overrunning the province”.  The entire situation as Wu put it “Chengdu was a devastated ruin and all was empty around it. The dead and starving were everywhere and for hundreds of li there were no cooking fires but bandit gangs roamed allying with the ming freely. All of Sichuan is in the hands of bandits and their strategic situation has already improved greatly since their emergence. Without men or materiel where will I get the resources to recover land and extirpate [the bandits]?”   Nonetheless in february of 1652, Wu and his subordinate Li Guohan made an offensive through the Jianmen “sword pass” all the way to Jiading. By april they captured Chongqing and by may northern Sichuan was considered fully pacified. Still Wu and Guohan had no illusions, the bandits and Ming defenses in the south remained dangerous, but the giddy young Qing Emperor assumed Sichuan as a whole was weakened and thought Wu would be able to assist Nikan in his mission. The young Qing emperor also sought to mass large armies to retake Yunnan and Guizhou after Sichuan was taken, quite a large order.    A grandson of Nurhaci, Prince Nikan served with Prince Haoge in western China and held an assortment of administrative posts in the capital before he was appointed “Ding yuan da Jiangjun”, generalissimo in charge of pacifying the distant regions, following Kong Youdes death. Nikan proceeded into Huguang at the head of his army of 100,000. Like most Qing commanders, Prince Nikan was given orders to accept the surrender of anyone who submitted without a fight and that it was paramount to protect the people. Strict military regulations were to be enforced, forbidding the rape and pillaging of whom were supposed to be their subjects. Understandable, you can't go around abusing the people you want to govern after all. Nikan's army marched to Guangxi to do battle with Li Dingguo and he was promised aid from Xi'an. The Qing military operations were consuming more than half the Qing governments revenue and they knew they should be cautious and secure taxable lands before venturing deep into the southwest again. Nikans forces successfully defeated Li Dingguo's subordinates Ma Jinzhong at Yuezhou and Zhang Honggong at Changsha. Nikan pursued them west and encountered Li Dingguo's scouts near Hengzhou. Nikan defeated some of Li's forces at Hengzhou sending him on the run, but then Li set up an ambush near Qiyang where Nikan's army sustained heavy casualties. Nikan pushed forward, with his vanguard running into another ambush near Yongzhou. Li feigned a retreat and soon Nikans army was stretched out widely into 3 groupings. Li then personally led his forces brandishing a great sword on horseback into battle. Nikan fought bravely but was overwhelmed and speared off his mount. Li severed Nikans head from its corpse and paraded it around before falling back to Wugang.   The Qing were absolutely shocked,  Emperor Shunzhi screamed “ “In our dynasty's military history we've never suffered a loss like this!”. The Ming scholar and philosopher Huang Zongxi said of Li Dingguo's victory  “it was the most complete Ming victory since the Wanli reign.”. The prefect of Guilin said of Li's victory ““The duke (Li) uses troops like a god. He's a little Zhuge [Liang]. His laws and regulations are clear and strict without committing the slightest mistake, and he combines the strong and weak in his brigades with all knowing their roles. Thus the people practically fight to join him.” The Qing licked their wounds and now put the veteran collaborator Hong Chengchou in charge of all operations in the far south.    Even though Li had managed to kill Prince Nikan, he was unable to take advantage of the great victory because his subordinates Feng Shuangli and Ma Jinzhong were still working for Sun Kewang in secrecy, undermining him. Soon much of Huguang fell right back into the hands of the Qing and Feng sent word to Sun to stoke his jealousy “I fear that from now on, Dingguo will be hard to control”. Sun tried to remedy his relationship with Li by offering him  the title of Prince of Xining, but Li refused stating “Investitures come from the Son of Heaven. How can one prince enfoeff another?” thus Li was making the argument that only Emperor Yongli could bestow someone as prince outraging Sun, kind of ironic also given the fact it was an argument Sun had made himself, haha. Sun was publicly praising Li's victories, while privately trying to destroy him. Sun sent countless letters summoning Li to “discuss strategy” but instead Li camped in Baoqing and ignored them. It turns out Li was being tipped off by Liu Wenxiu's son that Sun was probably trying to assassinate him. Li worried not just for his life, but for his family who were all in Yunnan.    Now it should be noted Li Dingguo's armies success was primarily a result of his training programs and leadership. Li was an extremely capable military leader, he understood the limitations and strengths of his forces. For one thing he did not believe in sticking around in one place for too long, he knew the limitations of his logistics, such as a need for food. His experience as a bandit leader was of grave importance for the survival of his forces as most of their campaigns relied on moving into territories, securing resources and moving on. He also had a tendency to strike out fast without warning and leav before the Qing could consolidate on that position. Li made sure to build close ties with areas he led his forces into, trying to win over many, and this proved highly successful as unlike his former adoptive father, Li had always tried to limit atrocities. Li also heavily benefited from Yunnan specifically, he was running around with war elephants afterall, fearsome shock units, though very expensive to feed and maintain. It was said that the Qing feared Li and his “southern barbarian forces” as they were known.    Estimates for the total troops available for the South Ming regime are most likely inflated but some sources claim Sun Kewang to have 800,000 men, Li Dingguo 400,000 and Liu Wenxiu 140,000. There is a breakdown of organizational structure as well when it comes to the South Ming armies. For mobile brigades (youji), each with a commander, consisting of 2 brigades (ying), which held around 1750 troops. Then there are 5 vice commanders (dusi) each with 350 troops, divided into 5 separate units of 70, further divided into 5 squads of 13. Now for a regular brigade each held 3000 troops with 10 battalions of 300, subdivided into 2 companies of 150 each. Lt's led platoons of 30 men, sergeants squads of 10.   The South Ming regime were bolstered heavily by minority troops which themselves brought a variety of differing weaponry and military tactics. Its hard to gauge, but some modern scholars estimate there was a ratio of 1 gun per 15 soldiers overall, but other scholars argue they had even more. As already mentioned we see a heavy use of Elephant cavalry amongst Li Dingguo's forces, he also had unique firearms, repeating crossbows and specialized polearms. By the way if you ever have a chance to check out repeating crossbows going back to the ancient times of China, its worthwhile, they are awesome. There were the famous 3 eyed bird guns, western made cannons and much more. Li's force particularly liked using cavalry, favoring the mobility, but horses were in short supply for Yunnan and Sichuan. The war elephants were typically in the frontlines with men firing guns atop their backs, which sounds absolutely awesome.  Li Dingguo's campaigns also came with horrifying consequences for the common folk, it is estimated up to a possibly million commoners were killed during the offensive in 1652 from war conditions and famine. Basically anywhere the Qing and Ming decided to do battle ruined the area, people were pressed into service, killed, pillaged, lost homes and farms and such leading to starvation, many refugees spread into other areas causing more and more problems.     While northern Sichuan was being secured by the forces of Li Guoying and Wu Sangui, Sun Kewang decided to expand into northern Sichuan and sent Liu Wenxiu. The Qing attempted to hold Liu's forces back, but the elephant cavalry proved extremely effective and soon they were pushed back towards Baoning. A large reason the Elephant cavalry was so successful was because they simply spooked the Qing horses, though for anyone who knows their Mongol war history, you can already see how using war elephants might prove disastrous. While horses are indeed spooked by elephants, horses mounted archers can quite easily spook elephants back by pelting them with arrows and flanking them. Regardless from many of the sources I am reading, this seems to not become the case until later on. Liu Wenxiu soon took Chongqing, Chengdu with the aid of his elephants and heavy cannons, he now felt the time was right to march on the Qing stronghold of Baoning. Liu besieged Baoning with 50,000 troops while another Ming commander, Wang Fuchen built floating bridges to cross the Ling River to cut off the escape from Baoning. Wu Sangui argued with Li Guoying that they should retreat to Hanzhong, but Li felt abandoning Baoning would mean the loss of Sichuan completely and that was unacceptable. Li then instructed Wu to place his troops in a position from which they could not escape. This tactic is known as “deadly ground”, the idea was by putting the forces in a life or death situation they would perform at their best. Sure hate to be those forces. Wu Sangui was still looking to retreat, but his colleagues basically told him he would get executed for doing so in Beijing. Abandoning Baoning would set the Qing pacification back for years and thus it was imperative to make this stand.    Baoning was quite a defendable city, it held rivers on 3 sides and a mountain on its 4th. The Ming tried to use that mountain to fire muskets into the city but the range was too far. Liu kept up the pressure on 3 sides of the city while guarding against any relief forces incoming from the north. It was an overly aggressive stance leaving Liu's forces thinly places about, but he had no choice but to take up an aggressive stance in the hopes of breaking the city faster since Liu did not have enough supplies for a long siege, neither did the Qing for that matter. It also seems Liu had his eyes fixated on the prize and may have been too eager. Afterall if he took Baoning it would mean he was the man who took all of Sichuan.   It seems in his efforts to envelope Baoning Liu had left some gaps in his formations and Wu saw this. Liu had arrayed his 13 war elephant cavalry units in the front of the formation intending to use them as shock troops and to protect his more unarmored troops in the formations center. The problem was because the war elephants were in the front like this, the troops behind them could not see what was past the elephants, and elephants unlike horses dont move fast, thus the enemy would be able to maneuver quickly and the troops would not know where they would be hit in time. What made maters even worse was the fact these unarmored troops in the middle had their backs to the Ling River. Lius army consisted mostly of pikemen with rattan shields and some harquebusiers. They were arrayed on the 3 sides of the city, 4 ranks deep with elephants in front followed by pikemen and harquebusiers in the rear. The formation reassembled a crescent moon, stretching some 5 miles around the city. For those of you war gamers you can probably visualize the setup and see some of the issues. For example Liu would employ his elephants into a charge to smash the enemy's cavalry, then open the lines for pikemen to finish them off followed by harquebusiers to shoot straddlers, a good plan? Problem, elephants are quite slow, what if the cavalry simply run around them?  Wu told Zhang that if they could open a gap in the enemy's lines they might be able to win. Liu commanded an attack and Wu feigned a retreat  near the Guanyin Temple which drew the Ming in pursuit. The pursuit separated some of the formation exposing the unarmored troops in the middle of Liu's formation and Wu circled around the flanks concentrating fire up the weak middle. Next Wu's cavalry smashed into some Pikemen formations pushing the enemy closer to the Ling River. Then Wu led his force against Liu Wenxiu, charging at the elephants, but they did not break. So Wu feigned another retreat, goading Liu into a chaotic pursuit. As Liu charged, Wu's forces wheeled back around and hit them with a crossfire of arrows, remember what I said about Mongolian tactics. To make matters worse, Liu's hasty pursuit saw him leaving behind many of the shield bearers, and thus they had no counter to the arrow fire. Liu's forces began to rout and Liu himself was forced to escape by cutting a floating bridge at the head of nearly half his original force of 50,000. Now 10,000 of his men were on the other side of the Ling river, scrambling to get across and they were quickly slaughtered. The Elephants eventually panicked and scattered in their own right. Wu Sangui went on to claim his forces killed and captured more than 40,000 troops during the battle. Li Guoying claimed that no more than 1000 men managed to escape and that they had captured seals of authority, 3 elephants, over 2000 horses and a mountain of firearms. Liu would retreat all the way to Yunnan and be lambasted by Sun and demoted. Liu from then on would resent Sun and fell more into the fold of Li Dingguo. After the battle both Li Guoying and Wu Sangui sent forces wheeling around to pursue the Ming as they withdrew. Wu Sangui's forces eventually stopped at Chengdu wrecking multiple Ming armies. Li Guoying began to consolidate his power in Sichuan, defeating and cornering Ming loyalist forces across the north and west of Sichuan. Li would go as far as to claim north and western Sichuan were fully pacified to Beijing.    Meanwhile the Ming court was still fawning over Li Dingguo like fangirls of a Kpop band and gave him the title of Prince of Xining, really pissing off Sun Kewang. This pushed Sun Kewang to begin a military campaign going east in autumn of 1652 seeking to raise his military profile, but at the same time Hong Chengchou was sent to Hunan to pacify it. Hong did not take an aggressive stance and opted instead to restore the prosperity of the region. Sun's campaign began with the capture of Chenzhou, where he smashed its east gate with his war elephants allowing his infantry to swarm into the city fighting bloody street to street warfare. Sun followed up the massacre, by executing tons of Qing officials and erecting piles of severed limbs to showcase it, so some old fashion Zhang Xianzhong stuff. Sun Kewang afterwards personally commanded his army to attack Baoqing alongside Feng Shuangli and Bai Wenxuan to his left and right. A veteran Qing commander named Tong Tulai held the city and upon seeing the banners of Sun Kewang in the middle formation order the concentration of his forces fire upon the center units. Both sides took equal and heavy casualties, but soon Sun Kewangs army broke and fled with Tong Tulai choosing not to pursue, probably learning a lesson from Prince Nikan's demise.    Sun's defeat at Baoqing and Liu Wenxiu's defeat at Baoning convinced many that Sun Kewang was an incompetant military leader and that he had wasted over 3 years training his forces for nothing. Thus ironically Sun Kewangs efforts to eclipse his rival, Li Dingguo had resulted in the exact opposite, making Li look even better. Sun then began to see the Ming royal family and its ties to Li Dingguo as a threat and he would take a course of action that would effectively doom the South Ming regime.   Despite the setbacks to the strategic position of the South Ming regime in 1653 not all was entirely lost. Emperor Yongli was in a secure and stable position for once and the regime held Yunnan, Guizhou and southern Sichuan firmly. Sun Kewang had brought many Dashun,Da Xi and other bandit groups under their sphere of influence and more importantly under the control of one leader. There was even the possibility that the South Ming regime could eventually link up with the naval resistance led by Koxinga in the southeast coast, someone we will talk about later. The military successes of Li Dingguo gave the South Ming regime a huge morale boost and shocked the hell out of the Qing. But beneath the surface of all of this, things were not well internally for the Ming loyalists. As we saw countless times with the bickering amongst different factions in the South Ming regime, here again it will occur.   Sun was ambitious and jealous of his colleagues, he also shared grotesque traits of his former master Zhang Xianzhong. Emperor Yongli on the other hand was weak willed and a coward who consistently sought his personal safety over all other concerns. He was a mere puppet, content with just being a symbol. Li Dingguo had risen from a peasant leader to become a genuine Ming loyalist who was both brave and charismatic, earning the hearts of many. He did not have the administrative skill like Sun Kewang, but he was a capable military leader who could take territory. In essence the 3 men together made a formidable team, each having something of use, administrative skill for Sun, military capability for Li and a symbol of authenticity in Yongli. But this would never come into reality and the real losers of this game of thrones, would as always be the common people.    Sun Kewang from the early days of just being a bandit leader showed a very notable tendency to be sensitive to any criticism and would attack anyone who he thought slighted him. Li Dingguo was well aware that Sun planned to kill him as early as 1652, yet despite this Li tried to get Sun to work together but it only made Sun more angry and dangerous. Thus by 1653 Li began to move his forces further away from Sun before he might be enveloped. Li left Yongzhou with less than 50,000 loyal troops to Longhu Pass which allowed the Qing quickly snatch up Yongzhou as a result. From there Li went east, skirmishing sometimes with Sun troops and attacking Qing controlled cities. Li's hope was if he managed to get closer to the eastern coast he might be able to join forces with Koxinga whom for his own part was open to the idea and trying his best to join up as well.    In march of 1653, Li besieged Zhaoqing for weeks and despite heavy bombardments failed to take the city and was forced to move on and raid Guangxi. He attacked Guilin where he was wounded and forced to retreat when Qing relief forces came. As Li fought Qing forces in Guangdong and Guangxi throughout 1653, Sun Kewang dispatched Feng Shuangli to attack Li at Liuzhou. Li however, managed to ambush Feng's forces and sent him fleeing. There is a story that as Feng tried to ford a river fleeing, Li supposedly saved him from drowning and thus Feng gave his loyalty to Li and returned to Sun's camp waiting for the right moment to help Li defeat him. Li would take Guilin in late 1653 and the more actions he took the more Emperor Yongli's court saw him as a better alternative to Sun as a military protector. Soon Emperor Yongli offered Li the same rank as Sun Kewang if he could rescue him from Sun's house arrest situation. Li responded that he would be open to the idea of “escorting” Yongli to safety if he successfully took Guangdong. However, Ma Jixiang discovered these messages between Li and Yongli and gave word to Sun Kewang in January of 1654. Sun then accused Yongli of conspiring against him and initiated a plan to redistribute Li Dingguo's wives and concubines in Yunnan among the other high ranking officers, but there was general dissatisfaction amongst his ranks. Almost a full blown mutiny had occurred at one point and thus his devious plan never came to fruition.    On May 6, Sun executed what he called the 18 gentlemen of Anlong for allegedly conspiring against him. Their ringleader, Wu Zhenmin strangled himself while the others were publicly flayed and decapitated. Its been awhile since we had this gruesome stuff eh? It turns out when Yongli was accused he denied the conspiracy and threw all the 18 gentlemen under the bus to save himself. In spring of 1654, Sun with 370,000 troops prepared for another eastern campaign while Li Dingguo had launched his own into Guangdong hoping as always to link up with the infamous Koxinga. Li managed to push all the way to Gaozhou, located in the southeast of the province. Next he besieged Xinhui just a bit south of Guangzhou. While he besieged Xinhui he asked Koxinga for assistance, but this never came to fruition and thus the siege lagged into 1655. Li's situation became very desperate, his men were soon reduced to eating their own horses. Then Qing reinforcements commanded by Shang Kexi arrived and despite Li having arrayed his cannons and elephants for defense the cannons allegedly were not working properly during the battle, allowing the Qing to take some high ground against him. Shang Kexi and his colleague Geng Jimao from the vantage point were able to outflank Li and cause his elephants to rout running through his own army causing massive chaos. Li had already lost countless thousand during the siege and the Qing attack simply broke them, they soon fled for their lives. Shang Kexi boasted “they scattered like rats before the might of the Qing”.    Li fled back southwest with the remnants of his forces, around 10,000 men, with just 3 war elephants left and a possible 60-70 thousand refugees as he was pursued by the Qing. He was finally able to breathe when he destroyed a bridge behind himself stranding the Qing and managing to escape to Nanning. The Qing quickly grabbed up multiple cities and Li's eastern campaign had ended in complete failure. With just a single battle at Xinhui, over 3 years of Ming victories had been swept away.    Meanwhile Sun had launched an assault on Changde in the summer of 1655, bringing with him Liu Wenxiu who had tried to retire in dismay from his major defeat, but Sun would not allow this. When his forces got close to Changde they were ambushed by Qing forces and had to make a fighting retreat, losing 6 subsequent battles to them. Many of Sun's forces fell to the Qing, starvation and disease. Feng Shuangli was wounded and some other 40 generals simply surrendered to the Qing in what became a catastrophic campaign. One thing made Hong Chengchou uneasy despite the great victories, the Ming forces under Sun seemed to be using riverine units to great effect. Thus Chengchou began to pressure the Qing to put more funding into naval capabilities. You see Sun and Li both had mastered using boats to move units quicker through river systems, as cavalry was scarce and their operations required fast mobility. The use of these riverine units alluded the Qing countless times as the Qing did not possess a great number of boats themselves nor plan to build too many.   Throughout 1655 the Qing pushed through Guangxi defeating multiple bandit groups. Li Dingguo in the meantime was returning to Nanning in late 1655, but would soon flee when the Qing attacked the city in February of 1656. It became evident that Li Dingguo was edging closer and closer to Anlong to attempt a rescue of Emperor Yongli, prompting Sun Kewang to order the forceful movement of the emperor. He appointed his subordinate Bai Wenxuan for the task of moving the emperor, completely unaware that Bai was secretly working with  Li Dingguo to relocate Emperor Yongli to Yunnan where Li had a powerbase. As Sun continued to campaign in eastern Sichuan, Li dingguo and Bai Wenxuan sent word to Emperor Yongli to try and convince the him to move to Yunnan. It was a major risk as Li only had 6000 troops under his control at the time and Sun had more than 50,000 garrisoning various places, many of which were in Yunnan. Li then tried to appeal to the Ming loyalism of the commanders scattered about, accusing Sun Kewang of quote “sinking to a depth from which he could not return to allegiance”. He also bribed the hell out of them. In turn Liu Wenxiu turned his back on Sun and made his way to join Li dingguo. Li then dispatched his subordinate Jin Tongwu to take Emperor Yongli to Yunnan in early 1656, but Sun Kewang sent some agents of his own to retrieve the emperor. So basically we are seeing a situation in which Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang are both trying to win the Ming loyalists to their respective side and portraying themselves as being the true savior of the Emperor. By the way if most of this story sounds oddly familiar to parts of the 3 Kingdoms stories its not a coincidence, all the characters were avid readers of those stories and were actively portraying the events as such.    What ends up winning the day, was the cunning and deceptive alliance between Li dingguo and Bai Wenxuan, because despite all that was going on, it seems Sun still thought Bai Wenxuan was his loyal man helping move the emperor for him. At a crucial moment, Sun Kewang sent an army to apprehend the emperor and Bai Wenxuan stopped the force saying “The Son of Heaven is here. Kewang wants to be a murderous traitor. If you wish to do that which is right, how can you follow the commands of an evil murderer and thus counter the Way of Heaven?”.  Meanwhile he was sending letters to Sun Kewang explaining that he would be delivering the Emperor to Guiyang in a few days and not to worry. This deception bought enough time for Li Dingguo and his smaller army to sneak into Anlong and convince 2 Ming commanders, Pang Tianshou and Ma Jixiang (yup Sun's spy loyal man) to switch their allegiances to him. Li dingguo consolidated the forces with those of Ben Wenxuan and they began to escort Emperor Yongli out of Anlong on February 20th.    It is said the populace lined up the roads and wept for joy as Emperor Yongli entered Yunnan alongside Li Dingguo. The emperor quickly occupied Sun Kewangs former residence in Kunming and once he felt safe and comfortable he began to distribute new titles and office to all those who aided his escape. Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu were named the Princes of Jin and Shu. Despite all of the craziness, Li Dingguo still hoped to bring Sun Kewang back into the fold and sent Liu Wenxiu back to Guiyang as an envoy. However Emperor Yongli advised Liu not to go in person, remembering the execution of the 18 gentlemen of Anlong, so instead Liu wrote a letter in blood to Sun Kewang. Li even sent out Sun's servants and concubines and the deceptive Bai Wenxuan back to him in a show of good faith. Sun responded as you might guess, angrily, so he sent his own envoys in return as a sign of good faith. In truth he had sent spies such as Wang Ziqi and Zhang Hu, who to his delight sent back word quickly that Li Dingguo only had 20,000 troops. Thus Sun Kewang eagerly prepared for war against Li, not realizing many of his top commanders had changed their allegiances such as his subordinate, Zhang Hu, I guess he can be called a double agent. Bai Wenxuan for his part notified Li that peace was assuredly not an option. On top of this Sun had sent some agents throughout Guizhou and Yunnan to garrison positions and prepare for war which really tipped Li off. Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu each sent letters from Kunming to Koxinga hoping for cooperation but no responses came.    During all of this, the Qing were consolidating their empire, especially in Sichuan.  The skirmishes between Sun and Li had enabled the Qing to  grab most of Southwest China. Yet Southern Sichuan was still extremely chaotic. Maimed people walked everywhere, corpses littered the fields, cannibalism was rampant and people were paying taxes to differing authorities. Sun Kewang still held considerable authority in Southern Sichuan. Li Guoying was promoted to governor general of Shaanxi and Sichuan in 1657 and the Qing hoped some martial law might speed up the pacification and end the nightmare that had reigned for over a decade at this point. Li Guoying pointing out that Sichuan contained a mishmash of refugees from all the ongoing wars. There were Eight banner troops, bandits, Ming loyalists, Dashun and Daxi remnants and all these groups made it very difficult to determine reliability and suitability for service under the Qing. Li Guoying thought increasing agricultural productivity would win over most and set to work doing so. Meanwhile Hong Chengchou was gathering forces and supplies in Huguang while promoting agricultural productivity. Thus both Li and Hong were running similar programs trying to win the hearts of the populace to their side.   Now as I mentioned, the Qing took Nanning in 1656 and soon realized that Li Dingguo had slipped away to Anlong. The Qing commanders worried that their supply lines were stretched too thin and Hong Chengchou favored using Guilin as a main base of operations for enclosing the southwest. To Hong Chengchou the main threat was Emperor Yongli and his entourage because he held the most significant challenge to the Qing that of legitimacy. The Qing had word of the growing war between Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang and chose to allow Hong Chengchou to build up his forces and supplies for the time being and let the enemy rot a bit from within. The entire time the Ming were bickering, the Qing were amping up agricultural production in multiple provinces winning over more and more of the populace.    In the summer of 1657 Sun and Li finally came after another. Sun with a 140,000 strong army marched upon Yunnan leaving Feng Shuangli to hold Guiyang. Li and Liu had around 50,000 troops and took up a position at Qujing building up wooden defenses there. By this point Li and Liu had persuaded many of Sun's subordinates to turncoat using every means possible, but despite this they still feared the upcoming clash. Sun arrayed his force into 36 brigades once he hit the Yunnan border and made his way to the nearest city, Jiaoshui. When the 2 armies came 10 miles from each other, Sun placed Bai Wenxuan in his vanguard which would prove a disastrous mistake. Turns out Sun's spies finally told him Bai Wenxuan was a turncoat, so Sun rightfully threw him in front, but unbeknownst to him Bai knew Sun knew and planned for this. Oh how the turntables? At the critical start of the battle Bai sent a signal and his troops wheeled around smashing into Sun's other commanders, aided by another turncoat general. Before Sun could respond, the turncoat units were eliminating his loyal units 1 by 1. Sun panicked and sought to withdraw, but 2 of his loyal subordinates Ma Bao and Ma Weixing both promised they would capture Bai and Liu vowing to quote “eat Bai's flesh for his betrayal. We outnumber them 10 to 1, when one person advances, we retreat. Are there no men among us?”. Thus Sun sent Mao Bao and another subordinate Zhang Sheng with 4000 troops to make a flanking maneuver while he drove straight into the vanguard himself. The outcome was catastrophic. Ma Weixing simply bolted away, Zhang fled towards Kunming hoping to switch sides and Ma Bao did not follow through because it turned out he was also a turncoat. There are even accounts that Ma Bao's men were firing blanks to look like they were helping. To make matters worse, Li Dingguo was fed intel provided by Bai Wenxuan and personally led his units to hit Sun's weakest spot. When Liu Wenxiu advanced, many of Sun's subordinate began to chant “Welcome, Prince Jin! Welcome Prince Jin!” as they cast off their uniforms and defected. Soon banners of Li and Liu were filling the battleground, Sun was being undone by his own army. Even though Sun's loyal forces still outnumbered the enemy 3-1 they quickly collapsed and Sun was forced to flee.    Sun and just a few dozen followers fled through thick forests making their way to the nearest town which was named Puding…haha Puding, anyways of all people Ma Jinzhong was holding the town and he closed the gates on them. When Sun screamed at the gates he was the ruler of the realm, Ma retorted “The ruler of the realm left with an army of 160,000. Now there are only a few thousand. You are certainly bandits.” Next Sun and his followers ran to Guiyang with Liu hot on their heels. When Sun approached the gates of his old capital he found them barred by Feng Shuangli. Feng did however allow Sun to take his family and continue running and Sun also secretly ordered his followers to rape and kill the wife of Bai Wenxuan who was in Guiyangat the time. Soon Sun ran into an underling of Li Dingguo named Li Bengao. He said to Bengao “Bengao, is that my old companion? You've received my favor, but now you want to kill you ruler huh?” Bengao replied “As a court officer it is simple to know the duties of a lord and minister. Bengao does not kill his lord; I've come to kill the leader of bandits.”. But before Bengao could kill Sun, one of Sun's followers snuck up and shot Bengao dead with an arrow. Sun decided enough was enough and to defect to the Qing and did so at Baoqing on December 19th of 1657. He cut his hair in the Manchu fashion and was invested as the Prince of Yi, but would not live too much longer as he died of illness in 1660, some allege he was executed secretly for having dealings with the Koxinga regime in Taiwan.    Speaking of Koxinga, fresh from his victory over Sun, Li Dingguo yet again sent another letter to Koxinga asking if they could join forces and attack Nanjing, but this never came to be. Li Dingguo had a short lived victory as he soon had to perform mop up operations against Sun's loyalists in Yunnan. Li reportedly lost upto 90% of his best commanders and troops simply cleaning up the remnants of Sun, leaving him with a terribly green force to resist the inevitable Qing invasion to come. To make matters worse Liu Wenxiu died of illness in late 1658. Li distrusted most of the commanders at his side as they had been Sun's former commanders and without Liu he simply had too much to do by himself. Remember how Li kept trying to bring Sun Kewang back into the fold, despite the man was trying to kill him? Well you can see why here, despite Li being an incredible military leader, when it came to governance and state building, he simply was not very good at it. He was used to mobile armies, wandering the provinces and plundering while on the move. Sitting idle and trying to build up forces, taxation, production, even defenses works was sort of not his forte. Before L    iu had died, on his deathbed he told Li he should flee and establish a new base of operations in Shaanxi or maybe sail down the Yangtze to join Koxinga. The loss of Liu was a hard one, as Li trusted pretty much no other former commanders under Sun, apart from Bai Wenxuan who proved quite helpful. Regardless Li strove on preparing what defenses he could. 3 Qing armies advanced on Yunnan from 3 directions, planning to converge upon Kunming. Wu Sangui marched from Sichuan, Loto would march from Huguang, Jobeti from Guangxi and Hong Chengchou held overall command. At this time Hong Chengchou was quite old and his health was failing him so he could not take a field command. Just because he was old and ill did not mean he did not have some sneaky tricks however. Hong Chengchou sent a number of spies into Yunnan to gather intel and perform a misinformation campaign to lead Li Dingguo's forces to believe the Qing were much further away than they were.   Wu Sangui's force departed Baoning and first came upon Chengdu which he described to be “a den of tigers, leopards, and bears”. The city was still a wasteland and it is estimated only 2% of the population was alive. Things proved to be just as bad in Chongqing, when Wu and his colleague Li Guohan approached the first things they saw were corpses and bones littering the roads. Unlike Chengdu, Wu's force was hampered at Chongqing by bandit armies, but the Qing artillery proved enough to break them after several battles. It is said the Qing artillery blasted from shorelines filling the river with the bodies of bandits.    The Qing armies advanced through Sichuan, Guangxi and Guizhou battling bandit armies everywhere they went. The more they advanced however, the more easily bandits surrendered and defections began to pour in. Loto captured Guiyang from Ma Jingzhong and within 3 months nearly all of Guizhou fell to the Qing. By 1658 most of the Ming resistance in Huguang and Jiangxi had been smashed with only some large bandit groups holding out. Thus it was decided in 1658 to finally march on Yunnan. Despite the field commanders eagerness, Hong Chengchou advised them all that they had thus far taken mostly empty or under armed cities and they only had a month or so supplies left. He cautioned them that they should advance slowly. Emperor Shunzhi received reports from Hong Chengchou and likewise ordered them to delay their advances so they could recover somewhat and supply up. Alongside this Emperor Shunzhi stressed the necessity to win over the populace as they conquered ““establish order out of chaos and rescue the people.”. Despite these orders, many scholars point out that this stage of the war was quite bloody on the side of the Qing and many commoners suffered.   Meanwhile Li Dingguo had sent Bai Wenxuan to guard the Qixing Pass with 40,000 troops, Wu Zisheng to guard the route from Anlong and other units to the Pan River in the east where he planned to make a base of operations. Li was looking for a place to break away, considering Sichuan or even Vietnam, but the Qing had taken their time to envelop Yunnan forcing him into a corner. Li mobilized the army to go east to defend the approaches to Yunnan and won a few minor battles killing more than 10,000 Qing troops. Despite the victories, the Qing numerical superiority simply overwhelmed Li's forces quickly and they soon had to pull back further into Yunnan.   Li brought his forces to Shuanghekou and Jobtei climbed a nearby mountain to study Li's army formation, searching for signs of weakness. When the battle commenced, Li's forces launched a cannonade, but the wind suddenly blew all the smoke from the cannonade into his battle lines faces. On Top of the blinding effect the smoke lit tall grass on fire all amongst his army. His army had to pull back and in the disarray, allowing Jobtei to outflank Li catching him in a pincer forcing Li to flee. Li's army fled to Kunming destroying bridges as they did to delay the Qing forces. Meanwhile Wu Sangui had intel on an alternate route to get past Bai Wenxuans forces at Qixing Pass and managed to get behind him forcing Bai's force to flee to Zhanyi. The initial campaign to defend Yunnan was a colossal failure. Li lost an estimated 30-40 thousand men, most of them his few surviving veterans with whom held more than 10 years of experience fighting battles from Sichuan to Guangdong. 30 officers were gone, most of his war elephants were also gone and the Qing were now marching on Qujing. Li sent words back to Kunming urging Emperor Yongli to flee. Li would make it back to Kunming by January 5th 1659 and the court of Yongli began to plan their next place to make a stand. Li favored a retreat into Sichuan in the hope of joining some large bandit armies they had friendly connections with. Others in the court argued it was too dangerous and that there was little offensive potential in Sichuan. Many argued they should flee west through Yunnan into Burma. Others said they should flee into Vietnam and perhaps sail out to join Koxinga. But as they debated it turned out the Qing foresaw some of their actions and blocked the way into Vietnam and in the end the decision was made to flee west into Burma.   The royal entourage was around 4300 men that departed Kunming. Li ordered everything that could not be carried to be torched, but the people lamented him for this and he soon changed his mind about the torching. Before leaving he told the people of Kunming “We have stayed in Yunnan for many years and we regard you people as a father regards his sons. But now national affairs have reached dire proportions and the court must move. You may share our hardships together. For I fear that when the Qing troops arrive, they will kill, loot, and rape, and it will be difficult to escape. If you do not flee with his majesty, you should each get far away quickly. Those who don't have only themselves to blame”. This drove the city's populace to abandon the city while weeping for the doom that was brought upon them. The march was a rough one, food became scarce and many died of starvation and disease. They eventually made it to Yongchang in early 1659 as the Qing hit Kunming and to their great surprise found it was fully intact and supplies were everywhere to be found. Li's change of heart on the torching would cost him greatly as the Qing forces recovered several months of supplies in Kunming. Meanwhile some of the Emperors entourage did not want to go west such as Ai Chengye who instead sought to establish ambushes for the Qing, hoping to join Li and the emperor later. Bai Wenxuan began to establish defenses between Dali and Yongchang to delay the Qing as well. It was decided to cover Emperor Yongli's flight, Bai would hold the rearguard while Li rode with the Emperors entourage.    The Qing continued their advance as Bai Wenxuan tried to delay them but suffered multiple defeats and lost countless soldiers, officers and elephants. Meanwhile Li destroyed the bridge at Lancang River hoping to further delay the Qing, but the Qing were very efficient at building rafts and crossed each river with ease. The Qing would reach Yongchang in March of 1659 and proceed to plunder it heavily. Li and Bai held a council of war and Li argued they should try to fight a decisive battle in Yunnan, but Bai argued that Emperor Yongli's safety was more important.    Regardless Li was adamant about fighting and set up multiple ambushes along the mountain range of Mount Mopan west of the Nu River. With only 6000 troops against around 12,000 of a Qing vanguard, Li felt he could do some damage. He split his forces into 3 groups stationed them in ambush sites to hit the vanguard of Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui's vanguard had been having a few easy days with no real excitement so he was marching with a loose formation into the mountain range not expecting an attack. The ambush signal was triggered and Wu immediately ordered a retreat as all hell broke loose and cannons and arrows rained down upon his men. Combat raged all over the mountain range and Li Dingguo got shrapnel into his face as he directed the battle. The fighting went on for half a day seeing corpses pill up on both sides like mountains. In the end Li made a fighting withdrawal. The Ming forces ended up losing a third of their total numbers while inflicting upto 10,000 casualties upon the Qing. After the battle Wu Sangui remarked that Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan were indeed great military commanders and they should tread lightly.    The carnage in the mountains bought more time for Emperor Yongli to continue to move into Burma. Li and a few thousand troops fled south camping at Menggen inside Burma and Bai Wenxuan camped at Mubang. When Li and Bai entered Burma they took care not to attack any Burmese forces they were with the Emperor afterall.  As for Emperor Yongli when the entourage entered the Burmese border, the royal party was disarmed by local border guards and apprehended. They were taken by boat over the Irrawaddy river to the capital city of Ava. By this time their entourage was nothing more than 1478 members of which only 600 or so were allowed to be on the boats, the rest had to walk it through thick jungle. Hundreds died to disease while trekking the jungles, some went south to Siam instead, others ended up being captured as slaves. Emperor Yongli's party made it to Ava, completely unaware Li and Bai were trying to find them and one of his court officials was sending word to them that Emperor Yongli had instead fled to Fujian. Over the next 2 years, Li and Bai under the believe that Emperor Yongli was kidnapped, and perhaps he was for all intensive purposes, began to make repeated rescue efforts.    Meanwhile the Qing consolidated their position in Yunnan and their enormous occupational force was exacerbating the province, soon famine spread. For both the populace of Yunnan and the Qing forces the situation was growing quite dire. The costs for garrisoning Yunnan was estimated to exceed the entire military revenue for the empire, over 9 million taels of silver. The situation grew worse when Li Dingguo began to work with local chieftains to form rebellions against the Qing menace. The trouble of banditry and rebellions would plague the Qing in Yunnan for months far into 1661. While some Qing commanders like Wu Sangui pushed for apprehending Emperor Yongli as soon as possible, Hong Chengchou favored a gradual pacification of Yunnan before campaigning. Hong had seen the countless failures in Guangxi, Sichuan and Guizhou and understood the need to win the hearts of the populace so that victory would be less costly.    Meanwhile back in Burma, Bai Wenxuan advanced towards Ava trying to rescue Emperor Yongli who he assumed had been kidnapped. This led the Burmese forces to treat both Bai and Li's small armies as threats. Bai and Li consolidated their armies and defeated a Burmese force killing several thousand. After defeating the Burmese force they negotiated a 3 day truce asking for the Burmese to hand over the emperor. After 3 days instead of handing him over the Burmese sent another army to attack them and they were swiftly defeated. When they demanded the Emperor be handed over again the Burmese commander said “Now how can we send [Yongli] to you? You have the temerity to attack our city, but the land and water [i.e., terrain] don't favor you. We can hold out for two to three years without fear.”. Thus they continued to march on Ava and besieged it, prompting the king of Burma to amass over 150,000 troops with 100 war elephants to defend the capital. The entire time Li and Bai both tried to write countless letters to the emperor failing countless times, but then one letter got through in 1661 and Yongli responded ““Use unorthodox troops to rescue me.”. Thus they did just that, they made a direct attack on the city preparing to cross the Irrawaddy to hit the walls of Ava. That night they opened fire with their heavy cannons and began building floating bridges.   As you can imagine the Ming forces were outnumbered by something like 10 to 1 and certainly outgunned or better said out elephanted. Regardless of their numbers the Burmese using the cover of night, to cut the bridges to Ava forcing the Ming forces to pull back. Then in april of 1661 a Burmese army of 150,000 with apparently 1000 war elephants showed up and gave battle, that number has to be inflated, 1000 war elephants what is this the siege of Minas Tirith? Anyways it is said, Li Dingguo went forth to the front of battle with a large sword and grabbed an elephants tusk as he hacked its trunk off. The elephant fled afterwards making Li the largest bad ass I've ever heard of, and that poor elephant. It is also said Bai Wenxuan managed to perform a rear flank attack killing thousands and drove the Burmese army back, which must of been incredible given the disparity of numbers, 10,000 guys managed to defeat an army of 150,000 and 1000 elephants, yeah. The Ming proceeded to continue building the fleet of boats and rafts after the battle and besieged Ava yet again. The Burmese sent word they would release Yongli if the siege was lifted, I am pretty confused writing about this one, its as if the Burmese army was a paper army or something. I mean this Ming force is 10,000 or less how are they managing to defeat the capital of Burma?. Regardless the Burmese did not hand over the emperor and instead began to construct more defenses in Ava.    Meanwhile the Qing sent letters to Li and Bai to defect to the Qing as they were mobilizing their own assault on Burma to grab Yongli. In june of 1661 the King of Burma, Pindale was executed and replaced by his brother, Pye Min who assumed a more aggressive stance against the Ming forces. For his enthronement there was a “water spirit” ceremony and an official of Yongli's court, Mu Tianbo was chosen to be sacrificed. Mu Tianbo fought ferociously, killing a few guards before being executed. After this Emperor Yongli lost all hope and lamented “The Dowager Empress is sick again and it looks like I will be unable to go back [to China] because the Tartars are coming to kill me. So please return the Dowager Empress's bones to her old home. Now it's obvious that I've been duped by traitorous ministers. If only I had invested Bai Wenxuan as a Prince of the Blood and Ma Bao as a secondary prince and followed the counsel of the meritorious officials, then I wouldn't have these regrets. Still playing the part of the Son of Heaven, he also expressed regret at the fate of his loyal subjects in Yunnan, who were reportedly suffering at the hands of Wu Sangui and Hong Chengchou.”   When Bai and Li heard of the execution they panicked and launched one final attack on Ava. This time they tried to use their 16 boats to get across to the city, but their force was driven back after only 3 days of combat and they lost 11 boats in the process. Now Li and Bai lamented in despair for their situation was very dire. Since the Ming had entered Burma the Burmese government began opening up talks with the Qing hoping to curry favor. This facilitated the Qing march into Burma with a 100,000 strong force in 1661. The Qing immediately sought to separate the forces of Li and Bai as they advanced towards Ava. The Qing had already sent word to the Burmese King that if Yongli was not handed over immediately, Ava would be besieged. As the Qing closed in, Emperor Yongli sent a letter to Wu Sangui begging for his life, but Wu ignored it. When the Qing arrived at Ava, the Burmese told Emperor Yongli Li Dingguo was taking him away to safety as they delivered the emperor straight into the hands of the Qing. Emperor Yongli was brought to Kunming and executed on may 19th 1662 on a small hill overlooking Green Lake. Yongli and his wife were strangled and their ashes were poured around the Lotus Pond in Kunming. Wu Sangui allegedly felt remorse for not trying to save Emperor Yongli, though his story is not quite done.   Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan fled north trying to decide their next move, but they knew they stood no chance against the Qing force. Wu Sangui surrounded their camp and Bai lamented “I've disappointed my emperor, and I've let down Prince Jin.”. Bai then surrendered to Wu Sangui's subordinate Ma Bao who happened to be an old friend of his. Li Dingguo was given false word that Emperor Yongli escaped, but required him for rescue. By this point Li had only 5000 or so men and could do little to nothing. Li fled east, hoping as you guessed it, to jin Koxinga, the man I keep naming but never speak much about. Li tried to flee to Vietnam and slipped past the Qing who were much more preoccupied moving Emperor Yongli back to Kunming. Despite the fact Li Dingguo evaded the Qing menace, as he fled through the thick Burmese jungles he was stricken, as were his men with disease. On his death bed just as he got word that Emperor Yongli had been executed, Li Dingguo died on August 10th 1662. He died telling his remaining son to never submit to the Qing and he would be remembered as one of the great loyalist heroes in Chinese history.    10700   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 last pretender to the Dragon throne, Emperor Yongli has been executed and adoptive offspring of Zhang Xianzhong have fallen likewise. Yunnan and the rest of south China is being consolidated into the Qing empire, all that remains is a few bandit groups, or was that all? I've mentioned his name countless times, but one problem still remains for the Qing, Koxinga over in Taiwan.

Last time we spoke about the harrowing tale of what could be one of the most evil leaders in human history, depending of course which sources you read about him. Indeed Zhang Xianzhong, regardless if he was fully, half or less guilty of the crimes against humanity laid against his name, has gone down in Chinese history as a significant figure. The people of Sichuan underwent a horror and it would take two full centuries for Sichuan to regain its lost population. Thus with the fall of Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng and countless South Ming claimants to the throne, who was left for the remnants of the former to rally around? Well one of the self proclaimed Emperors to the South Ming regime was still alive and….fleeing. Emperor Yongli now had an opportunity to harness the scattered Dashun, Daxi and other Ming loyalists to his cause.    This episode is the Flight & Fight of Emperor Yongli   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 the 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.   Well after a rather horrifying episode dedicated just to Zhang Xianzhong's regime in Sichuan we now come back to the South Ming regime. Now while Zhang Xianzhong was busy turning Sichuan into a cemetery, the South Ming Loyalists were engaged in a life or death struggle for central and southeast China. A series of Ming claimants to the dragon throne rose and fell. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong are both dead leaving their Dashun and Daxi followers in a power vacuum to be swallowed up by mere Banditry, or perhaps defecting to the Qing or Ming. As for the largest victims, the common people, they were once again caught in the middle, soon to be subjugated to war, famine and general hardship. As one scholar one put it “The long conquest of central and south China required armed struggle in county after county, community after community, forcing countless people to face the grim choices on their own doorsteps.”. When the Qing took Beijing, they faced multiple enemies. Li Zicheng fled west and the South Ming Regime sprang up in the south. It meant the Qing would be forced to divide their forces, resources and attention. But their enemies were not only not cooperating, they we're all fighting another. Hell the South Ming Regime was arguably fighting another more than the Qing at many points. It made sense to take out Li Zicheng first of course, he was an easier target since the Qing smashed his army, and there was the bonus of looking like they were avenging the regicide of Emperor Chongzhen. In the meantime the South Ming Regime was killing itself allowing the Qing to kick the door to the rotting structure and soon a bunch of South Ming self proclaimed Emperors were defeated one by one. Yet when they got to Emperor Yongli…well he kept fleeing. Then they diverted their attention to Zhang Xianzhong and took him out, probably for the betterment of humanity. Now so many remnants of Dashun, Daxi, other Ming loyalist military groups and other bandit armies were roaming around. Many warlords sprang up taking control over them. What would happen if someone began to win over all these free chess pieces so to say to their side of the war?  Now we are going to go back to Emperor Yongli's situation. As I had mentioned 2 episodes ago Qu Shishi had argued with Emperor Yongli that they needed to make a stand, and one would be made at Guilin. Qu Shisi said to the Emperor ““If you want to defend Yue, you should stay in Yue. If you abandon Yue, then Yue will be imperiled. If we take one step forward, then the people will take one step forward. But if we flee far away in a single day, the people will also flee far in a day. If we run, then we cannot defend [territory]. How can we attract people to our cause?”. Well Emperor Yongli fled regardless for the 4th or 5th time I lost count at this point, Qu Shishi stayed behind at Guilin. Qu Shisi understood the necessity not to abandon cities so easily so as to rally more forces to the cause. He had seen the previous South Ming Regimes collapse because they abandoned bases too swiftly, undermining their causes.   Qu Shisi was accompanied by Jiao Lian and they would defend Guilin from multiple Qing attacks in April and June of 1647. During the first assault Jiao had led the defense of the city facing greater numbers and having lesser firearms at his disposal. Despite the deficiency in firearms Jiao's forces defended Guilin using sword and bow to great effect. Several hundred Qinq archer cavalry charged Guilin and pelted the defenders with arrows, one of them striking Jiao, but he kept fighting and held the south gate against the invaders. This inspired his troops and soon they charged out the south gate against the Qing force, smashing many troops of the Red banner. The Qing had to flee, and Jiao's men chased them killing thousands.Eventually Jiao and his men went too far and were surrounded and outnumbered by the Qing who wheeled around on them. It is said Jiao screamed and struck the invaders with his spear, raining blood and flesh all over as he and his men hacked their way out of the encirclement. They fought for some miles, just a force of 300 men against thousands but managed to make it back to Guilin.    This minor victory prompted Qu and Jiao to stress the tactical and strategic importance of Guilin and Wuzhou, urging Emperor Yongli to return and to make Guilin a base of operations. Meanwhile Emperor Yongli was being escorted by Liu Chengyin, an ambitious career military man who was nicknamed “the Iron Club” who protected him in western Huguang. For 3 months no rations were delivered to Guilin and when the Qing learnt about its supply issues they attacked again, this time at the Wenchang gate. Jiao charged out against the enemy covered by some western cannons given to him by some catholic missionary friends. The cannons cut the Qing forces to ribbons, killing hundreds as Jiao charged out to fight them in the fields. The fighting went on for 2 days with the cannons never stopping and although the Qing regrouped to attack again they were smashed so much they had to make a retreat, being pursued yet again by Jiao's forces losing thousands of men. For this victory, Jiao was made military commissioner in chief of the left, military superintendent of Guangxi, and the Earl of Xining. Liu “Iron Club” Chengyin, it seems had been holding Emperor Yongli under house arrest at Wugang the entire time and this began to look really bad. In May of 1647, the Qing captured Baoqing and in a series of battles defeated Liu Chengyin. Emperor Yongli barely was able to escape, sometimes only being just a few miles ahead of Qing scouts. Emperor Yongli made his way through the Guni Pass to Liuzhou, but soon had to reroute to Xiangzhou. By this point locals were shooting arrows at his royal barge, not a good look at all. After the constant urging of Qu Shishi, Emperor Yongli finally decided to return to Guilin by the end of 1647.    The Qing found they were having a hard time pacifying southern and western Huguang province, it held rough terrain and a large number of enemies. Bandit groups were operating by both land and water in numbers ranging from hundreds to thousands. To make matters worse the bandits had multiple spies working within the Qing giving them warning of their movements, allowing them to hide into mountains and forests when needed. Han bannerman Luo Xiujin argued that despite their victories, the enemy would always escape their clutches via mountains. The Qing like their Ming counterparts, were having the exact same problems dealing with confrontations with wandering bandits, particularly in the rugged border country between provinces. Qing officials complained repeatedly of ambushes in mountain passes and heavy casualties. There were also reports that such ambush attacks were making common cause with the Ming loyalists, and this was certainly concerning. The Qing were realizing that the Ming could offer legitimation to bandit groups and use them to ware the Qing down.   In Autumn of 1647, after the Qing attacked Yongzhou, after 10 days of combat, the Ming suddenly charged out of the city and pushed the Qing to flee near Quanzhou where they managed to defeat Qing commander Geng Zhongming forcing him to flee for miles. This was considered the first military triumph for Emperor Yongli's regime.    By early 1648, the Qing seized Quanzhou and managed to defeat some Ming forces near Guilin who routed. The forces who had routed ended up fleeing to Guilin and they quickly set about looting the city before further fleeing. Qu Shishi remained stern as some of his fellow Ming commanders looted, burned and fled Guilin as the situation deteriorated. Guilin soon fell into a mutiny as the city was engulfed in flames. Qu refused to leave his post but  was wounded and had to leave the city by river. When the Qing prince Jirgalang heard of the problems in Guilin he seized the opportunity to assault the city. This prompted, I guess the 6th flight of Emperor Yongli at this point. Qu Shishi was urging the Emperor to stay as Jiao came rushing from Pringle to help, but Qing forces blocked his route to Guilin. Qu urged the emperor “Victory or defeat is still unsure. But if your plan is to run away, then how can this place not be in danger?” Yongli replied, “Surely my minister does not want to see the Altars of State and Grain perish?”.  Qu tried to gather forces and calm things down to defend Guilin as the enemy approached, while Jiao kept fighting to get to the city. Soon Jiao found himself surrounded and fought with his spear courageously, buying enough time for the Ming commander Hu Yiqing to show up from the east joining the fight with his cavalry. It is said, Hu Yiqing had his horses manes clipped in such a way that the Qing thought they were riding bulls and proclaimed “This bull- riding monster is not easy to stand up against!”. The cavalry of Hu managed to smash the Qing force, sending them fleeing for a few miles. Despite all of this, Emperor Jongli continued to flee all the way to Nanning, much to the outrage of Qu Shishi “How can you flee every time the wind blows two hundred li away? How can the people take heart if their leader is so tremulous?”. His words had no effect on the Emperor, in only 18 months Yongli had traveled over 1800 miles across 3 provinces, spending no more than 4 months in any given place. This led to waves of defections, and the court of Yongli began to discuss where would be the best place to set up a base of operation.    Despite the flights of Yongli, in 1648 the Ming had some major successes. Ma Jinzhong took back Changde, He Tengjiao took back Quanzhou and this drove many to the Ming cause, even Yongzhou was taken back after a 3 month siege. Riding the wave of victories, the Ming took Hengzhou and they also began to capture valuable supplies, horses and other war materials. This all forced Qu Shishi to yet again urge Emperor Yongli to go back to Guilin and this time make it his capital. Qu's reasoning was quite sound, Guilin was centrally located in a resource rich area along a river. It was easy to communicate with other sectors and coordinate offensive campaigns. But time and time again Emperor Yongli refused and this had a damaging effect on morale. Soon Ming commanders recaptured Xiangyang and Yichang and this led Emperor Yongli to feel secure enough to return to Zhaoqing, which he hoped to turn into a base of operation. At this point Yongli and many in his court thought that a Ming restoration was truly possible and they now sought to push north of the Yangzi and seize Nanjing and Kaifeng. Sun Kewang had opened up negotiations with their regime and it was expected that he could be relied upon. Qu Shishi for his part argued that now they could push east from Sichuan and north cutting Qing supply lines from Hugaung. Things would all take a dramatic turn for the worse however.   One of the Ming's commanders, Li Chixin who was a former commander under Li Zicheng had been continuously stating in public that Li Zicheng was the former emperor, making quite a bit of trouble. Li then requested permission to take Changsha and Yuezhou on his own. He managed to defeat the Qing commander Xu Yong and marched north to assault Changsha where Xu Yong had retreated. He killed thousands, captured boats, horses and other war materials and word spread of his great success. However the people of Changsha, did not see Li Chixin as their liberator, in fact they threw their lot in with Xu Yong to defend their city. Let us not forget, Li Chixin like many other former commanders of the Dashun or Daxi bandit armies had a reputation of course, who knows what populaces thought of him. Thus Li Chixins command boat when approaching the city was struck by a cannon ball and he lost over 1000 men. Xu Yong was hit by an arrow, but this did not stop him from rallying the defense of the city atop the walls. Li kept up the pressure with his siege ladders, artillery and sappers. But Xu Yong fired arrows, cannons down upon the enemy and led men into the tunnels to attack the Ming sappers costing Li Chixin some thousand men. Then Xu Yong sent secret attacks with boats on the Xiang river and they hit Li's flanks forcing him to retreat.   When Li Chixin was defeated at Changsha he was order to simply move on and relieve forces at Nanchang, but he ended he only went as far as Chaling and hunkered down. In the meantime the two Ming commanders, Du Yinxi and He Tengjiao were forming plans in Xiangtan. Du decided he would head east to rescue Jiangxi while He would try to go to Nanjing linking up with other Ming loyalists there. As part of their campaigns, Li Chixin was appointed vice minister of war and supreme commander of Shandong and Henan, while other commanders received supreme commands over other areas. But nothing came of these appointments as the Qing quickly advanced and hit He Tengjiao as he was departing from Xiangtan. He tried to find allies to help him out, but none could do anything, thus Prince Jirgalang was able to defeat He and took him as a hostage. Prince Jirgalang knew He Tengjiao had quite a lot of military capability and spent many days trying to get He to defect, but it was to no avail. Eventually Prince Jirgalang ordered his execution, or He committed suicide, no report is sure of his fate. When He Tengjiao was dead, many of his men fled to join Qu Shisi at Guilin. Another issue however was the countless “Loyal and True” who were under He Tengjiao's command, since his death they were now without any semblance of order. Bandits will be bandits and soon they were looting and pillaging everyone.    The Qing soon besieged Nanchang and took it in short time, thus dramatically collapsing the Ming control in Huguang. Many Ming commanders defected to the Qing and Emperor Yongli put Qu Shishi in charge of defending the Huguang-Jiangxi Guangdong corridor, but at this point the Qing held the Fujian coast and much of Huguang. By 1649, Li Chixin's troops began to scatter and plunder the area as the Qing pursued them. Eventually Li's forces plundered their way back north earning the moniker “white felt bandits” for the way they dressed. It was hoped by the Ming that they could still coerce Li Chixin and his white felt bandits to return back into the fold, but Li Chixin would die of illness in Guangxi in the late year. The white felt bandits soon scattered off and fell into pillaging under new commanders mostly in Huguang and Sichuan provinces.     As the Ming forces collapsed at Yongzhou in late 1649, Qu Shishi said in anguish “For 2 years I've tried to create a bulwark, and in a single morning everything has collapsed. How can it be believed that Heaven if for the Ming?”. With the death of He Tengjiao and the absolute collapse of the South Ming regime's position in Huguang, Emperor Yongli, you guessed it, fled Zhaoqing for Wuzhou in early 1650. Thus the South Ming regime was barely a thing in Huguang anymore. Now Qu Shisi began begging the emperor to stay in Zhaoqing stating “Yuedong has lots of rivers alongside mountains; [even] good cavalry cannot unite in the wilderness [to attack here]. Since the time [Li] Chengdong returned to allegiance, this has been the secure area. Its resources and tax base are abundant, ten times that of Yuexi, and both competent officials and troops north and south are connected, and we can strengthen ourselves from within and defend ourselves from outside enemies. Moreover, Zhaoqing is one thousand li from Shao[xing]. With stout crossbows mounted on the walls and entrenched brigades in defense, we can wait for royal rescue troops to come from the four [directions]. Wherever we can go, the bandits can go as well. Although the realm is vast, there is only one boundary. If we retreat an inch, we lose an inch; if we retreat a foot, we lose a foot. Now if the court hears of danger and climbs aboard a boat in the middle of the night, where can you go?”.   As you probably guessed, Yongli did not listen and continued his flight. Qing commander Kong Youde, remember that guy all the way back from the very first episodes? Well he sent Qu Shisi a letter, trying to get him to surrender. Kong Youde had been battling the Loyal and True throughout the southwest smashing many of their armies. Qu allegedly burned the letter and killed the messenger. Meanwhile back in Sichuan, Sun Kewang had begun his own program of state building and was beginning to ask the South Ming Regime to install him as a Ming Prince.    Following in his former master's gruesome footsteps, Sun looted Guizhou and severed hands, ears and noses of those who resisted, apparently only 30% of the populace was left alive. Sun set to work training his troops for months, made deals with local cities to establish economic relations all while simultaneously harassing local Ming armies. His forces eventually captured the provincial capital of Guiyang and its surrounding area and he soon began to set up a new entire new regime. But just as Sun was settling down he received word of an extraordinary opportunity unfolding in Yunnan. Thus he and his Da Xi commanders marched southwest entering Yunnan, entering a new dawn for them all.    The collapse of the Ming dynasty at Beijing and that of the Hongguang South Ming regime in Nanjing had led the people of Yunnan to revolt against their former Ming leaders. Yunnan was one of the very last places conquered by the Ming Dynasty in the late 14th century and it remained relatively the same it had been prior. It had a huge aboriginal population governed by chieftains in a system called the Tulsi system. Yunnan thus was always a bit of a quasi-feudal state controlled by the strongest chieftains. Once the Ming Dynasty fell, the chieftains began to fight another for dominance. The Chieftain family that had the largest influence historically because of their relationship with the Ming royal family was known as the Mu clan. The Mu clan was pretty oppressive to the people and even more so when the Ming collapsed. When Hongguang's regime fell, most in Yunnan began to view the Mu clan as being weak and many other clans began to attack them. One clan, the Wu clan to make this all sound more confusing, was rising to prominence at the time and challenged the Mu clan. The Wu had limited military power and the Mu quelled their challenge fairly easily. But the challenge simply encouraged more and more clans to rise up and a leader named Sha Dingzhou used the opportunity. Sha was a military officer for a chieftain who died and Sha managed to get a stronghold of the clan. While the Mu's and Wu's fought, Sha began a campaign that extended to the Vietnamese border. Then Sha tried a coup against the Mu after they quelled the Wu. Sha's force stormed the Mu palace and burnt it down, killing many in the capital of Yunnanfu. This began a war between Sha and the Mu clan for several months with Sha gaining control of the east of Yunnan. However Mu's forces and other chieftains were fighting a war of attrition and likely would win, thus Sha sought external help.    Sha Dingzhou sent a letter to Sun Kewang “inviting” him to come to the rescue of Yunnan in 1647. Unfortunately, this would be a very very big mistake. Sun Kewang claimed to be the brother in law to Mu Tianbo and declared he would avenge his sister's family. Sun Kewang showed up with 100,000 battled hardened veterans who saw a force of just a few thousand disorganized local units under Sha's command. Sun Kewang defeated Sha's army easily and piled corpses in the streets of the first city they took, immersing the city in 3 to 4 inches of blood so it is said.    Sun then took Quijing, a city he expected to simply open up the gates and submit to him as he had just massacred a previous city sending fear throughout the region. They chose to not submit and fired cannons upon the invaders. Soon Sun's men tossed up a cloud of ladders and swarming over the walls of Quijing like ants. Sun's men rounded up all those in the city and severed hands   Sun then ordered his fellow adopted brothers Liu Wenxiu to the west and Li Dingguo to the east to kill all those who would not submit. Sha Dingzhou tried to send armies to attack the invaders where he could, but every army was defeated with ease. Sha would proclaim to all his confidence with his army, but secretly he was pulling his hair out knowing soon Sun would take the province.  Sun eventually marched on Yannanfu and smashed the Sha army defending it, but rather than immediately occupying the city, Sun Kewang instead announced he was going to restore the Jiao clan, that being his sister's clan who was married to a Mu husband. By this point Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo had spread a ton of fear into the populace with their campaigns in the east. Despite Yannanfu having a tiny garrison within it, the city was simply falling apart because of low supplies as Sun Kewang's army simply surrounded it and waited. Thus after a few months the gates of Yunnanfu opened and Sun's forces entered the city. Soon Sun Kewang began to proclaim all those who fled the city should come back, or they would soon be killed as rebels. All the wives within Yunnanfu who lost husbands were given to Sun's men. Then he began to force the children to work cutting grass and collecting firewood. Girls of the age 10 and up were forced into drama troupes, some put into brothels. Boys 12 to 20 years of age were castrated. The adult men were killed and their bodies were tossed into the wilderness. Many former Ming officials were killed or they themselves committed suicide. To restore a semblance of order, Sun began practices employed by Zhang Xianzhong such as prohibited fires at night amongst many other rules which could earn a citizen of Yunnanfu a beating or execution depending on the rule. Yunnanfu was basically becoming a Chengdu 2.0, but perhaps not nearly as bad. Then Sun sent his armies to scour the countryside of the city killing many. It was estimated that perhaps half the population of Yunnanfu was dead. It was even alleged that coffin makers ran out of wood in Yunnanfu. Within a month, Sun's forces began to conscript laborers to cultivate enough food for the army to survive. Many homes around the city were razed to make for space for Sun's army training grounds any who resisted were killed. Sun eventually established order through fear, but realized that in Yunnan you required the support of the Tulsi system to truly control the province, so he soon began to establish relations with all the chieftains. Those who resisted of course were threatened.    Sun then began calling himself Ping Dong Wang “Prince who pacifies the East” which was met with animosity from his adoptive brothers. Sun began to place royal titles on everyone, but kept his position elevated from his adoptive brothers who were supposed to all be equal. The 3 other brothers all recognized Sun Kewang nominally as the leader, but had agreed they should all have equal rankings.  Li Dingguo began to argue they should all be equal as things were with Zhang Xianzhong, which angered Sun. Sun then publicly punished Li Dingguo, though Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi would manage to get the punishment lightened. Regardless Li Dingguo was livid stating ““We are brothers. How dare you strike me? Since the death of our father we have been like hands and feet with no ruler among us, yet now we are to honor you as superior? If this is how things are going to be from now on, how can we live together in peace?”. It is alleged Sun went to Li in private and told him he had to do it publicly because if not there could be a mutiny. Sun then tried to make amends with Li, tasking him with hunting down and killing Sha Dingzhou who was on the run.   Sha had run to Lin'an and had held out against the forces of Liu Wenxiu for quite a few months. When Li Dingguo's force showed up the defenders of Lin'an showered them with gunfire, but Li being a veteran commander easily broke their walls in no time using gunpowder. Sha's forces were shocked by the speed and efficiency of Li's army as they quickly overwhelmed the city. The entire city was torched in a single day, it is said 78 thousand were massacred. Sha and his family managed to escape to a nearby town called Ami. After the massacre at Lin'an, Li Dingguo was noted to not again perform such horrible acts against civilians, it seems he was trying to build himself a reputation afterwards that he was not like Zhang Xianzhong or Sun Kewang. In early 1648, Li Dingguo surrounded the town of Ami, cutting off its water supply. After 20 days, the defenders with Sha Dingzhou ran out of water and Li began sapping Ami's walls. Li then invited Sha to a fake banquet making it seem they would allow Sha to defect and take up a grand position in the new regime. The effect led many of the defenders to defect who soon simply opened the gates to Li's men. Li was brought to Sha and his family and instead of the banquet he promised he had the entire household brought to Yunnanfu and flayed alive. Li's successes were extravagant, showing his extreme capability as a military leader. Unfortunately they also bolstered Li Dingguo as a great leader and Sun Kewang began to become quite jealous of this.    Once Sun Kewangs army had secured enough food to sustain themselves for a year, they began government building efforts. Taxes began, agricultural reform, mines were opened, weapons manufacturing, the works. The weather proved great during that year and the harvests did very well, mines produced salt, gold, silver, iron and copper and the faith in the government rose up. In fact Sun had done better than some of the former Ming officials had in the past and he soon began to mint coins, print paper notes and open new roads, which all helped reduce conflict in the province. Within a year Sun's government was gathering much praise and the people were quite content. Things were really looking good and Sun began to explore the idea of formally uniting with the Ming to resist the Qing. Sun had heard the reports about how well the Loyal and True bandits had done under the Ming regime and thought his regime might benefit from this relationship as well. This would help Sun and his inner circle gain legitimacy and at the time it looked like the Ming were doing well. However old dogs can't learn too many new tricks, and Sun's administration still held some Zhang like favorites, like harsh punishments such as decapitation, flaying and flogging. Though Sun disregarded the policy of rewarding soldiers for body counts, so there was that.   But Sun Kewang was not content, he continued to make it more apparent that his position was more and more elevated compared to his adoptive brothers. He began to erect an ancestral temple for Zhang Xianzhong and referred to him as Taizu and linking himself to Zhang. Then he asked Emperor Yongli to invest with the Ming title of prince of blood “qin wang”. Ai Nengqi was perplexed by this and said ““I can name myself prince. What's the point?” Li Dingguo also added, “We haven't conquered an inch of territory, so how can we accept enfeoffment from the court?”. Sun explained to them that only an investiture from the Ming court was legitimate and that after he was invested with the title they would all refer to him as “you highness”. As you can imagine this would also most certainly help Sun alleviate himself over another rising star, Li Dingguo who was highly popular as a field commander. Li was appointed with the major responsibility of training the troops and was noted to share hardships with the men and always led from the front gaining their respect. Li was what you call a soldier's soldier. Li Dingguo soon established 5 rules for his army; done kill people, dont commit arson, dont commit rape, dont steal livestock and dont take money from peasants. Given how soldiers usually acted in this time in history, the response of the populace was ecstasy.    In the summer of 1649, Sun dispatched his court official Yang Weizhi as his emissary to Yongli's court to ask for the investiture of Prince of Qin and offered to fight the Qing on their behalf. By this time Sun had relocated his operations in Guizhou as it was more centrally located, leaving Li Dingguo in Yunnan to train the military. For Emperor Yongli's court the request was quite disturbing, to make Sun a blood prince might put him in line for the throne. Many in the Ming court had no illusions about Sun Kewang, they thought he was trying to vie for the dragon throne himself.  The title of Prince of Qin was normally reserved for the royal family. The court was divided, Qu Shisi called for Sun's execution, many argued Sun was nothing more than a bandit. But they were in a terrible situation, suffering many military defeats at the hands of the Qing. Eventually the court consented to giving Sun the lesser  title of Duke of Jingguo. Yang Weizhi was terrified of relaying the response to Sun who might simply execute him for failing to get the title Sun wanted and made a stop at Wuzhou before returned to Guizhou. In Wuzhou Yang met with Du Yinxi who advised him to simply forge a document to make Sun think he received a better title than what he had been given. Thus with Du Yinxi's help they forged a document stating Sun was invested with the title of Prince of Pingaliao. Meanwhile another official in the Ming court forged another document stating Sun was being invested with the Prince of Qin title he had originally asked for. Turns out that official, named Chen Bangfu wanted to curry favor with Sun.  All of this was done without the awareness of Yonglis court of course.    Thus the first to arrive in Guizhou was the envoy with Chen Bangfu's forgery and Sun was absolutely delighted upon seeing it. Then Yang Weizhi showed up with his forgery of the Prince of Pingliao title, enraged Sun Kewang. Then yes as you might imagine, a real envoy from Yongli's court arrived and Sun found out the truth that he actually received the Duke of Ingguo title, really really pissing him off. To add insult to injury, his 3 other adoptive brothers were also given titles by that envoy of Yongli   In his rage, Sun  sent more emissaries to Yongli who offered him the title of Prince of Yi, but Sun refused this, demanding the title he originally requested. In the meantime Ai Nengqi died as a result of a poisoned crossbow bolt while he was pacifying a rebellious region. He had been ambushed in a forest and his army was significantly battered. He had managed to return to Yunnanfu, but the doctors there could do little to nothing to stop the poison. His army was handed over to Sun Kewangs command, significantly increasing his power. Thus the first of the adoptive children of Zhang Xianzhong was dead, and he would not be the last. Now all the way back in Sichuan the struggle raged on between the Ming loyalists and the Qing. The Qing had sent commander Li Guoying into Sichuan on a pacification campaign and as he entered the wasteland that once was Sichuan he said “For a thousand li there is no smoke [from cooking fires] and on account of the depredations of the bandit gangs, the value of rice is greater than that of pearls.”. His forces occupied Baoning in northern Sichuan where he was attacked multiple times by bandit armies such as the Kuidong bandits, Tan Hong and others. Li eventually rode out of Baoning and attacked the bandit armies fast and hard sending them fleeing into the countryside. Soon his army took Shunqing and he began to stock up supplies in preparation  for a gradual march south. In spring of 1647 he marched into Chengdu and lamented at the ghastly scene, he said to those around him“Chengdu has been down a hard road. Where are all the people?”. Bones were strewn everywhere, and there was no sign of life to be seen. He was given reports that the people of Chengdu had first fled to Yazhou and ate grass and wild plants until they starved so much they resorted to cannibalism. Li left Zheng Desheng as commander of Chengdu which must have been the worst appointment ever, but soon his troops starved, killed their commander and fled back north. Li got a report that 1330 of the 1390 men assigned to Zheng Desheng died of starvation or disease. Even Li himself was quite ill through 1647-1648 and he was hampered by bandit attacks and a very stretched supply line. Reports flooded in that every fortress was ridden with hundreds of sick and starving troops. All the garrisons the Qing commander would set up in Sichuan amounted to a few hundred starving men. The starvation did not allow him to perform a sufficient offensive, the situation became so dire most of the Qing forces had to withdraw from Sichuan with a meager force left occupying Baoning. It was not just the starvation and disease alone they had to worry about, anywhere the Qing set up shop, bandit armies emerged to harass them.    Later on in 1650, the pacification commissioner of Sichuan Zhang Chun made a report that gives quite a lot of insight. He began by describing Sichuan as a den of tigers and that of the Yao-Huang bandits. One could travel for a great distance without seeing any smoke from cooking fires. He estimated that 2-3% of the population in Sichuan was still alive. He laid blame upon the destruction caused by the Yao-Huang bandits, while leaving out that of the Qing's actions and goes on to talk about man-eating tigers found everywhere. People in Sichuan were  terrified to travel just because of tiger attacks. He claimed that in one distinct of a previous population of 506, 228 people were killed by tigers, 55 died of illness and 223 were left alive. He ended the report stating “Many people escaped the clutches of bandits only to end up in the mouths of tigers”. Wow I am just trying to imagine, surviving the horrors of Zhang Xianzhong, then the war between the Qing and Ming and now you got tigers everywhere eating people yikes.   Li Guoying immediately began demanding assistance, and Qing emperor Shunzhi began to promise supplies would be on their way from places like Shaanxi. But all supplies were quickly used up and Li still had little in terms of soldiers. Li kept arguing that as his enemies grew larger in Sichuan his forces grew smaller. The problem was the supplies and men quickly starved and got sick because there was no foundation within Sichuan to feed them. Basically it was like putting bandaids upon bandaids upon even more bandaids for a large wound that needed a doctor to fix it. Thus the situation forced Li to develop a new plan which was “tuantian” “to nourish the troops, soothe the people, and allow for both offensive and defensive warfare”. He sent Qing officials into the countryside to investigate and promote agricultural productivity. As for his army he sent them throughout the north and east of Sichuan, killing and capturing thousands of bandit armies, many part of the Yao-Huang bandits. But like always, bandits could run and hide in mountains, and thats just what they did.  It was estimated by Li that upto 100,000 Yao-Huang bandits could be in Sichuan.    By 1649, Li was promoted to minister of war and vice censor in chief of the right with jurisdiction over the armies of Sichuan. He had multiple victories, one was dislodging Liu Wenxiu from Chongqing where he killed many Daxi.  If you remember way back when, Emperor Yongli dispatched a distant family member named Zhu Rongfan to Sichuan in 1647. Zhu Rongfan began parading around as a Prince of Chu, though in reality he wasn't and amassed 100,000 followers forming a base in Kuizhou. His forces fought the Qing and scored quite a few victories, but in reality they were just a bunch of opportunistic bandits. Then Zhu Rongfan picked a fight with the Ming loyalist commander Yang Zhan who brought the Ming attention upon him. As you might have guessed, he was preparing to proclaim himself emperor as one does and South Ming officials began to investigate the situation. When pressed by them Zhu claimed to be acting on behalf of Emperor Yongli and that he was merely suppressing bandits. They also accused him of trying to claim himself as an heir apparent despite not being a prince of blood. Zhu then tried to make a getaway but was caught by other officials in 1649 who executed him.    Meanwhile the situation in Sichuan kept growing worse and worse. Just because the tyrant Zhang Xianzhong was dead did not mean his lasting effects on the province were gone. In the midst of the war between bandits, Qing and Ming, the common people were starving and dying. Rice was selling at unbelievably inflated rates. Dogs ate human flesh and lurked in city streets. Most cities were empty though because tigers and wolves were prowling them. It was reported that bandits were robbing graves and that people were resorting to cannibalism en masse. Many people fled to mountains away from the threat of other people or tigers. Lighting a fire became like a death sentence inviting anyone to attack you. Disgusting euphemisms began to be said because of all the cannibalism such as “poor man's broth / xia geng” “surplus lamb / yang rao” “scorched bones  / gu yang”. On top of the famine were the terrible diseases which there were many. “Big head plague” as it was called was when one's head erupted in red boils, it was associated with the chills, fever, swelling of the head and neck and was very contagious. There was a similar disease known as “frog fever” where the boils were more so on the shoulders and back. Then there was “horse eye” a sickness when one's eyes became big and yellow. It is also assumed the Qing brought smallpox with them and this invested the south.   By autumn of 1649 most of north and western Sichuan was pacified and a quarter of the province under nominal control of the Qing. In Southern Sichuan the South Ming loyalist Yang Zhan had held control for quite awhile, aided greatly by the hoard of treasure he salvaged from Zhang Xianzhong's naval catastrophe in 1646. He was capable of feeding his own troops and thousands of refugees who stormed over to him. Despite all his good fortune, he had to contest with warlords in Sichuan named Li Qiande, Wu Dading and Yuan Tao. The 3 warlords  invited Yang to a banquet, its always a banquet eh? And yup, they poisoned his wine, typical. After killing Yang they divided his treasure and troops and southern sichuan yet again fell into chaos.    As this all went down, word spread and Sun Kewang, similar to how he took the opportunity with Yunnan's turmoil came back to Sichuan when he heard the south was fractured.  Sun seeking to put further pressure on Emperor Yongli to invest him as a Prince of Qin, sent Liu Wenxiu and Bai Wenxuan with 200,000 to avenge Yang Zhan. Sun's forces made quick work of the warlords and bandit leaders in southern Sichuan taking several cities.Yuan and Wu were captured and sent back to Sun who mocked them saying he would enroll them as regular soldiers in his army. Wu actually did end up serving in Sun's military and for quite a long time. Yuan managed to escape and flee but was caught and killed by Liu Wenxiu. Li Qiande drowned himself when Liu Wenxiu caught up to him. Sun's forces killed countless warlords, bandit leaders and such. Now Sun's army even had elephant cavalry from Yunnan. Many simply submitted to Sun Kewang joining his forces and growing his power.   Meanwhile Li Guoying had initially profited heavily from the death of Yang Zhan, but saw with horror the force of Sun Kewang sweep through the province like a swarm. Li Guoying pleaded with Emperor Shunzhi for more troops to combat the warlord in the south and was promised a mix of Han and Manchu troops under the control of Wu Sangui. Yet even with the extra forces, now the Loyal and Trust, Kuidong bandits, Yao-Huang bandits and other groups were flocking to Sun Kewangs banner and the south of Sichuan was just a minefield of trouble.  Sun asserted his control from Guizhou and began building it up similar to what he did in Yunnan and in a short time the southwest of Sichuan became an armed camp designed specifically to resist the Qing.    Kong Youde was made prince in charge of rectifying the south in 1649 and alongside the Manchu prince Jirgalang both were dispatched and in 1650 they took Longhu, Wugang and Jingzhou. Through their efforts they took 50,000 surrendered Ming troops and many officers and moved to take Quanzhou and then entered Guangxi. Qu Shishi tried desperately to rally troops to defend Guilin, but all efforts were in vain and no significant numbers came. Qu refused to leave as all his colleagues urged him to do so. In november of 1650, Kong Youde's army surrounded Guilin. To help defend the city, Qu Shishi was aided by the Ming official Zhang Tonchang a who had served the Shaowu Emperor and aided in defeating Zhu Rongfan. He had a Fu Manchu style mustache, was loved and respected by his men for being fearless in battle. When Zhang arrived Qu said to him “I have been entrusted with staying to defend [Guilin]. So I should die here. Those without such responsibilities can flee. The frontier has already been lost. How can I think of easily fleeing?” Zhang replied that he was impressed and called Qu a true gentleman, requesting permission to die alongside him, saying, “If it's to be death, then we die together.”Qu was delighted, and the two shared wine. Qu gave his seals of office to another official to send to Yongli. So a sort of bromance if you were.   Kong Youde repeatedly offered Qu and Zhang the chance to defect, but both men refused. Kong then wined and dined them, trying to win them over but to no avail. Zhang spat back at Kong “You are no more than a dog or a sheep. You disgrace the former Sage, and you deserve to die for your crimes!” You're nothing more than the slave who used to carry a bedpan in Mao Wenlong's house! How dare you sully the name of the Sage.”. For this Zhangs feet were severed, but Kong still did not kill him. He kept insisting the Qing were better for all and gave stories of his 20 years as a soldier. Then Kong tried to have their own family members come and talk sense into them, but still it was to no avail.  Both men were eventually  imprisoned and wrote depressing and falistic poems during the captivity before being executed outside Windy Cave at the foot of the celestial crane peak in what is called today, Diecai Shan (folded Brocade hill) public park. Kong Youde allowed proper burials for the two and soon took up residence in the mansion of the former Ming Prince of Jingjiang. Now Guilin and nearby Pingle were in Qing hands. Kong Youde sought to secure Guangxi by 1651, but he was also itching to face Sun Kewang in the west.   In the wake of Qu and Zhang's deaths, Yongli fled to Nanning, hahahahaha this guy. With a more vulnerable Emperor Yongli now in Nanning, Sun Kewang saw an opportunity to establish greater control over him. Sun Kewang sent him welcoming parties, offering him military protection and boasted of how powerful and wonderful he was.    After annoying Yongli enough he was finally invested as the Prince of Qin, though he had already taken to calling himself “guozhu” “ruler of the realm” and had been making appointments on his own authority at Guiyang. Once a bandit, always a bandit as they say. He was absolutely delighted by the news and renamed Yunnanfu Kunming and Yunnan as Yunxing province. Then he dubbed his personal troops the “jiaqianjun” “royal vanguard”. Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu retained their old titles and sat at Sun's left and right side begrudgingly.  Yang Weizhi, the poor guy who had to bear bad news and was punished harshly for it managed to become grand secretary at Emperor Yongli's court and would subsequently try to impeach Sun. Sun responded by having his thugs bring Yang to Guiyang and upon his arrival screamed “Traitorous bandits like you will never be anything else.”. Sun had Yang beaten and dragged through the streets and was trampled to death by horses. His loss was felt heavy by many, particularly by Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu who had become close friends with him. They took his corpse and buried him with a ceremony. With Yang well out of the way, Sun began to construct an imperial palace in Guiyang and used imperial forms of address in his decrees and instructions. Any officials who resisted him were trampled to death by horses. Only Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo were exempt from calling Sun “guozhu”. He minted his own coins and constructed more ancestral temples, making further links to Zhang Xianzhong. Sun then declared his state the “Later Ming” regime. His ascension ceremony was attended by 100 officials on July 3rd 1651.   Meanwhile the Qing captured Pingle and Qingyuan as well as other towns along the Huguang-Guangxi border. Jiao Lian was captured by the Qing who tried to persuade him to join them, but he opted for suicide. Emperor Yongli feeling pressured, you guessed it, fled Nanning. This time he and his court debated whether they should flee to Fujian or Vietnam. Most wanted to go east arguing they should join up with Sun Kewang. But Emperor Yongli thought the coast was too distant and the travel too dangerous, for the time being they would camp at Xixing. But as the Qing took Nanning, Emperor Yongli fled again, almost being caught by the Qing who were within just a few miles of his entourage. This prompted Emperor Yongli to accept Sun Kewangs offer of protection. At the beginning of 1652, Sun ordered his subordinate Lt. Genge Sanpin with 3000 troops to escort Emperor Yongli to Anlong. By the time Emperor Yongli arrived his entourage was down to 2900 members. Sun figured the location was convenient for the court of Yongli as it lay in conjunction with Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangdong provinces. It was also close enough to Guiyang for Sun to keep an eye on the Emperor. Sun then set himself up as Yongl's military protector, but refused to personally greet Yongli on the principle that quote “2 dragons cannot see one another”. Thus Anlong became the ostensible Ming capital, but in reality it was just a safe place where Sun could keep the Emperor while he pursued his own objectives.   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.  So the great and horrifying father Zhang Xianzhong is dead, but his 4 adoptive sons quickly took over the family business and are causing mayhem. Sun Kewang emerged the largest brother and soon built himself an empire, matching that of  the fleeing Emperor Yongli. Now Kewang had Emperor Yongli basically under house arrest, or better said kidnapped, all was his for the taking, what stood in his way, but the might of the Qing dynasty?

TRACKLIST : Taster Peter - Super free Takiru - Pink lady Brosso - Follow me M'ad - Black or white Minimal : Impossible - DIzzy (Samuel L remix) Edward - A simple mistake Bukakid & Nordfold - Aika Roderic - Recycle (Sascha Cawa remix) Donatello - Night lights SNYL - Sci-fed Mundo D - Here come in Umid - Hometown

April 2022's Dante's Old South In this episode we interview the winners of the Southern Collective Experience's Asian American chapbook contest: 1st Place: Monica Kim is a queer writer and organizer. Born in South Korea, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She won the inaugural Jane Kenyon Chapbook Prize Award for her series of multiverse poems and her writing has been published in A Velvet Giant, Pollux Journal, The Account, and others. You can find her on Twitter at @kimmonjoo. 2nd Place: Kailee Pedersen is the author of essays, poetry, and speculative fiction. She graduated from Columbia University in 2017 with a B.A. in Classics, specializing in Ancient Greek and was adopted from Nanning in 1996. Her poetry has appeared in Arcturus, Muse/A Journal, Sonora Review, and is forthcoming in They Rise Like A Wave: An Anthology of Asian American Women Poets. She is a two-time Pushcart nominee and the recipient of a 2015 Individual Artist Fellowship in Nonfiction from the Nebraska Arts Council, among other awards. https://www.kaileepedersen.com/ 3rd Place Betsy Aoki is a poet and video game producer whose debut poetry collection, Breakpoint was a National Poetry Series finalist and winner of the Patricia Bibby First Book Award. Music: “Heat Waves” Glass Animals “Where is My Mind” The Pixies “The Force” Lettuce Special Thanks Goes to: Woodbridge Inn: www.woodbridgeinnjasper.com Autism Speaks: www.autismspeaks.org Mostly Mutts: www.mostlymutts.org Meadowbrook Inn: www.meadowbrook-inn.com The Red Phone Booth: www.redphonebooth.com The host, Clifford Brooks, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics and Athena Departs are available everywhere books are sold. His chapbook, Exiles of Eden, is only available through my website. To find them all, please reach out to him at: cliffordbrooks@southerncollectiveexperience.com Check out his Teachable courses on thriving with autism and creative writing as a profession here: www.brooks-sessions.teachable.com

#headtransplant #headtransplantation #future #centralpain #neuromodulation #koinly WORLDS 1ST HUMAN HEAD TRANSPLANTATION-DR SERGIO CANAVERO Dr. Sergio Canavero is an Italian neurosurgeon known for his controversial claims about the near-term feasibility of head transplantation— the grafting of a head onto a new body— in humans. He made headlines in 2015 when he publicly announced that he would perform such a procedure on a human in two years' time. In 2017, Canavero and colleagues performed a rehearsal head transplantation procedure on two cadavers, and he announced his intention to "imminently" perform the operation on a live human patient paralyzed from the neck down. As of 2022, however, this has not yet happened. Dr. Canavero is MD, Turin Univ. US FMGEMS/USMLE, BC Functional Neurosurgeon. He is also a Visiting Professor at Ruikang Hospital, Guanxi Univ. Trad. Chinese Med., Nanning, PRChina He has also authored-Central Pain Syndrome, Immortal. Why Consciousness is Not in the Brain I and II, Head Transplantation and the Quest for Immortality, Extreme Brain Reanimation. The Frankenstein Effect plus The Technology of Brain Transplantation. Lord Ganesha head transplant, Hindu Mythology- Ganpati head transplant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Canavero This Episode is Sponsored by - @Koinly Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsor: @Koinly www.koinly.io Kindly write to us at changetransformindia@gmail.com if you/your brand would like to partner, sponsor, and support @CHANGE-Transform India - 1st Future-Tech meets sustainability #podcast in India. Kindly Subscribe to CHANGE- I M POSSIBLE - youtube channel www.youtube.com/ctipodcast

“天宫课堂”正式开讲！这可能是你看到的“网课天花板”Chinese astronauts conducted a science lecture 400 kilometers above Earth to millions of students on Thursday afternoon, as they orbited in the Tiangong space station.12月9日下午，神州十三号乘组航天员在离地球400公里的天宫空间站里，为数百万学生开了一堂科学网课。Major General Zhai Zhigang, Senior Colonel Wang Yaping and Senior Colonel Ye Guangfu, all members of the Shenzhou XIII mission crew, greeted students, teachers and other participants when the lecture started at 3:54 pm. They showed viewers how they live and work inside the space station, which currently consists of a core module, a spacecraft and two robotic cargo spaceships.15点54分，网课开始，神舟十三号飞行乘组航天员翟志刚、王亚平、叶光富向所有学生、老师和其他参与者问好。航天员展示介绍了在轨工作、生活的场景。天宫空间站目前包括一个核心舱、一艘载人飞船与两艘货运飞船。The astronauts displayed their exercise equipment and a specially designed space suit, and conducted demonstrations on physical phenomena in microgravity, such as "disappearing buoyancy" and a "water ball". Ye, who is on his first spaceflight, showed how he rotated his body in the weightless environment. The astronauts also answered questions from students during the lecture.三位航天员展示了他们的运动设备以及特制的“企鹅服”，演示了微重力环境下“浮力消失”、“水成球”等神奇的物理现象。首次航天旅行的航天员叶光富还向大家展示如何在失重状态下转身。三位宇航员还回答了学生们提出的各种问题。Tens of millions of primary and middle school students across China watched the hourlong televised event hosted by the China Manned Space Agency, the Ministry of Education and other government departments.“天宫课堂”共66分钟，由中国载人航天局、教育部与其他政府部门主办，全国各地数千万名中小学生参与观看。A total of 1,420 invited students in Beijing; Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region; Wenchuan, Sichuan province; and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions were present at "ground class venues", with some taking part in video chats with the crew members during the lecture.北京市的中国科技馆为地面主课堂，有1420名学生受邀参加。此外，在广西南宁、四川汶川、香港、澳门等地设置了地面分课堂，航天员们通过视频通话与地面课堂师生开展实时互动交流。It was the first lecture of the Tiangong Class, or Heavenly Palace Class, China's first extraterrestrial lecture series to popularize space science.“天宫课堂”是国内首部太空科普教育系列课程，此次太空授课是“天宫课堂”的第一课。More lectures will be held based on the country's manned spaceflights and will also be presented by Chinese astronauts, the manned space agency said. Such activities are intended to spread knowledge about manned spaceflights and spark enthusiasm for science among young people, it added.载人航天局表示，将结合本国载人航天飞行任务，推出多期“天宫课堂”课程，由中国航天员担任“太空教师”，弘扬载人航天知识，激发青年对科学的热情。Shi Yi, deputy head of teaching and a physics teacher at the Beijing No 101 Middle School, said the space lecture was an eye-opening experience that would ignite students' interest in science.北京一零一中学物理组教研组长、物理教师史艺表示，“天宫课堂”很有启发性，激发了学生探究科学的兴趣。Wang Yihan, a fifth-grade student at the Yuxin School Attached to Capital Normal University, said: "The astronauts' experiments really intrigued and surprised me. I have great interest in spaceflight and would like to take part in our country's space exploration program in the future."来自首都师范大学附属育新学校一位五年级学生说：“航天员做的实验很有趣，好神奇。我觉得太空航天都非常有趣，以后我也想加入中国的太空探索计划。”Vincent Wong Wai-shing, deputy principal of Hong Kong's Pui Kiu College, said after watching the lecture that the event gave Hong Kong students an opportunity to communicate with the astronauts while stimulating their interest in space and science.香港培侨书院副校长黄腾达表示，此次活动为香港学生提供了一个与宇航员交流的窗口，也激发了学生对太空和科学的兴趣。"It also helped to enhance their sense of national identity as they saw the rapid development of our country's space technology," he said.他补充说，“这也有助于增强学生们的民族认同感，因为他们看到了我国太空技术的飞速发展”。microgravity英 [ˈmaɪkrəʊˌɡrævɪtɪ]；美[ˈmaɪkroʊˌɡrævɪtɪ] n. 微重力weightless英 [ˈweɪtləs]；美[ˈweɪtləs] adj. 失重的；无重量的extraterrestrial英 [ˌekstrətəˈrestriəl]；美[ˌekstrətəˈrestriəl] adj. 外星的；宇宙的；外星球的n.天外来客，外星生物intrigue英 [ˈɪntriːɡ]；美[ˈɪntriːɡ] v.激起兴趣；密谋

NHGIB 20210625 01 het Papageno Radio Concert, met in het 1e uur oa Burgemeester Nanning Mol van Laren, Papageno pianist Jonathan Hoofdt, directeur Ingrid Peters en uiteraard de muziek van Sonny Inc.

「微信」或者「微博」搜索关注［早安英文］，查看更多有趣实用的中英双语节目。笔记：model 模特supermodel 超模runway T台，跑道catwalk T台I have had a supermodel dream since I was ten, while I was still in primary school.I saw a fashion show on TV when I felt it was so cool to do that on the runway. 在我十岁还在读小学的时候，我就有一个超模梦。在电视上看到了一个时装秀表演，当时我就觉得在T台上走秀太酷了。He turned everywhere into his runway, ranging from a narrow alley to a derelict factory. 他把所有地方都变成了他的T台，从狭窄的小巷子，到废弃的工厂。rise to fame 出名early bloomer 年少成名precocious 早熟的，年纪很小但很有天赋的Lu rose to fame chasing his passion for modelling whilst workingas a waiter and a factory worker in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. 追寻着对走秀的热情，陆开始有名气了，与此同时，他还在广西首府南宁当一名服务生和工厂工人。获取节目完整音频、笔记和片尾的歌曲名，请关注威信公众号「早安英文」，回复“加油”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！

「微信」或者「微博」搜索关注［早安英文］，查看更多有趣实用的中英双语节目。笔记：model 模特supermodel 超模runway T台，跑道catwalk T台I have had a supermodel dream since I was ten, while I was still in primary school.I saw a fashion show on TV when I felt it was so cool to do that on the runway. 在我十岁还在读小学的时候，我就有一个超模梦。在电视上看到了一个时装秀表演，当时我就觉得在T台上走秀太酷了。He turned everywhere into his runway, ranging from a narrow alley to a derelict factory. 他把所有地方都变成了他的T台，从狭窄的小巷子，到废弃的工厂。rise to fame 出名early bloomer 年少成名precocious 早熟的，年纪很小但很有天赋的Lu rose to fame chasing his passion for modelling whilst workingas a waiter and a factory worker in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. 追寻着对走秀的热情，陆开始有名气了，与此同时，他还在广西首府南宁当一名服务生和工厂工人。获取节目完整音频、笔记和片尾的歌曲名，请关注威信公众号「早安英文」，回复“加油”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！

「微信」或者「微博」搜索关注［早安英文］，查看更多有趣实用的中英双语节目。笔记：model 模特supermodel 超模runway T台，跑道catwalk T台I have had a supermodel dream since I was ten, while I was still in primary school.I saw a fashion show on TV when I felt it was so cool to do that on the runway. 在我十岁还在读小学的时候，我就有一个超模梦。在电视上看到了一个时装秀表演，当时我就觉得在T台上走秀太酷了。He turned everywhere into his runway, ranging from a narrow alley to a derelict factory. 他把所有地方都变成了他的T台，从狭窄的小巷子，到废弃的工厂。rise to fame 出名early bloomer 年少成名precocious 早熟的，年纪很小但很有天赋的Lu rose to fame chasing his passion for modelling whilst workingas a waiter and a factory worker in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. 追寻着对走秀的热情，陆开始有名气了，与此同时，他还在广西首府南宁当一名服务生和工厂工人。获取节目完整音频、笔记和片尾的歌曲名，请关注威信公众号「早安英文」，回复“加油”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！

「微信」或者「微博」搜索关注［早安英文］，查看更多有趣实用的中英双语节目。笔记：model 模特supermodel 超模runway T台，跑道catwalk T台I have had a supermodel dream since I was ten, while I was still in primary school.I saw a fashion show on TV when I felt it was so cool to do that on the runway. 在我十岁还在读小学的时候，我就有一个超模梦。在电视上看到了一个时装秀表演，当时我就觉得在T台上走秀太酷了。He turned everywhere into his runway, ranging from a narrow alley to a derelict factory. 他把所有地方都变成了他的T台，从狭窄的小巷子，到废弃的工厂。rise to fame 出名early bloomer 年少成名precocious 早熟的，年纪很小但很有天赋的Lu rose to fame chasing his passion for modelling whilst workingas a waiter and a factory worker in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. 追寻着对走秀的热情，陆开始有名气了，与此同时，他还在广西首府南宁当一名服务生和工厂工人。获取节目完整音频、笔记和片尾的歌曲名，请关注威信公众号「早安英文」，回复“加油”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！

Welcome back to Season 2 of Married to the Land. With most guests usually nominated by a friend, today's episode is just that, a friend who admired and inspired by this special woman.Robyn McPherson transitioned into living rurally and through job opportunities has gotten her to where she is today. Robyn is a new mother and finds inspiration from people she has worked alongside, taking a leap by applying for a job nannying in her early 20s and meeting her Mr right to now calling Boulia QLD home.Welcome Robyn McPherson. Follow Robyn McPherson:Instagram: @robbo.mcpherson Robyn's Instagram Picks: @reviejaneLike the Episode - Buy me a coffeePlease make sure you leave a review or rate this episode. @married_tothe_land ICPA is the educational voice for rural and remote families and their students. We are committed to ensuring equitable access to education, opportunities, and support for every step of a student's learning journey from early childhood through to tertiary, trade or training. Membership is for everyone who have a connection to rural and remote education. Head to www.icpa.com.au to join and become a member.

The Chinese president has inspected the city of Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Iedere vrijdag om 14:00 uur ontvangt Wim Jordaan in zijn programma een Larense inwoner. In aflevering 1 wordt de spits afgebeten door burgemeester Nanning Mol.

Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the digital economy, are the focus of the ongoing China-ASEAN Expo. The four-day event being held in Nanning has both online and offline trade and investment promotional activities, including those for the newly signed RCEP.

"Menjadi Sahabat Tuhan"- Pinghua: Guangxi Nanning.3gp

Hi! Thanks for downloading my podcast! I hope that you will find it useful. If you are new, my name is Nancy Buswell. When I recorded this podcast episode 2 1/2 years ago I was teaching in Nanning, China. This summer I moved home to the US and am now living with my 83-year old mother. She is still in good health, thank goodness. I work online. I give mock IELTS exams on two Chinese apps, and teach on the website/app Cambly Fridays and Saturdays. Most of my students there are from Saudi Arabie, Turkey and Brazil. If you use Cambly, please look me up! I'm Miss Buswell on Cambly, and I prefer giving mock IELTS exams or having interesting conversations. Call me and let's have an interesting conversation! ====== LnR 104 Extracurricular Activities (Replay) Listen and Repeat: A: We had an interesting discussion topic in English class today. B: Oh, yeah? What was it? A: Our teacher told us to talk to our partner about our first jobs. B: That's easy! My first job was working at a KFC when I was 18. It was the summer before I started university. I only worked there two months. Now I can't stand the smell of fried chicken! A: Funny! As for me, I haven't had any kind of job yet. My parents wouldn't let me do anything except study, study, study. I wanna find a part-time job now, to make some pocket money, but my parents have forbidden it. B: Why? You’re over 18 now and can make your own decisions. A: Yeah, sure. Tell them that. As long as they are paying for my education, I have to do what they say. At least they send me pocket money when I need it. I just hate asking for it. B: Yeah, I get it. I hate asking for money, too. But I don’t want a part-time job now. I’m too busy with my extracurricular activities. I’m in two clubs and play intramural volleyball with people from my dormitory. A: Really? I’m no good at volleyball. I don’t know how to make the ball go the right direction. Which clubs are you in? B: Well, one is a church club. They have a small house just off campus for the meetings. I go every Wednesday night for singing and Bible study. I usually get there early to talk with my friends. The other one is the chess club. I’ve played chess since I was a little kid. We meet in a classroom every other Monday night to talk about chess and then play a couple of games. I’m a pretty good chess player, but there are several others who are a lot better than me. A: I can see now why you don’t have time for a part-time job!

Talking inflammation and pain, eye health and Dr Ben's amazing journey into becoming a Chinese Medicine practitioner after a life changing surgery gone wrong. In today's episode we discuss inflammation, Pain, Turmeric & Eye Health are key topics we talk about with Dr Ben who also studied a degree in Nutrition. Tumeric - how much, how often and how to make it's active ingredients more available in the body. We also talk about Dr Ben's special interest in eye health and keeping your eyes healthier Chinese Medicine About Dr Ben Latto O'Brien (Acupuncturist & Herbalist) Benjamin O’Brien comes from a long line of practitioner’s of both western and natural medicine. Ben completed a double degree in both acupuncture and nutritional medicine and is also qualified in both An Mo Tui Na (Chinese massage) and western Remedial massage. Part of Ben’s acupuncture training involved completing an internship in China at Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical University in Nanning, Guangxi. Ben has personal experience in the healing capacity of acupuncture and continues to be inspired by what Chinese medicine offers to millions of people around the world. Ben’s other great passion involves using food as medicine for the incredible health benefits seen in both the short and long term for his patients and himself when the correct foods are regularly consumed. Ben has completed a master’s degree in Chinese Herbal Medicine. He strongly believes in the vast healing power of plant medicine and the lack of side effects often seen with the use of many modern western pharmaceutical medications. CLINIC / Contact Dr Ben via: https://nedlandsosteoacu.com.au/ IMPORTANT: This video, as with all our content, the The Chinese Medicine Podcast episodes are NOT a replacement for a health professional diagnosis. While Marie may answer your questions, all answers are not of a professional consultation level - it is impossible to check your pulse through the internet, hence Chinese medicine cannot be practiced properly through the internet. If you have any undiagnosed symptoms, or changes in your health condition The Chinese Medicine Podcast urges you to see your own doctor, GP, Chinese medicine practitioner, acupuncturist or other health professional as appropriate. If it is an emergency call 000 in Australia. If you are unsure if this advice is appropriate for your individual situation ask your own practitioner before applying any diet or lifestyle techniques /concepts discussed in this video. We wish you the best of health in your own journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marie-hopkinson/message

I'm in my old apartment in Nanning, China now! I came back for about 12 days to clear the apartment of my things because I won't be working here anymore. I have a lot of work to do, figuring out what to do with all my stuff! I taught English in China for 19 1/2 years. I also have a lot of people to say goodbye to, and that will be hard. I'm honored right now to have two of my former students from about 12 years ago come down from Xi'an to spend a couple days with me, to say goodbye and to help me pack. Here's a podcast episode from 2 1/2 years ago: ............................... LnR 088 (Casual Language) Loan, Lend or Borrow 1. Could you loan me your pen for a minute? 2. I'd like to borrow your pen for a minute. 3. She borrowed my laptop last week. 4. I loaned her my laptop last week. 5. I'm going to the bank today to borrow money to start my business. 6. The bank is going to loan me money to start my business. 7. My daughter borrowed money from me. 8. I loaned money to my daughter. 9. Many American students borrow money from the government to pay for school. 10. The government loans money to college students.

Op dit moment is in Austin, Texas het tech-, muziek- en filmfestival “South by South West” in in volle gang. De hele week houden festivalgangers ons op de hoogte van de innovatieve en verrassende bands, films en technologische ontwikkelingen die je daar kan tegenkomen. Sophie Berns en Nanning de Jong, beiden gespecialiseerd in digitale technologieën, spraken over hun ervaringen op het festival en de toekomst van blockchain.

[00:00] Hi, I'm Connie Sokol, a national speaker, bestselling author, program founder and Mother of seven and loving it. I'm reaching and teaching 1 million listeners to live a purposeful, organized, and joyful life. You can too. So let's go. [00:16] Welcome back to Balance Redefined. It's Connie Sokol and today I have a major vulnerability and live rant to share. Okay, I don't usually share these kinds of experiences, but today this one is literally one of those for the books that I just think how in the world that that happened to me. 'kay. So let me explain what happened. So I have a dear friend who we kind of touch base now and then and I love what she does. She's always helping women and she's just so upbeat and so wonderful and just kind of in a lower limelight way, she doesn't like, you know, parade it around and stuff, but she's got a very active blog and she's just wonderful. [00:55] Anyway she's just a great lady. And I happened to see on this, um, it was either a post was that post or newsletter thing. Anyway, I click to it, but it said, hey, I was featured in this magazine. I couldn't even believe it and or this online article, and it was about spotlighting women who really crushed it in 2018 and I was like, yes, she is finally getting her Kudos. Not that she needed them, not that she was looking for them, but I was so happy and I wanted to read more about it and I was so excited for her, but thinking maybe we should go do lunch and I can like take her lunch. Okay, so little side note here before I share what happened next. You know, if you know anything about me and you've listened to any of my podcasts, you know that I love good women, I love them, they do amazing things and I am, my whole life's work is helping women and families, helping them to find their purpose and fulfill it. [01:43] Helping them to get those organization systems in their life so they can actually spend more time doing the things they want to do. Getting that joy woven in and through and around their lives while they're doing it. Being the one that's, you know, massaging their shoulders and telling them you're doing awesome and you got this and you're amazing. And helping them to hold up a beautiful mirror and say, can you see the good that you are doing? Okay, this is me. Okay. Like I've actually been told I am a woman's cheerleader. Okay. Breathless proving. I just want you to know like this is the thing, it's clearly official with even like a pseudo title that I love to celebrate fabulous women. Have I established that clearly enough? Okay, so this does not diminish me at all when I am celebrating such said women. Okay, so back to this little online articles. [02:25] So I start reading this article and I'm smiling, I'm filled with joy and buttercups and then it hits me. It is by woman number five to have like 20 women they're spotlighting by woman. Number five, I start feeling this wave of Yuck, like I was in fact a total complete loser. Like not just your usual. Wow, they're amazing. And I'm not, not that, but it was this overwhelming your're so in caps lame. You don't know what you're doing. You don't even know tech at all. And by the way, what did you do in 2018 like these thoughts, I cannot express to you how strongly, how clearly they were playing in my mind and they felt so real. You know those moments where like in one instant you went from feeling healthy and disciplined and spiritually in tune and loving and wow, let's rock this day. Let's rock this year to suddenly like, where's my ritter chocolate bar? [03:22] Were, did I stash those Christmas cookies? You know what I'm saying? Like really it was night and day and I started going to this, well who needs a workout? And Yeah, you know, I could be sleeping this year, so who needs this? Oh, it was terrible. I cannot even express the reality of this feeling. It was so strong and yeah. Okay. So I have these kinds of feelings, not to this depth, but I have these kinds of feelings, you know about every three months when we're rolling out a new project, like we're rolling out a new program and I'm all like, you know, hyperventilating, all the different details that have to be taken care of him. He could sure this is just so, and it was, you know, it's all those, those feelings of the potential. What if people don't really think it's worth it and it's worthwhile. [04:02] Even though I have all the stats to prove and the Beta testing and all that, you know that idiosyncrasy kind of low self esteem thing that you kind of go through in this little cyclical process, man, say that five times fast. But you know how you can go through those kind of cycles and, and you kind of, it's expected and you go, okay, I know what this is. It's like that neighborhood stray dog that annoys the tar out of you, but it comes around every couple of weeks and you're like, ah. And then you go, you know what, okay, I'm just going to give them a little bone thing and then he'll go and he'll go off to the next neighbors, make the rounds and he'll be back in three weeks. Okay, it's fine. So with kind of like that, but no, this time it was really, really strong. [04:38] So I just want you to know it was, it was one of those crazy moments that I'm just like, I don't even know what I can do with this. I don't know what to do with it. And I was only just becoming aware that I was feeling this and that wasn't real because then the next thought that came, thankfully this next thought kind of came through and pierced that dark cloud and it gave me this thought of, "yes, let us look at what you did this last year, shall we?" And it was the soft, sweet kind of thought and then like a ticker tape going right through my mind. I start seeing super fast, all the things that I had done in this last year. Okay, let me just give you, this is not like, Whoa, listen to me. I'm telling you for a point, so stay with me. [05:19] Okay, so while raising four children at home, 'kay in three different schools, mind you and getting another one ready for other things, for future endeavors, right? Keeping my focus on family first, which is a huge job right there. 'kay. In the business side, I rebranded my entire business new website pictures. Do you know the choreography for trying to do pictures alone and do them in just one hour? Yeah. Do new systems and set up. I created an Interfaith Women's Conference with, they said it wouldn't even work and we had 600 attendees. Then we even did a mini conference followup version, so it was more intimate and that sold out and created a nonprofit organization from it because it was unbelievably wonderful and then an incredible board of amazing women, diverse, successful, incredible women from our community and then created a lifelong dream of my 12 week online program. [06:10] Started a new podcast and hired a new amazing core team for my business and company. Okay. That's just on the business side. [06:17] Okay, so let's see about the personal side, shall we? Yeah, Hashtag who you call him a loser. Okay. So successfully helped my children flourish through post divorce with some coping skills that were incredible and useful with beautiful experiences doing their homework and life help and the Mama, I'm right here for you love and keeping it together personally during all of this. Okay. Most days. And then helped my daughter graduate from high school with honors. 'Kay. Honestly, she did most of the work, but I was there for those tiers and moments. Okay. I'm just saying secure scholarships and then get college acceptance to her top three schools. Right. Helped her create and then fulfill this Nanning experience in France, which was incredible. And then helped her prepare for a church mission call, which she wanted to do and she received at to France Leone. [07:05] Okay. Can have to go pick her up afterwards yet did I mentioned that, but did I mention during all of these things? I also put meals on a table four nights a week, maybe five 'kay because there's the weekend we have to do Costa Vida, sorry, and no salesy thing. Through endless errands, dance competitions, reading in the classroom at all. Do I make my point? And in the midst of this successfully dealt with being evacuated from our home for the number one fire in the nation and handled it all without chocolate or binge watching anything. Okay. People, there has to be some kind of an award for this. All right? And then wrapping it all up, took my children to serve at a child's hope orphanage in Mexico. Even driving there and back as a single mom, 10 to 15 hours each way and working all things to make it a beautiful life changing experience despite occasional complaints. [07:57] Okay, I ask you, does that sound like I did nothing in 2018 hmm? Now this is not about, oh, who can top who and how much can I do in a year? I'm talking about this little voice that we allow in our heads as women. I want to remind you that I share this for one reason and one reason only. That in that soul debilitating moment of loser feeling, I literally believed I had done nothing of value this past year. What the, hey, how is it possible that especially that I teach women coping skills for this stuff, that I could let this happen. I got sucked in people. I got sucked into the less than Vortex Oh, how did I let that happen? And guess what? It took less than five minutes. Yeah. After all that I did in 2018 all that goes behind those sentences. You know what I'm talking about? [08:56] I still let that happen to me in less than five minutes. What? Ooh, did I come back like a fighting Xena warrior. I'm telling you once I realized it, and you know when you get that moment where you're like, oh no, you did not. You didn't. Not Today, because I was like, that's it. I am not going to go into that whole vortex of, oh, she's so much better than me and I don't do anything. Oh, my life is is nothing. And where's the chips? Right? Which is what we end up doing. So my point today is ladies not, oh, just don't go into the vortex. No, no, no. My point is be prepared for it because it will come, it will come. And that was my downfall is that I thought in my pride, I thought, Hey, I've been teaching this for 20 years and I have my moments. [09:46] I have my little soft moment and I have those really downtimes now and then, but you know, I get back up and I know what's coming, uh, did not even see this blindsided. So I want you to know that even if you're the most amazing woman on the planet, which you likely are, you are going to have those sneaky unsuspecting moments that hit you like a ton of chocolate bricks. And you will feel less than a loser. Like, why bother? What I do doesn't matter. Everyone else has it together kind of feeling right? And it's going to seem so real. So do not get sucked in. How? Ma of course you know what's going to come. I'm going to give you some tips. That's right because I had to use them myself so they worked and so I'm going to share them because that's my go to motto. [10:28] If I do something and it works, I'm going to share it because I want to see what worked for you because I'm gonna sure try it one of these days cause mine's not going to work next time maybe. All right, so try some of these. [10:37] Number one, stop doing what you're doing. Do whatever it is. I was on the social media thing. I was on the online magazine that I was reading. Just stop it. Then say shout, stomp out loud. I am a daughter of God. Now if you have other divine influence or the universe or other divine feeling as you know, I always say just insert it. I am loved and I am of infinite worth. And then if it feels real good, you can add so back off. Right. Cause that helps too. That's number one. Does do that. Number one. And what that does is tell that little voice and whatever influence is trying to bother you, it just tells it ach ach ach not today. [11:15] No, I'm aware. I know what's going on and know the number two go back to truth, go back to truth. What you know to be true. Pray from your gut to God or whoever it is that you feel is that divine influence. Read scriptures, talk with a wise friend, do whatever it takes for you to get to a truthful place and see that feeling, that feeling of going back to truth will already start giving you that happy, peaceful place. That not that competitive feeling, not that discouragement any of those competitiveness, discouragement, doubt. And I'm in competitiveness in a, in a way that makes you feel like I'm going to rip their eyes off because I better than are I am totally a winner and they're a loser. When that kind of competitive, no, that is not what we want. So go back to truth. [12:00] Number three. List what you have done and who you have become. This is not about proving your value. Do not mistake what I am doing here. This is not listing it off and checking in and saying, Oh look, I did 10 beautiful things this last year so I have value and worth. No, this is to do what is one of the most frequent commandments in scripture, which is, you know, this one, remember there's ask and then there's remember, remember, why does he ask us to remember? Because we forget and in that five minutes, I forgot a whole 12 months worth. Okay. As a mother of seven, that's not too hard to believe, but I did. I forgot. Can you imagine? Yeah, you probably can, right? You're done there. If you've had children's especially, but we're to remember, we're to remember who we are and what we've experienced and what we are yet to do to fulfill our personal purpose, to help others that fill their personal purpose. [12:55] So as we remember, we get back to that truth. We remember that truth. We'd soak in that truth. We, it's delicious too. As we chew on that truth and it becomes a part of us because we know that that is the truth. When I was able to list those things out, I could feel in my soul and no, this is actually what is true, not the first voice that was in my head. Okay. [13:16] Number four, express gratitude. Okay. You're probably going, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. If I read one more thing and listen on one more thing that says gratitude. Yeah, but guess what? It works. Yeah. It's here to stay. Just start. No rhyme or reason or you've got to have some cool little thing or app or you got to have something that's, you know, I do three or things are 22 things in one minute or whatever. [13:36] No, just express gratitude for the people or the experiences or things. Things are wonderful. Hilarides, mundanity of life, whatever it is that comes to your mind kind of stuff. It doesn't matter. This makes all the difference. And I did that too. I did that and I was able to start doing gratitude. And you know what? And the beautiful thing, and you'll see this when you go through these moments and you use these tips and tactics, you fight back. Then you start putting it into your life all the time and it's like, Ooh, this is a twofer. This is a bonus. Okay, I'm so glad this happened because now I remembered how important it was for me to do my gratitude minutes, not just every day, but throughout the day. So now I'm doing in the morning, I'm doing the afternoon, I'm doing the evening. So now I'm not just waiting till night for me to do my gratitude journal. [14:22] I am having a focus, concentrated moments of gratitude throughout the day and I got to tell you, it is fabulous and not inconsequentially. I have not had one more of those moments of the voices in my head attacking me since I've been doing that. So I gotta tell ya it works. [14:40] And number five, do a really, really long podcast or her really long ranty kind of post and you will feel much better. All right? Hopefully you will be able to feel and know from I shared that you can handle when this happens. You can go to the edge of that Vortex, but you don't have to get sucked in. You might be there before you realize it, but you don't have to get sucked in. And I think it's fantastic that we can do something about it. So I want you to know that. Now I want to leave you with one final thought to rule them all because this is so important. [15:11] As I was sitting there and thinking of these things, these other thoughts led up to this one final thought, but the thoughts that started coming to me where, oh my gosh, you know what? All women are doing so amazingly. Really, even when we go, oh, you know, she's not doing great, or I wasn't doing great last year, but I'm doing better now even when we don't think we're doing great. We are. We get up, we breathe and we keep our kids alive, right? I mean there's an award for that somewhere, I'm sure too. So I just want you to know you are doing what matters most and you are valued. You are a woman of incredible divine, an infinite worth. You must remember this, every single bit of drool of diapers of dishes and that drama that you deal with matters and it makes your family and this world a better place. [16:00] I promise you never ever doubt that. And just because society or a family member or neighbor makes you feel that your family and this world doesn't really do anything or that you're not very helpful or that you're not amazing as you should be, or you don't get a thousand likes, you don't get a million subscribers or that you, you don't do things that are of value, do not get sucked in because you can with your wisdom and your steadiness and your focus on truth. You can move forward each day and with love, with laughter and with light. You can do this with those focuses and those drivers and you can ignore the rest. So all of these thoughts were coming to me and then it culminated in one thought, one big Mama thought. That's right. One thought to rule them all and it was this; Do Good. [16:54] That's it. Go about doing good and whatever the outcome is. And that's different for everyone. Rejoice in it, delight in it. And if one day that involves creating a new program and the next day it involves taking a nap with a preschooler, then rejoice, have joy. It means that you have discovered the thing that matters most. And just because it may mean one day you discovered the meaning of life and the next day you've just discovered the missing shoe. It doesn't matter. It means that you still know what matters most and you're experiencing it today. You know that whatever you do really, truly, honestly does matter. And I want you to keep that in your soul so that the next time that sneaky other little influence comes prowling around to make you miserable, you stand like that Xena warrior, and you know for yourself what is true and what is not, and make it known that you know. [17:47] Okay, so just as recap, Do Good. Don't get sucked in. Focus on truth. Share your experience and stand like a Xena warrior. All right? [17:58] People back to life as we know it with a joyful vengeance. And remember, if you want more of this good juicy stuff, please click on another podcast or take one of my free masterclasses, they're free. Just hop on there and get more of these juicy life hacks. I want to see you even happier and more organized and feeling that joy and that purpose. Even if you're the most stellar, organized and purposeful - PURPOSEFUL person on the planet. I just want you to know I've got even more for you to enjoy because that is my joy. So I hope you got something great out today. If you did, please comment below something that's a takeaway for you. I would love to hear it and know it and then if you have something you want to share, the others could learn from, please post it below. [18:42] If you want more information on Masterclass, #yes or just go to conniesokil.com and you can find it out there and if you want, you can always go on social media. I've got lots of posts, I've got lots of resources and articles and things and insights and wonderful people just to share with and discussed up. And it's just so great. So go on any major social media, Connie Sokol and you will find me. I would love, love, love to connect with you. And as I mentioned, if you want more great stuff than just click on another podcast and get more Balance Redefined. [19:14] Hi, I'm Connie Sokol and thanks for listening today to balance redefined. Don't forget to rate and subscribe and if you liked it, get even more life shifting. Learning with my best selling books on Amazon from humorous to core content, seasonal to spiritual life hacking nonfiction to fun romance fiction. I have a book for just what you need. So go to Amazon, search Connie Sokol, and check out the show notes for the direct link to guide you there.

Before traveling or living overseas, many foreign nationals mindset carries a perception that their home nation encompasses all the best things and conveniences in life. Sometimes, however, this isn't the case. In some second and third world nations many foreign nationals quickly discover that their second or third world host nation, regardless of their social and political values, are doing some things that far exceeds the ways things are done in their home nation and today this episode we have an example of this. Also, it is rare for me to come across foreign nationals overseas who also happen to be podcasters. This episode I am fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with one about his life overseas. Today we welcome Fraser Du Toit on the show. Fraser is also located in the same part of the world I am in. However, we will be placing stress more on the part of the world he is in. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: B Positive Website Apple Podcasts: B Positive Podcast Stitcher: Beyond Homo Sapien Social Media Links Facebook: Fraser Chon-Ji Du Toit THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Before traveling or living overseas, many foreign nationals mindset carries a perception that their home nation encompasses all the best things and conveniences in life. Sometimes, however, this isn't the case. In some second and third world nations many foreign nationals quickly discover that their second or third world host nation, regardless of their social and political values, are doing some things that far exceeds the ways things are done in their home nation and today this episode we have an example of this. Also, it is rare for me to come across foreign nationals overseas who also happen to be podcasters. This episode I am fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with one about his life overseas. Today we welcome Fraser Du Toit on the show. Fraser is also located in the same part of the world I am in. However, we will be placing stress more on the part of the world he is in. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: B Positive Website Apple Podcasts: B Positive Podcast Stitcher: Beyond Homo Sapien Social Media Links Facebook: Fraser Chon-Ji Du Toit THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Hi everyone! This is Connie Sokol, and you're listening to Balance Redefined Radio. I've spent over 20 years teaching people how to redefine what balance really is, meaning a more purposeful and joyful life.   They’ve paid off credit cards, lost weight, organize their homes, and created a meaningful life plan and they've managed their time, changed habits and experience greater success both at work and at home.   So now I decided to take the plunge and help about 100,000 new people who want to redefine balance in their lives. People ask me all the time, “How do I go from an overwhelming and chaotic life to more purpose and organization and joy?”   That's the reason why I'm doing this podcast, to give you trusted answers and create a space where you could find balance. My name is Connie Sokol and welcome to Balance Redefined Radio…   Welcome back to Balance reDefined. I am Connie Sokol, and I'm so happy to have you join me for some more life-changing information and connection…   Today, I want to talk about something that I read in an article. Oddly enough, I was about to get a spa service - showing that that is a very worthy and good thing - but I was flipping through this magazine, which I don't usually get time to even at the orthodontist because you're talking with kids and things like that. But every now and then, I get to flip something open, and it's so joyful, and this was fantastic.   It was Michelle Jones, and she is a clinical director of Concordia Families - want to make sure I get that right. It's a clinic specializing in family court-involved therapy and reunification services. But what she was talking about that was so good to me was understanding attachment.   She talks about the way that we attach and respond to our - especially our - children and those kinds of attachments. There's three kinds of attachments, and it was really interesting to me, and I'll tell you why.   She said that once she was observing a man who was feeding his eight month old son, and the son was seated on a high chair, and so he started dropping pieces of food off of his tray onto the floor - as they are wont to do.   Having had seven children, gone through this experience. Just a timer to rinse and repeat. Literally. So anyway, she said this father kept looking kind of embarrassed about this, like his child was misbehaving or something, and he would swiftly give them a little spank on the hand, and he'd say, “No, no.”   And the son, who's about eight months old, as I said, looked startled, but then he would drop the food again. And so when he do that, the father would do that.   He would like hit him on the hand, and then he'd say to him, “Why are you doing that?” And so she was pretty bold and she said, “Hey, I just was curious why you're doing that.” And he said that he wanted to teach his son to have good manners and not to be rude.   And she said she was surprised by his answer because she's an LCSW, so she's social worker.   And she was like … “Um…” and then explained kindly that the infant's development stage and what he was doing, what he was learning something from that behavior. And so he was kind of misunderstanding his son's motives at that age. He wasn't capable of being rude. It was really more of a discovery process. And so she was explaining to him the whole concept of object permanence.   You know, that between four and seven months, that babies, they learn when things go away and when they're covered up, then they come back. You know, when you play peekaboo and that kind of thing.   And so what was beautiful is that this father was so kind that he responded, “Wow, I didn't know that,” and didn't realize that he was just reading his son inaccurately. And it sounds to me like he was pretty humble guy and being able to say, “Wow, didn't know that. I can do that differently.”   What was beautiful about this is not only that man's response, but that this woman, Michelle, was kindly candid, you know. That's what I call it when you have to share something that's hard but could give someone a positive choice if you share it. And she was sharing with him that this was called “misattunement.”   Misattunement is when you're reading that person's motives wrong, or when you don't attend to say your infant's needs because you think, “Oh, we don't want them to be spoiled or something like that.” When the truth is you can't spoil a baby obviously, because that's not where they're at on their level of development.   When you quickly and appropriately attend to those needs that they have, then they learn to feel trust, and feel confident, and feel secure. So that's called a healthy attachment, and I love what she shared.   I got thinking back to all the time that I have misattuned to my children and teenagers. This is a very common thing I think with parents. So if you're listening, you're going, “Oh my word. I've totally traumatized my children for life.” No, probably not.   Most of us, you know, we don't have real handbook on parenting, and so we're learning as we go along, and that's the beautiful thing of why you're listening to these podcasts, and why I'm learning things and sharing them so that we can correct those things as quickly and as much as possible.   So I want you to think - because I was thinking back on these things…   And even just mostly recently in the last few weeks with my own children have, you know, have I been attuned to their needs or not? I don't want this to come across like we're catering to everything and every second we're wigging ourselves out because was I attuned to them.   I have found for myself, you know, I'm an avid B-plusser. I have found that if I pretty much B-plus, 80 percent of the time respond in some positive, semi-positive way to my children's needs, they do great. They do great.   This is not about being, you know, filling every jot and tittle for them. That actually enables them and makes them less resilient and less able to move forward in life. So I want you to consider a couple of these kinds of attachments and just see what this looks like in your life.   She is saying in this article that a secure attachment allows a child to feel safe and protected and gives him confidence that he'll be taken care of.   So that's number one in those three attachments that I said at the very beginning - secure, insecure, and the third one is disorganized. So secure, insecure and disorganized attachments.   So these secure attachments are so healthy. There are so good. They allow the child to feel confident, to explore the world, and develop optimally.   I was, I was thinking about my oldest daughter who is right now 19, and she deals with anxiety, threads of anxiety, and I've worked with her over the years to try to use coping skills to understand what those anxiety symptoms may be, how to prevent them, how to deal with them as they come, how to deal with them quickly so they don't get her down into this anxiety vortex.   And I've watched as she has been also doing her part to be open to those coping skills because you can lead a child to the slurpee but you can't make him slurp. Right?   And so I've watched how she's been open to those things, sometimes more open than others. And as she's learned these coping skills and been able to be open to stretching herself a little, she's been able to do more experiences and have more joy and more good opportunities come to her than she ever had before.   And we were just talking about this the other day that she said, “Gosh, if I hadn't learned these things, if you hadn't taught me, if I hadn't learned them, I wouldn't have tried for these scholarships, I wouldn't have applied to these different colleges, especially out of state and one in Hawaii.” And then she was accepted.   She said, I wouldn't have tried for this Nanning in France and gone and had an incredible experience for three months there. And I wouldn't have had the subsequent trip that we took her and I together to explore Europe together as part of her senior trip/moving into adulthood.   So all of these experiences, she's realizing, wow, the more that I got these coping skills, the more confident she felt an exploring the world, the more confident she felt that she could handle hard things.   And the more she tried new and stretching things and realized again and again, she was able and more capable to do those things.   So to me that looked like a good secure attachment, at least for right now. You know, it's not talking about all the things that I've done wrong. So that was a good thought for me is secure attachment. So thinking your own mind, what's something you've done well with your children? We all start with what's the weakness but in different things that we learned.   But I like to start with what we're doing. Well, I always say start with you're having success. So what does that look like for you? How does that feel for you?   What in one of your relationships with your children particularly do you feel like you’ve done that well and that's taught them to feel trust and to trust and to be confident, and maybe to explore the world, and that they know that they are protected?   What's some things that you've done for your children that way? And take a minute and just kind of review that in your mind and feel good about that and get that little mental pat on your back. Great job! Because most parents I meet are doing a great job.   They're doing the very best they know how to do. Same with me…   The next kind is that insecure attachment, and that develops when a child learns not to trust or is made to feel like they shouldn't have needs.   Did you ever feel that as a child? Like you just couldn't have them because somebody else in the family was taking up more of the time or in space of, of the parents or something.   And typically insecure babies will become more clingy and less able to be soothed. Now, with that being said, I want you to understand also there are genetic threads that come, because I also have noticed for myself. There's been some different things from the genetic pool that are not things that I have control over, and even not from my side or things like that that I still as a mom had to deal with with my children.   So there was anxiety and depression and different things, aspergers and things like that. So I've needed to deal with those things.   And because of those threads, I've worked with pediatricians and with psychologists and being able to say, “What can I do for my kids that will help them from a very early age?” So if your child is clingy and can't be soothed, oh my gosh, this very 19 year old that I'm talking about, she was so colicky when she was born.   I could not put her down for four months...   Seriously, I mean crying at the drop of a hat and so many of them. My asperger's son who just had to have the right toy or the right book or the right blanket, or he was just ... it wasn't being spoiled. It literally was that it rocked his world, and we didn't know for a long time why that was.   And I was checking out with different doctors and things of what it was. So on those insecure attachments don't think, “Oh well, that must be me, and I'm doing something wrong.” That's not necessarily what that means. It just means you've been given a set of circumstances and genetic pool that this child has.   So let's look at it that way...   Let's not look at blame. Let's look at how can we solve this. I always say to my kids, “Let's just put this on a chair. Let's just look at it. Take a look at it, and see what are the things we need to learn about it, and what are the things we can do to deal with it so you have a better improved quality of life.” It's not really assigning blame.   So we do want to go to an origin. I mean it is helpful to know if there's genetic origins, but we want to go to an origin. If you're being rude and mean to your child, well then it makes sense that they feel insecure. So go to the origins and be honest with yourself about that.   The third type is disorganized attachment and that develops when a parent is abusive towards a child. And this is the most difficult and the most, the most damaging type of relationship - as you would understand - because it teaches the child not to trust their own judgment.   They can feel and see that something is being done that's wrong, but they don't have the equipment, the mental acuity, to be able to say this is exactly why, right?   It's really confusing that the same person who is hurting a child is the one that they must turn to for protection, as you can imagine. And I think there's a lot of us who can understand how that feels, whether it's been from our childhood, it's been an abusive relationship when you're older, whatever that may look like.   So if you're dealing with ... I'm assuming that you are not abusing your child.   If you're listening to what I'm saying, you're realizing, “Wow, maybe I am really confusing in what I'm sharing with my child, and I'm not being helpful and being consistent in the way that I'm behaving with them.” That is a great thing to start with is how are you speaking to your child? What is it?   The kinds of things that you say to your child, are they positive? Even when you need to share something that seems a negative, like, hey, they're getting a failing grade or something. Have you done that in a kindly candid way?   Have you sat down, and you've anticipated questions? You've expected that there's a reason why, and you're giving them that benefit of the doubt.   You're giving them that opportunity to explain situation...   I remember finding a receipt that had something on it that my daughter should not have been doing and I said, hey, can you tell me about this?   And I shared that in another podcast, and she was like, “Oh.” I didn't need to blame. I didn't need to come in guns firing. I just had to ask some really careful questions, and she was able to let me know what had happened, and we had a really good bonding moment through that, which could have turned into not so bonding had I not been careful with that.   So if it's more of the case for you that you are dealing with, say, an ex spouse or a family member that is treating the children poorly. This is a different scenario.   I know that I just got a text from a friend yesterday that just said, “I am so stressed about my ex, and me sending my children into an environment that I know is negative and is not a healthy environment. How do I do that?”   How do I work with that? And I'm going to share that in another podcast, the specifics.   But what's really helpful is being able to help your children use their voice, and then be able to identify some of those things that they're going to face, and then give them solutions that they can use when they're in that environment.   That way, even if they're in an abusive environment that you cannot control or legally can't change, that at least the children have some coping skills, and they have some tools on their life tool belt that they can use even when they're young. They still have something that they can turn to that will help instill confidence and trust in themselves, in their own judgment about what is right and what is wrong in the way that they're being treated.   So this starts at such an early age in the day and age that we are in, starts at such an early age because there is so many dysfunctional things and relationships that happen - from workplace, school, place, home, community, even church.   That really is key - that we teach our children these skills and teach them how to use their voice and teach them these things.   So like I said, I'll share that on a different podcast, but just considered today, what are some of those attachments in your life that are the most meaningful, and what are the quality of, the qualities of those relationships that you have? Do you have these healthy, secure attachments, or are they insecure, or even disorganized?   And what I call this is functional because the quality of that attachment is going to affect the children for their future relationships. It really becomes a prototype. And again, we didn't have perfect parents to create, you know, these amazing attachments.   But we just kind of have good enough. And as I've said in other things, being a B-plusser is great because it gives you the opportunity to be just good enough and that's fine.   In fact, researchers have noticed that in the healthiest relationships and secure infants and parents, even when they're misattuned, 70 percent of the time, 70 percent being misattuned, that it's okay because unhealthy relationships, parents quickly reattune after they have what's called an auto-attunement and attachment rupture.   So if there is an attachment rupture, then you quickly correct it, and you kind of sew that back up and make amends. In order to do that, of course we need to be sensitive, and we need to be patient, and kind of first and foremost, we need to have awareness - because this awareness, it is what is going to set the precedent of how much you repair those disorganized or dysfunctional attachments or the attachment ruptures.   The last thing I want to share with you is that what one other piece of this article that was so important to me is that she said the most important thing and forming attachments is not who feeds and changes the child, but who plays and communicates with him or her.   Responsiveness is the key to attachment. Isn't that beautiful? So it's really who plays and communicates with that child eyeball to eyeball.   So today, to take that first step and actually making them more secure attachment, I would encourage you, go home, look at your kids in the eyeballs and either play or communicate.   Just ask him a question. “How was your Algebra today?” Not just how was your day. “How was your Algebra? Hey, how did things go with your friends? I know it was kind of rocky at the start of the week. Did that all get resolved with that group chat?   Hey, how'd that soccer practice go? Because I know you were working on your kick. Did it go well or do you need some more pointers? I'd love to see how it's going, if you want to show it to me.” Do you see what I'm saying?   Or just get down on the floor and play, and that's a great way to create a more secure attachment today...   Stay tuned for more wonderful ways to ReDefine your daily balance.   You got it. Thanks for listening and remember to rate and subscribe. And if you are feeling the need for real balance in your life, get your free five step life plan, and get started today! Just go to conniesokol.com/download.

Hi everyone! This is Connie Sokol, and you're listening to Balance Redefined Radio. I've spent over 20 years teaching people how to redefine what balance really is, meaning a more purposeful and joyful life.   They’ve paid off credit cards, lost weight, organize their homes, and created a meaningful life plan and they've managed their time, changed habits and experience greater success both at work and at home.   So now I decided to take the plunge and help about 100,000 new people who want to redefine balance in their lives. People ask me all the time, “How do I go from an overwhelming and chaotic life to more purpose and organization and joy?”   That's the reason why I'm doing this podcast, to give you trusted answers and create a space where you could find balance. My name is Connie Sokol and welcome to Balance Redefined Radio…   Welcome back to Balance reDefined, and I'm so excited that you're here to learn a little bit more about some life topics. The one that's really been on my mind the last few days. It has been this concept of patience and kindness.   How do you be vulnerable and be patient and be kind but not be a doormat, where sometimes you have to use your voice?   Or you just say, “No, not today because I need to have this thing happened, or I need you to be able to own your stuff, or whatever it might be.” And sometimes, especially for women, I think we can think patience and kindness, and we want to be tolerant, and we just kind of keep going and keep being tolerant and keep doing and keep doing it until we break - until we absolutely pop. And then that's not pretty.   So I want to talk today about what I learned with this...   On my recent trip to Europe, I actually went to go pick up my daughter who was Nanning in France. She had been doing that for about three months, and, being an intelligent and good mother, I went to go pick her up from that experience - to connect and make sure she was just great getting back, doing a side trip for about a week in various countries - because that's what good moms do.   Our job is just never done. So just got back from that...   And the interesting thing is that the last few days I had had this feeling/thought - when I talk about that, that's more like to my heart and in my mind together had this feeling/thought that came to me of practice patience and kindness. And I was like, “Where did that come from and why is it that I need that?”   I should have been clued in because every time there's anything to do with patience, you know what that means? It's sheer terror. You just know if you pray for patience, you want patience, then your life is just going to upheave, right? So I should have known this in a foreign country, should have just ignored it sufficiently. But I didn't.   And so I started looking around and just saying, “What is this about?” And I want to share it - two experiences, because one's a smaller one and one's a little bit bigger one, but they both have the same concept that I learned.   And so the first one was that when I was on one of the plane trips. It was a long trip, and so I was - you know, you get served all the different things. And you're drinking down a lot of water so you don't get puffy, and I really needed to use the restroom.   So I went to the back and there's two restrooms, and, you know, you have to stand and wait.   But there's this big block in the middle, so you can't really see which restroom is available first. So I kind of chose the one on the right, and no one was there. So I thought, “Okay, I'm good.” And after, you know, not to be too personal, but you know, once you've had seven kids, you really ... when you need to go you need to go.   So I'm waiting, and I'm waiting, and I'm thinking, “Okay, people let's roll.” And then suddenly this little Asian sweet woman stands in front of me. Just walks back and just stands in front of me.   Like she's going to take my turn...   And you know, usually I'm like, “Hey, it's all good. We all have our things. Doesn't cost me anything.” This time it was going to be intense. It was going to be a problem if I did not go first.   So finally the person comes out, and this woman, I thought, “No way is she going to take my turn, like no way. This is just the blatant.” And she did. She started walking toward the restroom and I was like, What? So I just gently tapped her arm and I said, “Excuse me, so sorry. But I believe it's my turn.”   And she said, “Actually it's my turn.” And I went ... and she said, “I actually was standing in line, but I'm sitting here, and I just was getting the garbage off the floor and putting it in the garbage for my kids.”   And I looked and sure enough, adjacent there was an empty seat, and I went, “Oh.”   And you have this moment, this moment of decision - Am I going to stand on principle? Go, “Yeah, but you weren't here, and I really have to go.” Or are you going to say, “Okay, go right ahead.”   I said, “Okay, that's fine. Sorry. I'm just pretty desperate.” And she goes, “You know what? I'm pretty desperate too, but if you need to, you can go ahead.” And I said, “You know what, it's okay, go ahead.” And she kind of laughed, and I laughed, as sort of mothers-in-crime - knowing what this meant, the sacrifice, and we're both kind of willing to make it.   And so she just smiled…   She goes, “I'll be really quick.” And I said, “Okay, that's great.” So she comes out. She was really quick, and we laughed, and we shared a chuckle, and we just kind of squeezed each other's arms, and we just laughed and went on our merry way.   And I thought, “You know, moment achieved. It was all good.” So about an hour and a half later. Second downed water, same thing - same song, second verse - got to go to the back, and no one's there, and I'm thinking, “Awesome!”   Look to the left at that seat. It's empty, and about a minute later, this woman comes out, and we just busted up. We were laughing so hard, and we actually gave each other a hug, and I said, “Oh my gosh, we are in sync.”   And I said, “Tell you what, I'll be back here in about 30 minutes. Meet me here.” She laughed so hard. It was the sweetest thing. So anyway, another little moment, you know, choosing patience and kindness and saying, “Okay.” I just went back to my seat.   Well we get out to customs, and we're going through this huge maze of all these people going through these lines that just keep winding and winding, and guess who I end up across the little barrier from as she's going down a different line?   It's the same woman, and we both are looking at each other, and we laughed again, and I said, “I have to get a picture with you.”   So we took a picture. We started talking and chatting, and I told her (she was asking) what my daughter was doing. I told her she was going to go to BYU, and she got accepted to the one in Utah and Hawaii and was making her decision. She's like, “Oh, Hawaii. It’s the best. That's what I understand.” And I said, “Yeah.”   We were talking and connecting and I said, “You know, Utah's a great place.” She was going to Washington. Anyway. We had this great connection and I say, “Come visit us sometime. It was so sweet.”   And we went our merry way, knowing we probably wouldn't see each other again. It was a really sweet experience. I want you to hold that thought for just a minute of what you may have learned from that interchange. Those three interchanges that we had that were just these little touch points.   The second thing I want to share is the actual trip home. So we had had a very smooth trip, and it had been wonderful. I cannot even describe how wonderful it was. In fact, I'm going to share some things in other podcasts, the things that I've learned.   I shared on my social media about everyday life lessons that I was learning in real time and sharing them from the different sites that we were at, different places in Bath and in Scotland and London and Paris - all these different places and things that I was learning.   So this trip had been really smooth. So now it comes to Saturday. We had actually connected with old friends from the states, and we were zooming to get back to the train - had to take a train to get back to take a flight from Glasgow to London. So we're taking a train from Dundee.   We miss it by a minute. My friend is jamming to get us there because Google took us a different way, and I'm literally standing at the train, and I go to press the button to open the doors, and it won't. And then it just starts taking off. We literally missed it by like a minute, and I was going very “American” in front of the train.   So we had to wait, get another train, and we're hoping we make our flight. So we hurry to make the flight from Glasgow to London because this London flight that we're going to take the next morning is our flight home, and we cannot miss that.   We get to the airport to take this flight from Glasgow to London, and we finally make it. We get in at 10:30, and then we had to check our bags.   Just stay with me. We had to check our bags because we didn't want to travel. You travel with any big suitcases? So we just did carry-on. Well, by the end of a trip how does your carry-on look? It looks like it's a tick about to pop.   I mean it was just oozing out everywhere. And the lady looks at me, she's like, “Oh this is not going to make it love. No, not going to make it.” So we had to check them as suitcases.   So we get off the flight. We're ready to go to the hotel because our flight - we had to get up at six in the morning - so we're just basically going to hotel, sleeping, and getting up.   And they've lost one of my bags - just one - they were all together, but now just one. So then I had to talk to a bunch of different people, and they're all doing their walkie talkies, and I'm running through Heathrow, and I'm trying to find where they put this bag, and they don't know.   And this Indian lady was so nice. Went through a bunch of different people, had to go through luggage, security, all this stuff. She personally takes me down to luggage, finds out it's not where they thought it was. They closed it down.   So she writes me a report, gives me everything I need for the next morning and says, “Sorry, you're going to have to come back tomorrow.” Now, meanwhile, all of these things are standing in my way.   Like I came to go talk to her, and this man steps in front of me, and he's Indian, and he's talking about what happened to their luggage that's been missing for three days, and she had to literally tell him for 10 minutes over it and over, rinse and repeat, why it was lost. Why, they didn't know, it wasn't their deal, but it was lost, and it wasn't here even though they've been told that it was.   I finally get this woman, and I told her, I said, “Hey, really nice job on dealing with that gentlemen. You just were so patient.” And rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. And she kind of smiled at me. She said, “Yeah, I've been here 18 hours like that.”   She had been the picture of patience, and she had been there 18 hours, and she's supposed to go on holiday in two hours, and you can imagine she's got all kinds of things. She said, “I got all this stuff I need to do,” but she was personally walking me over to this area, writing up a report, making sure I had everything I needed for the next morning.   So we try to get to the hotel. They say, “Take a bus.” No good. “Take a shuttle.” No good. Finally we took a taxi, was completely overcharged, took a taxi, and we finally got to the hotel.   It's midnight. We climb into bed to get up at 6:00, and I'm freaked out that we're going to miss our flight. We finally get to the airport, and I tried to track down, even though I called ahead, try to track down this piece of luggage, blah, blah, blah…   Trying to make it through security. So we get my bag. Finally. Hooray! We're going through the regular security, and then there is an overhead announcement, and the entire airport - this is an emergency. Everybody proceed calmly to the exits. I'm like, “You have got to be joking.”   And seriously, they start rounding up all the personnel, and they're moving us. I was like, “You've got to be kidding.” Turns out it was a false activation, but by this time, you know, my nerves are just a little fried.   So we finally get through that, get rerouted, and then I am, we're running to make it...   They are boarding. They've already boarded our zone, and we're running, and this lady steps in front of me, and she says, “You have been selected by TSA for a special search.” Lucky me. And I'm trying to remember this patience and kindness, patience and kindness in this mantra in my head because I really want to rip somebody's eyeballs out.   So they do this full search, and I send my daughter on, but I want to be able to keep seeing her in case they don't let me on, and she can't be on the same flight. So we get to fly home together. Oh my word. You can imagine…   So I finally get done, and we run into the plane, and we finally board. I'm just like, “Oh, thank heavens.” So this whole process, I have opportunities to be rightly frustrated and to rightly exercise a little bit of impatience.   And I have to tell you how grateful I was for that little heads up of patience and kindness because had I not had that, I think I would've just taken each experience as it came and reacted instead of responded. So the big thing that I learned from all of this is with patience and kindness, not only does it work, but the bottom line is that it's a choice.   It is a choice...   We can say, “Yeah, but this thing was just so frustrating that I just had to lose it.” Right? And there are so many situations that are justifiable. But as I went through each of these moments - try missing the train. It wasn't under my control because I wasn't driving.   And getting into Glasgow, and our, our luggage being lost wasn't under my control, wasn't my fault. And then - well, okay, maybe we packed it so we probably should have just carried it on. But it was in their charge, and it wasn't my fault. And then getting to the airport, the emergency thing - all of the things that happened - not under my control, not my fault.   And it's easy when there's a situation that's not your fault to immediately point a finger or blame somebody - even justifiably so, and the emotion can come behind it. The emotion can be there, and push a force almost beyond your control.   When you open that can of worms - when you open that door to that impatience and frustration.   But I really did see it was like this little microcosm experience that He was showing me that being patient may not be necessarily one of my virtues. It’s one of my issues. Because I've worked on it with seven kids, you have to get either patient or you just get numb, because you know, you just can't get - you can't rise emotionally to every one of those occasions.   So I have learned patience, thank goodness! But you know, you keep going deeper and deeper on those, those learning levels. And and I have found that especially when things are going well, I can tend to become entitled, like why didn’t that go quicker? Why didn't that go smoothly?   How come I had to wait for that? And it's something to consider in your own life, you know, first being able to be grateful for the conveniences that you have, for the people who are helping you, for the good things in your life - your health, your strength, your ability to organize, your ability to do.   Being grateful I think keeps you in a space that makes you more able to be patient and kind…   Because we really look around for people's backstory. We really look for what's going on. Once I heard that from that Indian woman that she'd been there 18 hours, you know, pretty much these nerves that were really fried and on the edge of exploding kind of, they really just went poof, just all the way down, because what do I have to complain about when really it was one little last bag and we were flying out the next day.   Anyway, here is the woman whose been there, dealing with customer complaints a lot less...kind than maybe some of us that were standing there for 18 hours. So this is a little mantra for me now. It's like, “Hmm, have I been at this 18 hours? This has been frustrating for 18 hours. If I had to deal with this, is this my 18 hours? I don't think so. Not yet.”   But I'm saying this, and I'm knocking on wood - literally, right there - because you know as soon as you say something like that. Exactly. Exactly.   So I hesitate to even share this learning, but I'm hoping that in my desire to do good that I'll be a little bit, you know, covered by that pavilion. Hopefully you can only hope so. My dear friends, what I want you to get out of this today is that when those opportunities come that are justifiable for you to really lose it and just say, “People this. I had this in line. This is not my fault.”   This is your deal. This is. This was supposed to be the headline. Whatever it might be that you exercise patience and kindness doesn't mean you don't set a boundary. Doesn't mean you don't have more clarity. Doesn't mean you don't seek for more understanding or have somebody be able to own their stuff.   It just means that it's a choice and that you can choose to be patient and kind. And as you do that, I saw once again that it reaps benefits.   I know had I been a nasty customer…   I don't think that good Indian woman would have given me all that information, would have personally walked me over, would have taken care of, and even gave me a little overnight little mini-bundle thing that had a t-shirt and toothpaste and deodorant and all of that, and it was wonderful.   That was such a big help...   I don't think I would've had my case that would have come back the next day so easily. I don't know that all of those things would have come in line, because I may have become an obstacle in my own right to my own happiness.   So today when you have an opportunity, and it seems like frustration is the right choice, I can ask you to reconsider and choose patience in kindness...   Join me for more life skills and tips with Balance ReDefined. You got it. Thanks for listening and remember to rate and subscribe. And if you are feeling the need for real balance in your life, get your free five step life plan, and get started today! Just go to conniesokol.com/download.

TQ 107 Kristina from Ukraine Kristina and her two friends Kirill and Peter stayed with me in Nanning for four days. They had hitchhiked from Ukraine in Europe and were headed to Vietnam. Listen as we talk about how she thinks sometimes in Ukrainian and sometimes in Russian, and as she tells us about how fascinating it was to climb a volcano in Indonesia. Kristina has studied to be a doctor, so she uses some difficult medical words in this podcast episode! Here are some words you may not know: split, empire, gap year, to trek, trekking, the harness, mountain peak, tropical, avocado, popcorn, to ripen, ripe, passion fruit, endorphins, oxytocin, hormone, acrobatic, volcano, crater, symbiosis.

Hello from Nanning in southern China! I arrived back home (I have two homes, in China and in the US) on Monday. I still have jet lag, which means I feel more tired than usual and I have trouble sleeping at the normal times.Here's a replay from a couple of years ago. This is part of a series I did using words from French, German, Chinese and Spanish. I'm going to post the podcast episodes about Chinese and Spanish words in the next two days, then next Friday I will start to make new recordings. I haven't made a new Casual English Listen and Repeat episode for about nine months! It's time that I started again. So look for a new Listen and Repeat Around the World in 80 Days episode on Monday, maybe an interview on Wednesday, and then a new Casual English episode on Friday. I'm in China now, so my Friday may be your Thursday! LnR 054 Words from German (Replay) Here are some words that the English language has borrowed from the German language. Some use the German pronunciation and some have been changed to an English pronunciation. angst     edelweiss     gesundheit     kaput     wanderlust     verboten     waltz     autobahn     knapsack     doppelganger (should be two dots over the "a")     schadenfreude     blitz     diesel     flak/flack     kindergarten     hamburger     lager     lederhosen

TQ 105 Lina from Shanghai, China I met Lina 18 years ago when I taught in Hangzhou, China and she was getting a master's degree in English. After that she got a job at the best university in Shanghai, Fudan University. Fudan has sent her to the U.S. twice, and both times she visited my parents' house. She became like part of our family. She calls my mother "Mom", and Mom considers her to be one of her bonus daughters. In the interview we totally forgot to mention that Lina was a tour guide four years ago when my mom and sister came to China on vacation. She and her son Matthew spent three or four days showing my mom and sister around Hangzhou. (Lina, thanks so much for taking such good care of my mom and sister before they came to see me in Nanning!) Lina is in the U.S. this summer because her son participated in a choral festival in San Francisco. After the competition they have been traveling around the country, visiting friends of theirs in Minnesota, Michigan, and North Carolina. I have already interviewed her son and will post that podcast episode in a week. Listen as we talk about how to pronounce "Shanghai", how Shanghai is better than Beijing (just kidding, listeners in Beijing!), and we learn about a small but very interesting religious group in the U.S. called the Amish. At the end, Lina gives three suggestions to English students. Later she told me two more: 4) Don't expect perfection; and 5) If you need to use your English for a test or a class or a trip, don't wait until the last minute to improve it. Here are some words that we used in the interview that you may not know: revolutionary writer, pen name, rank, a seasoned teacher, Amish, grace, to be exempt, exemption, to forgive, gender, one academic year, personality, reluctant, to err is human, broccoli, cashew, cube, choral, choir, to deteriorate, to lag behind, tremendously, overemphasize, to interact with, dam.

I'm still at my mother's house in the U.S. I plan to interview her for next week's TQ podcast. Here's an older one with my former neighbor Rob. We were co-workers for two years, and now he's going to another city in China and I will stay in Nanning for another year (or two).  TQ 053 Rob from Vancouver, Canada (Replay) Rob, 34, is married to a woman from the Philippines and is from Vancouver, Canada. He taught in Korea for many years and is now my next-door neighbor in Nanning, China. If you listen carefully you can hear that he has a slight Canadian accent. He says "out" and "about" and "been" in a different way from me. He also gives a fun imitation of a Newfoundland (eastern Canada) accent. He says, "No doubt about it", but it sounds like "No doot aboot it"! Listen as we talk about the words "Yankee" and "Canuck", interesting places in Korea and the Philippines, and suggestions for learning vocabulary words. Also listen for the sound of birds in the background. We recorded this at about 12:30 pm on a nice day, and the birds were singing outside my windows. Here are some words we use that you may not know: sibling, Baby Boom Generation, barbecue/BBQ, hockey, snowbirds, kiwis (three meanings!), steep, vertical, to carve, Buddha, statue, rice terraces.

TQ 104 Marcelo from El Salvador, Central America Marcelo spent several days with me in my apartment in Nanning, China. He rested, relaxed, and did some research on China. He has been cycling around the world for the last six years! He entered China from Vietnam and is on his way north. His home country, El Salvador is very small in size, and has a population of only 7 million. He talks about the problem he has at some borders, because the border guards have never heard of his country! Listen as he talks about his trip, and lists all the countries he has cycled in. There's a good chance that Marcelo will say your country! Marcelo has a strong Spanish accent. Some of you may find it challenging to understand him. I usually repeat the words that he says incorrectly, so that you can understand him. I don't correct his grammar. He told me that he didn't have to study English in school, so he chose another language. He learned English as an adult. Here are some words we use that you may not know: saint, humidity, tropical, journalist, optimistic, Nordic, Scandinavia, malaria, picky, cemetery, to surf, shade, Bedouin, and nomad.

This episode is from two years ago, during the Chinese New Year break in January and February. Now it's the end of April, 2018. Here in southern China, we've had a whole month of holidays, it seems! At the beginning of the month, we had three days for the Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping) Festival, then a couple weeks ago my province of Guangxi had a five-day holiday for a local Zhuang minority festival, and now I'm on another three-day break for May 1! All of these holidays mess up my teaching schedule! Sometimes I even have to teach on Saturday or Sunday. For example, yesterday (Saturday) I had my Monday classes. Now we won't have any more holidays until June, when we have a three-day break for the Dragon Boat Festival. In the dialog below, I mention that I'm tutoring a student from the city of Chongqing. She's from Nanning but studies in Chonging. We finished our lessons and I didn't hear from her again. Until a month ago when I walked into a classroom at an IELTS center where I work part-time and she was there for private lessons to prepare for the speaking part of the IELTS exam. She didn't know that I was going to be the teacher! It took me a few minutes to remember her, because I have prepared a lot of students for the IELTS. It was so interesting to meet her two years later. We had eight hours of lessons together to help her prepare for the exam.   LnR 022 Watcha doin? (Replay) What are you doing? = Watcha doin'? A phone call with my brother: A: Hey, little brother, it's Nancy! B: Oh, hi, Nancy! It's good to hear from you. A: Yeah, I know. I call Mom once or twice a week, but I seldom call you. Sorry. B: Don't worry about it. Mom says that your classes have finished. A: That's right. We're on the Chinese New Year break now. Students and teachers have about five weeks free, thank goodness. I worked a lot of extra hours this semester. I'm glad for a long break. B: So, whatcha doin' for the break? Traveling? A: No, I'm staying at home. I've been teaching a student from Chongqing every day at 3. She's made a lot of progress. B: And whatcha doin" when you're not teaching? A: Oh, sleeping late, going online, watching TV, working on my podcasts. Relaxing. What about you? Whatcha doin' this weekend? B: Oh, man. My boss asked me to work this weekend. I had planned to go visit Mom and her two cats, but now I can't. A: Well, what can ya do? Ya gotta work. You don't wanna make your boss mad. B: No kidding. But in my free time, I'm gonna look online for another job. A: Good luck with that!  

Hannah Reyes Morales is a Filipina photojournalist whose work focuses on individuals mired in complex situations created by inequality, poverty, and impunity. This includes photographing human trafficking at sea for The New York Times, reporting on war crimes against Cambodian women for Al Jazeera America, and documenting changing indigenous cultures in the Philippines for a grant from National Geographic. Her personal projects also follow a similar vein, and her latest work looks at the intimate and complex lives of the domestic workers employed by her own family in the Philippines. Her work has been published in print and online in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time (online), National Geographic (online), The Guardian and Lonely Planet, and has been exhibited in Manila, Telluride, Copenhagen, Aalborg, Nanning, Suwon, and Chiang Mai. She is represented by National Geographic Creative, and is currently a GroundTruth Climate Change Fellow. She is a member of Cambodia based Ruom, a collective of journalists covering South East Asia. She is a recipient of a SOPA award for excellence in digital reporting for her work in the Outlaw Ocean series for The New York Times. Hannah is is currently based in Manila and travels frequently around South East Asia.     Resources:   Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download for . Click here to download Click here to download for   Support the work we do at The Candid Frame with contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or visiting the website and clicking on the Patreon button.  

[11]. Guangxi Nanning(Pinghua)-"Becoming a Friend of God".3gp

"Perkataan kehidupan"- Pinghua: Guangxi Nanning.mp3

  June 2015 Best of Episode  The artist, Danell Leyva joins us this week. Known for his flair on every event, he also stands out as a staunch nonconformist. Revealing photos of Danell were tweeted during the London Olympics. He was nonplused and casually took home bronze in the all-around. He was passionately opposed to the gay discrimination laws passed earlier this year in Indiana and supported his teammate, Josh Dixon in calling for an immediate change of venue for the national championships in Indianapolis. We talked on the day the FIG released the new qualification rules for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We discuss (please note that all time stamps in parentheses are "ish") : Danell's transformation from passive peacemaker to playground scrapper. Celebrities who smoked cigars in the arena during the Olympics. The financial importance of a national team spot (34:00). Which vaults hurt and which vaults make his body feel good. How he has stayed surgery and medication free all these years (26:00) Tim Daggett (16:00) Cuban defectors at the Pan Am Games (19:00) Gay marriage and moving the P&G Championships out of Indiana (21:00) The Cuban-Soviet system parents, Yin and Maria implement at his gym, Universal (31:00). Conspiracy theories and growing up Cuban (42:00) Photo scandal and why it wasn't a big deal (48:00) What he thinks of Oleg Vernaiev, Epke Wonderland and Paul Hamm as a coach (1:00:00). The back injury that almost took him out of the Nanning event finals (1:04:00) What made him instantly get over his infamous face smashing high bar routine that took an all-around world championship away from him in 2011 (1:10:00). His childhood as the kid a) who couldn't jump and b) was always walking directly in front of someone mid-flip (1:17:00) Why Yeessooo had to become a catchphrase before Yin's reputation was ruined forever (1:22:00). Why his mom, Maria, said he'd be fat or in jail if it wasn't for gymnastics. His brief history as a pacific turned playground street fighter (1:33:00). The real reason for the brief downfall of his gymnastics after the 2012 Olympics and his relationship status (1:37:00). The new FIG Rules allowing four member teams plus two individual event specialists from qualifying countries. How the new rules will change his strategy going into World Cup competition. Follow Danell on  Twitter or Instagram Catching up with Danell Leyva at the Winter Cup Yeessooo Apparel 138: Prince Emyre Cole 139: Steve Butcher, President of the FIG Men's Technical Committee 137: Lady Lisa Mason 132: It’s Never Too Late to Start Adult Gymnastics 116: Louis Smith, Amelle Berrabah of Team Sexy & Tumble Episode 5 Recap 115: Kenzo Shirai 72: John Orozco Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men’s NCAA Championships Episode 4: Louis Smith, Spanny’s Athlete Oath, Making Men’s Gymnastics More Popular Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt Episode 24: Sho Nakamori & Match-Play Meet Debrief with Justin Spring Episode 35: Jake Dalton Episode 40: Michigan’s Stacey Ervin          

LIT LIT LIT LIT Publication Studio: 222 E Georgia St. Vancouver BC - Bradley Iles is reading from Derby: A Poem in Six Parts, a recent collaboration with Katrina Niebergal. Reincarnation, celebrity, the nature of the self, the selfhood of nature, Mustang-transcendentalism, a poem about a movie. Bradley lives on Melville street in Vancouver. Zuzia Juszkiewicz is a fragment in some kind of multi-faceted hybrid zone or something. She was born in Gdansk, and raised in South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada. She holds a BA in Visual Arts (Vancouver), Human Geography (Vancouver) and Urbanism at AHK (Amsterdam). She collaborates with writers, musicians, filmmakers and dancers. She often works under the name Modern Catalyst, with a focus on designing cross-disciplined artists.http://modercatalyst.ca . Ronan K. Nanning-Watson is a filmmaker, writer and artist from British Columbia. His work ranges in scope, medium, and aesthetic, but is consistently uncompromising. Recently he finished his first feature film “Crusade” about a group of young hipsters who start a holy war. The next two parts in the trilogy are in preproduction. Ingrid Olauson is a writer and trawler of people’s lives. She recently wrote, produced and acted in the play and collaborative art piece Fort Eff, which debuted at Deep Blue this past May.

Mary-Anne Monckton doing her aerial layout series on beam. Photo by Nadia Boyce. The 20 year-old is a student of the sport, should probably be a in the next episode of The Hard Way To Success, she still loves gymnastics despite seven surgeries, she gym nerded-out because she made a beam final with Catalina Ponor, is inspired by the number of women (20 and older) who held their own in the all-around final in Nanning -- she is Australia's Mary-Anne Monckton! Emma and Jessica discuss the following gymnerdery with Miss Mez: Why she hated gymnastics at first and being chosen like Nadia at age 7. Surviving seven surgeries with her love for gymnastics intact! Trying not to freak out while competing in beam finals with her gymnastics idol, Catalina Ponor. Thinking the wrong score was posted when she placed second to Larissa Iordache on beam in Doha. Her description of the beloved post-beam finals celebration with Ellie at the Commonwealth Games. Tales from Nanning, food report, her favorite competitors there and her opinion on the tie-breaking procedures for finals. Being coached by the infamous, Ju-Ping Tian. Explaining her desire to do American NCAA gymnastics to her Australian mother. Why she became a student of the sport (AKA super gym nerd), not just an athlete. Jet lag tips everyone can use. Her thoughts on Australian Gymnastics Jail and how the team Glasgow Commonwealth Games were chosen. She tells the most endearing Peggy Liddick story you will ever hear and shares Peggy's sage advice. Follow Mez on Twitter, her YouTube channel for progress videos or Instagram.  108: The Commonwealth Games 124: Event Finals at the 2014 World Championships 123: All Around Finals at the 2014 World Championships 122: Team Finals at the 2014 World Championships 121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships 120: The World Championships Preview Show 101: Olivia Vivian 96: Australian Nationals & Men’s European Championships         

Graphic Design by MegTwelve. Visit her store at http://twelvestore.bigcartel.com Our coverage of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China continues with a full recap of the women's and men's all-around final.  Uncle Tim, Lauren and Jessica chat about: Every single event final, even rings and pommel horse! The judging of the balance beam final Mustafina's score vs. Terramoto's score. Which side of the gymnastics debate won Execution or Difficulty. We have the statistical proof in this week's edition of Sexy Data. Which gymnastics need to sit in over splits until next year's worlds or stop complaining about their E scores. Bruno Grandi's latest call for change. Why doesn't he understand that EXECUTION IS NOT ARTISTRY! All the ways in which the Italian Gymnastics Federation is like the Perez Hilton of gymnastics federations. Would reducing the number of skills with a simultaneous minimum time limit on floor (for men and women) and beam, help address the lack of artistry in the current system. Contest Alert! Why:  We want to create a playlist of songs that should be used for floor routines. What:  Send us the song title and artist name for a song that’s never been used in a floor routine before. How to Enter: Send your song to gymcastic@gmail.com, and we will choose the winners at random. Not Twitter or Facebook, please! Deadline: November 1, 2014 Prizes:  Official P&G Championships chalk (a whole box!), black polo shirt (small),  water bottle,  towel with carrying case. Uncle Tim puts the artistic in men's gymnastics over on Uncle Tim Talks Men’s Gym.  Lauren Hopkins is head honcho over at The Gymternet.   Find inspiration for your adult gymnastics career at Masters Gymnastics. Watch the Universal Sports broadcast for free on http://www.usagymworlds.com/live/ Check out the video grid of all the available routines from Worlds http://thegymter.net/2014/10/05/worlds-qualification-videos-running-master-list/   115: Kenzo Shirai 123: All Around Finals at the 2014 World Championships 122: Team Finals at the 2014 World Championships 121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships 120: The World Championships Preview Show Episode 33: Simone Biles & Her Coaches 106: Biles and Ross Dominate the 2014 US Secret Classic 121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships 120: The World Championships Preview Show Episode 45: The 2013 P&G Championships Post-Meet Report P&G Championships by the Numbers: The Senior Women – Night 1 Spanny Tampson Reports on Day One of the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships from the Hotel Bar Episode 44: Pan Am Report and P&G Championships Preview Episode 55: Worlds Wrap Up & Ferlito-Gate Episode 54: Event Finals Recap from 2013 World Championships Episode 53: All Around Finals Recap from Antwerp World Championships Episode 52: Triumph & Heartbreak Prelims Recap from Antwerp Worlds Episode 51: Podium Training Report From Antwerp Episode 50: 2013 Antwerp World Championship Preview Episode 35: Jake Dalton Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men’s NCAA Championships Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt          

Graphic Design by MegTwelve. Visit her store at http://twelvestore.bigcartel.com   Our coverage of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China continues with a full recap of the women's and men's all-around final.  Uncle Tim, Lauren and Jessica chat about: The podium and the BEE! All of the new members of the Hot Pink Nation. Gutsuism, fair or unfair. Larissa Iordache -- She finally did it and had higher start value than Simone. Sexy Data --Who performed the highest difficulty and scored best in execution  for the men and women? SamGate -- What happened with Sam Mikulak's parallel bar routine? Yao Jinnan's bonus wipeout moment at the end of her floor routine. The Longines Prize for Elegance -- Should the same gymnast be able to win more than once? Vanessa Ferrari -- Her gymnastics prowess and the leaps that drive us nuts. Contest Alert! Why:  We want to create a playlist of songs that should be used for floor routines. What:  Send us the song title and artist name for a song that’s never been used in a floor routine before. How to Enter: Send your song to gymcastic@gmail.com, and we will choose the winners at random. Not Twitter or Facebook, please! Deadline: November 1, 2014 Prizes:  Official P&G Championships chalk (a whole box!), black polo shirt (small),  water bottle,  towel with carrying case.   Lauren Hopkins is head honcho over at The Gymternet.  Uncle Tim puts data miners to shame on Uncle Tim Talks Men’s Gym. Find inspiration for your adult gymnastics career at Masters Gymnastics. Watch the Universal Sports broadcast for free on http://www.usagymworlds.com/live/ Nanning TV is showing a live stream and has very entertaining behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. No Chinese language knowledge necessary! Check it out here http://www.nntv.cn/live/nntv_gg/ Check out the video grid of routines from Worlds http://thegymter.net/2014/10/05/worlds-qualification-videos-running-master-list/  122: Team Finals at the 2014 World Championships 121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships 120: The World Championships Preview Show 106: Biles and Ross Dominate the 2014 US Secret Classic 121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships 120: The World Championships Preview Show Episode 45: The 2013 P&G Championships Post-Meet Report P&G Championships by the Numbers: The Senior Women – Night 1 Spanny Tampson Reports on Day One of the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships from the Hotel Bar Episode 44: Pan Am Report and P&G Championships Preview Catching up with John Orozco at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge Episode 55: Worlds Wrap Up & Ferlito-Gate Episode 54: Event Finals Recap from 2013 World Championships Episode 53: All Around Finals Recap from Antwerp World Championships Episode 52: Triumph & Heartbreak Prelims Recap from Antwerp Worlds Episode 51: Podium Training Report From Antwerp Episode 50: 2013 Antwerp World Championship Preview Episode 35: Jake Dalton 72: John Orozco Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men’s NCAA Championships Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt                                                                                  

Our full recap of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championship men's and women's team finals from Nanning, China. Graphic Design by MegTwelve. Visit her store at http://twelvestore.bigcartel.com                                         Our coverage of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China continues. Jessica, Uncle Tim and Lauren Hopkins cover the men's and women's team finals: Gabby Jupp redeems herself and Jessica apologizes for confusing Hannah Whelan and Ruby Harold! Sexy Data about the men's start values and execution. The Japan vs. China team men's team final controversy-- is it worth discussing and is it different from any other sport? Olivia Vivian and her beer cozy wrist band to honor her father. The best routines of team finals. The fluidity and O'Beirne Code approved brilliance of Japan's beam routine composition. The reason the Chinese women lost the world championship -- they didn't use Bai Yawen in finals! The leadership and patience with which Aliya Mustafina and Larissa lordache lead their teams. Khorkina's complains about team Russia. The adorableness of Bai Yawen hugging Mustafina on the podium. The new trend in men's gymnastics, the comb-over bump it. Come back Saturday to hear our recap of the women's and men's all around finals. Lauren Hopkins is head honcho over at The Gymternet.  Uncle Tim puts data miners to shame on Uncle Tim Talks Men's Gym. Find inspiration for your adult gymnastics career at Masters Gymnastics. Watch the Universal Sports broadcast for free on http://www.usagymworlds.com/live/ Nanning TV is showing a live stream and has very entertaining behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. No Chinese language knowledge necessary! Check it out here http://www.nntv.cn/live/nntv_gg/Check out the video grid of routines from Worlds http://thegymter.net/2014/10/05/worlds-qualification-videos-running-master-list/ 106: Biles and Ross Dominate the 2014 US Secret Classic 121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships 120: The World Championships Preview Show Episode 45: The 2013 P&G Championships Post-Meet Report P&G Championships by the Numbers: The Senior Women – Night 1 Spanny Tampson Reports on Day One of the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships from the Hotel Bar Episode 44: Pan Am Report and P&G Championships Preview Catching up with John Orozco at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge Episode 55: Worlds Wrap Up & Ferlito-Gate Episode 54: Event Finals Recap from 2013 World Championships Episode 53: All Around Finals Recap from Antwerp World Championships Episode 52: Triumph & Heartbreak Prelims Recap from Antwerp Worlds Episode 51: Podium Training Report From Antwerp Episode 50: 2013 Antwerp World Championship Preview 97: Anadia World Cup & Canadian Nationals Episode 35: Jake Dalton Episode 24: Sho Nakamori & Match-Play Meet Debrief with Justin Spring 72: John Orozco Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men’s NCAA Championships Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt .          

Bai Yawen (China) kicks major booty on beam at Worlds in her hometown!   Coverage of the World Championships with a recap of the men's and women's qualifying rounds from Nanning, China. Jessica, Coach Rick, Lauren Hopkins and Spanny Tampson chat about: Mr. Miguel Zapata of Spain, winning fans worldwide. New Zealand's Anna Tempero. Whittenburg didn't make vault finals, but Re Se Gwang did it with no legs. Aimee Boorman calls out International Gymnast magazine. Romania's deep troubles. Diego Hypolito, the veteran cannot be denied! Skinner, so so so consistant Simone has cast a happy spell on everyone at the World Championships. Newcomers everyone is talking about: Nile Wilson and Bai Yawen's bow. The status of the Azerbaijan experiment. Oleg Vernaiev! Finally! Or Uncle Tim may have had a stroke. Score changes made overnight on the FIG website. Celebrity couple nicknames we need for skills competed by two gymnasts at the same Worlds Watch the Universal Sports broadcast for free on http://www.usagymworlds.com/live/ Nanning TV is showing a live stream and has very entertaining behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. No Chinese language knowledge necessary! Check it out here http://www.nntv.cn/live/nntv_gg/ 106: Biles and Ross Dominate the 2014 US Secret Classic Episode 45: The 2013 P&G Championships Post-Meet Report P&G Championships by the Numbers: The Senior Women - Night 1 Spanny Tampson Reports on Day One of the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships from the Hotel Bar Episode 44: Pan Am Report and P&G Championships Preview Catching up with John Orozco at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge Episode 55: Worlds Wrap Up & Ferlito-Gate Episode 54: Event Finals Recap from 2013 World Championships Episode 53: All Around Finals Recap from Antwerp World Championships Episode 52: Triumph & Heartbreak Prelims Recap from Antwerp Worlds Episode 51: Podium Training Report From Antwerp Episode 50: 2013 Antwerp World Championship Preview 97: Anadia World Cup & Canadian Nationals Episode 35: Jake Dalton Episode 24: Sho Nakamori & Match-Play Meet Debrief with Justin Spring 72: John Orozco Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men's NCAA Championships Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt   Nanning TV shenanigans.            

Larisa Iordache, Simone Biles, Kyla Ross and Aliya Mustafina battle it out in Nanning, China! Illustration curtesy of The Magnificent "USA, Russia & Romania"   CODE FOR LIBSYNC HERE  It's our annual World Championships preview show! Jessica, Uncle Tim and Evan chat about: What these championships mean for the Olympic Games in Rio. Our picks for top contenders and dark horses for every event final and medal (except rings and pommel horse because those events are only exciting in finals). Who will the US put up in beam finals?! How will Sosnitskay's Cheng help the Russian team. Will Tatiana Nabieva and Biles burn the floor down with their collective sass at the post-meet banquet? Will Chusovitina win another vault medal at age 39? If this US men don't win a medal, will there be a shakeup at USAG? Can Japan upset the Chinese men at home!? The fan favorites you need to watch; the one's who will win the crowd, even if they don't win medals. How to watch podium training and the qualifying rounds (select teams only) for free from anywhere in the world   And here are the latest news stories we cover this week from around the gymternet: Precision Choreography adds another legend to their roster Katelyn Ohashi is back on beam with a full. Sarah Finnegan does a double side flip. Marcel Nguyen is out with a torn ACL but his YouTube diaries are keeping us happy. Dutch gymnasts star in a pole dancing television contest. The latest episode of The Hard Way to Success is on the Downie sisters.   If you aren't in the United States, use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like TunnelBear or Hola to watch podium training and the qualification rounds being broadcast by USA Gymnastics at USAGymWorlds.com   106: Biles and Ross Dominate the 2014 US Secret Classic Episode 45: The 2013 P&G Championships Post-Meet Report P&G Championships by the Numbers: The Senior Women - Night 1 Spanny Tampson Reports on Day One of the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships from the Hotel Bar Episode 44: Pan Am Report and P&G Championships Preview Catching up with John Orozco at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge Episode 55: Worlds Wrap Up & Ferlito-Gate Episode 54: Event Finals Recap from 2013 World Championships Episode 53: All Around Finals Recap from Antwerp World Championships Episode 52: Triumph & Heartbreak Prelims Recap from Antwerp Worlds Episode 51: Podium Training Report From Antwerp Episode 50: 2013 Antwerp World Championship Preview 97: Anadia World Cup & Canadian Nationals Episode 35: Jake Dalton Episode 24: Sho Nakamori & Match-Play Meet Debrief with Justin Spring 72: John Orozco Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men's NCAA Championships Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.            

Our recap of the Tumble Finale This week Scott Bregman, Director of Content and Communications for USA Gymnastics joins us to talk about live coverage direct from the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. Then in the official unofficial podcast of BBC One's Tumble recap, Emma and Jessica chat about: Which celebrities and gymnasts we'd like to see on the next season of Tumble. The alleged sex tape of Louis Smith that doesn’t exist. Nadia performing for the first time in 20 years! Host Alex cutting off a judge AGAIN! Our favorite moments from the show. The Bobby and Kristin romance that we haven't recovered from. Here is the full schedule of the the live (if all goes well) broadcast from Nanning.   Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like TunnelBear to watch podium training and the qualification rounds being broadcast by USA Gymnastics at USAGymWorlds.com  Find an adult gymnastics program in the US on Jessica’s website masters-gymnastics.com. Or discover the gymnastics program that’s right for you with a video introduction to all of the different disciplines of the sport. Find out more about BBC One’s Tumble on the official website. Watch routines on the BBC One YouTube Channel. 114: Fallout From Gymnastike’s Handling of Maroney Hack & Tumble Episodes 3 and 4 with special guest Jenni Pinches! Episode 20: Jenni Pinches The Official Unofficial Podcast of Tumble on BBC One, Episode 2 109: The Tumble Podcast 102: Classic Episode with Louis Smith 107: Acro World Champions Kristin Allen & Michael Rodrigues 82: Cottbus, English Championships & Danusia Francis finally gets a 10 on beam! Episode 22: Beth Tweddle 99: Princess Catherine Lyons and Coach Rochelle Douglas          Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.