Podcasts about Qin dynasty

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 6:55

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 8:24

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 6:55

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 8:24

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 6:55

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 8:24

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 8:24

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S9E09 | First Strike

record xi first strike qin qin dynasty grand historian

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 6:55

Season 9 is starting to wind down. For the ninth chengyu of the season, we take Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and open to the chapter on Xiang Yu. This time we look at the story of Xiān Fā Zhì Rén 先发制人. In this well-known story from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, we see Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang seizing the day and the hour to attack Qin forces and bring the dynasty to an end. But before they do that, they first weigh their options by talking with the governor of a local commandery. After one short meeting with this guy, Xiang Liang decides not to wait to see what happens next. He realized 先发制人. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ancient China

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2024 56:07

This episode of History 102 delves deeply into the ancient history of China, from its foundation around 2000 BC to the fall of the Han Dynasty around 200 AD. WhatifAltHist creator Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg also explore the rise and fall of the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, uncovering the political and social forces that shaped ancient Chinese history. Discover how ancient China evolved in isolation, developing its own unique civilization, institutions, and beliefs, with surprising parallels to other world powers. -- SPONSORS: BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox.

Winds Across the Straits

Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 43:47

Filling in the rest of Takara's reign with the stories of the various envoys at court, the Baekje princes living in Yamato, and the story of a 7th century millenial cult. For more, check out https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-107 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 107: Winds Across the Straits Villagers gathered near the center of their community. In contrast to the clean, walled up compounds of the local elites, with their raised floor buildings, the buildings here were much simpler, often sitting directly on the ground, or dug down into the earth in the pit dwelling style that had been used for centuries. Mostly what anyone would notice were the thatched roofs, which had been used for centuries to keep out the rain and snow. A tall watchtower was currently unmanned as everyone had gathered around, curious at the news coming from the east. A wandering mystic had come to town, and she was spreading words of hope across the country of Yamashiro. Over the past few years there had been droughts, famine, earthquakes, and more. People had tried everything in conjunction with the advice of their local hafuri, or priests. They had petitioned the local kami of the rivers and lakes, they had tried imported practices like sacrificing horses, and at a nearby village they had changed the location of the marketplace to see if that would work. Even when the rains had come, the damage had been done. Food was scarce, and many of those who had survived were hardly in the best of situations. Life in the village, working the land, was quite different from the life of the elites. The wealthy had servants and slaves to tend to their needs, and they had access to stores of grain and other food in times of trouble. They also had charge of the mononofu—the warriors who worked for them and were often an implicit—if not explicit—threat of violence for anyone who didn't pay their expected taxes. This is perhaps what made the mystic's message so alluring. She told them about the teachings of a man from the River Fuji, in the East, named Ohofu Be no Ohoshi: he claimed to have discovered a new kami, the god of Tokoyo, the Everlasting world. It was said that those who worshipped this god, who appeared in the land in the form of a caterpillar that thrived on orange tree leaves, would earn great things in this new world, when it came. The poor would become rich and the old would become young again, when the promises of Tokoyo came to fruition. But it wasn't as easy as just saying some words. True devotees would need to prove themselves, casting out the valuables of their house and setting out any food on the side of the road. They would then yell out: “The new riches have come!” Then they were to worship these insects that were the kami's incarnation. They would put them in a pure place and worship them with song and dance. Many had already started doing this, the mystic said. Indeed, the people of Yamashiro had heard rumors of some of these new practices, but only now were learning about why they had arisen. It was a lot to ask, to give up their valuables and the little food they had — but then again, in this dew drop world, what was there to lose, for those already working themselves to the bone? Was this any more incredible than asking the hafuri to pray to the kami, or even relying on that new religion in Yamato, where they prayed to giant bronze and gold statues to bring about prosperity and happiness. Besides, if so many others had joined up already, perhaps there was something to these fantastic stories. And thus, village by village, a new religion began to take hold of the countryside, eventually making its way to the capital of Yamato, itself. Greetings, listeners! While the thing we covered last episode -- the Isshi Incident of 645, which is to say the assassination of Soga no Iruka in front of Her Majesty Takara, aka Kougyoku Tenno -- certainly dominates the narrative in the popular imagination for this particular point in Japanese history, there was a lot more going on over these last few years, both over on the continent in the archipelago. And so this episode we are going to cover some of that: From the missions from Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla, which were likely driven by conflict on the peninsula, to the Baekje Princes who resided in the Yamato court as political hostages as well as esteemed guests. And to finish it off we'll talk about the popular 7th century millennial cult that sprang up in Yamashiro around the worship of the God of Tokoyo, the Everlasting World. All in the reign of the Empress known to history as Kougyoku Tennou…. At least for now. Michael Como, in his book on Shoutoku Taishi, makes particular note of some of the overarching themes across the straits and how that affected what was happening—or at least what gets remembered—in Yamato. As we discussed back in episode 98, Como makes the point that the early, opposing Buddhist factions that placed Shotoku Taishi on a pedestal were largely connected with one or more continental factions. While the Soga were heavily connected with Baekje, other family groups, like the Hata, were more closely tied with Silla, at least according to later accounts. And on top of that, the area around Koshi and Tsunaga had ties with Goguryeo. As the Tang dynasty and Goguryeo were in contention on their own borders, no doubt both of them and their allies were looking to nearby nations for either support or at least neutrality. One can also see how peninsular enmities might also make their way across the strait to the archipelago with families of various ethnic backgrounds no doubt carrying on some of the continental prejudices with them even into a new land. A lot of the accounts for this reign that aren't dealing with the weather and natural disasters—topics of particular concern from the 642 to 643—are dealing with the continent. It started out in 642, with Baekje envoys arriving in the first month of that year, apparently to deliver their condolences on the death of the sovereign. They were accompanied by Yamato's envoy to Baekje, Azumi no Yamashiro no Muraji no Hirafu, who left them at Tsukushi to rush back to Yamato via post-horse, while the Baekje envoys took their time via the normal, ship-borne route. And right off the bat we have a few things of note. The first is this idea of post-horses. The various circuits around the archipelago had reportedly been set up some time back, even before horses were a thing. While a single horse would have been rather fast overland, the mention of post-horse system implies a method of travel more akin to the short-lived pony express in the American west, where various post stations were set up across the major highways so that officials could quickly traverse them, riding horseback from one station to the next, where a fresh horse would be waiting for them. This way the horses themselves could be properly fed and rested, since no single horse could cover all of the ground in a straight up gallop, just as no person could. Instead, this is something like a relay race, where the envoy Hirafu became the baton passed from horse to horse. The Pony Express used stations set up at intervals of approximately 5 to 20 miles, so that the horses could be changed out frequently. Of course, changing horses would also take some time—I've found some sources citing average speeds of only about 10 miles per hour for the Pony Express, but that beats by far the four miles per hour for a fast walker, not to mention the ability to keep going for much longer than just 8 hours a day. Of course, he would have had to take a boat for at least some of the journey, likely crossing from Kyuushuu over to Honshuu near Shimonoseki or something similar, at which point he could have caught another horse from there. The resonates with something that goes back to pre-Qin Dynasty times, when kingdoms on the continent would set up not just courier stations with horses, but systems of canal boats, and inns for people to stay overnight on long journeys. Still, it must have been a grueling experience. That such a means of conveyance could take Hirafu from Kyushu to Yamato, though, implies that Yamato's reach was fairly solid all the way out to the Dazai near modern Fukuoka, at least. It is unclear how these post stations were set up in regards to the local Miyake, or royal granaries, another government project we've talked about, but either way it demonstrates a certain degree of control over the region. And so Hirafu was able to make it back to the court in time for the ceremonies associated with the mourning of Tamura, aka Jomei Tennou, and the ascension of Her Majesty, Takara no Ohokimi. He likewise was able to inform the court of Baekje's condolence envoys' imminent arrival and give the court a head's up on the situation in Baekje, where he said that the country was “greatly disturbed”. When the Baekje envoys themselves arrived, Azumi no Hirafu, Kusakabe no Iwakane, and Yamato no Aya no Agata were sent to ask them about their news. From what we know in the Samguk Sagi, King Wicha of Baekje had just come to the throne. The previous king, King Mu, died in the third month of 641, so it hadn't even been a year since his death. Furthermore, we are told that his wife, the mother of King Wicha, had also passed away. The Baekje envoys asked for the return of prince Saeseong, possibly the younger brother of Prince P'ung, saying he had behaved badly and they wanted to convey him back to the King, but Takara refused. Presumably, based on context, this was one of the hostages that Yamato held from Baekje, but why they wouldn't turn them over to the Baekje envoys isn't explained. I suspect it had something to do with the politics of King Wicha coming to the throne, which seems like it may have not been accepted by everyone, as evidenced by his tour of the realm, mentioned in the Samguk Sagi, which was likely a political move to demonstrate his authority over the realm. This colors a lot of what we are going to talk about, so let's try to get some of it straight off the bat. Unfortunately, as we talked about in Episode 105, some of the Baekje related dates are questionable, and that means that there is a lot here that I'm going to give you where we may have to back track a bit and see if we can put it in the right order. I'm going to try to give you the information in largely chronological order according to the Nihon Shoki, but then I'll also try and place it where we think it might actually go, so apologies if this feels disjointed. Also, let me take a moment to talk a little bit more about the Baekje royal family, which will become rather important to our narrative. For one, there is King Wicha, son of King Mu. Mu passed away in 640 and Wicha came to the throne. Wicha already had several children of his own, one of whom, Prince Pung, or Prince Pungjang, will feature heavily in both the Japanese and Korean sources, though as we mentioned in episode 105, the dates around Prince Pung's arrival, which the Nihon Shoki has about 630, doesn't match up with what we know. We are fairly confident that Prince Pung returned to Baekje in 661, which accords with the Nihon Shoki, Samguk Sagi, and Tang records. However, Best makes a good case that he didn't actually come over to the archipelago until much later—probably 643. He wasn't the only royal prince of Baekje in Yamato, however. We are told of two others: Saeseong and Gyoki. Saeseong is mentioned as being a bit of a troublemaker, and requested to come home, but Yamato refuses to let him go. Gyoki is said to have caused trouble and been banished with some 40 others out to sea. I have a suspicion that much of this is misplaced in the Chronicle. Saesong may have been there first or perhaps came over with Prince Pung—I've seen him mentioned as the younger brother to Prince Pung, but I also wonder if he wasn't the younger brother to King Wicha. Gyoki, meanwhile, despite what we initially hear about him, is invited to Yamato shortly after that entry and treated like a real celebrity. It is unclear to me if he is a younger brother to Wicha or an elder brother to Prince Pungjang, but either way, he seems to have been a royal prince that wasn't quite in line for the throne. I suspect that in reality the mission that is listed as coming in 641 was actually much later—possibly in the 650s. That would explain some of it, including the gossip that the Senior Counselor, Chijeok, died in the 11th month of the previous year, Aston writes off most of this as an unreliable narrative by servants. Jonathan Best, in his translation of the Samguk Sagi, is a bit more generous and suggests that, much as with Prince Pung-jang, whom the Nihon Shoki records arriving in the 630s but who couldn't reasonably have arrived until the 640s, there was probably a dating issue. The scribes were using records with the branch and stem system of dates, and so it could easily have been off by a factor of ten or twelve years, at least. We know, for instance, that there is a record of Senior Counselor Chijeok in the Nihon Shoki in the 7th month of 642, though it says he died in 641. Furthermore, we have his name on a fragmentary inscription, likely dating to 654, noting him as a patron of a Buddhist monastery. So it would seem that word of his death was exaggerated or parts of this are coming from later accounts, and the scribes simply made a mistake. Hence my suggestion that this entire entry might be misplaced. If so, it would make more sense for Yamato to be asking about the fates of people that they knew, and hence hearing the fates of Chijeok and Gyoki, who had both visited Yamato and would have been known to the court. Regardless, it likely was the case, as recorded in the Nihon Shoki, that the envoys' ship was anchored in Naniwa harbor and the envoys were put up at the official government residence there, in modern Ohosaka. This may indicate that the mission mentioning Chijeok and Gyoki got conflated with other entries about the actual envoys of condolence and congratulations. Then, 19 days later, on the 22nd day of the 2nd month, another group of envoys showed up. This time it was Goguryeo. As mentioned, Goguryeo had a few things going on, but they still knew how to make an entrance. For example, the Chronicles mention that high ministers were sent to the district office in Naniwa to inspect the gold and silver that Goguryeo had sent with their envoys, along with other things from their country. This may have been them trying to get Yamato on their side. That said, Goguryeo had been going through a lot themselves, we are told. First off, based on the Samguk Sagi accounts, Goguryeo had sent envoys to the Tang in 640. In 641, the Tang court returned the favor, and in so doing their envoy, the Director of the Bureau of Operations in their Ministry of War, Chen Dade, used it as a chance to spy out the border region. At every walled town he would offer the local officials gifts of silk, and ask to be allowed to see the scenic spots. They let him roam freely, so by the time he went back he had an intimate account and understanding of Goguryeo's defenses along the Tang-Goguryeo border. Goguryeo seems to have been completely unaware of this touristic espionage, but then again, they may have been distracted dealing with their own internal problems. And so the Nihon Shoki reports that the envoys delivered news of this to the court: How the younger prince of Goguryeo died in the 6th month of 641. Then, in the 9th month, the Prime Minister murdered the king, along with some 180 people. He then put the son of the younger prince on the throne as king. In the Samguk Sagi, these events appear to happen a year later. Yon Gaesomun killed King Keonmu in the 10th month of 642 and put Prince Chang, aka Pojang, on the throne. The Samguk Sagi says he was the younger brother of King Keonmu, the son of King Taeyang—who was the younger brother of King Yeongnyu, so that may be where the Nihon Shoki gets that he was the “son of the younger prince”. Still, the gist is correct, even if it seems to be off by a year or so. From here, Goguryeo would be at war with the Tang dynasty for much of the next thirty years, all under the reign of King Pojang. They were able to fend the Tang off for a while, but the Tang would eventually ally with Silla, and though Baekje seems to have supported Goguryeo in general, Baekje itself was also caught between the Tang and Silla. They no doubt hoped for Yamato's aid, but while the archipelago may have had warriors, they were still a good ways from the continent, and would likely need to avoid confrontation with Silla, who now controlled all the way to the Nakdong river basin. Not that they wouldn't try. Insert dramatic sound effects alluding to a later episode. All that prognosticating aside, at this point, at least from the envoys' point of view, all of the future was unwritten. Both Goguryeo and Baekje guests were entertained at the Naniwa district office, and envoys were named to Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and to the no longer extant Nimna—the latter seems to have been, at this point, a not-so-polite fiction between Silla and Yamato that Nimna was still at least semi-independent. It was at this time that Gyoki was also brought to Yamato and lodged in the house of Azumi no Hirafu, the previous envoy to Baekje. Gyoki likely knew Hirafu from his time at the Baekje court. This was probably the actual arrival of Gyoki, I suspect. A week or so later, the Silla envoys of congratulations and condolence arrived: congratulations on Takara's ascension and then a group of envoys expressing condolence for her husband's death. They left after less than two weeks—apparently they simply delivered their message and left, unless there was some other reason having to do with the Baekje and Goguryeo envoys being there at the same time. No mention is made in the Nihon Shoki of exactly why they turned around so quickly. Meanwhile, Gyoki was living it up. He's referenced as the Chief Envoy from Baekje at this point—probably the highest ranking individual from the court present. On the 8th day of the fourth month he attended an audience with Her Majesty, Takara, and then two days later he was partying with Soga no Emishi out at his mansion in Unebi. Soga no Emishi had good conversations and presented a good horse and twenty bars of iron, but curiously the hostage crown prince, Sesaeng, was not invited to any of this. Given that we know what the Chroniclers think of Soga no Emishi, I'm wondering if there isn't a little bit of that same feeling towards Gyoki. After all, we were previously told he and some 40 others were exiled, so perhaps this is just leading up to that? Gyoki and his companions were later invited to witness an “archery hunt” in front of the Yosami Miyake in Kawachi. This is glossed as “Uma-yumi” or “Horse-Bow”, leading one to wonder if this was similar to yabusame, the traditional horsed archery, performed at various shrines each year. Or perhaps it was one of the other archery games from horseback, many of them much less savory, often using a live animal as the target, usually staked or confined to an area, and the archers circle around and shoot at them. By the 5th month of 642 – a little over three months after Baekje had first arrived with envoys of condolences, we are told that a shipp of Baekje envoys anchored together along with the ship of the Kishi family. This is likely Naniwa no Kishi, as Naniwa no Kishi no Kuhina had been assigned as envoy to Baekje. The envoys delivered their goods and Kuhina reported on their mission. Once again, the dates look to be slightly off. Had Kuhina really traveled to Baekje and back in just three months? It is possible, but not typically how things were done at the time. Ships often had to take their time, navigating the Seto Inland Sea and then checking in at modern Fukuoka before following the island chains out to Tsushima. At that point they could sail around Tsushima, or cross at a narrow part of the island, known today as Kofunakoshi. We know that this was used from at least the 9th century as a place where ships coming to and from the islands would stop, often transmitting their goods to a local ship on the other side, with a crew that presumably better knew the waters and was under the command of the appropriate government. In addition, as the ships reached various checkpoints they would stop for a while, and often another ship would be sent ahead to prepare the way for an official delegation. Since they didn't have phones, something like this would have been required to inform the next post to be ready to receive the visitors. More likely, this would have been Kuhina finally ready to depart to take on his mission with Baekje. Shortly after this, we are told that one of Gyoki's companions died, and then his own child died—we aren't told if it was from disease or something else. It did provide an opportunity to see some of the cultural differences between Baekje and Yamato at the time, as Gyoki and his wife refused to attend the ceremonies for their late son. The Chroniclers explained that, in Baekje and Silla, when someone dies, the parents, siblings, and spouse were not supposed to look on them again. For what it's worth, I could find no relationship between this and any contemporary Korean practice. This may have been something in Baekje and Silla that eventually went away. Then again, it is possible there was something else going on, and it was misinterpreted by the Wa. Given that the Chroniclers are dismissive of the practice, it is entirely possible that this was just slanderous rumor, too. The Chroniclers make a point of saying that the people of Baekje and Silla who practice these kinds of death rites are without feeling, and thus no better than animals. So, yeah, clearly the Chroniclers were presenting just the facts, right? Gyoki's child was buried in Ishikawa in Kawachi, and Gyoki moved his family to a house in Ohowi, in Kudara—which is to say the area of Kawachi named for Baekje. Two months after he lost his son, on the 22nd day of the 7th month, Senior Counsellor Chicheok and colleagues were entertained at the Yamato court. This is that same Senior Counsellor previously thought to be dead. Again, Aston simply treats it as gossip, while I tend to wonder if the records aren't out of order—unless Chijeok was some kind of Baekje Benjamin Button. Entertainment at the Yamato court apparently included havingvarious people wrestle for their entertainment. Even Prince Gyoki himself entered the contest. When the banquet was finished they went to pay their respect's at Gyoki's compound, likely stopping by and having a bit of a nightcap. Two weeks later the Baekje envoys tried to leave, but the storms kicked up. One of the ships was wrecked on the shore. Fortunately, it seems like those on the boat survived and they were placed on another boat a couple weeks later. A day after that, the Goguryeo envoys left for their own country. The Baekje envoys finally made it back, we are told, 11 days later, on the 26th day of the 8th month. Not bad given the journey they had to undertake, and actually a bit hard to believe. In contrast, the Silla envoys, who left in the 3rd month, apparently only made it as far as the island of Iki, between Kyushu and Tsushima, by the 10th month of 642. Perhaps they were just going at a more leisurely pace, but it does make it hard to trust that all the records were rearranged in precisely the correct order. As for this period, outside of the Silla envoys, the entire episode, starting on the 2nd day of the 2nd month of 642, finally concluded—mostly—over six months later. It occupies most of that part of Chronicle, with the exception of the accounts of the weather, drought, and famine. After all of these people had returned to the peninsula, the Nihon Shoki focuses on a few local things from the archipelago. Soga no Emishi was ordered to raise a levy in Afumi and Koshi to build a temple, the court levied various provinces to make ships—we aren't told why but previously this was often something done in preparation for war—and then Takara ordered Soga no Emishi to build a new palace with levies on various provinces and workmen from Toutoumi and Aki. That was all in the 9th month, at the end of which, we are told that several thousand Emishi from the Koshi region, where Soga no Emishi had been ordered to levy workers for a temple earlier in the month, submitted to Yamato and were entertained at court. Soga no Emishi himself entertained them at his house and asked them about their welfare. This is all a bit confusing, but let's try to understand some of what might be going on. First, you may recall in the previous reign there was a mention with General Katana who went to the east to subdue an uprising of Emishi there, so it is possible that this is a continuation of that. At the same time, these Emishi, we are told, are from the land of Koshi. It is likely that this is evidence of Yamato's increased presence in the northern region of the island of Honshi, which stretched along the northern edge of the Chubu, or middle Honshu, region, including the Noto peninsula and eastward to Tohoku, or the Northeast region. This had been an important area for various resources, including the source of jade magatama, since at least the early days of the Yayoi period, judging from artifacts discovered at various sites. It is also a region connected to the current dynasty, in that Wohodo no Ohokimi, aka Keitai Tennou, generally seen as the progenitor of the current line of sovereigns, is said to have come from that region. Furthermore, this region is closely connected to various overseas trade routes. While the most common route we hear about, at least at this point in the chronicles, is the Seto Inland Sea route, there was also a route along the Japan Sea side of Honshu, which included the areas of Izumo and the port of Tsunuga—modern day Tsuruga—which includes the Kehi shrine, purportedly for a kami who came over from the peninsula. At least one Goguryeo mission explicitly used this route—whether intentionally or otherwise—to get to Yamato, crossing over to Afumi, aka Lake Biwa, and then taking the rivers south to Naniwa. Michael Como suggests that there is enough evidence to suggest a fairly heavy Goguryeo influence in the region. He also suggests that the Soga had a good deal of interactions and influences themselves with Goguryeo, pointing out that Shotoku Taishi's teacher had supposedly been a monk from Goguryeo, and that the plan for Asukadera, the Soga temple, with three golden halls around a central pagoda, is extremely similar to temple plans found in Goguryeo and not in Silla and Baekje. I do feel it is worth pointing out that it is very possible that this was not Asukadera's original layout, and it is hard to say how much of the stories surrounding Shotoku Taishi we can trust. Still, Koshi was an area that had a long history of trade with the continent, and the ease of the waterways from Yamato to the Japan Sea would have made it at least strategically useful to the growing state. There is another aspect here, but it is a bit more tenuous. There are some that suggest that Soga no Emishi's own name, or at least the name as it is handed down to us today, comes from his dealings with the Emishi people. Here we see him intimately involved in Koshi, in the Emishi coming to submit, and him then hosting them in his own house. So even if his name is coincidental, there does appear to be some connection there. And we are still in the first year of Takara's reign. It was in this twelfth month that Okinaga no Yamana no Kimi finally pronounced a eulogy for the entire royal line. As you may recall, Takara's husband, Tamura, aka Jomei Tennou, had been a member of the Okinaga royal line, so this was likely part of the ceremonies around his death and burial. There is more here about the placement of palaces, which we touched on a lot in the last episode. There is also a lot about storms, weather, and peach blossoms blooming. Then on the thirteenth day of the third month of 643, the second year of Takara's reign, there was a terrible fire in Naniwa. The official guest quarters for Baekje burned down, and the houses of the common people also caught fire. This is also around the time that Best suggests that Prince Pungjang, son of King Wicha of Baekje, may have actually arrived, as we discussed earlier. That actually could be tied to events a month later, when the Dazai in Tsukushi—the government outpost on Kyushu—sent a mounted messenger to Her Majesty, Takara, to let her know that Gyoki's younger brother, the son of the King of Baekje, had arrived. The Baekje ships, which had arrived in the area of modern Fukuoka around the 21st day of the 4th month finally arrived in Naniwa two months later. Presumably the Baekje envoys' official guest quarters had been repaired or rebuilt at this point, and several high ministers went to inspect the tribute. They couldn't help but notice that the tribute this time was less—fewer items and of lower quality that previously. The Envoys promised that they would make up the shortfall. Around all of this, the drama between the Soga, Prince Naka no Oe, and others was playing out, with Iruka attacking and eventually killing Yamashiro no Oe, all of which was discussed in the last episode. Meanwhile we get a small line about Prince Pung keeping four hives of bees on Mt. Miwa, but apparently they didn't grow large enough to multiply, so that doesn't seem to have taken off. We'll return to Prince Pungjang later. For now, we have seen much of the disturbances that were caused and eventually led up to the Isshi Incident in 645, and 644 is full of many long entries about everything that happened, but I don't want to worry about that—we covered most of that last episode. What I do want to concern ourselves with is the story I started the episode with – the curious tale of a man named Ohofube no Ohoshi, who started up his own millennial cult. Now there has been quite a bit of speculation around this episode, especially given that all we really have is a single entry, dated to the 7th month of 644, and here I'll quote Aston's translation: “A man of the neighbourhood of the River Fuji in the East Country named Ohofu Be no Oho urged his fellow-villagers to worship an insect, saying: "This is the God of the Everlasting World. Those who worship this God will have long life and riches." At length the wizards and witches, pretending an inspiration of the Gods, said:--"Those who worship the God of the Everlasting World will, if poor, become rich, and, if old, will become young again." So they more and more persuaded the people to cast out the valuables of their houses, and to set out by the roadside sake, vegetables, and the six domestic animals. They also made them cry out: "The new riches have come!" Both in the country and in the metropolis people took the insect of the Everlasting World and, placing it in a pure place, with song and dance invoked happiness. They threw away their treasures, but to no purpose whatever. The loss and waste was extreme. Hereupon Kahakatsu, Kadono no Hada no Miyakko, was wroth that the people should be so much deluded, and slew Ohofu Be no Oho. The wizards and witches were intimidated, and ceased to persuade people to this worship. The men of that time made a song, saying: Udzumasa Has executed The God of the Everlasting World Who we were told Was the very God of Gods. This insect is usually bred on orange trees, and sometimes on the Hosoki. It is over four inches in length, and about as thick as a thumb. It is of a grass-green colour with black spots, and in appearance entirely resembles the silkworm.” This is remarkable in several ways. For one, we get a glimpse of how a popular cult might get started. Since it is at this same time the cult of Shotoku Taishi is taking hold in some temples, it is interesting to draw parallels between the two. Como points this out in his book on Shotoku Taishi, and notes several other things. For one is the discussion of this “ever-lasting world”, or Tokoyo. We've heard of Tokoyo before – the term is found in the Chronicles in the section around the Age of the Gods. Sukuna Bikona himself leaps off to Tokoyo from a blade of grass in one story, much like an insect himself. Tokoyo is a bit mysterious. It isn't the land of the dead, where Izanami goes to live when she dies in childbirth. Neither is it the Great Plain of Heaven, Takama no hara, where Amaterasu dwells. We have the gods of the Heavens and gods of the Earth, but no gods of Tokoyo. Indeed, Tokoyo is mentioned, but not well described. By all accounts it would appear to be a place that spirits go after death to an unchanging world, rather than coming back to this one. This fits in with various other continental ideas starting to come over at the time, especially as part of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, which included a search for effective ways to reach enlightenment. There had been feelings for some time that humans were already in the latter days of the law, or Mappo: the concept that the further we get from the time of the Buddha, the more morality would decline and the harder it would be for people to break the chains of materialism and desire that hold them to this plane of existence. As such, some sects and teachers taught simpler and more expedient methods, in an effort to save all of the sentient beings. Things like an abbreviated mantra that would help you get into a paradise where you could eventually attain enlightenment certainly had its adherents, especially amongst those who might not have the time or inclination to join the monastery themselves. The idea of a Pure Land, or Joudo, took off early, This Pure Land, is most commonly connected with Amida Butsu, the Amithaba Buddha. Sutras referencing Amida and the Pure Land were translated by Kumarajiva as early as the 5th century, and may have been part of the larger corpus of scrolls brought over to the archipelago. According to the sutra, they say that if you honestly chant Amida Butsu's name just once—often through the phrase “Namu Amida Butsu”—then rather than being reborn again into the world on your death, you would instead be reincarnated in a Pure Land, where you could focus entirely on your own enlightenment for however long it would take, removing yourself from the pain and suffering of this world. This practice was taught by the Sanron school as well as by the Hossou school in the 7th and 8th centuries, along with other practices. It would continue to be taught, especially developing in the Tendai sect. Of course chanting “Namu Amida Butsu” was something you could do while working the fields, or doing any other number of profane, yet necessary tasks. So you can see why this was an attractive idea to many people, even if they didn't have the ability to start a temple or study the scriptures or become monks or nuns themselves, at least in this life. Pure Land belief and practices continued to grow and develop in various Buddhists sects, but really took off as an independent practice in Japan in the Kamakura Period, appealing to warriors and commoners alike with its seemingly simple mantra. Shotoku Taishi himself is closely connected to the Pure Land concept, as Como points out. He and his teacher, Eija, are both said to have attained the Pure Land upon their deaths. The famous embroidery, commissioned after Shotoku Taishi's death, known as the Tenjukoku Mandala, presumably also describes a country of Heavenly Long Life. “Tenjukoku” does not have an immediate connection to any particular continental sect or philosophy, but it does seem to be at least a cognate for some of these other ideas such as the Joudo Pure Land OR the Tokoyo of Ohofube no Ohoshi. Whether Ohoshi was, in fact, influenced by other continental ideas is unclear. We're not even sure if his was the first use of the concept of “Tokoyo” or if that was an idea already planted in the public consciousness by that time—though if so, I would think it would be a bit more widespread. One could understand, however, how people who had been through famines, floods, earthquakes, disease, and more might find the idea of an eternal ever-after where they could be rich and young again quite inviting. Enough people found it so that they apparently were willing to give up everything they owned and place it out on the streets. Even if this wasn't just a scheme to go and scoop up all the goods and skip town, one can see how this may have been viewed as disruptive and unhealthy for the community, at least by those comfortably seated in power, whose workforce was being pulled away from their labors to this new belief system. The ones who were spreading this good news, while called wizards and witches by Aston, use characters that one could just as easily ascribe to Shinto priests and sacred Miko. Since Shinto wasn't fully formed as we know it today, I think it might be better to say various ritualists and diviners. Whether they were true believers or simply “pretending” to be inspired, as the Nihon Shoki says, who can say for certain. What makes one vision more objectively “true” than another, beyond your own belief and faith? And it should be remembered that bringing in new spiritual ideas wasn't, well, new. That's how Buddhism got started, and likely was one of the ways that Yamato itself expanded its own influence. How many other quote-unquote “cults” like this existed, and how many were absorbed into the establishment and how many were cast aside? In this case, it would seem that Ohoshi's main problem was likely that he was attracting the wrong sorts of people, which is to say he was appealing to commoners. In the Warring States period, we would see a not dissimilar dynamic with the independent Joudo Shinshu, a sect of Pure Land Buddhism, supporting commoners in what became known as the ikkou ikki. They formed communities that helped each other, but at the same time bucked the yoke of the local daimyo and others. This would bring about violent retribution from warlords like Oda Nobunaga, who wasn't having any of it. Similarly, as the Tokoyo sect spread into Yamashiro and down into the capital region, Kadono no Hata no Miyatsuko no Kawakatsu decided to take matters into his own hands. Ostensibly, he was upset that people would be so deluded, and under that pretext, he had Ohoshi killed and his followers intimidated. Cutting the head off the snake, as it were, caused the body to wither, and apparently the Tokoyo cult was not so everlasting after all. And here's where we bring things back around. You may recall Hata no Kawakatsu, or at least his family. The progenitor of the Hata family was called Uzumasa, and even today their name is affixed to an area of Kyoto, which was built in the old Hata territory. Hence the poem about Uzumasa executing the God of the Everlasting World. That area, from Lake Biwa down to Naniwa, is on that corridor from Yamato to Koshi. The Hata themselves are connected with the continent—especially with Silla. The Hata temple of Kouryuuji even has a Silla image said to have been obtained by Shotoku Taishi and given to them. Along with Shitennoji, it is one of several Silla-influenced temples that helped promote the cult of Shotoku Taishi. It is, of course, possible that we are reading way too much into this. Some of these things could just be coincidence, but then again, why was it written down and why did the Chroniclers feel that it was important to spend ink on the process? That's the real question here. And what more was going on that never got written down, or at least not clearly? It is likely that we will never truly know the answer to all of these questions. Unless some ancient documents are found from the period that miraculously survived, with significantly different stories, it would be hard to say much more, but that doesn't mean we can't wonder. But that's all we'll do for now. At this point, I think we've covered these years from 642 to 645 as best we could, and it is probably time to move on. I'm not going to prognosticate on next episode just yet, other than to say that we will eventually need to talk about the Taika Reforms—the Great Change. But that may take a little more time to research so that we can do it properly, but we'll see. Until then, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

美国教科书中的秦始皇，视角与我们大不相同，却引人深思

一席英语·脱口秀：老外来了

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2024 12:33

主播：Anne（中国）+Selah（美国）歌曲：Go Again有段时间网上特别流行把秦始皇（Emperor Qin Shi Huang orEmperor Qin）叫做“我迷人的老祖宗”（my charming ancestor），那么国外的课本是怎么介绍秦始皇的呢？西方人对秦始皇有怎样的印象？西方人如何评价秦始皇当时的一些治国政策呢？·charming/ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/ adj.令人着迷的，迷人的·ancestor/ˈænsestər/ n.祖先；祖宗01. 美国教科书是怎么介绍秦始皇的？主播Selah提到，关于秦始皇，美国的教科书里有几条central things（主要内容）：一是介绍了the warring states period（战国时期），the states were at war with each other（诸国交战）；还讲了the developments in the Qin Dynasty（秦朝时的发展）；最后强调一个史实，秦始皇是the first emperor to unify the country under one reign（历史上第一个统一全中国的皇帝）。·reign/reɪn/ n. 君主统治时期；任期总的来说，美国教科书肯定了秦始皇的成就（he'srecognized for his achievements）,不过也注意到了他统一国家过程中用的比较严苛的一些手段（the harsh ways of unifying the country）。Besides textbooks，大多数西方人对秦始皇印象最深的是he built the Great Wall (长城) and Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑)。·harsh /hɑːrʃ/ adj. 严厉的·terracotta /ˌterəˈkɑːtə/ n.赤陶；赤褐色02. 西方人是怎么评价秦始皇的治国政策的？以西方人的思维模式，他们是如何评价秦始皇时期的一些治国政策的呢？How the EmperorQin Shi Huang ruled the empire?Selah说秦始皇治国有three aspects（三个方面）对西方人来说是very fascinating（特别神奇的），我们来看看具体是哪些方面吧！（1） The Emperor Qin created a system ofstandardization 秦始皇建立了标准化系统Standardization (标准化) is the process of setting the same standard to everything (把一切都设立一个统一的标准).比如我们都知道“车同轨，书同文”。In just 15 years, the Qin government standardized weights and measures (度量衡), coinage (货币), written script (文字) and many others. ·standardize /ˈstændərdaɪz/ v.标准化；使符合标准（或规格）这些措施在那个时代大大提高了管理国家的效率，同种类的货币让贸易（trade）更便捷，文字的统一也让秦始皇的命令能够更好地上传下达（his orders could be understood by everyone）。西方人大多都attach great importance to standardization（非常重视标准化），他们看重order and process（秩序和流程），这也跟他们在文化上重视highproductivity（高生产力）以及high efficiency（高效率）是分不开的。·productivity /ˌprɑːdʌkˈtɪvəti/ n. 生产率西方从第一次工业革命（the First Industrial Revolution）开始，systems of standardization were put in place（系统化和标准化的思维就非常深入人心）。对于西方人来说，秦朝是一个建立良好且有效的系统（good systems were put in place）的时期。（2） The Emperor Qinbuilt acentralized country 秦始皇建立了大一统的国家秦始皇在中国历史上第一次创建了一个centralized government system（统一的中央集权制度）。He was able to make public projects (公共项目) more effective, such asthe building of the Great Wall (长城的修建). ·centralized/ˈsentrəlaɪzd/ adj. 集中的；中央集权的大多数西方人都知道长城，除了长城，其实在秦朝时就已经有高速公路（highways）了。They built highways called秦直道and it was used for nearly 2000 years (有两千多年的历史).秦直道的建造质量（the construction quality）在现在看来都是非常高的，当时甚至还有运输货物的铁路，是靠马在两边跑来拉动轨道上的“火车”（railways powered by horses）。·construction/kənˈstrʌkʃn/ n. 建设；建造这令Selah也感到impressive（印象深刻），还有外国网友认为正是the bureaucratic（官僚制度）的efficiency（高效），让大秦得以expand anddevelop（扩张发展），并且实现人口的增长（thegrowth in population）。·bureaucratic /ˌbjʊrəˈkrætɪk/ adj. 官僚的；官僚主义的所以在很多西方人的眼里，评价秦始皇很重要的一点就是他把曾经充满战乱与分割的国家（divided and chaotic country of warring states），变成了一个中央集权的大一统国家（a centralized country）。·chaotic /keɪˈɑːtɪk/ adj. 混乱的（3） The Emperor Qin introduced legalization 秦始皇引入了“法制化”秦始皇created a law code（建立了一套律法），也就是当时的秦律。虽然当时的法律可能有些严苛（overly harsh），在现代人看来有很多漏洞，但是这种governing the country with laws（用法律治国安邦的思想）的确是秦始皇开了先河（he paved the way）。It wasthe start of legalization!·legalization /ˌliːɡələˈzeɪʃn/ n.合法化·pave the way为……铺平道路西方人认为order and laws（秩序和法律）对于governing a modern society（现代社会的治理）非常helpful。的确，如何以法治国（how to use law and order to govern a society）对于每个国家来说都非常重要,非常值得去研究。Selah提到，连美国国父（American's founding fathers）都要参考秦朝或者中国类似的古代王朝的法规，可见秦始皇在西方世界的影响力。而且，在时代周刊（TIME magazine）评选的前25名（top 25）最有影响力的政治人物（most influential political icons）中，秦始皇就榜上有名（hewas on this list）。请留言告诉我们：你怎么看外国人对秦始皇的认识？你还想了解哪位中国古代人物在西方人眼中的印象？

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Great Wall of China

The Ancients

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2024 55:19

It's one of the most iconic structures in the world: The Great Wall of China.But is it just one wall? And who built it and why? Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by William Lindesay OBE to delve into the ancient history of this epic structure and to answer these questions and more.Together, they uncover the origin story. From the Warring States around 300 BC to the Qin Dynasty and China's first emperor, and then to its expansion during the Han Dynasty. They explore the evolution of the walls' symbolism and significance, the role it played in protecting against nomadic threats, through to modern day conservation and protection efforts and how important it is to understanding China's military and cultural history.We need your help! We're working on something special and we need your questions about the Roman Empire. Let us know here.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.You can take part in our listener survey here.

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Discovering the Terracotta Army

Witness History

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2024 9:03

It's 50 years since a chance find by Chinese farmers led to an astonishing archaeological discovery.Thousands of clay soldiers were uncovered in the province of Shaanxi after being buried for more than 2,000 years.They were guarding the tomb of the ancient ruler Qin Shi Huang, who ruled the Qin Dynasty.In 2013, archaeologists Yuan Zhongyi and Xiuzhen Li told Rebecca Kesby about the magnitude of the dig, and how unearthing the incredible statues shaped their careers.(Photo: Terracotta soldiers stand to attention. Credit Marica van der Meer/Arterra/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

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The Great Wall of China

Historically High

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2023 102:41

Let's not be coy, you know why you're here, we know why you're here. You've come to listen to "the most comprehensive" podcast about the Great Wall of China. The largest man-made structure on the planet. Built to guard the Dynasties from mongols and raiders. The sheer scope of the Great Wall is almost too large to fathom for something constructed by human hands. Enough with the foreplay, just start it already...

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第78集: 越南和中国的历史 History between Vietnam and China

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2023 21:41

如果想要明白两个国家今天的政治关系，就必须知道它们之间发生过的事情。中国和越南之间，就有一段非常有意思的历史。在这一集节目里，我们回到2000多年前，看看越南，这个中国的邻居，是怎样诞生的。我们会看见，越南曾经是中国管辖的一部分。之后，越南人凭借他们的不断起义和反抗，最后建立自己的国家。二战之后，中国帮助北越对抗南越。战后，两个国家又发生冲突... … 历史上的恩恩怨怨有很多，但是文化上的相近能够帮助两国人民互相理解，结交友情。 If we want to understand the political relationships between two countries, it is pivotal to understand what happened between them. Between China and Vietnam, there is a fascinating history. In this episode, we will go back to 2000 years ago, to see how Vietnam, this neighbor of China, was born. We will see that Vietnam was once under Chinese rule. Then, Vietnamese people through their rebellion fought back, and established their own nation. After WWII, China helped North Vietnam against South Vietnam. After the Vietnamese War, conflict broke out between the 2 countries… There are peaceful and tumultuous epochs in our common history. Cultural similarities is what helps the two people understand each other, and bond friendships. ◉ Read transcripts for free ◉ Become a Patron ◉ Visit merch store ◉ Find us on YouTube ◉ We are on LinkedIn ◉ We are on Facebook ◉ Find a Chinese teacher on italki and receive $10 ◉ One-time Donate

第77集: 中国人的美国移民史 History of Chinese Immigration to the US

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2023 19:23

今天，无论走到世界的哪里，都会看见中国人，听见中文。200年前，中国人第一次来到美国。”淘金热“ 更是吸引成千上万的中国人去新大陆寻找发财的机会。在旧金山这座城市，中国移民打造富有中国特色的唐人街，使其成为一大景点。虽然生活困难，但是他们没有放弃希望。 Today, no matter where you are in the world, you will see Chinese people and hear the Chinese language spoken. 200 years ago, Chinese people set foot on America. The "Gold Rush" attracted tens of thousands of Chinese people to look for fortune in the new continent. In the city of San Francisco, Chinese immigrants formed the culturally fascinating Chinatown, which has since become a tourist attraction. Though much turmoil in life, they didn't give up hope. ◉ Read transcripts for free ◉ Become a Patron ◉ Visit merch store ◉ Find us on YouTube ◉ We are on LinkedIn ◉ We are on Facebook ◉ Find a Chinese teacher on italki and receive $10 ◉ One-time Donate

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#2 Laws

Oh What A Time...

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2023 43:52

This week we're discussing: Laws. Why did the Qin Dynasty and Ancient Rome have such a problem with crying? Why should you fear the 'Meat Police' in 14th century Britain? And what are the tax implications of being a bearded bachelor throughout history? This first series will contain 12 episodes that we'll be releasing weekly; you can look forward to topics such as humour, marriage, sport, a life at sea, parenting, partying, pets, and lots more. And thank you so much for your support for the podcast since our launch last week. If you like it, why not drop us a review in Latin? We'll read out our favourites next week. If you'd like to get in touch with the show (perhaps to tell us when was the worst period in history or if we've INEVITABLY got something wrong) you can email us at: hello@ohwhatatime.com We're also on Twitter and Instagram @ohwhatatimepod And thank you to Dr Daryl Leeworthy for his help with this week's research. And thank you for the artwork by Dan Evans (idrawforfood.co.uk). And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

第72集：末代皇帝: 溥仪 (上) The Last Emperor: Puyi (Part 1)

chinese japanese language learning mandarin chinese forbidden city manchuria chinese history last emperor learn chinese puyi qin dynasty learn mandarin chinese podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2023 24:25

1987年的电影《末代皇帝》让不少外国朋友开始对中国文化感兴趣。这部电影讲述了中国的最后一个皇帝溥仪的故事。在今天的节目里，我们也来一起看看溥仪的一生。我们会分两个部分。今天是第一部分。在今天的节目里，我们来看溥仪28岁之前的生活。他两岁成为皇帝，从小在紫禁城里长大。后来清朝结束，他不再是皇帝。日本人答应溥仪，让他在 “满洲国” 当皇帝。溥仪应该相信日本人吗？ The 1987 film "The Last Emperor" was for many foreign viewers the starting point of their interest in Chinese culture. This film tells the story of the last emperor of China: Puyi. In today's episode, let's take a look at Puyi's life. We will tell the story in two parts. Today is the first part. In today's episode, we will look at Puyi's first 28 years of his life. He became emperor at the age of 2 and grew up in the Forbidden City. When the Qin Dynasty came to an end, so was his reign as emperor. The Japanese promised Puyi that he would be emperor in Manchuria. Will Puyi listen to the Japanese? ◉ Read transcripts for free ◉ Quizlet flashcards ◉ Become a Patron ◉ Our new merch store! ◉ Find us on YouTube ◉ We are on LinkedIn ◉ We are on Facebook ◉ Find a Chinese teacher on italki and receive $10 ◉ One-time Donate

Patriarchy through Chinese History, Part 2 - with Annabelle Qian

Breaking Down Patriarchy

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2023 54:13

Amy is joined by Annabelle Qian to conclude their discussion of patriarchy's history in Imperial China from the Qin Dynasty (221 BCE) to the Qing Dynasty (1912 CE).Annabelle Qian is an 18 year old scholar who just graduated from Waterford High School, and will be studying international affairs and economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall. Annabelle is biracial and trilingual. She lived in Guangzhou, China for 10 years where she cultivated her study of the intersection between global politics and personal identity. Annabelle is an award winning historical writer; she has presented papers in Washington D.C. for international competitions, as well as at the Utah State Capitol.

university china washington dc north carolina patriarchy chapel hill bce guangzhou chinese history qian qing dynasty imperial china qin dynasty utah state capitol

第69集: 中国历史秦始皇（下）The Emperor of Qin (Part 2)

china chinese emperor great wall language learning mandarin chinese chinese history qin chinese culture terracotta army learn chinese qin dynasty learn mandarin chinese podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2023 21:40

在这一集里，我们继续了解秦始皇。现在，他已经统一了中国，建立了秦朝。他做了一系列的事情，包括：建直道，修长城，统一文字等等。这些都巩固了秦朝的通知。不过，秦始皇非常喜欢大兴土木，甚至让70万人给他修建阿房宫和兵马俑。不少人开始不满意秦朝的统治。秦始皇去世后，人们开始起义。秦朝的存亡收到了威胁... … In this episode, we continue studying the Emperor of Qin. Now, he has unified China and established the Qin Dynasty. He did a series of things to fortify the Qin Dynasty's rule over the country, including the construction of a 700-kilometer long highway, the Great Wall and the unification of the writing system. However, the Emperor of Qin was excessively passionate about construction. 700 thousand people were made to build the Epang palace and the Terracotta Army. Many people started to complain about Qin's ruling. After the death of the Emperor, people started rebelling. The existence of the Qin Dynasty was threatened… ◉ Read transcripts for free ◉ Quizlet flashcards ◉ Become a Patron ◉ Our new merch store! ◉ Find us on YouTube ◉ We are on LinkedIn ◉ We are on Facebook ◉ Find a Chinese teacher on italki and receive $10 ◉ One-time Donate

第68集: 中国历史秦始皇 (上) The Emperor of Qin (Part 1)

china chinese emperor language learning mandarin chinese quizlet chinese history qin chinese culture hsk learn chinese chinese literature chinese politics comprehensible input qin dynasty warring states period learn mandarin

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2023 21:34

秦始皇是中国历史上最重要的人物之一。中国的英文China这个词就是来自他创建的秦朝。我们会用两集节目给你讲述秦始皇，嬴政的一生。在这一集里，我们会关注秦始皇建立秦朝之前发生的事情。当时处于战国时代，七个国家都试图吞并其他国家。嬴政13岁纪即位，30岁开始军事进攻。仅仅花了九年时间就消灭了其他六个国家。不过，统一六国并不是一帆风顺。“荆轲刺秦王” 的故事一直流传至今，讲述了勇士荆轲牺牲自己，企图刺杀嬴政的故事。 The Emperor of Qin is one of the most important historical figures in Chinese history. The word "China" derives from the dynasty that he built, the Qin Dynasty. We will use 2 episodes to tell the story of Ying Zheng, which is his former name. In today's episode, we will turn our focus on his life before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, all 7 states were constantly attempting to conquer each other. Ying Zheng became king at the age of 13, launched his military operations when he was 30, eventually eliminating all 6 states within 9 years of time. However, it wasn't always easy unifying the 6 states. "Jing Ke's assassination of the Emperor of Qin" is passed on till this day, which tells the story of a warrior named Jing Ke, and his attempt to kill Ying Zheng. ◉ Read transcripts for free ◉ Quizlet flashcards ◉ Become a Patron ◉ Our new merch store! ◉ Find us on YouTube ◉ We are on LinkedIn ◉ We are on Facebook ◉ Find a Chinese teacher on italki and receive $10 ◉ One-time Donate

PodQuiz 939

PodQuiz weekly trivia quiz

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2023 16:21

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Chinese Dynasties, Television, and Psychology (with guest host Nicholas Richter). The music is Zight with The Glory of Qin Dynasty.

music fun psychology television quiz trivia pub pub quiz podsafe qin dynasty podquiz

I Should've Known Better | The Chinese Sayings Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 12:49

You didn't ask for it. But you're getting it anyway. This week's Chinese Sayings Podcast reaches back all the way to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chinese sayings chu qin dynasty liu bang

S7E07 | I Should've Known Better

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 14:18

You didn't ask for it. But you're getting it anyway. This week's Chinese Sayings Podcast reaches back all the way to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chu qin dynasty liu bang

S7E07 | I Should've Known Better

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 12:49

This time around we're reaching all the way back to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chu qin dynasty liu bang

S7E07 | I Should've Known Better

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 14:18

This time around we're reaching all the way back to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chu qin dynasty liu bang

I Should've Known Better | The Chinese Sayings Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 14:18

You didn't ask for it. But you're getting it anyway. This week's Chinese Sayings Podcast reaches back all the way to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chinese sayings chu qin dynasty liu bang

I Should've Known Better | The Chinese Sayings Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 12:49

You didn't ask for it. But you're getting it anyway. This week's Chinese Sayings Podcast reaches back all the way to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chinese sayings chu qin dynasty liu bang

S7E07 | I Should've Known Better

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 14:18

This time around we're reaching all the way back to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chu qin dynasty liu bang

S7E07 | I Should've Known Better

china emperor qin shi huang qin dynasty

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 12:49

This time around we're reaching all the way back to those fateful years following the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the contentious period of conflict between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu. As these two rivals battle it out, Liu Bang sought advice from one of his advisors on a plan of action. But as we'll see, that plan is blown out of the water by the great hero of the early Han, Zhang Liang. In order to persuade Liu Bang of the folly of this plan, Zhang Liang will 借箸代筹 Jiè Zhù Dài Chóu, borrow chopsticks to illustrate his strategy. And using these chopsticks as a prop to illustrate his point, Zhang Liang blows this advisor's good idea out of the water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

chu qin dynasty liu bang

Qin Shi Huang

Conspiracy Outpost

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2023 60:49

Join The Conspiracy Outpost as we discuss the founder of the Qin Dynasty and the first Emperor of unified China's quest to find immorality. https://linktr.ee/conspiracyoutpost --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/conspiracy-outpost/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/conspiracy-outpost/support

Chinese History from 1600 BCE to 1912

Higher Conscious Thinker

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2022 48:28

In this episode, we discuss Chinese History from the Shang Kingdom (1600 BCE) to the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty 1912 as well some of the most influential Chinese philosophies. Note that we are briefly skimming through thousands of years of Chinese history.Sources:Notes taken from Dr. Harry Miller at the University of South Alabama who specializes in Asian HistoryThe Essential World History - Textbookhttps://www.history.com/topics/ancient-china/shang-dynastyhttps://www.britannica.com/event/Spring-and-Autumn-Periodhttps://www.history.com/topics/ancient-china/tang-dynastyhttps://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/taoismhttps://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/confucianismhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mohism/

university history spring chinese philosophy legalism bce zhou south alabama confucianism chinese history han dynasty warring states harry miller qin dynasty cao cao

S6E03 | A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2022 11:48

The story behind today's Chinese Saying is an old favorite of all lovers of popular Chinese history. How can we forget Zhao Gao 赵高 from the Qin Dynasty and the famous story behind Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ 指鹿为马. In our connected age when it's so easy to hoodwink one another in news feeds and social media, this is the perfect chéngyǔ to keep handy at all times. And of course, because this Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ strategy worked so well for Zhao Gao in the 3rd Century BC, many an autocrat since, also found it handy and useful, not to mention, effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S6E03 | A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2022 13:50

The story behind today's Chinese Saying is an old favorite of all lovers of popular Chinese history. How can we forget Zhao Gao 赵高 from the Qin Dynasty and the famous story behind Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ 指鹿为马. In our connected age when it's so easy to hoodwink one another in news feeds and social media, this is the perfect chéngyǔ to keep handy at all times. And of course, because this Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ strategy worked so well for Zhao Gao in the 3rd Century BC, many an autocrat since, also found it handy and useful, not to mention, effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S6E03 | A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2022 13:50

The story behind today's Chinese Saying is an old favorite of all lovers of popular Chinese history. How can we forget Zhao Gao 赵高 from the Qin Dynasty and the famous story behind Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ 指鹿为马. In our connected age when it's so easy to hoodwink one another in news feeds and social media, this is the perfect chéngyǔ to keep handy at all times. And of course, because this Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ strategy worked so well for Zhao Gao in the 3rd Century BC, many an autocrat since, also found it handy and useful, not to mention, effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S6E03 | A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2022 11:48

The story behind today's Chinese Saying is an old favorite of all lovers of popular Chinese history. How can we forget Zhao Gao 赵高 from the Qin Dynasty and the famous story behind Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ 指鹿为马. In our connected age when it's so easy to hoodwink one another in news feeds and social media, this is the perfect chéngyǔ to keep handy at all times. And of course, because this Zhǐ Lù Wéi Mǎ strategy worked so well for Zhao Gao in the 3rd Century BC, many an autocrat since, also found it handy and useful, not to mention, effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices