Podcasts about qing

The Loyal King does everything right. He writes ahead to Shanghai to announce he's coming – as a friend! And only for the Qing parts of the city! His standing orders: no firing on the foreigners, you get your head chopped off. He even signs off wishing them all good health until he can meet them in person. It's returned unopened. As is the second one. And so, in the third week of August 1860, an army marching under orders not to shoot back spends 5 days being shelled outside the walls of a city they thought friendly… all culminating with the French burning the suburbs to the ground, with everyone still inside. And those soldiers holding that wall on the Qing's behalf? They're the rear echelon of an expedition sailing north to burn down the dynasty's capital.Time Period Covered:June-Aug. 1860 CE Major Historical Figures:The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Rengan, the Shield King (Gan Wang), Prime Minister [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King (Zhong Wang) [1823–1864] The Qing:Xue Huan, acting Governor of JiangsuWu Xu, the Shanghai DaotaiYang Fang, banker; head of the merchant syndicateHe Guiqing, cashiered Governor-General of Liangjiang [1816–1862] The Foreigners…At Shanghai:Frederick Bruce, British Minister to China [1814–1867]Thomas Taylor Meadows, acting British Consul at Shanghai [1815–1868]Frederick Townsend Ward, commander, Shanghai Foreign-Arms Corps [1831–1862]Thomas Francis Wade, first British Inspector of Customs at Shanghai [1818–1895]Horatio Nelson Lay, British Inspector of Customs from 1855 [1832–1898]Savage, English coastal pilot in Taiping service [d. 1860]In the North:James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, British High Commissioner; Frederick Bruce's elder brother [1811–1863] Major Works Cited:Fairbank, John King. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast: The Opening of the Treaty Ports, 1842–1854.Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I–III.Murphey, Rhoads. Shanghai: Key to Modern China.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.Twitchett, Denis, and John K. Fairbank, eds. The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10: Late Ch'ing, 1800–1911, Part 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mao Zedong nació en 1893 en una aldea de la provincia de Hunan. Una época en la que China sufría las humillaciones de las potencias extranjeras y gobernaba una dinastía, la Qing, ya en plena decadencia. Era hijo de un campesino tacaño y violento, al que detestaba, y de una madre budista a la que adoraba. Creció leyendo a escondidas novelas de bandidos y rebeldes que le marcaron mucho más que las enseñanzas confucianas que impartían en la escuela. Tras la revolución de 1911 empezó a leer a los autores occidentales y se formó como maestro en la pequeña ciudad de Changsha. En 1918 se trasladó a Pekín, donde trabajó como auxiliar de biblioteca. Fue en esa época cuando se unió al grupo que fundó el Partido Comunista de China. Frente a la ortodoxia marxista, estaba convencido de que la revolución la harían los campesinos y no los obreros industriales. Tras la matanza de comunistas ordenada por Chiang Kai-shek en 1927 se refugió en las montañas de Jingangshan y abandonó a su esposa Yang Kaihui, que sería fusilada en 1930. Ya entonces era implacable con las purgas dentro de su propio ejército. En 1934, cercados por los nacionalistas, los revolucionarios chinos emprendieron la Larga Marcha. Solo consiguieron sobrevivir entre 5.000 y 8.000 de los 86.000 que habían partido de Yudu un año antes. Mao capitalizó mejor que ningún otro comunista la marcha, se hizo con el control del partido y supo convertir aquel desastre en la epopeya revolucionaria que luego exaltaría la propaganda. Poco después, y a causa de la invasión japonesa de Manchuria, llegó a un acuerdo con Chiang Kai-shek. Se acuarteló junto a sus hombres en Yanan reservó sus fuerzas mientras el Kuomintang ponía los muertos. Se casó con la actriz Jiang Qing y en 1942 puso en marcha el llamado Movimiento de Rectificación, una purga que le otorgó el poder absoluto. Tras la derrota japonesa se reanudó la guerra civil, que terminó en 1949 con la huida de Chiang Kai-shek a Taiwán. El 1 de octubre de ese año proclamó la República Popular desde la plaza Tiananmén. Se instaló en el Zhongnanhai, un complejo de la palacios y jardines junto a la Ciudad Prohibida y allí se rodeó de una corte de aduladores. En 1950 envió tropas a Corea, donde murió uno de sus hijos, ocupó el Tíbet y desató varias campañas de puro terror como la reforma agraria, que costó entre 1 y 2 millones de muertos o la de las Cien Flores, que costó la vida a medio millón de intelectuales. El Gran Salto Adelante de 1958 fue el mayor de los desastres que provocó. Obsesionado con la producción de acero, obligó a instalar pequeños hornos en las casas de los campesinos para incrementar la producción. Las cosechas se desatendieron y pronto cundió la escasez. Eso y una serie de teorías agrícolas absurdas provocaron la mayor hambruna de la historia. Entre 35 y 45 millones de chinos murieron de hambre entre 1958 y 1962. Cuatro años más tarde, en 1966, llegó la llamada Revolución Cultural. Los Guardias Rojos sembraron el terror por toda China en nombre de Mao y de una interpretación rigorista de la revolución. La purga interna dentro del régimen fue de gran envergadura. Incluso sus hombres más cercanos sucumbieron a ella. El culto a la personalidad del conocido como “gran timonel” alcanzó el paroxismo. Pero ya le quedaba poco. En 1972 recibió a Richard Nixon, que quería contrarrestar a la Unión Soviética. Esta sería su última jugada. Enfermo e impedido fue apagándose hasta su muerte en 1976. Su sucesor Deng Xiaoping, que había sido purgado anteriormente, desmontó el maoísmo, pero sin tocar su imagen para salvar al partido y a la propia república popular que ha sobrevivido con mucho a su fundador. En El ContraSello: 0:00 Introducción 4:28 El joven rebelde de Hunan 19:15 La larga marcha 29:59 Yanan y el asalto al poder 41:21 El nuevo emperador 56:00 El gran salto adelante 1:06:37 La revolución cultural 1:17:27 El ocaso del Gran Timonel 1:28:51 El periodo español en Nápoles y Sicilia Bibliografía: “Mao Zedong” de Samuel Kingsley - https://amzn.to/46NUus3 “Mao: la historia desconocida” de Jung Chang - https://amzn.to/4gJSIhz “Mao Zedong. A life” de Jonathan D. Spence - https://amzn.to/4d8chhc “El libro rojo” de Mao Zedong - https://amzn.to/4yv80g6 #FernandoDiazVillanueva #maozedong #chinapopular Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Mao Zedong nació en 1893 en una aldea de la provincia de Hunan. Una época en la que China sufría las humillaciones de las potencias extranjeras y gobernaba una dinastía, la Qing, ya en plena decadencia. Era hijo de un campesino tacaño y violento, al que detestaba, y de una madre budista a la que adoraba. Creció leyendo a escondidas novelas de bandidos y rebeldes que le marcaron mucho más que las enseñanzas confucianas que impartían en la escuela. Tras la revolución de 1911 empezó a leer a los autores occidentales y se formó como maestro en la pequeña ciudad de Changsha. En 1918 se trasladó a Pekín, donde trabajó como auxiliar de biblioteca. Fue en esa época cuando se unió al grupo que fundó el Partido Comunista de China. Frente a la ortodoxia marxista, estaba convencido de que la revolución la harían los campesinos y no los obreros industriales. Tras la matanza de comunistas ordenada por Chiang Kai-shek en 1927 se refugió en las montañas de Jingangshan y abandonó a su esposa Yang Kaihui, que sería fusilada en 1930. Ya entonces era implacable con las purgas dentro de su propio ejército. En 1934, cercados por los nacionalistas, los revolucionarios chinos emprendieron la Larga Marcha. Solo consiguieron sobrevivir entre 5.000 y 8.000 de los 86.000 que habían partido de Yudu un año antes. Mao capitalizó mejor que ningún otro comunista la marcha, se hizo con el control del partido y supo convertir aquel desastre en la epopeya revolucionaria que luego exaltaría la propaganda. Poco después, y a causa de la invasión japonesa de Manchuria, llegó a un acuerdo con Chiang Kai-shek. Se acuarteló junto a sus hombres en Yanan reservó sus fuerzas mientras el Kuomintang ponía los muertos. Se casó con la actriz Jiang Qing y en 1942 puso en marcha el llamado Movimiento de Rectificación, una purga que le otorgó el poder absoluto. Tras la derrota japonesa se reanudó la guerra civil, que terminó en 1949 con la huida de Chiang Kai-shek a Taiwán. El 1 de octubre de ese año proclamó la República Popular desde la plaza Tiananmén. Se instaló en el Zhongnanhai, un complejo de la palacios y jardines junto a la Ciudad Prohibida y allí se rodeó de una corte de aduladores. En 1950 envió tropas a Corea, donde murió uno de sus hijos, ocupó el Tíbet y desató varias campañas de puro terror como la reforma agraria, que costó entre 1 y 2 millones de muertos o la de las Cien Flores, que costó la vida a medio millón de intelectuales. El Gran Salto Adelante de 1958 fue el mayor de los desastres que provocó. Obsesionado con la producción de acero, obligó a instalar pequeños hornos en las casas de los campesinos para incrementar la producción. Las cosechas se desatendieron y pronto cundió la escasez. Eso y una serie de teorías agrícolas absurdas provocaron la mayor hambruna de la historia. Entre 35 y 45 millones de chinos murieron de hambre entre 1958 y 1962. Cuatro años más tarde, en 1966, llegó la llamada Revolución Cultural. Los Guardias Rojos sembraron el terror por toda China en nombre de Mao y de una interpretación rigorista de la revolución. La purga interna dentro del régimen fue de gran envergadura. Incluso sus hombres más cercanos sucumbieron a ella. El culto a la personalidad del conocido como “gran timonel” alcanzó el paroxismo. Pero ya le quedaba poco. En 1972 recibió a Richard Nixon, que quería contrarrestar a la Unión Soviética. Esta sería su última jugada. Enfermo e impedido fue apagándose hasta su muerte en 1976. Su sucesor Deng Xiaoping, que había sido purgado anteriormente, desmontó el maoísmo, pero sin tocar su imagen para salvar al partido y a la propia república popular que ha sobrevivido con mucho a su fundador. En El ContraSello: 0:00 Introducción 4:28 El joven rebelde de Hunan 19:15 La larga marcha 29:59 Yanan y el asalto al poder 41:21 El nuevo emperador 56:00 El gran salto adelante 1:06:37 La revolución cultural 1:17:27 El ocaso del Gran Timonel 1:28:51 El periodo español en Nápoles y Sicilia Bibliografía: “Mao Zedong” de Samuel Kingsley - https://amzn.to/46NUus3 “Mao: la historia desconocida” de Jung Chang - https://amzn.to/4gJSIhz “Mao Zedong. A life” de Jonathan D. Spence - https://amzn.to/4d8chhc “El libro rojo” de Mao Zedong - https://amzn.to/4yv80g6 #FernandoDiazVillanueva #maozedong #chinapopular

For a thousand years, Suzhou and Hangzhou stood as synonyms for the next best thing to Heaven itself. Well... that was before 1860. As of now, Hangzhou is a fire-gutted ruin, and Suzhou is next on the target list. But the army that does the most damage… is not the invader. The Taiping arrive to find the dirty work done ahead of them, by the very Qing forces assigned to defend the great southern city, and a vast number of the city having decided to "take matters into their own hands." As such, when a party of missionaries sails upriver from Shanghai to find out just what happened to Suzhou, they'll have to wade through a literal riverful of the dead. Time Period Covered:May-Aug. 1860 CE Major Historical Figures: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Hong Rengan, the Shield King (Gan Wang), Prime Minister [1822–1864]Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King (Zhong Wang) [1823–1864] The Qing:The Xianfeng Emperor [1831–1861]He Guiqing, Governor-General of Liangjiang [1816–1862]Xu Youren, Governor of Jiangsu [d. 1860]Zeng Guofan, Governor-General of Liangjiang (from June 8, 1860); commander, Hunan Army [1811–1872]Ma Dezhao, Qing commander The Foreign Missionaries:Joseph Edkins, London Missionary Society [1823–1905]Jane Edkins, his wife [1841-1863]Griffith John, Welsh Congregationalist missionary [1831–1912]James Legge, London Missionary Society, Hong Kong [1815–1897] Major Works Cited:Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement.Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I–III.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Misha Glenny delves in to the In Our Time archive to select ten episodes for listeners to revisit. His fifth choice, first released in May 2024, is the Empress Dowager Cixi, the woman who, for almost fifty years, was the most powerful figure in the Chinese court. Cixi (1835-1908) started out at court as one of the Emperor's many concubines, yet was the only one who gave him a son to succeed him and who also possessed great political skill and ambition. When their son became emperor he was still a young child and Cixi ruled first through him and then, following his death, through another child emperor. This was a time of rapid change in China, when western powers and Japan humiliated the forces of the Qing empire time after time, and Cixi had the chance to push forward the modernising reforms the country needed to thrive. However, when she found those reforms conflicted with her own interests or those of the Qing dynasty, she was arguably obstructive or too slow to act and she has been personally blamed for some of those many humiliations even when the fault lay elsewhere.WithYangwen Zheng Professor of Chinese History at the University of ManchesterRana Mitter The S.T. Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy SchoolAndRonald Po Associate Professor in the Department of International History at London School of Economics and Visiting Professor at Leiden UniversityProducer: Simon Tillotson In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio ProductionReading list:Pearl S. Buck, Imperial Woman: The Story of the Last Empress of China (first published 1956; Open Road Media, 2013)Katharine A. Carl, With the Empress Dowager (first published 1906; General Books LLC, 2009)Jung Chang, Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China (Jonathan Cape, 2013)Princess Der Ling, Old Buddha (first published 1929; Kessinger Publishing, 2007)Joseph W. Esherick, The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (University of California Press, 1987)John K. Fairbank and Merle Goldman, China: A New History (Harvard University Press, 2006)Peter Gue Zarrow and Rebecca Karl (eds.), Rethinking the 1898 Reform Period: Political and Cultural Change in Late Qing China (Harvard University Press, 2002)Grant Hayter-Menzies, Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling (Hong Kong University Press, 2008)Keith Laidler, The Last Empress: The She-Dragon of China (Wiley, 2003)Keith McMahon, Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020)Anchee Min, The Last Empress (Bloomsbury, 2011)Ying-Chen Peng, Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi's Image Making (Yale University Press, 2023).Sarah Pike Conger, Letters from China: with Particular Reference to the Empress Dowager and the Women of China (first published 1910; Forgotten Books, 2024)Stephen Platt, Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age (Atlantic Books, 2019)Liang Qichao (trans. Peter Zarrow), Thoughts From the Ice-Drinker's Studio: Essays on China and the World (Penguin Classics, 2023)Sterling Seagrave, Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (Vintage, 1993)Jonathan D. Spence, The Search for Modern China (first published 1991; W. W. Norton & Company, 2001)X. L. Woo, Empress Dowager Cixi: China's Last Dynasty and the Long Reign of a Formidable Concubine (Algora Publishing, 2003)

Qing Wang talks with Remko Tanis about the changing ways people in China confront and talk about their mental health.Qing's eye opening essay on the topic, is available to read and download here.Qing, a multi-award winning journalist, podcaster, and social media influencer, shares her insights as China and the World Fellow at Asia Society Switzerland, made possible through the generous support of MoneyMuseum Zurich.See Qing in conversation with other Asia Society experts on how China's young people are redefining mental health care in this video.Find all information on our flagship STATE OF ASIA conference, taking place on Nov. 5 in Zurich, on our website here.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.--STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Published: September 3, 2026Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

The rebellion in Datong in 1649 presented the greatest challenge against the Qing during its period of consolidation, and in ended in a massacre.Support the show

Please check out this entire series-arc, re-written, expanded, & re-recorded as of Aug 2026:- Ep. 306: Dead Men Tell No Tales: https://megaphone.link/ARML5251369441- Ep. 307: Murders & Acquisitions, Mostly: https://megaphone.link/ARML6215286599 - Ep. 308: The Shadow State: https://megaphone.link/ARML7890860851 Bottled up in Tung Chung Bay, subsisting for three weeks on caterpillars & boiled rice, the largest pirate fleet in the history of the world meets six Portuguese ships and the arithmetic that finishes it. What follows is the biggest criminal amnesty the world had yet seen, and a question very few pirates ever get to ask themselves: what does a cutthroat do with retirement? Time Period Covered: 1809–1844 CE Major Historical Figures: Red Flag Confederation: Zheng Yi Sao (AKA Ching Shih, née Shi Yang), Commander of the Red Flag Confederation [1775–1844]Zhang Baozai (Cheung Po Tsai), Fleet Commander of the Red Flags, later Qing navy vice-commander at Penghu [1783–1822]Guo Podai, Commander of the Black Flag Fleet [178?–181?]Mei Ying, a captive of the Red Flag Fleet [d. 1809] Qing Empire: The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796–1820]The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Bailing (Zhang Bailing), Governor-General of Liangguang [1748–18??]Sun Quanmou, Provincial Fleet CommanderZhou Feixiong, physician of MacauWu Yaonan, government official [fl. 1810–1840]Lin Zexu, Viceroy of Liangguang [1785–1850] Portuguese Empire: Miguel José de Arriaga Brum da Silveira, Ouvidor of MacauCaptain José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa, Commander of the Macau FlotillaGonçalves Carocha, pilot British East India Company: Richard Glasspoole, second mate of the Marquis of Ely [1788–1846] Major Sources Cited: Andrade, Tonio. The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History. Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China. Glasspoole, Richard. A Brief Narrative of My Captivity and Treatment Amongst the Ladrones (1809); see also Owen Rutter, ed., Mr Glasspoole and the Chinese Pirates (Golden Cockerel Press, 1935).Leonard, Jane Kate. “Maritime China in Transition, 1750–1850,” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part 2: The Ch'ing Dynasty to 1800. Murray, Dian H. Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810. Van de Ven, Hans J. Breaking with the Past: The Maritime Customs Service and the Global Origins of Modernity in China. Yuan Yonglun. Jing hai fen ji (靖海氛記, 1830), translated by Karl Friedrich Neumann as History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea, 1807–1810 (London, 1831). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

W połowie XIX wieku Chiny pogrążyły się w chaosie. Kryzys gospodarczy, klęska w wojnie opiumowej i wszechobecna korupcja osłabiły władzę dynastii Qing. W tym burzliwym czasie pojawił się Hong Xiuquan, mistyk i samozwańczy brat Chrystusa, który poprowadził miliony Chińczyków do krwawego buntu przeciwko cesarzowi. W tym odcinku Misji specjalnej przedstawiamy kulisy powstania tajpingów - najkrwawszej wojny domowej w historii.

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! El 1 de noviembre de 1922, tras seis siglos de existencia, el Imperio otomano desapareció tras su derrota en la Primera Guerra Mundial. Aquella caída se ha interpretado como el desenlace lógico del llamado hombre enfermo de Europa, pero quizá haya que volver sobre esa idea. La segunda década del siglo fue mala para todos los imperios, se hundieron también el austrohúngaro, el alemán, el zarista ruso y la dinastía Qing en China. El otomano, por tanto, no fue un caso único, y su desaparición tardó cuatro años más que la del resto, lo que es señal de que la idea imperial tenía cierta fortaleza. En vísperas de 1914 el imperio no era un moribundo condenado por sus tensiones internas, sino un Estado más o menos viable destruido por las pésimas decisiones de sus gobernantes, las invasiones extranjeras y el desgaste bélico. Habían hecho incluso algunas reformas tras la revuelta de los Jóvenes Turcos en 1908, reformas que no tuvieron continuidad en aquel momento, pero que bien podrían haberse recuperado en la posguerra. Antes de la guerra esos mismos Jóvenes Turcos hablaban del llamado otomanismo, es decir, una monarquía parlamentaria multiétnica y multirreligioso que diese cabida tanto a la población musulmana como a la cristiana y a la judía en igualdad de condiciones. De haber sobrevivido, el imperio seguramente habría podido funcionar más como sociedad multiétnica que como multirreligiosa. Turcos, árabes y kurdos podrían haber convivido, pero buena parte de los cristianos habrían sido expulsados. La religión era lo definía las lealtades, como demuestran las matanzas de armenios en Adana en 1909 o el boicot a los negocios cristianos de 1913. El nacionalismo árabe, en cambio, buscaba al principio reconocimiento cultural y cierta autonomía antes que independencia plena. De los imperios de antes de la guerra solo sobrevivió en cierta manera el ruso, pero reconstituido como una unión de repúblicas soviéticas. El otomano podría haber seguido un camino parecido con el islam como argamasa en lugar del comunismo. ¿Hubiera podido subsistir ese imperio turco-árabe de religión musulmana? En el corto plazo seguramente, en el largo plazo es más difícil ya que las presiones internas y externas hubiesen sido muchas, especialmente a partir de los años 40. Pero no lo sabemos, la historia contrafactual no da respuestas, tan solo una colección de males menores entre los que elegir. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! El 1 de noviembre de 1922, tras seis siglos de existencia, el Imperio otomano desapareció tras su derrota en la Primera Guerra Mundial. Aquella caída se ha interpretado como el desenlace lógico del llamado hombre enfermo de Europa, pero quizá haya que volver sobre esa idea. La segunda década del siglo fue mala para todos los imperios, se hundieron también el austrohúngaro, el alemán, el zarista ruso y la dinastía Qing en China. El otomano, por tanto, no fue un caso único, y su desaparición tardó cuatro años más que la del resto, lo que es señal de que la idea imperial tenía cierta fortaleza. En vísperas de 1914 el imperio no era un moribundo condenado por sus tensiones internas, sino un Estado más o menos viable destruido por las pésimas decisiones de sus gobernantes, las invasiones extranjeras y el desgaste bélico. Habían hecho incluso algunas reformas tras la revuelta de los Jóvenes Turcos en 1908, reformas que no tuvieron continuidad en aquel momento, pero que bien podrían haberse recuperado en la posguerra. Antes de la guerra esos mismos Jóvenes Turcos hablaban del llamado otomanismo, es decir, una monarquía parlamentaria multiétnica y multirreligioso que diese cabida tanto a la población musulmana como a la cristiana y a la judía en igualdad de condiciones. De haber sobrevivido, el imperio seguramente habría podido funcionar más como sociedad multiétnica que como multirreligiosa. Turcos, árabes y kurdos podrían haber convivido, pero buena parte de los cristianos habrían sido expulsados. La religión era lo definía las lealtades, como demuestran las matanzas de armenios en Adana en 1909 o el boicot a los negocios cristianos de 1913. El nacionalismo árabe, en cambio, buscaba al principio reconocimiento cultural y cierta autonomía antes que independencia plena. De los imperios de antes de la guerra solo sobrevivió en cierta manera el ruso, pero reconstituido como una unión de repúblicas soviéticas. El otomano podría haber seguido un camino parecido con el islam como argamasa en lugar del comunismo. ¿Hubiera podido subsistir ese imperio turco-árabe de religión musulmana? En el corto plazo seguramente, en el largo plazo es más difícil ya que las presiones internas y externas hubiesen sido muchas, especialmente a partir de los años 40. Pero no lo sabemos, la historia contrafactual no da respuestas, tan solo una colección de males menores entre los que elegir. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

In July 1683, more than 400 warships clashed around the Penghu Islands in one of the greatest naval battles in Chinese history. Qing admiral Shi Lang had come to destroy the last major stronghold of Ming loyalist resistance: the Zheng regime on Taiwan. The naval campaign would decide Taiwan's fate.More than three centuries later, the Battle of Penghu is politically explosive once again. A Chinese blockbuster about Shi Lang's victory was due to open in late July 2026, complete with the message that “the unification of Taiwan is unstoppable.” Then, just before its release, the movie mysteriously disappeared from cinemas.John and Eryk tell the story of the battle that brought Taiwan under Qing rule, and ask why Beijing got cold feet with their propaganda piece. Note: this episode is also available as a video (on Spotify and YouTube). Oh, and apologies for the er… creative madness of Eryk's movie trailer – blame it on the summer heat. 

AI images used are illustrations and most are not historically accurate. In July 1683, more than 400 warships clashed around the Penghu Islands in one of the greatest naval battles in Chinese history. Qing admiral Shi Lang had come to destroy the last major stronghold of Ming loyalist resistance: the Zheng regime on Taiwan. The naval campaign would decide Taiwan's fate.More than three centuries later, the Battle of Penghu is politically explosive once again. A Chinese blockbuster about Shi Lang's victory was due to open in late July 2026, complete with the message that “the unification of Taiwan is unstoppable.” Then, just before its release, the movie mysteriously disappeared from cinemas.John and Eryk tell the story of the battle that brought Taiwan under Qing rule, and ask why Beijing got cold feet with their propaganda piece. Note: this episode is also available as a slightly shorter audio only version (on Spotify, Apple and other podcast platforms) Oh, and apologies for the er… creative madness of Eryk's movie trailer – blame it on the summer heat. 

Today, we are taking a deep dive into a medical truth thatsounds completely counterintuitive, almost upside down, based on everything you think you know about women's health. But here's the kicker: it's actually nothing new at all. For over two decades, ever since the landmark Women'sHealth Initiative (WHI) study made global headlines back in 2002, the blanket narrative surrounding menopausal hormone therapy has been clear and persistent: hormones equal breast cancer risk. But there is a massive asterisk in thatscience that got completely lost in the media noise. While combination therapy with conjugated equine estrogens paired with medroxyprogesterone acetate (CEE +MPA) did show an increased risk, the story for estrogen-only therapy (mainly CEE) in women wh had a hysterectomy is entirely different. In fact, an overwhelming mountain of growing data shows that estrogen-only therapy is protectiveagainst both breast cancer incidence and breast cancer mortality. In this episode, we're unpacking the latest high-level evidence that cements this crucial distinction. We'll examine the broad statistical landscape, including a comprehensive meta-analysis by Qing et al. (officially set for the December 2026 issue of Annals of Medicine, following its ahead-of-print release in March 2026). Their work breaks down how randomized controlled trial data consistentlypoint to estrogen-only therapy having a protective effect, in stark contrast to combination therapy. We'll also dive into a brand-new Clinical Perspective published in mid-August 2026 in Obstetrics & Gynecology (the Green Journal) by Drs. Andrew Kaunitz and Jason Wright. They call urgent attention to this phenomenon, highlighting RCT meta-analyses that demonstrate a 23% reduction in breast cancer incidence with estrogen alone (RR = 0.77), alongside striking cohort data showing a dramatic risk reduction even in high-risk populations, like carriers of the BRCA mutation.  Listenin for details.1.     Wu Q, Shen L, Hu S, Yang R, Wang Y, Xue D, SunY, Ma H, Dai Z. Relationship between menopausal hormone therapy and incidencerisk of breast cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Med. 2026Dec;58(1):2640244. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2026.2640244. Epub 2026 Mar.2.     Kaunitz, Wright. Menopausal Estrogen Therapy andRisk of Breast Cancer. Obstet Gynecol. Aug 20263.     Chlebowski RT, Aragaki AK, Pan K, et al.Randomized Trials of Estrogen-Alone and Breast Cancer Incidence: AMeta-Analysis. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2024. 4.     Writing Group for the Women's Health InitiativeInvestigators. (2002). Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthypostmenopausal women: Principal results from the Women's Health Initiativerandomized controlled trial. JAMA, 288(3), 321–333.

From misty mountain oolongs to the global boba boom, Taiwan's teas carry far more than flavor. They embody contested borders, evolving identities, and the complexities of nationhood. Routes of Taiwan Tea: Mobility, Borders, and Territoriality (U Washington Press, 2026) by Dr. Po-Yi Hung traces tea varieties, processing expertise, and merchants across Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reveal how a simple leaf has become a force in global politics.Drawing on decades of fieldwork and extensive archival research, Dr. Hung delves deep into the history of Taiwan's tea industry, from its roots in the Qing empire to its role in modern food nationalism. Hung shows how advocacy for Taiwanization—the movement to recover and celebrate the island's unique history and culture—occurs not only within Taiwan's food scenes but also through cross-border exchanges. Oolong cultivation in Thailand's highlands and bubble tea's rise in Vietnam demonstrate how tea acts as a nonhuman agent, fostering connections and unsettling conventional notions of sovereignty. Through these routes, tea becomes more than agriculture; it becomes an instrument of diplomacy, a marker of authenticity, and a symbol of cultural pride.Offering a fresh perspective on Taiwan's geopolitical positioning, Routes of Taiwan Tea redefines how borders are imagined and lived. It is an essential contribution to food studies, political geography, and East and Southeast Asian studies, illuminating how everyday practices like drinking tea shape global relations. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. 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

From misty mountain oolongs to the global boba boom, Taiwan's teas carry far more than flavor. They embody contested borders, evolving identities, and the complexities of nationhood. Routes of Taiwan Tea: Mobility, Borders, and Territoriality (U Washington Press, 2026) by Dr. Po-Yi Hung traces tea varieties, processing expertise, and merchants across Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reveal how a simple leaf has become a force in global politics.Drawing on decades of fieldwork and extensive archival research, Dr. Hung delves deep into the history of Taiwan's tea industry, from its roots in the Qing empire to its role in modern food nationalism. Hung shows how advocacy for Taiwanization—the movement to recover and celebrate the island's unique history and culture—occurs not only within Taiwan's food scenes but also through cross-border exchanges. Oolong cultivation in Thailand's highlands and bubble tea's rise in Vietnam demonstrate how tea acts as a nonhuman agent, fostering connections and unsettling conventional notions of sovereignty. Through these routes, tea becomes more than agriculture; it becomes an instrument of diplomacy, a marker of authenticity, and a symbol of cultural pride.Offering a fresh perspective on Taiwan's geopolitical positioning, Routes of Taiwan Tea redefines how borders are imagined and lived. It is an essential contribution to food studies, political geography, and East and Southeast Asian studies, illuminating how everyday practices like drinking tea shape global relations. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. 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

From misty mountain oolongs to the global boba boom, Taiwan's teas carry far more than flavor. They embody contested borders, evolving identities, and the complexities of nationhood. Routes of Taiwan Tea: Mobility, Borders, and Territoriality (U Washington Press, 2026) by Dr. Po-Yi Hung traces tea varieties, processing expertise, and merchants across Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reveal how a simple leaf has become a force in global politics.Drawing on decades of fieldwork and extensive archival research, Dr. Hung delves deep into the history of Taiwan's tea industry, from its roots in the Qing empire to its role in modern food nationalism. Hung shows how advocacy for Taiwanization—the movement to recover and celebrate the island's unique history and culture—occurs not only within Taiwan's food scenes but also through cross-border exchanges. Oolong cultivation in Thailand's highlands and bubble tea's rise in Vietnam demonstrate how tea acts as a nonhuman agent, fostering connections and unsettling conventional notions of sovereignty. Through these routes, tea becomes more than agriculture; it becomes an instrument of diplomacy, a marker of authenticity, and a symbol of cultural pride.Offering a fresh perspective on Taiwan's geopolitical positioning, Routes of Taiwan Tea redefines how borders are imagined and lived. It is an essential contribution to food studies, political geography, and East and Southeast Asian studies, illuminating how everyday practices like drinking tea shape global relations. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

From misty mountain oolongs to the global boba boom, Taiwan's teas carry far more than flavor. They embody contested borders, evolving identities, and the complexities of nationhood. Routes of Taiwan Tea: Mobility, Borders, and Territoriality (U Washington Press, 2026) by Dr. Po-Yi Hung traces tea varieties, processing expertise, and merchants across Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reveal how a simple leaf has become a force in global politics.Drawing on decades of fieldwork and extensive archival research, Dr. Hung delves deep into the history of Taiwan's tea industry, from its roots in the Qing empire to its role in modern food nationalism. Hung shows how advocacy for Taiwanization—the movement to recover and celebrate the island's unique history and culture—occurs not only within Taiwan's food scenes but also through cross-border exchanges. Oolong cultivation in Thailand's highlands and bubble tea's rise in Vietnam demonstrate how tea acts as a nonhuman agent, fostering connections and unsettling conventional notions of sovereignty. Through these routes, tea becomes more than agriculture; it becomes an instrument of diplomacy, a marker of authenticity, and a symbol of cultural pride.Offering a fresh perspective on Taiwan's geopolitical positioning, Routes of Taiwan Tea redefines how borders are imagined and lived. It is an essential contribution to food studies, political geography, and East and Southeast Asian studies, illuminating how everyday practices like drinking tea shape global relations. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/food

From misty mountain oolongs to the global boba boom, Taiwan's teas carry far more than flavor. They embody contested borders, evolving identities, and the complexities of nationhood. Routes of Taiwan Tea: Mobility, Borders, and Territoriality (U Washington Press, 2026) by Dr. Po-Yi Hung traces tea varieties, processing expertise, and merchants across Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reveal how a simple leaf has become a force in global politics.Drawing on decades of fieldwork and extensive archival research, Dr. Hung delves deep into the history of Taiwan's tea industry, from its roots in the Qing empire to its role in modern food nationalism. Hung shows how advocacy for Taiwanization—the movement to recover and celebrate the island's unique history and culture—occurs not only within Taiwan's food scenes but also through cross-border exchanges. Oolong cultivation in Thailand's highlands and bubble tea's rise in Vietnam demonstrate how tea acts as a nonhuman agent, fostering connections and unsettling conventional notions of sovereignty. Through these routes, tea becomes more than agriculture; it becomes an instrument of diplomacy, a marker of authenticity, and a symbol of cultural pride.Offering a fresh perspective on Taiwan's geopolitical positioning, Routes of Taiwan Tea redefines how borders are imagined and lived. It is an essential contribution to food studies, political geography, and East and Southeast Asian studies, illuminating how everyday practices like drinking tea shape global relations. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

From misty mountain oolongs to the global boba boom, Taiwan's teas carry far more than flavor. They embody contested borders, evolving identities, and the complexities of nationhood. Routes of Taiwan Tea: Mobility, Borders, and Territoriality (U Washington Press, 2026) by Dr. Po-Yi Hung traces tea varieties, processing expertise, and merchants across Taiwan and Southeast Asia to reveal how a simple leaf has become a force in global politics.Drawing on decades of fieldwork and extensive archival research, Dr. Hung delves deep into the history of Taiwan's tea industry, from its roots in the Qing empire to its role in modern food nationalism. Hung shows how advocacy for Taiwanization—the movement to recover and celebrate the island's unique history and culture—occurs not only within Taiwan's food scenes but also through cross-border exchanges. Oolong cultivation in Thailand's highlands and bubble tea's rise in Vietnam demonstrate how tea acts as a nonhuman agent, fostering connections and unsettling conventional notions of sovereignty. Through these routes, tea becomes more than agriculture; it becomes an instrument of diplomacy, a marker of authenticity, and a symbol of cultural pride.Offering a fresh perspective on Taiwan's geopolitical positioning, Routes of Taiwan Tea redefines how borders are imagined and lived. It is an essential contribution to food studies, political geography, and East and Southeast Asian studies, illuminating how everyday practices like drinking tea shape global relations. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/geography Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

durée : 00:48:25 - Affaires sensibles - Aujourd'hui dans Affaires Sensibles, Jiang Qing la veuve de Mao Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Fyrsti þáttur haustsins er tileinkaður tónlist úr mjög ólíkum áttum. Þær Ásta Dóra Finnsdóttir og María Qing Sigríðardóttir eru meðal stærstu vonarstjarna okkar á sviði klassískrar tónlistar. Ásta Dóra stundar nám í Curtis, einum virtasta tónlistarháskóla heims, og María er eftirsóttur sellisti í Þýskalandi, þar sem hún er búsett. Þrátt fyrir að vera rétt um tvítugt hafa þær báðar leikið einleik með fleiri en einni sinfóníuhljómsveit og framundan eru spennandi tækifæri hér heima og erlendis. Þær líta við í hljóðstofu en í framhaldinu höldum við svo áfram að huga að tónlistarmanninum Henry Threadgill og heyrum af tónleikum sem hann hélt með hljómsveit sinni Air í Gamla bíói árið 1982

Hay lugares en el mundo cuyo tamaño no guarda ninguna proporción con su peso. Taiwán es uno de ellos: una isla de treinta y seis mil kilómetros cuadrados —poco más de una quinta parte de Uruguay— con veintitrés millones de habitantes, que no es miembro de las Naciones Unidas, que apenas una docena de Estados reconoce formalmente, y de la que sin embargo depende el noventa por ciento de los semiconductores más avanzados del planeta y, con ellos, la inteligencia artificial, los automóviles, los misiles y los teléfonos de todos los demás. Por el estrecho que la separa del continente pasa más de un quinto de todo el comercio marítimo del mundo. Y sobre su destino se juega, con más claridad que en ningún otro punto del mapa, si el siglo XXI será un siglo de reglas o un siglo de esferas de influencia.Desde Taipei , Jose Antonio Saravia , investigador, nos da sus impresiones sobre  Taiwán que no es solamente un problema estratégico sino también una sociedad, con una historia propia larguísima y muy poco conocida entre nosotros. Es la cuna lingüística de media Oceanía, fue colonia holandesa y española antes que china, fue provincia del imperio Qing apenas los últimos diez años del siglo XIX, fue colonia japonesa durante medio siglo, recibió en 1949 a un gobierno derrotado que trajo consigo a más de un millón de personas, vivió treinta y ocho años de ley marcial y se convirtió después, casi sin violencia, en una de las democracias más vitales de Asia. Para entender qué está en juego hay que entender primero de dónde viene la isla. Y para eso, la mejor manera es preguntárselo a alguien que vive allí.

I interviewed Wuer about Mnemosyne on Sunday, August 31, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy. Here is the story synopsis for Mnemosyne: "Mnemosyne is an innovative immersive work that blends VR film and live theatre, offering a multi- sensory experience and a poetic exploration of love, illusion, and awakening. Inspired by Tang Xianzu's Ming Dynasty classic The Peony Pavilion, the piece draws on Eastern philosophy to evoke the notion of “ultimate 情 (Qing/emotion)”. It combines 360° animation, 180° live-action footage, and live performance, with the surrounding environment, shaping each audience member's evolving sense of presence. The layered narrative unfolds like ink in water: fluid, evocative, and open to interpretation, inviting the audience to drift between constructed memories and imagined futures. Mnemosyne seeks to create a meditative landscape of shifting emotions, centring on the intimate experience of transcending illusion to uncover genuine feeling. It views this hybrid medium of merging physical and virtual presence as a potential stage for exploring the social dimensions and future possibilities of VR/XR." Here are the contextual domains that are explored: Connecting to the earth and nature [4], but also Eastern Religiion from Daoist and Buddhist thought [9]. Focusing on and reflecting upon your own embodied experiences [1] Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity: 1st Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Most of the experience is CGI-based VR Animation and Cinematic VR, but there's is an immersive theatrical installation of something like a Tea Room, with meditation booths, which have a number of spatial modulations over the course of the performance. There's also an actor at the end with Mixed Reality Components. So it's a real blending of the spatial contexts.2nd Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Lots of Taoist and Zen influences, and some quoted poetry and passages, but the density of the philosohical thought create a bit of like Zen Koan type of experience, where there were lots of deeper philosophical mysteries being explored. Very poetic, if not a bit mysterious -- and even the cretor was a bit vexed to communicate what the experience would be. You have to experience it to fully understand.3rd Center of Gravity of Water Element / Emotional Presence: Spatiousness from the cinematic montage of different scenes and poetic reflections. Jumping between the pre-recorded aspects (Chronos) and the live performative elements (Kairos) of the momen.4th Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: LIVE performance elements. But also no real narrative or spatial agency. Aiming to sort create a contemplative poetic experience. Archetypal Themes and Character Explored: Lots of Truth vs Illusion themes. "poetic exploration of love, illusion, and awakening." Also, "it offers a sensory framework where gazes, pauses, and subtle gestures shape the unfolding rhythm. Within a layered dreamscape of animation, live-action, and performance, the audience becomes not just an observer but a co-creator of emotional experience. Drawing from the Daoist idea of “breaking illusion to perceive truth”, the work uses VR as a poetic medium — an ephemeral vessel to navigate between illusion and reality, dream and awakening — until the line between the two gently dissolves." Artist Statement: "Mnemosyne is an immersive narrative experiment focused on “empowering the audience's imagination”. Rather than presenting a closed storyline, it offers a sensory framework where gazes, pauses, and subtle gestures shape the unfolding rhythm. Within a layered dreamscape of animation, live-action, and performance, the audience becomes not just an observer but a co- creator of emotional experience. Drawing from the Daoist idea of “breaking illusion to perceive truth”, the work uses VR as a poetic medium — an ephemeral vessel to navigate between illusion and reality, dream and awakening — until the line between the two gently dissolves." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEAyABepKFM This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

If you ever studied modern Chinese history, you likely met the “century of humiliation” in your first class. In 1840, British gunboats shattered the pride and legitimacy of the Qing empire, and the decades of semi-colonization that followed inaugurated a century of reform and revolution — all aimed at restoring an ancient, creaky civilization to unity and to the top of the world. The Kuomintang and the Communist Party told the same story and drew the same conclusion: the mandate belongs to whoever ends the humiliation.In China, history has never been merely academic. Where elections do not exist, leaders seek legitimacy in historical title deeds — which is why the Party still teaches the story in every classroom and invokes it in every speech on national rejuvenation. The battle crossed the Pacific, too. John King Fairbank absorbed the nationalist framework in wartime China and canonized it at Harvard, organizing American understanding of modern China around two dates: 1840 and 1949. He built the field of China studies as we know it, and generations of his students inherited the framework with it, until American scholarship was teaching China's nationalist mythology back to itself — and to Washington, where it still underwrites op-eds casting Xi Jinping as the new emperor. How America tells China's story shapes how America makes China policy.Dr. Alice Miller thinks we have the story wrong. From 1974 to 1990, she was a senior CIA analyst of Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics, and later a division chief supervising analysis of China, North Korea, Indochina, and Soviet policy in East Asia. She is now a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she edited and contributed to the China Leadership Monitor from 2001 to 2018. She published as H. Lyman Miller before her gender transition.In part two of our conversation — edited for clarity and brevity — we trace her formation at Princeton under Fritz Mote, the ferocious “Who lost China?” debates of the 1950s, the eternal feud between historians and political scientists, and her heterodox verdict on engagement: it didn't fail — it worked so well that Xi Jinping had to stomp on it. We close with a story of a different kind: her transition in 2006, and the unexpected grace with which the CIA, Hoover, and the Naval Postgraduate School received it. Part one, on her years decoding Beijing for the CIA, is here.Enjoy!LeoMusic: Carnaval Op. 9 No. 18 - “Aveu”, Bishara Haroni, Artlist Classics, Robert SchumannFor quick navigation to the specific sections:* Early sinologist debates about “who lost China?”* The fallacy of “The Century of Humiliation”* The battle between historians and political scientists over contemporary China studies* “How Did We Get China So Wrong?”* An identity transition from Harold to AlicePeking Hotel is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.About usThe Peking Hotel podcast and newsletter are digital publications in which Liu He interviews China specialists about their first-hand experiences and observations from decades past. The project grew out of Liu's research at Hoover Institution collecting oral history of China experts living in the U.S. Their stories are a reminder of what China used to be and what it is capable of becoming.We also have a Chinese-language Substack. We hope to publish more conversations like this one, so stay tuned! Get full access to Peking Hotel at pekinghotel.substack.com/subscribe

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: The Forbidden City's Lost Legacy: A Summer Mystery Unraveled Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-07-31-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 北京的夏天，太阳炙热地照耀着紫禁城的红墙金瓦。En: In the summer of Beijing, the sun blazes down on the Forbidden City's red walls and golden tiles.Zh: 游客们穿行在这座宏伟的古建筑群中，仿佛穿越时光回到了中国的明清时代。En: Tourists weave through this magnificent ancient architectural complex, as if they've traveled back in time to China's Ming and Qing dynasties.Zh: 历史馆的策展人，名叫明。En: The curator of the history museum is named Ming.Zh: 这几周，她的心情沉重。En: These past weeks, her heart has been heavy.Zh: 个人的烦恼加上工作的压力，令她无法安眠。En: Personal troubles combined with work pressures have robbed her of sleep.Zh: 最近，她正忙于一个明朝文物展览的换展。En: Recently, she has been busy with a rotation exhibition of Ming dynasty artifacts.Zh: 这时，却传来了坏消息：一件珍贵的明代文物不知去向。En: At this moment, bad news arrived: a precious Ming artifact has gone missing.Zh: 杰是馆里的实习生，活力十足。En: Jie is an intern at the museum, full of energy.Zh: 他一心想给大家留下深刻的印象，但有时候太过兴奋，反而会让事情变得复杂。En: He's eager to leave a deep impression on everyone, but sometimes his excitement complicates things.Zh: 他得知文物失踪后，自告奋勇帮助明。En: Upon learning about the missing artifact, he volunteered to help Ming.Zh: 但明知道，杰要学习的还很多。En: However, Ming knows there's still much for Jie to learn.Zh: 另一位是莲，博物馆的资深导游。En: Another character is Lian, a senior tour guide at the museum.Zh: 她每次讲解时，目光都仿佛在讲述自己的故事。En: Her gaze seems to narrate her own story every time she explains something.Zh: 事实上，她的家族与这件失踪的文物有着神秘的渊源。En: In fact, her family has mysterious ties to the missing artifact.Zh: 明心中焦急，失去这件文物，她可能会失去在博物馆的职位。En: Ming is anxious; losing this artifact could cost her her position at the museum.Zh: 可是，她不能冒然相信任何人。En: However, she cannot trust anyone rashly.Zh: 馆里今年实施了新的安保措施，正是这些改动，让一切变得更加混乱。En: The museum has implemented new security measures this year, which have made everything more chaotic.Zh: 为了查清文物的下落，明决定秘密进行调查。En: In order to find out the artifact's whereabouts, Ming decides to conduct a secret investigation.Zh: 她请杰和莲帮忙，理由是需要整理新展品。En: She asks Jie and Lian for help, under the pretense of organizing new exhibits.Zh: 三人每天在馆内忙碌，眼神之间交流的，只有彼此懂得。En: The three of them are busy in the museum every day, exchanging looks that only they understand.Zh: 翻阅古旧档案时，明无意间发现了一本日记。En: While browsing through old archives, Ming inadvertently discovers a journal.Zh: 日记上详细记录了文物最后的下落。En: The journal detailed the artifact's last known whereabouts.Zh: 她心头一震，立刻意识到这与莲的家族有关。En: Her heart skips a beat, immediately realizing it is connected to Lian's family.Zh: 一个黄昏，游客渐渐散去，博物馆沉浸在晚霞的余辉中。明鼓起勇气找到莲，直接把日记摊开在她面前。En: One evening, as the tourists gradually disperse, leaving the museum bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, Ming musters the courage to find Lian, and directly opens the journal before her.Zh: “莲，你知道些什么？”明的声音中有压抑不住的紧张。En: "Lian, what do you know?" Ming's voice is fraught with barely restrained tension.Zh: 莲低下头，沉默了一会儿，然后叹了口气。En: Lian lowers her head, remains silent for a moment, then sighs.Zh: “我的祖先确实是这件文物的最后守护者。他们在动乱年代藏起了它，为的是保护它。”En: "My ancestors were indeed the last guardians of this artifact. They hid it during turbulent times to protect it."Zh: 明有些不知所措，但她感到事情正在朝正确的方向发展。En: Ming is a bit at a loss, but she feels that things are moving in the right direction.Zh: 莲带她走到一个几乎无人知道的历史角落—a偏僻的储物间。En: Lian takes her to a little-known historical corner—a remote storage room.Zh: 经过一番细致的寻找，她们终于在一个角落找到了那件失踪已久的文物。En: After meticulous searching, they finally find the long-lost artifact in a corner.Zh: 阳光透过窗户洒在文物上，它在光中闪烁着光辉。En: Sunlight pours through the window, casting a glow on the artifact.Zh: 它在光中闪烁着光辉。En: It glimmers in the light.Zh: 明握紧拳头，心中松了一口气。不仅是为了保护博物馆的声誉，更是因为她终于找到了那份被遗忘的历史与当下的联系。En: Ming clenches her fist, breathing a sigh of relief, not only for protecting the museum's reputation but also because she has finally found the connection between forgotten history and the present.Zh: 重新找到文物的那一刻，让明深刻意识到，信任与合作是解决问题的另一把钥匙。En: Finding the artifact again made Ming realize profoundly that trust and cooperation are another key to solving problems.Zh: 而历史，并不只是冰冷的数字和事件，它还蕴藏着活生生的故事，与如今的人们息息相关。En: And history is not just cold numbers and events; it contains living stories deeply connected to people today.Zh: 这个夏日傍晚，紫禁城的古墙外，微风徐来。En: On this summer evening, outside the ancient walls of the Forbidden City, a gentle breeze stirs.Zh: 明的心境，已然平静如水。En: Ming's state of mind is now as calm as water. Vocabulary Words:blazes: 炙热weave: 穿行curator: 策展人artifact: 文物volunteered: 自告奋勇excited: 兴奋narrate: 讲述turbulent: 动乱chaotic: 混乱meticulous: 细致的archive: 档案gaze: 目光inadvertently: 无意间ancestor: 祖先guardians: 守护者remote: 偏僻breeze: 微风muster: 鼓起sigh: 叹气fraught: 压抑的mysterious: 神秘的implement: 实施forgotten: 遗忘的consulted: 请教rotate: 换whereabouts: 下落glisten: 闪烁ponder: 反思tranquil: 平静legacy: 遗产

Hola Gerardo, aquí en otro episodio de Simplemente Yo; La selección de esta semana es Dirty Ho, es una película de comedia de artes marciales de Hong Kong de 1979 dirigida por Lau Kar-leung y protagonizada por Gordon Liu y Wong Yue. Producida por el estudio Shaw Brothers.   Plot: El undécimo hijo del emperador Qing, que es un maestro de kung fu, está de visita en Cantón de incógnito. Mientras está allí, conoce a un ladrón al que toma bajo su protección, mientras los asesinos enviados por su cuarto hermano amenazan su vida. Espero que lo disfruten ;) Información adicional del podcast: Enlace del sitio web oficial de Filmic Notion Podcast: https://filmicnotionpod.com/ Enlace a nuestra página de Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/446nl  

The Taiping's greatest summer curdles into its bloodiest autumn. Two months after the East King demands to be crowned Hong Xiuquan's equal, three of his brother-kings converge on Nanjing with an army he never sees coming.By dawn, the man who once spoke with the voice of God is a head on a pole in the street. Yet the purge doesn't end there: it swallows thousands, devours the men who ordered it, and costs the Heavenly Kingdom its foothold on the Yangtze before the year is out – all without a single Qing soldier's help.Time Period Covered:Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King [1814–1864]Yang Xiuqing, East King [c. 1821–1856]Wei Changhui, North King [d. 1856]Qin Rigang, Yan King [1821–1856]Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863]Xiao Chaogui, West King [d. 1852]Feng Yunshan, South King [d. 1852]Hu Yihuang, Yu King (deposed) Qing Dynasty:Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang/Hunan Army [1811–1872]Xiang Rong, Nanjing S. siege camp commander Nanjing [d. 1856]Tuoming'a, Yangzhou commander Major Sources Cited:Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20. yüzyıla ayaklanmalarla başlayan Çin 1949'a kadar ayaklanmalara ve iç savaşlara sahne oldu. Qing hanedanlığının bitişi, Çin Cumhuriyeti'nin kuruluşu ve iç savaşlar derken 1949'un Ekim ayında Tiananmen Meydanı'nda Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti'nin kuruluşu Mao Zedong tarafından ilan edildi. Peki İmparatorluğun sonunu getiren olaylar nelerdi? Çin neden yarım asır boyunca iç savaşlarla çalkalandı? Komünist devrim nasıl kalıcı olabildi? Devrimler serisinin 8. bölümünde Abdulvahit Gezer Çin devrimini anlattı.

The Taiping Army is riding high. Having finally broken two massive, three-year-long sieges over the course of a single summer, ultimate victory seems within their grasp. Yet, that taste of triumph acts like blood in the water. The lifting of the sieges removes the one thing that had been holding this fractured movement together: sheer external pressure. For three years, the East King has been rehearsing one demand: the same title as the Heavenly King. Absolute recognition, absolute parity - the promotion he believes he's duly owed. Now with the pressure off, he's willing to do anything to get it, even summon the voice of God Himself.Time Period Covered:Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856]Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856]Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856]Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863]Xiao Chaogui, the West King [d. 1852]Feng Yunshan, the South King [d. 1852]Hu Yihuang, the deposed Yu King Qing Dynasty:Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872]Xiang Rong, Qing commander of the southern siege camp at Nanjing [d. 1856]Tuoming'a, Manchu commander at Yangzhou Major Sources Cited:Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan.Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is different.Coach Alex sits down with San Qing on The Way for a wide-ranging conversation about exercise science, stress adaptation, mitochondria, fasting, performance, belief, martial arts, and what happens when the body is challenged and forced to grow.But this conversation also moves into territory that many Faithful Fitness listeners may not be used to hearing.Daoism.Eastern medicine.Energy language.Breathwork.Alchemy.Spiritual frameworks that do not come from a Christian worldview.That is why this episode needs to be heard with discernment.There are places in this conversation where Coach Alex and San Qing find common ground. Stress matters. Adaptation matters. Belief matters. Movement matters. The body and mind are deeply connected. The human body is fearfully and wonderfully complex.But there are also places where the worldviews are very different.As Christians, we do not listen to conversations like this with fear or arrogance. We listen with wisdom. We test what we hear. We recognize what is true, reject what is false, and bring every thought captive to Christ.Because Jesus is not one spiritual option among many.He is the way, the truth, and the life.In this episode, Coach Alex brings exercise science and Christian stewardship into a conversation outside the walls of the church. He discusses his work with Everyday Spy, the role of adaptive stress, why movement forces belief into action, how mitochondria respond to challenge, why “1% better” matters, and why the body cannot be separated from the life of faith.Listen carefully.Listen prayerfully.And ask yourself:Where have I absorbed spiritual ideas from the culture around me without testing them against Scripture?The body matters.The mind matters.Belief matters.But Christ is Lord over all of it.Timestamps00:00 – Belief, Genetics, and Performance00:35 – San Qing's Bodybuilding Journey and Daoist Framework04:21 – Coach Alex Reframes Fitness Around DNA and Stewardship06:44 – Myostatin, Genetics, and Natural Muscle Growth07:40 – Everyday Spy, Mission Readiness, and Recovery09:13 – Less Is More: Acute Stress vs. Chronic Stress12:06 – Adaptive Stressors and Epigenetic Potential12:54 – Which Cardio Is Best? It Depends on the Adaptation14:00 – Obesity Genes, Exercise Modalities, and Stress Response17:30 – Bodybuilding, Amino Acids, ATP, and Supplement History24:13 – Mitochondria, ATP, Fuel, and Cellular Energy26:41 – Deconditioning, Processed Food, and Mitochondrial Dysfunction29:07 – Hypoxia, Exercise, and Adaptation32:26 – Weight Training and Localized Hypoxic Stress33:47 – Stress, Adaptation, Expansion, and the Challenge Principle37:14 – Exercise Is Black and White: You Either Do It or You Don't39:40 – Starting With Two Minutes: The 1% Better Principle42:59 – How Belief Can Affect Physical Performance45:23 – Daoist Energy Language and the Body48:10 – The Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Doing Hard Things50:37 – Hypnosis, Suggestibility, and the Power of Influence56:20 – When More Stress Is Not the Answer59:45 – Mind, Body, Science, and the Limits of Explanation01:03:02 – Taoist Energy Categories and Coach Alex's Christian/Scientific Response01:08:31 – Yin, Yang, Energy, and Worldview Differences01:14:16 – Movement, the Narrow Way, and the Christian Walk01:17:22 – Martial Arts, Wu Wei, and Embodied Learning01:19:53 – Everyday Spy, Operation PowerFit, and Final Thoughts01:22:41 – ClosingJoin the Faithful 5K:Walk, jog, run, bring your family, or join us virtually. There is still time to take a real step forward.

It's the summer travel season, and one of the most popular sites here in Beijing is the Palace Museum at the Forbidden City. To talk about China's most famous imperial palace, we are joined by Matthew Hu Xinyu, Trustee of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) and founder of the Courtyard Institute. Matthew provides us with updates on renovated sections of the Palace Museum previously inaccessible to tourists, such as the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining Gong 慈宁宫), where the Empress Dowager celebrated her birthdays and worshipped the Buddha, and the living quarters of the imperial concubines located north and west of Longzong Gate. Matthew also gives us a fascinating overview of the complex task of renovating the centuries-old compound and the challenges the Palace Museum faces in restoring, protecting, and exhibiting its 1.8 million artifacts. Palaces, artifacts, and historical figures mentioned on the podcast: Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yangxin Dian养心殿 Palace of Established Happiness建福宮Jianfu Gong jinzhuan金砖 ”metal/gold bricks” Dr. Shan Jixiang 单霁翔, curator of the Palace Museum from 2012 to 2019 Imperial Fasting Palace Zhai Gong斋宫 “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” Fuchun Shanju Tu 富春山居圖, a famous Yuan Dynasty painting by Huang Gongwang (黃公望, 1269-1354). The painting was divided into two pieces after being rescued from a fire. The two sections were later separated; the main section is now housed at the Taipei Palace Museum, and the smaller section, referred to as “The Remaining Mountain,” 剩山圖 Sheng Shan Tu, is part of the Beijing collection. “Precious Works of the Stone Canal Pavilion” 石渠宝笈 Shiqu Baoji. A vast Qing collection of paintings and calligraphy by emperors and famous artists, divided into categories such as books, paintings, scrolls, and calligraphy. Hall of Three Rarities Sanxi Tang 三希堂 “Reign behind the curtain” Chuilian tingzheng垂帘听政 Retirement Lodge Juanqin Zhai倦勤斋 Palace of Longevity and Health Shoukang Gong寿康宫 Fragile Cargo: China's Wartime Race to Save the Treasures of the Forbidden City by Adam Brookes. “The gripping true story of the bold and determined museum curators who saved the priceless treasures of China's Forbidden City in the years leading up to World War II and beyond.” “Masters in the Forbidden City” Wo zai Gugong xiu wenwu 我在故宫修文物. State media documentary on the ongoing restoration projects of the Forbidden City. Available on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw6awYYu_6sThis episode originally aired in July 2023.  

fWotD Episode 3353: Gu Yanwu Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 10 July 2026, is Gu Yanwu.Gu Yanwu (Chinese: 顧炎武; pinyin: Gù Yánwǔ, 1613 – 1682) was a Chinese historian, philologist, and poet. After failing to advance through the civil service examination system and surviving the upheaval of the Qing conquest of the Ming dynasty, he became an itinerant scholar, traveling across much of China while collecting notes for his work.Born to a family of scholar-officials in the village of Qiandun in modern Kunshan, Jiangsu, Gu was adopted as the grandchild of his paternal uncle as an infant. He was tutored in the Chinese classics by his adoptive family, and began to pursue advancement in the imperial examination system. After the death of his adoptive grandfather, he passed preliminary examinations in 1626, but repeatedly failed to advance to the rank of juren. He abandoned the exams in 1641. He became a Ming loyalist after the Qing conquest, changing his personal name from Jiang to Yanwu ('warlike and blazing'), but declined any political position in the Ming rump state, after which he began traveling across China, likely financed by his family's landholdings in Kunshan.The most notable of Gu's works was the Rizhilu (日知錄; 'Record of Daily Knowledge'), an edited collection of his notes on various topics, most mainly related to statecraft and historiography. He was critical of Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. He criticized political centralization and reliance on law codes, arguing this ultimately reduced central authority by delegating power to clerks and officials. He advocated for historical study centered on primary sources. Only two of his works – the first edition of the Rizhilu and his phonology treatise Yinxue wushu (音學五書; 'Five Books on Phonology') – were published during his lifetime; the rest of his surviving works, including a variety of poetry, geographical texts, and notes, were published by his lone disciple Pan Lei after his death. Many of his works were lost.Gu's thought influenced scholars throughout the Qing period, and 19th-century scholars such as He Shaoji venerated him at a Beijing temple constructed in his honor. Later, revolutionaries such as Liang Qichao praised his work, stressing his empiricism and resistance to Qing rule.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:06 UTC on Friday, 10 July 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Gu Yanwu on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Salli.

Send us Fan MailA soldier is ordered to escort a condemned missionary to his death, and the prisoner's calm forgiveness does something the empire's power cannot: it changes a human heart. We follow that moment into the life of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, a man who moves from imperial guard to Catholic convert to priest, choosing the underground Church in China over safety and status. His path ends in martyrdom in 1815, but his witness keeps speaking because it is built on something stronger than fear. We also widen the lens to Chinese Catholic history, from early roots and missionary efforts to the crushing pressure of Qing dynasty edicts that demanded renunciation, destroyed sacred items, and punished believers who refused to betray one another. The story of the 120 Martyrs of China brings faces to that history: priests and laity, parents and catechists, and even children, united by one unwavering decision to remain faithful to Jesus. Their courage is not a museum piece; it is a test of our own priorities when truth becomes inconvenient or costly. Finally, we reflect on the Boxer Rebellion and its impact on the Church, when violence aimed to erase Christianity but instead revealed a deeper strength forming beneath the surface. If you're looking for stories of faith under persecution, Catholic martyrs, and practical inspiration for living as a witness today, this journey will meet you right where you are. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories that strengthen the soul.Open by Steve Bailey Support the showJourneys of Faith brings you Super Saints PodcastsChat with US 24/7 Ask us anything https://chatting.page/mjxs9aerrtgm3lmpndlcepmbyosntrjnDownload Journeys of Faith App for Iphone or Android FREE https://journeysoffaith.com/pages/download-our-appPlease consider subscribing to this podcast or making a donation to Journeys of Faith Help us Grow!Journeys of Faith is blessed to provide Catholic media, including podcasts and inspirational content, free of charge across multiple media platforms for viewers and listeners around the world. While access to this content remains free, there are significant and continually increasing costs associated with producing, hosting, and distributing these programs. Your support helps us continue sharing the beauty of the Catholic faith with souls everywhere. We want to reach more souls and you can help us do that by becoming a Mission Angel. Make a Donation Any AmountRefer a FriendYou can help us ...

Greg Jenner is joined in 19th-century China by historian Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Sophie Duker to learn about the Qing dynasty ruler Empress Dowager Cixi.A contemporary of Queen Victoria, Cixi rose from low-ranked concubine to de facto ruler of China for nearly half a century, and lived through a dizzying array of events in China's nineteenth-century history, including the Taiping Rebellion, the Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion. Ruling through her son and then her nephew, Empress Dowager Cixi dominated late Qing dynasty China, and oversaw a variety of economic and military – if not political – reforms. This episode charts her life, from her entry into the Forbidden Palace as a teenager all the way to her death in 1908, taking in the politics and traditions of the Qing imperial court, her relationship with Emperor Xianfeng and her rival turned co-ruler Empress Dowager Ci'an, and her determined attempts to gain and maintain power.This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Emma Mitchell Written by: Emma Mitchell, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! Uno de los debates más recurrentes entre los aficionados a la historia es el de cuáles fueron los mayores imperios de la humanidad y qué los hizo verdaderamente grandes. Medir un imperio únicamente por kilómetros cuadrados resulta engañoso ya que la extensión por sí misma nunca garantizó su riqueza, ni su cohesión ni, naturalmente, que tuviesen un control efectivo del territorio. Gobernar grandes imperios antes de la llegada del telégrafo y el ferrocarril implicaba tomar decisiones casi a ciegas, los emperadores delegaban el poder en virreyes, sátrapas y gobernadores que actuaban con mucha autonomía. Cinco imperios encabezan todas las clasificaciones: el británico, el mongol, el ruso, el chino de la dinastía Qing y el español. Hay dos categorías diferenciadas. Por un lado los imperios terrestres (mongol, ruso y Qing), que se expandieron como una mancha de aceite sobre masas continentales contiguas. Por otro los marítimos (británico y español), que dependían del dominio de las rutas marítimas y de una red de puertos repartidos por varios continentes. El imperio británico fue el más extenso de todos, en su momento álgido al término de la primera guerra mundial llegó a alcanzar los 35 millones de kilómetros cuadrados. Los británicos levantaron su imperio sobre el comercio, la industria y la supremacía naval. Su fórmula de gobierno fue muy flexible. Había colonias que se gobernaban desde la metrópoli, protectorados y dominios con distintos niveles de autogobierno. El imperio mongol empezó con Gengis Kan en las estepas de Mongolia y llegó a cubrir a finales del siglo XIII 24 millones de kilómetros cuadrados de superficie continua gracias a la movilidad de sus jinetes, que eran además muy disciplinados. Durante dos siglos los mongoles fueron los dueños de China, de todo el centro de Asia, de Mesopotamia e incluso de parte de la Europa oriental. Gracias a ellos floreció la ruta de la seda, lo que permitió que ideas, técnicas y personas pasasen de un extremo a otro de Eurasia. Por esa ruta llegó también la peste negra que diezmó la población europea en el siglo XIV. El imperio ruso, cuyo origen estaba en el pequeño principado de Moscú creció hacia el este de forma silenciosa durante dos siglos hasta abarcar casi 23 millones de kilómetros cuadrados desde la frontera con el imperio alemán hasta las costas del Pacífico. En su cúspide se encontraba el zar, un rey absoluto que la iglesia ortodoxa rusa se encargó de sacralizar. Más al sur y en la misma época la dinastía Qing de origen manchú reinó durante tres siglos sobre la mayoría china y expandió las fronteras hacia el oeste. En su momento de máxima extensión llegó a tener 14 millones de kilómetros cuadrados. El imperio español, el primero genuinamente mundial, inició su expansión en 1492 con los viajes de Cristóbal Colón. A partir de ahí los españoles de los siglos XVI y XVII conquistaron y colonizaron buena parte del continente americano, completaron la primera circunnavegación del globo y se expandieron por tres continentes. Sus flotas fueron las primeras que conectaron por primera vez toda la superficie terrestre. Ninguno de estos gigantes cayó por un enemigo exterior en una batalla decisiva, sino por varios factores entrelazados como la sobreextensión, el agotamiento económico y las tensiones internas. Su herencia sigue viva hoy en las fronteras, en los más 500 millones de hispanohablantes, en el inglés como lengua franca, en la demografía de Hispanoamérica, en los Estados del Asia central o en las fronteras multiétnicas de la China actual. Estos cinco imperios fueron los arquitectos involuntarios del mundo que habitamos. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! Uno de los debates más recurrentes entre los aficionados a la historia es el de cuáles fueron los mayores imperios de la humanidad y qué los hizo verdaderamente grandes. Medir un imperio únicamente por kilómetros cuadrados resulta engañoso ya que la extensión por sí misma nunca garantizó su riqueza, ni su cohesión ni, naturalmente, que tuviesen un control efectivo del territorio. Gobernar grandes imperios antes de la llegada del telégrafo y el ferrocarril implicaba tomar decisiones casi a ciegas, los emperadores delegaban el poder en virreyes, sátrapas y gobernadores que actuaban con mucha autonomía. Cinco imperios encabezan todas las clasificaciones: el británico, el mongol, el ruso, el chino de la dinastía Qing y el español. Hay dos categorías diferenciadas. Por un lado los imperios terrestres (mongol, ruso y Qing), que se expandieron como una mancha de aceite sobre masas continentales contiguas. Por otro los marítimos (británico y español), que dependían del dominio de las rutas marítimas y de una red de puertos repartidos por varios continentes. El imperio británico fue el más extenso de todos, en su momento álgido al término de la primera guerra mundial llegó a alcanzar los 35 millones de kilómetros cuadrados. Los británicos levantaron su imperio sobre el comercio, la industria y la supremacía naval. Su fórmula de gobierno fue muy flexible. Había colonias que se gobernaban desde la metrópoli, protectorados y dominios con distintos niveles de autogobierno. El imperio mongol empezó con Gengis Kan en las estepas de Mongolia y llegó a cubrir a finales del siglo XIII 24 millones de kilómetros cuadrados de superficie continua gracias a la movilidad de sus jinetes, que eran además muy disciplinados. Durante dos siglos los mongoles fueron los dueños de China, de todo el centro de Asia, de Mesopotamia e incluso de parte de la Europa oriental. Gracias a ellos floreció la ruta de la seda, lo que permitió que ideas, técnicas y personas pasasen de un extremo a otro de Eurasia. Por esa ruta llegó también la peste negra que diezmó la población europea en el siglo XIV. El imperio ruso, cuyo origen estaba en el pequeño principado de Moscú creció hacia el este de forma silenciosa durante dos siglos hasta abarcar casi 23 millones de kilómetros cuadrados desde la frontera con el imperio alemán hasta las costas del Pacífico. En su cúspide se encontraba el zar, un rey absoluto que la iglesia ortodoxa rusa se encargó de sacralizar. Más al sur y en la misma época la dinastía Qing de origen manchú reinó durante tres siglos sobre la mayoría china y expandió las fronteras hacia el oeste. En su momento de máxima extensión llegó a tener 14 millones de kilómetros cuadrados. El imperio español, el primero genuinamente mundial, inició su expansión en 1492 con los viajes de Cristóbal Colón. A partir de ahí los españoles de los siglos XVI y XVII conquistaron y colonizaron buena parte del continente americano, completaron la primera circunnavegación del globo y se expandieron por tres continentes. Sus flotas fueron las primeras que conectaron por primera vez toda la superficie terrestre. Ninguno de estos gigantes cayó por un enemigo exterior en una batalla decisiva, sino por varios factores entrelazados como la sobreextensión, el agotamiento económico y las tensiones internas. Su herencia sigue viva hoy en las fronteras, en los más 500 millones de hispanohablantes, en el inglés como lengua franca, en la demografía de Hispanoamérica, en los Estados del Asia central o en las fronteras multiétnicas de la China actual. Estos cinco imperios fueron los arquitectos involuntarios del mundo que habitamos. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

The Taiping Army commits to one of its most audacious acts yet – an assault on the Qing throne itself, a thousand miles north in Beijing. To reach it, it will launch its great Northern Campaign: a single spear-throw that, if its aim holds true, might end the entire war before the teeth of winter bite down.Time Period Covered:May 1853 – March 1855 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864]Lin Fengxiang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]Li Kaifang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864] Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861]Prince Senggelinqin [c. 1811–1865]Other:Theodore Hamberg, Swedish missionary, Hong Kong; author of the first European account of the Taiping [1819–1854] Major Sources Cited:Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection. Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I.Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom.Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Discovering Tiantan: Tradition, Bonds, and Dragon Boats Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-06-07-07-38-19-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在龙舟节的早晨，天空明亮晴朗，微风轻拂。En: On the morning of the Longzhou Jie, the sky was bright and clear, with a gentle breeze blowing.Zh: 健宇、梅和莉娜站在庄严宏伟的天坛前。En: Jianyu, Mei, and Lina stood in front of the majestic Tiantan.Zh: 天坛被绿色的草地和五颜六色的龙舟包围，充满了节日的气氛。En: The Tiantan was surrounded by green lawns and colorful dragon boats, full of festive atmosphere.Zh: 健宇兴奋地说：“今天，我要为大家讲解天坛的历史和文化。”En: Jianyu excitedly said, “Today, I will explain the history and culture of the Tiantan to everyone.”Zh: 他是个热爱中国历史的年轻人，喜欢与朋友分享他的知识。En: He was a young man passionate about Chinese history and loved sharing his knowledge with friends.Zh: 梅微笑着点头，她总是随身携带地图和水瓶，以备不时之需。En: Mei nodded with a smile; she always carried a map and a water bottle with her, just in case.Zh: 莉娜，虽然来自遥远的农村，现在来到北京，既兴奋又有些不知所措。En: Lina, despite coming from a distant rural area and now being in Beijing, was both excited and a bit overwhelmed.Zh: 人群开始聚集，热闹非凡。En: The crowd began to gather, becoming lively and bustling.Zh: 健宇一边走，一边讲：“天坛是为了祭天而建的，明清两代的皇帝都在这里祈求五谷丰登。”En: As Jianyu walked, he explained, “Tiantan was built for the purpose of offering sacrifices to heaven, and emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties prayed here for a bountiful harvest.”Zh: 莉娜试图专心听讲，但被周围的喧闹和忙乱弄得有些头晕。En: Lina tried to concentrate on the explanation but felt a bit dizzy from the surrounding noise and chaos.Zh: 她轻声对梅说道：“这里的人真多，我有点跟不上。”En: She whispered to Mei, “There are so many people here, I'm having a hard time keeping up.”Zh: 梅感受到莉娜的困惑，试着安慰她：“没关系，我们可以一起慢慢逛。”En: Sensing Lina's confusion, Mei tried to reassure her, “It's okay, we can explore slowly together.”Zh: 然后她对健宇说：“或许我们可以先享受一下龙舟比赛的乐趣。”En: She then said to Jianyu, “Perhaps we can first enjoy the fun of the dragon boat races.”Zh: 健宇停了下来，看到莉娜的困扰，En: Jianyu paused, noticing Lina's distress.Zh: 他意识到自己太专注于历史的讲解，忽略了莉娜想参与节日活动的兴趣。En: He realized he had been too focused on the historical explanation and had overlooked Lina's interest in participating in the festival activities.Zh: “你说得对，”他说，“我们应该抓住这个机会，一起体验。”En: “You're right,” he said, “We should seize this opportunity and experience it together.”Zh: 一行人来到了水边，兴致勃勃地参与了一场龙舟比赛。En: The group made their way to the water's edge, enthusiastically taking part in a dragon boat race.Zh: 鼓声震天，水花四溅，健宇、梅和莉娜齐心协力，用力划桨。En: With the drums pounding and water splashing everywhere, Jianyu, Mei, and Lina paddled with all their might.Zh: 莉娜的脸上终于露出了灿烂的笑容。En: Finally, a bright smile appeared on Lina's face.Zh: 比赛结束后，三人笑着坐在草地上，分享着用香叶包成的粽子。En: After the race, the three sat on the grass, laughing and sharing zongzi wrapped in fragrant leaves.Zh: 健宇意识到，有时候体验比知识更重要，而文化不仅在书本中，也在每个人的生活经历中。En: Jianyu realized that sometimes, experiences are more important than knowledge, and culture exists not only in books but also in everyone's life experiences.Zh: 莉娜感激地说：“这真是一个难忘的经历，谢谢你们。”En: Lina gratefully said, “This has been an unforgettable experience, thank you both.”Zh: 梅满足地看着朋友们，心中感到温暖。En: Mei looked at her friends with satisfaction, feeling a warmth in her heart.Zh: 她成功地连接了大家，帮助每个人发现乐趣所在。En: She had successfully connected everyone, helping each person find joy in the festival.Zh: 在这个充满传统与欢乐结合的节日里，他们找到了属于各自的快乐。En: In this holiday filled with a blend of tradition and joy, they found their own happiness. Vocabulary Words:majestic: 庄严宏伟的lawn: 草地festive: 节日的history: 历史passionate: 热爱map: 地图rural: 农村overwhelmed: 不知所措bountiful: 丰登chaos: 忙乱reassure: 安慰seize: 抓住opportunity: 机会enthusiastically: 兴致勃勃地drum: 鼓splashing: 水花四溅paddle: 划桨fragrant: 香叶experience: 经历realize: 意识到knowledge: 知识gratefully: 感激地unforgettable: 难忘的satisfaction: 满足warmth: 温暖connect: 连接tradition: 传统joy: 欢乐blending: 结合happiness: 快乐

Episode 4137 │ May 2026 A foreign ethnic minority of 300,000 ruled 100 million Han Chinese for 268 years. The resistance network that formed to restore Han sovereignty never stopped. It outlasted the Qing, the Nationalists, and Mao. Scott Kesterson examines the Han and Manchu distinction — the ethnic occupation at the root of China's 400-year shadow power structure — and connects it to the Opium Wars Britain launched to protect its drug trade, the Boxer Rebellion that was anti-Qing before it was anti-Western, and the Eight-Nation Alliance that forced China to pay reparations for suppressing its own people's uprising. The episode traces the Triad networks from Ming loyalist resistance through Imperial Japan's invasion, Madame Chiang's 1941 double move — the Flying Tigers and the panda simultaneously — to the Soong family holding positions in both the Nationalist and Communist governments at the same time. One question runs through all of it: when every visible government fell, what didn't? What distinguishes Han from Manchu and why did it produce 268 years of underground resistance? Who were the Opium Wars actually started by — and why two? What was the Boxer Protocol and who was the Qing paying, and why? How did Madame Chiang bind American blood and American emotion to China's survival in the same year? What is the one thing that survived the Qing, the Nationalists, and the Communists? BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm #BardsFM #HanAndManchu #TheTriads Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here Mailing Address: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

How did a vast, nationwide institution like a modern postal system come into being in Qing China—right at the very end of the empire? In The Making of China's Post Office: Sovereignty, Modernization, and the Connection of a Nation (Harvard University Press, 2024), Weipin Tsai takes up this question by tracing the origins and early development of China's postal system. The book asks not only how such an institution was built, but why it emerged when it did and in the particular form it took. In doing so, Tsai situates the post office within the Qing's broader efforts to modernize, showing how its development intersected with political maneuvering, imperial pressures, and changing ideas about the nature of the state. The Making of China's Post Office examines both the high-level decisions and the ground-level operations that shaped the system's creation and expansion. Tsai pays particular attention to the economic and social pressures that drove its growth, as well as the everyday work of postal employees, including the nitty-gritty of routes, logistics, and administration. This dual focus allows Tsai to show how the circulation of mail depended on the interplay between central ambitions and local realities, while also uncovering the work that happened at the local level. Tsai's book offers a new perspective on China's encounters with imperialism, efforts at centralization, and changing conceptions of governance. In following the routes and emerging and routines of the post, The Making of China's Post Office delivers a rich account of how a modern communications network took shape. This book will be of interest to readers of modern Chinese history, as well as those working on global histories of infrastructure, communication, and the state. 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

How did a vast, nationwide institution like a modern postal system come into being in Qing China—right at the very end of the empire? In The Making of China's Post Office: Sovereignty, Modernization, and the Connection of a Nation (Harvard University Press, 2024), Weipin Tsai takes up this question by tracing the origins and early development of China's postal system. The book asks not only how such an institution was built, but why it emerged when it did and in the particular form it took. In doing so, Tsai situates the post office within the Qing's broader efforts to modernize, showing how its development intersected with political maneuvering, imperial pressures, and changing ideas about the nature of the state. The Making of China's Post Office examines both the high-level decisions and the ground-level operations that shaped the system's creation and expansion. Tsai pays particular attention to the economic and social pressures that drove its growth, as well as the everyday work of postal employees, including the nitty-gritty of routes, logistics, and administration. This dual focus allows Tsai to show how the circulation of mail depended on the interplay between central ambitions and local realities, while also uncovering the work that happened at the local level. Tsai's book offers a new perspective on China's encounters with imperialism, efforts at centralization, and changing conceptions of governance. In following the routes and emerging and routines of the post, The Making of China's Post Office delivers a rich account of how a modern communications network took shape. This book will be of interest to readers of modern Chinese history, as well as those working on global histories of infrastructure, communication, and the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

How did a vast, nationwide institution like a modern postal system come into being in Qing China—right at the very end of the empire? In The Making of China's Post Office: Sovereignty, Modernization, and the Connection of a Nation (Harvard University Press, 2024), Weipin Tsai takes up this question by tracing the origins and early development of China's postal system. The book asks not only how such an institution was built, but why it emerged when it did and in the particular form it took. In doing so, Tsai situates the post office within the Qing's broader efforts to modernize, showing how its development intersected with political maneuvering, imperial pressures, and changing ideas about the nature of the state. The Making of China's Post Office examines both the high-level decisions and the ground-level operations that shaped the system's creation and expansion. Tsai pays particular attention to the economic and social pressures that drove its growth, as well as the everyday work of postal employees, including the nitty-gritty of routes, logistics, and administration. This dual focus allows Tsai to show how the circulation of mail depended on the interplay between central ambitions and local realities, while also uncovering the work that happened at the local level. Tsai's book offers a new perspective on China's encounters with imperialism, efforts at centralization, and changing conceptions of governance. In following the routes and emerging and routines of the post, The Making of China's Post Office delivers a rich account of how a modern communications network took shape. This book will be of interest to readers of modern Chinese history, as well as those working on global histories of infrastructure, communication, and the state. 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

How did a vast, nationwide institution like a modern postal system come into being in Qing China—right at the very end of the empire? In The Making of China's Post Office: Sovereignty, Modernization, and the Connection of a Nation (Harvard University Press, 2024), Weipin Tsai takes up this question by tracing the origins and early development of China's postal system. The book asks not only how such an institution was built, but why it emerged when it did and in the particular form it took. In doing so, Tsai situates the post office within the Qing's broader efforts to modernize, showing how its development intersected with political maneuvering, imperial pressures, and changing ideas about the nature of the state. The Making of China's Post Office examines both the high-level decisions and the ground-level operations that shaped the system's creation and expansion. Tsai pays particular attention to the economic and social pressures that drove its growth, as well as the everyday work of postal employees, including the nitty-gritty of routes, logistics, and administration. This dual focus allows Tsai to show how the circulation of mail depended on the interplay between central ambitions and local realities, while also uncovering the work that happened at the local level. Tsai's book offers a new perspective on China's encounters with imperialism, efforts at centralization, and changing conceptions of governance. In following the routes and emerging and routines of the post, The Making of China's Post Office delivers a rich account of how a modern communications network took shape. This book will be of interest to readers of modern Chinese history, as well as those working on global histories of infrastructure, communication, and the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

How did a vast, nationwide institution like a modern postal system come into being in Qing China—right at the very end of the empire? In The Making of China's Post Office: Sovereignty, Modernization, and the Connection of a Nation (Harvard University Press, 2024), Weipin Tsai takes up this question by tracing the origins and early development of China's postal system. The book asks not only how such an institution was built, but why it emerged when it did and in the particular form it took. In doing so, Tsai situates the post office within the Qing's broader efforts to modernize, showing how its development intersected with political maneuvering, imperial pressures, and changing ideas about the nature of the state. The Making of China's Post Office examines both the high-level decisions and the ground-level operations that shaped the system's creation and expansion. Tsai pays particular attention to the economic and social pressures that drove its growth, as well as the everyday work of postal employees, including the nitty-gritty of routes, logistics, and administration. This dual focus allows Tsai to show how the circulation of mail depended on the interplay between central ambitions and local realities, while also uncovering the work that happened at the local level. Tsai's book offers a new perspective on China's encounters with imperialism, efforts at centralization, and changing conceptions of governance. In following the routes and emerging and routines of the post, The Making of China's Post Office delivers a rich account of how a modern communications network took shape. This book will be of interest to readers of modern Chinese history, as well as those working on global histories of infrastructure, communication, and the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications

This is the penultimate chapter in the story of Cixi, Empress Dowager of the Qing dynasty, renowned for her enduring love of different types of jade. Even more precious than gold or diamonds, jade is considered the ultimate good luck charm. Over time, it has become a symbol associated with China's emperors and empresses. Steeped in legends and myths, jade is believed to bring wisdom to all those who wear it... and maybe even eternal life.Voice of Jewels, a podcast from L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. Unveiling the stories and secrets behind History's most fascinating jewels.With Inezita Gay-Eckel, Jewelry Historian and Lecturer at L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.Written by Martin Quenehen and Aram Kebabdjian, performed by Edoardo Ballerini and produced by Bababam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We head into the mountains to tell the story of the deep relationship between Taiwan's Indigenous communities and firearms. The warriors' incredible skill and ingenuity with guns enabled them to hold off Qing dynasty forces, Western punitive expeditions, and even the modern Japanese army well into the 20th century. Far from the familiar image of bows and arrows versus modern rifles, Taiwan's Indigenous peoples were quick to adopt and adapt firearms. Early on these firearms were simple matchlock muskets – slow to load but still deadly in skilled hands – but in the late 1880s, the Indigenous groups acquired modern rifles. Sometimes they had firepower equal to, or better than, their opponents. Through the centuries, guns became essential tools for hunting and warfare. They also became items of status and cultural importance. Guns were gifted in marriage, buried with the dead, and woven into customs of justice and belief.For this episode, we drew on the excellent dissertation by Pei-Hsi Lin(Susan Lin), Firearms, Technology and Culture: Resistance of TaiwaneseIndigenes to Chinese, European and Japanese Encroachment in a Global Context(c.1860–1914).

The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain managed to survive their first test — but now the world itself seems dead-set on finishing the job. When unprecedented rains lead to flooding, famine, and pestilence across southern China, the last institutions holding things together collapse, leaving those on the margins to their own survival. Until, that is, the divine summons of the Second Son of God calls them — one and all — to the village of Jintian, a bold maneuver that will force a response from the Qing dynasty itself.Time Period Covered:1849-1851 CE Major Historical Figures:God-Worshippers/Taiping:Hong Xiuquan, prophet, Heavenly King [1814–1864]Feng Yunshan, chief evangelist and architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852]Yang Xiuqing, Eastern King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856]Xiao Chaogui, Western King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852]Lo Daguo, Triad chief, Taiping recruit [fl. 1850–1851]Qing Dynasty:Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850]Ikedanbu, Manchu Colonel [d. January 1, 1851] Major Sources Cited:Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si InsurrectionKuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly KingdomSpence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Jenner is joined in nineteenth-century China by historian Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Sophie Duker to learn about the Qing dynasty ruler Empress Dowager Cixi. A contemporary of Queen Victoria, Cixi rose from low-ranked concubine to de facto ruler of China for nearly half a century, and lived through a dizzying array of events in China's nineteenth-century history, including the Taiping Rebellion, the Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion. Ruling through her son and then her nephew, Empress Dowager Cixi dominated late Qing dynasty China, and oversaw a variety of economic and military – if not political – reforms. This episode charts her life, from her entry into the Forbidden Palace as a teenager all the way to her death in 1908, taking in the politics and traditions of the Qing imperial court, her relationship with Emperor Xianfeng and her rival turned co-ruler Empress Dowager Ci'an, and her determined attempts to gain and maintain power.If you're a fan of Chinese history, ruthless court politics, and complex women characters, you'll love our episode on Empress Dowager Cixi.If you want to learn more about the history of China, listen to our episodes on the history of Kung Fu and the Terracotta Warriors. And for more fascinating characters with Sophie Duker, check out our episode on Ramesses the Great, naughty nun Benedetta Carlini and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges.You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Emma Mitchell Written by: Emma Mitchell, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

The new envoy from London arrives at Qing's doorstep in August 1842 with a simple mandate: stop allowing Britain to be "humbugged" & finish the war Elliot started. What follows is the British Empire at its most efficient & brutal... and a treaty that, somehow, doesn't mention opium once...Time Period Covered:Aug. 1841–Aug. 1842 Major Historical Figures:The Qing Empire:The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Yijing, Imperial Commander [1793–1853]Qiying, Imperial Commissioner [1787–1858]Yilibu, Imperial Commissioner [1772–1843]Niu Jian, Governor-General of Liangjiang [1785–1858]Zhang Xi, intermediary [1840s]Yuqian, Zhejiang Imperial Commissioner [1841] The British Empire:Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856]Sir Hugh Gough, Commander of British Land Forces [1779–1869]Admiral Sir William Parker, Commander-in-Chief, East India Station [1781–1866]Captain William Hutcheon "Nemesis" Hall, HMS Nemesis [c. 1797–1878]Captain Henry Keppel, HMS Dido [1809–1904]Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff, Prussian missionary & Civil Magistrate of Ningbo [1803–1851] Colonel George Mountain [1789–1863]Harry Smith Parkes, attaché to Pottinger's staff [1828–1885] Major Sources Cited:Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War, 1840–1842. Wakeman, Frederic Jr. "The Canton Trade and the Opium War" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10.Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices