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Have you seen those breathtaking aerial photos of a solitary ginkgo tree in a courtyard, its leaves creating a perfect golden carpet of fallen leaves? This isn't just any tree—it's a 1,400-year-old living witness to history, standing tall within the walls of China's Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple.While its stunning autumn transformation goes viral online each year, the story behind this magnificent being remains largely unknown to Western audiences. Why was this particular tree planted at this particular temple? Could it really have been placed there by Emperor Taizong himself, one of China's most celebrated rulers? Why are ginkgo trees so special?Join us as we unravel the mysteries of this famous ginkgo tree and explore its remarkable connection to the golden age of the Tang Dynasty.GuestsProfessor Ruihong DiNorthwest UniversityXi'an, Shaanxi Province, ChinaPeter Del TrediciUrban Ecologist and BotanistArnold Arboretum of Harvard UniversityBoston, MAwww.peterdeltredici.comWild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field GuideReaderWiley WangMachine Intelligence EngineerPalm Springs, CA"Traditional Folk Tale of Gu Guanyin Temple" edited by Doug StillVoiceover Reading for Ruihong DiMartha Douglas-OsmundsonLinkedIn ProfileMusic"Farewell at the Yangguan Pass," traditional, Tang DynastyXiao-zhong Wu soloistPeople's Association Chinese Orchestra1992 Yellow RiverOther ReferencesThe Ruler's Guide: China's Greatest Emperor and His Timeless Secrets of Success, Chinghua Tang, Scribner, 2017.Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot, Peter Crane, Yale University Press, 2013.Photo CreditFlyOverChina, Xinhua News AgencyTheme MusicDiccon Lee, www.deeleetree.comArtworkDahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/homeWebsitethisoldtree.showTranscripts available.Follow onFacebook or Instagram We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone's voice memo app and email to:doug@thisoldtree.netThis episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators. litartsri.org
Bill and Steve look into the Dawn Chrous, that early morning explosion of bird song that refuses to let you sleep in. And, for all you Daniel-haters out there, this episode is 100% Daniel-free (but Bill and Steve are both crying on the inside. We miss Daniel buckets, and we're betting you do, too).This episode was recorded on April 10, 2025 at the California Road Rereation Area in Orchard Park, NY.Episode Notes and LinksAre there orioles in China? Bill shared the classic Chinese poem from the Tang Dynasty (~600–900 CE) - the one called "Feelings on Awakening from Drunkenness on a Spring Day" by Li Bai, and Steve wondered: Are there Orioles in China. Turns out that, yes, there are, and they're more oriole-y (?) than ours! That's because our New World orioles, like the one we're betting you're thinking of right now (the well-known orange and black Baltimore Oriole) belong to the family Icteridae and are not closely related to Old World orioles. Instead, they're closely related to blackbirds and meadowlarks, fellow family members in the Icteridae. Old world orioles in Europe and Asia, on the other hand, belong to the family Oriolidae. Our orioles were named after them because of the similarities to the old world orioles in behavior, diet, and appearance, but, despite the similarities – these families are not closely related. The similarities evolved independently due to convergent evolution (when species develop similar traits in response to similar environmental pressures). So, yes, Steve, there are orioles in China, but it's tough to say for sure which oriole Li Bai heard in his drunken stupor because Birds of China reports seven species found throughout the country, and, as we pointed out, given Li Bai's state, maybe the bird was only in his head. Is there a Thorpe's Law? When Bill mentioned William Thorpe, a British biologist and ornithologist, Steve thought he recalled there was an ecological law or concept credited to Thorpe. Bill scoured the Internet, but the closest thing he could find was Taylor's power law, an empirical law in ecology that relates the variance of the number of individuals of a species per unit area of habitat to the corresponding mean by a power law relationship. If that made sense to you, Bill asks if you could kindly explain it to him. bird Can someone look at a sound spectrograph and identify the bird? The guys wondered if a sound researcher looking at sound spectrographs (visual representations of bird song) could get good enough to know what bird they're looking at just by the visual? An internet search was inconclusive- a lot of sites talk about using the spectrographs as an aid to get better at understanding and ID'ing bird song, but we couldn't find any that specifically addressed this question. We've emailed some bird biologists and we'll update these notes when we hear back!Social Monogamy vs. Sexual Monogamy: Steve talked about how he'd heard that even in species that bond for life, members of the pair will still seek out other mates. True? First, let's make a distinction that Steve alluded to in the episode: that is, social vs. sexual monogamy. In birds, "monogamy" often refers to a social bond, where a pair stays together and raises offspring together. However, this doesn't necessarily mean they are sexually faithful to each other. So, socially monogamous doesn't equal sexual monogamy. Looking in to this, we landed on a passage in The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior – a birder's bible if there is one – it reports: “90 percent of all bird species are socially monogamous, but some level of cheating is common. Cheating, or “extra-pair copulation” also occurs, but rarely, among birds of sexually monogamous, mated-for-life species, “but is not yet known how many species engage in extra-pair copulations, since many species remain to be studied. However, it appears that genetic monogamy may be the exception rather than the rule among birds.” Sponsors and Ways to Support UsGumleaf Boots, USA (free shipping for patrons)Thank you to Always Wandering Art (Website and Etsy Shop) for providing the artwork for many of our episodes.Support us on Patreon.Check out the Field Guides merch at our Teespring store. It's really a great deal: you get to pay us to turn your body into a billboard for the podcast!Works CitedGil, D. and Llusia, D., 2020. The bird dawn chorus revisited. Coding strategies in vertebrate acoustic communication, pp.45-90.Greives, T.J., Kingma, S.A., Kranstauber, B., Mortega, K., Wikelski, M., van Oers, K., Mateman, A.C., Ferguson, G.A., Beltrami, G. and Hau, M., 2015. Costs of sleeping in. Functional Ecology, 29(10), pp.1300-1307.Staicer, C.A., Spector, D.A. and Horn, A.G., 1996. The dawn chorus and other diel patterns in acoustic signaling. Ecology and evolution of acoustic communication in birds, pp.426-453.Dawn Chorus sounds used in the beginning of the episode: “Dawn Chorus in Tompkins County, New York” posted by the Cayuga Bird Club https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zZtjYQUgaQ Photo CreditThe deeply disturbing image that graces this episode was generated by AI in Canva.
This week Nicola and Di chat with the fascinating Feng Shui expert, Kelly McCloskey. Kelly has been transforming her client’s spaces and lives for the past decade and helps them to create environments of love, growth, financial abundance and wellbeing. She is one of only a handful of individuals in Australia who has trained under masters of San Yuen Yuen Gua Feng Shui, a method that can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. In this conversation, we hear all about the fascinating world of Feng Shui, which is essentially the energy of a house or space. Kelly explains about the 9 different sectors of Feng Shui, which everyone has in their homes and how to find out what they are so you can get the most out of the space you’re in. Kelly gives us great tips on some of the simple things we can do in our homes to make sure we have good energy (chi) flowing through our space and are attracting the things we want in life. You’ll have to tune in to hear those. She tells us how powerful artwork can be in the home, and the incredible story of how she has manifested everything that’s ever been on the wall behind her bedhead. Di also shares her own amazing story of how she was told to take down paintings of single women in her home, because it was blocking the energy of love, and shortly after, she met a man. We had so much fun chatting with Kelly. There was good energy all round in the studio that day and we hope you can feel the good vibes as you listen. This episode is proudly sponsored by Eir Women. Use code OTBF20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on any purchase. Follow Kelly on IG here Find out more about Kelly’s work here Follow Kelly on TikTok here Follow Nicola and Di on IG here Buy your Eir Women products here. Use code OTBF20 at checkout for a 20% discountSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Tang Dynasty prime minister who only hired non-Chinese generals.Support the show
TurdOrTreasure is ThisWeekInGeek's dedicated review show covering everything from games to movies to tv to electronics and everything between.This Episode:What's New?April Movie Quickie Review Roundup (Bluray Reviews) -Icons Unearthed: James Bond - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Icons-Unearthed-James-Bond-Blu-ray/380415/Ultraman Z - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Ultraman-Z-The-Complete-Series-Blu-ray/376188/Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin In The Bronx - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Quackser-Fortune-Has-a-Cousin-in-the-Bronx-Blu-ray/377716/Hong Kong, Hong Kong - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hong-Kong-Hong-Kong-Blu-ray/377669/AnAmorous Woman of Tang Dynasty - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/An-Amorous-Woman-of-Tang-Dynasty-Blu-ray/377670/The Lady Is the Boss - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Lady-Is-the-Boss-Blu-ray/376809/GoodBad Things (Music Box Films Bluray Review) -https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Good-Bad-Things-Blu-ray/383023/Razer Kraken Kitty V2 BT (PC Headset Review) -https://www.razer.com/mobile-headsets/razer-kraken-kitty-v2-btApril Indie Game Review Quickie Roundup (PC Steam, PS5, & Xbox Reviews) -Morkull Ragast's Rage - https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/morkull-ragasts-rage/9mwvs4gsv37qGlover (QUByte Classics) - https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10005966Game Over - A Musical RPG?? - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2021600/Game_Over__A_Musical_RPG/Accolade Sports Collection (QUByte Classics) - https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10012814Bubble Ghost Remake - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2412240/Bubble_Ghost_Remake/Rendering Ranger: R² [Rewind] - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2167260/Rendering_Ranger_R_Rewind/Warside - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2368300/Warside/Your Geekmaster:Alex "The Producer" - https://bsky.app/profile/dethphasetwig.bsky.socialFeedback for the show?:Email: feedback@thisweekingeek.netTwitter: https://twitter.com/thisweekingeekBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisweekingeek.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1BfUrFWqEYha8IYiluMyAiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-geek/id215643675Spotify: spotify:show:0BHP4gkzubuCsJBhU3oNWXCastbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/id2162049Website: https://www.thisweekingeek.netApril 10, 2025
Move over Hollywood, China's Ne Zha 2 is here. The film has stormed the global stage, proving that animated storytelling isn't confined to talking toys or singing princesses, and that Asia is more than capable of producing world-class animation.好莱坞让路吧，中国的《哪吒之魔童降世》来了。这部电影席卷了全球舞台，证明动画故事不仅限于会说话的玩具或会唱歌的公主，亚洲完全有能力制作世界级的动画。This dazzling sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Ne Zha isn't just a film; it's a cultural phenomenon, a visual masterpiece, and a reminder that the most compelling stories transcend borders.这部令人眼花缭乱的2019年大片《哪吒》的续集不仅仅是一部电影；它是一种文化现象、一部视觉杰作，并提醒人们，最引人入胜的故事是超越国界的。With superlative animation, breathtaking special effects, and a narrative that seamlessly blends humor, heartbreak and moral depth, Ne Zha 2 isn't merely the biggest animated film of the moment — it's a triumphant celebration of China's artistic renaissance and a beacon of its growing soft power.凭借一流的动画、令人惊叹的特效以及将幽默、心碎和道德深度完美融合的叙事，《哪吒2》不仅是当下最卖座的动画电影，更是中国艺术复兴的胜利庆典，也是中国日益增长的软实力的灯塔。Picking up where the first film left off, Ne Zha 2 follows the mischievous, gap-toothed demon boy Ne Zha and his noble dragon prince companion Ao Bing as they navigate a world teeming with gods, dragons and ocean-dwelling monsters. The stakes are higher, the battles more epic, and the emotional punches land with even greater force.《哪吒2》延续了第一部电影的剧情，讲述了淘气的、牙齿不齐的魔童哪吒和他高贵的龙王子同伴敖丙在一个充满神仙、龙族和海底怪物的世界中闯荡的故事。这部电影更加紧张刺激，战斗更加史诗化，情感冲击也更深刻。Director Yang Yu, returning from the first installment, masterfully weaves a sprawling mythological tapestry drawn from The Investiture of the Gods, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel, ensuring that newcomers can follow the plot. That said, if you haven't seen the first Ne Zha, do yourself a favor and watch it before diving into this one. Trust me, you'll thank me later.导演杨宇从第一部归来，巧妙地编织了一幅庞大的神话画卷，取材于明朝(1368-1644)小说《封神演义》，确保新观众也能跟上剧情。话虽如此，如果你还没看过第一部《哪吒》，在看这部电影之前，请先看第一部。相信我，你以后会感谢我的。What sets Ne Zha 2 apart is its ability to balance spectacle with soul. The animation is breathtaking — think shimmering dragon scales, gravity-defying celestial palaces, and battle sequences that rival anything Marvel or DC Comics has ever produced. But what truly elevates this film is its focus on the human and demonic emotions at its core.《哪吒2》的与众不同之处在于它能够平衡奇观和灵魂。动画令人叹为观止——想想闪闪发光的龙鳞、凌空的天宫，以及可与漫威或DC漫画的任何作品相媲美的战斗场景。但真正让这部电影升华的是它对人性和妖魔情感的关注。Ne Zha remains the brash, immature kid we fell in love with, but his journey toward self-discovery and redemption is profoundly moving. His bond with Ao Bing, rooted in their shared destiny as two halves of the Chaos Pearl, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. And let's not forget the tearjerker moments involving Ne Zha's parents, Lady Yin and Li Jing, whose unwavering love for their son will leave you reaching for tissues.哪吒仍然是我们爱上的那个无礼的、幼稚的的孩子，但他自我发现和救赎之路令人感动不已。他与敖丙的联系源于他们作为混沌珠的两半的共同命运，既温暖又令人心碎。让我们不要忘记哪吒与父母——殷夫人和李靖的催泪时刻，他们对儿子坚定不移的爱会让你忍不住流泪。Of course, it's not all heavy drama. Ne Zha 2 delivers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, thanks to its signature potty humor. The film's humor is delightfully juvenile, but it never feels out of place in a story that's ultimately about growing up, finding your place in the world and learning to wield your power responsibly. It's a rare blockbuster that can make you laugh, cry and cheer — sometimes all at once.当然，这部电影并不全是沉重的戏剧。《哪吒2》带来了许多令人捧腹大笑的时刻，这要归功于它标志性的低俗幽默。这部电影的幽默充满童真，但在一个最终讲述成长、找到自我位置以及学会负责任地运用力量的故事中，幽默从不显得格格不入。这是一部罕见的大片，能让你时而笑、时而哭、时而欢呼——有时是同时进行。But Ne Zha 2 isn't just a triumph of storytelling and animation; it's a milestone for Chinese cinema and culture. The film's record-breaking box office success — about 15 billion yuan ($2.07 billion) and counting — is a testament to China's growing influence in the global entertainment industry, but it's also a celebration of the country's rich cultural heritage.但《哪吒2》不仅仅是叙事和动画的胜利；它还是中国电影和文化的里程碑。这部电影创纪录的票房成功——约150亿元人民币（20.7亿美元）且还在增长——证明了中国在全球娱乐业的影响力日益增强，但它也是对中国丰富文化遗产的庆祝。At a time when the world is increasingly interconnected, Ne Zha 2 serves as a bridge between East and West, introducing global audiences to myths and legends that have shaped Chinese civilization for millennia. It's a reminder that China's cultural renaissance isn't just about economics — it's about reclaiming a legacy that dates back 5,000 years.在世界日益互联的时代，《哪吒2》充当了东西方之间的桥梁，向全球观众介绍了几千年来塑造中华文明的神话和传说。它提醒我们，中国的文化复兴不仅仅是经济问题，更是对绵延五千年的文化遗产的重拾。In many ways, Ne Zha 2 feels like a modern-day echo of the glorious Tang Dynasty (618-907), when China's cultural and economic power reached its zenith, influencing much of East Asia. This film is more than just entertainment; it's a celebration of China's rising soft power, a testament to the enduring influence of art and culture to foster understanding and connection. And let's be real: If a movie about a demon boy and a dragon prince can captivate audiences worldwide, imagine what else China's creative minds have in store.从很多方面来看，《哪吒2》都像是辉煌的唐朝（618-907）的现代回响，当时中国的文化和经济实力达到顶峰，影响了东亚大部分地区。这部电影不仅仅是娱乐作品；它更是一种对中国日益增长的软实力的颂歌，证明了艺术与文化对促进理解和联系的持久影响力。说得直白一点：如果一部关于魔童和龙王子的电影可以吸引全世界的观众，想象一下中国富有创造力的头脑还能带来什么。Whether you're a fan of animation, mythology, or simply great storytelling, Ne Zha 2 is a must-watch. It's a film that proves sequels can surpass their predecessors, that animation is a medium for all ages, and that the stories we tell have the power to unite us.无论您是动画爱好者、神话迷还是单纯喜欢精彩故事的观众，《哪吒2》都是必看之作。这部电影证明了续集可以超越前作，动画是老少皆宜的媒介，而我们所讲述的故事具有把我们凝聚在一起的力量。As the credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe — not just at what I'd just watched, but at the cultural awakening it represents. Ne Zha 2 is more than a movie; it's a movement. As the world embraces this mythical masterpiece, one thing is clear: The future of storytelling is boundless, and a peacefully resurgent China is leading the charge.随着片尾字幕的滚动，我不禁心生敬畏——不仅仅是因为我刚刚观看的影片，更是因为它所代表的文化觉醒。《哪吒2》不仅仅是一部电影，更是一场运动。随着世界拥抱这部神话杰作，有一点已然清晰：讲述故事的未来无限宽广，而一个和平复兴的中国正在引领这一潮流。animationn.动画compelling adj.引人入胜的triumphant adj.胜利的beacon n.灯塔sprawlingadj.庞大的tapestry n.画卷shimmering adj.闪闪发光的brash adj.傲慢的，无礼的tearjerkeradj.催泪的millennia n.千年zenith n.顶点，顶峰resurgent adj.复兴的
Mrparka's Weekly Reviews and Update Week 412 (04.05.2025) (Hong Kong, Amorous Woman, Her Vengeance, Devil Fetus, Ash) www.youtube.com/mrparkahttps://www.instagram.com/mrparka/https://twitter.com/mrparka00http://www.screamingtoilet.com/dvd--blu-rayhttps://www.facebook.com/mrparkahttps://www.facebook.com/screamingpotty/https://letterboxd.com/mrparka/https://www.patreon.com/mrparkahttps://open.spotify.com/show/2oJbmHxOPfYIl92x5g6ogKhttps://anchor.fm/mrparkahttps://www.stitcher.com/show/shut-up-brandon-podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mrparkas-weekly-reviews-and-update-the-secret-top-10/id1615278571 Time Stamps 0:00“An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty” Review - 0:12“Hong Kong, Hong Kong” Review - 4:25“The Daredevils” Review - 9:07“Ode to Gallantry” Review - 12:19“The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse” Review - 14:48“Her Vengeance” Review - 19:19 “Devil Fetus” Review - 24:28“Ash” Review - 30:151982 “White Rose Campus” Review - 33:081982 “Blue Woman” Review - 36:251982 “The Evil Girl” Review - 39:18Patreon Pick “Deep Rising” Review - 41:20Questions/ Answers - 46:31Update - 56:2922 Shots of Moodz and Horror – https://www.22shotsofmoodzandhorror.com/Podcast Under the Stairs – https://tputscast.com/podcastVideo Version – https://youtu.be/MiitDVK5_vgLinks88 Films - https://88-films.myshopify.com/An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty Blu-Ray - https://mvdshop.com/products/an-amorous-woman-of-tang-dynasty-blu-rayHong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-Ray - https://mvdshop.com/products/hong-kong-hong-kong-blu-rayEureka Films - https://eurekavideo.co.uk/The Daredevils/ Ode to Gallantry Blu-Ray - https://mvdshop.com/products/the-daredevils-ode-to-gallantry-two-venom-mob-films-blu-rayMabuse Lives! Dr Mabuse At CCC: 1960-1964 Blu-Ray - https://mvdshop.com/products/mabuse-lives-dr-mabuse-at-ccc-1960-1964-blu-rayVinegar Syndrome - https://vinegarsyndrome.com/Her Vengeance/ Devil Fetus Blu-Ray - https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/frontpage/products/devil-fetus-her-vengeance Ash IMdb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17489650White Rose Campus DVD - https://impulse-pictures.com/product/white-rose-campus-dvd/Blue Woman IMdb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285496The Evil Girl Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/film/the-evil-girl/Deep Rising Blu-Ray - https://www.amazon.com/deep-rising-blu-ray-stephen-sommers/dp/b07dkv22hzUpdate BLu-Ray 1. Jairo Pinilla Double Feature: Funeral Siniestro & Triángulo De OroFilm Notes An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty - 1984 - Eddie FongHong Kong, Hong Kong - 1983 - Clifford ChoiThe Daredevils - 1979 - Chang ChehOde to Gallantry - 1982 - Chang ChehThe Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse - 1960 - Fritz LangHer Vengeance - 1988 - Lam Nai-ChoiDevil Fetus - 1983 - Lau Hung-Chuen Ash - 2025 - Flying LotusWhite Rose Campus - 1982 - Kōyū OharaBlue Woman - 1982 - Katsuhiko FujiiThe Evil Girl - 1982 - Chang Jen-ChiehDeep Rising - 1998 - Stephen Sommers
Our Trailblazer episodes continue this week with Jeannie Lin, one of the first authors to write historical romance featuring Asian characters set in Asia. Her debut romance, Butterfly Swords, is set in Tang Dynasty China. In this episode, we talk about the craft of romance, about preparing for and resisting rejection while finding her own path to publication, about how she honed her storytelling, and about the way cultural archetypes find their way to the page. We also talk about the lightning fast changes in romance over the last twelve years. Thank you to Jeannie Lin for making time for Fated Mates. Transcript availableThis episode is sponsored by The Steam Box (use code FATEDMATES for 10% off) and Chirp Audiobooks.Next week, we're talking Sarah's Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, which will release March 22 in a new trade paperback format. After that, our next read along is Diana Quincy's Her Night With the Duke, which was on our Best of 2020 year-end list! Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, or at your local bookstore. You can also get it in audio from our partner, Chirp Books!Show NotesThis week, we welcome romance author Jeannie Lin, whose newest book in the Lotus Palace Mysteries series, Red Blossom in Snow, comes out next week on March 21, 2022. Hear us talk about Jeannie Lin's books on our 2020 Best of the Year episode, our Road Trip Interstitial, and our So You Want to Read a Historical episode.The Tang Dynasty lasted from 618-907, and Empress Wu reigned from 624-705. RWA's Golden Heart Award was phased out in...
This week, we're talking about one of our favorite historical romances, Jeannie Lin's Butterfly Swords. This is one we've mentioned on previous episodes, and discussed at length during Jeannie's Trailblazer episode, as it is the first own voices Asian-set historical romance. Aside from setting the standard for adventure romance, it's also a near-perfect road trip romance with one of the hottest slow burns you'll ever read. We talk about all of it, including the absolutely devastating first kiss—one that should go down in romance history. TL;DR: We love this book hard.Thanks to Charlotte Howard, author of Secret Verses, and Mila Finelli, author of Mafia Mistress, for sponsoring the episode. Stay tuned after the episode to hear the first chapter of Mafia Mistress in audio!Show NotesThis week, we're reading the debut novel Butterfly Swords by romance trailblazer Jeannie Lin. This is the first book in her Tang Dynasty series.It's not too late to see Sarah with Christina and Lauren in Connecticut on May 18th, 2022, or Jen with Christina, Lauren, and Sonali Dev in Naperville on May 19th, 2022.We're looking for an artist to draw us a magnificent firebird. Maybe it's you?So, it's classic Jen to get titles wrong. Farewell, my Concubine is a movie, and the third book in the Tang Dynasty series is called My Fair Concubine. But, that's not Li Tao's book, either–it's The Dragon and the Pearl.We talked about Road Trip romance back in season 1.Time for an interlude from The Princess Bride.Our next read along is The Dragon and the Jewel by Virginia Henley, first published in 1991.This book is part of the Fated Mates Book Club and its quest at Pagebound. SponsorsThis week's episode of Fated Mates is sponsored by: Charlotte Howard, author of Secret Verses, available in Kindle Unlimited .andMila Finelli, author of the Kings of Italy DuetRead Mafia Mistress in Kindle Unlimited or listen wherever audiobooks are soldThe RestFor even more info about this episode, and to explore everything Fated Mates has to offer, visit: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2022/5/15/s0435-butterfly-swords-by-jeannie-lin If you wish you had six more days in a week of people talking about romance, may we...
In this Fourth full session of the Haiku and Poetry series, translator and artist Ian Boyden invites participants on a meditative journey through the landscape of Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei. Beginning with a […]
Listen in to this special episode of Voices of Renewal as we hear from leading Christian scholar, Dr. Glen L. Thompson, on his new book Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China. Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China.
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. 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
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies
Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Jingjiao, or the “Luminous Teaching.” Thompson presents the history of the Persian church's mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China. In an accessible style, Thompson guides readers through primary sources as well as up-to-date scholarship. As the most recent and balanced survey on the topic available in English, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans, 2024) will be an indispensable resource for students of global Christianity and missiology. Glen L. Thompson is professor emeritus of New Testament and historical theology at Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. He has retired to Milwaukee, where he researches, works with students, and expands his Fourth-Century Christianity website. New Books in Syriac Studies is presented by Kristian Heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day
Ne Zha 2, China's box-office sensation, smashed through the key 10 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) mark in ticket receipts on Thursday, including presales and overseas revenue, signaling the vast potential of the domestic cinema industry.中国票房巨作《哪吒2》于周四突破了关键的100亿元人民币（约合13.7亿美元）票房大关，这一数字包括预售和海外收入，显示出国内电影产业的巨大潜力。Since its debut on Jan 29, the film - a sequel to the 2019 top-grossing movie in China Ne Zha - has consistently broken box office records, with audience enthusiasm showing no signs of abating.自1月29日首映以来，这部作为2019年中国票房冠军《哪吒》续集的电影，不断打破票房纪录，观众的热情丝毫未减。Its latest achievement saw it leap ahead of Hollywood blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. Movie to become the world's third highest-grossing animated movie.其最新成就使其超越了好莱坞大片《超级马里奥兄弟大电影》，成为全球票房第三高的动画电影。It also makes Ne Zha 2 the 17th highest-grossing film in global cinematic history. This production is the first non-Hollywood movie to be part of the top 30 list.这也使《哪吒2》成为全球电影史上票房第17高的电影。该作品是首部进入前30名的非好莱坞电影。Directed by Yang Yu, better known as Jiaozi, the film employs a bold and innovative narrative to reinterpret the titular character, a renowned figure in Chinese mythology.该片由杨宇（艺名饺子）执导，采用大胆创新的叙事方式重新诠释了这位中国神话中的著名角色。The mythology surrounding Nezha spread across China in the wake of the arrival of Buddhism. Studies of Buddhist literature from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) have found that Nezha was depicted as the third son of one of the four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism.围绕哪吒的神话随着佛教的传入在中国广泛传播。对唐代（618-907年）佛教文献的研究发现，哪吒被描绘为佛教四大天王之一的第三子。In Buddhist works, Nezha often appears together with his father, carrying a magical miniature pagoda. His duty is to help him ward off evil spirits, and protect people.在佛教作品中，哪吒经常与父亲一起出现，手持一座神奇的微型宝塔。他的职责是帮助父亲驱邪避灾，保护人民。Also depicted as a mischievous celestial being in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel Fengshen Yanyi (The Investiture of the Gods), the character evolved into a heroic figure who fights against feudal patriarchy in the 1979 classic animated film Nezha Conquers the Dragon King.在明代（1368-1644年）小说《封神演义》中，哪吒也被描绘成一个调皮的天神，而在1979年的经典动画电影《哪吒闹海》中，他演变成一个反抗封建父权的英雄形象。In the 2019 film, the character's traditional image was subverted with an unconventional design — a child sporting dark circles under his eyes and a gap-toothed smile. Through humor and unexpected twists, the movie captivated audiences by recounting an unlikely hero who fights his unfair fate. This year's sequel has adhered to the familiar formula but expanded upon it, delving into a deeper and broader theme and resulting in all characters possessing profound personalities.在2019年的电影中，这一角色的传统形象被颠覆，采用了非常规的设计——一个孩子，眼下有黑眼圈，咧嘴一笑露出牙缝。通过幽默和意想不到的转折，这部电影讲述了一个与不公命运抗争的另类英雄，吸引了观众。今年的续集延续了熟悉的套路，但进行了扩展，深入探讨了更深更广的主题，使所有角色都具有深刻的个性。Yang Chenxi, a 17-year-old senior middle school student from Huzhou, Zhejiang province, resonated with the spirit of the movie. She watched Ne Zha five times and Ne Zha 2 once during the Spring Festival holiday.来自浙江省湖州市的17岁高三学生杨晨曦（音译）与这部电影的精神产生了共鸣。她在春节期间看了五遍《哪吒》，看了一遍《哪吒2》。"There might be a similarity between Nezha and me. We both care how other people see us," she says. "This version of Nezha is different from the typical storyline of a divine being reincarnated to save others and himself. Instead, it begins with Nezha as an underestimated demon who gradually proves himself, defying fate to start anew."她说："哪吒和我可能有相似之处。我们都在乎别人怎么看我们。这个版本的哪吒不同于天神转世拯救他人和自己的典型故事情节。相反，它从哪吒作为一个被低估的恶魔开始，逐渐证明自己，反抗命运，重新开始。"According to Maoyan Pro, a leading industry tracker, the movie is projected to exceed 16 billion yuan in total box office earnings.根据领先的行业追踪平台猫眼专业版的数据，该片预计总票房将超过160亿元人民币。Lai Li, an analyst with Maoyan Pro, said that it is a historic moment to witness Ne Zha 2 becoming China's first film to gross over 10 billion yuan in the global market.猫眼专业版分析师赖丽（音译）表示，见证《哪吒2》成为中国首部在全球市场票房超过100亿元的电影，这是一个历史性时刻。Ne Zha 2 was released in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea on Thursday, one day ahead of its release in the US and Canada.《哪吒2》于周四在澳大利亚、新西兰、斐济和巴布亚新几内亚上映，比在美国和加拿大上映提前一天。Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, attributed the box office achievement of the film to its incorporation of Chinese mythology with modern expressions.中国电影评论学会会长饶曙光将这部电影的票房成绩归功于其将中国神话与现代表达相结合。He also pointed out the success proves the global appeal of Chinese stories, but the industry still needs more diversified themes and mechanism to cultivate talents.他还指出，这一成功证明了中国故事的全球吸引力，但该行业仍需要更多元化的主题和机制来培养人才。Lynn Wu, a 43-year-old Chinese mother of two residing in Brisbane, told China Daily that Ne Zha 2 has ignited widespread enthusiasm within the Chinese community.43岁的中国母亲吴琳恩（音译）居住在布里斯班，她告诉《中国日报》，《哪吒2》在中国社区引发了广泛热情。"We are incredibly proud that China has produced such a visually stunning and captivating animated film. Almost everyone on my WeChat moments is discussing plans to visit theaters and watch this movie," she added.她补充说："我们非常自豪中国能制作出如此视觉震撼、引人入胜的动画电影。我微信朋友圈里的几乎每个人都在讨论去电影院看这部电影的计划。"
In the Season 1 Finale – Max, Molly, and frenemies turned friends, Brad, and Katrina travel to the Tang Dynasty in 618 China to save the invention of ice cream from the Trolls' sabotage. But with Mr. Conklin always one step ahead, can they truly save ice cream for the world and the future? Grown-Ups, learn more about ReMarkable here: https://bit.ly/4aexdk5
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Happy New Year! This is our 2025 recap episode. In this case, we actually are recapping a fair bit more than just the year, going over the previous evolution of the Yamato state up to the period of the Great Change, or Taika, which we covered this past year. There's a lot more that we expect to get into this next year, and this will hopefully tee us up for what is to come. For more, including a full list of our previous references, check out: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-newyear2025 Rough Transcript Shinnen Akemashite! Happy New Year and Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is the New Year's Recap episode for 2025! It's that time again: we are going to look back at what happened in the episodes this year. That was only episodes 101 to 117—we'll skip the travelogue episodes for the time being. This covered the years of the early to mid-7th century, from roughly 613 to 659. That is easily within the lifetime of a single individual, and yet a lot was going on. At the start of this year, we were at the height of Soga power. In 2023, we covered how back in 587, Soga no Umako had wrested power away from the powerful Mononobe clan, defeating Mononobe no Moriya. As you may recall, the sovereign known to posterity as Jimmu Tennou was the descendant of the Heavenly Grandchild known as Ninigi no Mikoto, at least according to the Nihon Shoki. The Mononobe clan claimed descent from none other than Nigi Hayahi, the Other Heavenly Grandchild, whose offspring were said to have been defeated by Jimmu. You may recall that scholars generally consider the story of Jimmu, and the nine sovereigns that immediately followed him, as almost certainly a later addition to the story of the royal lineage. So when did the story of Nigi no Hayahi's defeat enter the picture? And was its inclusion perhaps related to the defeat of the Mononobe by the Soga family? A family that successfully intermarried with the Royal House, themselves, such that all later sovereigns would trace their ancestry back to the Soga house? Of course, under Soga dominance we saw the rise of figures like the Soga descended Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tenno. During her reign, major reforms were carried out, Buddhism became fully established by the State, and ties with the continent were strengthened. Politics would continue to be dominated by Soga, even after the death of Soga no Umako and Kashikiya Hime, with Soga no Emishi taking up the mantle of Prime Minister, working closely with his son, Soga no Iruka. The Soga family was so entwined with the politics of rulership that the main rivals of the Soga were… the Soga. That is to say different Soga-descended lineages, like that of the Prince Umayado, aka Prince Shotoku. Rather than supporting Umayado's son, Prince Yamashiro no Oe, Soga no Emishi backed another candidate to the throne, Prince Tamura. , of the royal Okinaga lineage. Tamura came to power as Jomei Tenno, but there is little doubt that Soga no Emishi was the one in control. Later, when Tamura passed away in 641, Yamashiro no Oe continued to be passed over. In fact, Soga no Emishi supported the ascension of Tamura's wife, Takara hime, over Yamashiro no Oe, and there is evidence that he supported a prince known as Furubito no Oe as the Crown Prince and eventual successor. All of the evidence—which, to be honest, is rather biased—suggests that the Soga family were setting up a series of puppet rulers who would do their bidding, or at least be pliable to their suggestions. There must have been some pushback, though, especially when one considers how strong the cult of Prince Shotoku, aka Umayado, would eventually become. One imagines that Prince Yamashiro was another pole around which those who opposed the Soga family could rally. After all, he was the son of Crown Prince Umayado, and likely had just as much of a claim as Tamura and his children. And so, to counter this threat, Soga no Emishi's son and successor, Soga no Iruka, took matters into his own hands. In a brazen display of the violence of court politics, Soga no Iruka had Yamashiro no Oe accused of plotting against the throne and took an army to arrest him—no doubt in the hope that the prince would resist. Eventually they cornered Yamashiro and his family, who committed suicide rather than submit. This attack was likely targeted to take out the rival to the Soga family's preferred Crown Prince, Prince Furubito no Oe, but rather than quell any dissent, the move seems to have enflamed the passions of those who wanted to see an end to the Soga house. Those passions took particular root in none other than Furubito no Oe's younger brother, Prince Naka no Oe. Together with the support of his uncle, Prince Karu; the head of the Nakatomi house, Nakatomi no Kamatari; as well as another scion of the Soga house, Soga no Kuroyamada, Prince Naka no Oe staged a coup d'etat. Using the death of Prince Yamashiro no Oe as an excuse, they engineered a plot to assassinate Soga no Iruka in court, in front of Naka no Oe's own mother, Takara Hime no Oho-kimi. After Iruka's death, Naka no Oe and his supporters then took the fight to Soga no Emishi, who committed suicide and set his own house on fire in what came to be known as the Isshi Incident. This shocking assassination caused Takara hime to step down. The Soga-backed Prince Furubito no Oe, rather than stepping up and taking the throne, retreated to a Buddhist temple and took holy orders, effectively retiring and theoretically taking himself out of court politics. That left Prince Naka no Oe and his uncle, Prince Karu, as possible candidates. We are told that Prince Naka no Oe declined to take the throne himself, instead supporting his uncle, Prince Karu. Prince Karu took the throne, and is known to us as Kotoku Tenno, today. Prince Naka no Oe stepped up as the Crown Prince, and with the help of his co-conspirators, such as Nakatomi no Kamatari, Soga no Kurayamada, and others, they began a project to remake the Yamato government, using continental models—specifically the Sui and Tang courts, which were also influencing the governments of the Korean peninsula, such as those of Baekje and Silla. This is known as the Taika, or Great Change, era. There had been previous movements to adopt some of the continental trends, but nothing to this extent, which culminated in a tremendous palace complex built in Naniwa—modern Ohosaka. Governors were sent out to the east of the country. The old, decentralized system was being replaced by a centralized bureaucracy. And yet this wasn't entirely a smooth transition. Early on there was a threat by supporters of the previous Crown Prince, Furubito no Oe. He was killed to put down any possible revolt. Later, Naka no Oe was hoodwinked into going after his own co-conspirator, Soga no Kurayamada, resulting in Kurayamada's death and the punishment of his entire family. A few years later, Naka no Oe moved back to Asuka, taking most of the royal family and the court with him, abandoning the grand government complex that they had built in Naniwa for reasons that remain unclear. Shortly thereafter, Karu, aka Kotoku Tenno, passed away. But rather than Naka no Oe taking the throne—or even Karu's son, Prince Arima—the throne went back to Naka no Oe's mother, Takara Hime. This is the only case we have of a single sovereign reigning twice, and the Chroniclers gave her two separate regnal names—Kogyoku Tenno to refer to her first reign and Saimei Tenno to refer to her second. And this is the reign that we are going to start the new year with. Beyond what was going on on the archipelago, there was also plenty that we covered on the continent. We started the year with the Sui dynasty having consolidated control and working to continue to expand their territory north, south, and west, while also connecting the economic areas of the Yangzi and Yellow rivers. Unfortunately, through their wars and public works projects they overextended themselves, and the dynasty fell, replaced, in 619, with the Tang dynasty. The Tang continued to expand, taking control of important points on the Silk Road and becoming a hub of trade and commerce. At the same time, they were contesting their borders with the Goguryeo, who, themselves, had come under the control of Yeon Gaesomun, an infamous noble and anti-Tang hard-liner, who had staged a coup, murdered the Goguryeo king and any who stood against him, and who had installed a puppet king on the throne. It is little wonder that the Tang dynasty was courting Goguryeo's enemy, Silla, to pressure them from the other side. This eventually kicked off the Tang-Goguryeo war, with the loosely allied Tang and Silla fighting on and off with Goguryeo and their ally, Baekje, who was also invested in stifling Silla's ambitions on the peninsula. So that's where we are: The Korean peninsula is currently embroiled in conflict between the three kingdoms on the peninsula and the nearby superpower, the Tang Dynasty. Meanwhile, Yamato, on the archipelago, is going through a whole… thing. What that is, we'll try to get into over the next year. Given all of this, let's go over some of the themes from the past year. To start with, let's talk about expanding Yamato influence. From what we can tell, Yamato's influence in the archipelago had peaked around the 5th century, between the creation of giant Daisen Ryo kofun and the reign of Wakatake no Ohokimi, aka Yuryaku Tenno. Wakatake no Ohokimi had courtiers from as far away as Kyushu and the Kanto plain. However, from what I can tell, Yamato's influence appears to have temporarily waned, possibly coinciding with the end of Wakatake's own dynasty, with a new dynasty coming to power in the 6th century. It is possible that Wakatake was simply never quite as powerful as the Chronicles make out, but there are a few other things that make me think that the end of the 5th and early half of the 6th century were a low point in Yamato's power. For one thing, we see a drop off in interactions with the continent after 479—or at least anything beyond the tip of the Korean peninsula. In addition, we see smaller rooms built in the region of the Nara Basin and the Kawachi plain, while more “royal” tombs continue to appear elsewhere in the archipelago. It isn't that they stopped, but the size decreased, suggesting that Yamato didn't have the same labor pool it used to. On top of that, we have the dynastic change. We are told that the line related to Wakatake died out and they had to bring in someone from Afumi and Koshi, who traced their lineage back to the legendary Homuda-wake, aka Ōjin tennō, some five generations back. Many scholars suggest that this connection was a later merging of the lineages, suggesting that, in reality, an entirely new branch of sovereigns had come to power. Finally, we can see the Chronicles focusing more and more on the areas near to Yamato, the area known as the Home Provinces, possibly because Yamato only held direct control over these areas, while control beyond that was only nominal. Local elites in those regions had a lot of autonomy, and if Yamato did not have anything in particular to offer them, they would not have a reason to necessarily go along with Yamato's requests. This may have even been part of the impetus for the so-called “rebellion” by Iwai, in Kyushu. As you may recall, in the early 6th century Iwai attempted to ally with Silla against Yamato and Baekje, with the idea of cutting off Yamato's access to the continent. This ultimately failed, and Yamato ended up creating what would become the Dazaifu near modern Fukuoka, but the fact that Iwai could contemplate it and gather such support would suggest that Yamato was at least perceived as vulnerable. Now up to this point, we see several different policies that were used for increasing the court's control. Early on, this was done by doling out various elite goods. We also see Yamato soft power in the form of spiritual authority and the expansion of local Yamato cultic practices out into the other lands of the archipelago. There was also the tradition of monumental tombs, and especially the royal keyhole style tombs, which spread out from Yamato and was likely as much an indication that those regions saw Yamato practices as worthy of emulation, at the least, and perhaps saw Yamato as a cultural nexus on the archipelago. To all of this, they eventually added the “Be” system. This appears to have been copied from systems being used on the Korean peninsula, and it focused on creating familial units to organize various industries, with family heads responsible for reporting and funneling necessary goods up to the court. This eventually included the noble “uji” clans, with their power bases in various geographic regions. Yamato extended its influence through a variety of methods, including various public works projects. These included things like the building of ponds, or reservoirs, which would have been critical to the wet-rice paddy agriculture that was the economic backbone of the Yamato government. Another means of extending government control was the “miyake”, or Royal Granaries. Originally we see these set up in the Nara basin, but during the current dynasty they had been extended all the way out to Kyushu. Ostensibly, they were there to collect rice for taxes, but they appear to have acted as government offices, providing a presence for Yamato even out in the hinterlands. Eventually they would turn the area in Kyushu, the Dazai, into its own, semi-autonomous extension of the Yamato government, as well. In the past year of the podcast, we've seen many of those older forms of government control replaced with a new bureaucratic system. This included an upgrade to the rank system, which was a way for the government to both organize the bureaucracy while also creating a means to award individuals. Early rank systems had initially been granted at the family level, but following a continental model meant that the new system was based solely on the individual. Thus they could hand out rank to various kings and chieftains across the archipelago and entice them into the Yamato orbit, a trick they had been doing previously as well with various types of recognition. Those that took the titles and rank that Yamato handed out gained a certain amount of legitimacy, locally, but since that legitimacy was tied to the Yamato court, it also helped solidify Yamato's own influence on those areas. That doesn't mean that all expansion was peaceful. Yamato contested on their eastern and northern border with the people referred to as the Emishi, which eventually included contests as far north as the island of Hokkaido with the Mishihase people. There was another form of soft power used by the court in the way that it supported Buddhism, which was still a new religion at this point, having arrived in the early part of the 6th century. Patronage of Buddhism would lead to the building of temples and otherwise claiming some authority in the spiritual realm, beyond simply the court's control of the Mt. Miwa site. Furthermore, the state itself took particular interest in Buddhist institutions, and cracked down heavily on the clergy, ensuring that they reported up to the court, formally solidifying the connection between temples and the State. But then they went a bit further and instituted actual governors. They were appointed by the Yamato government, and they were particularly installed in the Eastern lands—referred to as provinces. These governors reported to the court, and appear to have initially been separate from locally recognized elites, who were known as the Kuni no Miyatsuko. The governors were to take stock of the areas under their authority and report up information such as a summary of the lands and local census information. This meant that Yamato did not need to rely on local elites to administer an area, they would have greater insight into what was actually going on. This was all combined with the institution of new laws on taxes, corvee labor, and more, while eliminating traditional practices such as the Miyake and even royal tomb-building. The latter was likely affected by the various public works projects, but also the fact that more work was going into the building of things like Buddhist temples. As we noted back in the previous year, Buddhist temple building appears to have had a hand in the end of the prolific kofun building, at least in Yamato proper. Kofun were memorials—meant to carry on the memory of an individuals well after their death. They were ritual sites, and families were set up to care for them. Temples, likewise, were erected with certain memorial qualities. Donating to build a temple was thought to increase one's karma, and thus do wonders for your next life. Temple patrons would be remembered, and services were carried out, but temples also had a certain public aspect to them, as well. On top of that, they were new, and no doubt exotic, with their tiled rooves, intricate carvings, and colorful buildings. Much of the labor that would have built tombs appears to have been co-opted, instead, to build temples. Some of the temples founded in this period include Asuka dera, aka Hokoji, built on or near the Soga family compound, as well as other Asuka temples, such as Yamadadera, Kawaradera, Toyouradera, and Kudaradera. There was also Houryuji, erected by Prince Umayado near his house, and the ancient temple of Shitennouji, erected in Naniwa. Of these, both Horyuji and Shitennoji continue, today, at or near their original with some of the oldest extant buildings in Japan. Asukadera was moved to its modern site of Gangoji, in Nara city proper, but there is still a smaller Asukadera on the original site, with what may be one of the original images, though the buildings have been rebuilt after numerous fires and disasters over the years. Of course, a big part of all of these foreign ideas, such as Buddhism but also Confucian thought as well, was the growing influence of the continent, whether in the form of Baekje, Silla, Goguryeo, or beyond. While there had been influence ever since the Yayoi period—and arguably even during the Jomon, in some instances—there seems to have been an acceleration once Yamato began to import Buddhism, which was likely connected with all of the learning and texts that were also being imported around that time. Then, during the Sui and Tang dynasties—both of which the Chronicles simply label as the “Great Tang”—the court sent several embassies to the Sui and Tang emperors, bringing back individuals with actual experience in the way things were happening outside of the archipelago. And we should not discount the various embassies to and from the Korean peninsula. Yamato was increasing its involvement in peninsular affairs. They continued to be concerned with the state of Nimna, also known as Imna or Mimana, which had been assimilated by Silla, along with the rest of Gaya, or Kara, by the early to mid-6th century, with many accounts dealing with attempts to reinstate Nimna as a separate and sovereign entity. Along with this, Yamato continued their relationship with Baekje, who sent Prince Pung to reside at the Yamato court. This continued a long-standing tradition that is portrayed as a type of diplomatic hostage, though there have been several times that princes at the Yamato court came back to Baekje to rule after the king died or was killed. All of this to say that not only did ambassadors from Yamato go to these countries, but ambassadors also traveled to Yamato, while various immigrants from these areas of Baekje, Silla, and even Goguryeo occasionally settled in Yamato. This further increased the number of individuals with knowledge and experience of continental concepts and technology, and we can see their influence in numerous different ways. This was all part of what led to the Yamato government's adoption of Tang style law codes, though it should be noted that the law codes were not taken wholecloth. Rather, they were adapted specifically to the issues of the archipelago. This was the beginning of what came to be known as the Ritsuryo system, literally the system of laws and punishments. Under this system, the government went from a single Oho-omi, or great minister, to two Great ministers, one of the left and one of the right. These would come to be known as the Sadaijin and the Udaijin. Nakatomi no Kamatari was afforded a special place as the third minister, the minister of the center, or Naidaijin, possibly referring to his responsibilities with the interior of the royal household, while the ministers of the left and right would have had particular ministries beneath them - eight ministries in total, with various departments underneath them. They would be assigned to report either to the Minister of the Left or the Minister of the Right, each one overseeing, effectively, half of the government portfolio. This system, combined with the governors and the Tomo no Miyatsuko in the provinces, meant that Yamato had much more granular control over the workers and the means of production. They organized households into villages, and villages into districts. There were lower level officials who reported up the chain all the way to the great ministers, the Daijin, or Oho-omi. This meant that they effectively abolished the Be and Uji system, at least as it had been set up. These familial groups continued to operate as families, or perhaps more appropriately as “clans”, given how the groups had come to be. These officials were granted rank and, more importantly, stipends from the government. A portion of taxes, which were paid in rice, went to various officials. This meant that officials not only relied on the government for their status, but for their incomes as well. This went along with an attempt to implement something known as the “equal field system”, imported, again, from the continent. This determined who would work what fields, and was another way that the government was involved down to the actual labor producing the rice that was the economic engine of the State. And that covers most of what we've been up to this past year. There have been individual accomplishments that we didn't get into, but there is plenty there if you want to listen to it. So that covers the past year in the podcast—a little over half of the 7th century. It really was a time of dramatic change—whether or not “Taika” was the name given to part of it, it certainly feels appropriate. Even though the court eventually moved to Naniwa, this is the height of the Asuka period, and the start of the Ritsuryo state. It would form the foundations for what was to come, and themes from this period will continue to show up again and again. In this next year, we are going to continue to look at Takara Hime's reign and beyond. We'll see the resolution of the Tang-Goguryeo war, and the impact of all the continental fighting on the archipelago. We'll also see continued developments within the archipelago itself, hopefully getting through to the end of the 7th century. We are actually reaching the end of the material in the Nihon Shoki. This does not mean that we are running out of material, though. The Chronicles end in 697—less than 40 years out from our current place in the Chronicles. From there, we have the Shoku Nihongi, which covers 95 years, until 797 CE. Translation of much of the Shoku Nihongi is available through the work of Dr. Ross Bender, and you can find his work online if you want to get a leg up on the reading, though that is a ways out. For now, we can still comfortably continue with the Nihon Shoki, at least through the reign of Temmu Tennou. Until then, Happy New Year! As usual, thank you for listening and for all of your support. Thanks also to my lovely wife, Ellen, for her continued work at helping to edit these episodes! Remember, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
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Hitting the last of the Taika reforms, including talk about names, ranks, official duties, and new sumptuary laws for officials. For more, check out: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-111 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 111: Names, ranks, and court caps. In the early hours of the morning, the locked gates of the palace were dark against the sky. A few torches provided flickering illumination, as a crowd of officials gathered to the left and right of the doors. As they waited outside, a low murmur could be heard as they made small talk with their co-workers. Stragglers continued to join the crowd as the sky itself began to lighten, and though the sun still rested below the horizon, the stars had already given way. As the light grew, and the torches were extinguished, a few late arrivals rushed up just as sun began to peek over the horizon. At that, the doors were opened from inside, and the officials streamed in, heading to their offices where they would get to work running the country—their main tool in this task being little more than brush and paper, as they worked to bring order to the chaos. Here we are, still in the second year of Taika, aka 646, and still going through the changes being made to the Yamato government. Last episode we went through many of the edicts made in and around the third month of the year. These include proscriptions on the size and content of various tombs, down to how many people they could have work on them and for how long. Other edicts impacted who could actually control the labor of the people. While it is likely that local officials remained in charge, there was at least a nominal understanding that the people's labor—whether in the form of corvee labor or rice and similar products of the agricultural labor of the people working the fields—all that labor belonged to the State and, by extension, the sovereign. There were many other, specific edicts, many having to do with marriage and various instances of harai—not to mention the invention of “escrow”. One of the themes through much of this was at least the nominal extension of the sovereign's direct authority down to the lowest levels of society. This was accomplished by setting up offices down to the village level that would report up the chain all the way to the court. These “officers” were likely pulled from individuals who were already part of the elites, but instead of being paid by income from their own lands, they now had stipends coming directly from the court. That was a theme that continued in the edicts that came out in the 8th month, which is where we're going to start with today's episode. Before we get into that, though, a quick caveat: I am still not convinced that I fully understand what is going on with some of these edicts, especially around names. I'm not even sure the Chroniclers fully comprehended what they had put together and pulled from various sources at times, which occasionally seems like it is contradictory or repetitive. So I'll do my best to explain it as I see it, but if you really want to get into this topic you probably will want to dig into it for yourself. Now I want to start with Aston's translation of part of the edict as recorded in the Nihon Shoki. Following a rather flowery introduction talking about sage kings—a topic we should touch on at some point—they get to the heart of the matter: “Now as to the names of the early Princes: the Omi, Muraji, Tomo no Miyatsuko and Kuni no Miyatsuko have divided their various Be and allotted them severally to their various titles (or surnames). They afterwards took the various Be of the people, and made them reside in the provinces and districts, one mixed up with another. The consequence has been to make father and child to bear different surnames, and brothers to be reckoned of distinct families, while husbands and wives have names different from one another. One family is divided into five or split up into six, and both Court and country are therefore filled with contentious suits. No settlement has been come to, and the mutual confusion grows worse and worse. Let the various Be, therefore, beginning with those of the reigning Sovereign and including those in the possession of the Omi, Muraji, etc., be, without exception, abolished, and let them become subjects of the State. Those who have become Tomo no Miyatsuko by borrowing the names of princes, and those who have become Omi or Muraji on the strength of the names of ancestors, may not fully apprehend our purport, and might think, if they heard this announcement without warning, that the names borrowed by their ancestors would become extinct. We therefore make this announcement beforehand, so that they may understand what are our intentions. The children of rulers succeed one another in the government of the Realm, and it is well known that the names of the actual Sovereign and of his Royal ancestors will not be forgotten by the world. But the names of sovereigns are lightly given to rivers and plains, or common people are called by them. This is a truly fearful state of things. The appellations of sovereigns, like the sun and moon, will float afar: the names of those of the Royal line will last for ever, like unto Heaven and Earth. Such being our opinion, we announce as follows:--'Do ye all, from those of the Royal line down to the Ministers, the Daibu, Omi, Muraji, and Tomo no Miyatsuko, who do Us service, (in short) all persons of whatever Uji [One book has 'royal subjects of whatever name'], give ear to what We say. With regard to the form of your service, We now abolish the former offices and constitute afresh the hundred bureaus. We shall, moreover, grant grades of rank and confer official dignities.” Whew. That is a lot, and I want to try to break it down as best I can. First off, I believe this ties in to the earlier edict, in the third month, that we mentioned last episode. In that edict, the sovereign abolished the “Iribe”—those families made for the princes and ostensibly around to keep certain names alive, though quite probably they were family groups meant to keep previous princes and others rolling in their rice payments. This new edict is continuing that trend – of abolishing the Be – but is coming at it from a different perspective. As a reminder, the “Be” and the various “Uji”, while they were longstanding Yamato tradition by this point, were originally imported traditions from the continent. By all accounts the “Be” were the first to be created, with the “family” system creating a hereditary structure through which people would be born into particular jobs, with a familial “head” that would then organize the various members across the realm. The more aristocratic “uji” formed out of that. Based on this edict, it seems that not only the sovereign of Yamato was using this system. In fact, I suspect that the various local “sovereigns” of other lands had adopted it for their own purposes as well, and it sounds like even the Yamato courtiers had taken to using a version of this system within the lands that they controlled. The Be and Uji system were, by this point, ubiquitous across the archipelago, at all levels, from what we can tell. Family *names*, however, were not a native system in Yamato. Prior to the introduction of the Be and Uji, as best we can tell people were known by where they were from, what they did and the titles they held, and by their given names. A father and son would not necessarily have shared a name, other than those other factors that they held in common by way of ancestry. I further suspect that ancestor worship was not so much a thing, either. Not that people in Yamato didn't revere their parents or remember those that passed on, but there weren't the same ideas about family as among, say, the ethnic Han, for whom ancestor worship was important, and carrying a family name was tied to larger cultural and ritual implications. In early Yamato, names were tied to jobs and position in society. If that changed, then someone could easily create a new family—a new “Be”—and people placed in that group would have both a new name and new responsibilities. If a particular elite uji, like the Abe, the Ohotomo, the Nakatomi, or the Mononobe, needed people to set up a new income stream for a particular person—perhaps a son or daughter—or they wanted to start a new industry in their territory, they might just have easily called up various people and reassigned them from one Be to a newly created one. That would surely explain the breaking up of fathers and sons, such that each had a different name. At the same time, this would have likely been anathema to the Confucian dogma that underlay much of the reasoning behind the reforms. Confucian theory gives much weight to the concept of filial piety, that a son should be loyal to the father. Thus to cause a father and son to be split into different families without good reason was likely at odds with what the elite were telling themselves was the proper way of Heaven. So now we come back to the edict, which treats the entire traditional naming system as though it was in line with Confucian ideals. Moreover it places the authority to regulate these families and family names in the sovereign. This wasn't actually a new thing: the Chronicles previously had mentioned regulating names under the reign of Woasatsuma no Ohokimi, aka Ingyou Tennou, in the 5th century. This was covered back in episode 56, where we talked about the importance of names, how they determined who you were and your position in society. This was changing, as was the concept of family, which was, once again, much more closely tied to Confucian notions of family. So controlling the names of the families was another form of power that further emphasized the position of the sovereign. Through the regulation of these corporate families, their labor, was now being brought under the nominal control of the sovereign and the state. This edict also removed the tradition of naming corporate groups after a person. Previously that traditions seems to have started as a way to create groups that actually supported a given individual with their labor. Those groups would often persist beyond the individual, however, and I suspect that's where they became thought of as a kind of memorial, maintaining the memory of that individual. And I can see the power in that kind of thing, especially prior to having any kind of decent written records. It is interesting to see how the practice had come to be viewed by the 7th century. There is a mention in the edict of something that runs contrary to how we understand things actually happened, and that was in the comment that lakes and rivers and more had been named after sovereigns. The Chroniclers here are referring to the way that placenames, such as Hatsuse, or Hase, as well as Okinaga or Katsuraki, show up in the names of various sovereigns. Aston notes something that seems obvious to me, when you think about it: These places weren't named after the sovereigns, but the other way around. Assuming that many of the names we see in the Chronicles were actually titles, they told you things about the person they were attached to, possibly where they were from. Of course, that interpretation doesn't fit as well into the narrative of the 7th and 8th centuries and the idea that the royal lineage was a largely unbroken line back to the earliest ancestors, instead of a broken lineage of different people from different places.So with all of that, the court abolished the practice of creating all of these different family names. The edict almost makes it sound like they were abolishing those families, as well, though they make a clarifying point about that: there is a note about how some of the tomo no miyatsuko—a general name for those families that served in court—took their position by ‘borrowing the name of a prince', and how the court didn't want those people to be worried about how this change would affect them. The meaning would appear to be that courtly families would be unaffected, and this only affected families going forward or those that were created that were apparently below the level of the Tomo no Miyatsuko. That said, this is where it is good to remember that we are reading a Sinified version of the ancient Japanese as told by biased Chroniclers and trying to interpret it through a modern lens, often going through yet another translation in the process. The second part of the edict mentions abolishing the former offices and constituting afresh the hundred bureaus. This is a bit difficult to parse, but Aston suggests that it refers to abolishing any actual authority attached to the old titles, many of which had become nothing more than names. So when we see things like Wake and Mimi and other such things that appear to be old titles, the court was likely making sure that everyone now understood that those no longer had any actual authority. The kabane or family ranks stayed, at least for now, greater emphasis was placed on the newly established positions that were set up as part of the new state bureaucracy, as well as the rank and stipend that was likewise given out. Aston also suggests that this change means that the rank and the title were not necessarily one and the same, though high rank often did come with a high position. The edict doesn't stop there, however. After talking about names and families, it goes on to talk about governors and the kuni-no-miyatsuko handing out rice land per previous edicts. It is noted that the rice land should be handed out equally to the people, and that those who live on or next to the land should be the ones to get it. I wonder about the actual execution, but at first blush, at least, this seems to make sense—don't make families hike all the way across the village or region to till the field, but try to locate their land near their home. It also notes that alternate taxes—when it is labor or something else in lieu of rice—should only be collected from men, presumably the head of the household. This was likely part of the shaping of patriarchal attitudes that assumed the men were the head of household and the chief laborers. The edict went on to call up corvee labor—one from every fifty houses, as had been previously mentioned—to help survey the various provinces and create maps of the provinces and districts. This is a rather monumental task, and it is unfortunate that no actual map survives from this time as far as I'm aware, but it is one more effort to try to bring the entire realm under the control of the state. In this case you are, in a way, capturing the realm on paper and setting up a basis on which to discuss later things like land ownership and use even though the actual land might be far away from the political and administrative center. Finally, the edict makes note that uniform provision would be made for any canals, embankments, or rice land that needed to be brought into cultivation. This likely varied in each district and province, so there is just a general note that would have required local officers of the court to determine exactly what was needed. And that was it for the 8th month, and for edicts that year. There was more that we will cover in later episodes—rats marching to the east, the last gasps (perhaps) of Nimna as a consideration, and other such things. But no more edicts. At least not that year. The following year, Taika 3, or 647, we see the issue of names comes up again. This time the edict came out in the fourth month, and the claims now seem similar but slightly different from before. The issue in the 4th month appears to be that some family names were derived from the names of kami or even sovereigns. Moreover, people were apparently using that connection to claim that they had certain authorities to continue to make people their slaves or to avail themselves of their labor. In the case of the names related to sovereigns, I suspect that ties in directly with the previous discussions of creating corporate groups to support a given prince or other royal family member. As for the kami, there seems to be some idea that groups that claimed descent from a particular kami would take that kami's name. So those claiming descent from Oho-kuni-nushi, the Lord of the Great Land, used the name “Oho-kuni-nushi” as their family name. We aren't given specific examples, however. There are numerous possible explanations I could see for these, especially given the way that early power structures tied themselves to the ability to appease powerful spirits. The Ohomiwa family name, for example, likely refers to their connection to the religious activities on Mt. Miwa. I also would not be surprised to learn that some of these families were ancient royalty in their own lands—the lands that Yamato now claimed as provinces. There is the possibility, though, that all of this is just people taking names for themselves and putting on airs—trying to be important. After all, in a time before documentation, whos to say when you actually arrived at a particular name and how. This is a phenomenon seen in parts of America, especially in the early days, when many people struck off to make a life, often without the baggage attached to a previous identity. Prior to more rigorous systems of documentation, how would you know if the person you met really was “Mr. Underhill” and not someone entirely different? Most important, to me, is the act of the sovereign, as head of the state, in actively claiming authority over these issues as well as putting a stop to the way that people were using such names to apparently make claims to certain entitlements. The message seems clear: Moving forward, everything has to go through the sovereign and the court. The previous systems of rule and governance will no longer be tolerated. Of course, it isn't exactly clear how this was enforced. Was it purely through the court? Or was there also some threat of force and violence if people didn't conform? Or was it enough to make the edict and then have local governors handle it? Other than the example that was made of several of the governors, which we talked about over the last couple of episodes, I'm not sure that we fully know how it all went down. There were a few other edicts mentioned that year, but apparently the chroniclers didn't know exactly when they had been instituted, and so just claimed that it occurred during that year. It seems that there was a new palace built, replacing the old government offices at Wogohori, in Naniwa, and there were new rules for how the court would operate. That entry is placed between the entries of the 4th and 10th month, suggesting it was instituted around the summer period. Then, after a few more entries, including one for the last day of the year, there was the the institution of a new rank system. As for the new court rules: all courtiers were to show up to work at the Hour of the Tiger—the period of roughly 3 to 5 AM by modern standards—and they were to stand at the gates of the palace until dawn, at which point the doors would be open and people would be allowed in. Once everyone was in, the doors would be shut, and anyone who was late, well, I guess you were calling out for the day. We talked a little bit about this practice back in Episode 95, when we were going over Umayado's 17 article constitution, which exhorted the court officials to arrive early and stay late. This was clearly based on continental models, and as I mentioned back in that episode, it was likely done to make sure that officials had the most daylight possible to complete their tasks. Not that there were so many tasks. The workday ended around noon—the Hour of the Horse, which technically spanned 11 AM to 1 PM. A bell would be rung, letting everyone know that it was time to go home. Realistically this means that you are lining up at 4 AM and going home at noon—roughly an 8 hour day, not including the commute. And if 4 AM seems early, this was not an uncommon time for people to get up and prepare for the day when they didn't have artificial light to keep them going so much later. In Medieval Europe it wasn't uncommon for servants to be up and about by 3 or 4 am to go get food to start cooking. If you consider that it was dark by 6 or 7 pm, and you go to bed around 8 pm, you just might wake up at 4 in the morning—going to bed a little earlier, or just going with a bit less sleep, and you can be up and about by that time. This also gave the court officials time for everything else they would need to do. From noon until sunset would have been time for the social functions; what we might consider “networking” in a modern corporate environment. Today we can shift these considerations to much later due to electricity, but when light meant fire and fire meant the possibility of burning down your entire house, then using the light you had makes sense. In fact, one has to wonder if this is what led to the fire that destroyed Naka no Oe's own mansion—but we'll probably want to save the rest of that story for another episode. The other thing happening this year, and in many ways closely tied with the new court ceremonies, was the implementation of a new rank and cap system. The previous rank system from the time of Umayado was replaced with a system of seven kinds of court caps and 17 grades. It is often assumed that court caps and clothing were instituted for the earlier system, though there isn't a clear mention of uniforms and colors associated with the earlier ranks are largely conjecture. It isn't clear that the court had yet picked up the continental clothing styles. By 647, however, it seems that the court was considering official court clothing. The Tang Dynasty had instituted color regulations for clothing in the the 4th year of Zhen Guan. The style of robe, the panling lanshan, was borrowed from the Xianbei—a robe with a round-necked collar that originally appeared in the Northern dynasties. It had been previously adopted by scholars and officials in the Tang dynasty, and in the edict of 630 the Tang emperor dictated specific colors that could be worn based on the rank of the individual. Coincidentally, 630-632 is when Inugami no Mitasuki was there as an envoy of the Yamato court. He would have seen the style of the imperial Tang court. Uniforms at the Tang court would have been quite the sight, especially if you weren't used to it. People in the same style and cut of robe, not just for fashion purposes, but coordinated, like a modern sports team. You could immediately tell someone's rank, and when they lined up, it would have been particularly striking. It is unclear to me just how similar the Yamato implementation of this system was to the continental version. This may have been more like the “we have a rank system at home” version of courtly outfits. It also must have been quite the task to have all of the proper caps made from different materials for all of the various ranks and individuals. And these weren't caps you wore all the time—only at major court ceremonies, including when official dignitaries were visiting or during various Buddhist ceremonies. What's more, only two years later they would change it again. This time we have the edict pegged to the second month of the year 649, with 19 court cap-ranks initiated. I'll put the ranks themselves up on the podcast blog at sengokudaimyo.com if anyone is interested in the specifics, but a few notes. First, the names of the ranks were based on various things, such as the color of the cloth of the cap itself and whether it was plain or embroidered. Some of the classes are based on things like “Flower”, “Mountain”, or “Tiger”, though they possibly meant “Kingfisher” for that last one. The first three classes are broken up into Greater and Lesser, or Dai and Shou, while the lower classes—ranks 7 to 18—were further broken into Upper and Lower. So you would have Upper Daikwa, Lower Daikwa, Upper Shoukwa, and Lower Shoukwa, as an example. That method of breaking the lower classes of ranks into more was something that would persist into later rank systems. The last rank, “Risshin”, just meant “Advancement” and seems to refer to the lowest grade on the scale. In addition to the ranks, in the 2nd month of 649 Takamuku no Kuromaro and the Buddhist Priest Bin presented their work on the 8 Ministries—or Departments—and the 100 bureaus. This is work they had been tasked with at the beginning, and the eventual structure is definitely based closely on the Tang dynasty's court, but is not necessarily a one for one adoption. At the top of it all are the 8 Ministries, or Shou, which oversaw the various bureaus—the text says one hundred, but they aren't actually enumerated and so I think we can assume that they just meant that there were a lot of them. The actual 8 Ministries are as follows: Nakatsukasa Shou – the Ministry of Central Affairs Shikibu Shou – the Ministry of Civil Office Jibu Shou – the Ministry of Ceremonies Mimbu Shou – the Ministry of Popular Affairs Hyoubu Shou – the Ministry of War Gyoubu Shou – the Ministry of Justice Ohokura Shou – the Ministry of the Treasury Kunai Shou – the Ministry Imperial Household Many of these ministries would last for centuries, even as their power was eclipsed by other government institutions. Still, they would continue to be important, and today the Kunai Shou still exists, though now it is the “Kunai CHO”, often translated as the Imperial Household Agency. These ministries each had officials at their head who reported up to the Ministers of the Left and Right. These 8 ministries would make up the core of what would come to be known as the Daijo-kan, sometimes referred to as the Great Council of State, which operated the secular government, as opposed to the Jingi-kan, which would come to oversee national Shinto, or kami-related, affairs and ritual. And with that, we largely come to the end of what appears to be the Taika reforms. The rest of the reign could be thought of as a “burn in” period, I guess, as we assume that they continued to implement these reforms and build up this new government. It is likely relevant that the following year, in 650, they changed the era name, something that we'll eventually want to talk about. For now, I think we should call it here. Next episode we'll backtrack a bit and go back to some of the other, non-edict related events in this period. It wasn't exactly clean. There was intrigue, murder, and more. Politics at the time were anything but dull. Still, the reforms had brought about a real change in the administration of Yamato, a change that would influence the entire nation for centuries to come. The centralization of power and the adoption of continental models would not stop simply at administrative tasks, but would find their way into many different facets of life. Naka no Oe himself would continue to refine the system, as would those who came after him. The reforms touched just about every facet of life across the archipelago, and in many ways it finally brought the archipelago under the control of the State, with the sovereign at its head. And so, until next time, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
What is a good life, and how do we make sense of the world when it seems like society is collapsing? In this episode, Lucas Bender joins us once again to discuss the work of Du Fu (712-770 C.E.), the great Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Luke helps us to see how Du Fu's “Passing the Night by White Sands Post Station” can be read in multiple ways depending on how one translates each word of the poem. In doing so, he reveals the poem's concerns with aging, disappointment, and the possibility of hope in difficult times. Click here (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/tu-fu) to learn more about Du Fu. Lucas Bender is the author of Du Fu Transforms: Tradition and Ethics amid Societal Collapse (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674260177) (Harvard University Press, 2021). To learn more about Luke Bender, visit his website (https://campuspress.yale.edu/lucasrambobender/). Cover art: Wang Hui, Ten Thousand Li up the Yangtze River, Qing Dynasty. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Today, we'll talk about how the 32nd generation descendant of Confucius inherited and advanced traditional Confucianism by unifying the interpretation of Confucian classics during the early Tang Dynasty, becoming a prominent Confucian master of his time.
更多卡卡老师分享公众号：卡卡课堂 卡卡老师微信：kakayingyu001送你一份卡卡老师学习大礼包，帮助你在英文学习路上少走弯路夏天到了，今天我们分享一些和Summer相关的英语俚语，快点用起来吧！High Summer它不是“高高的夏天”，事实上，High summer is the middle of summer.通常指的是夏天里最热的那段时间，即仲夏。它还可以表示事物的鼎盛时期或全盛时期。例如：High summer is the hottest time of the year.盛夏是一年中最热的时候。The Tang Dynasty is thought of as the high summer of Chinese poetry.人们认为唐朝是中国诗歌的全盛时期。Summer house可不是“夏天的房子”，summer house 多指建在花园或院子里的凉亭。例如：They spent their weekends at the summer house by the lake.他们在湖边的避暑别墅度过周末。 Summer flingSummer fling指的是在夏天你经历的一段恋情，不是谈婚论嫁相濡以沫的那种，纯粹是因为无聊打发时间。She had a summer fling with a guy she met at the beach.她和在海滩上遇到的一个人有过一段夏日恋情。
EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO $6 PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Luka Kuplowsky discusses How Can I Possibly Sleep When There Is Music, his new album with the Ryōkan band, film studies in Toronto, life-changing Beverly Glenn-Copeland encounters, exploring Buddhism, meditation, Tang Dynasty poetry, and speak-singing, why producer Sandro Perri suggested he perform one song like a tentative fifth grader, the magical gathering place and venue that is Toronto's Tranzac, wanting to be Jackie Chan, theatrical staging, his next album, tour, other future plans, and much more. Support vish on Patreon! Thanks to Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad's Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S. and Black Women United YEG. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #817: Nicole Rampersaud & Off WorldEp. #662: Eric ChenauxEp. #641: André Ethier and Sandro PerriEp. #509: Owen Pallett, Zalika Reid-Benta, Michael Balazo, James Hartnett on Long NightEp. #390: Beverly Glenn-CopelandEp. #37: Doug TielliSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today's poem is Spring View by Du Fu, translated by Arthur Sze. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Victoria Chang writes… “I have always loved imagining how people lived a long time ago, what they thought about, how they dressed, what they ate. One of the best ways to see how people really lived is through poems, really old poems. Du Fu is a poet who lived during the Tang Dynasty in China from 721 to 770, A.D. He was one of the three most prominent poets in the Tang era, along with Wang Wei and Li Bai. Du Fu lived during turbulent war times, which feels like every era of history, including our present times.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp
Today's poem is the work of an eighth-century poet whose reputation didn't peak until the twentieth century. Li Po's “The Solitude of Night” (translated here by Shigeyoshi Obata) resembles Japanese haiku in its atmospheric brevity and is heavy with the kind of common-to-man melancholy the modernists would feel so deeply more than a millennium later.A Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Po (also known as Li Bai, Li Pai, Li T'ai-po, and Li T'ai-pai) was probably born in central Asia and grew up in Sichuan Province. He left home in 725 to wander through the Yangtze River Valley and write poetry. In 742 he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy by Emperor Xuanzong, though he was eventually expelled from court. He then served the Prince of Yun, who led a revolt after the An Lushan Rebellion of 755. Li Bai was arrested for treason; after he was pardoned, he again wandered the Yangtze Valley. He was married four times and was friends with the poet Du Fu.-bio via Poetry Foundation Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe
Back in 2017, I produced a nine-part series on the history of Chinese philosophy. These were once episodes CHP-184 to 192. In 2021, I removed this series from the CHP lineup of shows and published it as an online course. Since last year the History of Chinese Philosophy series has only been available on my Patreon and CHP Premium. What you're listening to here is an updated and new recording from what first came out seven years ago. In the first of 18 episodes that will be covered in this series, we look at Chinese Philosophy's Ancient Beginnings and early Western understanding of Chinese Philosophy. The lives of the ancient Chinese sage kings will also be explored and why some philosophers held them up as role models for society. We will also look at Karl Jaspers's Theory of the Axial Age. For these first ten episodes, the focus will be on pre-Confucian and Confucian philosophers, Legalism, and how Confucianism developed up to the Tang Dynasty. Transcripts to all eighteen episodes are available on Amazon, Barnes Noble, and at Earnshaw Books. Below are links if you're interested. Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/ahw3oWq Earnshaw Books Link: https://earnshawbooks.com/product/the-history-of-chinese-philosophy-book-1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2017, I produced a nine-part series on the history of Chinese philosophy. These were once episodes CHP-184 to 192. In 2021, I removed this series from the CHP lineup of shows and published it as an online course. Since last year the History of Chinese Philosophy series has only been available on my Patreon and CHP Premium. What you're listening to here is an updated and new recording from what first came out seven years ago. In the first of 18 episodes that will be covered in this series, we look at Chinese Philosophy's Ancient Beginnings and early Western understanding of Chinese Philosophy. The lives of the ancient Chinese sage kings will also be explored and why some philosophers held them up as role models for society. We will also look at Karl Jaspers's Theory of the Axial Age. For these first ten episodes, the focus will be on pre-Confucian and Confucian philosophers, Legalism, and how Confucianism developed up to the Tang Dynasty. Transcripts to all eighteen episodes are available on Amazon, Barnes Noble, and at Earnshaw Books. Below are links if you're interested. Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/ahw3oWq Earnshaw Books Link: https://earnshawbooks.com/product/the-history-of-chinese-philosophy-book-1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2017, I produced a nine-part series on the history of Chinese philosophy. These were once episodes CHP-184 to 192. In 2021, I removed this series from the CHP lineup of shows and published it as an online course. Since last year the History of Chinese Philosophy series has only been available on my Patreon and CHP Premium. What you're listening to here is an updated and new recording from what first came out seven years ago. In the first of 18 episodes that will be covered in this series, we look at Chinese Philosophy's Ancient Beginnings and early Western understanding of Chinese Philosophy. The lives of the ancient Chinese sage kings will also be explored and why some philosophers held them up as role models for society. We will also look at Karl Jaspers's Theory of the Axial Age. For these first ten episodes, the focus will be on pre-Confucian and Confucian philosophers, Legalism, and how Confucianism developed up to the Tang Dynasty. Transcripts to all eighteen episodes are available on Amazon, Barnes Noble, and at Earnshaw Books. Below are links if you're interested. Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/ahw3oWq Earnshaw Books Link: https://earnshawbooks.com/product/the-history-of-chinese-philosophy-book-1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2017, I produced a nine-part series on the history of Chinese philosophy. These were once episodes CHP-184 to 192. In 2021, I removed this series from the CHP lineup of shows and published it as an online course. Since last year the History of Chinese Philosophy series has only been available on my Patreon and CHP Premium. What you're listening to here is an updated and new recording from what first came out seven years ago. In the first of 18 episodes that will be covered in this series, we look at Chinese Philosophy's Ancient Beginnings and early Western understanding of Chinese Philosophy. The lives of the ancient Chinese sage kings will also be explored and why some philosophers held them up as role models for society. We will also look at Karl Jaspers's Theory of the Axial Age. For these first ten episodes, the focus will be on pre-Confucian and Confucian philosophers, Legalism, and how Confucianism developed up to the Tang Dynasty. Transcripts to all eighteen episodes are available on Amazon, Barnes Noble, and at Earnshaw Books. Below are links if you're interested. Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/ahw3oWq Earnshaw Books Link: https://earnshawbooks.com/product/the-history-of-chinese-philosophy-book-1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The story of Zhu Wen, the man who formally ended the Tang Dynasty and began the period in Chinese history known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.Support the show
你能相信吗？这是《茶歇中文播客》第一次给大家介绍 “茶文化”。4000多年前，神农在尝试各种植物时中毒，吃了茶叶之后，恢复健康。从此，人们开始喝茶。在中国，“荼” 和 “茶” 字通用，在不同地区有不同的发音。唐朝以来，喝茶成为中国人的习惯。再后来，茶去了亚洲别的国家，还去了欧洲。欧洲人把茶叶看作是很珍贵的饮料。在今天的中国，年轻人越来越喜欢喝咖啡。茶渐渐地以奶茶的形式进入年轻人的生活。 Can you believe that? This is the first time that we talk about "tea culture" at TeaTime Chinese. 4,000 years ago, Shennong was poisoned whilst he was tasting different herbs. After accidentally eating tea leaves, he recovered from poisoning. From then on, people started drinking tea. In China, "Tu" and "Cha" are interchangeable, and are pronounced differently in different regions. Since the Tang Dynasty, drinking tea has become a daily habit for the Chinese people. Later on, tea went to other Asian countries, before it went to Europe. In Europe, people saw tea as a precious beverage. Today, young Chinese people have a preference for coffee. Tea remains in young people's lives in the form of milk tea. ◉ Read transcripts for free ◉ Become a Patron ◉ Visit merch store ◉ Find us on YouTube ◉ We are on LinkedIn ◉ We are on Facebook ◉ Find a Chinese teacher on italki and receive $10 ◉ One-time Donate
唐僧师徒终于走到了西天，他们在大雷音寺先取到一堆白纸，送了紫金钵盂作礼物，才取到了真经。没想到他们回去时被通天河的老龟翻到水里，经历了八十一难的最后一难。他们四人把经书送回大唐，又回到西天，都成了佛。 Finally, Tang Seng and his disciples arrived at the Western Heaven. They first received a stack of white papers at the Great Thunder Monastery. They presented a purple-golden alms bowl as a gift, and then obtained the true scriptures. Unexpectedly, on their way back, they were flipped into the water by the old turtle of the Milky Way River, experiencing the final of the eighty-one torment. The four of them returned the scriptures to the Tang Dynasty and then went back to the Western Heaven, all achieving Buddhahood.
Today, we do something different. We take a look at a children's book that was originally written in English, and then translated into Chinese. Strangely, the translation into Chinese was done in a way that took the English and translated it into classical poetic forms that hark back to the Tang Dynasty. Journey with me to find out how deeply Chinese poetry has influenced the Chinese today.
907 - 1279 - The story of the Song Dynasty takes us from the fall of the Tang Dynasty through to the conquest of China by the Mongols. We will take a closer look at the imperial examination process, innovations in printing, and some controversial changes in national policies.
581 - 608 - Originating from the unifying Sui Dyansty, the Tang China brought back the glory of an affluent and united Chinese nation for the first time since the days of the Han Dynasty. Overexpansion and a large diversity of ethnicities put pressures on the dynasty that threatened its very existence.
A discussion on the source material used for the Tang Dynasty episode, plus a brief look at what's ahead in 2024, plus some information about the challenges of writing chronological medieval history and pronouncing words in different languages that you have no knowledge of.
In this episode, we look into how the Ming Dynasty creators of Journey to the West simply made up as they went along when it came to real life figures from the Tang Dynasty. Bringing China's most influential fantasy adventure to your ears, with an original translation right from its source text. The Fifth Monkey is an independent, multinational team dedicated to this project. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefifthmonkey/subscribe to access the latest episode: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefifthmonkey/subscribe For subtitles, please visit https://youtube.com/@5th_Monkey?si=GcRUys7KthTDMyOQ. Shop at https://www.patreon.com/thefifthmonkey store for transcripts and become a paid member for more exclusive content. We are also on https://ko-fi.com/thefifthmonkey, https://twitter.com/5th_Monkey, https://space.bilibili.com/2036113285, https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jttwaudiodrama & https://weibo.com/u/7792263760.
[Part 6] A man dug a well during the Tang Dynasty in China—but the digging never ended. For two years, he dug down more than 1000 feet before he came upon something startling: another civilization. Was Heimdall from Thor just one of many protectors or guardians of realms unknown to surface men? Can humans visit heavenly kingdoms with the right circumstances? Stories of time mysteries, time slips, and real time travelers may not be just stories. Join Rob Counts for investigative research on an amazing, historic tale; join remote viewer John Vivanco to hear his data on inner Earth beings; and tune in for a Metaphysical show that's out of this world.
In this episode, Lucas Bender guides us through his translation of Du Fu's "Facing Snow," one of the most famous poems in the Chinese language. To learn more about Du Fu's life, work, and cultural significance, please see Lucas Bender's Du Fu Transforms: Tradition and Ethics amid Societal Collapse (Harvard University Press, 2021). (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674260177)
From mounted horses to hypersonic weapons. This is the story of the global competition of great powers. It's a story that China has always been a part of, sometimes as the victor, sometimes as the vanquished. In this episode, my guest, Dr. David A. Graff, compares China's Military might and history to Tibetans, Turks, Mongols, Arabs, Russians, and then the British Dr. David A. Graff of Kansas State University's Dept. of History, HbN's guest for this subject, analyzes how China's massive state organization and awesome resources empowered China's military to defeat others. In this post, you'll learn how internal politics and rebellions limited China's military expansions and geopolitical ambitions. You may also appreciate how history itself, pressures China's military and government to reclaim what they believe to be their historical borders, including Taiwan. In this episode, Dr. Graff discusses many fascinating topics, including the following: 1) Why in China they consider the Tang Dynasty as China's Golden Age? 2) The cavalry - its power and limitations, a theme in China's long imperial history. 3) How China beat and was beaten by the Tibetans, Turks, Mongols and Manchurians. 4) A pivotal battle that changed history. Or maybe not so much! 5) Why did the Ming Empire mothball the Treasure Ships – an armada that dwarfed Europe's navies. 6) How the Qing Empire, China's arguably most successful imperial dynasty, was blindsided by the West. 7) China's military recruitment challenges – from the Ming Empire to President Xi: Born To Fly, a recent Chinese movie similar to Top Gun. 8) Why is Taiwan a question of legitimacy for the PRC? Dr. Graff is a professor in the Department of History of Kansas State University and the director of the undergraduate program in East Asian Studies. His research focuses on Chinese military history, especially that of the Tang dynasty. He is currently completing a translation of what remains of Li Jing's “Art of War,” an early Tang military text, and is also working on a study of internal politics and labor relations in the provincial armies of the late Tang period.He is one of the two editors-in-chief of the Journal of Chinese Military History and has also served as secretary of the Chinese Military History Society since its founding in 1998.Dr. Graff has been the holder of the Richard A. and Greta Bauer Pickett Chair for Exceptional Faculty since 2017.He is the author of several books on China's military history, including the following: Medieval Chinese Warfare 300-900 (Warfare and History), The Eurasian Way of War: Military Practice in Seventh-Century China and Byzantium (Asian States and Empires), and A Military History of China. To learn more about Dr. Graff, you can visit his academic homepage. Click here for an explanation of this episode's image. More on China? We got more. Click here to read, listen and watch our series on China. I hope you enjoy these episodes. Adel Host of the History Behind News podcast Watch my guests & I on YouTube SUPPORT: Click here and join our other supporters in the news peeler community. Thank you.
We pick up after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and Nanzhao Kingdom. The main focus in this Part 2 episode will be the rise and fall of the Dali Kingdom and the Mongol Conquest of Dali in 1253. We'll also take a quick look at the complicated period between the fall of Nanzhao and the founding of the Dali Kingdom. We'll close with the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and the aftermath that occurred in Yunnan in the 14th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We pick up after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and Nanzhao Kingdom. The main focus in this Part 2 episode will be the rise and fall of the Dali Kingdom and the Mongol Conquest of Dali in 1253. We'll also take a quick look at the complicated period between the fall of Nanzhao and the founding of the Dali Kingdom. We'll close with the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and the aftermath that occurred in Yunnan in the 14th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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