Chinese Lore Podcast

Lin Chong really wants to join the bandits on Liangshan, but the initiation is murder.

Meet the new Lin Chong, stabber of hearts, remover of heads, and burner of old men’s beards.

A look at the growth of Buddhism during the Northern Song and the religion's relationship with the imperial government.

Just as Lin Chong starts to settle into his new life at the penal colony, his past pays him a visit.

I recently collaborated with the YouTube channel Invicta History on three videos about Three Kingdoms warlords. The videos were sponsored by Creative Assembly as part of the promotion for its new game Total War: Three Kingdoms. My role in the project was to provide research and record the narration for the videos. We covered Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei. It was a fun project. All three videos a...

Lin Chong finds out first-hand that cash really does rule everything around you, especially when you’re caught up in the ancient Chinese legal system.

Back in February, I took part in a podcast conversation on the Invicta History YouTube channel with the host, Julien, and Peter Stewart, a writer from the team producing the coming “Total War: Three Kingdoms” game. We chatted for more than an hour, geeking out over the history of the Three Kingdoms period, the novel based on it, and how all of that is handled in the game. It was a fun conversation...

Shady backroom deals, morally flexible guards, and a stretch of dodgy woods: Things are not looking good for Lin Chong.

Lin Chong buys a shiny new toy, and then discovers he got sold out.

We see how the "throw Lu Zhishen into a fecal pond" plan turns out, and then watch as he turns pest removal into a Strongest Man event.

A couple duels, a few corpses, and a big fire. Just another day on Lu Zhishen’s trip to the capital.

Lu Zhishen unexpectedly runs into an old friend. Well, a friend. More of a passing acquaintance, really. What do you call someone you don't mind stealing from?

Lu Zhishen meets an old man in need and offers to use his monk training to help the guy out. Wait, what monk training?

Lu Zhishen's new monastic family comes to the sobering realization that they just accepted a hard-drinking, mean-punching, latrine-spurning public-health menace into their midst.

On the lam after committing murder, Lu Da first runs into an old friend, and then runs into religion.

Shi Jin makes a new friend, and we explore the question on everyone’s mind: Exactly what DO you do with minced pork fat?

Shi Jin and the bandits from the nearby mountains make it a Mid-Autumn Festival to remember.

A quick look at the ancient Chinese game of football that allowed Gao Qiu to break into government service.

Wang Jin turns a one-night farm stay into a nice little gig by knocking his host’s son on his butt.

How do you rise up to be the future ruler's right-hand man? Certainly not through brilliance or hard work.

The capital is facing a crisis, and the only hope is basically the 12th-century Chinese equivalent of Anakin Skywalker from "The Phantom Menace." Ugh.

An overview of the podcast and an introduction to the Water Margin, aka Outlaws of the Marsh, one of China’s great classic literary works.

A reflection on this four-year ride, and a glimpse of things to come.

A rapid-fire look at a bunch of supporting players in the novel.

One hundred and fifty-three episodes later, we have finally reached the “long divided, must unite” part of the novel.