The China History Podcast

In this episode, we bid farewell to the Han Dynasty and hello to a long period of a disunited China. The states and kingdoms of the basins of Xinjiang catch a bit of a break. We take a quick look at a few of the kingdoms of the southern Tarim Basin as well as Turpan. And what episode would be complete without some nomadic bad guys causing the Chinese so much stress? We also look at the Rouran and...

More Han Dynasty for you in this Part 3 episode with a special focus on the great diplomat and general Ban Chao.  Back in those Han Dynasty days, Xinjiang was still considered very far away and not so easy to hold onto. From the Han till the Tang, as Silk Road riches continue to grow along the trade routes, China will be in and out of the Western regions and face all kinds of competition for the g...

In this Part 2 episode, we leave pre-history behind and look at Xinjiang's importance during the Qin and Han dynasties. Here is where the Han Chinese interaction with these lands far to the west began. Though a good portion of today's episode doesn't actually take place in Xinjiang, the story of the Yuezhi, Xiongnu, Zhang Qian, and the rise of Han Dynasty China is central to everything that follow...

In this CHP episode, we start a new multi-part series that looks at the history of the land known today as Xinjiang. This series will cover about 4000 years of history starting in this episode with the Tarim Mummies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final installment introducing the life and death of Kawashima Yoshiko, we look at the last decade and a half of her strange and tragic life. In the last episode, her star was on the rise. But after 1933 it's one long slow steady decline into madness and despair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue on with Part 2 of the strange life of the Manchu Princess, Kawashima Yoshiko. Now she's on her own, in China, without any "adult supervision" and in full sartorial splendor. The early years of the 1930's are presenting a few opportunities for Yoshiko after making all kinds of new "friends" in Shanghai. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We leave the warlords behind but not the time period. This time, in this first of a three part series, we examine the strange and tragic life of Kawashima Yoshiko. Born a princess in the Manchu Qing royal family, she went on to have quite an extraordinary life. In this Part 1 episode we'll look at her early days and rehash some old Qing Dynasty history from the 17th century. Learn more about your...

In this concluding episode, we close the book on this China Warlord Era overview that began in 1916 and lingered on and on until 1930. By the time it was over Japan was on the cusp of their invasion of Manchuria plunging China into another national crisis. In Part Ten we'll look at Zhang Zongchang's Warlord Rebellion in Northeast Shandong and a special focus on Liu Zhennian, the Red Spears, and th...

As the Northern Expedition ramps up and the Warlord Era starts to wind down, there's still plenty of action and violence to go around. In this episode, we look at the events following the Shanghai Massacre when Chiang and his "ally" Wang Jingwei take the fight to Zhang Zuolin's northern warlord alliance. The Manchurian Warlords meets his end in this episode. We'll finish off the series next time i...

Part 8 in this series first presents a brief overview of "The Model Governor" Yan Xishan and his home province of Shanxi. After some daring moves on Chiang Kai-shek's part, he bests his opponents and takes control of the KMT and the National Revolutionary Army. Under his command, Chiang launches the Northern Expedition. This episode will focus on the fateful years of 1926-1927. Learn more about yo...

In this Part 7 episode, the decade of battling warlords is coming to an end. Anhui and Zhili, then Zhili and Fengtian...and then Zhili and Fengtian again. The last of these series of clashes between warlords contending for supremacy in China will be the Anti-Fengtian War (covered in this very episode). After 1925 everyone had had enough with these military governors. Was anyone going to step up an...

Things were looking on the up and up for Wu Peifu after his defeat of Zhang Zuolin in the First Zhili-Fengtian War. In this episode, we look at the years 1922-24 and the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. And you can't talk about the Second Zhiuli-Fengtian War without also mentioning the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War. The Christian Warlord Feng Yuxiang is featured in this episode. Besides the old stalwarts, also m...

In Part 5 Laszlo gives the backstory to the Anhui-Zhili War and introduces another warlord, the famous Zhang Zuolin…The Manchurian Warlord. With this civil war within the Beiyang Organization, the unity that existed since the time of Yuan Shikai is smashed. We'll look at the very brief war between the forces of Duan Qirui and their Zhili opponents led by Wu Peifu as well as the aftermath up to and...

The saga continues with the splintering of the Beiyang Army into factions or cliques who will battle each other for supremacy of the government. Hubei military governor Wang Zhanyuan will be examined as one of the textbook examples of how these generals evolved into warlords. Zhili Clique leaders Cao Kun and Wu Peifu will also be introduced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

The saga continues as the demise of Yuan Shikai is followed by the rise of Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang. The Beiyang Military machine begins to crack into two main factions or cliques. In this episode, we will also hear about the exploits and imperial dreams of the Mafoo Warlord, Zhang Xun. And as the world mainly focused on the Great War in Europe, these two years of 1917-1918 were filled with so...

We looked at the setup for the Warlord Era last episode. This time in Part 2 we focus on the rise and fall of Yuan Shikai and all the measures he took between 1911-1916. These all primed the pump for the Warlord Era that followed his sudden death in June 1916. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of requests to cover this topic, Laszlo finally gets around to the history of China's Warlord Era that lasted from 1916 to 1928 and into the Nanjing Decade. In this Part 1 episode, Laszlo gives some background into the historical developments that led to the rise of, who some call, the first warlord, Yuan Shikai. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Laszlo introduces one of the great military heroes of the Ming Dynasty. Though rather well-known to Chinese who went through the public school systems of Greater China, little is known of him elsewhere. Qi Jiguang helped to rid the China coast of pirates (Wōkòu) and through his epic Great Wall restoration engineering project he kept the Mongol menace at bay and preserved the Ming...

In this special CHP episode produced in partnership with the 21st Century China Center at the University of California-San Diego, I am honored and privileged to host a discussion with the three editors of the new book "China Tripping - Experiencing the Everyday in the People's Republic." I hope you will delight in this program brought to you in two parts. It was both riveting and insightful for me...

In this special CHP Part 2 episode produced in partnership with the 21st Century China Center at the University of California-San Diego, I am honored and privileged to host a discussion with the three editors of the new book "China Tripping - Experiencing the Everyday in the People's Republic." I hope you will delight in this program brought to you in two parts. It was both riveting and insightful...

Laszlo finally gets around to one of the most requested topics of all time, the Walled City of Kowloon in Hong Kong. In this episode, the history behind the Kowloon Walled City is introduced from its humble beginnings starting in the Southern Song to its later demolition during the early 1990's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finish off the series on the Seven Great Singing Stars of Shanghai by examining the lives of the three remaining women, Li Xianglan, Yao Li, and Zhou Xuan. Yao Li sadly passed away only a month ago on July 19. I hope you enjoyed this little three-part overview covering the lives of many of these early 20th century singers and musicians who gave us this amazing sound that's still enjoyed by mill...

In this second part of the series Laszlo and special guest Spun Counterguy introduce Bai Hong, Bai Guang, Gong Qiuxia and Wu Yingyin. These four superstars of that golden era of music and entertainment left behind a string of hits that still inspires feelings of reminiscence for those days gone by. Yao Li, who sadly passed away recently on July 19, 2019 as well as Li Xianglan and Zhou Xuan will be...

In this latest CHP installment, Laszlo finally gets around to introducing The Seven Great Singing Stars of old Shanghai whose performing skills on the silver screen and on 78 records provide us with a nostalgic glimpse of long-gone and controversial era. In this Part 1 episode, we will focus on the one who made it all possible, the talented Li Jinhui. Mr. Spun Counterguy from the "In the Corner Ba...

Our eight-part series on the history of Tang Poetry concludes with this episode that looks at the lives of three more poets: Li He, Du Mu, and Li Shangyin. And for an encore, Laszlo will recite poems from all three of these greats. The Late Tang period of Chinese poetry was marked with all the signs of an imperial house in decline. It was a sad and melancholy time and quite a few Late Tang poems e...