The China History Podcast

Emily Mickey Hahn (1905-1997) was a woman who lived a long and interesting life. Her writings from her years in China from 1935 to 1943 and the dispatches she sent back to The New Yorker Magazine were essential reading for those hungry to learn about China during a time when the world was becoming smaller and more dangerous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Xinjiang series behind us, we look at a tragic event from modern Chinese-American history that happened almost four decades ago. The person we will focus on today, Vincent Chin, was living in Detroit, working as a draftsman, and was soon to be married. But then on June 19, 1982 his life took a violent and tragic turn.  This story from history concerns the life of Vincent Chin whose death...

In this final 12th episode we'll look at Xinjiang from 1885 to 1949. More unrest, well intentions gone wrong, Soviet subterfuge and two East Turkestan Republics. And after all the events that happened going back to Qianlong, Xinjiang finally goes out with a whimper in 1949 with the Communist PLA takeover.  We'll look at the rogue's gallery of Xinjiang governors/warlords who ran the place from 1912...

In this penultimate episode of the series Laszlo introduces some of the major happenings in Xinjiang during the waning decades of the Qing Dynasty. After a brief glance at Yaqub Beg and his time in the limelight during the turbulent 1860's and 1870's. We'll finish off with Zuo Zongtang and the Qing re-conquest of Xinjiang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more a...

Laszlo is back with more History of Xinjiang. The focus this time in Part 10 will be on the Qing Dynasty during the emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. The rise and fall of the Zunghar Khanate will also be explored, as well as the violent and tragic aftermath following the Zunghars defeat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

In this episode, we'll look at the 13th to 17th centuries, Yuan to Qing. After the final end of the Chagatai Khanate, it's going to be non-stop wars, alliances, and betrayals in this portion of Central Asia. The Zunghars will emerge as a new power in Xinjiang that posed a threat to the new Qing Dynasty. That will lead to all kinds of trouble that we'll look at the next episode. Learn more about yo...

Lots of action happening during the 9th to 13th centuries. We start off with the great Uyghur diaspora that followed after the fall of the Uyghur Khaganate in 840. In this episode, we'll see what happened to them after they arrived in Gansu and Xinjiang. We'll also skim the surface to review the Kara-Khanid and Kara-Khitai Khanates who both had such a profound influence on shaping the future devel...

In this episode, we finish off the 1972 visit of Richard Nixon to the PRC. The series finale looks at the exciting meeting between the two leaders, Nixon and Mao, and relives "the week that changed the world." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 6 of this CHP 10-Year Anniversary Series, Kissinger is deftly trying to get Zhou Enlai to back off on few points. Because the communique could not be finalized General Al Haig was sent back in January to nail down final details for the visit of Nixon in February 1972. And then the moment happens. Nixon lands in Beijing and has that magic moment with Zhou Enlai at the steps of Air Force One...

The drama continues in this Part 5 episode. Kissinger is briefing Nixon on his secret visit in July 1971. Not everything was nailed down in this one single visit. It would take another trip in October to almost but not quite get all the negotiations and preparations taken care of. Nixon announced this breakthrough to the American people in prime time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

Welcome back to the CHP 10-Year special bonus episodes that review US-China relations from 1969 to 1972. This time in Part 4 we see how the talks in Beijing went between two very smooth operators: Zhou Enlai and Henry A. Kissinger. We'll close out the episode with Kissinger back in the States giving his boss, the president, the whole skinny on the July 9-11, 1971 visit and the discussions. Learn m...

Things are really heating up as we start Part 3 of this special 10-Year Anniversary special program. In this episode, we re-live the drama of ping-pong diplomacy and breakthrough in the talks. Zhou Enlai agrees to meet with Henry Kissinger. The dates of July 9-11, 1971 are agreed upon. And we close this episode with the secret visit to Beijing by Kissinger and the face to face meetings with Zhou E...

Thanks for coming back to Part 2 of this special CHP 10-Year Special Series. The focus is in 1969-1970 with the US and PRC sending signals through their mutual Pakistani, French, and Romanian friends. China is still dealing with a border war with the Soviets. The Vietnam War was not letting up. Finally, Zhou Enlai sends written word that a presidential envoy is welcome to visit and discuss the sub...

Here is Part 1 of a seven-part series that will come your way over the next 2 weeks. The reason I chose this topic over so many others is this. Looking at the seemingly hopeless state of US-China relations at this time in 2020, it's important to remember we were in similar circumstances before and still found a way to hold our noses and get along with each other all these years. Learn more about y...

In this arguably milestone 250th episode we finally get around to the Uyghurs. Their ancient history is discussed and how they rose from one of several tribes in a Turkic confederation to their own Khaganate. The Tang Dynasty is finished off and a new religion (not Manichaeism, Nestorian Church, Buddhism, or Zoroastrianism) will start knocking on China's door. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

We finally make it to the Tang Dynasty and their Protectorate to Pacify the West. Their adventures out in Xinjiang lasted off and on for about a hundred and fifty years. In this episode, I'll try and sort out the major events and players who made up this high point in the Silk Road trade. The history in Xinjiang was dominated by Tang China, various Turkic tribes, and a very powerful and warlike Ti...

The saga continues, and how exciting it's becoming! The Göktürks, the Sui Dynasty, Buddhism galore, and lots of historic times to all starting to happen. In this Part 5 episode, the plot thickens and Xinjiang is getting a facelift. In a few hundred years you will hardly recognize it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

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...