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PODCAST

The Context

NewsChina explores the perspectives driving today’s China and its people with a deep dive into the histories that shaped them.

history

All Episodes

17:40

Hall of Mental Cultivation: The Restored Heart of...

The Context ·

2026/04/07

Today, we’ll talk about the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a modest courtyard in Beijing’s Forbidden City that served for nearly two centuries as the living quarters and political nerve center of Qing emperors, where the rise, transformation, and eventual decline of China’s last imperial dynasty quietly unfolded.

en-us

12:32

Luoyang Museum: Amplifying An Empire’s Eternal Echo

The Context ·

2026/03/31

Today, we’ll talk about a newly opened museum that rose from the very earth containing evidence of a complex interplay between military conquest, ethnic integration, and flourishing culture during some of China’s most dynamic historical periods.

en-us

15:28

Niuheliang: The Ancient Discovery That Pushed China’s...

The Context ·

2026/03/24

Niuheliang: The Ancient Discovery That Pushed China’s Civilization Back 1,000 Years Today, we’ll talk about Niuheliang, an ancient remote landscape north of the Great Wall that’s rediscovery transformed our understanding of China’s earliest civilization by challenging the long-held belief that it had emerged only from the great river valleys. For a long time, the story of Chinese civilization seemed settled. According to conventional wisdom, its origins lay firmly in the great river valleys o...

en-us

14:57

Climate Pressure, Bronze Innovation: The Story of the...

The Context ·

2026/03/17

Today, we’ll talk about a magnificent bronze artifact from ancient China whose elegant design and innovative casting techniques reveal how craftsmen responded creatively to climate change, resource shortages, and shifting artistic tastes more than 2,500 years ago.

en-us

14:22

Crossing the Impossible River: Mao Yisheng and...

The Context ·

2026/03/10

Today, we’ll talk about Mao Yisheng, China’s pioneering bridge engineer, who devoted his life to building bridges that carried a nation toward modernity, and how his most famous bridge over the Qiantang River became a powerful symbol of science, sacrifice, and national survival.

en-us

15:51

Wuwangdun: Rising from Ruin

The Context ·

2026/03/03

Today, we’ll talk about artifacts from a Warring States-era royal tomb that reframe the story of a kingdom in decline to one of a magnificent and resilient culture, despite its struggles on the cusp of China’s imperial unity.

en-us

17:04

Painted on Stone, Scattered Abroad: The Fate of...

The Context ·

2026/02/27

Today, we’ll talk about how China’s ancient cave murals were cut from desert walls, scattered across the world, and painstakingly reunited through scholarship, art, and digital restoration.

en-us

15:24

Sacred Walls, Common Hands: The Art of Pilu Temple

The Context ·

2026/02/24

Today, we’ll talk about the little-known murals of Pilu Temple, painted by folk artists in northern China during the Ming dynasty. These murals bring together gods, ghosts, sages, and common folk to create some of the most imaginative visions of the Chinese spiritual world.

en-us

13:21

Painted for Eternity: The Murals That Survived Six...

The Context ·

2026/02/20

Today, we’ll talk about how the hidden murals of Beijing’s Fahai Temple, created by Ming Dynasty court painters nearly 600 years ago, combine extraordinary craftsmanship, lavish use of gold, and a long history of protection to form one of the most overlooked masterpieces in world art.

en-us

16:46

A Hydraulic Engineer’s Warning: Power and...

The Context ·

2026/02/17

Today, we’ll talk about a Yuan dynasty handscroll depicting two contrasting horses that uses artful realism and moral allegory to rebuke corruption and celebrate integrity, while also revealing how Chinese paintings are able to express political ethics across the centuries.

en-us

14:22

A Palace of Paint and Faith: How Yongle’s Murals...

The Context ·

2026/02/13

Today, we’ll talk about how the monumental Daoist murals of Yongle Palace, which were created amid war, transformed Chinese religious art, and later survived an unprecedented relocation to become one of China’s greatest cultural treasures.

en-us

16:10

Yuegang: Crescent of Silver and Silk

The Context ·

2026/02/10

Today, we’ll talk about an important Ming Dynasty port that became a cradle of globalization. Yuegang, in Fujian Province, started as a smuggling hub but was later developed into the only legally sanctioned port for private overseas trade during the 16th and 17th centuries.

en-us

17:19

Dunhuang’s Murals: Where Time, Faith, and Art Converge

The Context ·

2026/02/06

Today, we’ll talk about how Dunhuang’s murals, which are layered with faith, art, and cross-cultural exchange, preserve a thousand-year visual history of China and the Silk Road.

en-us

17:24

China’s Murals: A Fragile Legacy Painted on Walls

The Context ·

2026/02/03

Today, we’ll talk about the walls that once carried China’s greatest paintings, and the long journey of an art form shaped by faith, power, and time.

en-us

15:43

Siku Quanshu: Lost and Bound

The Context ·

2026/01/30

Today, we’ll talk about a digital project that recounts the creation of the most comprehensive book collection in Chinese history and the efforts to protect it from the ravages of war.

en-us

21:54

Tang Architecture: Modern Science Illuminates...

The Context ·

2026/01/27

Today, we’ll continue to explore modern scientific advances and ongoing research that deepen understanding of Tang-era structures, emphasizing the importance of sustained study and cultural heritage preservation.

en-us

20:55

Tang Architecture: Modern Science Illuminates...

The Context ·

2026/01/20

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we’ll talk about the historic quest to rediscover and preserve China’s Tang Dynasty wooden architecture, highlighting key discoveries, early investigations, and the challenges posed by time and restoration.

en-us

21:40

A County’s Pride: Discovering Liao-Era Architectural...

The Context ·

2026/01/13

In this second half of our feature on Liao-era architecture, we’ll uncover how the lesser-known Gaoyuan Temple and other Liao structures embody cultural continuity, meticulous craftsmanship, and the enduring legacy of China’s architectural heritage.

en-us

20:44

A County’s Pride: Discovering Liao-Era Architectural...

The Context ·

2026/01/06

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we’ll talk about how two very distinct Liao-era temples reveal the ingenuity, grandeur, and spiritual vision of ancient Chinese wooden architecture.

en-us

14:05

Jiaohe Ruins: The Carved City

The Context ·

2025/12/30

Today, we’ll talk about one of the world’s most perfectly preserved settlements, which offers valuable insights into ancient urban planning, construction techniques and the vibrant religious and cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.

en-us

316 results

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