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PODCAST

The History of China Podcast

An audio journey through the 5000 year history of one of the world"s oldest continuous civilizations.

history

All Episodes

00:43:31

#320 - Opium War 5: Bayonets In the Dragon's Teeth

The History of China Podcast ·

2026/02/22

Britain carries the Opium War to Beijing's unready doorstep with steam and iron, moving the crisis from the border frontiers to the heart of the imperial court itself. As imperial defenses strain and diplomacy replaces defiance, the two empires probe each other’s resolve — and discover that both of their understandings of the other have been built on little more than smoke.Time Period Covered: July 1840 – March 1841 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro

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00:39:54

#319 - Opium War 4: Peddling the Drug Peddlers' War

The History of China Podcast ·

2026/02/22

Britain and China both saw the opium crisis clearly enough to know it would end in disaster. Each believed it understood the situation, and the other, well enough to keep events from spinning out of control. And yet... it happened anyway. Time Period Covered: Late 1839 – April 1840 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850] The British Empire: Queen Victoria [r

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00:55:21

#318 - Opium War 3: Up In Smoke

The History of China Podcast ·

2026/02/01

Lin Zexu believed moral clarity and the largest drug bust in history could end the opium crisis and avert war. Yet, as his solution drained into Humen Bay, so too did the last hope of peace between China and Britain.Time Period Covered: 1836–June 1839 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850] Deng Tingzhen, Governor-General of Liangguang [1776–1846] Huang Juezi,

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00:40:34

#317 - Opium War 2_ Laboriously Vile Barbarian Eye

The History of China Podcast ·

2026/01/18

In 1834, Britain sent a man to China almost perfectly unsuited to the job... only to forbid him from actually doing it. William John Napier, naval officer, socialite, & dilettante with no experience in diplomacy, trade, or China, arrived at Canton convinced he was destined to break open the Qing Empire by force of his will alone. But he would not get quite the war he wanted. Nor the recognition he imagined. Nor the vindication he believed history owed him. Which is not to say he got nothing at

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00:42:29

#316 - Opium War 1: Chasing the Dragon

The History of China Podcast ·

2026/01/10

In this empire business, you gotta make the opium first. Then when you get the opium, you get the silver. Then when you get the silver, then you get the tea.Time Period Covered: ca. 1760-1839 CE Major Historical Figures: Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Governor-General of Liangguang, Ruan Yuan [1764–1849] "The Hoppo" (Imperial Superintendent of Maritime Customs), The emperor’s personal revenue agent at Canton Chinese Commercial Interests: "The Cohong" (Gonghang), the

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00:39:02

#315 - Qing 46: Tripping Toward Taiping - Tribes,...

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/12/29

Great Qing begins to buckle under early 19th c. internal pressures. Unrest first erupts not at the imperial core but along its social and geographic margins. This time, we look at three of the early warning shocks: the Miao frontier rebellions, the rise of Triad networks across the southern coastal cities, & the formation of the apocalyptic White Lotus uprising.Time Period Covered: ~1790s-1840s CE Major Historical Figures: Qing Empire: Fu Nai, Qing magistrate Heshen, grand councilor under the

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00:35:38

#314 - Qing 45: The Big Squeeze

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/12/15

The Qing Empire did not collapse because it stopped working. It collapsed because it kept working — just barely — under pressures that compounded faster than reform could relieve them...Time Period Covered: ~1790s-1840s CE Major Works Cited: Jones, Susan Mann and Philip A. Kuhn. “Dynastic Decline and the Roots of Rebellion.” The Cambridge History of China, vol. 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part I Kuhn, Philip A. Rebellion and Its Enemies in Late Imperial China: Militarization and Social

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00:33:46

#311 - Qing 42_ Charting the Collision Course

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/11/11

The 19th Century is going to be exceedingly rough on Qing China. So, before we venture down into the chasm that is the "Chinese Century of Humiliation's" opening salvos, let's assess where we - and the Empire - sit as of 1810...

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00:42:49

310 - Strange Tales X.2: An Unseen Balance

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/10/30

Back with pt. 2 of autumnal fictions of the spine-tingling variety. This time largely from (where else) Pu Songling, as well as several shorter entries from the Zibuyu.00:01:15 - Friendship Beyond the Grave 00:10:25 - Karmic Debts 00:12:30 - Spiritual Man Luo Catches the Wrong Demon 00:16:39 - The Human Prawn 00:18:37 - The Hairy People of Qin 00:21:01 - The Magic Sword

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00:32:27

309 - Strange Tales X.1: Fateful Encounters

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/10/22

00:02:09 - "The Scholar & the Headless Ghost" True music fans come in all types. 00:05:37 - "Magical Arts" Let the buyer beware... but sometimes the non-buyer, too! 00:12:37 - "Ruby Jade" Nobody knows you when you're down & out... 00:27:00 - "Examination for the Post of Guardian Angel" The job offer of a lifetime!

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00:44:21

#308 - Zheng Yi Sao, Pt. 2: Into the Tiger's Mouth

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/10/14

The Pirate Queen’s Red Flag Fleet reigns supreme, but a three-way battle at Tiger’s Mouth tests even her grip on the seas.Time Period Covered: 1807-1844 CE Major Historical Figures: Red Flag Fleet: Zheng Yi Sao (AKA Ching Shih, née Shi Yang), Co-Commander of the Red Flag Confederation [1775-1844] Zhang Baozai, Co-Commander of the Red Flag Fleet, later Qing Navy colonel [1783-1822] Guo Podai, Commander of the Black Flag Fleet [178?-181?] Qing Empire: The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan)

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00:50:48

#307 - Zheng Yi Sao, Pt. 1_ Murders & Acquisitions,...

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/09/25

天高皇帝远"Heaven Is Vast & the Emperor is Far Away" On the far side of the realm from th celestial halls of shining Beijing, an outcast girl born on the fringes of society will scrabble to survive amidt the coastal chaos of the end of the 18th Century. With little more than her looks and wits, she'll have to outwit & outplay freebooter, bandit, and official alike if she is ever going to rise above her station on the boats of Guangdong harbor. Time Period Covered: ca. 1775-1807 CE Major Historical

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00:33:10

#305- Qing 40_ Heshen Must Die!

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/09/07

For nearly a quarter century, Heshen served the Qing Empire - and in the process managed to amass a fortune that nearly rivaled the throne itself. Yet with the death of his patron Qianlong, the one-favored Grand Councilor would find his remaining state tenure as short as the length of silk ultimately left in his cell.Time Period Covered: 1799-1800 CE Major Historical Figures: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796, d. 1799] The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r

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00:18:45

Special 2: To George, From Qianlong...

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/08/31

"O King of Wherever, New Throne Who Dis?" 0:00:00 - Edict of Emperor Qianlong to King George III, 1793 0:06:34 - The Second Edict to George III (in reply to Macartney's note)

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00:13:09

Special 1: To Qianlong, From George...

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/08/31

"Dear Emperor of China, will you be my friend? Check Yes or No..." 0:00:00 - Letter of Credence from King George III to Emperor Qianlong, 1793 CE 0:10:20 - Author's note 0:11:44 - Lord Macartney's Sixfold Proposals for the Improvement of Trade

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00:39:58

#302 - Qing 37: Palace of Mirrors

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/08/31

Qianlong's empire shines as a beacon of both martial might and cultural splendor, yet its mirrored glory hides truths too fragile for celestial ambitions. Time Period Covered: ~1770-1799CE Major Historical Figures: Qing Empire: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796, d. 1799] Grand Councillor Heshen [1750-1799] Great Britain: Lord George Macartney (1737-1806) Major Sources Cited: Bland, J.O.P. and Lord Edmund Backhouse. Annals and Memoirs of the Court at Peking. Fairbank, John

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00:31:58

#301 - Qing 36_ And I Think It's Gonna Be a Qianlong...

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/08/31

In the wake of military victory, Qianlong turns inward—launching literary purges, rewriting history, and curating an image of himself as the enlightened ruler of a Confucian empire. Through censorship, spectacle, and the manipulation of memory, the Qing court fights a new kind of war: one for cultural supremacy and imperial legitimacy. Time Period Covered: ~ 1735–1760 CE Major Historical Figures: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735-1796] Grand Secretary No'chin [d

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00:37:04

#300 - Qing 35: Empire of Images

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/08/31

What does it take to hold an empire together when conquest alone isn’t enough? In this sweeping episode, we explore how the Qianlong Emperor fused culture, coercion, and Confucian performance to stabilize a multiethnic empire—crafting an imperial image as powerful as his armies. Time Period Covered: ~ 1735–1760 CE Major Historical Figures: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735-1796] Grand Secretary No'chin [d. 1749] Historican Wei Yuan [1794-1857] Major Works Cited: Perdue, Peter

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00:39:45

#299 - Qing 34: Remember to Remember to Forget You...

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/07/19

This was no peace borne of reconciliation; this was silence, enforced by amnesia.Time Period Covered: ~ 1739-1759 CE Major Historical Figures: Qing Empire: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796] Minister Fuheng General Bandi [d. 1755] General Yongchang Khalka Mongols: Prince Erinchindorj [d. 1756] Prince Chingünjav [d. 1757] Dzungar Mongols: Amursana [d. 1757] Major Sources Cited: Perdue, Peter C. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia. Woodside,

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00:41:23

#298 - Qing 33: Echoes of the Erased

The History of China Podcast ·

2025/07/10

The story of the last great nomadic empire’s fall - and the Qing’s ruthless imperial vision for a New Frontier.Time Period Covered: 1739-1759 CE Major Historical Figures: The Great Qing Empire: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796] General Bandi [d. 1755] Hojs, Hakim Beg of Ush Dzungar Khanate: Galdan Tseren [r. 1727–1745] Tsewang Dorji Namjal [blinded 1750] Lama Darja [r. 1750-52] Dawaci, self-declared Hong Taiji, [r.1752-55] Amursana [d. 1757]

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