The China History Podcast

For this 301st CHP episode, we cover some more great Overseas Chinese history. Rather than biting off more than I could chew by taking on the bigger story of Chinese emigration to the Caribbean, the focus will be on the island nation of Jamaica. The Chinese Jamaican story is another Hakka story. Contained in this episode is just one sliver of the history of this great and musical nation. I hope this episode piques your interest. If you want to learn more about Jamaica you're in luck. Lots of great resources out there. I hope I can visit there one day and see it for myself. I flipped a coin to decide what pronunciation of "Caribbean" I would use for the episode. Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all fellow Yanks. Roifield Brown's "How Jamaica Conquered the World": https://open.spotify.com/show/53GxTOmpv0VLsIY426KYa8?si=f6eacb5b996a40d8&nd=1 Byron Lee and the Dragonaires: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1akUOJhf77cbKJveLHgxpy?si=7vj-VPKAQMyBj0GYXMtPKg&nd=1 VP Records: https://www.vprecords.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this Milestone Episode in CHP history, we finish off our overview of the history of Chinese alchemy. Top billing this time will be the biggest name in the industry, Ge Hong 葛洪. Other notable alchemists and alchemical works will be introduced up to the Ming, followed by a Lightning Round of emperors who died by alchemical poisoning. Thanks to all of you who have supported me these past three hundred episodes and to all of you who discovered me only recently....永远感谢.

This is the first of a two-part series that will explore the history of Chinese alchemy. We'll look at the most important names of alchemists and the works they produced. The emphasis of this series will be on "Waigong" 外丹 External Alchemy. Hard to believe people ingested toxic heavy metals as long as they did to achieve immortality. In this Part 1 episode, we'll look at alchemy's most ancient origins and take things up to the end of the Han Dynasty. Next time in Part 2 we'll look at alchemy's most renowned practitioner in China, Ge Hong, and how alchemy evolved all the way to the end of the Tang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm happy to welcome Dr. Brandon Gauthier onto the CHP. His new book, just out, "Before Evil" looks at the early lives of six dictators: Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Kim Il-Sung. In this discussion, we'll mainly look at Mao's early life. Despite only focusing on one of the six dictators, this lively chat runs for about an hour. Since I've never presented Mao in a standalone series, this is a nice talk about a topic not covered in any previous CHP episode. Link to purchase "Before Evil": https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948954613/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_X4V152TM2M5EA3N0F1G3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is another listener request. In fact, Homer Lea's been requested regularly throughout the years. He's more of a footnote from history than actual history itself. Homer's story is kind of unique because of the stumbling blocks life threw his way. He didn't live long but in his short life he got to witness a lot and be a sort of "fly on the wall" to some of the great moments in Revolutionary Chinese history that we're all so familiar with. So let's go relive those years from 1908 to 1912 and the walk-on roles Homer Lea got to play as history unfolded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo welcomes Scripps College professor of music Dr. Hao Huang onto the CHP to discuss the stories of Jewish musicians from Germany and Austria who fled Europe and ended up in Shanghai. This is a companion episode to the six-part series on the Jewish Refugees in Shanghai (Episodes 208-213). Professor Huang discusses the trials and tribulations these musicians faced, stories of their survival, and the great legacy many of them left behind in China. GREAT BIG thanks go out to: CINEVISION GLOBAL INC for allowing us to use a sample of the original Chinese version of Rose, Rose I Love You, better known as Shanghai Rose. The Exilarte Center at the MDW - the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna for allowing us to use an audio sample of the Wolfgang Fraenkel, Drei Orchesterlieder / Three Orchestral Songs (1941) that composer Fraenkel wrote while he was in Shanghai Youtube channel Onkel Greifenklau for allowing us to use a sample of violinist Alfred Wittenberg the Allegro molto from Mozart's String Quartet in G Major (Wittenberg-Quartet) Youtube channel Musicprof78 for allowing us to use a sample of Frankie Laine's version of Rose, Rose I Love you. and Micah Huang for sound production. Check out Michah Huang and Emma Geiss at https://www.theflowerpistilsmusic.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we will finish up this overview of the relations between Rome and China. The Roman Empire in the West ended in 476. In this Part 2 episode, we'll look at relations between the Byzantine Empire and China during the Tang, Song, and Yuan. As you'll soon discover the Nestorians and then later the Catholics led by John of Montecorvino dominated official and unofficial relations between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Empire of China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is sort of a strange topic. In Part 1 we'll look at the early history that took place between the Han Dynasty and the Western Roman Empire. Before we tuck into the chicken ribs that are Sino-Roman Relations, I'll introduce you to the far-out theory that Professor Homer Dubs came up with in the 1950s. A lot of people swear this happened. Then we'll look at the famous Gan Ying mission of 97 AD and take it from there. In Part 2 we'll look at the events that happened mostly during the Byzantine Empire. Don't forget, to hear these episodes nice and early without commercials, sign up for CHP Premium here: https://teacupmedia.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the title sounds familiar, that's because this is a new version of an old episode from 2014 that got pulled from the CHP back catalog. But here it is, newly recorded and enhanced. This episode looks at the Ma family of soldiers and warlords in the northwest provinces of Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai. Their story began in the last years of the Dungan Revolt and concluded with the victory of the Chinese Communists in 1949. Please check the website for a cheat sheet that lists all names used in this episode. There are a lot of characters surnamed Ma in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Documentarian and podcaster James Harper of Filter Stories has joined up with history professor Jonathan Morris to produce a nice, short but sweet, six-part series that looks at the history of this aromatic psychoactive seed that, like tea, played no small part in changing the world. If you liked the tea history series, I warmly welcome you to go check this one out from James and Jonathan that examines the impact of the coffee trade on world history. Behind that goodness that many of us enjoy once or several times daily, there's a centuries-long history that is both fascinating and at times, quite dark. Like with the history of tea, many people in the first links of the coffee supply chain faced all manners of little-known human suffering. I invite you to listen. Only six episodes. Enjoy it with your morning cuppa. Did you know coffee is also produced in China? Yeah, the PRC is one of the top 20 producers in the world. Almost all the coffee in China is overwhelmingly grown in Yunnan Province, the same place where the original tea gardens existed thousands and thousands of years ago. You can learn all about this too in A History of Coffee. Links to the show can be found in the episode show notes. CHECK "A HISTORY OF COFFEE" OUT IN YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP OR AT THE WEBSITE: HTTPS://FILTERSTORIES.ORG Listen at: https://bit.ly/2NArChO Filter Stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filterstoriespodcast/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-china-history-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 293rd CHP episode, we feature the Sriracha Chili Sauce King, David Tran. His life is a great immigrant success story and an inspiration to many aspiring immigrants and entrepreneurs. It's not often that a living person is featured on the CHP. David Tran's ancestors came from the Chaozhou region of China and emigrated to Vietnam in the 19th century. After a traumatic turn of events that forced him to flee his country, he ended up on the US west coast. There he went on to build his dream and ultimately become another great American immigrant success story. His culinary creation, Sriracha chili sauce, and his company, Huy Fong Foods, became a huge sensation in the US and later, all over the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lu Xun's been on the long list of future topics since 2010 and I still haven't gotten to him. Why wait for me? Lee and Rob Moore of the Chinese Literature Podcast just launched a multi-episode series on the life and literary works of Lu Xun. Here is the introductory episode from Lee and Rob. You can listen to all the episodes of this guaranteed hit series at the Chinese Literature Podcast. See links below : The Official CLP Website: https://www.chineseliteraturepodcast.com/ Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chinese-literature-podcast/id1102235260 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ENZeuSqIjJwqVuYD5qiWp CLP on Twitter https://twitter.com/chinlitpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mr2HX2ZJl2bH5DFndD5TA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second part of a brief overview of Hainan history with special guest Professor Jeremy Murray. In this episode, Laszlo and Dr. Murray discuss Hainan history during the Qing, Republican, and PRC eras with some discussion of Hainanese culture. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo welcomes California State University professor Dr. Jeremy Murray onto the CHP to help introduce the history of Hainan. In this Part 1 episode, they discuss the Hainan history timeline up to the end of the Ming Dynasty. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue with the conclusion of this series that looks at the life and times of Chiang Kai-shek's Spymaster, Dai Li, and his eight-year reign of terror. After being dealt a heavy blow in the Yan Baohang and Zhang Shuping spy cases, Dai found himself back on his heels with a legion of haters trying to tear him down. But it's always darkest before the dawn. And after Pearl Harbor and the sudden proliferation of Americans in Chongqing and other parts of China, opportunity knocked on Dai Li's door. SACO is born after Dai Li and Milton Miles meet and begin to discuss cooperating against the Japanese in China. It won't be long after SACO is operational that Dai uses the resources of the organization to also go after his and the KMT's political enemies, the CCP most of all. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tale of Dai Li continues beginning with the passing of Sun Yat-sen in March 1926 and the rise of Chiang Kai-shek. The dreaded Blue Shirts are introduced along with Dai Li's rise up the ladder hanging on the coattails of Chiang. He demonstrates his undying loyalty to the Generalissimo during the Xian Incident and sets up the organization that made him famous, the innocuous-sounding Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, a.k.a. The Juntong. We finish off the episode with Dai uncovering a devastating Communist-led spy ring operating inside the sanctum sanctorum of his organization. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Part 1 of a 3 episode series covering the life and times of Dai Li, we look at his early beginnings, living the thug life in Shanghai and falling in with all the right people. We'll trace his quick rise up the ranks of Chiang Kai-shek's formidable spy agencies. He was often called "China's Himmler" due to his slavish devotion to his boss, Chiang Kai-shek, and for his role in setting up Chiang's secret police and spy agencies. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though the villainous empresses always seem to generate the most popular interest, this time we'll look at the life of one of the many good ones, an outstanding one if I may add. Empress Zhangsun was the bride of Tang Dynasty heavy Li Shimin. When he became the second Tang emperor following one of the most dramatic events in early Chinese history, he reigned as Emperor Taizong. We remember Empress Zhangsun for her decency and for deporting herself in a manner that Yao and Confucius both would have approved. She became the gold standard for future empresses and was often imitated but seldom replicated. Come relive those early years of Zhenguan Era (貞觀) Tang history. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 24th, 1871 the Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre took place near the present-day location of Union Station, just north of the core downtown L.A. area. Though mostly unknown rather than forgotten, this incident that happened one hundred fifty years ago this month will be remembered through a number of commemorative events. The Chinese American Museum (today located adjacent to where the atrocities occurred) will sponsor one event. My friend, Scripps College professor Hao Huang will be participating in another event that will memorialize this tragic event in local L.A. history. Well-known and respected L.A. Chinatown scholar and activist Eugene Moy will also be among the speakers at this event. The links to both are shown below. In this CHP episode, I tell the story of the massacre and how it all went down on that tragic day. If you have time, I encourage everyone to check out these events that will offer an excellent perspective on what happened and the lessons we can all learn from it. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to the latest CHP episode on the L.A. Chinatown Massacre, I also wanted to offer you a reading of an article that appeared in an 1894 edition of The Historical Society of Southern California journal. This article by C.P. Dorland was written only twenty-three years after the incident took place and described the events leading up to, during, and after the tragic event of October 24, 2871. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're going to wind things down with this episode. 1863-1864, the bitter and bloody end of the Taiping Rebellion. Charles George Gordon has his walk-on but Zeng Guofan and brother Zeng Guoquan take the limelight in the ultimate showdown with the Taiping holdouts. When it was all over, the Taiping Rebellion ended up having quite a consequential impact on China's trajectory into the 20th century. We'll close things up by looking at the historical blowback from this terrible civil war. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Convention of Beijing was signed in 1860, the foreign pers weren't so sure about the Taiping's anymore. For the sake of preserving their hard-won gains in the Second Opium War, they hopped down off that fence and sided with the Qing forces. In this episode, we hear about Frederick Townshend Ward and the Ever Victorious Army. 1862 was the pivotal year for the allies lined up against the Taiping rebels. Victory was still a couple years away but it was well within sight at least. For more content and ways to support Teacup Media, visit our website at teacup.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After seizing the all-important city of Nanjing in March 1853 and basking in the afterglow of this victory, the Taiping leadership launches two military expeditions, one to the north to capture the capital, Beijing, and the other to the west. In this episode, we'll see how those two ventures panned out. Then in 1856, comes the first major political crisis that happens at the very top of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom leadership. Meanwhile, the foreign powers operating in China, namely Britain and France, scheme to make the best of the Qing Dynasty's bad situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with more of the Taiping Rebellion. In this episode, we trace the Taiping Rebels as they make their way from Yong'an in Guangxi all the way to the southern capital of Nanjing. As they make their way north and east towards western Jiangsu they grow in numbers and seize great amounts of weapons, silver, and boats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now's as good a time as any to finally feature this well-known, regularly requested topic from Qing history. This is arguably the pivotal event that got the dominos falling that led to the Warlord Era and the later founding of the PRC. For anyone unfamiliar with the Taiping Rebellion, how it got started, and the situation in China during the mid 19th century, over the next few episodes, I'll try and lay it all out for you. We'll get to about 1851 this time around. This epic history has a cast of thousands. Feel free to check out the episode page at the website to view all the terms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo picks up in 1818 with the Napoleonic Wars finished and the Dutch returning to their colonies to put everything back the way it was when they left. The struggle between the Dutch and the Chinese kongsis of West Borneo discussed previously continues with a fight to the finish in Part 2. The legacy of this century of history that occurred in Kalimantan Barat between 1750-1884, lives on in our day with the Indonesian-Chinese descendants of these adventurous immigrants from Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The history of the Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia is rich with all kinds of lesser-known or forgotten tales, like this one. A kongsi 公司 today means a company. But when Chinese immigrants from Eastern Guangdong and Southern Fujian were heading in the direction of West Borneo to engage in gold mining, kongsis were established as associations where its members were organized and led. The Chinese migrants in West Borneo faced a constant barrage of challenges and these Kongsis, mostly Hakka, but also from the other main Chinese linguistic groups, were a mechanism with very democratic looking appearances, that took care of the needs of the group. This is Part 1 of an overview of their history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo is pleased to present an interview with longtime Hong Kong resident, writer, and cartoonist Larry Feign to discuss his new novel "The Flower Boat Girl". The story is about Zheng Yi Sao, who was one of the most feared pirates in the early 19th century, and at one point, had command of a fleet of over 1,500 ships. Her life was the subject of Episode 174 of The China History Podcast, and in this episode we take another look at her astonishing life, this time with Mr. Feign's expertise on the subject. Larry's book is hot off the press and now available everywhere, for more info, visit https://piratequeenbook.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this China History Podcast episode, Laszlo teams up with Rob Moore and Lee Moore (no relation) from The Chinese Literature Podcast to explore the life and work of the highly influential writer Lin Yutang. Though rather unknown in our day, there was a time when Lin Yutang was the most recognizable name in the West who wrote and spoke about China. This episode explores his early years and later literary and political achievements during the 1930s to 1970s. Chinese Literature Podcast Website: https://www.chineseliteraturepodcast.com/ Subscribe to the Chinese Literature Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chinese-literature-podcast/id1102235260 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just in time, we look at all the recent finds at the newly discovered six sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui. Archaeologists and historians are pretty sure all these exciting discoveries going back to 1986 at Sanxingdui, Jinsha, Shangwangjiaguai are from the ancient state of Shu. This topic has been requested constantly throughout the years. I'm glad I waited until now to unleash it on you. Be looking for even more incredible discoveries at the Sanxingdui site that will be announced in the coming months and years.

In this CHP Special Episode Laszlo is thrilled to welcome Mr. Ian McCollum to discuss his new book, "Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949." If you're a fan of antique and historical firearms, you already might know Ian from his Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel. What poetry was to the Tang Dynasty, arms manufacturing, and procurement was to the Chinese Warlord Era. A special thanks to Ian for sharing his expertise on this very popular topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a brief intro to the life of Dr. Yuan Longping who passed away on. May 22, 2021. It was covered quite extensively last week in the Chinese and international press as well as in all the China newsletters. But just in case you missed reading about him I wanted to post this short intro to his life and achievements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're going to finish off this survey of Henan from Neolithic times to the 20th century. In this episode, you'll get a closer look at Zhengzhou and a few other noteworthy slivers of Henan history. We'll close off with the hard times that hit Henan in 1887, 1938, 1942, 1959, and 1975. If you never appreciated Henan's place in Chinese history I hope this three-part series was able to offer you a gateway to understanding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The saga continues. More poking around Henan in Part 2. We'll look at the Zhou Dynasty era states that made up the province in ancient times. We'll also focus on Luoyang, Kaifeng and Anyang. If the multitude of Chinese names starts to overwhelm, go to the website at Teacup.Media and download a nice cheat sheet I put together especially for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Part 1 of a four-part series focusing on the Chinese history that happened in one of China's oldest provinces. In Part 1 we get the lay of the land in Henan, discuss its mythical beginnings as well as the neolithic cultures of Peiligang, Yangshao, Longshan, and Erlitou. We also take the offramp to look at a couple of the more well-known Henan dishes. We'll get as far as the Xia and Shang dynasties and a little of the Western Zhou. All the Chinese terms from this episode (and there's a LOT of them this time) can be viewed in Pinyin, Chinese characters, and English at the website at: https://teacup.media/chinahistorypodcastepisodes/ep-273-henan-province-part-1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this shortest CHP episode since 2011, we conclude the series that explored the lives of eunuchs in Chinese history. This time around we wind things down with eunuchs during the time of the Last Emperor Puyi in the course of his residency in the Forbidden City, Tianjin and Manchukuo. Then we look briefly at the life of the Last Eunuch Sun Yaoting and the Ming Dynasty "good eunuch" Tian Yi. A big giant thanks to everyone who enjoyed this series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this penultimate episode of the Eunuchs series, we finally make it to the Qing Dynasty. After everything that transpired during the Ming, the Qing is tame by those standards. From Dorgon to Daoguang things were pretty tame in the Qing. But once Empress Dowager Cixi grabs hold of the reigns of power, she allows her eunuchs, most notably An Dehai and Li Lianying, to do their worst. We'll finish off next episode with the tale of The Last Eunuch and clean up loose ends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three of the Four Tigers, Wang Zhi, Liu Jin, and Wei Zhongxian get a once over this time around in Part 4. Many historians agree these guys offered the most generous contribution to the fall of the Ming Dynasty. At least no emperors were captured in battle during their time in the palace. But one emperor did have to hang himself from a tree thanks in no part to one of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story continues. After wrecking the Han and Tang Dynasties, the eunuchs emerge again in the Ming as a particularly destructive force. In this episode we'll also look at the Song Dynasty eunuch general and politician Tong Guan. Then we'll look at the life of the first of the so-called Four Eunuch Dictators of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Zhen. His greed and avarice almost caused the Ming Dynasty to fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time we look at eunuchs in the Tang from Xuanzong to hapless Emperor Ai. We'll see how it was a long hard downhill slide once Xuanzong let Gao Lishi amass so much power. Subsequent emperors were either too weak or too young to push back against eunuchs who, once given an inch of authority, took a mile more and never let go. They grew in power and venality at the expense of the dynasty's fortunes. Finally they drove it into the ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This topic was coming sooner or later. Laszlo offers up another general overview of Chinese history, this time with eunuchs serving as the prism to view it all. In this episode we'll look at the story of the maybe/maybe not eunuch/official from the Qin Dynasty Zhao Gao and his antics trying to cover up the sudden and unexpected death of Qin Shihuang. Then we'll finish off with eunuchs in the Later Han including the rise and fall of the Ten Attendants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time Laszlo introduces an outstanding Chinese-American scientist who will be honored in the United States on February 11, 2021 with a new commemorative postage stamp. Dr. C.S. Wu came to America in 1936 and due to circumstances in her homeland, ended up staying in the US for good. She made many contributions in the field of physics and worked on the Manhattan Project. Dr. Wu was role model and tireless campaigner for encouraging young women to study the sciences and for equal rights. Her's was a great American success story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We bring this light but informative series about the history of the Thai Chinese to a close in this 7th episode. This time we wind things down with events that happened during and after WWII with a patented CHP rush to the finish with Thailand's role in the region as a modern economic powerhouse. Thanks, everyone for listening. In the years to come, I plan to return to Thai Chinese history and do some deeper dives into some of the people and events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo continues on with this light but a satisfying overview of the Thai-Chinese. With Field Marshal Phibun in charge in Bangkok, the flames of Thai nationalism are being furiously fanned and the ethnic Chinese inhabitants of Siam are feeling the heat. But with the ultimate defeat of Japan, the Chinese can finally breathe a sigh of relief....or could they? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We leave the 19th century and focus on the events in Siam during the early 20th century. This time we look at some of the histories that happened during the reigns of the progressive king and friend to the Thai Chinese King Chulalongkorn and his son, the not so friendly to the Thai Chinese King Vajiravudh. Whenever flames of nationalism are fanned, certain elements of society are bound to get burnt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo continues on with the second half of the 18th century, a prosperous time for the Kingdom of Siam. With all this unprecedented good fortune sloshing around the kingdom thanks to free trade, the demand for labor drew waves of Chinese immigration to this western edge of the South Seas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 261st episode, we'll take the Thai Chinese history a little further up the timeline to the Thonburi Kingdom of Taksin the Great and into the Chakri Dynasty with King Rama I. After shaking things up profoundly in China, the Age of Imperialism will now come knocking on Siam's door. As before and in the years to follow, Siam's ethnic Chinese proved to be a formidable force in keeping the ship of state afloat and prospering while colonialism raged across Southeast Asia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More 18th-century Thai history. King Phetracha to the end of the Ayudhya Kingdom. The ethnic Chinese contribution to building the foundation of the Thai economy is legendary. Here's where it all began. During this period China, ruled by the Manchu Qing emperors was on a major roll, and Ayudhyan kings were anxious to be friends with Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. Having the Thai-Chinese around came in handy in a very big way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new series that may or may not take us to the end of 2020, Laszlo looks at the great Kingdom of Thailand and the history of the Chinese immigrants who decided to call that place home. In this Part 1 episode of the new series, we'll focus on the goings-on in the Chinese community during the Ayudhya Kingdom (1350-1767) up to the time of King Phetracha. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 258th CHP episode, Laszlo brings you an overview of this hero and strategist from ancient Chinese history. Jiang Ziya's story takes place during the waning years of the Shang and the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. Consider supporting your humble narrator at https://www.patreon.com/ChinaHistoryPodcast One time PayPal Donation: https://PayPal.Me/ChinaHistoryPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices