The China History Podcast

Today in Part 3 of our Deng Xiaoping overview we look at The Great One's life from 1952 after his return from the Southwest Bureau all the way up to the start of the Cultural Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time we continue on with our overview of the great leader Deng Xiaoping. We pick up in 1937 with the invasion by Japan, the civil war, and the founding of the PRC. We examine Deng's achievements all the way up to 1952, the year he left the Southwest Bureau and returned to Beijing to serve as Vice Premier and to take the lead, with Mao, Zhou, Liu Shaoqi, and others in building the PRC from the ground up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo is happily back in Cali with a new episode that looks at the early years of Deng Xiaoping. Most of the narrative is based on passages gleaned from Ezra Vogel's new biography of The Great One. Inspired by the events of May Fourth, 1919, Deng Xiaoping was a lifelong revolutionary and by the end of his days had personally seen to it that China ended up the nation it was meant to be on the world stage. In this multi-part series on the life of Deng Xiaoping, we'll trace his life, all the triumphs as well as the tragedies. We'll look at why he is lionized as one of the greatest 20th-century world leaders and also why some have vilified Deng for his actions. His life itself is an interesting prism from which to view 20th century China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time we take a look at four Westerners who committed their lives to the People's Republic of China. These four foreigners, Agnes Smedley, Anna Louise Strong, George Hatem and Israel Epstein were all friends of China and were admired by China's leaders. Upon their deaths they were given the honor of internment at China's continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we jump over much of the history of the 1940′s and zero in on the moment when the PRC was officially established on Oct 1, 1949. Today's podcast episode offers a general overview of the first year of the PRC and some of the multitude of challenges Mao and China's new leaders faced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before we head back to modern times, we look at the mythological beginnings of the Chinese people and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. This period preceded China's legendary Xia Dynasty and the beginnings of Chinese recorded history in the Shang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we look at the immortal Zhou Gong, the Duke of Zhou. If he isn't the most revered person from Chinese history, he's certainly in the top three. He guided the earliest years of the Zhou Dynasty through treacherous times. Zhou Gong was responsible for building a great amount of the foundation from continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode runs a little long as there won't be anything for the following week. Today's episode looks at the life and interesting career of Sir Robert Hart (赫德), an Ulsterman from Northern Ireland. For most of his life he lived in China in the employ of the Zongli Yamen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mid-Autumn Festival takes place every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar. This year that date falls on September 12. The Chinese world will be celebrating the holiday in very much the same way that generations have enjoyed going back to ancient times. Families will get together and stroll continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to RL in Hefei for the inspiration, this week we take a look at China and Japan's difficult history. We focus on the historical events that led to "2,000 years of friendship and 50 years of confrontation," as CPCCC member Zhao Qizheng 赵启正 said recently in the People's Daily. We look at the background continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're back with more history. We look at the Shanghai Massacre of April 12, 1927. This was the defining moment when Chiang Kai-shek and his allies and supporters made a bloody break with the Communists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1920′s in Republican era China was anything but quiet and uneventful. In this episode we focus in on the general situation in China during the period of the early 1920′s. This was a time when the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and KMT (Kuomintang) were in the same bed dreaming their different dreams. It was continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We close out our little overview of Daoism by looking at the most powerful and popular Daoist deities. In this episode you will meet the Three Pure Ones and the Eight Immortals with a focus on Lu Dongbin and Zhongli Quan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Daoism this week. We look at Zhuangzi and trace the development of Daoism during the classical age from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Laszlo tackles Daoism, a philosophy, a religion and a way of life that everyone has heard about but not everyone learned the backstory. This time we look at the history and the times that spawned this most fertile of philosophies. In later episodes, we'll dig a little deeper and look more at continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have some lighter fare than usual. Nine months ago we looked at one great Hong Kong tycoon, Li Ka-shing. Today we look another. In this episode we look at the life and career of entertainment mogul Sir Run Run Shaw and the Shaw Brothers organization. Born in Ningbo in 1907, along with his continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's another oldie from 2011 that was published to coincide with the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. This was released before Xi Jinping was made General Secretary of the Party and before the Party began insisting the naming convention of the Party be changed to CPC. CCP was seen by the Party as a Western-influenced abbreviation that carried negative Cold War–era connotations. No offense. So much of this history has gone through the propaganda regimen. However it's told, the story of the founding of the Communist Party is a great one. I hope you enjoy this one from back in the early days of the CHP.

In this episode we look at the life of one of the bravest and greatest adventurers of ancient times. Zhang Qian was selected by the Han Dynasty Emperor Wu to make a political alliance with a distant central Asian people, the Yuezhi. Zhang Qian's thirteen year journey to the west between 138 BC and 126 continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 4, 1919, was a historic day in modern Chinese history. The demonstration in Beijing and the subsequent movement brought seismic changes to Chinese culture, politics and literature. All the leaders of modern China who played a founding role in the establishment of the PRC were influenced by the writings and ideas that grew out continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Qing Dynasty formally came to an end on February 12, 1912 when the last emperor Puyi abdicated. That same year the Republic of China was founded and had a very rocky start. In today's episode we look at the immediate aftermath of the Xinhai Revolution and what happened right after Sun Yat-sen handed the continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an effort to bring some understanding to the recent proposed call for a resolution to formally acknowledge and express regret for banning Chinese immigration and other violated rights of the Chinese settlers, we examine the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The resolution was introduced by L.A.'s very own Rep. Judy Chu, the first continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

非常抱歉大家！ Sorry for the few day delay. In a special collectors edition of the China History Podcast we review the Imperial China overviews of the past eight months. We'll quickly review the whole period from 2200 BC to 1912. You can now follow the China History Podcast on Twitter @LaszloCHP. Next time I'm late, I continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we conclude our eight month overview of Chinese Imperial history from Yu the Great of the Xia Dynasty to Puyi of the Qing. After more than half a century of tragedy, upheaval, national humiliation and plenty of mass death and destruction, the Qing dynasty ends in 1912. Now as China takes her continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we look at China during the Tongzhi Era and part of the reign of Guangxu. This period from 1875 to 1895 is more of the same for China. More humiliation at the hands of foreigners. More scrambling to modernize. More imperial skullduggery. More military defeats. By the time of China's disastrous defeat after continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're almost at the end of our Imperial China History Overview. In this segment of the China History Podcast we look at the continued misfortunes in China during the Xianfeng era, as the country is torn apart by the Taiping and Nian rebellions and revolts in the west. The western powers, following the 2nd Opium continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here we begin the turbulent, bloody and historically humiliating 19th century in China. The first half century sees two emperors, Jiaqing and Daoguang stand by helplessly as China is torn apart by uprisings, anti-Manchu discontent, a financial crisis, opium addiction on a massive scale, foreign invasion and the usual deadly floods and other natural disasters. continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we look at the bittersweet reign of the Qianlong emperor. The longest reigning emperor in Chinese imperial history, the Qianlong era saw the most splendid three decades for the Manchu's of the Qing Dynasty. China reached its greatest territorial extent and was still the marvel of the world. But during the second continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we examine the Yongzheng emperor, the second of the three great Qing emperors who reigned during the most golden of times for the Manchu dynasty. A tireless emperor who was a wizard at managing the machine of state, he reigned for only thirteen years before his son later brought the Qing dynasty continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this first episode covering the Qing Dynasty, we look at the Shunzhi emperor and his son, the Kangxi emperor. The 61-year reign of the Kangxi emperor was the longest in imperial Chinese history. The Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong eras saw the Qing dynasty reach its greatest heights and China was economically the wealthiest continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finish off our overview of the Ming Dynasty in this episode and also trace the rise of the Manchu's. The period from the Jiajing emperor to the tragic suicide of the Chongzhen emperor saw a slow and steady decline in the fortunes of the Ming dynasty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we look at Ming Dynasty China from the reigns of Xuande to Jiajing. This period in Chinese history was witnessing momentous changes. The dynasty suffers a terrible debacle in 1449. Portugal was becoming a regular visitor and sets up down in Macao. This was also a time when evil self-serving eunuchs spread continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode we examine the second great emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the Yongle [Yong - Leh] emperor who reigned 1402-1424. This tireless emperor waged campaigns against the Mongols in the north, the Vietnamese in the south and sent sailing expeditions throughout Asia, the subcontinent and the east coast of Africa to engage continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo is back, finally, after a longer layoff than expected. This week we look at the end of the Yuan dynasty and the founding of the Ming Dynasty. We look at the first emperor Ming Taizu, a.k.a. The Hongwu Emperor. With the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, once again Chinese are in control of the continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we take a break from the history to look at the background and the traditions surrounding Chinese New Year. Laszlo will be back next time to pick up where we left off after the fall of the Song Dynasty. On behalf of everyone here at the China History Podcast, we wish everyone a continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode Laszlo finishes off the Song Dynasty after the Jin Empire captures the royal family and sacks the capital in Kaifeng. The Song dynasty continues on with the new capital in the south of China, below the Yangzi River. Despite perilous times with hostile neighbors to the north, the dynasty enjoys continued continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode runs a little longer than usual. In it we examine the Northern Song Dynasty from 960 to 1127. This was a precarious time for China. Despite three potentially menacing non-Han empires surrounding them to the north and west, China once again had another magnificent great leap forward of brilliance and innovation.

In today's final installment covering the history of the great Tang Dynasty, we look at its agonizing decline until 907 when it is pushed aside and another period of disunity sets in. Five Dynasties reign in the north, all short lived and not spectacular by any means. In the south, after the Tang falls you continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo is back after a holiday illness to continue where we left off in 705 with the passing of Wu Zetian. After an initial golden age during the Taizong emperor, the Tang will reach new heights of glory under Tang Minghuang a.k.a. the Xuanzong emperor. The magnificent city of Chang'an is once again the center continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Sui peters out, Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, seizes power and establishes the Tang Dynasty in 618. Along with the Song, the Tang Dynasty is considered the pinnacle of China's long history. In culture, art, poetry, painting, ceramics, science, navigation, diplomacy this was a golden age. Buddhism made even greater inroads into continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The demise of the Southern & Northern Dynasties brought us a China unified under the Sui emperors Wen and Yang. This ephemeral dynasty laid the groundwork for the splendor of the Tang dynasty. Lasting only 37 years, the Sui Dynasty doesn't get the limelight enjoyed by the great dynasties of Han, Tang, Song, Ming and continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Southern & Northern Dynasties were a collection of dynasties that lasted 170 years and preceded the time of unification under the Sui Dynasty. North of the Yangzi River you had the Northern Wei, the Northern Qi and the Northern Zhou. South of the great river reigned the Liu Song, Southern Qi, the Liang and continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are back with more Chinese history. We will look at a very confusing but exciting time when there was mostly a period of disunity and China was broken up into contending kingdoms. However this period of chaos brought us some of the richest tales of ancient China filled with amazing battles, events continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final installment of the Han Dynasty overview, we look at the reign of Wang Mang during the short-lived Xin Dynasty and the Eastern (or Later) Han Dynasty that followed. The Eastern Han was a period of endless skullduggery at the imperial court where the palace eunuchs rose to power and meddled endlessly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we present the second part of the Western Han Dynasty overview where we will look at the great Han emperors Wendi, Jingdi and perhaps the greatest of them all, Han Wudi. It was a golden age in Chinese history and saw the first indirect contact between the Roman Empire in the west and Han continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode we look at only the first few decades of the Western Han Dynasty. The Western Han lasted from 202BC to 8AD. We'll focus in on the fall of the Qin and the rise of Liu Bang who went on to found the Han Dynasty. Liu Bang would reign as Emperor Gaozu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we look at the second phase of the Zhou Dynasty. This period was known as the Eastern Zhou. The Eastern Zhou was broken down between the Spring & Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It lasted from 770 to 221BC. From this chaotic period sprang the great works that defined Chinese continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we take a 走马看花 look at the 790 year Zhou Dynasty, the longest dynasty in Chinese history. In this episode we will particularly focus on the Western Zhou Period which lasted for 275 years. Next week we will finish the Zhou Dynasty by examining the Eastern Zhou Period. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time in our briefest of dynasty overviews, we examine the Shang Dynasty 1600 to 1046 BC. Chinese characters make their appearance for the first time. Artisans cast the most beautiful bronzes. Because of the discovery of archaeological evidence, many consider this China's first real dynasty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we commence our Chinese imperial dynasty overview by looking at the stories of Pangu, The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and the Xia Dynasty. These are all tales mostly culled from Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian". These were mythical times but many of the figures discussed in today's episode reappear constantly throughout Chinese history. These founding myths of China and the Huaxia People are a good place to start. Next time we'll look at the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Li Ka-shing is a Hong Kong billionaire tycoon who has played a great role in not only Hong Kong's prosperity but in China's as well. He is respected not only for his achievements in business and industry but also for his rise from humble beginnings in Chaozhou, China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices