Li Hongzhang is often regarded as the pillar of politics, diplomacy, and industry of the late Qing Dynasty. Put another way, in the eyes of many Chinese and Westerners at that time, he was the one who truly governed China. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

Yixin, later known as Prince Gong, had every quality to be an emperor and savior of the dynasty. But his emperor father chose his brother as the heir. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

Yongzheng was the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty, who lived between 1678 and 1735. He was renowned for accomplishing several "firsts" in history for he was an innovator, always willing to try new things. He is also nicknamed as the Chinese founding father of cosplay. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

Meet the 'granddaddy of rebels' in China’s history. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

History has shown that being an emperor requires more than brains, blood, and bravery to move mountains and shift the heavens. Timing and a bit of luck must be factored in, as Emperor Chongzhen, the last ruler of the Ming Dynasty realized during his fateful reign. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

Need motivation to make a way out of no way? Well, this story’s for you. Rising from the humblest beginnings, Zhu Yuanzhang made it to become the first emperor of a dynastic monarchy that ruled ancient China for some 276 years. How on earth was he able to pull that off? What kind of emperor was he? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

You may have heard of Su Shi as the “Chinese da Vinci”. What you might not know is that the legendary figure was a “renaissance man” even before the Western concept came into existence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

Good intentions don’t naturally bring good outcomes. Wang Anshi, one of the most (in)famous Chinese reformers learnt it the hard way about a millennium ago. His policies were supposed to cure the ailing Song Empire yet eventually he was blamed for its collapse. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

The poet Li Qingzhao is often described as the "most talented woman in ancient China" and is still one of the best-known female writers in China to this day. She lived in east China's Shandong Province during the Song Dynasty some 1,000 years ago and excelled at traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy and, most notably, poetry writing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

Shen Kuo is widely recognized as the most outstanding multi-talented historical scientist, but he's also known for his personality defects. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more