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 a ..read more

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 in the last episode 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.  Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Player Terms in Episode Pinyin/Term Chines ..read more

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 ..read more

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, click the link below ..read more

In this China History Podcast episode, Laszlo has teamed up with Rob Moore and Lee Moore (no relation) from The Chinese Literature Podcast to explore the life 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.  A special thanks to Lee and Rob for their expertise. Catch their show at https://www.chineseliteraturepodcast.com/ or in ..read more

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. Be sure to check out the gallery of photos, courtesy of a friend of the ..read more

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. Be sure to check out the links below to learn how you can support Ian’s book and learn more about Forgotten Weapon ..read more

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 taste.   Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Player Terms in Episode Pinyin/Term Chinese English/Meaning Zhōu Dynasty 周朝 The Zhou Dynasty that ran 1046 to 256 BCE, the last of ..read more

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, I strongly encourage you to view/download the list of terms used in this episode below. This one is a doozy, with over 170 words. I hope you find it useful! Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Player Terms in Episode Pinyin/Term Chinese English/Meaning Shǎnxī 陕西 Province in Northern China Shānxī 山西 Province in Northern China G ..read more

This is Part 1 of a four-part series that focuses on the Chinese history that happened in one of China's oldest provinces. In Part 1 we take a look at the lay of the land, the mythical beginnings, 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. Terms in Episode Pinyin/Term Chinese English/Meaning Hénán 河南 The Province "Where China Began"...or so says the Henan Tourism Authority Shānxī 山西 A contend ..read more