The History of China

In the chaos that grips the steppes in the mid 15th century, anarchy reins. Though there are though who call themselves khans, they were merely figureheads controlled by their own prime ministers, the taishis. The once mighty Borjigin Clan has been bled nearly dry, and usurpers are over every hill crest. Into this world of destruction and disarray, two children are born on opposite sides of the vast Gobi. The first is one of the last members of the House of Borjigin, a boy called Bayan Möngke, who will in time become the heir to the office of Great Khan of the Mongols. The other a girl of seemingly little significance, Mandukhai, who will be given to the sitting Khan in marriage as his second queen. Time Period Covered: ca. 1448~1478 CE Major Historical Figures: Northern Yuan: Beg-Arslan Taishi Ismayil Taishi Manduul Khan, "The Old Khan" [ca. 1438-1478] Bayan Möngke Jinong, "The Golden Prince" [ca. 145?-147?] Yeke Qabar-tu Khatun, "Big Nose" [14??-14??] Mandukhai Khatun [ca. 1448-1510] General Une-Bolod [14??-14??] Siker [144?-14??] Boroghchin [ca. 14??-147?] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aziz, Ashaya, Sean, and myself have a ball discussing all the things GRRM took - and didn't - from Chinese history when he "created" the mysterious empire of Yi-Ti! I had an absolute ball, and I hope you will, too!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It isn't over, not really Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Great Ming is having some problems with its border troops who think orders are actually "suggestions." The Jiajing Emperor is having some problems with his ministers being self-serving twits. Meanwhile, there's some strange happenings going on beyond the wild frontiers... Time Period Covered: ~1510-1540 CE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

05/13/2022 "Relax," said the night man, "We are programmed to receive." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Zhengde Emperor dead without an heir, the succession is in question and rebellion brewing. Fortunately, Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe has planned for this and calls in his backup - the 13-year-old Prince of Xing, Zhengde's younger cousin. He'll come to power as the Jiajing Emperor... but Secretary Yang will very quickly find out that, though young, Jiajing is a spitfire who's here to play the game, not be played. Time Period Covered: 1519-1524 CE Major Historical Figures: Zhu Houcong (The Jiajing Emperor) [r. 1521-1567] Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe [1459-1529] Empress Dowager Zhang [1471-1541] Lady/Empress Dowager Jiang Major Works Cited: Geiss, James. “The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.” Legge, James. The Chinese Classics, Vol. III. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Day 15 of 4: An overview of individual accounts of the unfolding Covid lockdown situation in Shanghai, the siege-mentality that has set in, and the struggles of day to day existence both on- and offline in a city cut off from the rest of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's trouble brewing in the south. A minor prince with delusions of grandeur gets a bit too big for his britches. Portuguese Pirates plunder peninsular ports before coming to call on Canton. This sounds like a job for the great General Zhu Shou, Heroic Defender of the Realm and Ultimate Party-Boat Enjoyer. Time Period Covered: ~1514-1521 CE Major Historical Figures: The Zhengde Emperor (Zhu Houzhao) [r. 1505-1521] The Prince of Ning (Zhu Chenhao) [1477-1520] Jiang Bin Qian Ning [d. 1520] Grand Secretary Fei Heng Sun Sui, Governor of Jiangxi [d. 1519] General Wang Yangming [1472-1529] General Zhu Shou, Heroic Defender of the Realm, Duke of Zhenguo [?? -??] Tomé Pires, Portuguese explorer and ambassador [c. 1465-1524? or 40?] Major Works Cited: Brook, Timothy. The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Geiss, James. “The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.” Keevak, Michael. Becoming Yellow: A Short History of Racial Thinking. Pires, Tomé, Armando Cortesão & Francisco Rodrigues. The Suma oriental of Tome Pires; and account of the East, from the Red Sea to China, written in Malacca and India in 1512-1515; and, The book of Franciso Rodrigues: Pilot-Major of the armada that discovered Banda and the Moluccas: rutter of a voyage in the red sea, nautical rules, almanack, vol. 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new update with all the new craziness 2 years on before we once again step into Ye Olde Chinese Medicine Shoppe for the tour... Traditional Chinese Medicine – as its name duly implies – has been a part of China for at least 2,500 years. But what does it mean? Where does it come from? How does it work? And does it have a place it modern society? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Zhengde Emperor decides that being the divine sovereign is *boring* and that being a cool war-hero would be way cooler... and... it goes weirdly better than expected. Also, he gives himself a cool nickname, and makes everyone call him that. Time Period Covered: 1510-1518 CE Major Historical Figures: The Zhengde Emperor (Zhu Houzhao) [r. 1505-1521] Jiang Bin Qian Ning Liu Yun, Eunuch Commander General Zhu Shou, Heroic Defender of the Realm [?? -??] Tibet The Prince of Rin-Sprungs [r. 1512-1544] Mongols: Dayan Khan (Batu Möngke) [r. 1479-1517] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices