The History of China

The adolescent Zhengde Emperor sits the throne, but everyone in the know knows that it is the eunuch-lord Liu Jin who truly controls Great Ming. Not everyone's exactly thrilled with this situation, and they're gonna get Liu Jin got... or die trying. Time Period Covered: 1506-1510 CE Major Historical Figures: The Zhengde Emperor (Zhu Houzhao) [r. 1506-1521] Liu Jin, Director of the Ceremonial [1451-1510] The Prince of Anhua (Zhu Zhifan) [d. 1510] Commander Qiu Yue General Yan Yiqing Inspector-in-Chief Zhang Yong Major Works Cited: Bourgon, Jérôme, Muriel Detrie, & Regis Poulet."Execution in Canton" in Chinese Torture – Supplices Chinois. 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.” Meadows, Thomas Taylor. The Chinese and Their Rebellions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Year of the Tiger! Great Ming decides that it's going to (re-)(re-)Build a Great, Great, Great Wall...and MAKE THE MONGOLS PAY FOR IT!* (*claim disputed by Mongolia) Major Work Cited: Fairbanks, John King. China: A New History, 2nd Edition. Mote, Frederick W. “The Ch’eng-hua and Hung-chih Reigns, 1465-1505” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, Part I. Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a very rocky start in life, the Chenghua Emperor takes the throne, only to be endlessly shoved around by overbearing mother, manipulative and murderous consorts, and conniving, terrorizing eunuchs. What else would one really expect for a guy with the personality of a west dishrag? Time Period Covered: 1464-1487 CE Major Historical Figures: The Chenghua Emperor (Zhu Jianshen) [r. 1464-1487] The Hongzhi Emperor (Zhu Youcheng) [1470-1505] Noble Consort Wan Zheng'er [1430-1487] Empress Wang Empress Wu Empress Dowager Zhou Empress Dowager Qian Grand Secretary Li Xian Lady Zhi Tangmei Eunuch Zhang Min Spymaster Wang Zhi Notable Works Cited: Mote, Frederick W. “The Ch’eng-hua and Hung-chih Reigns, 1465-1505” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, Part I. Li Shizhen. Bencao Ganmu (The Compendium of Materia Medica) Tsai, Shi-shan Henry. The Eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What the only thing better than 8 years on the podwaves? 8 years & 10,000,000 downloads, THAT'S WHAT!! In this episode we talk about what the definition of "is" is, Zen masters, *yet more farming history!,* when I plan to shut up, me reading poetry in Mandarin... & then the same poem in *reconstructed Old Chinese from 2k+ yrs ago*, and divination, which includes Nazis, Princess Mononoke, pigs & fish, and fictions within fictions with fictions at the heart of the truth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emperor Yingzong is back on his throne thanks to the conspirators loyal to him. Only they turn out to be not so much loyal to "him," as they are to the idea that they should have more and more power. It all culminates with yet another coup d'etat..真讨厌... Time Period Covered: 1457-1464 CE Major Historical Figures: Emperor Yingzong (Zhu Qizhen) [r. 1435-1449, 1457-1464] Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen [b. 1448] Yu Qian, Minister of War [d. 1457] Xu Yuzhen, Earl of Wugong [?] Shi Heng, Duke of Zhongguo [d. 1459] Cao Zhixiang, Director of Ceremonies [d. 1461] Grand Secretary Li Xian Imperial Guard Commander Lu Gao [d. 1461] General Cao Qin [d. 1461] General Shi Biao [?] General Sun Tang General Ma Ang General Wu Jin General Wu Cong Commander Ma Liang Commissioner Wanzhe Tuliang Vice Commissioner-in-Chief Esen Temur Works Cited: Qi, Dongfang. “Funerary Perception and Ritual Institution of Imperial Tang” in Kaogu Xuebao (tr. Lee Yun-kuen). Robinson, David M. “Politics, Force and Ethnicity in Ming China: Mongols and the Abortive Coup of 1461” in The Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 59, No. 1. Stutton, Donald S. “Death Rites and Chinese Culture: Standardization and Variation in Ming and Qing Times” in Modern China, Vol. 33, No. 1. Twitchett, Denis & Tilemann Grimm. "The Cheng-t'ung, Ching-t'ai, and T'ien-shun reigns, 1436-1464" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I. Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the events at the Tumu Fort, Emperor Yingzong takes an unscheduled sabbatical in Mongolia, the Mongol warlord Esen Taishi attempts to return something lost for a price, Beijing battens down the hatches in preparation for Genghis Khan come anew, and brotherly love reaches its breaking point. Time Period Covered: 1449-1457 CE Major Historical Figures: Ming Dynasty: Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong) [r. Zhengtong Era: 1435-1449, Tianshun Era: 1457-1464] Zhu Qiyu (the Jingtai Emperor) [r. 1449-1457] Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen [b. 1447] Crown Prince Zhu Jianzhi [1448-1453] Minister Xu Yuzhen Xing An, Head Imperial Eunuch Yu Qian, Minister of War [1398-1457] Northern Yuan/Oirat Mongols: Esen Taishi [1407-1455, (r. as Khaghan of N. Yuan, 1453-1455)] Toghto Bukha (Taisun Khaghan) [r. 1433-1453] Xi Ning, turncoat eunuch [d. 1450] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our annual creepy charcuterie of 4 strange stories from all across Qing China, collected by Ji Yun from Beijing all the way to Urumqi. Today, we have 4 tales to send shivers down your spine: 1) "Professional Notes on the Jiangshi & Other Revenants" (begins @ 2:50) 2) "Checkpoints" (begins @ 19:44) 3) "Yeti Stones" (begins @ 28:43) 4) "Visitors From Beyond" (begins @ 34:37) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"There are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths, and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through. When that happens, the man who knows must strike before reckoning the consequences." By: H.P. Lovecraft Read By: Chris Stewart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nyarlathotep . . . the crawling chaos . . . I am the last . . . I will tell the audient void. . . . Written By: H.P. Lovecraft Read By: Chris Stewart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A child sits the throne of Great Ming, which goes surprisingly alright… at least for a while. But when the old guard of the imperial regency starts dying off, a combination of naive youthful exuberance and pure political ambition from the power behind the throne will throw everything into chaos on the plains north of Beijing. Time Period Covered: 1435-1449 CE Major Historical Figures: Great Ming: Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong, the Zhengtong/Tianshun Emperor) [r. 1335-1449, 1457-1464] Grand Empress Dowager Chen [d. 1442] Wang Zhen, Eunuch Lord [d. 1449] Mongol Tribes: Esen, Taishi of the Oirat [d. 1455] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices