First a brief lookback on the crazy, nutso year that was 2022, as our intrepid host deals with an unfortunate year-end bout of COVID... Then, a reach deep into the archives for an oldie, but goodie from a few centuries ago...
This short episode covers the life of one of the great mathematicians, astronomers, and engineers of ancient China: Zu Chongzhi. In his life from 429-500 CE, he will re-create an ancient precursor to the compass that had been lost for centuries, calculate the motions of the celestial objects with a degree of accuracy in excess of 99.9%, design a comprehensive new calendar system, and derive the value of π to a degree of accuracy that would not be surpassed the world over for another millennium.
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#246 - 2022 Retrospective/Archive: The Mathematician of Heaven

A journey through the 5000 years of history documented by one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. For all the episodes for free, as well as additional content, please subscribe and/or visit http://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com.

History

Society & Culture

The Excellent Adventure:
In the course of their pursuit of the fleeing Khwarazmian Amir, Genghis Khan’s two top commanders have reached the shores of the Caspian Sea, and heard some of the strangest tales about what – and who – lay beyond. When the Great Khan gives his go-ahead to scout it out, they’ll launch a three-year trek that will remake the world in their bloody image.

The Bogus Journey:
Reaching the far side of the Caucuses Mountains, Subotai and Jebe have a surprise in store. But the true wonders, riches, and opportunities still lie ahead among the forests and winding rivers north of the Black Sea.
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#269 - Mongol 8 - Subotai & Jebe's "Wyld Stallyns" Duology

Just as the last vestiges of the Ming are being swept away, a new round of wars will erupt to challenge Manchu suzerainty over China. From both within - as in the rebellions led by the three great feudatory lords of the south - and without - as in the challenges coming from Mongolia and Taiwan - the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and the Qing Dynasty itself, will be tested as never before.

Time Period Covered:
~1661-1683 CE

Great Qing:
The Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye) [r. 1654-1722]
Prince Lergiyan
Gyesu, Prince Kang of the First Rank [1645-1697]
Shang Kexi, Prince of Pingnan [1604-1676]

Southern Ming:
Zhu Youlang, Prince of Gui [1623-1662]
Gen. Li Dingguo [1621-1662]
Gen. Bo Wenxuan [d. 1662]

Kingdom of Tungning:
Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) [1624-1662]
Zheng Jing [1642-1681]

The Three Feudatories:
Yunnan & Guizhou:
Wu Sangui "Emperor of Wu Zhou" [1612-1678]
Wu Shifan [1663-1681]
Guangdong:
Shang Zhixin "Prince Who Pacifies the South" [1636-1680]
Fujian:
Geng Jingzong, Prince of Jingnan [d. 1682]

Chahar Mongols:
Burni [d. 1675]
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#268 - Qing 13: The War of the Three Feudatories

After the untimely death of Shunzhi, a regency will be established for the 8-year-old newly-enthroned Kangxi Emperor. These four powerful Manchu lords will each be vying with power for themselves, and the last thing they'll be expecting is a 13-year-old kid to outwit them all.

Time Period Covered:
1661-1669 CE

Major Historical Figures:
The Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]
Prince-Regent Oboi of the Gulwgiya Clan [c. 1610-1669]
Prince-Regent Soni of the Heseri Clan [1601-1667]
Prince-Regent Ebilun of the Noihori Clan [d. 1673]
Prince-Regent Suksaha of the Nara Clan [d. 1667]
Grand Empress-Dowager Xiaozhuang [1613-1688]
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#267 - Qing 12: The Four Regents of Kangxi

With the untimely and mysterious death of Prince-Regent Dorgon, the thirteen-year-old Shunzhi Emperor takes personal command of the still unsteady Qing Empire. He's got a lot to do - and it will turn out, not terribly long to do it! From purging prince, to beheading grand secretaries, to winning conquests... to perhaps that hardest of them all: standing up to his own mother, it's Shunzhi in the driver's seat!

Time Period Covered:
1651-1661 CE

Major Historical Figures:
House of Aisin Gioro:
The Shunzhi Emperor (Fulin) [r. 1651-1661]
Prince-Regent Dorgon [1612-1650]
Jirgalang, Prince Zheng of the First Rank [1599-1655]

Qing Imperial Court:
Grand Secretariat Chen Mingxia [1601-1654]
General Tantai of the Plain Yellow Banner [1594-1651]
Grand Academician Feng Chuan [1596-1572]
Grand Academician Ning Wanwo [1593-1665]
General Ren Zhen
Hong Chengchou, Pacifying General of Jiangnan [1593-1665]
Wu Sangui, Prince of Western Pacification [1612-1678]

Southern Ming/Rebels:
Li Dingguo, Prince of Jin [1621-1662]
Zheng Chenggong, Koxinga, Prince of Yanping [1624-1662]

Works Cited:
Dennerline, Jerry. "The Shun-chih Reign" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, part 1: To 1800.
"Records of Emperor Shizuzhang, Vol. 74" in Records of the Qing Dynasty [Qing Shilu].
Wakeman, Frederic Evans. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China.
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#266 - Qing 11: Shunzhi's Personal Rule

Genghis Khan leaves the Jin Empire's subjugation to his generals, and makes his way home to Mongolia... only to find that his 5 years of campaigning have left his homeland in a bit of a mess. Siberians in rebellion and old foes cropping up in new places are things he can deal with... but when an unfamiliar warmongering powerhouse to the far West picks a fight, the nearly 60-year-old Great Khan will unleash the wrath of the Eternal Heaven down upon them.
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#246 - 2022 Retrospective/Archive: The Mathematician of Heaven

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