Leaving behind the imperial court of Beijing, we return to the far frontiers of the northwest, where China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Russia all converge and vie for power. Glory and riches to the victors, subjugation or death for those destined to lose. Into this mix, we follow the travels of three emissaries as they cross deserts, mountains, words, and wits to ensure their sovereign emerges on top.

Time Period Covered:

~1712~1724 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Dzungar Khannate:

Tsewang Rabdan

Tsarist Russia:

Tsar Peter I

Leon Vasielevich Izmailov

Captain Ivan Unkovskii

John Bell

Governor Gragarin of Siberia

Glazunov

Great Qing Empire:

The Kangxi Emperor [r. -1722]

The Yongzheng Emperor [r. 1722-17]

Tulisen

Mongols:

Ayuki Khan of the Torghuts [r. 1673-1724]

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The Yongzheng Emperor brings Peace, Justice, & Security to his new Empire.

Time Period Covered:

1723-1728 CE

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. China marches west: the Qing conquest of Central Eurasia.

Qin, Han Tang (秦漢唐). 不同於戲裡說的雍正皇帝 [A different Yongzheng from the work of fiction] 

Rowe, William T. China's last empire: the great Qing.

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The Yongzheng Emperor's stylings:

https://bsky.app/profile/thoc.bsky.social/post/3lnvmogqntk2g

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With the passing of his titan of a father, the Kangxi Emperor's 4th curviving son Prince Yinzheng, will assume the Dragon Throne amidst a tumultuous succession. Amid betrayals and backstabbings, this unlikely monarch will ultimately find himself sandwiched between his father and his son - two uncontestable pillars of Chinese history. And yet, he'll still find ways to shine through, all his own...

Time Period Covered:

1722~1728 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Manchu:

The Yongzheng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen) [r. 1723-35], Kangxi's 11th (4th surviving) Son

Empress Dowager Xiaogongren [1660-1723]

Longkodo, Commandant of the Capital Gendarmerie [d. 1728]

Prince Yunzhi, Kangxi's 10th (3rd) Son [1677-1732]

Prince Yinsi, Kangxi's 16th (8th) Son [1681-1726]

Prince Yintang, Kangxi's 17th (9th) Son [1683-1726]

Prince Yinxiang, Kangxi's 22nd (13th) Son [1686-1730]

Prince Yunti, Kangxi's 23rd (14th) Son [1688-1755]

O'er'tai [1680-1745]

Hanjun:

Chen Menglei [1650-1741]

Nian Genglao, Sichuan-Shaanxi Governor-General [1679-1726]

Zeng Qing [1679-1736]

Yue Zhongqi [1686-1784]

Lü Liuliang [1629-1683]

Jiang Tingxi [1669-1732]

Zhang Tingyu [1672-1755]

Li Wei [1687-1738]

Tian Wenjing [1662-1732]

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I'm on with Trae Crowder & Cory Ryan Forrester to talk wild & crazy stories about China.
Please forgive the tech difficulties!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKVpUmzGr8o

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Beginning in Beijing, and then expanding out all the way to the "New Frontier" of Dzungaria, we take a survey-altitude view of the final decade-ish of the Kangxi Emperor's life & reign over the Qing Empire

Time Period Covered:

~1700-1722 CE

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Original publication: 03/21/2025

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In the wake of the Kangxi Emperor's flawless victory + fatality of Galdan Khan, he erects his own definitive version of "The Way Things Happened" - five stone stelae monuments as an everlasting tribute to his greatness, and his side of the story literally written in stone.

But even one so mighty as the Lord of Great Qing is not above the twist of fate's knife. For he has been receiving highly disturbing reports about his son and heir, Crown Prince Yinreng...

Time Period Covered:

1697-1707 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Xuande) [r. 1654-1722]

Crown Prince Yunreng [1674-1725]

Prince Yinxu

Minister Songgotu [1636-1703]

Minister Maci [1652-1739]

Jesuits/Catholic Church:

Pope Clement XI [r. 1700-1721]

Bishop Charles-Thomas Maillard De Tournon [1668-1710]

Fr. Joachim Bouvet [1656-1730]

Jean-Francois Gerbillon, Puritan Missionary

Tómas Pereira, Puritan Missionary

Kingdom of France:

King Louis XIV, "The Sun King" [r. 1643-1715]

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Denis. China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Shelly, Percy Bysshe. "Ozymandias."

Spence, Jonathan D. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-hsi.

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The History of Aotearoa/New Zealand asked for a little boost in the "what going on elsewhere in the world?" category ca. 1759. Well, we were inclined to be accommodating...

It also just so happened that the Qing Empire under the Qianlong Emperor happened to be engaged in a tremendous border clash far to its south...

Presenting: The Sino-Burmese War

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We end our trio of insider views into the Forbidden City by looking at the life - and strictures - of the Big Man himself: the emperor.

Turn out it's not all banquets and parades.

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A look into the inner heart of the mysterious Forbidden City of Beijing, and at its most protected - and confined - denizens: the women of the Imperial palace. From Empress, to concubine, to lowly maid - women hold up half of Heaven.

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patreon.com/thehistoryofchina

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