A trio of seasonal tales about the Korean version of the classic fox spirit, the kumiho (huli jing [CN]/kitsune [JP]) as well as their implications bout the societies they stemmed from.

"The Maiden's Grave" - 02:21

"The Bone The Was a Fox" - 03:39

"The Fox Sister" - 06:22

From:

Fenkl, Heinz Inzu. "Fox Wives & Other Dangerous Women."

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The Kangxi Emperor of Great Qing squares off again Galdan Khan of the Dzungar Khanate in the sociopolitical-religio-military showdown of the late 17th century! Kangxi wants to flex his imperial muscle - in person! - up to and including enacting a "Final Solution" against the un-subdued Mongol peoples under Galdan, but the wily khan will amply demonstrate that all the imperial planning from Beijing in the world means nothing once your army is out in the wilds of the steppe.

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Time Period Covered:

ca. 1690 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

The Lifan Yuan (Office of Barbarian Control)

Dzungar Khannate:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Other Mongols:

Erdeni Qosuuci

Morgen Alana Dorji

Lobzang Gunbu Labdan

Batur Erke Jinong [d. 1709]

Prince Gandu

Lamist Tibet:

The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso [1617–1682]

Russian Empire:

Count Fedor Alekseevich Golovin [1650-1706]

Major Works Cited:

Munkh-Erdene, Lamsuren. The Taiji Government and the Rise of the Warrior State.

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

Thokmay, Darig. “Game Changers of the Tibetan Buddhist Political Order in Central Asia in the Early Eighteenth Century” in The Tibet Journal, Vol. 46, No. 1.

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A brief history of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the tale of Hou Yi the Archer & the Ten Suns, and Chang'e & the Moon

In other words, please be true

In other words, I love you.

Sources:

Barlett, Scarlett. The Mythology Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Tales.

Masaka, Mori. “Restoring the ‘Epic of Hou Yi’” in Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 52, no. 5.

Yang, Lihui, Demin An, and Jessica Anderson Turner. Handbook of Chinese Mythology.

Republication, original Episode Sept. 22, 2022.

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With its southern border finally pacified, the Qing Dynasty under its Kangxi Emperor must now contend with a rising challenge to the northeast: the ascent and enthronement of a real steppe wildcard, the chieftain Galdan, as reigning Khan of the Dzungar Mongols. Kangxi will strive to use him as he has used all other neighboring petty-potentates - as semi-disposable ablative armor for the soft innards of China proper under the longstanding guidelines of "Use The Barbarians to Deal With the Barbarians" foreign policy... but Galdan is mercurial enough to have ideas of his own, and friends in surprisingly high places (the Tibetan Highlands).

Time Period Covered:

~1679-1684 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

The Lifan Yuan (Office of Barbarian Control)

Dzungar Khannate:

Galdan, the Boshugtu Khan [r. 1679-1697]

Other Mongols:

Erdeni Qosuuci

Morgen Alana Dorji

Lobzang Gunbu Labdan

Batur Erke Jinong [d. 1709]

Prince Gandu

Lamist Tibet:

The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso [1617–1682]

Russian Empire:

Count Fedor Alekseevich Golovin [1650-1706]

Major Works Cited:

Munkh-Erdene, Lamsuren. The Taiji Government and the Rise of the Warrior State.

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

Thokmay, Darig. “Game Changers of the Tibetan Buddhist Political Order in Central Asia in the Early Eighteenth Century” in The Tibet Journal, Vol. 46, No. 1.

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Across the trackless expanses of the northwestern frontier zones, far beyond the final vestiges of Great Qing sovereignty or protection, independent, oasis trade hubs survive and even thrive across central Asia during the chaos of the 16th & 17th centuries. They and their denizens, though largely cut off from the rest of the wider world, nevertheless serve a vital – though fragile – linkage between east and west. Here, north of the Taklamakan Desert, the Oirat Mongols continue to live much as they have these past several centuries… until a group known as the Dzungars under a rising leader called Batur Hong Taiji will start dreaming bigger: an Albany Plan of Union… with Mongol characteristics…

Time Period Covered:

~1680 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Four Oirat/Dzungar Mongols:

Baibagas Khan [r. 1585-1640]

Chechen Khan (Ochirtu) [r. 1640~1670]

Zaya Pandita [d. 1662]

Khara Khula [d. 1634]

Batur Hongtaiji [r. 1634-1653]

Sengge [r. 1653-1671]

Queen Anu of the Khoshuts [~1653-1696]

Boshoghtu Khan (Galdan) [1644-1697, r. 1671-97]

Other Mongols:

Altan Khan of the Golden Horde

Jasaku Khan of the Khalkhas

Dge-lugs-pa Tibetan Buddhist Sect:

The 5th Dalai Lama (Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso] [1617-1682]

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor (Aisin Gioro Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

Major Work Cited:

Amitai-Preiss, Reuven & David O. Morgan (eds.) The Mongol Empire & its Legacy.

Halkovic, Jr., Stephen A. The Mongols of the West.

Miyawaki, Junko. “The Chinggisid Principle In Russia” in The Frontier In Russian History, Vol. 19, No. 1/4.

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

Taupier, Richard. “Yeke Caaji, the Mongol-Oyirod Great Code of 1640: Innovation In Eurasian State Formation” in Asian Literature and Translation, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2018.

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With border disputes and foreign affair emergencies levelling off, the Kangxi Emperor is able to turn his attentions inward toward the domestic, the home and hearth. But it's not all bbqs and pickleball there, either - there's the questions of succession, for one... who will be next when Kangxi is no more? And an heir there is... but... does something seem a little *off* about the crown-prince??

Time Period Covered:

~1660-1722 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Kangxi Emperor (Xuanye) [r. 1661-1722]

Yunreng, Heir-apparent [1674-1725]

Prime Minister Songgotu [1636-1703]

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A set of short fever dreams from Chinese folklore to beat the summer heat...

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Doc 1: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, A Student Demonstration of Sorts in Tiananmen Square (11/21/85)

Doc 2: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Government Arrests Student Demonstrators (11/25/85)

Doc 3: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, More Student Demonstrations (12/23/85)

Doc 4: From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Student Demonstrations Update (12/24/86)

Doc 5: IPAC Daily Intelligence Summary 1-87, China: Student Demonstrations (01/02/87)

Doc 6: IPAC Daily Intelligence Summary 10-87, China: Hu Yaobang Resigns (01/17/87)

Doc 7: Memorandum of Conversation, [George Bush] Meeting with Wan Li, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Member of the Politburo, People’s Republic of China (05/23/89)

Doc 8: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/0289, China: Stalemate Continues

Doc 9: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/03/89, China: Police Use Tear Gas on Crowds

Doc 10: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 27: Martial Law with Chinese Characteristics (06/03/89)

Doc 11: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 28: Ten to Fifteen Thousand Armed Troops Stopped at City Perimeter by Human and Bus Barricades (06/03/89)

Doc 12: Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, and All Diplomatic and Consular Posts, TFCHO1: SITREP 1, 1700 EDT (06/03/89)

Doc 13: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/04/89, China: Troops Open Fire

Doc 14: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 32 (06/04/89)

Doc 15: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 33 (06/04/89)

Doc 16: Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: U.S. Embassy Beijing, China Task Force Situation Report No. 3 (06/04/89)

Doc 17: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/05/89, China: After the Bloodbath

Doc 18: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 35 (06/05/89)

Doc 19: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/06/89, China: Descent into Chaos

Doc 20: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01--SITREP No. 37 (06/06/89)

Doc 21: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/07/89, China: Tense Standoff Continues

Doc 22: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01--SITREP No. 38 (06/07/89)

Doc 23: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/9/89, China: Uneasy Calm

Doc 24: Department of State Intelligence Brief, "Current Situation in China: Background and Prospects" (Ca. 06/10/89)

Doc 25: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/10/89, China: Mixed Signals on Purge

Doc 26: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 49, (06/11/89)

Doc 27: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/14/89, China: Back to Business, But Crackdown Continues

Doc 28: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/15/89, China: Accusation over Fang Lizhi

Doc 29: Secretary of State's Morning Summary for 06/21/89, China: Swift Justice

Doc 30: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Eyewitness Account of June 4 PLA Tank Crushing 11 Students and Related Early Morning Events in Tiananmen Square (06/22/89)

Doc 31: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, What Happened on the Night of June 3/4? (06/22/89)

Doc 32: Cable, From: U.S. Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, TFCH01: SITREP No. 65 (06/27/89)

Doc 33: State Department document entitled "Themes" (06/29/89)

Doc 34: State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, "Status Report on Situation in China as of 07/ 26/89"

Doc 35: State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, "China: Aftermath of the Crisis" (07/27/89)

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As he feels the inevitable passage of time take its toll on his body and soul, Genghis Khan looks for answers - about how to extend his rule and his life, perhaps even how to gain life everlasting. Thus, when word reaches him on the eve of his Khwarazmian campaign of a Daoist Immortal living in the mountains of Shandong, he will seek this master out in order to gain his wisdom. But this supposed immortal isn't quite what he claims to be...

Time Period Covered:

ca. 1219-1224 CE

Major Figures:

Genghis Khan (Temüjin)

Master Changchun, Leader of the Daoist Quanzhen Sect (Qiu Chuji)

Temuge-otchigin, Hearthkeeper of Mongolia

Liu Wen, alchemist, arrow-maker, caravan-leader

Yelu Chu Chi, brother of the Governor of Samarkand, translator for the Great Khan

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Be sure to check out Airwave Media's list of 100 Best podcasts! ThoC is #69 (Nice!):

https://blog.feedspot.com/airwave_media_podcasts/

The Kangxi Emperor squashes his beef with the three rebellious feudatories of the south by squashing their traitorous lords, only to have to pivot northward once again to face down... who? The Russians? And the Mongols?! And Tibetans?! And the Catholic Church?!

Time Period Covered:

1670-1722 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Great Qing:

The Kangxi Emperor [r. 1661-1722]

Crown-Prince Yunreng [1674-1725]

Grand Secretary Songgotu [1636-1703]

Fan Chengmo, Governor-General of Fujian [1624-1676]

Nian Gengyao, Viceroy of Sichuan and Tibet [1679-1726]

Mei Wending, mathematician [1633-1721]

Tsarist Russia:

Tsar Alexis Romanov, "The Quietest" [r. 1645-1676]

Tsar Feodor III [r. 1676-1682]

Tsar Ivan V [r. 1682-1696]

Tsar/Emperor Peter I, "the Great" [r. 1682-1725]

Izmailov

Roman Catholic Church:

Pope Clement XI [1649-1721]

Cardinal Charles-Thomas Maillard de Tournon [1668-1710]

Jesuit Missionaires:

Fr. Jean-François Gerbillon [1654-1707]

Fr. Tomé Pereira [1645-1708]

Fr. Joachim Bouvet [1656-1730]

Ö

löd/Mongol/Dzungar Khanate:

Erdeniin Galdan, Boshugtu Khan [r. 1671-1697]

Tsewang Araptan [r. 1697-1727]

General Chereng Dondub the Elder [d. 1737]

Major Works Cited:

Perdue, Peter C. (2009). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.

Spence, Jonathan D. "The K'ang-Hsi Reign" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 9: The Ch'ing Dynasty, Part 1: To 1800.

Wakeman, Frederic Evans. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order In Seventeenth-Century China.

Wakeman, Frederic Evans. "Romantics,Stoics, and Martyrs In Seventeenth Century China" in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 43, No. 4.

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