Great Ming's 15th emperor steps up to bat at the tender age of 15, but he's not terribly interested in tackling the challenges facing the empire. He'd rather sit in his room and... build models. As if that weren't enough, things go from already-bad to even-worse when a certain eunuch with a mountain of a chip on his shoulder manages to wrangle the reins of power from the teenage monarch.

Time Period Covered:

1620-1627 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Tianqi Emperor (Zhu Youjiao) [r. 1620-1627]

Exalted Duke Wei Zhongxian [1568-1627]

Madame Ke [1605-1627]

Minister of War Cui Chengxiu [1571-1627]

Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao [1559-1627]

Minister Liu Zongzhou [1578-1645]

Vice Censor-in-Chief Yang Lian [1572-1625]

Xu Hengru, White Lotus rebel leader [d. 1623]

The Chongzhen Emperor (Zhu Yujian) [r. 1627-1644]

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WE today join the host of The History Daily Podcast, Lindsay Graham, as he recounts the harrowing 1281 invasion of Japan by the fearsome combined force of Mongols, Chinese, and Koreans. All seems lost for the archipelagic kingdom... until a most unusual wind begins to blow...

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We revisit the pivotal Battle of Sarhu of 1619/20, but this time from the Ming perspective. Then we'll finally send the Wanli Emperor into his tomb and take stock of his reign and legacy, before getting into our final few emperors Great Ming has left in the tank.

Time Period Covered:

1619-1621 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yujin) [r. 1572-1620]

The Taichang Emperor (Zhu Changluo) [r. 1620-1620]

The Tianqi Emperor (Zhu Youjiao) [r. 1620-1627]

Consort Li

Supreme Commander Yang Hao [d. 1629]

General Du Song, "The Madman" [d. 1619]

General Ma Lin [d. 1619]

General Li Rubo [d. 1621]

General Liu Ting [d. 1619]

Manchu/Later Jin:

Nurhachi [r. 1616-1626]

Amba Beile Daisan [1583-1648]

Hong Taiji [1592-1643]

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With Manchuria all but tapped out, Nurhachi and his Manchus seek to expand in the only direction that makes any sense - south into Ming territory. It's time for the Airing of Grievances! He's got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're gonna hear about it!!

Time Period Covered:

~1618-1626 CE

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In the frigid wilds beyond the Great Wall, a young warrior will begin a grand campaign to establish himself as the sovereign of All Under Heaven, and overthrow an ancient rival.

Time Period Covered:

1559-1619 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Ming:

The Wanli Emperor

General Li Chengliang

Aisin-Gioro/Later Jin/Manchu:

Nurhachi, Heavenly Mandated Khan of Jin [1559-1626]

Giocangga [d. 1582]

Surhaci [d. 1611]

Cuyen [d. 1615]

Hong Taiji

Nikan Wilan

Dragon-Tiger General Meggebulu

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Ming China gets down and dirty with a Miao Rebellion the the Southwest, a Mongol(-ish) urprising in the Northwest, and a newly re-unified Japan gettin just a little too big for their britches in Korea.

Time Period Covered: 1587-1600 CE

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As Ming China enters the 16th century, the Wanli Emperor, his ministers, a new canal, Portuguese & Spanish explorers, the usual gaggle of Chinese neighbors, the Philippines, the Christian Church, The White Lotus, and - of course - the Jesuits all start becoming one another problems...

Time Period Covered:

~1600-1617 CE

Major Historical Figures:

MING:

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yizhun) [r. 1572-1620]

Li Zhi, persecuted Neo-Confucian philosopher [1527–1602]

Li Rusong, Ming Commander in Chief [d. 1598]

Wang Yangming, Master of the "School of the Mind" [1472–1529]

Wang Zhicai, politician & assaultee [d. 16??]

Zhang Zha, the "Attack With the Club" Intruder [d. 1617]

OTHERS:

Limahong (Lin Feng), Pirate Leader out of Manila [1499-1574]

Wang Wang Gao, Ming Captian/Spanish Liason [15??]

Fr. Martin de Rada [1533-1578]

Nurhaci, Mysterious Aisin Gyoro Leader [1559- 1626]

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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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Being the most powerful person in the empire must be nothing but the good life, right? Well... not so much. And especially with the truly dysfunctional Ming system facing the newly-adult Wanli Emperor, it's a system that promises all the perks, but delivers only drudgery, frustration, and disappointment. Not even 5,000 concubines can make up for that...

Time Period Covered:

1582-1600 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yizhun) [r. 1572-1620]

Empress Xiaoduan (Wang Xijie) [1564-1620]

Noble Consort Wang [1565-1611]

Prince Zhu Changluo, "First Imperial Son" [1582-1620]

Noble Consort Zheng [1565-1630]

Prince Zhu Changxun, "Third Imperial Son" [1586-1641]

Grand Secretary Zhang Zhuzheng [d. 1582]

Major Sources Cited:

Duhalde, Marcelo. “Life inside the Forbidden City: how women were selected for service” in South China Morning Post (July 12, 2018).

Huang, Ray. 1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline.

Huang, Ray. “The L’ung-ch’ing and Wan’li Reigns, 1567-1620” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.

Toshima, Yoriko [Su Chung]. Court Dishes in China. 

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Protests erupt across Chinese cities in perhaps the largest demonstration of public outcry in more than 30 years. Today, we look at some of the major reasons why.

[WARNING: Disturbing Content - audio clips of deadly fire, protests, clashes with police]

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