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The History of China Podcast
The History of China Podcast episodes
- When the Sea Closed: The Ming Haijin Policy and Its Hidden Legacy
Explore how Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang’s 1371 maritime ban sparked a clandestine smuggling economy, birthed legendary pirates like Wang Zhi, and forced innovations in shipbuilding and naval firepower. The episode traces the policy’s ripple through subsequent Qing measures, the Canton System, and modern China’s trade regulation strategies.
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15 min - Zhang Heng’s Bronze Dragon: The Han Seismoscope that Shaped Imperial Governance
Explore how Zhang Heng’s 132‑CE seismoscope—a bronze dragon with a pendulum and ball mechanism—gave the Han court directional earthquake data, linking science to imperial legitimacy. From its astronomical roots to modern replicas confirming its engineering, we trace its impact on governance, disaster relief, and the legacy of technology in Chinese history.
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17 min - Mohism Reimagined: Mozi’s Blueprint for Universal Care in Ancient China
Born around 470 BCE amid the Warring States, Mozi championed impartial care and pragmatic governance. His radical ideas challenged Confucian family loyalty and Legalist harshness, influencing Chinese political thought, meritocracy, and even modern corporate social responsibility frameworks.
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13 min - From Peking Man to Modern China: War, Reform, and the Long Arc of Civilization
Explore how the ancient Peking Man of Zhoukoudian set the stage for one of humanity’s longest continuous civilizations, how the Second Sino‑Japanese War reshaped national identity and paved the way for revolutionary change, and how reformer Kang Youwei attempted to fuse Confucian ideals with constitutional governance—each turning point shaping modern China’s trajectory.
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17 min - When Daoism Embraced Buddhism: A Tale of Scriptural and Institutional Exchange
In this episode, Josh Linsk traces how Daoist thinkers borrowed Buddhist canon structure, monastic layouts, ritual practices, and state‑level organization during the Han–Tang era, reshaping Chinese religious life. The dialogue between these two traditions set a precedent for China’s selective adaptation of foreign ideas that continues to influence modern spirituality.
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16 min - The Feast at Hongmen: A Tragic Dinner That Shaped Han China
Explore how Xiang Yu’s famed banquet in Xianyang became a turning point for Chinese history. From Sima Qian’s chronicles to modern political rhetoric, the episode traces the cultural and political ripple effects of this single meal.
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17 min - Hundred Flowers Campaign: A Brief Bloom of Dissent in 1957 China
In 1956 Mao’s Hundred Flowers slogan invited Chinese intellectuals to voice criticism, sparking a flood of dissent that led to the 1957 Anti‑Rightist purge. The episode traces how this brief moment of openness reshaped political culture and set the stage for later reforms.
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21 min - Kublai Khan & the Birth of the Yuan Dynasty
The episode explores how Kublai Khan united steppe power and Han culture, proclaiming the Great Yuan in 1271. It examines his hybrid governance, dual‑currency system, and lasting impact on China’s political geography.
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20 min - When Stars Became State Secrets: Han Astronomy & the Mandate of Heaven
Explore how the Han dynasty turned celestial omens into a political tool—eclipses, comets, and supernovae were read as Heaven’s messages that legitimized emperors, guided policy, and shaped the empire’s calendar. The episode follows key astronomers, imperial edicts, and the cultural ripple effects of turning the sky into state business.
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18 min - The Corrupt King’s Shadow: How Heshen Transformed Qianlong’s Treasury
We trace how Heshen, a Qing court favorite, siphoned an empire’s annual revenue into his private coffers. The episode examines the political and economic fallout of unchecked patronage in 18th‑century China and its echoes in modern governance.
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19 min
About The History of China Podcast
From the publisher's feed
Explore thousands of years of Chinese history, from the earliest dynasties and ancient kingdoms to imperial expansion, revolution, modernization, and the development of contemporary China. The History of China Podcast examines the rulers, philosophers, generals, inventions, wars, political movements, religions, and cultural traditions that shaped one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations.
Episodes journey through the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the rise of Confucianism and Daoism, the Qin unification, the Han Empire, the Three Kingdoms, the Tang and Song golden ages, Mongol rule, the Ming and Qing dynasties, foreign intervention, the fall of the imperial system, the Republican era, civil war, and the major transformations of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The show also explores the Silk Road, Chinese technology and science, art and literature, military strategy, trade, regional cultures, everyday life, and China’s relationships with neighboring civilizations and the wider world.
Whether you are fascinated by ancient empires, famous battles, philosophy, political history, or the long-term forces that shaped modern China, the podcast provides detailed stories and historical context across centuries of change. The History of China Podcast is hosted by Josh Linsk.