Tiny Insect

This episode we’ll look at the rise of the Qing, China’s last imperial dynasty. We’ll look at some of the major decisions Qing rulers made in the dynasty’s first 150 years. The reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong will rule China for a combined 140 years, during which it was the most powerful and populous state on earth. But it’s also in this period that many of the seeds of its calamitous 19th century were sown.

At the beginning of the 17th century the Ming empire was the largest and most powerful on earth. But in a newly global world they soon found themselves tied to the whims of global trade and a silver mountain half way around the world.

This episode we’re going to take a bit of a scenic detour to learn about early policies of Ming expansionism and the tremendous voyages of Zheng He.

Popular conceptions of Chinese history usually follow the lead of Confucian ideology that held that China was the eternal “Middle Kingdom”, always existing in its essential essence at the center of the world. Dynasties may rise and fall, but China remains China, a country that has been around for more than two thousand years.

Well, that’s wrong. It’s what they wanted you to believe. But it’s wrong.

Since we’re going to be spending most of season 1 in the Chinese Qing empire, it’s important to understand how this myth is wrong and learn a more about China. In this episode we’ll learn about China’s geography, languages, and take a lightning tour of China’s early dynastic history.

“From the cry of a tiny insect, one can hear the sound of a vast world.” – Zhang Daye

Tiny Insect is a history podcast about the creation of the modern world. It takes a global perspective to tell the story of the world between 1206 and 1914. From the beginning of one era of global catastrophe, to the beginning of another.

This episode is an overview of what I want the show to be about.