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The History of China

Chris Stewart

A journey through the 5000 years of history documented by one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. For all the episodes for free, as well as additional content, please subscribe and/or visit http://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Updated Saturday
  • weekly
  • 41 min on average

Episodes 20

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  • Saturday · 42 min

    #341 - Taiping 18: Titles of the Dead

    In the Heavenly capital of Nanjing, a government that’s now mostly murdered has to be restaffed… somehow. And so their old titles are simply dusted off and re-distributed who whoever’s still left standing. Meanwhile, the men out actually running the war have learned that there’s no use in waiting for the paperwork or permission… neither are coming. They hold their own conference, swear their own oath, and decide to prosecute the war on their own from here on out, regardless of what Nanjing might think about that arrangement. Time Period Covered: 1857–1858 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Chen Yucheng [1837–1862] Li Xiucheng [1823–1864] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Meng De'en, Chief of Staff [d. 1861] Li Shixian [1834–1865] Yang Fuqing Wei Jun Lin Qirong, commander of Jiujiang garrison [d. 1858] Wu Dinggui, commander of Sanhe garrison Great Qing: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861] Zeng Guofan [1811–1872] Zeng Guohua [1822–1858] Zeng Guobao Hu Linyi [1812–1861] Zhang Guoliang [1810–1860] Hechun [d. 1860] Dexing'e (Duxing'a) Li Xubin [1818–1858] Major Works Cited: Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I & II. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • August 2 · 49 min

    #340 - Taiping 17: Out of Kings

    The Heavenly Kingdom, having recently killed kings three and four of its founding five – and misplaced the fifth – attempts to solve its acute leadership shortage. To that end, the Heavenly King turns to his own blood, promoting his brothers – both military novices – and handing supreme military authority to the upjumped royal harem-staffing administrator. Meanwhile, up his own backwater Jiangxi creek, the one man of Great Qing capable of destroying the rebels is finally handed a paddle by his enemies’ infighting... and promptly goes home to bury his father. Two governments, two indispensable men, and one season in which both of them simply choose to walk away. Time Period Covered: 1856–1857 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Hong Renfa, the Peace King [d. 1864] Hong Renda, the Blessings King [d. 1864] Meng De'en, Chief of Staff [d. 1861] Chen Yucheng [1837–1862] Li Xiucheng [1823–1864] Yang Xiuqing, the East King [d. 1856] Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856] Nien Zhang Luoxing, Lord of the Alliance [1811–1863] Li Zhaoshou [d. 1881] Qing The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861] Zeng Guofan [1811–1872] Zeng Guohua [1822–1858] Hu Linyi [1812–1861] Major Works Cited: Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Michael, Franz, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vols. I & II. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 27 · 47 min

    #339 - Taiping 16: At Sixes & Sevens

    The Taiping's greatest summer curdles into its bloodiest autumn. Two months after the East King demands to be crowned Hong Xiuquan's equal, three of his brother-kings converge on Nanjing with an army he never sees coming. By dawn, the man who once spoke with the voice of God is a head on a pole in the street. Yet the purge doesn't end there: it swallows thousands, devours the men who ordered it, and costs the Heavenly Kingdom its foothold on the Yangtze before the year is out – all without a single Qing soldier's help. Time Period Covered: Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, East King [c. 1821–1856] Wei Changhui, North King [d. 1856] Qin Rigang, Yan King [1821–1856] Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Xiao Chaogui, West King [d. 1852] Feng Yunshan, South King [d. 1852] Hu Yihuang, Yu King (deposed) Qing Dynasty: Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang/Hunan Army [1811–1872] Xiang Rong, Nanjing S. siege camp commander Nanjing [d. 1856] Tuoming'a, Yangzhou commander Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 19 · 40 min

    #338 - Taiping 15: The Summer of 10,000 Years

    The Taiping Army is riding high. Having finally broken two massive, three-year-long sieges over the course of a single summer, ultimate victory seems within their grasp. Yet, that taste of triumph acts like blood in the water. The lifting of the sieges removes the one thing that had been holding this fractured movement together: sheer external pressure. For three years, the East King has been rehearsing one demand: the same title as the Heavenly King. Absolute recognition, absolute parity - the promotion he believes he's duly owed. Now with the pressure off, he's willing to do anything to get it, even summon the voice of God Himself. Time Period Covered: Dec. 1853–Sep. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures:Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856] Wei Changhui, the North King [d. 1856] Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Xiao Chaogui, the West King [d. 1852] Feng Yunshan, the South King [d. 1852] Hu Yihuang, the deposed Yu King Qing Dynasty: Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872] Xiang Rong, Qing commander of the southern siege camp at Nanjing [d. 1856] Tuoming'a, Manchu commander at Yangzhou Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 13 · 42 min

    #337 - Taiping 14: Tears Enough to Swell the River

    Three months after the biggest win of his life, Zeng Guofan tries to drown himself. Again. His fleet gets ambushed, split in half, & set ablaze by a 23-year-old nobody bothered to worry about – right up until he became the guy everybody worried about. The reward for surviving all that? A "promotion" in-name only... with no province, no funds, no friends, and a bureaucracy that somehow finds the – time mid-civil-war – to mock him personally. He loses his flagship, his files, his seal of command, and even a friend. And all the while, a much bigger disaster is assembling itself in Nanjing, completely without his input... Time Period Covered:Dec. 1854–Apr. 1856 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856] Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Lin Qirong, Taiping commander of Jiujiang Luo Dagang, Taiping commander of Meijiazhou and Hukou Qing Dynasty: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yizhu) [r. 1850–1861] Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872] Taqibu, Manchu commander of the Xiang Army's land forces [d. 1855] Peng Yulin, co-founder of the Xiang Army's naval forces [1816–1890] Hu Linyi, Xiang Army commander, later Governor of Hubei Chen Qimai, Governor of Jiangxi Tao Enpei, Governor of Hubei [d. 1855] Zuo Zongtang [1812–1885] Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Audio Backing Courtesy of: TabletopAudio CLS Productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • July 7 · 42 min

    #336 - Taiping 13: The Order of Caps and Shoes

    Zeng Guofan goes to war to defend a fixed universe – and nearly drowns proving how unfixed his own place in it actually is. Across a single year, Hunan's most unlikely general brutally finds out that he is indeed no warrior, and consequentially must rebuild a river fleet from nothing... all while the Taiping's own capital is spared only my a mix-up with the date. By December, the Yangtze has changed hands – and a nervous throne has just learned exactly how dangerous a loyal army, and the man who built it, can become... and exactly how briefly gratitude lasts. Time Period Covered: Feb. – Dec. 1854 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, the East King [c. 1821–1856] Wei Changhui, the North King [1823–1856] Qin Rigang, the Yan King [1821–1856] Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Dynasty: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861] Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872] Taqibu, Manchu commander of the Xiang Army's land forces [d. 1855] Peng Yulin, co-founder of the Xiang Army's naval forces [1816–1890] Zhang Shoulin, aide who pulled Zeng Guofan from the Xiang River at Jinggang Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Kuhn, Philip A. "The Taiping Rebellion." The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 30 · 37 min

    #335 - Taiping 12: The Man In Hunan

    While the Northern Expedition dies in the freezing mud of Shandong, the Taiping's second strike — the Western Expedition — turns its sights on the provinces they've already ridden through on the Yangtze, a kingdom to go with their new Heavenly Capital. But waiting for them in Hunan is a man unable to ride a horse, or command an army... who will nevertheless set about constructing their ultimate doom. Time Period Covered: May 1853 – February 1854 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Hu Yiguang, commander of the Anhui column, Western Expedition Lai Hanying, commander of the Jiangxi column, Western Expedition Shi Dakai, the Wing King [1831–1863] Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864] Qing Dynasty: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861] Jiang Zhongyuan, governor of Anhui [1812–1854] Zeng Guofan, founder of the Xiang Army [1811–1872] Tang Jian, Neo-Confucian scholar and Zeng Guofan's mentor [1778–1861] Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 23 · 31 min

    #334 - Taiping 11: The Spear of Heaven and the Winter Wolf

    The Taiping Army commits to one of its most audacious acts yet – an assault on the Qing throne itself, a thousand miles north in Beijing. To reach it, it will launch its great Northern Campaign: a single spear-throw that, if its aim holds true, might end the entire war before the teeth of winter bite down. Time Period Covered: May 1853 – March 1855 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King [1814–1864] Lin Fengxiang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855] Li Kaifang, co-commander of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855] Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [c. 1823–1864] Qing Dynasty: The Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yinzhu) [r. 1850–1861] Prince Senggelinqin [c. 1811–1865] Other: Theodore Hamberg, Swedish missionary, Hong Kong; author of the first European account of the Taiping [1819–1854] Major Sources Cited: Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection. Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 15 · 39 min

    #333 - Taiping 10: All Things In Common

    Finally pooled and stilled at Nanjing, in the afterglow of victory, the Taiping reflect on what they’ve become, and what they’ve yet to accomplish. In the cold light of the morning after, though, dreams do not equal result, nor clouds a working constitution. And as the world begins to take note and come knocking, the question hanging over it all remains: what will come next? Time Period Covered: Spring–Summer 1853 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Xiao Chaogui, West King, signing from beyond the grave [d. 1852] Fu Shanxiang, first & only female zhuangyuan of the examination [fl. 1853; dates uncertain] Lin Fengxiang, general of the Northern Expedition [d. 1855]; The Women's Army of the Heavenly Kingdom [org. 1851] Qing Dynasty: Zeng Guofan, Confucian official, founder of the Xiang (Hunan) Army [1811–1872] Great Britain: Sir George Bonham, Governor of Hong Kong & plenipotentiary to China [1803–1863] Thomas Taylor Meadows, consular interpreter [1815–1868] Cmdr. Edmund Gardiner Fishbourne, HMS Hermes [1811–1887] Abroad: Karl Marx, correspondent, New-York Daily Tribune [1818–1883] Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • June 8 · 37 min

    #332 - Taiping 9: Heaven Is A Place On Earth

    The Heavenly Host arrives at last before the walls of the South Capital. What follows is not a battle so much as a verdict – rendered in powder, fire, and seven days of smoke and blood. A city is taken, renamed, and remade in the image of a kingdom the likes of which the world has never seen before. This is the story of the Becoming that finally arrived; of the current that finally found its place to pool... and what it cost to stop. Time Period Covered: Mar. 1853 CE Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Qing Dynasty: The Xianfeng Emperor, Aisin Gioro Yizhu [1831–1861] The Nanjing Manchu Garrison [est. 1645; d. 1853] Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 31 · 42 min

    #331 - Taiping 8: Kingdom Come

    The Heavenly Host marches north out of Hunan. Ahead of them lies the spine of China itself – the mighty Yangtze; maker and breaker of dynasties. The trading capitals strung along its southern bank glimmer like beads on a thread. They have and continue to transform, to build a fleet, a state. Now they will find out what it’s all been leading toward. This is the story of the Kingdom In Motion, and the river that carried it east. Time Period Covered: Nov. 1852 – Mar. 1853 Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Li Xiucheng, future Loyal King [1823–1864] Qing Dynasty:The Xianfeng Emperor, Aisin Gioro Yizhu [1831–1861] Chang Liangji, Governor of Hubei Qian Jiang, the jiansheng from Zhejiang who pitched reform and walked Major Sources Cited: Michael, Franz, and Chang Chung-li. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents, Vol. I. Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 23 · 34 min

    #330 - Taiping 7: Beneath the Walls of Changsha

    The Heavenly Host has arrived at the great provincial capital of Hunan - Changsha. The mighty bastion that will prove to be the first city on the long march north that simply refuses to fall. For two months in late 1852, the largest army the Taiping has yet fielded throws everything it knows at these walls... but the city endures. This is the story of the underground war fought by nameless men in the dark Time Period Covered: Oct. – Dec. 1852 Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852] Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Dynasty: Luo Bingzhang, Governor of Hunan [1793–1867] Zeng Guofan, Commissioner of Local Defence for Hunan [1811–1872] Major Sources Cited: Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 16 · 36 min

    #329 - Taiping 6: River of Souls

    The army that marches north out of Quanzhou in June 1852 is not the same one that left Jintian 18 months prior. It has left its prime architect in an unmarked grave, massacred the city that killed him, and crossed into the unknown territory of Hunan. At Daozhou, for the first time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom starts speaking to Empire at large, calls upon brotherhood to honor their blood-oaths, & dares name the emperor himself a demon. It's beginning to get real, and all roads - it seems - lead toward Changsha... Time Period Covered: June – October 1852 Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852] Wei Changhui, North King [1823–1856] Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Qing Dynasty: Luo Bingzhang, Governor of Hunan [1793–1867] Other: Lan Chengzun, Yao tribesman, White Lotus chieftain [fl. 1836] Lei Zaihao, Yao chieftain [fl. 1847] Li Yuanfa, Han Triad rebel leader [fl. 1849] Major Sources Cited: Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 8 · 53 min

    #328 - Taiping 5: The Way Ahead

    The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been proclaimed — but proclamations don't feed armies. As such, its Divine Host will enjoy all of 11 days before sheer arithmetic forces them back onto the road. What follows is eight months of movement through the hills and river valleys of Guangxi: not quite a military campaign, not quite a refugee march. When they finally stop, it will be inside the walls of a city called Yong'an - "Eternal Peace." There, for the first time, the blueprint of the kingdom they have been promising can at last be seen in outline. Kings will be named, & time itself will be reordered... But the walls keep closing in, and ahead - always ahead - is the only path left. Time Period Covered: Jan. 1851 – June 1852 Major Historical Figures: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Feng Yunshan, South King, Architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852] Yang Xiuqing, East King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Xiao Chaogui, West King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852] Wei Changhui, North King [1823–1856] Shi Dakai, Wing King [1831–1863] Luo Dagang, pirate-turned-general [fl. 1851–1853] Qing Dynasty: Saishangga, Imperial Commissioner [fl. 1851–1852] Xiang Rong, Qing General [d. 1856] Ulantai, Qing General [d. 1852] Major Sources Cited: Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection. Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 28 · 40 min

    #327 - Taiping 4: The Heavenly Kingdom

    The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain managed to survive their first test — but now the world itself seems dead-set on finishing the job. When unprecedented rains lead to flooding, famine, and pestilence across southern China, the last institutions holding things together collapse, leaving those on the margins to their own survival. Until, that is, the divine summons of the Second Son of God calls them — one and all — to the village of Jintian, a bold maneuver that will force a response from the Qing dynasty itself. Time Period Covered: 1849-1851 CE Major Historical Figures: God-Worshippers/Taiping: Hong Xiuquan, prophet, Heavenly King [1814–1864] Feng Yunshan, chief evangelist and architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852] Yang Xiuqing, Eastern King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Xiao Chaogui, Western King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852] Lo Daguo, Triad chief, Taiping recruit [fl. 1850–1851] Qing Dynasty: Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850] Ikedanbu, Manchu Colonel [d. January 1, 1851] Major Sources Cited: Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10 Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 21 · 35 min

    #326 - Taiping 3: The Image-Breakers

    The God-Worshippers of Thistle Mountain, under the dual leadership of Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan, had gone from being a quirky, backwater oddity... to, by 1847, a real local headache. When they get bold enough to deface a local temple, the law finally takes action to end their machinations. Yet they emerge from this early crucible unbroken... harder, better, faster, stronger... and even weirder than they went in. Time Period Covered: 1847–1849 Major Historical Figures: Hong Xiuquan, prophet and Heavenly King [1814–1864] Feng Yunshan, chief evangelist and architect of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852] Wang Zuoxin, local licentiate and militia leader [fl. 1847] Lu Liu, God-Worshipper [d. 1848] Yang Xiuqing, Eastern King, Voice of God the Father [d. 1856] Xiao Chaogui, Western King, Voice of Jesus Christ [d. 1852] Qiying, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi [1787–1858] Major Sources Cited: Hamberg, Theodore. The Visions of Hung-Siu-tshuen and the Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10 Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 15 · 43 min

    #325 - Taiping 2: The God Worshippers

    Amidst the ashes of the Opium War, a new flame is beginning to kindle – not in the halls of power, but in the distant, forgotten hills and mountains. While the would-be prophet Hong Xiuquan returns home, his closest friend vanishes into the wilds of Guangxi – a world of ethnic tensions, criminal brotherhoods, pirates-turned-river-bandits… and a government far too distant and preoccupied to care. What Feng Yunshan finds there, and what he builds among its dispossessed and desperate Hakka denizens, will become the backbone of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: the God Worshipping Society. Time Period Covered: 1844–1847 Major Historical Figures: Feng Yunshan, organizer, founder of the God-Worshipping Society [1815–1852] Hong Xiuquan, Second Son of God [1814–1864] Hong Ren'gan, cousin, convert [1822–1864] Issachar J. Roberts, American Baptist missionary [1802–1871] Karl Gutzlaff, German missionary, founder of the Chinese Union [1803–1851] Major Sources Cited: Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Scott, James C. The Art of Not Being Governed. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 7 · 39 min

    #324 - Taiping 1: The Second Son of God

    Even in the fallout of the Opium War, dreams endure—but what happens to a dream deferred? In Canton, one young man’s starry-eyed visions of success run headlong into the brutal wall of the Imperial Examination system. And when that dream finally shatters, it neither dries up, nor festers.... it explodes into prophetic visions so awesome and so terrible that they will shake the very foundations of Heaven itself. Time Period Covered: 1827 – 1844 Major Historical Figures: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Hong Xiuquan (Hong Huoxiu), failed examination candidate, Second Son of God[1814–1864] Li Jingfang, friend, relative, first convert [fl. 1840s] Hong Rengan [1822–1864] Feng Yunshan [1815–1852] Liang Fa (Liang Afa), author of Good Words to Exhort the Age [1789–1855] Major Sources Cited: Hong Xiuquan. Taiping Heavenly Chronicle (Taiping Tianri). Kuhn, Philip A. "Ch. 6, The Taiping Rebellion” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Liang Fa. Good Words to Exhort the Age (Quanshi Liangyan) Platt, Stephen R. Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom. Spence, Jonathan D. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • March 31 · 40 min

    Intelligent Speech 2026 - Nemesis, Mine

    The Kangxi Emperor’s Obsessive Pursuit of Galdan Khan to the Ends of the Earth Presented: 02/28/2026 audio-only cut (this is from my mic pick-up, so the host's audio is low... apologies... I'll replace it with a better final version once it's released!) ~20:00 - presentation ~20:00 - audience Q&A Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • March 27 · 43 min

    #323 - Opium War 8: Perfect Equality

    The war is over. The treaty is signed, sealed, & delivered. Yet though the smoke has cleared, the haze of uncertainty over what - exactly - just happened... lingers on. And that misunderstanding will echo for the next century. While Qiying writes love letters to Pottinger and the opium clippers resume business at anchorages just outside the new treaty ports, the machine set in motion by the Treaty of Nanjing is only just beginning to roll out. Time Period Covered: Aug. 1842 - c. 1860 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Qiying, Imperial Commissioner and chief negotiator [1787–1858] Yilibu, Imperial Commissioner and senior negotiator [1772–1843] Zhang Xi, retainer and intermediary [fl. 1840s] Lin Zexu, former Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850] Howqua (Wu Bingjian), senior Hong merchant [1769–1843] Hong Xiuquan, failed examination candidate [1814–1864] The British Empire: Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901] Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856] Sir Hugh Gough, Commander of British Land Forces [1779–1869] Charles Elliot, former Chief Superintendent [1801–1875] Captain William Hutcheon Hall, commanding HMS Nemesis [c. 1797–1878] William Jardine, co-founder, Jardine Matheson [1784–1843] James Matheson, co-founder, Jardine Matheson [1796–1878] John Robert Morrison, principal interpreter [1814–1843] Other: Captain Jean-Baptiste Cécille, commanding French frigate Erigone [1787–1873] Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff, missionary and civil magistrate [1803–1851] William Lockhart, missionary physician [1811–1896] Napoléon Libois, procurator, Missions Étrangères [1805–1872] Major Sources Cited: Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War, 1840–1842 Wakeman, Frederic Jr. "The Creation of the Treaty System" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10 Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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