James Carter is Professor of History and part of the Nealis Program in Asian Studies at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He is the author of three books on China’s modern history, most recently Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai.
Yangzhou in the Yangtze River Delta is an ancient city that reached its greatest prominence during the Ming dynasty. When the Qing invaded, it was the site of a long siege, followed by a bloody massacre — one used by future generations to fuel their interests.
The story of the last emperor of the Northern Song dynasty is a reminder not only of the perils of royalty in the 12th century, but also of the turbulence often obscured by the labels of imperial and dynastic succession.
In May 1919, the Chinese capital had been in tumult for nearly a decade. On May 4, protesters gathered at Tiananmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, to voice their displeasure at the government — part of a larger movement that radically reshaped modern China.
"To use for educational purposes the money that is already allocated for indemnity would create benefit from damage, and gain from loss."
By 1644, the Ming dynasty's Chongzhen emperor faced multiple pandemics, invasion, two internal rebellions, persistent drought, widespread famine, and economic collapse. On Coal Hill that April, he surveyed what had become of his empire one last time.
At a time when legal avenues for women were limited, working as an outlaw was almost obligatory. Zheng Yi Sao proved herself to be a pragmatic and creative leader on the high seas.
In April 1232, a Mongol army 15,000 strong surrounded the Jin dynasty capital of Kaifeng. The siege that ensued lasted more than a year and resulted in as many as a million deaths.
Upon excavation in 1974, Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army was immediately recognized as one of the most significant discoveries in modern history. The site is still revealing secrets of China's "first emperor," and much more promises to be uncovered.
Following the Xinhai Revolution, Song Jiaoren embodied China's hopes for a democratic future. He was destined to become the nascent republic's first prime minister — before he was murdered in Shanghai.
With the Tibetan New Year just passed, the region begins another year with its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in exile. On this week in 1959, he left the capital, Lhasa, for the last time.