The end of China’s golden age
An Lushan's rebellion was one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history. He may have envisaged a bright new era when he crowned himself emperor, but his reign was short, and brought an end to China's golden age.
This Week in China’s History
More Posts
The evolving hero status of the executed general Yue Fei
Yue Fei was a 12th-century Song dynasty general who was betrayed by the minister Qin Hui. Throughout history, his reputation has changed — from symbol of ethnic nationalism to hero of the people — but his status still looms large.
Deng Xiaoping’s secret ‘Southern Tour’ and its enduring legacy
With hardline conservatives breathing down his neck in Beijing, Deng Xiaoping made an unannounced trip south in January 1992 to visit his reform-minded friends, a calculated move without any guarantee of success. But his gambit paid off in a big way.
‘Bombard the headquarters’
Echoes of Maoism in the storming of Capitol Hill.
The New Fourth Army Incident: The Nationalist massacre that sealed the winning side’s fate
The New Fourth Army Incident, in which Communist troops were routed at the hands of the Nationalist Army, has been a source of contention ever since it happened. But what is clear is that it set the stage for further internecine conflict, even as China stared down a common enemy.
How a cataclysmic plague marked the end of Ming China
Any event as monumental as the fall of the Ming dynasty has many causes. Yet in the winter of 1643, it may have been bubonic plague that knocked the last supports out from under the dynasty, leaving it open to attack from within and without.
An emperor reveals his guts
Xuanye (1654–1722), better known as the Kangxi Emperor, is widely considered one of imperial China’s most successful rulers. But in a valedictory speech given five years before his death, he revealed his fears and vulnerabilities with a candor that seems almost impossible for the politicians who lead the world today.
How Kublai Khan’s Yuan complicates the notion of ‘China’
Our understanding of Chinese history — specifically, what constituted “China” throughout history — is fundamentally flawed. The result isn’t merely academic: It has profound implications in our present.
America’s first giant panda and China’s most popular export
Su Lin, the first panda to enter America, was an instant celebrity, a black-and-white meteorite. Brought over by Ruth Harkness, his arrival presaged the start of Sino-American panda diplomacy.