This Week in China’s History
Latest Posts
The Qinzong emperor’s banishment and the messiness of dynastic China
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.
More Posts
May 4, 1919: Who were the heirs of the revolution?
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.
Out of the Boxer Indemnities, a world-class university
“To use for educational purposes the money that is already allocated for indemnity would create benefit from damage, and gain from loss.”
A death on Coal Hill
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.
China’s pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao’s final success: retirement
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.
A Mongol siege, the Black Death, and the end of two dynasties
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.
Terracotta Warriors: An archaeological find for the ages
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.
The assassination of Song Jiaoren (and Chinese democracy)
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.
This Week in China’s History: The Dalai Lama flees Lhasa
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.
The last of the Chinese Labour Corps, Zhu Guisheng
Some 140,000 Chinese men served in the Allied effort in World War I as part of the Chinese Labour Corps. This Week in China’s History takes a look back at the contributions of these volunteers.