Ep. 28 | The Northern Song Dynasty
This week’s episode runs a little longer than usual. In it, we examine the Northern Song Dynasty from 960 to 1127. This was a precarious time for China. Despite three potentially menacing non-Han empires surrounding them to the north and west, China once again had another magnificent great leap forward of brilliance and innovation.
Together with the Tang, the Song Dynasty is considered one of the greatest periods in all of China’s long history. Today we look at the first half of the Song when the capital was located up in Kaifeng.
From Dorgon to Daoguang things were pretty tame in the Qing. But once Empress Dowager Cixi grabs hold of the reigns of power, she allows her eunuchs, most notably An Dehai and Li Lianying, to do their worst.