Ep. 237 | The Warlord Era (Part 7)
In this Part 7 episode, the decade of battling warlords is coming to an end. Anhui and Zhili, then Zhili and Fengtian…and then Zhili and Fengtian again. After 1925 everyone had had enough with these military governors they were ready for someone to step up and take them on and deal with them once and for all.
Ep. 236 | The Warlord Era (Part 6)
In this episode, we look at the years 1922-24 and the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. And you can’t talk about the Second Zhiuli-Fengtian War without also mentioning the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War.
Ep. 235 | The Warlord Era (Part 5)
In Part 5 Laszlo gives the backstory to the Anhui-Zhili War and introduces another warlord, the famous Zhang Zuolin, a.k.a. The Manchurian Warlord. We’ll also look at the very brief war between the forces of Duan Qirui and their Zhili opponents led by Wu Peifu as well as the aftermath up to and including the First Zhili-Fengtian War.
Ep. 234 | The Warlord Era (Part 4)
Part 4 of our series continues with the splintering of the Beiyang Army and government into the factions of cliques who will battle each other for supremacy.
Ep. 233 | The Warlord Era (Part 3)
The saga continues as the demise of Yuan Shikai is followed by the rise of Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang. Meanwhile, the Beiyang Military machine begins to crack into two main factions or cliques.
Ep. 232 | The Warlord Era (Part 2)
This time in Part 2 we focus on the rise and fall of Yuan Shikai and all the measures he took between 1911-1916. These all primed the pump for the Warlord Era that followed his sudden death.
Ep. 231 | The Warlord Era (Part 1)
In this Part 1 episode covering the Warlord era, Laszlo gives some background into the historical developments that led to the rise of, who some call, the first warlord, Yuan Shikai.
Ep. 230 | The Pirate and Mongol Slayer Qi Jiguang
This episode examines the life of Qi Jiguang, who helped to rid the China coast of pirates (Wōkòu) and through his epic Great Wall restoration engineering project he kept the Mongol menace at bay and preserved the Ming Dynasty for an additional half-century.
Ep. 229 | The Walled City of Kowloon
In this episode, the history behind the Kowloon Walled City is introduced from its humble beginnings starting in the Southern Song to its later demolition during the early 1990s.
Ep. 228 | The Seven Great Singing Stars of Shanghai (Part 3)
We finish off our series on the Seven Great Singing Stars of Shanghai by examining the lives of the three remaining women, Li Xianglan, Yao Li, and Zhou Xuan.
Ep. 227 | The Seven Great Singing Stars of Shanghai (Part 2)
In this second part of the series Laszlo and special guest, SpunCounterguy introduces Bai Hong, Bai Guang, Gong Qiuxia, and Wu Yingyin, four superstars who left behind a string of hits that still inspires feelings of nostalgia and reminiscence of those days gone by.
Ep. 226 | The Seven Great Singing Stars of Shanghai (Part 1)
This series focuses on The Seven Great Singing Stars of old Shanghai whose performing skills on the silver screen and on 78 records provide us with a nostalgic glimpse of a long-gone and controversial era. In this Part 1 episode, we will focus on the one who made it all possible, the talented Li Jinhui.
Ep. 225 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 8)
Welcome to the conclusion of our series on the history of Tang Poetry. The Late Tang period of Chinese poetry was marked with all the signs of an imperial house in decline. It was a sad and melancholy time and quite a few Late Tang poems expressed the hopelessness felt during these sorrowful years.
Ep. 224 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 7)
In this seventh installment of the history of Tang poetry, we move on to the Middle Tang period. While the poetry might not be as celebrated as that produced during the High Tang, there were still many figures beloved in their own time and all through the centuries.
Ep. 223 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 6)
Laszlo finishes up the High Tang period of Chinese poetry. In addition, the poets Wang Wei and Meng Haoran are also showcased in this episode.
Ep. 222 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 5)
Along with Li Bai, discussed last episode, Du Fu is considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. We’ll take a brief look at the rough road Du Fu had to walk most of his years. In addition to looking at his life we’ll hear a few of his regulated verse poems.
Ep. 221 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 4)
This episode will focus more on the story of Li Bai (and legend) rather than an in-depth analysis of his poetry. He, along with several other poets from this time are cultural icons and treasures of the Chinese people.
Ep. 220 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 3)
After finishing up some of the good stuff that came out of the Six Dynasties, we’ll get a first look at the Early and High Tang periods in this Part 3 of our Tang Poetry series.
Ep. 219 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 2)
In Part 2 Laszlo finishes up an overview of pre-Tang poetry and show where everything went from the Classic of Poetry and Songs of Chu.
Ep. 218 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 1)
In this first of a series introducing the history of Chinese poetry, Laszlo focuses on the two most important works from Pre-Qin China, The Classic of Poetry and The Songs of Chu.