The China History Podcast

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 9

From the triumph of Wu Zetian to the splendor of Xuanzong’s court, the Tang reached extraordinary heights. How did it all come undone? In Part 9 of From Pangu to Puyi, w

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 8

Tang China’s borders are expanding, its capital is welcoming the world, and behind the palace walls, Wu Zetian is making her move. In Part 8 of From Pangu to Puyi, we fo

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 7

How does a dynasty that reunified China fall apart so quickly—and leave the foundations for a golden age? In Part 7 of this Pangu to Puyi overview, we’ll follow the fall

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 6

After centuries of division, how did China find its way back to unity? Part 6 follows the Northern and Southern Dynasties through an age of political upheaval, cultural t

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 5

From the flames of Red Cliffs to the turmoil of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Part 5 follows China through an age of legendary heroes, fragile reunification, and renewed division

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 4

Thanks for sticking with the program. Twenty-one more episodes to go till the end of the series. This time in part 4, we pick up with the aftermath of Liu Bang's passing

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 3

I hope you’re all enjoying the series so far. We continue on in Part 3 with the Warring State of Qín under their bellicose and long-reigning King Zhaoxiang 秦昭襄王, using al

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 2

We’re still in ancient times, picking up from last episode, where we ended with the fall of the Shang. Part 2 will cover the rise of the Ji Clan and the founding of the Z

A Concise History of China-Pangu to Puyi - Part 1

Sorry to everyone for making you wait this long. Welcome to the inaugural episode of this series, which will offer you a concise overview of Chinese history from mythical

One more word from Laszlo

Hi Everyone, the CHP will be returning next week. Here's a brief announcement concerning what to expect for the next several months.

A word from Laszlo

Nothing to see here. Just a quick announcement on the latest from the CHP. Thanks for your patience. Lots of new stuff coming soon. The CHP Patreon: https://www.patreon

This Was Funnier in China | Laszlo and Jesse Appell

I drove downtown not too long ago to meet with Jesse Appell to talk about his first book, "This was funnier in China" https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/This-Was-Funn

Choie Sew Hoy and the Sinking of the S.S. Ventnor

I had the idea for this episode sometime during mid-summer 2025. Then I became distracted by the big project I'm working on now, then the holidays, sick cats, and the ran

The Looting of the Eastern Tombs

This one is more entertaining than anything. Mr. Andrew Shaw mentioned this looting of the eastern Qing Tombs event when I interviewed him earlier in the year. If you rec

A Useful Chengyu - Hébù Shí Ròumí 何不食肉糜

This morning, in between recording sessions, I checked out what was headlining on Drudge. And right there was the leading story, "Let Them Eat Steak." You can imagine wha

WWII Pacific Atrocities | Quin Cho and the Kwantung Army

In early 2025, I was approached by Jenny Chan at pacificatrocities.org about interviewing one of their experts in an upcoming CHP episode. I had a nice interview with Qui

Chenxiang, Pound for Pound, Costs More than Gold

Here's something a little different from the usual CHP fare. It concerns a natural substance that's not too well-known outside of Asia, mainly because it's so dang expens

Wang Jingwei

Hi Everyone, just coming up for air. This is actually one of the several new episodes that have been available on Patreon and CHP Premium since July, three months ago. Th

The Unsung Chinese Heroes of D-Day

Here's another quickie for you, only a half hour long. It seems not only are the portions at fast-food chains shrinking, so are the CHP episodes. Thanks to a team of amat

The Guangxi Massacre

This is a rather long episode, running at just about one hour. The Guangxi Massacre is one of those dark chapters from the Cultural Revolution. Down in the Guangxi Zhuang