Qing history

Philip Kuhn: Sorcery and Bureaucracy in Qing China

Philip Kuhn: Sorcery and Bureaucracy in Qing China

A supernatural crisis pits an anxious autocrat against his own functionaries when a hunt for soul-stealing sorcerers turns into a political witch-hunt among 18th-century China’s “deep state.”

Barbarians at the Gate: The Destruction of the Yuanmingyuan (One from the Vault)

Barbarians at the Gate: The Destruction of the Yuanmingyuan (One from the Vault)

This month marks the 160th anniversary of the destruction of the Yuanmingyuan. In this episode, David and I talk about the events leading up to the looting and razing of the gardens and the shifting meaning of "National Humiliation" in China today.

On Thin Ice: When Dutch Traders Challenged the Qing Empire for Skating Glory

On Thin Ice: When Dutch Traders Challenged the Qing Empire for Skating Glory

Historian Tonio Andrade recalls a mostly forgotten moment of 18th-century Chinese diplomacy and winter sports history

Barbarians at the Gate: The Destruction of the Yuanmingyuan

Barbarians at the Gate: The Destruction of the Yuanmingyuan

This month marks the 160th anniversary of the destruction of the Yuanmingyuan. In this episode, David and I talk about the events leading up to the looting and razing of the gardens and the shifting meaning of "National Humiliation" in China today.