The China History Podcast

This time we continue on with our overview of the great leader Deng Xiaoping. We pick up in 1937 with the invasion by Japan, the civil war, and the founding of the PRC. We examine Deng's achievements all the way up to 1952, the year he left the Southwest Bureau and returned to Beijing to serve as Vice Premier and to take the lead, with Mao, Zhou, Liu Shaoqi, and others in building the PRC from the ground up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laszlo is happily back in Cali with a new episode that looks at the early years of Deng Xiaoping. Most of the narrative is based on passages gleaned from Ezra Vogel's new biography of The Great One. Inspired by the events of May Fourth, 1919, Deng Xiaoping was a lifelong revolutionary and by the end of his days had personally seen to it that China ended up the nation it was meant to be on the world stage. In this multi-part series on the life of Deng Xiaoping, we'll trace his life, all the triumphs as well as the tragedies. We'll look at why he is lionized as one of the greatest 20th-century world leaders and also why some have vilified Deng for his actions. His life itself is an interesting prism from which to view 20th century China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time we take a look at four Westerners who committed their lives to the People's Republic of China. These four foreigners, Agnes Smedley, Anna Louise Strong, George Hatem and Israel Epstein were all friends of China and were admired by China's leaders. Upon their deaths they were given the honor of internment at China's continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we jump over much of the history of the 1940′s and zero in on the moment when the PRC was officially established on Oct 1, 1949. Today's podcast episode offers a general overview of the first year of the PRC and some of the multitude of challenges Mao and China's new leaders faced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before we head back to modern times, we look at the mythological beginnings of the Chinese people and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. This period preceded China's legendary Xia Dynasty and the beginnings of Chinese recorded history in the Shang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we look at the immortal Zhou Gong, the Duke of Zhou. If he isn't the most revered person from Chinese history, he's certainly in the top three. He guided the earliest years of the Zhou Dynasty through treacherous times. Zhou Gong was responsible for building a great amount of the foundation from continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode runs a little long as there won't be anything for the following week. Today's episode looks at the life and interesting career of Sir Robert Hart (赫德), an Ulsterman from Northern Ireland. For most of his life he lived in China in the employ of the Zongli Yamen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mid-Autumn Festival takes place every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar. This year that date falls on September 12. The Chinese world will be celebrating the holiday in very much the same way that generations have enjoyed going back to ancient times. Families will get together and stroll continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to RL in Hefei for the inspiration, this week we take a look at China and Japan's difficult history. We focus on the historical events that led to "2,000 years of friendship and 50 years of confrontation," as CPCCC member Zhao Qizheng 赵启正 said recently in the People's Daily. We look at the background continue reading >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're back with more history. We look at the Shanghai Massacre of April 12, 1927. This was the defining moment when Chiang Kai-shek and his allies and supporters made a bloody break with the Communists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices