Ep. 3 | The Four Great Inventions

FromThe China History Podcast

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Ep. 3 | The Four Great Inventions

FromThe China History Podcast

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Length:

33 minutes

Released:

Jun 24, 2010

Format:

Podcast episode

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Today we look at the Four Great Inventions, the 四大发明, that Lord Francis Bacon hailed as having done more than anything else to transform completely the modern world and mark it off from antiquity and the Middle Ages. Today we examine the four great inventions of the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing. Terms used in continue reading >>

Released:

Jun 24, 2010

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Since 2010, The China History Podcast, presented by Laszlo Montgomery presents over two hundred episodes of curated topics from China's antiquity to modern times.

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Welcome to The China History Podcast!: Listen to the trailer for The China History Podcast by The China History Podcast
4 min listen
CHP-015 The Shang Dynasty: This week in part two of our dynasty overview, we examine the Shang Dynasty 1600 BC to 1046 BC. Chinese characters make their appearance for the first time. Artisans cast the most beautiful bronzes. Because of the discovery of archaeological evide[...] by The China History Podcast
38 min listen
CHP-028 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,[...] by The China History Podcast
47 min listen
CHP-011 Kang Sheng: Kang Sheng 康生 was a sinister character from modern Chinese history who was both Chairman Mao's close confidant and creator of China's Secret Police. by The China History Podcast
36 min listen
CHP-004 The Great Leap Forward: The Great Leap Forward ( 大跃进) from 1958-1960 caused death and suffering to dozens of millions of people. It sounded like a workable idea but it didn't turn out like Chairman Mao hoped. When looking back on the life of Mao Zedong, the Great L[...] by The China History Podcast
39 min listen
CHP-013 Li Ka-shing: Li Ka-shing is a Hong Kong billionaire tycoon who has played a great role in not only Hong Kong's prosperity but in China’s as well. He is respected not only for his achievements in business and industry but also for his rise from humble begin[...] by The China History Podcast
17 min listen
CHP-014 The Xia Dynasty: In this episode we commence our Chinese imperial dynasty overview. It begins today with the Xia Dynasty 夏朝代. According to historiographer Sima Qian, this was the first dynasty of China. It's origins and its demise and everything in between ha[...] by The China History Podcast
46 min listen
CHP-022 The Three Kingdoms and the Jin Dynasty: This week we are back with more Chinese history. We will look at a very confusing but exciting time when there was mostly a period of disunity and China was broken up into contending kingdoms. However this period of chaos brought us some of the ri[...] by The China History Podcast
36 min listen
CHP-034 The Ming Dynasty Part 4: We finish off our overview of the Ming Dynasty in this episode and also trace the rise of the Manchu's. The period from the Jiajing emperor to the tragic suicide of the Chongzhen emperor saw a slow and steady decline in the fortunes of the Mi[...] by The China History Podcast
47 min listen
CHP-029 The Southern Song Dynasty: In this week's episode Laszlo finishes off the Song Dynasty after the Jin Empire captures the royal family and sacks the capital in Kaifeng. The Song dynasty continues on with the new capital in the south of China, below the Yangzi River. Des[...] by The China History Podcast
30 min listen
CHP-038 The Qing Dynasty Part 4: Here we begin the turbulent, bloody and historically humiliating 19th century in China. The first half century sees two emperors, Jiaqing and Daoguang stand by helplessly as China is torn apart by uprisings, anti-Manchu discontent, a financial cris[...] by The China History Podcast
45 min listen
CHP-033 The Ming Dynasty Part 3: In today's episode we look at Ming Dynasty China from the reigns of Xuande to Jiajing. This period in Chinese history was witnessing momentous changes. The dynasty suffers a terrible debacle in 1449. Portugal was becoming a regular visitor [...] by The China History Podcast
46 min listen
CHP-016 The Western Zhou Dynasty: Today we take a 走马看花 look at the 790 year Zhou Dynasty, the longest dynasty in Chinese history. In this episode we will particularly focus on the Western Zhou Period which lasted for 275 years. Next week we will finish the Zhou Dynasty by examini by The China History Podcast
23 min listen
CHP-017 The Eastern Zhou Dynasty: In this episode we look at the second phase of the Zhou Dynasty. This period was known as the Eastern Zhou. The Eastern Zhou was broken down between the Spring & Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It lasted from 770 to 221BC. From [...] by The China History Podcast
33 min listen
CHP-032 The Ming Dynasty Part 2: In this week's episode we examine the second great emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the Yongle [Yong - Leh] emperor who reigned 1402-1424. This tireless emperor waged campaigns against the Mongols in the north, the Vietnamese in the south and sent[...] by The China History Podcast
33 min listen
CHP-023 The Southern and Northern Kingdoms: The Southern & Northern Dynasties were a collection of dynasties that lasted 170 years and preceded the time of unification under the Sui Dynasty. North of the Yangzi River you had the Northern Wei, the Northern Qi and the Northern Zhou. South[...] by The China History Podcast
38 min listen
CHP-007 Wu Zetian: This week we look at the Tang dynasty Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman from Chinese history to rule China as an emperor in her own name. by The China History Podcast
18 min listen
CHP-019 The Han Dynasty Part 2: Today we present the second part of the Western Han Dynasty overview where we will look at the great Han emperors Wendi, Jingdi and perhaps the greatest of them all, Han Wudi. It was a golden age in Chinese history and saw the first indirect contac[...] by The China History Podcast
34 min listen
CHP-026 Tang Dynasty Part 2: Laszlo is back after a holiday illness to continue where we left off in 705 with the passing of Wu Zetian. After an initial golden age during the Taizong emperor, the Tang will reach new heights of glory under Tang Minghuang a.k.a. the Xuanzong emp[...] by The China History Podcast
31 min listen
CHP-003 The Four Great Inventions: Today we look at the Four Great Inventions, the 四大发明, that Lord Francis Bacon hailed as having done more than anything else to transform completely the modern world and mark it off from antiquity and the Middle Ages. Today we examine the four gre by The China History Podcast
33 min listen
CHP-006 The Opium War: In this week's episode we give an overview of the First Opium War, one of the most humiliating events in Modern Chinese history. From this event that culminated in the first of many unequal treaties in 1842, China began a steady downhill slide[...] by The China History Podcast
37 min listen
CHP-024 The Sui Dynasty: The demise of the Southern & Northern Dynasties brought us a China unified under the Sui emperors Wen and Yang. This ephemeral dynasty laid the groundwork for the splendor of the Tang dynasty. Lasting only 37 years, the Sui Dynasty doesn'[...] by The China History Podcast
24 min listen
CHP-027 Tang Dynasty Part 3 – Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms: In today's final installment covering the history of the great Tang Dynasty, we look at its agonizing decline until 907 when it is pushed aside and another period of disunity sets in. Five Dynasties reign in the north, all short lived and not [...] by The China History Podcast
35 min listen
CHP-037 The Qing Dynasty Part 3: In this episode we look at the bittersweet reign of the Qianlong emperor. The longest reigning emperor in Chinese imperial history, the Qianlong era saw the most splendid three decades for the Manchu's of the Qing Dynasty. China reached its g[...] by The China History Podcast
37 min listen
CHP-041 The Qing Dynasty Part 7: In this episode we conclude our eight month overview of Chinese Imperial history from Yu the Great of the Xia Dynasty to Puyi of the Qing. After more than half a century of tragedy, upheaval, national humiliation and plenty of mass death and destru[...] by The China History Podcast
51 min listen
CHP-039 The Qing Dynasty Part 5: We're almost at the end of our Imperial China History Overview. In this segment of the China History Podcast we look at the continued misfortunes in China during the Xianfeng era, as the country is torn apart by the Taiping and Nian rebellions[...] by The China History Podcast
45 min listen
CHP-030 Chinese New Year: This week we take a break from the history to look at the background and the traditions surrounding Chinese New Year. Laszlo will be back next time to pick up where we left off after the fall of the Song Dynasty. On behalf of everyone here at the [...] by The China History Podcast
28 min listen
CHP-020 The Han Dynasty Part 3: In this final installment of the Han Dynasty overview we look at the reign of Wang Mang during the short lived Xin Dynasty and the Eastern (or Later) Han Dynasty that followed. The Eastern Han was a period of endless skullduggery at the imperial co[...] by The China History Podcast
36 min listen
CHP-049 Sir Run Run Shaw: Today we have some lighter fare than usual. Nine months ago we looked at one great Hong Kong tycoon, Li Ka-shing. Today we look another. In this episode we look at the life and career of entertainment mogul Sir Run Run Shaw and the Shaw Brothers [...] by The China History Podcast
34 min listen
CHP-036 The Qing Dynasty Part 2: In this episode we examine the Yongzheng emperor, the second of the three great Qing emperors who reigned during the most golden of times for the Manchu dynasty. A tireless emperor who was a wizard at managing the machine of state, he reigned for o[...] by The China History Podcast
24 min listen

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Ep. 3 | The Four Great Inventions

Ep. 3 | The Four Great Inventions

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from The China History Podcast

Related podcast episodes