Podcasts · History · Society & Culture

The China History Podcast

Laszlo Montgomery

300 episodes

Since 2010, The China History Podcast, presented by Laszlo Montgomery, has brought you hundreds of episodes of curated historical topics from China's antiquity to modern times.

Episodes page 1 of 6

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

    · 2 h 26 min

    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, we continue the story from China’s only female…

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

    · 2 h 10 min

    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 follow the Tang from the reign of Taizong into the…

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

    · 2 h 04 min

    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 of the Sui and the rise of the Tang. We explore…

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

    · 2 h 15 min

    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 transformation, and the flourishing of Buddhism.…

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

    · 2 h 06 min

    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. The episode explores the struggles of Cao Cao,…

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

    · 2 h 10 min

    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 in 195BC. This includes the infamous story of…

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

    · 2 h 05 min

    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 all the powerful tools at his disposal to overcome…

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

    · 2 h 01 min

    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 Zhou Dynasty. We’ll look at the Zhou up through…

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

    · 2 h 10 min

    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 times to the time of the last emperor of the…

  10. One more word from Laszlo

    · 5:06

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

  11. A word from Laszlo

    · 3:04

    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.com/TheChinaHistoryPodcast CHP Premium:…

  12. This Was Funnier in China | Laszlo and Jesse Appell

    · 1 h 11 min

    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-Funnier-in-China/Jesse-Appell/9781668087565 Jesse's…

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

    · 34 min

    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 random hassles of life. This one's only 34 minutes…

  14. The Looting of the Eastern Tombs

    · 39 min

    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 recall, he wrote that book called "Spoil." This…

  15. A Useful Chengyu - Hébù Shí Ròumí 何不食肉糜

    · 13 min

    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 what the piece was about. This made me think, what…

  16. WWII Pacific Atrocities | Quin Cho and the Kwantung Army

    · 41 min

    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 Quin Cho, born in my hometown of Chicago. Those who…

  17. Chenxiang, Pound for Pound, Costs More than Gold

    · 41 min

    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 expensive! Chénxiāng 沉香 or Agarwood as it's also…

  18. Wang Jingwei

    · 50 min

    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. This is a brief overview of the life and times of…

  19. The Unsung Chinese Heroes of D-Day

    · 29 min

    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 amateur historians, WWII enthusiasts, and survivors,…

  20. The Guangxi Massacre

    · 59 min

    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 Autonomous Region, it was particularly dark. I…

  21. Anson Burlingame, the 1868 Treaty, and the Open Door Policy

    · 37 min

    In this episode, we look at the life of Anson Burlingame, a well-known name in California. During Lincoln's term as president, he was appointed Chief Minister to China, arriving in Beijing in the summer of 1862.…

  22. Wade and Giles

    · 38 min

    Here's a nice little standalone episode on the life and work of Thomas Wade and Herbert Giles. And you can't mention Herbert Giles without mentioning his son, Lionel Giles. And of course, Robert Morrison must be…

  23. The Lin Biao Incident

    · 1 h 14 min · Episode 362

    This episode looks at the life of Lin Biao and the actual Lin Biao Incident itself. This bit of history is documented to death. I downloaded a dozen scholarly papers, read a few books, went through my entire library,…

  24. McKinley, Tariffs, and the Open Door Policy

    · 44 min · Episode 361

    Just in time for Liberation Day, I'm presenting this timely episode. Back in 1890, with the aim of protecting American companies from foreign competition, tariffs were jacked up significantly. With all the advances in…

  25. Plant Hunters during the Qing Dynasty

    · 1 h 33 min

    I was afraid I'd barely be able to scrape together enough material for a short episode. Instead, this one is gonna take almost two hours to tell. I hope no one minds that I opted not to drown anyone with Latin names…

  26. Laszlo and Andrew Shaw discuss the History of Jade

    · 38 min

    Former BBC reporter and master jade carver Andrew Shaw is back. What an informative interview this one turned out to be! I hope you all enjoy this discussion of the history and legends behind jade. I learned quite a…

  27. Looted China Treasures, Laszlo chats with Andrew Shaw and his book, "Spoil"

    · 32 min · Bonus

    I welcomed Wuhan-based Andrew Shaw onto the CHP to talk about his book. It's all about the plundering of China's cultural treasures and imperial artifacts by not just the British, French, and Americans. It seems…

  28. "The Second Journey" An interview with Joel Bigman

    · 38 min · Bonus

    With the Singapore History series out of the way, and 2025 off and running, here's the first special interview episode of the year. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joel Bigman, author of a new…

  29. The History of Singapore (Part 10)

    · 48 min

    First of all, to all of you who lasted through the entire series up to this concluding episode, I extend to you, my deepest appreciation. I hope you learned a few things about Singapore. Here it is, the final…

  30. The History of Singapore (Part 9)

    · 42 min

    In its hour of need, quite a few leaders rose to the occasion in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew didn't transform the nation by himself. Last time we saw how S. Rajaratnam carried the flag around the world and advanced…

  31. The History of Singapore (Part 8)

    · 45 min

    We left off last time with Singapore being granted sovereignty by Britain on June 3, 1959, and Tunku Abdul Rahman's "Grand Design" speech concerning a merger between Malaysia and Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew took this…

  32. The History of Singapore (Part 7)

    · 46 min

    Post-WWII Singapore was a time that was loaded with historical events that shaped how matters would unfold throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. The matter of how to handle the future of Malaya and Singapore begins…

  33. The History of Singapore (Part 6)

    · 47 min

    In this episode, we see how Japan marched and bicycled their way across the Johor Strait and proceeded to quickly defeat the British Commonwealth troops. Then we see how Japan carried out a brutal and repressive…

  34. The History of Singapore (Part 5)

    · 49 min

    Although all kinds of tension brewed beneath the surface, the mid to late 19th Century saw a continued bonanza for Singapore. A prosperous combination of hard-working men and women, fearless entrepreneurs, and fortunes…

  35. The History of Singapore (Part 4)

    · 51 min

    Part 4 continues with the aftermath of the 1824 Treaty of London. John Crawfurd takes over from a disgraced William Farquhar as First Resident. Singapore commences its never-ending building and infrastructure process.…

  36. The History of Singapore (Part 3)

    · 53 min

    With Singapore formally established, we look at those first months and years. As soon as the document was signed, Raffles left the island and William Farquhar took over as First Resident. It would be hard to find a…

  37. The History of Singapore (Part 2)

    · 50 min

    With the arrival of the Portuguese and their 1511 victory, the history of this region began to move in s new direction. The Portuguese and the Dutch rather ignored Singapore and focused their trade and colonizing…

  38. The History of Singapore (Part 1)

    · 43 min

    Requests to present the history of Singapore go back to 2010 or 2011. At long last, here's an easy-to-consume and digest overview of The Lion City. In Part 1 we'll look at the watered world of Southeast Asia and the…

  39. Chinese-Mexican History - Laszlo chats with Hugo Wong

    · 48 min

    First off, let me apologize for the less-than-optimal audio quality. This is a very informative interview. And for those of you who missed my very old episode from 2013 or thereabouts covering this topic, this…

  40. Paper Sons and the Chinese Confessions Program

    · 35 min

    This is surprisingly not very well-known and certainly wasn't taught in my US history classes. Here's a story for you that many might find hard to believe. Perhaps you're already familiar with the history of America's…

  41. The Grand Canal

    · 35 min

    In this episode, I'm presenting a simple but still informative overview of not only the Grand Canal but also the bigger subject of canals in China. The history of the Grand Canal isn't one clean linear story of a…

  42. Laszlo chats with Scott Crawford about the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu, and Rome

    · 1 h 13 min

    Here's another CHP Special Episode. Not too long ago I had the chance to chat with Yokohama-based Scott Crawford, author of "Silk Road Centurian", "The Han-Xiongnu Wars", and a new one coming out any day now…

  43. The unlikely tale of Chinese slave, soldier and tycoon Jiang Zonghan

    · 19 min · Bonus

    Here's a reading of an article recently published in the South China Morning Post, written by travel writer David Leffman. On his most recent trip to Yunnan to work on his upcoming book on the 1875 Margary Affair,…

  44. The Hungry Ghost Festival

    · 26 min

    This is the third time the history and traditions behind a Chinese holiday is being introduced. The history behind the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival were both presented back in the days when I knew even less…

  45. Howqua

    · 44 min

    Once dubbed "the richest man in the world" back in his day, the first half of the 19th century, Wu Bingjian 伍秉鉴 was a leading figure in the pre-Opium War world of foreign trade. He's best known as someone who…

  46. Laszlo discusses historical novels with author, Janie Chang

    · 42 min

    It must have been three or four years ago that I started bouncing this idea off Janie about a discussion regarding historical fiction rooted in Chinese history. Janie, being a successful writer of this genre, was…

  47. James Hong

    · 24 min

    With the 18-part History of Chinese Philosophy series finally out of the way, we're back with all new CHP content. Here's one that introduces the life of one of my favorite Hollywood legends, Mr. James Hong. He's…

  48. S9E10 | Finished behind the last place guy

    · 6:38

    Firstly, hats off to Emma and her 团队 at the CYZ for all their hard work, all season-long. We close out the season 9 with an amusing story from a source, as yet never featured on this long-running educational program,…

  49. The History of Chinese Philosophy (Part 18)

    · 31 min

    For this 18th and final episode in the series, we'll focus on the rival philosophies of Lu Xiangshan 陆象山 and Zhu Xi 朱熹。 We'll also look at more of the philosophy of Wang Yangming. Then we'll end it with a few loose…

  50. The History of Chinese Philosophy (Part 17)

    · 19 min

    We're almost at the end. We continue on in Part 17 with Zhu Xi and his philosophy. There will be more discussion about Qi, Han Studies (Han Xue) and the pushback against Neo Confucianism. We begin looking at the final…

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