Podcasts · History · Arts

Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast

John Zhu

187 episodes

A retelling of the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a way that’s more accessible to a Western audience. See 3kingdomspodcast.com for more.

Episodes page 1 of 4

  1. Announcement: 10 Years of Podcasting

    · 1:38 · Episode 93

  2. Announcement: ”Investiture of the Gods” Launched

    · 0:32 · Episode 92

    Hi everyone. I want to let you know that I have posted the first episodes of Investiture of the Gods on the Chinese Lore Podcast. If you are not yet subscribed to that show, go to chineselore.com. You will find links…

  3. Announcement: May 24 Live Interview

    · 0:44 · Episode 91

    Hi everyone. I want to let you know that on May 24, I will be part of a panel of Asian podcasters on Podbean’s Storytelling Podcast Week Live show. It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and this live…

  4. Announcement: Interview on Asian Fantasy Fiction Podcast

    · 0:59 · Episode 90

    Check out my recent conversation with Jeremy Bai, a translator and writer focusing on Chinese fantasy genres.

  5. Announcement: 2 Podcast Interviews

    · 1:05 · Episode 89

    I recently did two interviews on other podcasts. The first is the Mandarin Slang Guide podcast, where we talked about some common Chinese expressions that had their roots in the characters and stories of the Three…

  6. Announcement: Ask Me Anything on Dec. 16

    · 1:21 · Episode 88

    If you have questions about the how's and why's of this podcast, or my thoughts on podcasting in general, post them at the Ask Me Anything hosted by WhatPods on December 16 at…

  7. Update: Videos on Three Kingdoms Warlords

    · 1:11 · Episode 87

    I recently collaborated with the YouTube channel Invicta History on three videos about Three Kingdoms warlords. The videos were sponsored by Creative Assembly as part of the promotion for its new game Total War: Three…

  8. Update: Appearance on "Total War" Podcast

    · 0:57 · Episode 86

    Back in February, I took part in a podcast conversation on the Invicta History YouTube channel with the host, Julien, and Peter Stewart, a writer from the team producing the coming “Total War: Three Kingdoms” game. We…

  9. Update: Water Margin Podcast Launch; Three Kingdoms Miscellany

    · 3:48 · Episode 85

    An announcement about my new podcast project, and an update on a couple things I've been doing with the Three Kingdoms Podcast.

  10. 3 Kingdoms 154: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

    · 16 min · Episode 84

    A reflection on this four-year ride, and a glimpse of things to come.

  11. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 020: Carousel of Characters

    · 30 min · Episode 83

    A rapid-fire look at a bunch of supporting players in the novel.

  12. 3 Kingdoms 153: Podcasts Under Heaven …

    · 13 min · Episode 82

    One hundred and fifty-three episodes later, we have finally reached the “long divided, must unite” part of the novel.

  13. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 019: Food

    · 25 min · Episode 81

    A look at what they ate and drank during the Three Kingdoms era.

  14. 3 Kingdoms 152: Mutual Loathing and Admiration

    · 27 min · Episode 80

    While their respective states are sizing each other up for conquest, the Jin and Wu commanders at the borders are getting along famously.

  15. 3 Kingdoms 151: How Quickly They Forget

    · 29 min · Episode 79

    Sure I just lost my kingdom, but look at all the fun stuff they have in the Wei capital!

  16. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 018: Sima Yi, Fact and Fiction

    · 16 min · Episode 78

    We look at the architect of the Sima clan's rise to power.

  17. 3 Kingdoms 150: Ulterior Motives

    · 25 min · Episode 77

    Everyone has a hidden agenda, except maybe for the guy suspected of hatching an insurrection. (Note: Special guest narrator this week)

  18. 3 Kingdoms 149: We Ain't No Fortunate Sons

    · 29 min · Episode 76

    A Shu commander tries to live up to his father's legacy, while a Shu prince refuses to follow his father's example.

  19. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 017: Sun Quan, Fact and Fiction

    · 16 min · Episode 75

    A dive into the real life of the guy who ran the family business for 50-plus years.

  20. 3 Kingdoms 148: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

    · 28 min · Episode 74

    While Jiang Wei scrambles to mount a last-ditch defense, his old nemesis searches for a way to go around his roadblock.

  21. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 016: Learning to Delegate

    · 11 min · Episode 73

    Meet two statesmen who really mastered the art of saying, "That's not in my job description."

  22. 3 Kingdoms 147: The Empire Strikes Back

    · 27 min · Episode 72

    Tired of Shu's perpetual encroachment on its borders, Wei decides to take the fight to its nemesis.

  23. 3 Kingdoms 146: Pyrrhic Victory

    · 27 min · Episode 71

    Jiang Wei finally gets the better of Deng Ai, but even that ends up backfiring.

  24. 3 Kingdoms 145: Even More Chaos at Court

    · 28 min · Episode 70

    Discord between lord and vassal simmers in the court of Shu, while things boil over in the court of Wei.

  25. 3 Kingdoms 144: Chaos at Court

    · 29 min · Episode 69

    While the Shu and Wei continue to slug it out in the West, the kingdom of Wu deals with internal unrest at the highest level.

  26. 3 Kingdoms 143: How the Southeast Was Won, Again

    · 28 min · Episode 68

    Sima Zhao takes the emperor on a buddy road trip to put down another insurgence in a particularly troublesome part of the kingdom.

  27. 3 Kingdoms 142: Mildly Wild West

    · 28 min · Episode 67

    Oh look: Another Northern campaign by the kingdom of Shu. Yawn.

  28. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 015: Zhuge Liang, Fact and Fiction

    · 33 min · Episode 65

    We say so long to the novel's pivotal player and wonder if he was really the genius the book made him out to be.

  29. 3 Kingdoms 141: I Would Give My Left Eye for Google Maps!

    · 29 min · Episode 66

    A couple generals down South stir up trouble for Sima Shi. Now if only their forces knew the way to his camp ....

  30. 3 Kingdoms 140: A Familiar Script

    · 28 min · Episode 64

    Jiang Wei's Northern invasion meets the same fate as Zhuge Liang's, while Sima Shi borrows a few pages from Cao Cao's playbook for how to deal with imperial puppets who don't know their place.

  31. 3 Kingdoms 139: Chaos in the South

    · 30 min · Episode 63

    Things go well for the kingdom of Wu and its political leader ... until they bite off more than they can chew.

  32. 3 Kingdoms 138: North by Northwest

    · 28 min · Episode 62

    Aided by an unexpected defection, Jiang Wei restarts the Northern campaigns by setting his sights first on the Northwest.

  33. 3 Kingdoms 137: Coups Are Back in Vogue

    · 29 min · Episode 61

    It's been a while since someone made a play to seize power from within. That changes this week.

  34. 3 Kingdoms 136: King in the North

    · 30 min · Episode 60

    A new threat emerges on Wei's northeastern borders, and he is just as bad at battle strategy as Jon Snow.

  35. 3 Kingdoms 135: Pursuit of Immortality

    · 31 min · Episode 59

    While Zhuge Liang sails off into eternal fame, the Wei emperor Cao Rui goes in search of eternal youth.

  36. 3 Kingdoms 134: The Shu Hits the Fan

    · 30 min · Episode 58

    The death of its indispensable man is just the start of the Riverlands' troubles.

  37. 3 Kingdoms 133: When It Rains ...

    · 32 min · Episode 57

    A stunning turn of events in the showdown between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.

  38. 3 Kingdoms 132: Intellectual Property Theft Does Not Pay

    · 26 min · Episode 56

    Again and again, Sima Yi is made to rue the day he stole Zhuge Liang's invention.

  39. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 014: It's Just A Flesh Wound

    · 10 min · Episode 55

    We delve into the story of the one-armed assassin and the guy who kicked his butt AFTER being assassinated.

  40. 3 Kingdoms 131: Wooden Oxens, Gliding Horses, and Copycats

    · 28 min · Episode 54

    Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi match wits over the latest in wheelbarro

  41. 3 Kingdoms 130: Goin' Down the Only Road I've Ever Known

    · 29 min · Episode 53

    After another promising Northern campaign gets short-circuited, Zhuge Liang prays to his former lord for the strength to carry on, because he's made up his mind and he ain't wasting no more time.

  42. 3 Kingdoms 129: You Called Me Back for This?!!

    · 28 min · Episode 52

    Just as he was getting into a groove, Zhuge Liang is rudely interrupted in the field by an urgent dispatch from his emperor.

  43. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 013: Getting Sneaky

    · 6:14 · Episode 51

    A brief explanation of the story behind the most famous secret crossing in Chinese history.

  44. 3 Kingdoms 128: Smackdowns and Smack Talk

    · 29 min · Episode 50

    You've seen Zhuge Liang kill someone with just his tongue. Now watch him kill someone with the written word.

  45. 3 Kingdoms 127: A Familiar Script

    · 29 min · Episode 49

    Zhuge Liang's third Northern expedition gets off to a promising start, but what else is new?

  46. 3 Kingdoms 126: Putting the "Three" in Three Kingdoms

    · 28 min · Episode 48

    Did you know that we had actually been rolling with just two official kingdoms all this time? Well, Sun Quan will fix that this week.

  47. 3 Kingdoms 125: Smoke and Mirrors

    · 28 min · Episode 47

    Zhuge Liang toys with Cao Zhen time and again on his second Northern expedition.

  48. 3 Kingdoms Supplemental 012: Liu Bei, Fact and Fiction

    · 36 min · Episode 46

    We delve into the life and career of the real Liu Bei to see if he is really as virtuous as the novel made him out to be (spoiler alert: No one can be as virtuous as the novel made Liu Bei out to be).

  49. 3 Kingdoms 124: Losing An Arm and A Pillar

    · 28 min · Episode 45

    Zhuge Liang prepares to take another shot at Wei, but one old friend will not be joining him.

  50. 3 Kingdoms 123: The Price of Ignoring Good Advice

    · 29 min · Episode 44

    While Zhuge Liang picks up the pieces after his aborted Northern campaign, a Wei commander falls for a trick from the South.

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