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General History of China

9.8 2013 Documentary

Tracing Chinese civilization from its prehistoric origins to the fall of the Qing dynasty, this sweeping 100-part documentary explores the rulers, wars, philosophies, religions, cultural achievements and social transformations that shaped one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Through archaeological evidence, historical records and expert commentary, the series presents a chronological account of China’s dynasties, peoples and institutions across thousands of years of history.

Cast

Xu Tao

赵述仁

China Road

China Road 45m An introduction to the long development of Chinese civilization, tracing the ideas, institutions, cultural traditions and historical forces…

The Earliest Chinese

The Earliest Chinese 45m Archaeological discoveries reveal the prehistoric peoples who lived across ancient China and the gradual formation of communities, cultures…

The Rise of Agriculture

The Rise of Agriculture 45m The episode explores the origins of farming in ancient China, including the domestication of millet and rice, the…

The Origins of Civilization

The Origins of Civilization 45m Early cities, ritual centers, crafts and systems of social organization illuminate the transition from Neolithic cultures to complex…

The Age of Early States

The Age of Early States 45m Competing regional societies developed fortified settlements, political hierarchies and ritual authority, laying the foundations for the earliest states…

The Xia Dynasty

The Xia Dynasty 45m Archaeology and ancient texts are examined in the search for the Xia, traditionally regarded as China’s first dynasty,…

The Rise and Fall of the Shang Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of the Shang Dynasty 45m The Shang dynasty emerges as a powerful Bronze Age kingdom before internal weakness and military defeat bring its…

Shang Civilization

Shang Civilization 45m Oracle bones, bronze vessels, royal tombs and sacrificial practices reveal the political order, religious beliefs, warfare and artistic…

King Wu's Conquest of Shang

King Wu's Conquest of Shang 45m The Zhou campaign against the last Shang king culminates in the Battle of Muye, establishing a new dynasty…

The Regency of the Duke of Zhou

The Regency of the Duke of Zhou 45m Serving as regent for the young King Cheng, the Duke of Zhou suppresses rebellion, consolidates Zhou rule and…

The Decline of the Zhou Royal House

The Decline of the Zhou Royal House 45m The authority of the Zhou kings weakens as regional lords grow more powerful, leading to the fall of…

The Struggle for Supremacy in the Spring and Autumn Period

The Struggle for Supremacy in the Spring and Autumn Period 45m Powerful states and ambitious rulers compete for leadership while alliances, reforms and warfare transform the political landscape of…

Confucius

Confucius 45m The life and teachings of Confucius are explored, from his search for ethical government to the development of…

Reforms Among the Warring States

Reforms Among the Warring States 45m Rival states adopt sweeping military, administrative and economic reforms as rulers seek stronger governments and armies during an…

The Seven Warring States

The Seven Warring States 45m The seven major powers struggle for survival and supremacy through diplomacy, strategy and mass warfare, setting the stage…

The Hundred Schools of Thought

The Hundred Schools of Thought 45m Philosophers including Confucians, Daoists, Mohists and Legalists offer competing answers to the disorder of their age, creating a…

The Rise of the State of Qin

The Rise of the State of Qin 45m Philosophers including Confucians, Daoists, Mohists and Legalists offer competing answers to the disorder of their age, creating a…

Qin Shi Huang Unifies China

Qin Shi Huang Unifies China 45m The king of Qin conquers the rival states, becomes China’s First Emperor and imposes far-reaching systems of administration,…

The Chu-Han Contention

The Chu-Han Contention 45m After the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang battle for control of China in a dramatic…

The Parallel System of Commanderies and Kingdoms

The Parallel System of Commanderies and Kingdoms 45m The early Han balances centrally administered commanderies with semi-autonomous kingdoms, creating tensions that test the new dynasty’s ability…

The Rule of Wen and Jing

The Rule of Wen and Jing 45m Emperors Wen and Jing reduce taxes and state burdens, encourage recovery and strengthen the Han through cautious government,…

Emperor Wu of Han

Emperor Wu of Han 45m Emperor Wu expands Han power, confronts the Xiongnu, centralizes authority and promotes Confucian state ideology, while the costs…

Confucian Learning During the Two Han Dynasties

Confucian Learning During the Two Han Dynasties 45m Confucian classics become central to education, scholarship and government as Han thinkers interpret ancient texts and establish traditions…

The Reign of Emperors Zhao and Xuan

The Reign of Emperors Zhao and Xuan 45m Following Emperor Wu’s expensive campaigns, the Han court pursues recovery, administrative reform and more restrained government under Emperors…

Wang Mang's Reforms

Wang Mang's Reforms 45m Wang Mang seizes the throne and launches ambitious reforms intended to restore ancient institutions, but resistance, economic disruption…

The Restoration of Emperor Guangwu

The Restoration of Emperor Guangwu 45m Liu Xiu reunifies the realm after years of rebellion, restores the Han dynasty as Emperor Guangwu and rebuilds…

The Silk Road

The Silk Road 45m Diplomacy, conquest and long-distance trade connect Han China with Central Asia and lands farther west, carrying goods, technologies,…

The Pure Critiques and the Partisan Prohibitions

The Pure Critiques and the Partisan Prohibitions 45m Scholar-officials criticize corruption and eunuch power at the Eastern Han court, provoking political purges that deepen factional conflict…

The Yellow Turban Rebellion

The Yellow Turban Rebellion 45m Religious movements, social distress and resentment of the Han government erupt into the Yellow Turban uprising, accelerating the…

The Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms 45m The collapse of the Han gives rise to the rival states of Wei, Shu and Wu, whose rulers…

Zhuge Liang Governs Shu

Zhuge Liang Governs Shu 45m As chief minister of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang seeks to stabilize the state, improve administration, develop the southwest…

The Unification Under Western Jin

The Unification Under Western Jin 45m he Sima family replaces Wei, conquers Shu and Wu and briefly reunites China under the Western Jin before…

The Spirit of the Wei and Jin Periods

The Spirit of the Wei and Jin Periods 45m Amid political turmoil, scholars and artists cultivate personal expression, philosophical debate and unconventional lifestyles that define the celebrated…

Rule by the Great Aristocratic Clans

Rule by the Great Aristocratic Clans 45m Powerful hereditary families dominate politics and society during the era of division, shaping court government, official appointments and…

Emperor Wu of Liang's Government

Emperor Wu of Liang's Government 45m Emperor Wu presides over a long reign marked by cultural patronage, Buddhist devotion and administrative ambition, but court…

Emperor Xiaowen's Reforms

Emperor Xiaowen's Reforms 45m The Northern Wei emperor moves the capital to Luoyang and promotes sweeping cultural and political reforms intended to…

Emporer Wu of Northern Zhou

Emporer Wu of Northern Zhou 45m Emperor Wu strengthens the Northern Zhou, curbs rival institutions and conquers Northern Qi, bringing northern China closer to…

The Rise and Fall of the Chen Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of the Chen Dynasty 45m The final southern dynasty struggles to preserve stability and independence until internal weakness and the military power of…

Buddhism in the Wei and Jin Periods

Buddhism in the Wei and Jin Periods 45m Buddhism spreads and adapts across a divided China, influencing philosophy, art, ritual and monastic life while becoming deeply…

The Restoration of Unity

The Restoration of Unity 45m After centuries of division, Yang Jian founds the Sui dynasty, defeats rival regimes and reunifies China through centralized…

Emperor Yang of Sui: Achievements and Failures

Emperor Yang of Sui: Achievements and Failures 45m Emperor Yang expands canals, capitals and imperial projects, but costly wars, forced labor and rebellion turn spectacular ambition…

The Reign of Zhenguan

The Reign of Zhenguan 45m Emperor Taizong and his ministers establish a respected model of Tang government based on political consultation, military success,…

Empress Wu Zetian

Empress Wu Zetian 45m Wu Zetian rises from imperial consort to become China’s only female emperor, using political skill, administrative reform and…

The Prosperous Kaiyuan Era

The Prosperous Kaiyuan Era 45m Under Emperor Xuanzong, the Tang reaches a height of wealth, cultural achievement and international influence before complacency and…

The An Lushan Rebellion

The An Lushan Rebellion 45m A frontier commander’s revolt plunges the Tang into years of war, causing immense destruction and permanently weakening central…

The Predicament of the Middle and Late Tang

The Predicament of the Middle and Late Tang 45m Regional military governors, eunuch influence, fiscal strain and court factionalism erode Tang power as the dynasty struggles to…

Chang'an: Metropolis of the World

Chang'an: Metropolis of the World 45m The Tang capital is presented as a vast, cosmopolitan city where officials, merchants, diplomats, monks and travelers from…

The Rise and Fall of the Tibetan Empire

The Rise and Fall of the Tibetan Empire 45m The Tibetan Empire expands across the plateau and Central Asia, alternately fighting and negotiating with Tang China before…

Dunhuang

Dunhuang 45m The oasis city of Dunhuang preserves the artistic and religious legacy of the Silk Road through its caves,…

The Tang Dynasty's Foreign Relations

The Tang Dynasty's Foreign Relations 45m Envoys, merchants, monks and armies connect the Tang with neighboring states and distant regions, making the dynasty a…

Religion During the Tang Dynasty

Religion During the Tang Dynasty 45m Buddhism, Daoism and foreign faiths flourish in Tang China, shaping art and society while also becoming entangled in…

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 45m Following the Tang collapse, short-lived northern dynasties and competing southern kingdoms divide China until new political and military…

Emperor Taizu of Song

Emperor Taizu of Song 45m Zhao Kuangyin founds the Song dynasty, reunifies much of China and limits military power through institutions designed to…

The Chanyuan Treaty

The Chanyuan Treaty 45m After years of conflict, Song and Liao negotiate a landmark peace that stabilizes their frontier and creates a…

Governing the Realm with the Scholar-Officials

Governing the Realm with the Scholar-Officials 45m The Song expands examinations, schools and civil administration, creating a government in which educated scholar-officials exercise unprecedented influence.

Wang Anshi's Reforms

Wang Anshi's Reforms 45m Wang Anshi introduces controversial policies to strengthen state finances, defense and rural society, dividing the Song court between…

The Jingkang Catastrophe

The Jingkang Catastrophe 45m Jurchen armies capture the Northern Song capital and its emperors, ending the dynasty’s rule in the north and…

War and Peace Between Song and Jin

War and Peace Between Song and Jin 45m The Southern Song and Jin alternate between fierce warfare and negotiated peace as each seeks security, legitimacy and…

The Southern Song's Refuge in the Southeast

The Southern Song's Refuge in the Southeast 45m Driven from northern China, the Song establishes a new center in the prosperous southeast, where commerce, maritime activity…

The Dreamlike Splendor of the Eastern Capital

The Dreamlike Splendor of the Eastern Capital 45m The bustling life of Northern Song Kaifeng is reconstructed through markets, festivals, entertainment and urban scenes immortalized in…

Neo-Confucianism During the Song Dynasty

Neo-Confucianism During the Song Dynasty 45m Song thinkers reinterpret Confucian tradition through new discussions of morality, human nature and the cosmos, culminating in a…

Song Dynasty Culture

Song Dynasty Culture 45m Printing, scholarship, painting, literature, science and urban life illustrate the extraordinary cultural creativity of the Song era.

The Rise of Khitan

The Rise of Khitan 45m The Khitan peoples unite under Abaoji, found the Liao dynasty and build an empire that combines steppe traditions…

The Founding of Western Liao

The Founding of Western Liao 45m After the fall of the Liao in the east, Yelü Dashi leads Khitan followers westward and establishes a…

Wanyan Aguda

Wanyan Aguda 45m The Jurchen leader Wanyan Aguda unites his people, rebels against Liao domination and founds the Jin dynasty, transforming…

The Rise and Fall of the Jin Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of the Jin Dynasty 45m The Jin conquers the Liao and Northern Song, rules a vast multiethnic realm and then faces internal strain…

Liao and Jin Culture

Liao and Jin Culture 45m The cultural achievements of the Khitan Liao and Jurchen Jin reveal societies that blended their own traditions with…

The Rise and Fall of Western Xia

The Rise and Fall of Western Xia 45m The Tangut state builds a distinctive empire along the northwestern frontier, develops its own script and culture, and…

The Rise of the Mongols

The Rise of the Mongols 45m Temüjin unites the Mongol tribes as Genghis Khan and creates a military empire whose campaigns transform Eurasia and…

Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan 45m Kublai Khan completes the conquest of the Southern Song, establishes the Yuan dynasty and governs China as ruler…

Imperial Progresses Between the Two Capitals

Imperial Progresses Between the Two Capitals 45m The Yuan court moves seasonally between Dadu and Shangdu, reflecting the dynasty’s effort to balance steppe traditions with…

Phagpa, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan

Phagpa, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan 45m The Tibetan lama Phagpa becomes an influential adviser to Kublai Khan, shaping Yuan religious policy and creating a…

The Maritime Silk Road

The Maritime Silk Road 45m Ports, ships and merchant communities link Yuan China to Southeast Asia, India and the wider Indian Ocean through…

Marco Polo and China

Marco Polo and China 45m The celebrated traveler’s account provides a window into Yuan China while raising enduring questions about observation, memory and…

Emperor Shun of Yuan

Emperor Shun of Yuan 45m The last Yuan emperor confronts factional conflict, natural disasters, fiscal crisis and widespread rebellion as Mongol rule in…

Zhu Yuanzhang, Founder of the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang, Founder of the Ming Dynasty 45m From impoverished beginnings and rebellion against the Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang rises to found the Ming dynasty and creates…

The Yongle Emperor Moves the Capital

The Yongle Emperor Moves the Capital 45m The Yongle Emperor transfers the Ming capital to Beijing, constructs the Forbidden City and reshapes the political and…

Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Oceans

Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Oceans 45m The Ming court dispatches Zheng He’s enormous fleets across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, projecting imperial prestige…

The Grand Secretariat System

The Grand Secretariat System 45m The Ming grand secretariat evolves into a powerful coordinating institution, helping emperors manage the bureaucracy despite the dynasty’s…

The Tumu Crisis

The Tumu Crisis 45m A disastrous campaign against the Oirats ends with the capture of the Ming emperor, creating a succession crisis…

Wang Yangming's Philosophy of Mind

Wang Yangming's Philosophy of Mind 45m The philosopher Wang Yangming teaches that moral knowledge is rooted within the mind and must be united with…

Maritime Frontiers and Foreign Trade

Maritime Frontiers and Foreign Trade 45m

Zhang Juzheng's Reforms

Zhang Juzheng's Reforms 45m The grand secretary Zhang Juzheng strengthens finances, administration and imperial authority through ambitious reforms, but his program faces…

The Jesuits Come to China

The Jesuits Come to China 45m Jesuit missionaries enter late Ming China and build relationships through astronomy, mathematics, cartography and scholarship, opening a complex…

The Market Towns of Jiangnan

The Market Towns of Jiangnan 45m Commercial towns, specialized crafts and regional markets transform the prosperous Jiangnan region into one of the most dynamic…

Silver Capital

Silver Capital 45m The influx and circulation of silver reshape taxation, trade and everyday life in Ming China, tying the empire…

The Chongzhen Emperor

The Chongzhen Emperor 45m The final Ming emperor struggles against rebellion, fiscal collapse, factional conflict and external threats as the dynasty moves…

Entering and Ruling the Central Plains

Entering and Ruling the Central Plains 45m The Manchus cross the Great Wall, seize Beijing and begin the difficult process of conquering and governing China…

The Consolidation of the Qing Dynasty

The Consolidation of the Qing Dynasty 45m Early Qing rulers suppress resistance, rebuild administration and adapt imperial institutions in order to secure their authority over…

The Recovery of Taiwan

The Recovery of Taiwan 45m The Qing defeats the Zheng regime in Taiwan and incorporates the island into the empire, reshaping maritime defense…

The Great Enterprise of Unification

The Great Enterprise of Unification 45m Through warfare, diplomacy and frontier administration, the Qing expands and consolidates a multiethnic empire across Inner Asia and…

The Grand Council

The Grand Council 45m Created to handle urgent military affairs, the Grand Council develops into the Qing emperor’s most efficient instrument for…

Incorporating the Poll Tax into the Land Tax

Incorporating the Poll Tax into the Land Tax 45m A major Qing fiscal reform merges head taxes with land taxes, simplifying collection and altering the relationship between…

Civil Government and the Literary Inquisitions

Civil Government and the Literary Inquisitions 45m The Qing sponsors scholarship and cultural projects while also prosecuting writings considered politically dangerous, revealing the close connection…

Reluctant Self-Strengthening

Reluctant Self-Strengthening 45m After military defeats, Qing officials adopt Western weapons, industry and technical knowledge while attempting to preserve the dynasty’s…

The Opium War

The Opium War 45m Commercial conflict, opium smuggling and diplomatic confrontation lead to war with Britain, exposing Qing military weakness and beginning…

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 45m A vast religious rebellion establishes the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and wages a devastating civil war that transforms Qing…

The First Sino-Japanse War

The First Sino-Japanse War 45m Conflict over Korea ends in a decisive Japanese victory, revealing the limits of Qing reform and triggering a…

Reform and Revolution

Reform and Revolution 45m Intellectuals, officials and activists pursue constitutional reform, modernization and revolution as the Qing struggles to respond to domestic…

The End of Imperial Rule

The End of Imperial Rule 45m Revolution spreads across China, forcing the abdication of the last Qing emperor in 1912 and bringing more than…

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