We finally meet everyone's favorite guy (Song Jiang), and learn about song dynasty interrogation techniques.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

This episode delves into Chinese stamps/seals/chops (印章), exploring the origins, ritualization, and various cultural conventions associated with this ancient practice. Given their existence predating the invention of paper in China, what surfaces did ancient Chinese court officials typically stamp upon? Did different dynasties enforce distinct rule…

In this episode we discuss the Qing Dynasty's 'Self Strengthening Movement' of roughly 1861-1890. Recognizing the superiority of european weapons, technology, and scientific knowledge, the Qing Dynasty attempted to adopt and integrate them into an otherwise unchanged Confucian bureaucracy. Ambitious Westerners flocked to the country, lured by Qing …

Hello everyone. More water margin. Zhang Yhi has to make life changes, and we learn how to motivate your police inspectors.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

In this episode we get to the long awaited robbery of the birthday gifts (worth 100,000 strings of cash). Will our 7 (or 8) brave heroes succeed?بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

Hello Everyone! The exciting conclusion to our yellow river discussions. In this episode we discuss the near century where active management of the river was abandoned in the late Qing Dynasty, and the Communist party's attempts to return it to order. We also touch on modern PRC water management techniques, which often involve redirecting water fro…

The plot thickens as Wu Yong seeks out the three Ruan brothers to join the dream team to rob the birthday treasure caravan worth a hundred thousand strings of cash. Could he persuade the three gallant men using this sleek tongue? In this episode, we also meet a real wizard named "Dragon in the Clouds". These 7 (or 8) men are being brought together …

Hello it's Ch 14 and a plot is starting to heat up. Can our unlikely heroes find 7 (or 8) bold men to help them steal an entire year's worth of bribe money?!بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

Hello everyone. It's chapter 13. In this episode we discuss the specifics of Chinese nepotism, and how military command works in the Song Dynasty.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

Our story continues on with a new main character, Yang Zhi. Learn about grotesque rocks, how to bribe people in Song Dynasty China, and why its so dangerous to sell your sword.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

In Episode 11 of water margin we discuss Lin Chong's continued fall from grace, the dangers of failed scholars, and why all the bad boys in the Song Dynasty are eating beef. Article Mentioned: "Beefy Outlaws: Beef Consumption in Water Margin and Its Song-Yuan Antecedents"https://brill.com/view/journals/joch/7/3/article-p342_6.xml?language=en…

This is a special episode from Cherrie and Natalie's travels. Tune in to find out why we highly recommend you make a trip to Kinmen Island (and Taiwan!). In this episode we talked about Kinmen's history, culture and politices. Check out our episode about Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor (金门高粱酒): Baijiu: The World's Favorite Spirit 白酒历史谈…

In this episode Lin Chong gets really mad (and drunk).بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

The Grand Canal, a waterway system that travels vast regions of China is famous today as a UNESCO world heritage site. In this episode we discuss its complicated history. Why build a canal? What was the labor cost - measured in countless lives - that built an emperor's vision? Does the UNESCO World Heritage Convention transcends cultural nationalis…

Hello It's Chapter 9!!! Lin Chong continues his journey and we meet Tough Guy enthusiast and sponsor, Chai Jin. We also talk in great, exhaustive detail, on the cultural significance of griddle cakes, and special soups.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

In this episode we talk about the "high reward / high risk" stage of Imperial Chinese hydraulic management during the Late Ming to late Qing dynasties. Vast amounts of money, material, and expertise were poured into keeping the yellow river forced into a narrow, rapid channel. These efforts allowed the entire vast Chinese canal and irrigation syste…

In this short chapter we deal with the sentencing of Lin Chong after he is framed by Gao Qiu. Despite the best intentions of the local Magistrate, personal power and political connections is always greater than the law in imperial China. We also discuss the finer points of Imperial chinese punishments.…

Lin Chong enters the scene, and we also we learn one of the great struggles facing tough dudes in the Northern Song Dynasty, having a hot wife and a lecherous boss. Also discussed: Sworn Brotherhood Crows Schemes Strange men selling swords in an offer to frame you in an elaborate conspiracy. As mentioned here is the paper referenced in the episode:…

In this episode we discuss China's sorrow, the famous and infamous yellow river (黄河). Stretching through China's north eastern floodplain, it both birthed early chinese civilization, and put it through some of its most harrowing challenges. In part one we discuss the geography of the yellow river, its early myths, and how the complex interaction be…

In this episode we continue the adventures of Sagacious Lu, and meet up with some old friends. He finally reaches the great Xiangguo monastery and is put in an important position there. We also touch on: Division of Buddhist Monks Kitchen Gods The Commentaries of 金圣叹 Being a Man of Valor as opposed to just a person who knows how to fight. Paper on …

In this latest exciting episode of the WCC Book Club we spend time with Sagacious Lu on his spiritual journey, which seems to involve beating up everyone around him.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

In late November 2022, just last month, protests broke out all over China. People took to the streets to voice their discontent against the “Zero Covid” policies of the Chinese government. This came from months of frustration and suffering under the zero covid policies and the strict social control the Chinese state, the CCP government, had enforce…

In this episode we learn how Lu Da becomes Lu (Sagacious) Zhishen, and the finer points of how to join a chinese monastery.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

In this episode we meet the amazing Lu Da, and watch him make bad decisions. Also a discussion on Chinese prisons.بقلم Natalie and Cherrie

In this episode we discuss what is likely the second most printed book of all time, "Quotations from Chairman Mao". Produced prior to the Cultural Revolution, the book was an iconic symbol of the moment, and become influential worldwide as it was translated into multiple languages and distributed. We discuss what is in the book, and what isn't, as …

When chaos grows in 12th century China, and the empire is in peril, great heavenly heroes will arise among the people to make everything worse. In the second episode we meet our first stars of destiny, and watch them immediately make bad decisions. We also discuss the finer points of Chinese capitol cities, and the definition of ancient chinese foo…

When chaos grows in 12th century China, and the empire is in peril, great heavenly heroes will arise among the people to make everything worse. Our exciting read along of China's literary classic 'The Water Margin' (水滸傳) finally begins! In this first episode we go over the history of the novel, its cultural significance, as well as the historical t…

In this episode we compare and contrast two modern Chinese Blockbusters. The 800, telling the tale of a doomed Chinese Battalion in the last ditch defense of Shanghai, was plagued by delays, censorship, and CCP meddling. The Battle of Lake Changjin on the other hand, was a top down propaganda piece about the Korean War ordered to be ready for the 1…

Baijiu is China's national alcohol, and the world's most drunk spirit. Despite it's fearsome reputation amongst the uninitiated, there is more to baijiu than its fiery taste and aggressive ABV. Join us as we sample the major varieties of Baijiu, learn about its history, and discuss its future. A special thanks to Derek Sandhaus and his book Drunk i…

In 1979 a new election law ended the era of single candidate elections, and theoretically ushered in an system where voters voters would have some level of choice in who their representatives would be. However despite the letter of the new law, Chinese Elections remained firmly under party control, with no real path for anyone other than party-appo…

In this episode we discuss the endgame of the Arrow war, and China's resulting loss of full sovereignty as the foreign powers take root in Beijing. We also discuss the looting/burning of the summer palace, and how despite British claims, it had less to do with making a diplomatic statement, and more to do with avarice and greed. From the Qing/Chine…

During the Chinese Civil war, the communist forces experimented with various election systems in the territory they controlled, however upon taking control of the country in 1949, all large scale elections ceased. However, facing mounting pressure from the Soviet Union, the Communist party eventually restarted "elections" in 1954. In this episode w…

After the Anglo/French diplomatic mission in 1859 was destroyed by the Qing Military, a larger, more powerful diplomatic army was sent in 1860 to ram the 'Treaty of Friendship' down the throats of the Qing Court. Despite being unable to stop this larger force militarily, the Qing Empire would attempt every conceivable tactic to delay, misdirect, or…

The Modern Chinese state calls itself a People's Democratic Dictatorship (人民民主专政), and insists that it quickly and efficiently translates the people's will into government policy. Supposedly the Chinese people have no want or need for slow, chaotic, and expensive 'western style' democracy, and some studies even seem to back this up. All of this how…

Cherrie and Natalie continue their discussion of the Arrow War! After local pressure was unsuccessful, the British (and French!) escalated the situation around Canton, sending military forces to depose the Governor of Canton, Ye Mingchen. While they were ultimately successful, it still did not bring them the results in China they desired. With neit…

China’s culinary culture and habits are endlessly diverse. However, you still can’t imagine Chinese cuisine without chili peppers. Everywhere in China, you will find chilis peppers used fresh, dried, powdered, pickled, turned into a paste, infused into oils, used as a condiment, used as a preservative, used as the main ingredient! In addition, chil…

After the end of the Opium War, an uneasy truce existed between the Qing Empire and the Foreign Powers. Despite their victory, the British in particular felt unsatisfied with their gains, and constantly pushed the envelope, trying to whittle away more and more privileges from the Chinese. Overcome with internal issues such as rebellions, inflation,…

In the early 1900s, Chinese women were entering the public space and shaping society like never before. At a time when the new Chinese identity was emerging, women activists and leaders had to navigate the shifting sands that was Chinese society at the time. Striking a balance between meeting the expectation of the traditional Confucian ideal of a …

In this episode we briefly recap the events of the Opium war, before discussing its conclusion. Both sides desperately wanted to end the conflict, yet neither side had the patience or diplomatic expertise to broker a lasting peace (If such a thing was even possible). The 1942 Treat of Nanjing (and those negotiated shortly after), did indeed end the…

This is our 2022 Lunar New Year special edition. We hope you enjoy this episode and Happy New Year! Every year around late January or early February, people all over the world celebrate the Lunar New Year according to the traditional lunisolar calendar. As for the United States, in the 1950th, grand celebrations and American style parades in San Fr…

Before the release of Edward Hunter's 1951 book, the term 'Brainwashing' did not exist in the English Language. Originally a translation of a Chinese term for political reeducation (洗腦，or "wash brain"), the term might have remained unknown in the US. However in the the next two years several thousand American (and international) Prisoners would und…

While naturalistic expeditions in the colonial era were cloaked in the mantle of progress and discovery, they often had a more opportunistic motive. Native plants, animals, and techniques which had already long been known to others were 'rediscovered' by Europeans and mass produced across their colonies on an industrial scale. After the events of t…

Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, it has had a special focus on Africa. Referred to often as 'African Brothers' (非洲兄弟), the PRC sought new markets, new communist comrades, and international recognition, in the emerging continent. In order to gain this they freely sent arms, aid and propaganda, hoping to imbue Africa with …

China has always had a piracy problem. However in the early 18th century, Piracy quickly morphed from scattered opportunists, into a massive state-like operation. With hundreds of ships and 10s of thousands of men, they quickly overwhelmed the Qing Naval forces, and were able to extract tribute from Chinese and Foreigners alike. Much of this was du…

Chinese novels on crime, mystery and justice have a long and separate history from crime novels in the west. Often written by retired officials, they are useful both as entertainment, and as a description of how courts, laws, and investigations happened in the Imperial Chinese Justice system. Today we talk about Judge Dee（狄仁杰）, a real Tang Dynasty …

After the failures of the Cultural Revolution, and the advent of economic liberalization, the Communist Party needed to refocus its propaganda efforts to stay current. 1997s 'The Opium War' was the country's most expensive film to date. Made partially to commemorate the return of Hong Kong to Chinese control, it attempted to tell a version of the 1…

In July 1840 British forces arrived off the coast of China to begin what would become the 1st Opium War. Despite an overwhelming military superiority the commander of the British forces, Charles Elliot, seemed unable to break through Qing delaying tactics with diplomacy, and was hesitant to escalate the war by seizing (and looting!) cities and town…

The extract of the Opium Poppy is one of humanities oldest drugs, and has been widely used and traded for thousands of years. However when the mass production of refined Opium by the East India Company combined with a new and efficient method of smoking it, a worldwide sensation ensued. At the height of its popularity, Opium was a worldwide habit. …

In 1833 the East India Company would lose its monopoly on Chinese trade. This change, and the lack of an effective structure to replace it, would create a power vacuum in and around China's only western trading port (Canton). British Opium Traders took this opportunity to flood in and make fortunes, and to use those fortunes to promote a more belli…

The First Opium War is often seen as the beginning of China's 'Century of Shame' , a time when Foreigners ran rampant, and China lacked the ability to set its own destiny. However even without the aggression of Great Britain, China (Qing Dynasty) was undergoing a series of internal crisis, each with the potential to end the dynasty. Rebellion, Infl…