The Humiliation of the 19th Century Chinese Qing Empire
The first British visitors to Shanghai in 1832, some East India Company officers, demanded the Chinese lift restrictions on Sino-European trade.
In 1839, British gunboats...
Art and Literature of the Chinese Song Dynasty
The Sung, or Song Dynasty, was the ruling government in China between 960 and 1279. Brilliant strides in landscape and portrait painting graced this...
Mongol Warriors and the Composite Bow
Genghis Khan began the Mongol invasions but it was the powerful composite bow which carried their civilization out of the steppe.
The Mongol tribes of...
Tang Dynasty History
The Tang Dynasty was golden age in China. Art, philosophy, literature and technology all flourished during this period. International trade grew along the Silk...
Yuan – The Mongol Dynasty, 1279-1368
The reign of the Mongols over China was disastrous for the Chinese people. They finally threw out their oppressors – how did this come...
The Impact of the Steppe Peoples
From the Cimmerians to the Manchus, the nomadic horse riders from the Asian Steppes have swooped down on the sedentary peoples of Europe and...
The Empress Wu Hou – China’s Only Female Ruler
Wu Hou, China’s only female ruler, is one of the most remarkable women ever to have lived. The daughter of an official, she entered...
Impact of the Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was a conflict that pitted the Russian Empire against the Japanese Empire between February 10, 1904 to September 5, 1905. The...
Muslims in Eastern China: Mosques a Sign of Islams Place
Chinese followers of Islam have a long history. The influence of early Muslims in south-eastern provinces is recalled at a number of historical sites.
Within...
Chinese Yin Yang Philosophy: Confucius, Lao Tzu and Bruce Lee
“Happiness is to be found by misery's side. Misery lurks beneath happiness. Who knows what either will come to in the end?” said ancient...