Author: Charles River Editors
Narrator: KC Wayman
Unabridged: 1 hr 56 min
Format: Digital Audiobook
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Published: 12/02/2022
Genre: History - Asia - China
Aside from Genghis, the most famous of the Mongolian rulers was Genghis’s grandson, Kublai Khan, who was raised as Mongolian in the traditional way, but also exposed to Chinese culture. Kublai’s father Tolui made sure all of his sons could ride and hunt, but he was apparently also concerned that they understood the characteristics and possibilities of the more settled regions under Mongolian rule. Thus, while Kublai and his brothers were still boys, his grandfather Genghis arranged a great Mongolian hunt. This traditional event involved many thousands of riders starting in a great circle and gradually moving into the center, driving the game in front of them. It was a hunt, but it was also a traditional kind of practice military exercise. Kublai killed a couple of small animals, and Genghis is reported to have been pleased with his grandsons.
As Great Khan, Kublai Khan ruled the Mongolian Empire from his capital in modern-day Beijing, with a court that included Mongolians, Arabs, and Persians from throughout his empire. While Genghis may have been a warrior, Kublai was a man of culture, intellect and curiosity, and his court was a luxurious one rich in art, music, and goods. Under his reign, trade along the Silk Road was both easier and more efficient than ever before. Toll gates were removed, and traders could move freely from place to place. It was said that even women could travel safely with goods without fear of harm.
Kublai was clearly an influential ruler, but what helped his legacy endure was that he hosted the famous Italian traveler Marco Polo, who stayed in China for years and described what he saw in detail. When Marco Polo’s travelogue was published back in Europe, it immediately became one of the most famous works on the continent, and while modern historians still debate which parts were factual and fictional, there can be no question that Kublai Khan was a monumental leader in Asia.
For the most part, the Uighurs are based in East Turkestan, more commonly referred to as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. This prodigious plot of land boasts a total land area of over 1.665 million km², o...
Have you ever wondered how China became the most populous and one of the most industrially active nations today?This is a historical rollercoaster that will take you from Ancient China and Imperial Dynasties to Communism and Capitalism. Discover the...
After Chinese authorities seized the British vessel Arrow, the Brits responded by shelling the city of Canton. This action led to the Second Opium War. The issue was brought forth to British Parliament, and in this memorable speech Richard Cobden as...
Explore the captivating life of Mao Zedong.Mao Zedong is recognized alongside Chiang Kai-Shek and Sun Yat-Sen as one of the most influential figures of modern Chinese history. His political control of the nation waned during his later years, but he ...
At the forefront of the Three Kingdoms was one of ancient China’s most famous battles, fought in late 208 CE. An area of the Yangtze River located near modern Chibi City in the central Chinese province of Hubei was filled with ships as far as ...
The story of early Asian immigration to the United States is also one about race legislation and discrimination at a time when global populations were moving with more frequency and merging ahead of their ability to practically assimilate. The grea...
"Two hundred years ago China's imperial rulers sensed a threat to a past-oriented society in the dynamism of the West and tried to frustrate foreign entry."- Foreign Devils ... "Today, one cannot escape the impression that if only it were not for wo...
The 19th century saw the rise of one of the largest, most powerful empires of the modern era. The sun never set on the British Empire, whose holdings spanned the globe, in one form or another. Its naval supremacy linked the Commonwealth of Canada wi...
In Chinese mythology, there is so much symbolism, and there are so many wise lessons to discover. It’s almost criminal that Western civilization studies Greek or Roman myths but leaves all the Chinese gods and goddesses to themselves. In this ...