Author: Charles River Editors
Narrator: Martin Taylor
Unabridged: 4 hr 38 min
Format: Digital Audiobook
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Published: 05/30/2023
Genre: History - Asia - China
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 with the colonies in South Africa and India, and through them trade flowed east and west. An integral but underutilized part of this vast trade network included China, a reclusive Asian kingdom closed off from the Western world that desired none of its goods. Unfortunately for China, the British had the might of an empire and economic force, not to mention modern arms, on their side. Breaking into China’s lucrative trade markets nearly destroyed the nation, severely discredited the Chinese dynasty, wreaked havoc on its people, and further propelled Britain’s empire into a dominant economic and military position. The collision of these two empires took many years and caused much bloodshed. In fact, the troubles started well before the eventual hostilities, festering as frustration mounted until finally boiling over.
Though both nations modernized, and China far outweighed Japan in terms of men and materiel potential, the island nation handily won its first modern war. The conflict resulted in Japan’s short-term gains in the wake of victory, and the long term disaster for both sides’ new roles in Asia, for with the end of Chinese dominance in East Asia came a new era for the region as a whole.
In 1937, the Empire of Japan once more went to war with China, a nation broken into petty warlord fiefdoms and wracked by civil war. The most modern Asian nation enacted a brutal campaign over the fragmented realms that made up China, committing atrocities just as horrendous as their Axis ally in Europe. Despite this, the sheer size of China, coupled with Japan’s overextension, allowed the larger, less developed nation to endure.
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 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...
"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...
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...