The Unlikely Rise of a Palace Servant In the complex hierarchy of the Qing imperial court, eunuchs occupied a peculiar […]
A Dynasty at a Crossroads The year 1872 marked a pivotal moment in the history of China’s Qing dynasty. The […]
A Palace Confrontation In the winter of 1868, within the vermilion walls of the Forbidden City, a tense drama unfolded […]
An Imperial New Year’s Transformation The brief respite of the New Year period traditionally offered the young emperor seven or […]
A Hero’s Farewell from the South In the waning months of 1868, the atmosphere in Nanjing crackled with ceremonial grandeur […]
A General’s Arrival in the Imperial Capital In the late summer of 1873, the city of Beijing witnessed an extraordinary […]
A Morning in the Forbidden City On the twentieth day of the third lunar month, the young emperor, typically difficult […]
The Setting: A Dynasty in Transition The mid-19th century represented a period of profound transformation for China’s Qing Dynasty. Following […]
An Ancient Custom in a Changing Empire The practice of selecting imperial consorts from noble families represented one of the […]
The Rhythmic Pulse of a Capital City In the dimly lit streets of 19th century Beijing, an unusual performance unfolded […]
The Lingering Threat from the West In the early months of 1868, the Qing court found itself celebrating the New […]
The Strategic Importance of the Liutang River In the late 1860s, during the waning years of the Qing dynasty’s struggle […]
A Fateful Meeting Behind Closed Doors In the winter of 1867, within the confines of a military headquarters in Shandong […]
An Evening of Unexpected Visitors In the quiet outskirts of a Shandong town during the late Qing Dynasty, General Guo […]
The Nien Rebellion in Historical Context The mid-19th century represented one of the most turbulent periods in Chinese history. Following […]
A Climate of Change in the Imperial Court The summer of 1867 brought more than just seasonal rainfall to Beijing; […]
A Kingdom Parched: The Onset of Catastrophe In the summer of 1867, the North China Plain experienced one of the […]
A Fateful Memorial and Imperial Mistrust In the waning years of the Qing Dynasty’s Tongzhi era, a seemingly routine administrative […]
The Nian Rebellion: Origins and Escalation The mid-19th century was a period of profound turmoil for China’s Qing Dynasty. Following […]
A Fateful Game of Go In the quiet military camp at Zhoujiakou, a moment of profound historical significance unfolded over […]
A Regent’s Whim and the Machinery of Matrimony In the opulent isolation of the Forbidden City, where power and tradition […]
The Passing of a Statesman and Its Ripple Effects In the intricate world of Qing dynasty politics, the death of […]
