Few figures in Chinese history engineered such dramatic transformations as Yang Jian, better known as Emperor Wen of Sui (r. […]
A Child Emperor Under the Shadow of Power Born in 467 CE as Tuoba Hong (later renamed Yuan Hong), the […]
A Humble Beginning in Turbulent Times In the chaotic era between the Jin and Southern Dynasties, when aristocratic families dominated […]
From Orphaned Child to Ruthless Warlord The story of Shi Hu, one of history’s most notorious tyrants, begins with abandonment […]
A Boy Merchant in Troubled Times The story of Shi Le reads like an ancient Chinese epic—a tale of resilience, […]
From Court Intrigues to Imperial Throne In 265 AD, history repeated itself in a strikingly familiar fashion. Sima Yan, scion […]
A Humble Beginning with Imperial Blood Liu Bei’s story reads like a classic rags-to-riches tale, except his rags were literal […]
From Humble Beginnings to Imperial Destiny In the turbulent years following Wang Mang’s disastrous Xin Dynasty interregnum (9-23 CE), a […]
Few rulers in Chinese history have left as profound a mark as Emperor Wu of Han, born Liu Che in […]
A Child of War-Torn China Liu Bang, the man who would become Emperor Gaozu of Han, was born during the […]
A Kingdom in Crisis: The Bloody Succession Struggle Snow piled high on Mount Tai as the Wen River froze solid […]
A Throne Born from Strife When Duke Wu of Zheng died in 743 BCE, his son ascended to power under […]
The rise of King Wu of Zhou represents one of history’s most calculated power transitions. When he ascended the throne […]
The name Jie of Xia has become synonymous with royal decadence in Chinese history. As the last ruler of China’s […]
Long before modern welfare states emerged in the West, imperial China developed sophisticated systems for caring for its most vulnerable […]
Few modern inconveniences compare to realizing you’ve forgotten your ID card when trying to board a flight or check into […]
