Best Yang Yang Zhou Podcasts (2024)

A chapter in the Daoist text Zhuangzi that launches a sustained attack on Confucianism, through the mouth of a notorious criminal. Support the showBy William Han

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How Criminal Governance Undermines Elections, with Jessie Trudeau 1:18:23

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19d ago1:18:23

1:18:23

In democracies all around the world, criminal organizations are involved in electoral politics. Notable examples include the Sicilian mafia and Pablo Escobar's drug cartel in Colombia. We sometimes think of these criminal groups as having politicians in their pockets or as directing politicians to do their bidding at the barrel of a gun. But our gu…

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Huang Zongxi and "Waiting for Dawn": Chinese Democratic Theory 22:15

20d ago22:15

22:15

One of the most influential thinkers -- and his most influential work -- in the history of Chinese democratic thought. Support the showBy William Han

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King Li of Zhou and the "Republic" of 841 B.C. 16:46

27d ago16:46

16:46

Until the advent of modern scholarship, the earliest definitive date in the chronology of Chinese history was 841 B.C. What happened that year that so marked the calendar? Support the showBy William Han

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Zhang Zhongjing, Physician 17:43

1M ago17:43

17:43

Regarding the Han Dynasty physician Zhang Zhongjing. Support the showBy William Han

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Li Jie: Architect 17:32

1M ago17:32

17:32

Regarding the Song Dynasty architect and scholar of architecture. Support the showBy William Han

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Li Kui and Shen Buhai, Legalists 19:34

2M ago19:34

19:34

Everyone knows that Shang Yang reformed the laws and institutions of the State of Qin, setting it up for superpower status and paving the way to the Qin Dynasty. But a number of earlier reformers prefigured Shang Yang. Here are two of them. Support the showBy William Han

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Wang Yangming, Philosopher 28:40

2M ago28:40

28:40

The story of the deeply influential Ming Dynasty philosopher. Support the showBy William Han

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Zichan, Criminal Law, and the Soul 20:22

2M ago20:22

20:22

The 6th century B.C. statesman of the State of Zheng promulgated the first published criminal code in Chinese history. Moreover, it is through him that we know how the ancient Chinese understood the nature of the soul. Support the showBy William Han

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Chinese Hedonism: the School of Yang Zhu 19:40

2M ago19:40

19:40

The hedonist tradition in Chinese philosophy. Support the showBy William Han

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The Discourses on Salt and Iron 18:01

3M ago18:01

18:01

The economic conference of 81 B.C. and the book that resulted from it. Support the showBy William Han

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What College Dorms can teach us about Culture, with Joan Ricart-Huguet 1:18:59

3M ago1:18:59

1:18:59

Today on Scope Conditions: college dorms shed light on where group culture comes from and how it molds us. At Harry Potter’s alma mater, each new student is assigned to a House that aligns with their true character. The mystical Sorting Hat takes the courageous ones and sorts them into House Gryffindor, while the studious know-it-alls go to Ravencl…

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Liu Xie and "The Literary Heart and the Carving of Dragons" 17:07

3M ago17:07

17:07

On the late-5th and early-6th century work of literary criticism and its author. Support the showBy William Han

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Dong Zhongshu, Champion of Confucianism 20:15

3M ago20:15

20:15

Regarding the man who made Confucianism the dominant ideology of China. Support the showBy William Han

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Chai Rong and the End of the Five Dynasties 18:56

3M ago18:56

18:56

On Chai Rong, the second emperor of the Latter Zhou, and how it became the last of the Five Dynasties. Support the showBy William Han

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The Secret History of the Mongols 18:07

3M ago18:07

18:07

Our only source for many of the stories about the life of Genghis Khan, The Secret History of the Mongols is a crucial document for understanding the Mongol Empire. Support the showBy William Han

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Ernst Boerschmann 18:39

4M ago18:39

18:39

On the German scholar of Chinese architecture. Support the showBy William Han

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The Stone Drums of Qin 23:26

4M ago23:26

23:26

In 627 A.D., an elderly shepherd chanced upon ten stone drums bearing ancient inscriptions. Since then, they have gone on a topsy-turvy adventure through the tumultuous course of Chinese history, down to the present day. Support the showBy William Han

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The Ceremony of Fengshan 21:32

4M ago21:32

21:32

Only six emperors in Chinese history are documented to have performed Fengshan, the worship of heaven at earth at the holy Mt. Tai. Support the showBy William Han

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Guo Wei and the Latter Zhou 15:10

4M ago15:10

15:10

Continuing the series on the Five Dynasties, the story of Guo Wei, founder of the Latter Zhou. Support the showBy William Han

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Qian Mu, Historian 24:23

5M ago24:23

24:23

The life of the great 20th century historian Qian Mu. Support the showBy William Han

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Dongfang Shuo, Patron Saint of Comedy 18:54

5M ago18:54

18:54

On the 2nd century B.C. courtier, jester, and man of letters Dongfang Shuo, who came to be regarded as the patron saint of "xiangsheng," a traditional form of stand-up comedy. Support the showBy William Han

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The Prince of Lu of Ming 21:28

5M ago21:28

21:28

The story of an imperial cousin and regent of the Southern Ming Dynasty. Support the showBy William Han

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Liu Zhiyuan of the Latter Han 14:49

5M ago14:49

14:49

The next emperor in our series on the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Support the showBy William Han

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King Zhuanxu and Ancient Shamanism 24:35

6M ago24:35

24:35

Regarding Zhuanxu, the second of the so-called "Five Emperors" of China's deep past. Support the showBy William Han

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Shi Jingtang, the Man Who Gave Away the Great Wall 21:09

6M ago21:09

21:09

Continuing our series on the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms: the founder of the Latter Jin Dynasty, Shi Jingtang. Support the showBy William Han

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"Troubled Empire": A Book Review 30:21

6M ago30:21

30:21

On "The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties," by Professor Timothy Brook, of the imperial China series by Harvard University Press. Support the showBy William Han

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Investiture of the Gods 29:05

6M ago29:05

29:05

On the great Ming Dynasty fantasy-historical novel, "Investiture of the Gods." Support the showBy William Han

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The Bamboo Annals 23:04

7M ago23:04

23:04

In 281 A.D., a tomb raider discovered a lost ancient text, which came to be known as the "Bamboo Annals." It had an explosive effect on the understanding of the Chinese of their own history... Support the showBy William Han

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Li Siyuan 16:55

7M ago16:55

16:55

Continuing with the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms: the story of Li Siyuan, emperor of the Latter Tang. Support the showBy William Han

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Hao Bocun 26:25

7M ago26:25

26:25

The story of General Hao Bocun. Support the showBy William Han

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Li Keyong and Li Cunxu 25:05

7M ago25:05

25:05

Li Keyong and Li Cunxu, father and son, were responsible for building the second of the Five Dynasties. Support the showBy William Han

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Zhu Wen 24:20

7M ago24:20

24:20

The story of Zhu Wen, the man who formally ended the Tang Dynasty and began the period in Chinese history known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Support the showBy William Han

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Zhou Dunyi, Lawyer and Philosopher 17:51

8M ago17:51

17:51

About the Song Dynasty official, scholar, and philosopher Zhou Dunyi. Support the showBy William Han

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Yan Jiagan, Father of the New Taiwan Dollar 17:37

8M ago17:37

17:37

Yan Jiagan is the forgotten president of the Republic of China or Taiwan. He served between 1975 and 1978 but was largely considered a transitional figure. However, before he was president, in 1949, he first rescued Taiwan from economic catastrophe, paving the way for all future developments. For that reason alone, the man deserves to be remembered…

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The Man from Qi Worries About the Sky 16:35

8M ago16:35

16:35

"The man from Qi worries about the sky" is a Chinese idiom meaning to worry unnecessarily about things that won't happen. It comes from a story found in Liezi, an ancient tract of philosophy. But what was this place called Qi? What does the original fable say? Have we misunderstood it this whole time? Support the show…

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Eastern Bureau and Eastern Forest 21:07

8M ago21:07

21:07

The story of the Ming Dynasty secret police led by eunuchs, the most infamous eunuch among them, and the faction of mandarins who opposed them. Support the showBy William Han

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Statecraft as Stagecraft, with Iza (Yue) Ding 1:16:03

9M ago1:16:03

1:16:03

Most governments around the world – whether democracies or autocracies – face at least some pressure to respond to citizen concerns on some social problems. But the issues that capture public attention — the ones on which states have incentives to be responsive – aren’t always the issues on which bureaucracies, agents of the state, have the ability…

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Gu Yanwu 17:43

9M ago17:43

17:43

Regarding Gu Yanwu, the 17th century intellectual who has recently been the subject of controversy in Taiwanese politics. Support the showBy William Han

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Dujiangyan 16:07

9M ago16:07

16:07

The remarkable Dujiangyan irrigation system in Sichuan was constructed in the 250s B.C. but remains in use today and remains crucial to the Chinese economy. Support the showBy William Han

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Sima Guang and the General Mirror on Good Governance 19:13

9M ago19:13

19:13

Regarding Zizhi Tongjian, or "General Mirror on Good Governance," and the man who wrote it during the 11th century. Support the showBy William Han

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Borges and "Extensive Records of the Taiping Era" 14:55

9M ago14:55

14:55

Taiping Guangji or "Extensive Records of the Taiping Era" is an anthology of stories compiled during the early Song Dynasty. Its editors chose to collect the stories under a series of clearly unworkable categories. In so doing, they made Taiping Guangji a perfect illustration of the point made in an essay by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. …

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Policy Digests of the Zhen'guan Era 16:40

10M ago16:40

16:40

In 1615, the Tokugawa Shogunate made a rule that all Japanese emperors must study "Policy Digests of the Zhen'guan Era," written 900 years earlier in Tang Dynasty China. What is this book and what's important about it? Support the showBy William Han

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Journey to the West 27:58

10M ago27:58

27:58

The Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West" ranks among the great classics of Chinese literature. I recently reread it, and I have thoughts. Support the showBy William Han

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The Tocharians 20:46

10M ago20:46

20:46

The story of the somewhat mysterious Tocharian people of Kuche in today's Xinjiang, confusingly named after the Tokharoi of Bactria in modern Afghanistan, from whose language Chinese gets its word for "honey." Support the showBy William Han

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Door Gods 21:33

10M ago21:33

21:33

The story of the "Door Gods" and how a pair of Tang Dynasty generals came to serve in that role. Support the showBy William Han

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Chunyu Kun, Bro 16:15

10M ago16:15

16:15

The tale of another short (not to mention poor) man who achieved greatness. Chunyu Kun was a famed "wit" from Warring States era State of Qi. Besides services as a diplomat and political advisor, he was famous for being the sort of party guest you may not allow to leave by evening's end... Support the show…

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Iasyr Shivaza and the Dungan 18:35

11M ago18:35

18:35

A fascinating minority group in the former USSR, chiefly Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, is the people known as the Dungan. Originally Hui Muslims from northwestern China, they migrated into Central Asia in the 19th century. This story is about them, their Chinese-derived language, and one of their most significant cultural figures, Iasyr Shivaza. Suppo…

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Zengzi and Great Learning 23:47

11M ago23:47

23:47

The Confucian philosopher Zengzi and some of his ideas that became deeply influential in Chinese culture. Support the showBy William Han

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Yang Yang Zhou Podcasts

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