Chinese History & Mythology

Episoade

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  171.Interesting Chinese Culture——Beijing's rich culinary scene and profound history 17.09.2026 53min

  A morning in Beijing often begins with air filled with the mingled aromas of steam, charcoal, and cooking oil. To a first-time visitor, these smells may seem unfamiliar or even a little strong. But to the people who live here, they are the city’s morning alarm clock, more effective than any sound. Many people wonder why Beijing, as a northern Chinese city, has such a distinctive food tradition.
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  170.In Search of the Supernatural--6 17.09.2026 57min

  In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.
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  168.Interesting Chinese Culture——Why Do Chinese People Care So Much About Marriage and Having Children? 10.09.2026 1h 5min

  In recent years, a term has become increasingly common on Chinese social media: “cutting ties with relatives.” It refers to young people deliberately distancing themselves from their extended families. They do not want to go home for Chinese New Year, deal with relatives pressuring them to marry or have children, or take part in family group chats. Some remain silent in these chats for long periods and only show up when someone sends a digital red envelope. The numbers behind this trend are stark.
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  167.In Search of the Supernatural--4 10.09.2026 47min

  In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.
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  166.In Search of the Supernatural--3 08.09.2026 46min

  In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.
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  165.Interesting Chinese Culture——China’s Long History of “So-Bad-It’s-Good” Entertainment. 03.09.2026 31min

  Why can a rough, low-budget animated film become a viral sensation and fill theaters across China? Beginning with the unexpected popularity of Niu Lai, this episode traces the ancient roots of China’s “so-bad-it’s-good” entertainment—from pre-Qin court jesters and Han dynasty street performances to Tang storytelling, Song entertainment districts, Ming and Qing folk opera, and today’s memes, livestreams, and scrolling comments. Behind these seemingly “tacky” cultural hits lies a long tradition of grassroots creativity, anti-elitist humor, collective participation, and the powerful vitality of ordinary people.
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  164.In Search of the Supernatural--2 03.09.2026 31min

  In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.
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  163.In Search of the Supernatural 01.09.2026 51min

  In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.
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  162.Interesting Chinese Culture——Were Dragons in Ancient China Really Connected to Natural Disasters? 27.08.2026 1h

  A typhoon formed deep over the Pacific Ocean and traveled more than 6,000 kilometers across the sea. After making landfall, its winds gradually weakened, but the moisture it carried continued moving deep into China. Zhejiang, Shanghai, Hubei, Henan, and Beijing were hit by heavy rainfall one after another. In some places, just a few hours brought as much rain as would normally fall over a much longer period. Roads turned into rivers, vehicles became trapped, water levels rose, and the risks of flash floods and landslides increased. When weather like this happens today, people turn to satellite images and examine the typhoon’s path, ocean temperatures, wind shear, monsoon moisture, and urban drainage systems. But if a storm of the same scale had struck two thousand years ago, how would people have explained what was happening before their eyes?
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  161.What Came After Romance of the Three Kingdoms? 27.08.2026 1h 1min

  What period came after the Three Kingdoms? After the Three Kingdoms, the next period in Chinese history was the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties.
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  160.Is Romance of the Three Kingdoms Biased Against Women? 25.08.2026 57min

   A woman, a woman who had never gone onto the battlefield and had never taken part in any political decision, had her name used like a match to ignite the fuse of an entire war. This detail is extremely thought-provoking. It reveals a deep logic that runs through the entire Three Kingdoms narrative, and even through all of classical Chinese literature: in war epics written by men, women’s bodies, beauty, and marriages are always bargaining chips in power struggles, tools for political mobilization, and scapegoats for historical failure.
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  159.Interesting Chinese Culture——The Ten Most Beloved Deities. 20.08.2026 40min

  When we open the vast historical scroll of China, or walk through those ancient temples across Asia, surrounded by curling incense smoke, one very unique cultural phenomenon immediately catches our eye. The Chinese system of gods is completely different from the monotheistic systems found in many other civilizations around the world. Here, there is no one and only creator who excludes all other gods, and there is no abstract deity standing high above, completely separated from human emotions. The Chinese world of gods and immortals is more like a huge, well-organized cosmic government, full of human warmth. In this system, the gods have clear duties. They have emotions similar to human beings, such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Some even have detailed life stories and records of promotion. Many figures who truly existed in history were placed on the altar by ordinary people after their deaths because of their outstanding contributions or noble character, and they received worship and incense for generations.
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  158.Romance of the Three Kingdoms- The Strategists 20.08.2026 1h 10min

  In the story of the Three Kingdoms, the most fascinating parts were never really the flashing blades and clashing weapons on the battlefield. They were the conversations inside military tents, the calculations hidden in letters, and the tests carried out over wine at banquets. In Chinese popular culture, there is a saying: young people should try not to read Water Margin, because that book mainly tells stories of fighting. Water Margin is full of violence, rebellion against the court, brotherhood, revenge, and personal justice. Young people who read it may easily imitate the behavior of those heroes, using violence or brotherly loyalty to solve problems, and may even end up breaking the law. So why do people also say, “Old people should not read Romance of the Three Kingdoms”?
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  157.Romance of the Three Kingdoms- The Military Generals 18.08.2026 48min

  When we peeled back the labels, we found that both of them were far more complex than those simple names. In today’s episode, we are going to change our perspective. We will not talk about the lords, but about the fighters. We will not talk about the people playing the game of chess, but about the pieces charging across the board — the famous military generals in the story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
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  156.Interesting Chinese Culture——What Is the Most Important Exam in China? 13.08.2026 1h 9min

  In China, there is a very important exam. It can even be said that this exam determines the fate of ninety percent of Chinese people. Why can one exam stir up such enormous social energy?
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  155.Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Was Liu Bei a Hypocrite? 13.08.2026 52min

   A lower-class man who started out selling straw sandals had no money, no territory, and no powerful background. Why was he able to make outstanding men like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei follow him with total loyalty for their entire lives? Why was he able to make a heaven-sent talent like Zhuge Liang devote himself completely until death? Why was he able to make Tao Qian hand over the entire Xuzhou to him? Why was he able to take Yizhou from Liu Zhang, almost by deception, and still make the people of Yizhou feel that he was their savior?
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  154.Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Cao Cao a Bad Man? 11.08.2026 1h 2min

  In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he is often written as a “treacherous hero”: suspicious, ruthless, skilled in political tricks, and always standing opposite Liu Bei’s image of “benevolence and righteousness.” For many Chinese audiences, when they hear the name  from childhood, what appears in their minds is often not simply a politician or a military strategist, but a complicated, dangerous, intelligent, and even somewhat frightening figure.
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  153.Interesting Chinese Culture——How Ancient China Spent the Night？ 06.08.2026 42min

  How many of you have ever imagined that life in ancient China was probably nothing but darkness after sunset? That the moment the sun went down, everyone immediately went to bed, and the entire country fell into silence. Part of that impression is true, but much more of it is filled with unexpected energy and detail. The nighttime schedule, entertainment, street sounds, lights, and shadows of ancient people actually form a very vivid history of society, economy, and culture. We can follow the timeline, starting from the oldest farming traditions, moving all the way to the flourishing urban life of the Song Dynasty, and then returning to the quieter world of the Ming and Qing dynasties, to take a complete look at what nightlife in ancient China was really like.
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  152.Romance of the Three Kingdoms-28 06.08.2026 1h 38min

  Now, in Chengdu, the Later Lord Liu Shan heard that Deng Ai had already captured Mianzhu, and that Zhuge Zhan and his son had both died in battle. He immediately turned pale with shock and hurriedly gathered all the civil and military officials to discuss what to do. Close attendants from the palace came again to report, “Outside the city, the common people are carrying the old and leading the young, crying loudly enough to shake the sky, and fleeing for their lives one after another. The situation is extremely urgent!” When the Later Lord heard this, he completely lost his senses.
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  151.Romance of the Three Kingdoms-27 04.08.2026 1h 20min

  In the tenth month of winter, in the fifth year of Jingyao in Shu Han, Great General Jiang Wei ordered men to repair the plank roads through the night, organize military grain and weapons, and transfer boats from the water routes in Hanzhong. After everything was ready, he submitted a memorial to the Later Lord, saying, “I have gone on campaign many times. Although I have not yet achieved great merit, I have already shaken the morale of the Wei army. Now the troops have been maintained for a long time. If they do not fight, they will grow idle, and if they grow idle, they will easily fall ill. Besides, the officers and soldiers have long been eager to try. They are willing to give their lives for the state and build merit. If I do not win, I am willing to accept death.”