John Hu arrived to France in 1722, accompanied by a Jesuit priest and tasked with cataloging and translating a library. He had a knack for behaving oddly, earning him the nickname “Don Quixote” in at least one town. But in the end, who gets to decide who's sane?
In November 1928, students marched through the streets of Harbin. When they began forcing their way through police lines, things turned violent.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was only 26 when she took over as China's ruler. She remained on top for the next half-century. How did she navigate the perilous halls of imperial power to become known as the most powerful woman in Chinese history?
With the world watching, 400-some Chinese soldiers defended the Sihang Warehouse in Shanghai against hundreds of thousands of Japanese invaders. What's the real story behind this glorified battle?
Yuanmingyuan had already been looted by foreign armies earlier in the month. But European powers wanted to further punish the Qing emperor, and so decided, in mid-October 1860, to set fire to the fabled "Garden of Eternal Brightness."
Considered a Chinese Robin Hood by his followers and a “common pest” by his enemies — to say nothing of bandit, murderer — Bai Lang achieved notoriety and power during the early years of Republican Era China. He may have been the country’s last famous bandit.
In October of 1901, General Zeng Qi asked the emperor of China for permission to open a coal mine. So began a century-long rat race to power China’s industrialization.
Ironically for a form that takes a specific location as its name, Peking Opera is best understood as a blend of many different regional styles, with influences from both low and high culture on its development.
How did Yuan Chonghuan, who achieved one of China’s greatest military victories and ascended to the highest ranks of government, fall so far from favor that he ended up executed by lingchi, death by a thousand cuts?