Wilson, Andrew R.. Great Courses Audio.

Great Courses

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A knowledge of China's imperial history is vital for any understanding of its present, as modern China is linked in many ways to the extraordinary culture of its empire. These 24 lectures take you to the heart of life during China's imperial era, through the lives of individual subjects of all social ranks. Across the arc of the course, you'll witness what daily life was like for government bureaucrats, for scholars, for women of the court, for soldiers, merchants, craftspeople, courtesans, imperial cooks, and many others - all against the backdrop of the diversity, the genius, and the majesty of imperial China. Your travels within the empire include such memorable sights as the grand boulevards; splendorous palaces; imposing temples of Chang'an, the medieval world's greatest city; and the Qingming Shanghetu, a 17-foot painted scroll that gloriously portrays Song Dynasty life. And you'll meet unforgettable human beings, whose lives vividly reveal the world around them, such as Ban Zhao, Han-era woman of letters, poet, scholar, and teacher; Tao Yuanming, Daoist luminary and the empire's first great poet; Zhu Yuanzhang, powerful warlord and founder of the Ming Dynasty; and Hong Xiuquan, visionary reformer and architect of the religiously inspired Taiping Rebellion. Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture is your passport to this incredible, historic world. All Lectures: 1. Opium, Trade, and War in Imperial China 2. The First Emperor's Terra-Cotta Warriors 3. China's Early Golden Age: The Han Dynasty 4. Amazing Ban Clan: Historian, Soldier, Woman 5. China's Buddhist Monks and Daoist Recluses 6. Cosmopolitan Chang'an: Tang Dynasty Capital 7. China's Grand Canal: Lifeline of an Empire 8. Triumph and Tragedy in Tang Poetry 9. Life and Times of Song Dynasty Literati 10. A Day's Journey along the Qingming Scroll 11. Peasant Life on the Yellow River 12. Rice, Silk, and Tea: South China's Peasants 13. Genghis Khan and the Rise of the Mongols 14. The Mongols and Marco Polo in Xanadu 15. Admiral Zheng He's Treasure Fleet 16. China's Bound Feet, Brides, and Widows 17. Ming Dynasty Trade and Spanish Silver 18. The Great Wall and Military Life in China 19. Qing Dynasty: Soul Stealers and Sedition 20. Emperor Qianlong Hosts a British Ambassador 21. The Taiping Rebellion and Its Cult Leader 22. China's Treaty Ports 23. Experiencing China's Civil Service Exams 24. China's Last Dynasty: Fall of the Manchus

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