Just in time for Liberation Day, I'm presenting this timely episode. Back in 1890, with the aim of protecting American companies from foreign competition, tariffs were jacked up significantly.  With all the advances in transport, logistics, and new technologies, world trade was shifting into a higher gear. For a few centuries, the Ming and Qing emperors did their damnedest to regulate the invasion of European traders clamoring to do business with Chinese merchants. The foreigners wanted free, open, and unfettered trade with China. By the 1890’s and a few humiliating unequal treaties later, the dream finally came true. That’s when the real problems started. Thanks to Dan Stein for this topic idea we discussed over lunch recently. If you'd like to support the China History Podcast and listen ad-free and get new episodes weeks or months early:

CHP Premium: https://teacupmedianetwork.supercast.com/,  CHP Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChinaHistoryPodcast

This is the second of a two-part mini-series introducing the world of European plant hunting in China. In this episode, we look at some of the more noteworthy names and their accomplishments. After the exploits of Robert Fortune, many other plant hunters followed in his footsteps to China. We'll look at Henry Fletcher Hance, Père David, Augustine Henry, Ernest Wilson, and George Forrest, among others. Thanks to all for for listening.

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I was afraid I'd barely be able to scrape together enough material for a short episode. Instead, this one is gonna take almost two hours to tell. I hope no one minds that I opted not to drown anyone with Latin names and to go easy on the scientific aspects behind plants. The focus will be on the European and later, American plant hunters who came to China between the 16th and 20th centuries. This episode will look at some of the exploits of the early Jesuit missionaries up through Robert Fortune's four trips to China. Next time in Part 2, all the famous post-Fortune plant hunters will be featured. Be looking for that soon. 

If you'd like to support the China History Podcast and listen ad-free and get new episodes weeks or months early:

CHP Premium: https://teacupmedianetwork.supercast.com/

CHP Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChinaHistoryPodcast

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Calling all fans of podcast great, Lindsay Graham! Here's a sampling of the very popular podcast, History Daily.

On History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history.

Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July 1969, when humankind reached the moon, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time.

So if you’re stuck in traffic, bored at work—wherever you are, listen to History Daily to remind yourself that something incredible happened to make that day historic.

A co-production from award-winning podcasters Airship and Noiser.

LINKS to HISTORY DAILY

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/31PSVhUGECv1bdBfPSv3Nf?si=6ed7018e08084034

APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-daily/id1591095413

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Former BBC reporter and master jade carver Andrew Shaw is back. What an informative interview this one turned out to be! I hope you all enjoy this discussion of the history and legends behind jade. I learned quite a bit during this brief talk. I hope you do too.

Links to Andrew Shaw's books about jade:

"A Jade Treasury" https://a.co/d/f2ynsRF 

"Jade Life" https://a.co/d/0yvYPbZ

CCTV Documentary https://youtu.be/GWxFucq1o60?si=rsMeqqjMgy9Fbrg-

I welcomed Wuhan-based Andrew Shaw onto the CHP to talk about his book. It's all about the plundering of China's cultural treasures and imperial artifacts by not just the British, French, and Americans. It seems everyone got in on the act. Even the local people. It's a miracle there was anything left for Chian's museums. Many of you are familiar with the stories about looting that took place in China between the 1840s and the turn of the century. In Andrew Shaw's book, "Spoil" we'll look at the extent of what happened. And on the next episode, we'll feature Andrew again, this time talking about his new book on the history of jade. That's coming February 16th. Of course, Patreon and CHP Premium subscribers will get to hear it a couple weeks earlier. Here's the link if you're interested. https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChinaHistoryPodcast

Amazon Link to "Spoil" by Mr. Andrew Shaw: https://a.co/d/12c6kPF

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With the Singapore History series out of the way, and 2025 off and running, here's the first special interview episode of the year. Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Joel Bigman, author of a new book called "The Second Journey." If you're familiar with the Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West," this one by Joel might sound familiar. You might never look at "Journey to the West" the same way again. This was quite an interesting and unique story that combined two ancient cultures. It's been called “The World’s first Chinese-Jewish Historical Fantasy.” Nuff said. I hope you enjoy this interview.

Here's a link to the book: https://a.co/d/9oRyiN8

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First of all, to all of you who lasted through the entire series up to this concluding episode, I extend to you, my deepest appreciation. I hope you learned a few things about Singapore.

Here it is, the final installment of the series. I worked on this particular episode during my Oct-Nov China-HK-Cambodia trip. I recorded this one in Phnom Penh at the home studio of Dr. Digby James Wren. Digby's a long-time CHP listener and I gave him a ring when I hit town. Fortunately, he was in PP and generously spent a couple of days with me showing me around the city.

The series finishes off with the most recent history of Singapore, including the Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong period from 1990-2024. Everything from the 1970s to the present day is also squeezed into Part 10. Many of you might remember some of these blasts from the past.

I'll also look at Singapore-PRC relations and how things developed in recent decades. This final episode will be released on January 19, 2025. I recorded it at Digby Wren's studio in early November and it's been available on my Patreon and CHP Premium channels since then. And now finally, here it is. A special thanks to all Singaporeans and expats there who wrote to me over the past few months with your kind words.

Special thanks to Dr. Digby James Wren for allowing me the use of his Phnom Penh Studio!

Find him at:

https://substack.com/@thechairlive

https://longmekong.substack.com/

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In its hour of need, quite a few leaders rose to the occasion in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew didn't transform the nation by himself. Last time we saw how S. Rajaratnam carried the flag around the world and advanced Singapore diplomatically. In this episode, I'll also introduce Dutch economist Dr. Albert Winsemius and his good advice. Winsemius suggested a number of priorities for Singapore to gain some economic traction. The man who had to make these ideas happen in real life was Dr. Goh Keng Swee. We'll look at Dr. Goh's life and contribution to Singapore's first decades as a country. He served in several ministries of the government and made profound changes wherever he served. We'll close out the episode with the retirement of the first generation of Singapore leaders. We'll conclude the series next time in Part 10 where we'll take things up to our day.

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We left off last time with Singapore being granted sovereignty by Britain on June 3, 1959, and Tunku Abdul Rahman’s “Grand Design” speech concerning a merger between Malaysia and Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew took this pro-merger message directly to the people of Singapore. We’ll see how Lee deals with the political left by launching Operation Coldstore on February 2, 1963. Once the merger was completed, Singapore and Malaysia gave it their best shot to make it work. Happening concurrently with this sensitive time in Singapore’s history, Indonesia’s President Sukarno, in May of 1964 spoke out against the merger and began the period known as Konfrontasi or confrontation. We’ll see how things weren’t fated to succeed as the two leaders envisioned. Both The Tunku and the PAP, despite promises not to get mixed up in each others’ politics, fielded their own candidates in each other’s election. The heat started to rise and tempers flared, leading to riots in July and September 1964. We’ll also see how the March 1965 bombing of MacDonald House also created a frightening atmosphere in Singapore. We close with the debate over privileges enjoyed by indigenous Malays in Article 153 of the Constitution and how it conflicted with Lee Kuan Yew’s concept of a Malaysian Malaysia. We’ll finish things off with the exit of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia and its independence on August 9, 1965. We’ll close the episode with an excerpt from one of Singapore’s founding father S. Rajaratnam’s speech before the United Nations.

Irene Ng books of S. Rajaratnam: Amazon Link - https://a.co/d/eFD4f4g

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Post-WWII Singapore was a time that was loaded with historical events that shaped how matters would unfold throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. The matter of how to handle the future of Malaya and Singapore begins to be seriously discussed and hotly debated. To showcase what the British and political leaders in Malaya and Singapore were up against, we'll first review the events of the 1950 Maria Hertogh case and the disturbances that followed. In this episode we'll begin to explore the early life of the most consequential leader in Singapore's history and in the greater Southeast Asian scene, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. His early life, including his marriage to Mrs. Kwa Geok Choo, will be introduced. In the early 1950s, Mr. and Mrs. Lee returned from the UK and began their law careers. This led directly to Lee Kuan Yew's involvement in local Singaporean politics and the later founding, in 1954, of the PAP (People's Action Party). The elections of 1948, 1955, and 1959 will also be presented and how the results shaped the future of Singapore politics. Events will unfold that will contribute to Lee Kuan Yew's rise as the leading voice in Singapore's politics and independence. Other major figures from this time will also be introduced such as David Marshall, Lim Yew Hock, Lim Chin Siong, Fong, Swee Suan, and Ong Eng Guan. We'll close with Tunku Abdul Rahman's May 1961 "Grand Design" speech and how this became a game changer as far as how to handle the potential merger of Malaya and Singapore. This will all be introduced next time in Part 8.

Thanks to all of you who have kindly supported me by signing up for my Patreon. All ten episodes are already available there. You have my deepest appreciation. https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChinaHistoryPodcast

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