Leading the Middle Kingdom: Eight emperors and how they shaped China

For our final podcast, join me as we look back on the lives of our emperors and what their history might say about modern China.

This time we look at the fall of the Chinese empire and the last emperor, Puyi.

This week we look at the woman who steadied the empire after the shocks of the Opium Wars and ruled China in all but name for half a century

This time we look at the life of the Daoguang Emperor and the humiliation of the opium wars.

Foreign takeover or merging of two cultures? This time we look at Kublai Khan - the first non-Chinese emperor.

This time we take a step away from our emperors to look at the aftermath of Wu Zetian’s rule and the effect the An Lushan rebellion had on the country.

Wu Zetian was unique amongst all the Chinese emperors - the only woman to assume the title. Join me as we take a look at the life of this extraordinary woman.

Join me as we look at the founder of one of China’s golden ages - Tang Taizong

Join me as we take a short break from our emperors to look at the war of the Three Kingdoms.

Join me this time as we look at the man who nearly doubled the size of his empire - Han Wudi.

Join us for this episode, where we learn more about the man who became the first emperor of a unified China.

Let’s begin our journey through two thousand years of Chinese history by looking at the state of the country before the advent of the first emperor.