It’s another of those cherished myths–that Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He made his way as far as the coasts of North America and Europe. It does a lot for Chinese national pride and it has certainly made Gavin Menzies a well-known and wealthy author. He’s become something of a strawman in China history circles, but [...]
China Daily: The "debate" over Zheng He
July 18th, 2007 · 1 Comment
Tags: Chinese History
This date in history: The bloody fall of the the Taiping capital
July 18th, 2007 · 1 Comment
On this date in 1864, Zeng Guoquan, the brother of the late-Qing statesman and official, Zeng Guofan, ordered his engineers to blow a section of the wall surrounding the Taiping capital, Tianjing (Nanjing). The wall caved and government troops charged into the city. The Taipings gave some resistance but soon Nanjing was in complete chaos [...]
Tags: this week in history
