Ming Dynasty Archives - Jottings from the Granite Studio

“Beijing’s Mystery Canal: Centuries-Old Brook Reimagined in Qianmen Neighborhood,” The Beijinger

July 4, 2017

Beijing has transformed a long-lost waterway into a beautiful new park near Qianmen. The trouble is, the brook doesn’t seem to exist on any historical maps of the city. [Read More...]

“What Can Donald Trump Learn from China’s Great Wall?” Radii China

June 28, 2017

What Can Donald Trump Learn from China’s Great [Read More...]

“Capital Histories: How Beijing became the capital of China,” The Beijinger

December 30, 2016

How did Beijing become the capital of China? My short-form history of Beijing for the Nov/Dec issue of The Beijinger. [Read More...]

“A Stroll Along Beijing’s Restored Canal System and the Ongoing Plan to Revive its Ancient Waterways,” The Beijinger

September 7, 2016

A project to reconstruct a section of an ancient canal system that once flowed through the heart of Beijing is finally nearing completion. [Read More...]

“Anyone seen the Son of Heaven?” World of Chinese Magazine

August 27, 2016

How do you lose an emperor? I mean, it’s not like you would confuse the Son of Heaven with somebody’s wayward schnauzer. [Read More...]

“How to Barbecue Relatives and Win Friends,” World of Chinese Magazine

August 5, 2016

Turns out scorched earth tactics are bad for identifying dead kings [Read More...]

From the Archives: The Ghost of Zheng He rises…again

July 11, 2016

In honor of Maritime Day in China, an updated piece from the archives on whether the ocean voyages of Ming Admiral Zheng He were really as peaceful as many Chinese historians today claim. [Read More...]

The 10-year anniversary of Macau’s handover and the politics of history

December 19, 2009

If the British takeover of Hong Kong was the [Read More...]