TV ShowEnded

General History of China

9.8 / 10 · 5 votes

2013

~45 min / ep

1 season

100 episodes

Documentary

Tracing Chinese civilization from its prehistoric origins to the fall of the Qing dynasty, this sweeping 100-part documentary explores the rulers, wars, philosophies, religions, cultural achievements and social transformations that shaped one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Through archaeological evidence, historical records and expert commentary, the series presents a chronological account of China’s dynasties, peoples and institutions across thousands of years of history.

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Cast

Xu Tao

赵述仁

Seasons

This 100-part season traces the development of Chinese civilization from prehistoric communities and the earliest dynasties through the fall of the Qing Empire, examining the rulers, institutions, ideas, conflicts and cultural achievements that shaped China’s history.

1.China Road
21-01-201345 min
An introduction to the long development of Chinese civilization, tracing the ideas, institutions, cultural traditions and historical forces that shaped China’s distinctive path fro...
2.The Earliest Chinese
21-01-201345 min
Archaeological discoveries reveal the prehistoric peoples who lived across ancient China and the gradual formation of communities, cultures and shared traditions that would contrib...
3.The Rise of Agriculture
21-01-201345 min
The episode explores the origins of farming in ancient China, including the domestication of millet and rice, the growth of settled communities and the social changes produced by a...
4.The Origins of Civilization
21-01-201345 min
Early cities, ritual centers, crafts and systems of social organization illuminate the transition from Neolithic cultures to complex civilization in the lands that became China.
5.The Age of Early States
21-01-201345 min
Competing regional societies developed fortified settlements, political hierarchies and ritual authority, laying the foundations for the earliest states recorded in Chinese history...
6.The Xia Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
Archaeology and ancient texts are examined in the search for the Xia, traditionally regarded as China’s first dynasty, with particular attention to the Erlitou culture and debates...
7.The Rise and Fall of the Shang Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
The Shang dynasty emerges as a powerful Bronze Age kingdom before internal weakness and military defeat bring its rule to an end at the hands of the Zhou.
8.Shang Civilization
21-01-201345 min
Oracle bones, bronze vessels, royal tombs and sacrificial practices reveal the political order, religious beliefs, warfare and artistic achievements of Shang civilization.
9.King Wu's Conquest of Shang
21-01-201345 min
The Zhou campaign against the last Shang king culminates in the Battle of Muye, establishing a new dynasty and introducing the enduring political idea of the Mandate of Heaven.
10.The Regency of the Duke of Zhou
21-01-201345 min
Serving as regent for the young King Cheng, the Duke of Zhou suppresses rebellion, consolidates Zhou rule and helps shape political and ritual institutions revered by later generat...
11.The Decline of the Zhou Royal House
21-01-201345 min
The authority of the Zhou kings weakens as regional lords grow more powerful, leading to the fall of the Western Zhou and the fragmented political order of the Eastern Zhou.
12.The Struggle for Supremacy in the Spring and Autumn Period
21-01-201345 min
Powerful states and ambitious rulers compete for leadership while alliances, reforms and warfare transform the political landscape of the Spring and Autumn period.
13.Confucius
21-01-201345 min
The life and teachings of Confucius are explored, from his search for ethical government to the development of ideas about ritual, virtue, education and social responsibility.
14.Reforms Among the Warring States
21-01-201345 min
Rival states adopt sweeping military, administrative and economic reforms as rulers seek stronger governments and armies during an age of intensifying competition.
15.The Seven Warring States
21-01-201345 min
The seven major powers struggle for survival and supremacy through diplomacy, strategy and mass warfare, setting the stage for Qin’s eventual conquest of its rivals.
16.The Hundred Schools of Thought
21-01-201345 min
Philosophers including Confucians, Daoists, Mohists and Legalists offer competing answers to the disorder of their age, creating a rich intellectual legacy for Chinese civilization...
17.The Rise of the State of Qin
21-01-201345 min
Philosophers including Confucians, Daoists, Mohists and Legalists offer competing answers to the disorder of their age, creating a rich intellectual legacy for Chinese civilization...
18.Qin Shi Huang Unifies China
21-01-201345 min
The king of Qin conquers the rival states, becomes China’s First Emperor and imposes far-reaching systems of administration, law, measurement, writing and imperial control.
19.The Chu-Han Contention
21-01-201345 min
After the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang battle for control of China in a dramatic civil war that ends with the founding of the Han dynasty.
20.The Parallel System of Commanderies and Kingdoms
21-01-201345 min
The early Han balances centrally administered commanderies with semi-autonomous kingdoms, creating tensions that test the new dynasty’s ability to maintain unity.
21.The Rule of Wen and Jing
21-01-201345 min
Emperors Wen and Jing reduce taxes and state burdens, encourage recovery and strengthen the Han through cautious government, producing an era remembered for stability and prosperit...
22.Emperor Wu of Han
21-01-201345 min
Emperor Wu expands Han power, confronts the Xiongnu, centralizes authority and promotes Confucian state ideology, while the costs of warfare place heavy demands on the empire.
23.Confucian Learning During the Two Han Dynasties
21-01-201345 min
Confucian classics become central to education, scholarship and government as Han thinkers interpret ancient texts and establish traditions that influence imperial China for centur...
24.The Reign of Emperors Zhao and Xuan
21-01-201345 min
Following Emperor Wu’s expensive campaigns, the Han court pursues recovery, administrative reform and more restrained government under Emperors Zhao and Xuan.
25.Wang Mang's Reforms
21-01-201345 min
Wang Mang seizes the throne and launches ambitious reforms intended to restore ancient institutions, but resistance, economic disruption and rebellion bring his Xin dynasty to coll...
26.The Restoration of Emperor Guangwu
21-01-201345 min
Liu Xiu reunifies the realm after years of rebellion, restores the Han dynasty as Emperor Guangwu and rebuilds imperial government from a new capital at Luoyang.
27.The Silk Road
21-01-201345 min
Diplomacy, conquest and long-distance trade connect Han China with Central Asia and lands farther west, carrying goods, technologies, religions and cultures across Eurasia.
28.The Pure Critiques and the Partisan Prohibitions
21-01-201345 min
Scholar-officials criticize corruption and eunuch power at the Eastern Han court, provoking political purges that deepen factional conflict and weaken the dynasty.
29.The Yellow Turban Rebellion
21-01-201345 min
Religious movements, social distress and resentment of the Han government erupt into the Yellow Turban uprising, accelerating the breakdown of imperial authority.
30.The Three Kingdoms
21-01-201345 min
The collapse of the Han gives rise to the rival states of Wei, Shu and Wu, whose rulers and generals compete through warfare, diplomacy and shifting alliances.
31.Zhuge Liang Governs Shu
21-01-201345 min
As chief minister of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang seeks to stabilize the state, improve administration, develop the southwest and pursue campaigns against the stronger kingdom of Wei.
32.The Unification Under Western Jin
21-01-201345 min
he Sima family replaces Wei, conquers Shu and Wu and briefly reunites China under the Western Jin before court conflict and rebellion undermine the dynasty.
33.The Spirit of the Wei and Jin Periods
21-01-201345 min
Amid political turmoil, scholars and artists cultivate personal expression, philosophical debate and unconventional lifestyles that define the celebrated cultural spirit of the Wei...
34.Rule by the Great Aristocratic Clans
21-01-201345 min
Powerful hereditary families dominate politics and society during the era of division, shaping court government, official appointments and relations between northern émigrés and so...
35.Emperor Wu of Liang's Government
21-01-201345 min
Emperor Wu presides over a long reign marked by cultural patronage, Buddhist devotion and administrative ambition, but court weakness and rebellion ultimately devastate the Liang d...
36.Emperor Xiaowen's Reforms
21-01-201345 min
The Northern Wei emperor moves the capital to Luoyang and promotes sweeping cultural and political reforms intended to integrate his dynasty with the traditions of the Central Plai...
37.Emporer Wu of Northern Zhou
21-01-201345 min
Emperor Wu strengthens the Northern Zhou, curbs rival institutions and conquers Northern Qi, bringing northern China closer to reunification before his sudden death.
38.The Rise and Fall of the Chen Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
The final southern dynasty struggles to preserve stability and independence until internal weakness and the military power of Sui bring the Chen dynasty to an end.
39.Buddhism in the Wei and Jin Periods
21-01-201345 min
Buddhism spreads and adapts across a divided China, influencing philosophy, art, ritual and monastic life while becoming deeply rooted in Chinese society.
40.The Restoration of Unity
21-01-201345 min
After centuries of division, Yang Jian founds the Sui dynasty, defeats rival regimes and reunifies China through centralized institutions and large-scale reconstruction.
41.Emperor Yang of Sui: Achievements and Failures
21-01-201345 min
Emperor Yang expands canals, capitals and imperial projects, but costly wars, forced labor and rebellion turn spectacular ambition into the rapid collapse of the Sui.
42.The Reign of Zhenguan
21-01-201345 min
Emperor Taizong and his ministers establish a respected model of Tang government based on political consultation, military success, legal order and restrained rule.
43.Empress Wu Zetian
21-01-201345 min
Wu Zetian rises from imperial consort to become China’s only female emperor, using political skill, administrative reform and patronage to secure her extraordinary rule.
44.The Prosperous Kaiyuan Era
21-01-201345 min
Under Emperor Xuanzong, the Tang reaches a height of wealth, cultural achievement and international influence before complacency and court tensions threaten the flourishing empire.
45.The An Lushan Rebellion
21-01-201345 min
A frontier commander’s revolt plunges the Tang into years of war, causing immense destruction and permanently weakening central authority.
46.The Predicament of the Middle and Late Tang
21-01-201345 min
Regional military governors, eunuch influence, fiscal strain and court factionalism erode Tang power as the dynasty struggles to govern an increasingly divided empire.
47.Chang'an: Metropolis of the World
21-01-201345 min
The Tang capital is presented as a vast, cosmopolitan city where officials, merchants, diplomats, monks and travelers from across Asia meet.
48.The Rise and Fall of the Tibetan Empire
21-01-201345 min
The Tibetan Empire expands across the plateau and Central Asia, alternately fighting and negotiating with Tang China before internal conflict brings its imperial power to an end.
49.Dunhuang
21-01-201345 min
The oasis city of Dunhuang preserves the artistic and religious legacy of the Silk Road through its caves, manuscripts, murals and centuries of cultural exchange.
50.The Tang Dynasty's Foreign Relations
21-01-201345 min
Envoys, merchants, monks and armies connect the Tang with neighboring states and distant regions, making the dynasty a central power in a broad Asian world.
51.Religion During the Tang Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
Buddhism, Daoism and foreign faiths flourish in Tang China, shaping art and society while also becoming entangled in debates over wealth, authority and state control.
52.The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
21-01-201345 min
Following the Tang collapse, short-lived northern dynasties and competing southern kingdoms divide China until new political and military forces prepare the way for reunification.
53.Emperor Taizu of Song
21-01-201345 min
Zhao Kuangyin founds the Song dynasty, reunifies much of China and limits military power through institutions designed to place civil government above the generals.
54.The Chanyuan Treaty
21-01-201345 min
After years of conflict, Song and Liao negotiate a landmark peace that stabilizes their frontier and creates a lasting diplomatic relationship between rival empires.
55.Governing the Realm with the Scholar-Officials
21-01-201345 min
The Song expands examinations, schools and civil administration, creating a government in which educated scholar-officials exercise unprecedented influence.
56.Wang Anshi's Reforms
21-01-201345 min
Wang Anshi introduces controversial policies to strengthen state finances, defense and rural society, dividing the Song court between reformers and their opponents.
57.The Jingkang Catastrophe
21-01-201345 min
Jurchen armies capture the Northern Song capital and its emperors, ending the dynasty’s rule in the north and forcing the court to rebuild in the south.
58.War and Peace Between Song and Jin
21-01-201345 min
The Southern Song and Jin alternate between fierce warfare and negotiated peace as each seeks security, legitimacy and control of the contested frontier.
59.The Southern Song's Refuge in the Southeast
21-01-201345 min
Driven from northern China, the Song establishes a new center in the prosperous southeast, where commerce, maritime activity and urban culture support a resilient dynasty.
60.The Dreamlike Splendor of the Eastern Capital
21-01-201345 min
The bustling life of Northern Song Kaifeng is reconstructed through markets, festivals, entertainment and urban scenes immortalized in art and literature.
61.Neo-Confucianism During the Song Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
Song thinkers reinterpret Confucian tradition through new discussions of morality, human nature and the cosmos, culminating in a philosophy that reshapes education and government.
62.Song Dynasty Culture
21-01-201345 min
Printing, scholarship, painting, literature, science and urban life illustrate the extraordinary cultural creativity of the Song era.
63.The Rise of Khitan
21-01-201345 min
The Khitan peoples unite under Abaoji, found the Liao dynasty and build an empire that combines steppe traditions with institutions suited to ruling agricultural lands.
64.The Founding of Western Liao
21-01-201345 min
After the fall of the Liao in the east, Yelü Dashi leads Khitan followers westward and establishes a powerful new state in Central Asia.
65.Wanyan Aguda
21-01-201345 min
The Jurchen leader Wanyan Aguda unites his people, rebels against Liao domination and founds the Jin dynasty, transforming the balance of power in northern China.
66.The Rise and Fall of the Jin Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
The Jin conquers the Liao and Northern Song, rules a vast multiethnic realm and then faces internal strain and the devastating advance of the Mongols.
67.Liao and Jin Culture
21-01-201345 min
The cultural achievements of the Khitan Liao and Jurchen Jin reveal societies that blended their own traditions with the institutions, religions and arts of neighboring peoples.
68.The Rise and Fall of Western Xia
21-01-201345 min
The Tangut state builds a distinctive empire along the northwestern frontier, develops its own script and culture, and survives between powerful neighbors until the Mongol conquest...
69.The Rise of the Mongols
21-01-201345 min
Temüjin unites the Mongol tribes as Genghis Khan and creates a military empire whose campaigns transform Eurasia and threaten every state in northern China.
70.Kublai Khan
21-01-201345 min
Kublai Khan completes the conquest of the Southern Song, establishes the Yuan dynasty and governs China as ruler of a vast, multiethnic Mongol empire.
71.Imperial Progresses Between the Two Capitals
21-01-201345 min
The Yuan court moves seasonally between Dadu and Shangdu, reflecting the dynasty’s effort to balance steppe traditions with the administration of China.
72.Phagpa, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan
21-01-201345 min
The Tibetan lama Phagpa becomes an influential adviser to Kublai Khan, shaping Yuan religious policy and creating a new script intended for the empire.
73.The Maritime Silk Road
21-01-201345 min
Ports, ships and merchant communities link Yuan China to Southeast Asia, India and the wider Indian Ocean through a flourishing network of maritime trade.
74.Marco Polo and China
21-01-201345 min
The celebrated traveler’s account provides a window into Yuan China while raising enduring questions about observation, memory and the transmission of knowledge between East and We...
75.Emperor Shun of Yuan
21-01-201345 min
The last Yuan emperor confronts factional conflict, natural disasters, fiscal crisis and widespread rebellion as Mongol rule in China collapses.
76.Zhu Yuanzhang, Founder of the Ming Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
From impoverished beginnings and rebellion against the Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang rises to found the Ming dynasty and creates an intensely centralized imperial state.
77.The Yongle Emperor Moves the Capital
21-01-201345 min
The Yongle Emperor transfers the Ming capital to Beijing, constructs the Forbidden City and reshapes the political and strategic center of the empire.
78.Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Oceans
21-01-201345 min
The Ming court dispatches Zheng He’s enormous fleets across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, projecting imperial prestige through diplomacy, trade and maritime power.
79.The Grand Secretariat System
21-01-201345 min
The Ming grand secretariat evolves into a powerful coordinating institution, helping emperors manage the bureaucracy despite the dynasty’s formal rejection of the chancellorship.
80.The Tumu Crisis
21-01-201345 min
A disastrous campaign against the Oirats ends with the capture of the Ming emperor, creating a succession crisis and exposing serious weaknesses in court and military leadership.
81.Wang Yangming's Philosophy of Mind
21-01-201345 min
The philosopher Wang Yangming teaches that moral knowledge is rooted within the mind and must be united with action, challenging established interpretations of Neo-Confucian learni...
82.Maritime Frontiers and Foreign Trade
21-01-201345 min
83.Zhang Juzheng's Reforms
21-01-201345 min
The grand secretary Zhang Juzheng strengthens finances, administration and imperial authority through ambitious reforms, but his program faces reversal after his death.
84.The Jesuits Come to China
21-01-201345 min
Jesuit missionaries enter late Ming China and build relationships through astronomy, mathematics, cartography and scholarship, opening a complex new era of cultural exchange.
85.The Market Towns of Jiangnan
21-01-201345 min
Commercial towns, specialized crafts and regional markets transform the prosperous Jiangnan region into one of the most dynamic centers of the late imperial economy.
86.Silver Capital
21-01-201345 min
The influx and circulation of silver reshape taxation, trade and everyday life in Ming China, tying the empire more closely to emerging global economic networks.
87.The Chongzhen Emperor
21-01-201345 min
The final Ming emperor struggles against rebellion, fiscal collapse, factional conflict and external threats as the dynasty moves toward catastrophe.
88.Entering and Ruling the Central Plains
21-01-201345 min
The Manchus cross the Great Wall, seize Beijing and begin the difficult process of conquering and governing China under the new Qing dynasty.
89.The Consolidation of the Qing Dynasty
21-01-201345 min
Early Qing rulers suppress resistance, rebuild administration and adapt imperial institutions in order to secure their authority over a vast and diverse realm.
90.The Recovery of Taiwan
21-01-201345 min
The Qing defeats the Zheng regime in Taiwan and incorporates the island into the empire, reshaping maritime defense and cross-strait administration.
91.The Great Enterprise of Unification
21-01-201345 min
Through warfare, diplomacy and frontier administration, the Qing expands and consolidates a multiethnic empire across Inner Asia and the Chinese heartland.
92.The Grand Council
21-01-201345 min
Created to handle urgent military affairs, the Grand Council develops into the Qing emperor’s most efficient instrument for confidential decision-making and centralized rule.
93.Incorporating the Poll Tax into the Land Tax
21-01-201345 min
A major Qing fiscal reform merges head taxes with land taxes, simplifying collection and altering the relationship between population, property and state revenue.
94.Civil Government and the Literary Inquisitions
21-01-201345 min
The Qing sponsors scholarship and cultural projects while also prosecuting writings considered politically dangerous, revealing the close connection between learning and imperial c...
95.Reluctant Self-Strengthening
21-01-201345 min
After military defeats, Qing officials adopt Western weapons, industry and technical knowledge while attempting to preserve the dynasty’s traditional political and cultural foundat...
96.The Opium War
21-01-201345 min
Commercial conflict, opium smuggling and diplomatic confrontation lead to war with Britain, exposing Qing military weakness and beginning a new era of unequal foreign pressure.
97.The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
21-01-201345 min
A vast religious rebellion establishes the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and wages a devastating civil war that transforms Qing politics, society and regional military power.
98.The First Sino-Japanse War
21-01-201345 min
Conflict over Korea ends in a decisive Japanese victory, revealing the limits of Qing reform and triggering a profound crisis over China’s future.
99.Reform and Revolution
21-01-201345 min
Intellectuals, officials and activists pursue constitutional reform, modernization and revolution as the Qing struggles to respond to domestic crisis and foreign pressure.
100.The End of Imperial Rule
21-01-201345 min
Revolution spreads across China, forcing the abdication of the last Qing emperor in 1912 and bringing more than two thousand years of imperial government to an end.

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