General History of China

S1 E202013

The Parallel System of Commanderies and Kingdoms

Episode Synopsis

The early Han balances centrally administered commanderies with semi-autonomous kingdoms, creating tensions that test the new dynasty’s ability to maintain unity.

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China Road

Episode 1

The Earliest Chinese

Episode 2

The Rise of Agriculture

Episode 3

The Origins of Civilization

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The Age of Early States

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The Xia Dynasty

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The Rise and Fall of the Shang Dynasty

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Shang Civilization

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King Wu's Conquest of Shang

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The Regency of the Duke of Zhou

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The Decline of the Zhou Royal House

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The Struggle for Supremacy in the Spring and Autumn Period

Episode 12

Confucius

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Reforms Among the Warring States

Episode 14

The Seven Warring States

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The Hundred Schools of Thought

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The Rise of the State of Qin

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Qin Shi Huang Unifies China

Episode 18

The Chu-Han Contention

Episode 19

The Parallel System of Commanderies and Kingdoms

Episode 20

The Rule of Wen and Jing

Episode 21

Emperor Wu of Han

Episode 22

Confucian Learning During the Two Han Dynasties

Episode 23

The Reign of Emperors Zhao and Xuan

Episode 24

Wang Mang's Reforms

Episode 25

The Restoration of Emperor Guangwu

Episode 26

The Silk Road

Episode 27

The Pure Critiques and the Partisan Prohibitions

Episode 28

The Yellow Turban Rebellion

Episode 29

The Three Kingdoms

Episode 30

Zhuge Liang Governs Shu

Episode 31

The Unification Under Western Jin

Episode 32

The Spirit of the Wei and Jin Periods

Episode 33

Rule by the Great Aristocratic Clans

Episode 34

Emperor Wu of Liang's Government

Episode 35

Emperor Xiaowen's Reforms

Episode 36

Emporer Wu of Northern Zhou

Episode 37

The Rise and Fall of the Chen Dynasty

Episode 38

Buddhism in the Wei and Jin Periods

Episode 39

The Restoration of Unity

Episode 40

Emperor Yang of Sui: Achievements and Failures

Episode 41

The Reign of Zhenguan

Episode 42

Empress Wu Zetian

Episode 43

The Prosperous Kaiyuan Era

Episode 44

The An Lushan Rebellion

Episode 45

The Predicament of the Middle and Late Tang

Episode 46

Chang'an: Metropolis of the World

Episode 47

The Rise and Fall of the Tibetan Empire

Episode 48

Dunhuang

Episode 49

The Tang Dynasty's Foreign Relations

Episode 50

Religion During the Tang Dynasty

Episode 51

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Episode 52

Emperor Taizu of Song

Episode 53

The Chanyuan Treaty

Episode 54

Governing the Realm with the Scholar-Officials

Episode 55

Wang Anshi's Reforms

Episode 56

The Jingkang Catastrophe

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War and Peace Between Song and Jin

Episode 58

The Southern Song's Refuge in the Southeast

Episode 59

The Dreamlike Splendor of the Eastern Capital

Episode 60

Neo-Confucianism During the Song Dynasty

Episode 61

Song Dynasty Culture

Episode 62

The Rise of Khitan

Episode 63

The Founding of Western Liao

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Wanyan Aguda

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The Rise and Fall of the Jin Dynasty

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Liao and Jin Culture

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The Rise and Fall of Western Xia

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The Rise of the Mongols

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Kublai Khan

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Imperial Progresses Between the Two Capitals

Episode 71

Phagpa, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan

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The Maritime Silk Road

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Marco Polo and China

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Emperor Shun of Yuan

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Zhu Yuanzhang, Founder of the Ming Dynasty

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The Yongle Emperor Moves the Capital

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Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Oceans

Episode 78

The Grand Secretariat System

Episode 79

The Tumu Crisis

Episode 80

Wang Yangming's Philosophy of Mind

Episode 81

Maritime Frontiers and Foreign Trade

Episode 82

Zhang Juzheng's Reforms

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The Jesuits Come to China

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The Market Towns of Jiangnan

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Silver Capital

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The Chongzhen Emperor

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Entering and Ruling the Central Plains

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The Consolidation of the Qing Dynasty

Episode 89

The Recovery of Taiwan

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The Great Enterprise of Unification

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The Grand Council

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Incorporating the Poll Tax into the Land Tax

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Civil Government and the Literary Inquisitions

Episode 94

Reluctant Self-Strengthening

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The Opium War

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The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

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The First Sino-Japanse War

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Reform and Revolution

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100

The End of Imperial Rule

Episode 100

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