Researchers found the remains of a woman over 2,000 years old in northwest China with red-dyed teeth thanks to the use of cinnabar, a mineral composed of mercury sulfide. This is the first documented case in history where this material has been used to pigment teeth, leading experts to nickname the woman the Red Princess […]
China
Posted inAncient Rome
Maes Titianus, the Merchant Who Organized the First Roman Expedition to China
Trade has been, since time immemorial, one of the main driving forces behind contact between civilizations. In this context, the Silk Road played a crucial role in connecting the Mediterranean world with the Far East. Among the many figures who contributed to this exchange, one of the earliest was Maes Titianus. This Macedonian merchant, of […]
Posted inAntiquity
How a Dispute Over a Board Game Led to the Rebellion of the Seven States, Which Paved the Way for Chinese Unification
Like almost every country, especially those spanning vast territories, China went through a unification process that culminated during the reign of the Qin dynasty, in the era known as the Warring States period, in 221 BCE. However, not everything was resolved at that point. Less than a century later, some kings made a final attempt […]
Posted inArchaeology
Scientists Unravel the Origins of the Sogdians, the Enigmatic Merchants of the Silk Road
In a discovery that promises to reshape our understanding of cultural and genetic interactions along the Silk Road, an international team of researchers has unraveled the complex roots of the Sogdians, an ancient community of merchants originating from Central Asia. Using ancient DNA analysis, this groundbreaking study sheds light on their genetic and cultural legacy, […]
Posted inAge of Exploration
Hongzhi, the ‘Great Ruler’ of the Ming Dynasty and the Only Monogamous Emperor in Chinese History
He lived at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, becoming one of the most unusual emperors in Chinese history—not only as the first to renounce any military glory but also the only one to have a single wife, in contrast to the usual collection of consorts and concubines. A devout follower of Confucius, […]
Posted inModern Era
The World’s Richest Man in the First Half of the 19th Century Was a Chinese Merchant Who Lent Money to American Millionaires
If we asked who the wealthiest person in the world was in the first half of the 19th century, many would likely think of Queen Victoria or an American multimillionaire like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Morgan, or Ford. But the queen did not ascend the throne until 1837 and thus needed decades to amass her fortune, estimated […]
Posted inAge of Exploration
George Anson, the British seafarer who circumnavigated the world to capture the Spanish Acapulco Galleon
The War of Jenkins’ Ear pitted Britain against Spain from 1739 to 1748, leaving three particularly noteworthy episodes in its wake. One was the incident that sparked it, leading the British to name it that way while Spanish call it Guerra del Asiento. Another was Admiral Howard Vernon’s disastrous attempt to conquer Cartagena de Indias, […]
Posted inModern Era, Science
The Collapse of the Ming Dynasty Began with a Megadrought, Revealed by Tree Rings
Climate change has played a crucial role in shaping societies throughout history. Recently, a study led by Chinese researchers has shown how these climatic changes may have significantly influenced the fall of the Ming Dynasty, one of the most prominent and long-lasting in China’s history. The findings suggest that the collapse of this dynasty, usually […]
Posted inModern Era
Qian Xuesen, the Scientist Expelled from the United States Who Brought China Into the Space Race
On October 31, 2009, an elderly man, nearly a century old, passed away in Beijing. His name was Qian Xuesen, and in China, he is considered a national hero for being the father of the country’s astronautics program, to the point that China’s first manned space mission, successfully carried out in 2003, was based on […]
Posted inModern Era
The World Red Swastika Society, the ancient Chinese organization created in imitation of the Red Cross
No one should be alarmed by the title of this article because it has nothing to do with Nazism. We are going to talk about the Shìjiè Hóngwànzìhuì, an expression that is usually translated as the World Red Swastika Society, which refers to a Chinese philanthropic institution founded in 1922 as an imitation of the […]
