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 […]
China
Posted inAntiquity, History
The Fabulous “White City” from Which the Xiongnu Attacked the Great Wall of China
The Xiongnu were a group of nomadic tribes that became the dominant empire on the steppes during the 2nd century BC and whose evolution may have given rise to some of the groups that were later better known, such as the Mongols, the Turks, and even the Huns, with whom some historians identify them. Thus, […]
Posted inAntiquity
Helian Bobo, the Turbulent Xiongnu Emperor Who Demanded Invulnerable Armor and Arrows that Could Pierce It from His Blacksmiths
The description left by the chroniclers says he was very tall (over two meters), strong, handsome, intelligent, ingenious, eloquent… but also arrogant, violent, ungrateful, cruel, and despotic. Such is the portrait that has come down to us of Helian Bobo, also known as Wulie of Xia, the Xiongnu emperor who proclaimed himself a descendant of […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Liangzhu was Built in the Late Neolithic Period with Advanced Techniques such as “Grass-wrapped Clay Blocks” and a Novel Organization of Labor
The majestic Forbidden City in Beijing astonishes its visitors with its colorful roofs and intricate wood carvings, along with its tall walls of red brick. However, beyond its impressive appearance, traditional Chinese architecture is distinguished by the predominant use of earth as the main building material and the application of various earth construction technologies. Since […]
Posted inCulture, History
Go, the Oldest Continuously Played Board Game to Date
Born in Berthelsdorf (Saxony, before German unification) in the mid-19th century, Oskar Korschelt had barely reached adulthood when he accepted a position as a chemistry professor at the Tokyo Medical College, later working for the Japanese government and industry. He spent almost a decade in the land of the rising sun, enough time to develop […]
Posted inAntiquity
How China’s Han Dynasty Got the Heavenly Horses to Create its Mighty Cavalry
Days ago, in the article dedicated to Zhang Qian’s travels, we referred to a conflict that pitted China during the Han Dynasty against the Kingdom of Dayuan in Central Asia. Its inhabitants possessed a high-quality horse breed, the so-called Fergana horses, which became the object of Chinese ambition to enhance their cavalry strength and thereby […]
Posted inArchaeology
The Likeness of 6th Century Chinese Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou Reconstructed from DNA of his Remains
An ancient Chinese emperor from 1,500 years ago has been reconstructed by a team of researchers using DNA extracted from his remains. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou dynasty’s face has been reconstructed, shedding light on his appearance and potential cause of death. The study, published in Current Biology, suggests that Emperor Wu’s death at […]
Posted inAntiquity
The Travels of Zhang Qian, the Chinese Ambassador who Opened the Silk Road while Seeking a Military Alliance
The Silk Road was born over two millennia ago, a network of commercial and cultural routes interconnecting much of continental Asia and branching out to the islands of Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Mediterranean. The Road emerged around the 1st century BC, not for economic reasons but strategic ones, initiated by China, which sent […]
Posted inArchaeology
Tomb of Famous Ming Dynasty Official Discovered in China
In the second half of 2023, the Shanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute, in collaboration with the Xinzhou City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, conducted archaeological excavations in Xinfu District as part of the realignment project for National Highway 108 between Shahe and Shilingguan. During the excavations, two Longshan culture sites and sites from the […]
Posted inArchaeology
Paleontologists Discover 240-Million-Year-Old “Chinese Dragon”
Scientists have unveiled a remarkably complete fossil of a specialized reptile named Dinocephalosaurus that swam the oceans 240 million years ago during the Triassic Period. This bizarre creature measured over 16 feet long and boasted an extremely elongated neck containing 32 individual vertebrae – more than any other known species from the Triassic. This enabled […]
