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Anti-War Poetry in Ancient China
Four ancient Chinese poets on human suffering amid turbulence and war
Qianlong Emperor: The Worst Poet in Chinese History?
The longest-lived ruler of the Qing dynasty wrote 43,000 poems in his lifetime, most of them bad
The Challenges of Adoption in Imperial China
The importance of male heirs made for complex negotiations of ritual, law, and lineage for those wishing to adopt
Gay Emperors in Chinese History
Five love stories about ancient monarchs and their male confidantes
Astronomy Domine
When civilizations collide over the stars, there is nothing left to do but declare battle…to the death!
Hair Razing
Two recent dramas offer new explanations to why the wife of Emperor Qianlong cut her hair—and got herself banished from court
Four Faithful Chinese Emperors
Emperors that broke the stereotype of being serial philanderers
Court Confidential
China’s emperors were no strangers to the curse of bad data—and built their own secret system to avoid it
The Unforbidden
After years of neglect, the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum is finally being opened up and dragged into the 21st century