Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The Mongols

Now that we have completed the story of China, I thought we might look at the Mongol empire.  Here are some links to some interesting reading.

The Mongol Empire - Wkipedia
Genghis Khan - Wikipedia
Kublai Khan - Wikipedia

Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The China Story - Session 6

The Age of Revolution

This last session tells the tale of the great Taiping Rebellion in which 20 million died, and the fall of the Empire in 1911. We visit Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel, jewel of the Jazz age, and follows Mao on the Long March to Yan'an, the base of the communist revolution. We meet a survivor of the Japanese massacre of Nanjing, describes the communist victory, and ends with Mao's death and the boom time of the last thirty years. The series ends as it began at home with the warmth of the Chinese family.

The Qing dynasty - Wikipedia
Hong Xiuquan - Wikipedia
Taiping Rebellion - Wikipedia
the Boxer Rebellion - Wikipedia
Pu Yi -Last emperor of China - Wikipedia
Sun Yat Sen - Wikipedia
Republic of China (1912 to 1949) - Wikipedia
The Shandong Problem - Wikipedia
The May Fourth Movement - Wikipedia
Chiang Kai Shek - Wikipedia
Mao Zedong - Wikipedia

Timeline of Chinese History

Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The China Story - Session 5

We explore the dramatic tale of China's last empire, the Qing. In the 18th century China was the biggest economy in the world, and with that prosperity came a fabulously rich culture. From China's favourite novel, to opera and storytelling houses, and all-women's mosques, it's an age full of surprises. But then came the fateful clash with the British in the First Opium War, the beginning of the end of the empire.

The Qing dynasty - Wikipedia
(Brief) History of European - Asian trade
The Spice Trade - Wikipedia
Western Imperialism in Asia - Wikipedia
The Opium Wars - Wikipedia
The Treaty Ports - Wikipedia
The Macartney Embassy - Wikipedia

Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The China Story - Session 4

The Ming

The Ming Dynasty was the time of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, when China sent treasure ships on ocean voyages to Africa and the Persian Gulf. In Nanjing we see the building of a huge replica of a Ming ocean-going junk. In Suzhou the 'Venice of China', we explores the silk industry, ceramics and lacquer-making, and visits one of China's most beautiful gardens. Then in Macao, the arrival of Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci begins China's fateful modern exchanges with the West.

The Ming dynasty - Wikipedia
The Mongol Empire - Wikipedia
Grand Canal (China) Wikipedia
Chinese Exploration - Wikipedia
Zheng He - Wikipedia
Europeans in Medieval China - Wkipedia
Why didn't China discover Australia
Marco Polo Wikipedia
Matteo Ricci in China - Wikipedia