Qing Dynasty
ANCIENT HISTORY
Astronomy Domine
When civilizations collide over the stars, there is nothing left to do but declare battle…to the death!
ANCIENT HISTORY
Single and Scary
Sedition, sexuality, sorcery, and seduction were among many anxieties that the Qing associated with unmarried men
ANCIENT HISTORY
Hair Razing
Two recent dramas offer new explanations to why the wife of Emperor Qianlong cut her hair—and got herself banished from court
BOOKS
The Drug War
In “Imperial Twilight,” historian Stephen Platt shows how flawed decisions led to full-blown conflict between two mighty trading partners
HISTORY
A Beijing Boxer Tour
The legacy of the Boxer Rebellion is still visible at many sites around Beijing
HISTORY
Youth Reform
When a generation is convinced they might be the last of their civilization, they take action—and sometimes wind up bitterly disappointed
ANCIENT HISTORY
Court Confidential
China’s emperors were no strangers to the curse of bad data—and built their own secret system to avoid it
HISTORY
The Unforbidden
After years of neglect, the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum is finally being opened up and dragged into the 21st century
