Makers and Shakers of Chinese History

Li Hongzhang is often regarded as the pillar of politics, diplomacy, and industry of the late Qing Dynasty. Put another way, in the eyes of many Chinese and Westerners at that time, he was the one who truly governed China.

Yixin, later known as Prince Gong, had every quality to be an emperor and savior of the dynasty. But his emperor father chose his brother as the heir.

Yongzheng was the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty, who lived between 1678 and 1735. He was renowned for accomplishing several "firsts" in history for he was an innovator, always willing to try new things. He is also nicknamed as the Chinese founding father of cosplay.

Meet the 'granddaddy of rebels' in China’s history.

History has shown that being an emperor requires more than brains, blood, and bravery to move mountains and shift the heavens. Timing and a bit of luck must be factored in, as Emperor Chongzhen, the last ruler of the Ming Dynasty realized during his fateful reign.

From military strategist and astronomer to agricultural scientist and mathematician, Xu Guangqi is one of the most talented Shanghainese from the past 400 years. He rose to one of the highest government positions in the Ming Dynasty, led the introduction of Western science and technology into China, and became one of the nation’s most influential Catholic converts in the 17th century. Let’s meet him.

Need motivation to make a way out of no way? Well, this story’s for you. Rising from the humblest beginnings, Zhu Yuanzhang made it to become the first emperor of a dynastic monarchy that ruled ancient China for some 276 years. How on earth was he able to pull that off? What kind of emperor was he?

You may have heard of Su Shi as the “Chinese da Vinci”. What you might not know is that the legendary figure was a “renaissance man” even before the Western concept came into existence.

Good intentions don’t naturally bring good outcomes. Wang Anshi, one of the most (in)famous Chinese reformers learnt it the hard way about a millennium ago. His policies were supposed to cure the ailing Song Empire yet eventually he was blamed for its collapse.