Episodes

  • The Opium Wars and the Cantonese Scholar Who Defied the British

    The Opium Wars and the Cantonese Scholar Who Defied the British
    Jun 20 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of Xu Jiyu, a Confucian scholar-official who, after China's defeat in the First Opium War, wrote a groundbreaking geography of the world titled 'Yinghuan Zhilüe' (A Brief Survey of the Maritime Circuit). Published in 1848, it introduced the Chinese elite to the West's scientific and political systems, including the American republic and British parliament. Xu faced conservative backlash for praising Western governance, but his work influenced the Self-Strengthening Movement and reformers like Wei Yuan. The episode also examines the Qing court's struggle to understand the 'barbarians,' the role of missionary-translators like Karl Gützlaff, and how Xu's balanced perspective was eventually rediscovered by Chinese reformers in the late 19th century. Lucas and Luna discuss the tension between tradition and modernization, and why Xu's voice was marginalized but ultimately prophetic. #OpiumWars #XuJiyu #YinghuanZhilüe #SelfStrengtheningMovement #WeiYuan #KarlGützlaff #QingDynasty #Confucianism #ChineseHistory #19thCentury #Geography #Reformers #BritishEmpire #EastAsia #FexingoHistory #Podcast #History #CantoneseScholar Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • The Opium Wars The Cantonese Villagers Who Stood Up

    The Opium Wars The Cantonese Villagers Who Stood Up
    Jun 19 2026
    In 1841, as British forces advanced on Canton, something unexpected happened: villagers from the Sanyuanli area organized a spontaneous resistance that fought back against the world's most powerful navy. This episode explores the Sanyuanli Incident, where farmers, laborers, and militia armed with farming tools and improvised weapons confronted British troops. We examine the myths surrounding this event—was it a heroic peasant uprising or a coordinated Qing military action?—and what it reveals about Chinese resistance to foreign encroachment. We also discuss the role of local militias, the response of Qing officials like Qiying, and how the incident was later used by nationalists and communists as a symbol of anti-imperialist struggle. This is a story of ordinary people caught in the gears of history, and how their brief stand became legend. #Sanyuanli #Canton #OpiumWars #ChineseHistory #PeasantUprising #Qiying #QingDynasty #BritishEmpire #1841 #Guangdong #Militia #Resistance #AntiImperialism #ChineseNationalism #History #FexingoHistory #EastAsia #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • The Empress Dowager Who Opened China's Doors

    The Empress Dowager Who Opened China's Doors
    Jun 19 2026
    In Episode 107 of The Opium Wars, Lucas and Luna explore the unlikely figure who reshaped China's foreign policy in the aftermath of military defeat: Empress Dowager Cixi. Emerging from the shadows of the Xianfeng Emperor's court, Cixi masterminded the Self-Strengthening Movement, a series of reforms aimed at adopting Western technology while preserving Confucian values. They discuss the Tongzhi Restoration, the role of officials like Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan, the establishment of the Jiangnan Arsenal and the Fuzhou Navy Yard, and the cultural contradictions that doomed the reforms. The episode also covers Cixi's rise to power through the Xinyou Coup of 1861, the influence of the Eight Banners, and the tensions between modernizers and conservatives. A nuanced portrait of a ruler often caricatured in Western histories, this episode challenges listeners to reconsider the narrative of China's forced opening. #Cixi #SelfStrengtheningMovement #TongzhiRestoration #LiHongzhang #ZengGuofan #XinyouCoup #JiangnanArsenal #FuzhouNavyYard #EightBanners #XianfengEmperor #QingDynasty #OpiumWars #SinoWesternRelations #19thCenturyChina #ChineseHistory #Reform #ImperialChina #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • The Cantonese Pirate Who Defeated the Royal Navy

    The Cantonese Pirate Who Defeated the Royal Navy
    Jun 18 2026
    In this episode of The Opium Wars, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of Chui A-poo, a Cantonese pirate who turned the tables on the British Royal Navy in 1849. After the Treaty of Nanking, the British tried to suppress piracy in Chinese waters, but Chui A-poo's fleet of hundreds of junks outmaneuvered and defeated them in the Battle of Shapu. We explore how Qing officials secretly allied with pirates, the role of the Tanka people, and the diplomatic fallout that forced the British to reconsider their naval strategy. Also covered: the British purchase of the steamer 'Canton', the controversial pirate amnesty, and the fate of Chui A-poo's treasure. #OpiumWars #ChuiApoo #Piracy #CantonesePirates #BattleOfShapu #RoyalNavy #QingDynasty #Tanka #JohnBowring #PearlRiverDelta #PirateAmnesty #Treasure #NavalHistory #19thCentury #China #HongKong #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    4 mins
  • The Opium Wars and the Invention of the Drug-Trade Empire

    The Opium Wars and the Invention of the Drug-Trade Empire
    Jun 18 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the British East India Company's monopoly on opium production in Bengal created a state-sponsored narcotics empire that flooded China. They trace the opium supply chain from the poppy fields of Bihar to the clandestine warehouses on Lintin Island, and examine the Company's elaborate auction system in Calcutta that turned raw opium into silver. The conversation covers the role of Parsees and Jewish merchants as middlemen, the corruption of Qing officials, and the moral debates within British Parliament. They also discuss how the Chinese emperor Daoguang's bans on opium smoking only drove the trade further underground, and how the Company's profit margin of over 1,000 percent made the drug trade irresistible. The episode reveals how the Opium Wars were not just a military conflict but the culmination of decades of systemic drug trafficking that the British government refused to police. #OpiumWars #BritishEastIndiaCompany #DaoguangEmperor #LintinIsland #BengalOpium #CalcuttaAuctions #Parsees #OpiumTrade #ChineseHistory #DrugEmpire #19thCentury #QingDynasty #Colonialism #Narcotics #SilverTrade #History #FexingoHistory #EastAsia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • The Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion Connection

    The Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion Connection
    Jun 17 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked connection between the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion, the deadliest civil war in history. They examine how the Treaty of Nanking and subsequent unequal treaties destabilized Qing China, creating the conditions for Hong Xiuquan's apocalyptic uprising. Key figures include the Daoguang Emperor, Xianfeng Emperor, Zeng Guofan, and Hong Rengan, who brought Taiping ideas to the West. The episode delves into the social and economic impact of the wars, the role of Christianity, and the British stance of neutrality. Specific events like the Battle of Nanjing and the British bombardment of Zhenjiang are discussed. The conversation highlights how the Opium Wars weakened the Qing Dynasty and unleashed forces that would reshape China for decades. #OpiumWars #TaipingRebellion #HongXiuquan #QingDynasty #TreatyOfNanking #UnequalTreaties #ZengGuofan #HongRengan #DaoguangEmperor #XianfengEmperor #BattleOfNanjing #Zhenjiang #ChristianityInChina #19thCenturyChina #ChinaHistory #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Opium Wars and the Rise of Shanghai's International Settlement

    The Opium Wars and the Rise of Shanghai's International Settlement
    Jun 17 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Opium Wars reshaped Shanghai from a secondary port into a global metropolis. They discuss the 1842 Treaty of Nanking that opened Shanghai to foreign trade, the establishment of the British and American settlements, and the creation of the Shanghai Municipal Council. The episode covers key figures like the first British consul George Balfour and land renters such as William Muirhead. They examine the hybrid legal system of extraterritoriality, the role of the Mixed Court, and the social tensions that arose from foreign control. The conversation also touches on the Taiping Rebellion's impact on Shanghai's development, including the formation of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps. Finally, they reflect on how the international settlement model influenced China's treaty port system and its long-term consequences for Chinese sovereignty. #OpiumWars #Shanghai #InternationalSettlement #TreatyOfNanking #GeorgeBalfour #ShanghaiMunicipalCouncil #extraterritoriality #TaipingRebellion #ShanghaiVolunteerCorps #treatyports #DaoguangEmperor #HenryPottinger #BritishSettlement #MixedCourt #WilliamMuirhead #ChinaHistory #19thCentury #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • The Opium Wars and the Treaty of Wanghia

    The Opium Wars and the Treaty of Wanghia
    Jun 16 2026
    Episode 102 of The Opium Wars examines the Treaty of Wanghia, signed in 1844 between the United States and Qing China. Lucas and Luna explore how Caleb Cushing, a Massachusetts lawyer and diplomat, secured most-favored-nation status and extraterritoriality for Americans, building on and expanding British gains from the Treaty of Nanking. They delve into the role of Qiying, the Chinese negotiator, who sought to manage multiple Western powers through 'using barbarians to control barbarians'. The episode covers the treaty's provisions on opium—which remained technically illegal—and its impact on Chinese sovereignty. It also touches on the treaty's cultural dimension, including the establishment of American schools and hospitals in China. Lucas explains how the Wanghia treaty became a template for later agreements, including the Treaty of Tientsin, and how it deepened China's century of humiliations. The conversation ends with a reflection on the long-term consequences for US-China relations. #OpiumWars #TreatyOfWanghia #CalebCushing #Qiying #MostFavoredNation #Extraterritoriality #QingDynasty #USChinaRelations #DaoguangEmperor #19thCentury #Imperialism #ChineseHistory #Diplomacy #History #FexingoHistory #EastAsia #China #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins