Asia Audiobooks | History

[Chinese] - 中国通史演义【七、清朝】: 转型的前夜：清朝的辉煌与衰落

《中国通史演义》的第七部分将您带入清朝，这个中国封建社会的最后一个朝代。在这一部分中，我们将探索清朝从盛极一时到逐渐衰落的整个过程，见证中国历史上的一个重大转折点。 - 我们从清朝的开国皇帝努尔哈赤和康熙帝的统治开始，他们不仅巩固了对中国的统治，还扩展了疆域，创造了政治和文化上的一段盛世。康熙帝的智慧和雍正帝的改革，乾隆帝的繁荣，都是清朝辉煌的见证。 - 然而，随着鸦片战争的爆发，清朝开始面临内忧外患。这一时期中国首次大规模地接触西方列强，导致了社会结构和文化观念的巨大冲击。我们将跟随历史的脚步，见证洋务运动的尝试，戊戌变法的悲剧，直至辛亥革命的爆发。 - 在清朝的晚期，中国社会经历了前所未有的变革。从晚清的维新运动到辛亥革命的兴起，我们将感受到一个古老帝国如何面对现代化的挑战，以及中国人民如何寻求变革与自强。跟随清朝的篇章，我们将一起经历这个朝代的兴衰起伏，探索中国从传统走向现代化的艰难历程。让我们共同感受这段历史的波澜壮阔，理解一个时代的结束和新时代的开始。 Notice: The audiobook is narrated in Mandarin 注意：有声书的演播语言是中文（普通话）

蔡东藩 (Author), 石家兴 (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Chinese] - 历史的真性情：先秦两汉卷

内容简介：本书为系列图书中的一册，讲述了先秦、两汉中真实有趣的历史冷知识。作者查阅诸多文献，书中所写均为史料中记载。书中既有王朝的兴衰更迭，又有人物的枯荣沉浮，更有作者的所思所想，旨在戳破读者的历史盲点。

忆江南 (Author), 天音神韵工作室 (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Chinese] - 历史的真性情：大分裂时代

内容简介：本书为系列图书的第二册，讲述了三国、两晋、南北朝中真实有趣的历史冷知识。作者查阅《三国志》《资治通鉴》等近百部文献，书中所写均为史料中记载。全书分为“曹魏帝国”“东吴帝国”“西蜀帝国”“西晋王朝”“东晋十六国”“南北朝”六章，包含“甄宓：误入凡尘的洛神”“从陈友谅看曹操铁索连船的历史真相”“诸葛亮三气周瑜的历史真相”“刘备究竟是不是皇叔”“淝水之战不只是一场战争”等85个历史故事。书中既有王朝的兴衰更迭，又有人物的枯荣沉浮，更有作者的所思所想，旨在戳破读者的历史盲点，让读者轻松读史，迅速成为历史达人！

忆江南 (Author), 天音神韵工作室 (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Chinese] - 历史的真性情（元、明、清卷）

内容简介：本书为系列图书中的四册，讲述了元、明、清三朝中真实有趣的历史冷知识。作者查阅《清史稿》等近百部文献，书中所写均为史料中记载。书中既有王朝的兴衰更迭，又有人物的枯荣沉浮，更有作者的所思所想，旨在戳破读者的历史盲点，让读者轻松读史，迅速成为历史达人！作者简介：忆江南，原名张恒涛，著名历史畅销书作家，擅长以轻松幽默的笔调，普及推广历史知识。着有《历史老师没教过的历史》（1—4册）、《语文老师没教过的三国》《语文老师没讲到的水浒》《语文老师没教过的西游》《语文老师没讲到的红楼》。

忆江南 (Author), 天音神韵工作室 (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success

Chinese society has been shaped by the interplay of the EAST-exams, autocracy, stability, and technology-from ancient times through the present. Beginning with the Sui dynasty's introduction of the civil service exam, known as Keju, in 587 CE-and continuing through the personnel management system used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-Chinese autocracies have developed exceptional tools for homogenizing ideas, norms, and practices. But this uniformity came with a huge downside: stifled creativity. Yasheng Huang shows how China transitioned from dynamism to extreme stagnation after the Keju was instituted. China's most prosperous periods, such as during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and under the reformist CCP, occurred when its emphasis on scale (the size of bureaucracy) was balanced with scope (diversity of ideas). Considering China's remarkable success over the past half-century, Huang sees signs of danger in the political and economic reversals under Xi Jinping. The CCP has again vaulted conformity above new ideas, reverting to the Keju model that eventually led to technological decline. It is a lesson from China's own history, Huang argues, that Chinese leaders would be wise to take seriously.

Yasheng Huang Phd, Yasheng Huang, Phd (Author), Rebecca Lam (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Vietnam War: The History of America’s Most Controversial War

The Vietnam War could have been called a comedy of errors if the consequences weren’t so deadly and tragic. In 1951, while war was raging in Korea, the United States began signing defense pacts with nations in the Pacific, intending to create alliances that would contain the spread of Communism. As the Korean War was winding down, America joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, pledging to defend several nations in the region from Communist aggression. One of those nations was South Vietnam. Before the Vietnam War, most Americans would have been hard pressed to locate Vietnam on a map. South Vietnamese President Diệm’s regime was extremely unpopular, and war broke out between Communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam around the end of the 1950s. Kennedy’s administration tried to prop up the South Vietnamese with training and assistance, but the South Vietnamese military was feeble. A month before his death, Kennedy signed a presidential directive withdrawing 1,000 American personnel, and shortly after Kennedy’s assassination, new President Lyndon B. Johnson reversed course, instead opting to expand American assistance to South Vietnam. The post-analysis of war is a complicated and process that benefits from hindsight, and the involvement of the United States in Vietnam over about a decade was no exception. Never formally declared as a “war,” the Vietnam War was not fought in clean lines or with clear missions. Viewers of the evening news listening to the “box score” of killed and wounded each night had at best a hazy notion of what was happening a world away in Southeast Asia. If anything, their leaders were both attentive to reelection and on a certain level were themselves unsure of what was truly taking place. A military draft that sent over 50,000 American soldiers to their deaths was triggered by a resolution sought by President Lyndon B. Johnson in a decision to contain communism in a distant Asian land.

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Marathi] - Prachin Mandire, Murti Aani Bhavapurna Shilpe प्राचीन मंदिरे, मूर्ती आणि भावपूर्ण शिल्प

The 'Indian temple' embodies the enduring essence of our culture. While its exterior has been described, it is now imperative to explore its interior, delving into the spirituality and philosophy intricately woven into its architectural design. The evolution of temple architecture appears to have been guided by this very quest. The concept of Vastubrahma finds tangible form in the temples of Khajuraho.Moreover, the development of idols signifies social transformation, enlightenment, and societal convergence. A theoretical idol, known as Bimba Brahma, represents these principles, manifesting in the meticulously crafted sculptures. The chapter 'Temples and Idols' in the enlightening book by Shri Udayan Indoorkar provides readers with insightful information, encouraging them to delve deeper into this rich subject matter. 'भारतीय मंदिर' म्हणजे आपल्या संस्कृतीचे चिरस्थायी असे महत्त्वाचे रूप होय. त्याच्या बहिरंगाची वर्णने केली जातातच, आता त्याच्या अंतरंगाचा म्हणजे मंदिर रचनेत प्रतीत होणाऱ्या अध्यात्म आणि तत्त्वज्ञानाचा विचार व्हायला पाहिजे, कारण मंदिर स्थापत्याचा विकास त्या अनुरोधाने होत गेल्याचे दिसते. वास्तुब्रह्म ही संकल्पना साकार होईल असे परिणीत रूप खजुराहो येथील मंदिरात आढळते.तर मूर्तीचा विकास समाज परिवर्तन, समाज प्रबोधन आणि सामाजिक अभिसरण यांचा प्रत्यय देणाऱ्या टप्प्यावर पोचला आहे. बिंबब्रह्म म्हणून ओळख पटावी अशा, सिद्धांताधारीत मूर्ती निर्माण झालेल्या आहेतही.श्री उदयन इंदूरकरांच्या प्रस्तुत वाचनीय ग्रंथातील 'मंदिरे आणि मूर्ती' या प्रकरणातील माहिती तेथपर्यंत वाचकांस प्रोत्साहन देणारी ठरते.

Udayan Indurkar (Author), Madhavi Pansare (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ancient India, Rise and Fall: Exploring the Greatest Dynasties and Legacy of Empire in South Asia

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. In ancient Indian history, there were four significant eras as highlighted below, a quick introduction is important in order to digest the material in this book. Prehistoric era: From 500,000 BCE to 11,000 BCE, South Asian hunter-gatherers made stone tools and painted cave paintings at Bhimbetka during the Old and Middle Stone Ages. Merhgarh, in Baluchistan, was where South Asian farming began between 11,000 and 3000 years ago. From 2500 BCE to 1900 BCE, the great Indian cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa provide us with much archaeological evidence. Eras of India: Vedic and post-Vedic, No Aryan invasion took place, but a nomadic group of Indo-European speakers migrated from Iran and Afghanistan, calling themselves Arya, or the noble. Over the past four millennia, Indo-Aryan culture has developed uniquely within India, blending the values and heritages of the Arya and indigenous peoples. In the Indo-European language family, the Rig Veda is the oldest text. Among the three Vedas and other complementary Vedic literature, it is a crucial text in Vedic Hinduism. We have today's vast agricultural infrastructure in north India due to the expansion of the Indo-Aryans from Punjab to the Ganga basin. Mahajanapadas (great states) were formed from the Vedic polity, which Magadha dominated. Northwest India was invaded by both the Persians and the Greeks later in this period. Ajivakas, Buddhists, and Jains objected to the caste system, animal sacrifices, brahman dominance, and the Vedas in Vedic Hinduism. The Great Empires lasted from about 300 BCE to c. AD 500. From Chandragupta Maurya's Arthashastra, an excellent manual of political economy, we can understand the principles of the Mauryan Empire, founded from Magadha in 321 BCE. With the help of many rock and pillar inscriptions, Ashoka humanized the empire and propagated Buddha's principles. The smaller Shaka, Kushan, and Satavahana kingdoms followed the Mauryan Empire.

Aj Carmichael (Author), Digital Voice Mike G (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Crónicas de la cercanía cultural de China y Argentina

¿Cómo los Chinos Cuidan la Salud? Esto no sólo consiste en el título de este libro, también consiste una duda de muchos extranjeros. Con la profundización de los intercambios culturales chino-extranjeras, muchos extranjeros prestan más interés en la medicina tradicional china. En el proceso del desarrollo de la civilización de los 5000 años, se formaron un sistema único de la medicina en China, los chinos lo consideran como el guía de la vida cotidiana. Este libro pretende explicar a los lectores cómo cuidan la salud con las palabras más fácil de entender, también les presenta claramente la historia de la medicina tradicional china a través de las entrevistas con una docena de maestros. También se describe la dieta, los masajes y otros consejos útiles para cuidar salud. Creemos que este libro ayudará a los extranjeros a comprender la cultura china.

Guo Cunhai (Author), Ricardo Luna (Narrator)

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Bernardine's Shanghai Salon: The Story of the Doyenne of Old China

Bernardine Szold Fritz arrived in Shanghai in 1929 to marry her fourth husband. Only thirty-three years old, she found herself in a time and place like no other. Political intrigue and scandal lurked on every street corner. Art Deco cinemas showed the latest Hollywood flicks, while dancehall owners and jazz musicians turned Shanghai into Asia's top nightlife destination. Yet from the night of their wedding, Bernardine's new husband did not live up to his promises. Instead of feeling sorry for herself or leaving Shanghai, Bernardine decided to make a place for herself. Like other Jewish women before her, she started a salon in her home, drawing famous names from the world of politics, the arts, and the intelligentsia. And when Hollywood stars Anna May Wong, Charlie Chaplin, and Claudette Colbert passed through Shanghai, Bernardine organized gatherings to introduce them to their Shanghai contemporaries. When Bernardine's salon could not accommodate all who wanted to attend, she founded the International Arts Theater to produce avant-garde plays, ballets, lectures, and visual arts exhibits, often pushing audiences beyond their comfort zones. As civil war brewed and World War II soon followed, Bernardine's devotion to the arts and the people of Shanghai brought joy to the city just before it would change forever.

Susan Blumberg-Kason (Author), Nancy Wu (Narrator)

Audiobook

Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Dem

Through the eyes of two frontline journalists comes a gripping narrative history of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement centered around a cast of core activists, culminating in the 2019 mass protests and Beijing's brutal crackdown. Hong Kong was an experiment in governance. Handed back to China in 1997 after 156 years of British rule, it was meant to be a carve-out between hostile systems: a bridge between communism and capitalism, authoritarianism and liberal democracy. "One country, two systems" kept its media free, its courts independent and its protests boisterous, designed also to convince Taiwan of a peaceful solution to Beijing's desire for reunification. Yet this formulation excluded Hong Kong's own people, their future negotiated by political titans in faraway capitals. In 2019, an ill-conceived law spear-headed by a sycophantic leader pushed millions to take to the streets in one of the most enduring protest movements the world has ever seen. Xi Jinping responded with a draconian national security law that sought not only to end the demonstrations but quash the "problem" of Hong Kongers' identity and desire for freedom. Reverend Chu, who believed Hong Kong had to carry the spirit of students at Tiananmen Square, saw his silver-haired comrades who birthed the city's modern pro-democracy movement handcuffed and taken from their homes. Tommy, an art student radicalized into throwing Molotov cocktails, watched "braves" like him brutalized by police before his own arrest prompted him to flee. Finn epitomized the decentralized nature of the movement and its internet-fueled victories, but online anonymity couldn't stop his life from unravelling. Gwyneth could predict her eventual fate when she chose to give up her career as a journalist to stand for election as an opposition candidate, and did it anyway. In Among the Braves, Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin tell the story of Hong Kong's past, and what the sacrifices of its people mean for global democracy's shaky foundation.

Shibani Mahtani, Timothy Mclaughlin (Author), Jason Vu (Narrator)

Audiobook

Shogun: The Life and Times of Tokugawa Ieyasu: Japan's Greatest Ruler

Uncover the true story of the man who unified medieval Japan. For 700 years, Japan was ruled by military commanders who waged war against one another incessantly. Shogun tells the fascinating story of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who finally unified and brought lasting peace to the nation. He established a new central government which enabled his descendants to rule Japan for the next 260 years-a period in which Japanese culture as we know it today flourished. The dramatic episodes retold in this book include: - Ieyasu's crushing victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, the largest battle ever fought in Japan - His creation of a new form of government with a centralized system of control that allowed his descendants to rule Japan peacefully for the next fifteen generations - Ieyasu's fateful decision to limit the spread of Christianity in Japan, ultimately banning the religion and massacring tens of thousands of ardent believers This new edition highlights the drama and pageantry of Ieyasu's life and features a new foreword by leading Japanese military historian Alexander Bennett.

A.L. Sadler (Author), Jonathan Yen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Asia Audiobooks in History