
Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom
China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
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Narrated by:
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Angela Lin
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By:
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Stephen R. Platt
About this listen
Stephen R. Platt is widely respected for his incisive nonfiction, particularly in regard to his knowledge and understanding of China. With Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, Platt details the absorbing narrative of the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in the loss of 20 million lives. Occurring in the 1850s, this is the story of a cultural movement characterized by intriguing personages such as influential military strategist Zeng Guofan and brilliant Taiping leader Hong Rengan.
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I don't believe this is read by a real person
- By Bjornie Herjolfson on 09-16-20
By: Frank Dikotter
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A Brief History of China
- Dynasty, Revolution and Transformation: From the Middle Kingdom to the People's Republic
- By: Jonathan Clements
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In his retelling of a Chinese history stretching back 5,000 years, author and China-expert Jonathan Clements focuses on the human stories which led to the powerful transformations in Chinese society - from the unification of China under its first emperor, Qinshi Huangdi, to the Mongol invasion under Genghis Khan and the consolidation of Communist rule under Mao Zedong. Clements even brings listeners through to the present day, outlining China's economic renaissance under Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping.
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Succinct and detailed overview of a huge topic
- By Stephen Sheafer on 08-19-20
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Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan
- By: Herbert P. Bix
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 29 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In this groundbreaking biography of the Japanese emperor Hirohito, Herbert P. Bix offers the first complete, unvarnished look at the enigmatic leader whose 63-year reign ushered Japan into the modern world. Never before has the full life of this controversial figure been revealed with such clarity and vividness. Bix describes what it was like to be trained from birth for a lone position at the apex of the nation's political hierarchy and as a revered symbol of divine status.
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Not what I bargained for
- By Alexander Crowell on 08-21-20
By: Herbert P. Bix
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Three Tigers, One Mountain
- A Journey Through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea, and Japan
- By: Michael Booth
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain." However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other. In his latest entertaining and thought-provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, the enmity is between these three "tiger" nations and what prevents them from making peace.
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Not much new here if you are already familiar
- By Neil Richert on 07-13-20
By: Michael Booth
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The Water Kingdom
- A Secret History of China
- By: Philip Ball
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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From the Yangtze to the Yellow River, China is traversed by great waterways, which have defined its politics and ways of life for centuries. Water has been so integral to China's culture, economy, and growth and development that it provides a window on the whole sweep of Chinese history. In The Water Kingdom, renowned writer Philip Ball opens that window to offer an epic and powerful new way of thinking about Chinese civilization. Water, Ball shows, is a key that unlocks much of Chinese culture.
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Real History with great narrative
- By Duc Laurent on 03-05-18
By: Philip Ball
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The Last Crusade
- The Epic Voyages of Vasco da Gama
- By: Nigel Cliff
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Historian Nigel Cliff delivers a sweeping, radical reinterpretation of Vasco da Gama's pioneering voyages, revealing their significance as a decisive turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam. Perfect for fans of Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Galileo's Daughter, and Atlantic, this first-ever complete account of da Gama's voyages includes new information from the recently discovered diaries of his sailors and an extraordinary series of letters between da Gama and the Zamorin, a king of modern-day Kerala, India.
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Way too PC
- By Danvil on 02-08-21
By: Nigel Cliff
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Legends of the Samurai
- By: Hiroaki Sato
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the decades, the reputation of the samurai has grown to mythical proportions, owing to such films as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, as well as works such as James Clavell's epic Shogun. In Legends of the Samurai, Hiroaki Sato confronts both the history and the legend of the samurai, untangling the two to present an authentic picture of these legendary warriors.
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Like nails on a chalkboard....
- By Sharon S. Dorondo on 06-25-17
By: Hiroaki Sato
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The Search for Modern China
- By: Jonathan D. Spence
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth. With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China.
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Excellent book, lazy narrator
- By Delano on 10-19-12
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24 Hours in Ancient China
- A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There
- By: Yijie Zhuang
- Narrated by: Kathleen Li
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Spend twenty-four hours with the ancient Chinese. Travel back to AD 17, during the fourth year of the reign of Wang Mang of the Han dynasty, a vibrant and innovative era full of conflicts and contradictions. But as different as the Han culture might have been to other great ancient civilizations, the inhabitants of ancient China faced the same problems as people have for time immemorial: earning enough money, coping with workplace dramas, and keeping your home in order.
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Fascinating and informative, Compelling stories, all very well written.
- By Zeek on 01-23-25
By: Yijie Zhuang
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Ghosts of Gold Mountain
- The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad
- By: Gordon H. Chang
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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From across the sea, they came by the thousands, escaping war and poverty in southern China to seek their fortunes in America. Converging on the enormous western worksite of the Transcontinental Railroad, the migrants spent years dynamiting tunnels through the snow-packed cliffs of the Sierra Nevada and laying tracks across the burning Utah desert. Their sweat and blood fueled the ascent of an interlinked, industrial United States. But those of them who survived this perilous effort would be pushed to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory.
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Very inspiring, educational, and enlightening!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-25-19
By: Gordon H. Chang
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China
- A History
- By: John Keay
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
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Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay
Engaging naration, needs more character developmet
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Captivating and enlightening
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All that being said, there are parts of this book that I found hard to love. I read Platt's Opium War book before this one, and at the end of that I found myself a little confused at how little the book focused on the actual Opium War, opting instead to cover the years of buildup that preceded it. Having now read a book that stays rooted in the narrative of a 14-year-long civil war, I have a lot more appreciation for the merits of that decision. I found myself slogging through the parts of this book that discussed the minutae of battles and who took what city with what army. Almost everything besides that, the politics, the descent into brutality by both sides as the war dragged on, even the logistics of supplying these armies for so long, held my attention much more firmly than the conflict narrative itself. I set this book aside multiple times before I finished it, and often found myself zoning out for significant stretches.
I think this book would be better read than listened to, at least for me. My unfamiliarity with the finer points of Chinese geography and political subdivisions, as well as my unfamiliarity with Chinese names, led to me having difficulty keeping track of the peripheral figures and settings brought up in the book. I don't think the author or narrarator are to blame for that at all, but someone like me might want to pick up the text to have a visual anchor.
In all, I'm glad I kept on with this book, and feel like I need to follow it up with books on the Boxer Rebellion and the 1911 revolution. At its peak, it plenty rivals Imperial Twilight, but the sprawling, trudging nature of covering a decade and a half of war led to some dull and low points for me.
Spellbinding at Its Best
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What did you love best about Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom?
The humanization of the characters, the apocalyptic visions of the last days of the Chinese empire, and the feeling of immersion and immediacy.Which scene was your favorite?
The first scene, where the British gunboats break into the Chinese river, and the Chinese peasants bow down to them and worship them. That set the tone for the whole book.Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The end of the rebellion is extremely sad.Any additional comments?
There are a few really apocalyptic wars that humans have managed to document - the World Wars, the Thirty Years War, the Russian and Chinese Civil Wars...and the Taiping Rebellion. If you want to read about cataclysmic, world-shattering wars, include this book in your reading series.A real-life story of the apocalypse
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Where does Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.What was one of the most memorable moments of Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.Which character – as performed by Angela Lin – was your favorite?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.Any additional comments?
I just want to give a star rating. If you force me to say more, I will give you this tripe.I just want to give a star rating. If you force me
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Gripping and clearly told
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Great
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Interesting and informative
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Shocking epic retelling of bloodiest civil war in human history
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A dense review of the Taiping Rebellion
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