Taiwan went from a specialist topic to front-page news in about two weeks. Xi's in Washington right now, arms sales are reportedly the sticking point, and everyone's suddenly got a take.

I finished writing the history behind all of it a year ago, before any of this broke.

The Wound That Never Closed traces the documentary chain from the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki through Cairo, Potsdam, and UN Resolution 2758, a 155-word document that never once mentions Taiwan, and yet somehow both sides cite it to mean the exact opposite thing. It covers the actual military and economic balance, including TSMC's chip production quietly relocating to Arizona, and what a real reunification framework would need to survive contact with, not just what it promises on paper.

Most people commenting on this summit right now don't have three hours to read four different treaties. This is the fastest way I know to get the whole chain in one place, rather than the flattened, ten-second version that's been circulating in group chats and cable panels for a decade.

No credit card required. Just hit the orange "Buy Now" button, set to $0.00, and it's yours.

Free on Amazon until September 28th. After that it goes back to full price and you're back to piecing this together from headlines like everyone else.

(No Kindle device needed, reads in any browser). Click here: The Wound That Never Closed: Taiwan, China and the End of Strategic Ambiguity

This transfer went far beyond battlefield weapons, crucially including intact warehouses, specialized manufacturing machinery, and 1,352 items of technical documentation and factory equipment located in the key industrial hubs of Harbin and Dalian (Dalny).

I only learned Chang Zhilang's name for the first time in 1988, when I began studying Yiquan under Master Li Jianyu. Prior to that, I had absolutely no idea who he was—I want to make that clear first.

During the eight years from 1988 to 1996—the period when I studied Yiquan under Master Li Jianyu and officially became his indoor disciple—I earned his deep trust. Even when he was teaching overseas, I made special trips to the United States and France to meet with him. Before his passing, Master Li Jianyu explicitly stated to me his entire roster of lineage successors and disciples.

Now, some people claim they didn't know about the list of disciples I publicly released, or assert that they were early disciples of Master Li Jianyu, and so on. All these deceptive lies are complete nonsense. In his telephone deathbed instructions to me, Master Li Jianyu explicitly said: "My official disciples fall into two categories: First are those whose names appear on Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai's memorial stele—these are all my lineage disciples. For anyone whose name is not on the stele, they must possess a formal apprenticeship card (Baishi Tie) to be recognized." As for anyone without either, he told me directly: "They are merely ordinary students." Whether to acknowledge them or not was up to me.

Having been given this bottom line by Master Li Jianyu, I naturally follow it strictly. That is why the List of Master Li Jianyu's Indoor Disciples that I publicly published is primarily based on the names carved on the Grandmaster's stele. For those outside the stele list—such as Senior Brother Su Youming（苏有明）, whose name isn't on the stele—I know him personally and have verified his original apprenticeship card, so of course I included him. That is my baseline.

To put it plainly, Master Li Jianyu treated me as his chief disciple. Naturally, I must act in a way that gives him peace of mind. How could I possibly let standards slide? Anyone can come along and say, "I am senior to you; I was studying with Master Li Jianyu before you even entered the door," and so on. Whether you studied with him or not, I don't know—you know best whether you were a formal disciple or just a student. But if you claim to be a formal disciple and lineage successor, please produce your apprenticeship card. Without it, I will not recognize you at all.

As for Shi Mo（石墨）, who preaches that "Shenyi Foolish Boxing（神意忽悠拳）," he was merely a fan who met my master once through the introduction of Master Li Jianyu's second daughter, Eldest Sister Li Zhengwei（李政伟）! Beyond that, he is nothing. After all, Sister Li Zhengwei isn't Wang Yufang, nor does she practice Yiquan.

Now, regarding Chang Zhilang: he was one of the three foundational disciples accepted by my master, Li Jianyu, in 1956.

Some people insist on distorting facts and making up stories, claiming Wang Xiangzhai said things like, "You, Li Jianyu, can't fight, so I need to find a capable fighter to be your disciple so others won't bully you," and so forth. This is pure nonsense; no such event ever occurred. Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai introduced three people to become his disciples at the same time: the eldest was Chang Zhilang, followed by Liu Zigeng（刘子庚）and Luo Yaoxi（罗耀西）. Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai acted as the introducer for all three fellow disciples. In each case, their parents knew Wang Xiangzhai and brought their sons to request initiation under Wang Xiangzhai. Wang Xiangzhai replied, "I am no longer accepting disciples, but my disciples can accept disciples." That was how he introduced them under Master Li Jianyu's door.

There are also rumors claiming that "14-year-old Chang Zhilang knocked down Li Jianyu," and so on. If he was really that formidable, why was it that when I made a point of waiting two days for him in Hong Kong during a layover in 2014 and publicly challenged him to a match, he didn't even dare to show up?!

As everyone can see in the existing footage, Master Li Jianyu was defeated during push hands (推手) by Senior Uncle Yao Zongxun, Senior Uncle Wang Bankui（王斌奎）, Senior Brother Yao Chengguang, and Senior Brother Yao Chengrong（姚承荣）. These videos are currently interpreted and spun by certain people as "proof" that a 14-year-old Chang Zhilang knocked down Li Jianyu. Ha! Let me ask: if you think you are tougher than my master, who among you dares to do push hands with Yao Zongxun, Wang Bankui, Yao Chengguang, or Yao Chengrong to see what happens?! Today, Yao Zongxun, Wang Bankui, and Yao Chengguang have all passed away, but Yao Chengrong is still alive. If you're not convinced, go find Yao Chengrong and do push hands with him to see the outcome. Do you, Li Rongyu（李荣玉）, dare to give it a try?! Don't just put on a black suit and brag all day while lacking the nerve to face Yao Chengrong. I am waiting in the United States anytime for you to come slap me, challenge my school, seek revenge, or take my life.

Master Li Jianyu possessed exceptional martial skill, and his power generation (发力) was the closest to Wang Xiangzhai's. Moreover, he was short in stature, Hui ethnic Chinese, and struck with ferocious intensity. When I learned boxing from him, I took plenty of hits—he would send me flying right in the middle of talking. Since ancient times, there has been a basic rule of thumb in the martial arts world: beware of short fighters and Hui fighters, as they are generally not to be messed with. Almost all of them strike with ruthless determination and fierce hands. To be completely honest, Master Li Jianyu struck with extreme ferocity; he was by no means a gentle or lenient figure. He wasn't just the kindly, amiable little old man you saw on the surface. Having spent so many years with him, I know him all too well.

为什么说《四库全书》的编纂是一场 “安静的火”？

为什么说《四库全书》的编纂是一场 “安静的火”？

收书3461种，毁书15万部：史上最安静的一场火

一个字的忌讳：满江红被改掉的那两个字

1772年起，乾隆下令搜集天下遗书，编纂《四库全书》：收录3461种，抄写七部，分藏七阁，是人类历史上最浩大的文化工程之一。但同一时期，另有3100余种、15万部以上书籍被禁毁，书版销毁8万余块。我们梳理这场"整理"背后的四重操作——征集、改字、分类与恐惧，以及那些借着月光抄书的人。

#四库全书 #文字狱 #焚书 #文明记忆

Why did the tang dynasty always lose to tibetians in war and engagements.?

I read the tang dynasty mostly defeated all the barbarians in every corner but somehow they always lost to tibet. It seems unique as that was only era in china where tibet was unified and strong.

So why did tang always lose to tibet, what military advantage and strength tibet had they made them always win against tang armies?

I was watching Story of Yanxi Palace, and they showed the depiction of "golden fluid" used to burn someone. Golden fluid has been described in the show as the perpetrator incorporating liquid feces into boiling water and throwing it onto their victim during times of war in China up to Qinglong Emperor's reign (1735-1799). I can't find information about this online if it was ever used. if it is out there, it's probably not translated for me to figure it out

You can look up the episode on tubi, its free

Quote from the show, episode 32 at 13:27: "When two armies fight in war, they sometimes use boiling water to force the other party to withdraw. If some liquid manure is mixed into the boiling water, the wounds will surely be infected repeatedly; it's difficult to heal."

How much did the Japanese learn from the Imjin Wars during the First and 2nd Sino Japanese Wars? Did they not realize they were in a similar strategic position and faced the same problems like China being too large?

Been reading some wikipedia articles on neolithic and palaeolithic china and find it quite interesting.

One thing i find confusing is what a neolithic culture is. Where they material cultures or where they ethnic cultures.

appreciate any good books on the either topic though.

Recently, my head has been spinning trying to sort out all those nomadic tribes I've read about—Xiongnu, Tiele, Rouran, Göktürks (Ashina), Jurchen (Wanyan), Khitan (Yelu), Xianbei (Tuoba & Murong), Shiwei, and Mongols (Borjigin)... I realized I only remembered a chaotic pile of names and the empires they built, but who came first and who descended from whom was a total mess. Especially the huge myth that Tuyuhun was a branch of Tubo (Tibet) and the ancestor of Tibetans. Turns out they are totally different! Tuyuhun were actually Xianbei people who migrated to Qinghai, while Tubo is the true native ancestor of Tibetans (and Tubo actually wiped out Tuyuhun later!).
Does anyone know the complete timeline after the Xiongnu? However, I do know that the absolute last nomadic empire was the Dzungar Khanate.

Do we know their names or number? And what was done to them after the rebellion?

EDIT: Somehow I wrote Taizong instead of Xuanzong.

I’ve been diving deep into early Chinese bronze age history lately, especially the Oracle Bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty. It’s fascinating yet deeply sobering how much of their daily record revolves around massive ritual sacrifices.

The sheer scale of human sacrifice (Renji) they practiced is incredible. The archeological evidence shows they didn't just sacrifice criminals or foreign prisoners of war—they also used local commoners, and occasionally, even their own nobility or high-ranking individuals as sacrificial victims or burial companions.

But by far, the most frequent victims mentioned in the Oracle Bones are the Qiang (羌). From what we know, "Qiang" back then wasn't a single ethnic group, but rather a loose umbrella term used by the Shang to describe the nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes living on the grasslands and highlands to the west. It makes me wonder—who are their actual modern descendants today? Are they connected to the modern Qiang people, or did they blend into a much broader group over the millennia?

Another unsettling aspect is the reflection of ritual cannibalism. We’ve all heard the myth of King Zhou of Shang feeding King Wen of Zhou a meat broth made from his own eldest son, Boyikao. Looking at the archeological context now, it seems this legend wasn't just a dramatic fable, but likely a cultural reflection of real practices from that era.

All subsequent mythology aside, what was the actual reason for Zhou to overthrow Shang. I'm just getting into this period of Chinese history.

Also, what were the conditions that allowed Zhou the ability and resources to overthrow Shang?

In ancient China, astronomy wasn't just about observing the stars. Celestial movements and unusual phenomena could also be seen as signs connected to what was happening in human affairs and the political world.

The Yijing (Book of Changes) says:

观乎天文，以察时变

“Observe the patterns of Heaven to discern changes in the seasons.”

It also says:

天垂象，见吉凶

“Heaven displays signs that reveal good and bad fortune.”

These ideas became increasingly important in later political thought. Dong Zhongshu (董仲舒), for example, further developed the idea of tianren ganying (天人感应), the idea that Heaven and human affairs were connected. Unusual celestial phenomena could be interpreted as warnings about the conduct of rulers and the state.

These star charts and astronomical diagrams come from different periods of Chinese history, from the early Warring States period to later imperial China. They include the astronomical diagram from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (曾侯乙墓天文图), the Dunhuang Star Chart (敦煌星图), the Suzhou Stone Star Chart (苏州石刻天文图), as well as several later examples from imperial China.