HISTORICAL FIGURES

Qin Liangyu: Ancient China’s Unstoppable Female General

Forget Mulan—ancient China’s most successful female military commander went undefeated in battle and earned honors for over 50 years

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Wen Yiduo: The Poet, The Martyr

Wen Ting, the great-granddaughter of Republican Era-poet Wen Yiduo, talks about her great-grandfather’s cultural and emotional legacy

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Reclaiming the Genius of China’s First Female Architect

As well as costing her an architecture degree, Lin Huiyin’s gender would lead many to focus on her looks and alleged love affairs over her groundbreaking work

HISTORICAL FIGURES

How a Patriotic Organization Evolved Into a Martial Arts Icon

Because of the popularity of films based on the martial artist’s life story, few can really distinguish the actual history of Huo Yuanjia from fictionalized adaptations

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Shadow Games: The Cunning Art of Espionage in Ancient China

From turning the tides of battle to preventing conflict altogether, spies were an integral part of warfare in ancient China—sometimes unwittingly

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Badass Ladies of Chinese History: Mathematician and Astronomer Wang Zhenyi

This master astronomer and mathematician solved the mystery of lunar eclipses, simplified proofs, and advocated learning for all—male and female

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Four Ancient Chinese Female Scientists History Didn’t Forget

From weaving to medicine to math, these badass scientists left their mark on history, despite the patriarchal obstacles in their path

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Who’s Afraid of the Chinese Ghostbuster?

Scare away spooks with Zhong Kui, a Chinese folk deity renowned for his frightening looks

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Celebrating Confucius’s 2,725th Birthday

A ceremony at Beijing’s 14th century Confucius temple celebrates a sage's birth based on 2,000-year-old traditions

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Things Confucius Never Said

Mistaken and misrepresented quotes from China’s most famous philosopher