The Context

Today, we’ll talk about Shao Piaoping, a pioneering Chinese journalist who challenged political power through fearless reporting, helped lay the foundations of journalism education in China, and was executed for his convictions at the age of 40.

Today, we’ll talk about Lin Shu, a Chinese scholar who introduced generations of readers to Western literature without learning a foreign language himself. Through collaboration, literary talent and a deep concern for China’s future, he helped to usher new ideas into Chinese society.

Today, we’ll talk about the celebrated Tang poet and statesman Zhang Jiuling and how the recent discovery of his wife’s tomb has reunited two people separated by 1,300 years while shedding new light on one of China’s most famous poems about the moon.

Today, we’ll talk about the ancient rock paintings of Cangyuan in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, where red images of hunters, dancers and mysterious spiritual figures offer a glimpse into a prehistoric world whose people, beliefs and stories researchers are still working to understand.

Today, we’ll talk about Prosperous Suzhou, an extraordinary 18th-century Chinese painting that captures the bustling streets, busy waterways and everyday lives of one of China’s great commercial cities, while revealing a remarkable story of imperial ambition, cultural heritage and a long journey home.