Chinese History & Mythology
If you’re curious about Chinese myths, legends, and history but don’t know where to start, this is your doorway. I follow a timeline, placing oral traditions and historical threads on the same map. I’ll help you build cultural bearings from scratch. Let Chinese voices guide you through the ancient stories of the East. Chinese mythology and history on a timeline: start from zero, understand more with every episode.
New episodes drop every Monday through Friday, with two to three stories each week.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 15 minutes
- Episodes
- 8
- Years Active
- 2025
Investiture of the Gods——Princes Vanish, Hero Arrives
After narrowly escaping the palace, Yin Jyow and Yin Hong fled to seek protection from Hwung Fay Hoo.
So just who is Hwung Fay Hoo? And why did the princes believe he was the one who could shield them…
Investiture of the Gods——Burning the Minister, Gouging the Eyes
So, what happens? A great war breaks out between the corrupt Shang rulers and the rising rebels fighting for the new, virtuous Zhou Dynasty.
The Shang Dynasty & Investiture of the Gods
Last time, we talked about the last king of the Sha dynasty — King Jie.
He was famous — but for all the wrong reasons: cruelty, partying too much, and ignoring his people.
And honestly? History shows u…
Yu the Great Controls the Floods
In our last story, we mentioned that Shun—the last of the Five Emperors and the "winner of the toughest interview in history"—didn’t pass his leadership position to his own son. Instead, he gave it t…
Legends of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
Today, let’s talk about a few heavyweight figures who influenced Chinese myth stories. Even though these stories sound like myths, just like the heroes in Greek mythology, they’re the ancestors recog…
Oral Script for the Story of Shennong Tasting a Hundred Herbs
Pangu created the heaven, and Nuwa created humans and mended the sky. But what happened after that? How were some common problems in people’s lives discovered and solved in mythological stories?
Nuwa Creating Humans and Mending the Sky
If you know the story of Journey to the West, you should be aware that Sun Wukong was a monkey transformed from a stone. Some say this stone, which gave birth to Sun Wukong, was a leftover piece from…
The Creation of the World by Pangu
Hey, have you ever wondered how the world was created according to ancient Chinese stories? We have our own version of a creation myth.
It's kind of like the Book of Genesis or the Greek myth of Chaos…