The Coen Brothers-esque plot of 835 A.D. that backfired spectacularly, and gruesomely...

The Tang Dynasty prime minister who only hired non-Chinese generals.

The late-Sui rebel leader who lived by the code of the xia.

The tale of a cocktail hour in 961 A.D.

The military fiasco that led to an emperor serving two non-consecutive terms.

Regarding the Song Dynasty mandarin who defined the mission for the Confucian intelligentsia.

Regarding the small minority race who gave us the name "Siberia" and preserved the Manchu language.

In all the "24 Histories" of Chinese tradition, only one woman is feature in the biographies of military generals. This is her.

Was he a Confucian or a Legalist? Regarding one of the most controversial Chinese thinkers.

The famous 5th or 6th century courtesan of Hangzhou and all the poetry that's been about her.

Author of "On the Faults of the Qin."

The inventor of court protocols.

The man who convinced the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty that he couldn't rule from horseback.

The Chinese equivalent of the prophecies of Nostradamus.

Regarding the late-Qing businessman and reformist thinker.

Regarding the Song Dynasty statesman -- and my ancestor -- Han Qi.

Regarding the Tang Dynasty mandarin and calligrapher.

Wei Yuan, the 19th century mandarin and geographer who taught the Chinese to open their eyes to the outside world.

Regarding the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms figure Qian Liu and his "iron scroll."

Regarding the great 5th century mathematician, astronomer, and engineer.

Regarding the Han Dynasty policy advisor, party-pooper, and scapegoat.

About the Jin Dynasty alchemist and author Ge Hong and the text he left us, Baopuzi, which teaches us the way to immortality.

About one of the most famous disciples of Confucius, the man of action Zilu

Regarding the Tang Dynasty writer and his most famous essay.

The greatest travel writer in Chinese tradition, the late-Ming figure Xu Xiake.