Dynasties in Dialogue: The Tang, the Qing, and China Today

Name: Dynasties in Dialogue: The Tang, the Qing, and China Today
Start: 2026-10-23T18:15:00+00:00
Location: British Library

British Library

96 Euston Road

Fri 23 Oct · 19:15 · £13

London

Get tickets · £13

Talk

About this event

Join acclaimed writers Xiaolu Guo and Paul French for a fascinating conversation exploring how China's imperial past continues to shape its present.Drawing on their latest books, Everyday Tang: On What We Can Learn From a Dynasty and The Last Emperor: Twilight of the Forbidden City, Xiaolu and Paul offer fresh perspectives on two pivotal eras in Chinese history: the Tang and Qing dynasties.Blending memoir, travel writing and cultural reflection, Xiaolu Guo revisits the Tang dynasty, widely celebrated as a golden age of poetry, philosophy and artistic achievement. Paul, meanwhile, draws on newly uncovered archival sources to illuminate the dramatic final years of the Qing dynasty, revealing the collapse of imperial rule from within the walls of the Forbidden City.Together, they examine how history is continually reinterpreted through new evidence and changing perspectives. What do these two dynasties reveal about the making of Chinese cultural identity? Why do they continue to resonate today? And how can a deeper understanding of China's imperial past help us make sense of its present?

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