Diane Wolff

Author, Independent Scholar

Blog

Xi Jinping's Rise to Become the Most Powerful Leader in Decades

August 21, 2018

This video by the Wall Street Journal gives an excellent summary of Xi Jinping's rise to become the most powerful leader of China in decades. A must see.

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The Silk Road Series

Narrative History

Batu. Khan of the Golden Horde: The Mongol Khans Conquer Russia

Russian history is strangely silent on the subject of the conquest of Russia by the Mongol Empire. This book reveals the true story and the reason why Russian history is silent. It is the story of Batu Khan, grandson of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan}, who formed an alliance with the Supreme Khan's favorite daughter-in-law, the Princess Sorghagtani, to put her sons on the throne.

Marco Polo's World

Why was Marco Polo called a liar by the citizens of Venice when he returned after his stay of almost two decades at the court of Khubilai Khan?

Taifun: Khubilai Khan Invades Japan by Sea

Why would a man born to the horse take to the sea? Why did the boy Shogun refuse to submit to the man who unified China? Why did Khubilai Khan become obsessed with forcing the submission of Japan?

An Offer He Couldn't Refuse: A Man of Letters in a Military Government

This is the story of the relationship between a military genius who brought the nomad tribes of the steppes under his banner and the greatest statesman of the empire that he conquered, the Jin Empire of North China. It is the story of the civilizing of the khan.

Il-Khan: Why Hulegu Khan Destroyed the Assassins and the Caliphate

Why did the Mongol Emperor give Orders of Submission to the Caliph of Baghdad? This volume reconstructs the story from the contemporary Muslim historians Juvaini and Rashid al-Din.

Diplomat: The Woman Who Saved Europe

The European friar sent by the Pope of Rome to the Mongol court described Princess Sorghagtani as the most remarkable woman of her age. She was an excellent judge of people, well-connected and well-respected. When her husband died, she turned her attention to the careers of her sons instead of making a royal marriage. She moved to China, where she supported the return to normalcy after a quarter century of war.

She had watched her father-in-law build the empire. She was not about to let the house of Ogodei destroy it.

Her story illuminates one of the most brilliant political careers of all time. This is Game of Thrones in Asia, only the story is for real.

Young Readers FREE DOWNLOAD!

Chinese Writing: An Introduction

How to look at the Chinese language. How to make sense of it. How to understand the styles of Chinese calligraphy. Illustrated with photos of masterpieces of calligraphy in the four styles. Photos: collection C. C. Wang, modern Chinese painting master. Winner of the American Library Associations Most Notable Book Award in the year of its publication.

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Great Video: The Mongol Invasion of Medieval Russia

In a brilliant campaign headquartered in a vast camp in the steppes, Batu Khan attacks Kiev and burns the Church of the Virgin to the Ground. He defeats the Russian princes and becomes the Khan of All the Russias.