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b"On 24th April 1644, the Chongzhen Emperor walked to Meishan, a small hill in present-day Jingshan Park and hanged himself on a tree, bringing a sudden end to the Ming dynasty.\\nThe writing had been on the wall for him for some time. By 1640, the unfortunate emperor faced multiple pandemics, an invasion, two internal rebellions, persistent drought, widespread famine, and an economic collapse.\\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the fifth son of a low ranking concubine ultimately became emperor; reveal wythe Chongzhen Emperor used to sleep clutching a sword at night; and reveal why in medieval China, the gods could grant a monarch a mandate to rule, but they could also take it away if they felt like it\\u2026\\xa0\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 \\u2018A death on Coal Hill\\u2019 (The China Project, 2022): https://thechinaproject.com/2022/04/20/a-death-on-coal-hill/\\xa0\\n\\u2022 \\u2018The Fall of the Ming Dynasty in China in 1644\\u2019 (Thought Co., 2018): https://www.thoughtco.com/the-fall-of-the-ming-dynasty-3956385\\xa0\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Why did Ming explode into chaos? (Animated History)\\u2019 (Laith - The Social Streamers, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTBQJFOA-Tk\\xa0\\nCONTENT WARNING: suicide, mass suicide\\n#1400s #China\\nLove the show? Join\\xa0\\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\\xa0\\U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\\nJoin now via\\xa0Apple Podcasts\\xa0or\\xa0Patreon.\\xa0Thanks!\\n\\xa0\\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\\n\\xa0\\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"