China
Chinese Qing Dynasty
For nearly 200 years the Qing dynasty practiced a form of adoption to secure orderly succession to the throne when the emperor was childless. It was instituted by the Yong Zheng Empero... [more]
Dalai Lamas
The Dalai Lamas - supreme heads of Tibetan Buddhism and also the secular rulers of Tibet before the Chinese invasion - as well as some other important leaders of the religion (such as the P... [more]
Li Lu
Li Lu was one of the leaders of the Chinese student democracy movement which culminated in the Tiananmen Square Massacre. His parents were victims of the Cultural Revolution: when he was a ... [more]
Li Peng
Li, an ethnic Hakka, was born the son of Li Shixun and Zhoa Juntao, friends of Zhou Enlai and his wife, Deng Yingchao. His father, who like Zhou and Deng was a Communist revolutionary, was ... [more]
Lin Huoping
Lin was born to a poor family in Fuzhou, who, unable to feed her, sold her as a slave. She was later sold on, to a wealthier merchant, as an adoptive daughter. He recognized her intellectua... [more]
Liu, Gordon
Liu is one of the most famous actors in Hong Kong kung fu movies, appearing in at least 47 films from 1974 to 1994, including Heroes from the East, My Young Auntie, Shaolin Challenges Ninja... [more]
Lue Gim Gong
Lue was born into a wealthy farming family in Canton. An uncle who had already emigrated to the USA returned with stories of the great opportunities there, and at the age of 12 Lue prevaile... [more]
Sun Kewang
In the period during the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the coming of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, China was riven by a series of rebellions and temporary kingdoms established by provincial w... [more]
Zhang Xianzhong (under Sun Kewang)
In the period during the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the coming of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, China was riven by a series of rebellions and temporary kingdoms established by provincial w... [more]
