Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
To mark 50 years since the discovery of the Terracotta Army, we're exploring modern Chinese history.
We hear from the man who helped to modernise the Chinese language by creating a new writing system. It's called Pinyin and it used the Roman alphabet to help simplify Chinese characters into words.
Our expert guest is the writer, Mark O'Neill, whose book 'The Man Who Made China a Literate Nation' forms the basis of a great discussion about historical language changes throughout history.
Plus, a first hand experience of life in labour camps during Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution and the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial army during the 1930s. This programme contains disturbing content.
Contributors: Mark O'Neill - writer Zhou Youguang - linguist Jingyu Li - victim of Mao Zedong's labour camps Peng Zhuying - survivor of sexual slavery Yuan Zhongyi - archaeologist Dr Li Xiuzhen - archaeologist Simon Napier-Bell - manager of Wham
(Photo: Terracotta Army. Credit: Getty Images)
Escaping Eritrea and inventing Zumba
The godfather of manicures and India's Silicon Valley
Film and cinema around the world
The Invasion of Iraq
International Women's Day
Pink triangles and political assassinations
Riots in Mauritius and the Queen 'jumping out of a helicopter'
'Hot Autumn' and Tutankhamun
Popes
Pirate radio and the Velvet Divorce
The death penalty and broadcasting bans
Horsemeat scandal and the Miracle on the Hudson
Plastics in oceans and sea cucumbers
Pussy Riot and other Russian rebels
Food
90 years of the BBC World Service
District Six and daredevils
Referendums and Teletubbies
Contested islands and Miss World protests
Anwar Ibrahim and road safety inventions
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It is Free
The Modern West
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins