Hot pot began as bronze personal stoves in Zhou China and became a favourite of Qing emperors

world cultures & travelWikipediac. 200–280 AD · China

Hot pot began as bronze personal stoves in Zhou China and became a favourite of Qing emperors

the gist

Hot pot's ancestors may be the bronze tripods of the Zhou dynasty, with each noble diner having a personal pot over a small charcoal stove. A copper hot pot in the Three Kingdoms period, around 200 to 280 AD, is generally treated as the origin of the dish as it is known today. Hot pot became especially popular in the Qing dynasty, when the Qianlong Emperor reportedly ate it almost every meal. The Jiaqing Emperor's coronation banquet is recorded with 1,550 hot pots. Empress Dowager Cixi was known to enjoy it with chrysanthemum in winter. Its global spread accelerated from the 1990s as Chinese emigration to the United States grew.

so what

Hot pot shows how a communal cooking method, where everyone shares one simmering broth, has lasted for nearly two thousand years across social classes. It is now a global social meal, adapted in many countries.

fun fact

The Qianlong Emperor is recorded as eating hot pot at nearly every meal.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗