Book Reviews, History
Jeremiah Jenne
Lin Yutang: My Country, My People

In 1935, the Chinese author Lin Yutang offered Westerners an insider’s guide to China's society. It endures today despite his own cultural contradictions.

Lin Yutang: My Country, My People
Audio, History
Jeremiah Jenne
Is this America's Cultural Revolution Moment?

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, Jeremiah and Chris Stewart of The History of China Podcast ask the question, "Is this America's Cultural Revolution moment?"

Is this America's Cultural Revolution Moment?
Contemporary China, Audio
Jeremiah Jenne
Experiencing the World of Jazz in China

Our latest episode explores jazz in China—from its revival in 1980s Beijing to today's talented performers. David Moser discusses how musicians with limited recordings mastered the medium and laid the groundwork for generations of skilled jazz players from China.

Experiencing the World of Jazz in China
History, Travel
Jeremiah Jenne
Phoenicians and Fish Sauce on the Costa del Sol

Jeremiah heads to Malaga where he inexplicably becomes obsessed with the history of an ancient condiment

Phoenicians and Fish Sauce on the Costa del Sol
Book Reviews, History
Jeremiah Jenne
Reginald Johnston: Twilight in the Forbidden ...

A Scotsman’s memoir of tutoring Puyi, China’s “last emperor,” is more than just court gossip — it’s a tantalizing portrait of China’s imperial trappings.

Reginald Johnston: Twilight in the Forbidden City

Contemporary China

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Curating Chinese Internet Culture for Global Audiences with What's on Weibo founder Manya Koetse

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Curating Chinese Internet Culture for Global Audiences with What's on Weibo founder Manya Koetse

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, we catch up with Dutch sinologist Manya Koetse, the creator of What’s on Weibo, an invaluable platform that curates trends and offers in-depth insights into events, memes, and social phenomena on the Chinese Internet.

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Experiencing the World of Jazz in China

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Experiencing the World of Jazz in China

Our latest episode explores jazz in China—from its revival in 1980s Beijing to today's talented performers. David Moser discusses how musicians with limited recordings mastered the medium and laid the groundwork for generations of skilled jazz players from China.

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The Challenges of Foreign Reporting in China: An In-Depth Discussion with Jane Perlez

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The Challenges of Foreign Reporting in China: An In-Depth Discussion with Jane Perlez

Jeremiah and David welcome Jane Perlez, former Beijing bureau chief for the New York Times. Jane reflects on shifts in media freedom and the challenges faced by reporters covering China. Her podcast series on U.S.-China relations, "Face Off," launches its second season this week.

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Where have all the American China Experts Gone?

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Where have all the American China Experts Gone?

Professor Rory Truex of Princeton discusses the decline of US-China academic exchange post-COVID, the challenges of research in China's current environment, the Trump administration's potential impact on educational programs and perceptions of exchange students as security risks.

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Historical Battles: Rewriting China's Past to Shape the Future

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Historical Battles: Rewriting China's Past to Shape the Future

Jeffrey Wasserstrom joins Barbarians at the Gate to discuss the legacy of the Hong Kong protests, Xi Jinping’s patriotic education law, and how Beijing’s control over historical narratives is reshaping academic engagement with China.

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Back to School 2: The View from the EU

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Back to School 2: The View from the EU

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, David and I welcome Kārlis Rokpelnis to discuss the decline in student exchanges in China and contrast U.S. and European approaches to relations with China and the promotion of study abroad in the PRC.

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Back to School

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Back to School

David and Jeremiah discuss Chinese students studying in the US, the cautious return of Americans to China, and lament the lack of nuance in reactions to Tim Walz’s China ties. They also give their takes on UNESCO status for Beijing's Central Axis.

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What happens after a Barbarian walks away from the Gate?

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What happens after a Barbarian walks away from the Gate?

On the latest episode of Barbarians at the Gate, David Moser and I discuss new directions. We reflect on our COVID-era episodes, discuss the current situation on academic exchanges in China with cautious optimism, and outline future plans for the pod.

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The Mountains are High

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The Mountains are High

On the latest episode of Barbarians at the Gate, David and I welcome back author (and friend of the podcast) Alec Ash to talk about Dali, rural escapism in China today, and his latest book, The Mountains Are High.

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Exile from Expat-Ville

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Exile from Expat-Ville

David and Jeremiah speak with Mike Wester about running @thebeijinger, organizing the “Safe and Sane” communities during the pandemic, and the future of expats in Beijing. Also, Jeremiah surprises David and Mike with an announcement.

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No Laughing Matters: The State of Stand-up in China Today

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No Laughing Matters: The State of Stand-up in China Today

On this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, David Moser and Jeremiah talk to journalist Chang Che about the state of comedy and entertainment in China and the precarious nature of creative expression in an increasingly ideological cultural landscape.

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Do you really need to learn to write characters to study Chinese?

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Do you really need to learn to write characters to study Chinese?

Hosting solo in this week’s episode, David takes a geeky deep dive into the digital revolution in Chinese language learning in conversation with Chinese language pedagogy expert Matt Coss. 

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Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

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Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

Chinese history — very distant and very near — is filled with people who did not, and do not, abide by the government's "official" version of events. Ian Johnson gives them a voice in his latest book, Sparks.

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A Career of Change Making: A Conversation with Isabel Nepstad of Bellaterra Consulting

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A Career of Change Making: A Conversation with Isabel Nepstad of Bellaterra Consulting

Isabel Nepstad, CEO of BellaTerra Consluting, takes time out of her busy schedule to drop by the Barbarians at the Gate studio to share her career journey, give advice to those looking to pursue their professional lives in China and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the environmental and agricultural sectors in China and around the world.

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Have Tunes, Will Travel: The Musical Adventures of DJ Bo

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Have Tunes, Will Travel: The Musical Adventures of DJ Bo

With David off on summer shenanigans, Jeremiah flies solo as DJ Bo drops by the BATG studio to talk about his adventures performing across China, what drives his passion for music, and the case for Shanghai as the birthplace of Rock n’ Roll.

A Great Leap Backwards?: The Closing of Cultural Spaces and the New Normal in Beijing

A Great Leap Backwards?: The Closing of Cultural Spaces and the New Normal in Beijing

Are China's cultural spaces shrinking? Expression is silenced, vibrant scenes fade, and exchanges stall. David and Jeremiah discuss the effects of this trend on China's soft power and the future of cross-cultural creative endeavors.

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Tik-Tok-for-Tat: Jeremiah and David try to Fix US-China Relations

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Tik-Tok-for-Tat: Jeremiah and David try to Fix US-China Relations

Fueled by too many red bulls (Jeremiah) and some pretty good pharmaceuticals following an emergency root canal (David), our intrepid cohosts throw caution to the wind and attempt to fix US-China Relations in a single podcast.

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What Xi Said: Comedy and Cross-Cultural Communication with Performer and Content Creator Jesse Appell

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What Xi Said: Comedy and Cross-Cultural Communication with Performer and Content Creator Jesse Appell

Jesse Appell turned a Fulbright Fellowship research into a comedy career in China with 3M+ followers. On this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, Jesse joins us to discuss cultural communication and comedy in the US and China.

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CCTV Follies with Journalist and Author Philip Cunningham

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CCTV Follies with Journalist and Author Philip Cunningham

Philip Cunningham joins the Barbarians at the Gate Podcast to discuss his Substack CCTV follies in which Phil watches the nightly Xinwen Lianbo so that you don't have to. We look at the ritual of news in defining the boundaries of discourse and the framing of stories in the Chinese media.

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When will China re-open its doors for study abroad and educational exchanges?

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When will China re-open its doors for study abroad and educational exchanges?

Jeremiah in Florida and David in Taiwan touch base and exchange updates on the evolving Covid-19 situation in China and elsewhere.

Find me on BlueSky, LinkedIn, TWITTER, Instagram, or Apple Podcasts.