The recent flap over the Palace Museum's promotion of a bling-out luxury mobile phone was not the first time that a phone has caused a stir at the Forbidden City. The story of a phone, a young emperor, and his love of prank calls.
In this episode of Barbarians at the Gates, Edward Wong of the New York Times joins David and me to discuss Ed's new book, At the Edge of Empire. We discuss frontiers, what the Qing Dynasty means for China, and the different generational perspectives on China's recent past.