Audio, History
Jeremiah Jenne
What can the end of the Ming Dynasty tell us ...

Trump's re-election disappointed many in the U.S. and abroad. To help them process, Jeremiah and David talk with literary translator and Pennsylvania voter Brendan O’Kane about Zhang Dai, the Ming-Qing transition, and living through an age of upheaval.

What can the end of the Ming Dynasty tell us about the election of Donald Trump and what comes next
Contemporary China, History, Audio
Jeremiah Jenne
Historical Battles: Rewriting China's Past to ...

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.

Historical Battles: Rewriting China's Past to Shape the Future
Audio, History
Jeremiah Jenne
Dan Snow's History Hit The Creation of the ...

How China transitioned from imperial rule to Chinese Socialism and all about the key characters whose opposing visions for China's future created so much chaos along the way.

Dan Snow's History Hit The Creation of the People's Republic of China
Book Reviews, History
Jeremiah Jenne
Philip Kuhn: Sorcery and Bureaucracy in Qing ...

A supernatural crisis pits an anxious autocrat against his own functionaries when a hunt for soul-stealing sorcerers turns into a political witch-hunt among 18th-century China’s “deep state.”

Philip Kuhn: Sorcery and Bureaucracy in Qing China
Audio, History, Travel
Jeremiah Jenne
Edge of Empire with author and journalist ...

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.

Edge of Empire with author and journalist Edward Wong

Walking Beijing

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Weekend Walk: In the Footsteps of the Emperor

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Weekend Walk: In the Footsteps of the Emperor

The Temple of Heaven is one of Beijing’s largest – and liveliest – spaces for a weekend walk, particularly in spring. The surrounding park is over three times the size of the Forbidden City, making it the perfect place to visit on those holiday weekends when the Palace Museum and other popular destinations will be heaving with visitors.

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Weekend Walk: Forbidden City Basics

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Weekend Walk: Forbidden City Basics

This walk is the simplest and most straightforward way to see the Forbidden City, proceeding from the Meridian Gate in the front, down the main central axis, and exiting at the northern end of the palace across the street from Jingshan Park. Most people (too many people?) take this route, but it’s only a starting point for exploring this massive palace.

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Weekend Walk: Take a Stroll Through History Around Beijing's Lakes District

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Weekend Walk: Take a Stroll Through History Around Beijing's Lakes District

The shores around the lakes known as Houhai have some of the best walking routes in Beijing.

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Urban Hiking: Celebrate National Day With Historical Rambles Through Beijing’s Concrete Jungle

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Urban Hiking: Celebrate National Day With Historical Rambles Through Beijing’s Concrete Jungle

Beijing is not known for being especially pedestrian-friendly, but that doesn’t mean there is a shortage of historical strolls on which to stretch your legs and broaden your knowledge of our fair city.

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Audio: Telling the story of the waterways

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Audio: Telling the story of the waterways

The final part of my conversation with Bruce Connolly of Radio Beijing AM774 on the renovation of the Jade River and the canal system of Beijing. 

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Audio: Restored Jade River tells some of the early history of Beijing

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Audio: Restored Jade River tells some of the early history of Beijing

The second part of my conversation with Bruce Connolly of Radio Beijing AM774 on the renovation of the Jade River and the canal system of Beijing.

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Audio: Walking the recently restored Jade River

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Audio: Walking the recently restored Jade River

The first part of my conversation with Bruce Connolly of Radio Beijing AM774 on the renovation of the Jade River and the canal system of Beijing.

A Stroll Along Beijing’s Restored Canal System and the Ongoing Plan to Revive its Ancient Waterways

A Stroll Along Beijing’s Restored Canal System and the Ongoing Plan to Revive its Ancient Waterways

A project to reconstruct a section of an ancient canal system that once flowed through the heart of Beijing is finally nearing completion.