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

History

New Year Special: A Look Back at China’s Purloined Pekingese

New Year Special: A Look Back at China’s Purloined Pekingese

Bronze animal statues weren’t the only thing looted from the Old Summer Palace when it was put to the torch by British and French troops at the conclusion of the Arrow War in 1860; the imperial kennel was robbed as well

When Ulysses S. Grant met General Li

When Ulysses S. Grant met General Li

Grant’s was a life lived in many acts: Soldier. Drunk. Failed businessman. Drunk. General. Drunk. President. Failed Businessman again. Tomb. He was also the first US president to visit China.

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The Party Struggles to Keep Control of its Own History

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The Party Struggles to Keep Control of its Own History

A series of controversial social media posts claim the Party is censoring the past to preserve its legitimacy in the present. Why is the Cultural Revolution such a sensitive topic these days?

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Imperial-Era Tombs Discovered on Site of New Beijing Mega-Airport

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Imperial-Era Tombs Discovered on Site of New Beijing Mega-Airport

Workers building Beijing’s mega-airport of the future have stumbled over a bit of the city’s past.

Massacre and Memory: 80 Years Later, the Battle over Nanjing Rages On

Massacre and Memory: 80 Years Later, the Battle over Nanjing Rages On

The Nanjing Massacre is a poignant example of how history and memory can become contested battlegrounds, even decades later

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Postcards From Dashilan: Retracing the Development of Beijing’s Former Commercial Hub

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Postcards From Dashilan: Retracing the Development of Beijing’s Former Commercial Hub

Beijing has seen a lot of changes this year, but is this something new? Beijing has always been in a state of flux.

Changing the Guard

Changing the Guard

Coverage of China has always been a reflection of our own expectations and hopes, cast onto the tabula rasa of the high walls which surround the palace.

Double Ninth Day: Spend Today in the Mountains or With Your Elders (Or Both)

Double Ninth Day: Spend Today in the Mountains or With Your Elders (Or Both)

In Chinese numerology, the number nine is associated with the principal of Yang, the masculine complement of Yin in the Yin/Yang system. Today is the ninth day of the ninth month in the Lunar-Solar calendar (hence the name “Double Yang/Double Brightness”). While Yang is generally considered a good thing, too much of anything can throw a system out of balance. When systems are out of balance, as the 84-year-old auntie who lives on your hutong will remind you every day this winter, people get sick.

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Xi Writes Himself into the Narrative of China’s Modern Rejuvenation

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Xi Writes Himself into the Narrative of China’s Modern Rejuvenation

The Developed West ignores the message emerging from the 19th Party Congress at its own peril

Musical Dynasties: A Band-by-Band Guide to Chinese History

Musical Dynasties: A Band-by-Band Guide to Chinese History

Which Chinese dynasty is most like the Sex Pistols? Which rap crew could have soundtracked the Khans? The rogue historian weighs in…

This day in history: The Tianjing Incident, or “Why it’s never a good idea to make all of your subordinates kings”

This day in history: The Tianjing Incident, or “Why it’s never a good idea to make all of your subordinates kings”

A tale of a lunatic populist figurehead given to delusions of grandeur and hallucinations of his messianic nature (sound familiar?)

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