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

History

It’s Not Rocket Science, Except When it is: The Strange Case of Qian Xuesen

It’s Not Rocket Science, Except When it is: The Strange Case of Qian Xuesen

The story of Qian Xuesen, “an undisputed genius” who helped China develop rocket technology after he was shunned in the United States of America

The Chinese Playwright Purged after Writing the National Anthem

The Chinese Playwright Purged after Writing the National Anthem

Anthems are tricky things. They are part of state pageantry but are also played ceremonially in public settings, such as sporting events, which are outside the immediate control of the state.

Karl Marx, Cai Yuanpei, and the Legacies of May Fourth

Karl Marx, Cai Yuanpei, and the Legacies of May Fourth

Marx may be getting most of the attention this year, but we should not forget the possible pasts represented by Cai Yuanpei, the intellectual omnivore, the university president unafraid of wild thinkers.

American Business and Chinese Nationalism: Lessons from 1905

American Business and Chinese Nationalism: Lessons from 1905

US politicians score points with nativists by targeting immigrants. Chinese commercial interests collude with officials to stymie foreign competition. Diplomats try to resolve a trade dispute and avoid a broader conflict. Welcome to the world…in 1905.

Tracing Heated Roots: How the Beloved Chili Arrived in China

Tracing Heated Roots: How the Beloved Chili Arrived in China

When I tell my dining companions that their mighty chili is not native – is, in fact, like me a foreigner to their shores – they look at me as if wondering, is it possible that this Lao Wai is intentionally hurting the feelings of 1.5 billion people?

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Charitable Past: Examples of Goodwill Throughout the Chinese Ages

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Charitable Past: Examples of Goodwill Throughout the Chinese Ages

Even centuries ago, the people of Beijing were willing to help those less fortunate, and throughout the city’s recent history, there have been many institutions providing aid to the poor, the sick, and the displaced.

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Excellent Ming-Era Architecture and Artifacts on Display at Re-Opened Zhihua Temple

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Excellent Ming-Era Architecture and Artifacts on Display at Re-Opened Zhihua Temple

Zhihua Temple, one of the best-preserved repositories of Ming-era architecture and artifacts in the city, has reopened after extensive renovations.

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?