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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
The Summer Palace in Beijing and its neighbor, the Old Summer Palace, are two of the city’s most beloved parks, but the English names for these popular attractions are a little more simplistic than their Chinese variations. The terms most commonly used in Chinese, 颐和园 yiheyuan for the Summer Palace, and 圆明园 yuanmingyuan for the Old Summer Palace, are a bit clearer, and it’s worth noting that nothing in the Chinese names references the relative age or seasonal preference.
Despite the holiday and the beautiful weather this weekend, it might not be the best time for exploring the city. Walking tours and entertainment venues are on Covid hiatus, and most parks and historic sites require a 48-hour test result to even walk through the front gate. But Covid can’t stop the history enthusiast or the intellectually curious from wandering old Peking from the comfort of our couch.
In this episode, Jeremiah and David talk with James Griffiths, Asia Correspondent for the Globe and Mail, about his new book Speak Not: Empire, Identity and the Politics of Language.
Don’t let their fluffy hair and judging eyes fool you, Pekingese dogs are hiding a secret. Their history encompasses torture, hubris, war, and some very long sleeves. Most importantly these dogs — well, one in particular — may hold the key to understanding the sometimes vexed relationship China has with the West.
Jeremiah and David catch up with writer, editor, and journalist Alec Ash, to discuss the new US edition of his 2016 book Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China.
