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.
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?"
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.
Jeremiah heads to Malaga where he inexplicably becomes obsessed with the history of an ancient condiment
Few topics have been requested more than the Forbidden City, located in the center of the great city of Beijing. To help introduce this iconic palace complex, Laszlo invited longtime Beijing resident, Jeremiah Jenne of "Barbarians at the Gate Podcast" fame onto the CHP to discuss the history of the Forbidden City from its construction in the Ming Dynasty up to the present day.
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.
