Audio, Contemporary China
Jeremiah Jenne
What happens after a Barbarian walks away from ...

On the latest episode of Barbarians at the Gate, David Moser and I discuss new directions. We reflect on our COVID-era episodes, discuss the current situation on academic exchanges in China with cautious optimism, and outline future plans for the pod.

What happens after a Barbarian walks away from the Gate?
Beijing, Contemporary China, Audio
Jeremiah Jenne
Exile from Expat-Ville

David and Jeremiah speak with Mike Wester about running @thebeijinger, organizing the “Safe and Sane” communities during the pandemic, and the future of expats in Beijing. Also, Jeremiah surprises David and Mike with an announcement.

Exile from Expat-Ville
Book Reviews, History, Travel
Jeremiah Jenne
Marco Polo: Travel writer? Fraud? Sexpat?

‘The Travels of Marco Polo’ is often held up as the earliest Western account of China and Asia. What’s actually inside the covers might surprise you.

Marco Polo: Travel writer? Fraud? Sexpat?
Audio, Travel
Jeremiah Jenne
Art with Altitude: A Conversation with Artist, ...

On this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, we talk to artist, educator, and social entrepreneur Kristel Ouwehand of Snowland Art

Art with Altitude: A Conversation with Artist, Educator, and Social Entrepreneur Kristel Ouwenhand
Audio, History
Jeremiah Jenne
History Wars: The PRC pushes back against ...

David and I discuss what's going on with the Qing history project, a controversy about Genghis Khan in France, and how PRC continues punching back against potentially problematic pasts.

History Wars: The PRC pushes back against unsanctioned views of the past

History

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Seeking News, Making China

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Seeking News, Making China

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, we talk to historian John Alekna about his new book "Seeking News, Making China," which examines the role of information technology in 20th-century China, from the early radio era to the Cultural Revolution.

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Peter Goullart: Forgotten Kingdom

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Peter Goullart: Forgotten Kingdom

20 years after “Shangri-La” was coined in the Western imagination, a Russian adventurer published a memoir from the valley of Lijiang, southwest China, that is strikingly similar yet a world apart.

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Ellen La Motte: An American Nurse in Peking

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Ellen La Motte: An American Nurse in Peking

In 1916, an American activist and writer traveled to China from the frontlines of World War I. What she saw in the city delighted her; what she saw in the opium trade appalled her.

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History Wars: The PRC pushes back against unsanctioned views of the past

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History Wars: The PRC pushes back against unsanctioned views of the past

David and I discuss what's going on with the Qing history project, a controversy about Genghis Khan in France, and how PRC continues punching back against potentially problematic pasts.

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Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

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Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

Chinese history — very distant and very near — is filled with people who did not, and do not, abide by the government's "official" version of events. Ian Johnson gives them a voice in his latest book, Sparks.

How the Whampoa Academy Gave Birth to Famous Enemies in Chinese Political History

How the Whampoa Academy Gave Birth to Famous Enemies in Chinese Political History

When classes first convened on June 16, 1924, China’s first modern military academy aimed to reunite a divided nation. It didn’t quite work out that way.

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Blood on the Tracks: The Story of China’s Greatest Train Robbery

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Blood on the Tracks: The Story of China’s Greatest Train Robbery

Author James Zimmerman’s new book examines the surprising stories behind the 1923 robbery of the Peking Express, China’s most modern train at the time

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The Forbidden City with Matthew Hu

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The Forbidden City with Matthew Hu

On this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, Matthew Hu of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Preservation Center joins Jeremiah and David Moser to look at the Forbidden City's past, present, and future and the challenges of restoring and exhibiting the museum’s 1.8 million artifacts.

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Mistrust on Both Sides: On Terry Lautz’s “Americans in China” and John Delury’s “Agents of Subversion”

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Mistrust on Both Sides: On Terry Lautz’s “Americans in China” and John Delury’s “Agents of Subversion”

“The success of US-China relations relies on forging relationships at a personal level,” writes Jeremiah Jenne reviewing John Delury’s “Agents of Subversion” and Terry Lautz’s “Americans in China."

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Story of the 'Jing: A History of Commerce at Longfusi

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Story of the 'Jing: A History of Commerce at Longfusi

The area around the former Longfusi (Temple of Abundant Blessings) is a popular place to get some of Beijing’s best Pho at Susu or grab a pint at Jing-A, but the neighborhood historically is no stranger to commerce. 

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Eunuchs in Beijing: The Bad and the Misunderstood

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Eunuchs in Beijing: The Bad and the Misunderstood

Most eunuchs were undeserving of their bad reputation and social stigma, but a few eunuchs in Beijing's past, unfortunately, lived up to their notoriety.

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Story of the 'Jing: The Legacy of the Jesuits in Beijing

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Story of the 'Jing: The Legacy of the Jesuits in Beijing

One of the first communities of foreigners working in Beijing were Jesuits, missionaries turned advisors and aides to the emperors of the Ming and Qing.