Barbarians at the Gate

Apr 15 2025 83 ep. 40 mins 1.1k

Barbarians at the Gate Podcast artwork

A semi-serious deep dive into Chinese history and culture broadcast from Beijing and hosted by Jeremiah Jenne and David Moser.

History Society & Culture

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Let Only Red Flowers Bloom with NPR Correspondent Emily Feng

Apr 15 2025 27 mins

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, we talk with Emily Feng about her new book Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China. Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting for NPR (https://www.npr.org/people/705255512/emily-feng), Emily paints a picture of how state control has intensified over recent years, reshaping Chinese society, politics, and

Curating Chinese Internet Culture for Global Audiences with What's on Weibo founder Manya Koetse

Apr 01 2025 27 mins

This week, we catch up with Dutch sinologist Manya Koetse, the creator of "What's on Weibo (https://www.whatsonweibo.com/)," a platform offering in-depth insights into trends, events, memes, and social phenomena on Weibo, one of China's largest social media platforms, often referred to as the "Chinese Twitter."As a bridge for non-Chinese speaking audiences to understand the dynamic

Is this America's Cultural Revolution Moment? with Chris Stewart of the History of China Podcast

Mar 20 2025 34 mins

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, Jeremiah speaks with Chris Stewart, the creator of The History of China podcast (https://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com/). They discuss Chris's transition from living in Shanghai to returning to Bozeman, Montana, his journey into Chinese history, and the challenges of podcasting. The conversation also touches on the impact of COVID-19, th

Experiencing the World of Jazz in China

Mar 07 2025 36 mins

This week, we explore a topic close to our hearts: the world of jazz in China. Jeremiah and David bring their respective musical experience to the table—Jeremiah as a rock and blues keyboardist, and David as an active pianist in Beijing's jazz scene.David takes us back to his experiences in the 1980s, a period of renaissance for jazz in Beijing, when Chinese rock musicians began

The Challenges of Foreign Reporting in China: An In-Depth Discussion with Jane Perlez

Feb 14 2025 34 mins

In this episode of 'Barbarians at the Gate,' hosts Jeremiah Jenne and David welcome Jane Perlez, former Beijing bureau chief for the New York Times, to discuss the evolving challenges of reporting from China. Jane shares her experiences from her tenure in Beijing (2012-2019), where she served as bureau chief for the New York Times. She describes the gradual erosion of press freedom

From the Archives: Xi Built This City

Jan 29 2025 38 mins

Happy Year of the Snake!In this archive episode from January 2024, we chat with Andrew Stokols, who is researching varieties of digital urbanism globally, with an emphasis on China.We briefly compare notes on the urban development of Beijing in the 21st century, including the contradictions between Beijing as a technologically advanced urban center and an ancient capital city. Andr

Shalama: An Epic Story of Family, Community, and Survival in Republican-era China

Jan 15 2025 33 mins

In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome Jean Hoffman Lewanda back to the podcast to discuss her new book, Shalama: My 96 Seasons in China, published by Earnshaw Books. Listeners may recall Jean's previous appearance, where she shared insights about her father, Paul Hoffman's memoir, Witness to History: From Vienna to Shanghai—A Memoir of Escape, Survival, and Resilience. That

Where have all the American China Experts Gone?

Dec 22 2024 37 mins

In this episode, we invite Rory Truex, an associate professor at Princeton University, to discuss a recurring issue on the podcast: the plight of the US-China academic exchange and the urgent need to attract more American scholars to do research in China. Despite the recent revival of several American academic programs in China, the post-COVID number of US students in the PRC is st

Laws of the Land: Feng Shui in Chinese History

Nov 26 2024 41 mins

In this episode, hosts Jeremiah Jenne and David Moser speak with MIT professor Tristan Brown (https://history.mit.edu/people/tristan-brown/) about his award-winning book Laws of the Land: Feng Shui and the State in Qing Dynasty China. Brown reveals how Feng Shui was far more than just the art of furniture arrangement or grave placement - it was a sophisticated system of environment

What can the end of the Ming Dynasty tell us about the election of Donald Trump and what comes next

Nov 12 2024 34 mins

Last week’s election of Donald Trump to a second term as U.S. President disappointed half of the American electorate and much of the world (outside the Kremlin). To help Jeremiah and David process what’s next, they’re joined by Brendan O’Kane— writer, translator, expert in the literature of the late Ming Dynasty, and a Pennsylvania voter. Brendan explores the works of Zha