Let Only Red Flowers Bloom with NPR Correspondent Emily Feng
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, Emily paints a picture of how state control has intensified over recent years, reshaping Chinese society, politics, and culture.
Emily explains how she wove together personal stories into the historical, cultural, and political contexts, offering insights into the lives of Uyghurs separated by detention camps, human rights lawyers battling censorship, Mongolian educators struggling to preserve their language, and ordinary citizens whose acts of remembrance have become quiet forms of resistance.
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27:59
Curating Chinese Internet Culture for Global Audiences with What's on Weibo founder Manya Koetse
This week, we catch up with Dutch sinologist Manya Koetse, the creator of "What's on Weibo," 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 dynamics of Chinese digital culture, "What's on Weibo" has evolved over the years, recently expanding to include a premium newsletter while maintaining its mission to decode Chinese social media for a global audience.Manya explains Weibo's role in the increasingly fragmented Chinese online environment, discussing the evolving gender and class demographics of Weibo alongside other platforms such as Bilibili, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu (Red Book). She also talks about how Weibo functions as a social barometer reflecting the changing tides of Chinese nationalism, commercialism, social unrest, and anti-Western sentiment.
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27:39
Is this America's Cultural Revolution Moment? with Chris Stewart of the History of China Podcast
In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, host Jeremiah Jenne speaks with Chris Stewart, the creator of the History of China podcast. 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, the cultural revolution, and the importance of historical context in understanding current events. Chris shares insights on audience engagement and the evolution of his podcast over the years.
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34:08
Experiencing the World of Jazz in China
This week, we explore a topic close to our hearts: the world of jazz in China. Both Jeremiah and David bring their musical expertise 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 to discover—or rediscover—this intricate Western genre. During China's early "Reform and Opening Up" era, musicians with little prior exposure to jazz and scarce recordings embarked on the challenging journey of mastering its fundamentals: the elusive "swing" rhythm, the art of improvisation over complex harmonies, and the pursuit of a unique musical "voice." For them, jazz represented a liberating contrast to the structured pop music of their youth, offering a sense of artistic freedom and boundless creativity.
David reports that a new generation of post-millennial jazz musicians has emerged who, having grown up with the genre, are quickly ascending to world-class status, gracing stages at prestigious international festivals.
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36:55
The Challenges of Foreign Reporting in China: An In-Depth Discussion with Jane Perlez
In this episode, Jeremiah and David welcome Jane Perlez, former Beijing bureau chief for the New York Times (2012-2019), to discuss the evolving challenges of reporting from China. Drawing from her firsthand experience, Jane details the gradual erosion of press freedom under Xi Jinping's leadership, including the 2018 expulsion of journalists and the ongoing obstacles faced by news assistants working for foreign media. The conversation explores both the creative strategies reporters now use to conduct investigative journalism from outside China's borders and Jane's latest podcast project, 'Face Off: The US vs. China,' which examines the deterioration of U.S.-China relations in the 21st century.
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