Barbarians at the Gate

This episode of the podcast addresses a worrisome question: Is China’s “cultural space” shrinking? The recent crackdown on stand-up comedy content and the scrutiny of foreign musicians performing in bars have raised worries that other artistic domains will soon be targeted. Over the past decade, there has been a perception of a “death by a thousand cuts,” as increasing scrutiny and tightening regulations have slowly sanitized, squelched, or strangled many areas of artistic and cultural expression. The once vibrant LGBTQ scene in Beijing, characterized by thriving queer film festivals and active “tongzhi” websites, is now virtually moribund. Venues such as the Bookworm, where freewheeling literary festivals and public talks were tacitly allowed, are now a thing of the past. And the numerous academic exchanges that collapsed during the COVID-19 years do not show signs of reviving soon. In the podcast, we discuss questions such as: What are the implications of this trend for Chinese soft power? Can alternative “safe spaces” allow creative activity to continue? And what are the ramifications for the foreign exodus from China, as many ex-pats find the country less welcoming than in times past?

In this episode, we welcome back Andrew Field to discuss his new book Rocking China: Rock Music Scenes in Beijing, Shanghai and Beyond.  While having already conducted valuable research into the history of Shanghai jazz, in 2007, Andrew began a deep dive into the nascent Chinese underground rock scene of the early 2000s with the passion of a rock fan and the intellectual fascination of an anthropologist. He spent years haunting the indie rock bars and performance venues of Beijing and other cities, interviewing the performers, observing the audience reactions, and taking extensive “field notes” (pun intended), all documenting this explosive chapter in the evolution of rock music in the PRC.  Andrew followed seminal groups such as the Carsick Cars, Subs, and Hedgehog, giving first-hand accounts of the performance ambiance and providing fascinating portraits of performers like Yang Haisong, Kang Mao, and Wu Hao.  Andrew has become one of the go-to documentarians of popular music in China: Rocking China: Rock Music Scenes in Beijing, Shanghai & Beyond Spotify playlist for Rocking China by DJ BO Shanghai’s Dancing World: Cabaret Culture and Urban Politics, 1919–1954The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2010Documentary: A Century of Jazz in Shanghai Andrew Field's websitehttp://shanghaisojourns.net/ (http://shanghaisojourns.net/) Mentioned on the show: China with a Cut: Globalisation, Urban Youth and Popular MusicJeroen de Kloet (IIAS Publications series)

Fueled by too many red bulls (Jeremiah) and some pretty good pharmaceuticals following an emergency root canal (David), our intrepid cohosts throw caution to the wind and attempt to fix US-China Relations in a single podcast. For those outside of China, the ups and downs of this troubled bilateral relationship are sometimes felt as a rather abstract quandary. Still, for those of us who have invested decades of our lives in this China, the often juvenile skirmishes between the two superpowers have existential consequences. In this episode of BATG, Jeremiah and David describe the deterioration of US-China relations brought about by an ongoing series of reciprocal clashes. The conversation includes media bias, tit-for-tat sanctions and expulsions, what-about-ism, ideological silos, historical grudges, diplomatic standoffs, national humiliation, and “face,” -- all problems for which we provide absolutely no solutions, but for which ranting can be cathartic. Grab a red bull (or four) and/or your favorite pharmaceuticals and join the conversation.

This week we catch up with Jesse Appell, an English-Chinese standup comedy star better known to his more than 3 million Chinese followers as Ai Jiexi 艾杰西. Jesse talks about how he parlayed his Fulbright Fellowship research on Chinese humor into a stellar comedy career in China. Stuck in the US for several years during the Covid-19 crisis, Jesse had to find ways to continue his successful comedy career outside China. Jesse recounts how he began to make a name for himself in the media environment of the vast number of diaspora Chinese living and working in America and other countries. We explore the cultural differences between these more Westernized diaspora audiences and those of mainland China. We also hear about the struggles of maintaining a successful career as a standup comedian in the world of Chinese media.Jesse on Instagram (comedy): @whatxisaid Jesse on Instagram (tea): @jessesteahouseJesse's Tea House (https://jessesteahouse.com/)Jesse's World Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%E6%9D%B0%E8%A5%BF%E7%9C%8B%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C-jesses-world/id1554879436)

In this episode, we are delighted to talk with James Zimmerman about his new book, Peking Express: The Bandits who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China. The book is an enthralling account of a largely forgotten chapter in Chinese history, the harrowing 1923 raid on a luxury train by Chinese bandits and the ensuing 37-day hostage standoff. Jim fills us in on the backstory of the incident, based on the treasure trove of diaries, newspaper accounts, and personal testimony, which he skillfully knits together into a fascinating narrative of a China in turmoil, contrasting the poverty-stricken villages caught in the crossfire between bandits and warlords with the opulent lifestyles of the elite group of western tourists.Jim Zimmerman is a lawyer who has lived and worked in Beijing for over 25 years and served four terms as the chairman of the Beijing American Chamber of Commerce.

In this episode, we are joined by Ben Cubbage, who calls in from the lofty heights of Xining, the capital of Qinghai province. Ben co-founded Elevated Trips, an organization that offers specialized tours in the remote regions of Tibet, Qinghai, Mongolia, and Gansu provinces. As a passionate advocate for eco-friendly tourism, Ben emphasizes principles such as respect for local cultures, providing sustainable economic value to local communities, minimizing visitor impact, and prioritizing biodiversity. We explore Ben's mission to offer travelers life-changing experiences, whether it's gaining a deeper understanding of Buddhist philosophy and material culture, admiring the breathtaking beauty of the Qinghai and Tibetan landscapes, or catching a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the elusive snow leopard that calls the Tibetan plateau home.https://www.elevatedtrips.com/ (https://www.elevatedtrips.com/)The Official Elevated Trips Intro Video, Eco-tourism on the Tibetan Plateau (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mWiANFDSXM)An Interview with Ben Cubbage from Elevated Trips (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXyNrFHaRKA)

This week’s topic is the Forbidden City, and our tour guide once again is Matthew Hu Xinyu, Trustee of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) and founder of the Courtyard Institute. Matthew provides us with updates on recently renovated sections of the Palace Museum previously inaccessible to tourists, such as the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining Gong 慈宁宫), where the Empress Dowager celebrated her birthdays and worshipped the Buddha, and the living quarters of the imperial concubines located north and west of Longzong Gate. Matthew also gives us a fascinating overview of the complex task of renovating the centuries-old compound and the challenges faced by the Palace Museum in restoring, protecting, and exhibiting the museum’s 1.8 million artifacts. Palaces, artifacts historical figures mentioned on the podcast: Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yangxin Dian养心殿 Palace of Established Happiness建福宮Jianfu Gong jinzhuan金砖 ”metal/gold bricks” Dr. Shan Jixiang 单霁翔, curator of the Palace Museum from 2012 and 2019 Imperial Fasting Palace Zhai Gong斋宫 “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” Fuchun Shanju Tu 富春山居圖, famous Yuan Dynasty painted by Huang Gongwang (黃公望, 1269-1354). The painting was divided into two pieces after being rescued from a fire. The two sections were later separated, the main section is now housed at the Taipei Palace Museum, and the smaller section, referred to as “The Remaining Mountain,” 剩山圖 Sheng Shan Tu, is part of the Beijing collection. “Precious Works of the Stone Canal Pavilion”  石渠宝笈  Shiqu Baoji. A vast Qing collection of paintings and calligraphy by emperors and famous artists, divided into categories such as books, paintings, scrolls, and calligraphy. Hall of Three Rarities Sanxi Tang 三希堂 “Reign behind the curtain” Chuilian tingzheng垂帘听政 Retirement Lodge Juanqin Zhai倦勤斋 Palace of Longevity and Health Shoukang Gong寿康宫  Fragile Cargo: China’s Wartime Race to Save the Treasures of the Forbidden City by Adam Brookes. “The gripping true story of the bold and determined museum curators who saved the priceless treasures of China’s Forbidden City in the years leading up to World War II and beyond.” “Masters in the Forbidden City” Wo zai Gugong xiu wenwu 我在故宫修文物. State media documentary on the ongoing restoration projects of the Forbidden City. Available on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw6awYYu_6s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw6awYYu_6s)

In this episode, we welcome to the podcast journalist Philip Cunningham, freelance writer for newspapers such as South China Morning Post and Japan Times, and was a former Knight Fellow and Harvard Nieman Fellowship recipient. Philip is currently posting a daily Substack entitled CCTV Follies, which provides a visual chronicle of the daily CCTV evening news report Xinwen Lianbo《新闻联播》, accompanied with running commentary that is illuminating and humorous. Phil talks about the program’s quasi-ritual role in defining the boundaries of political discourse and its overt and subliminal influence on the framing of news stories in the Chinese information environment. Philip is also the author of the book Tiananmen Moon, a first-hand account of the 1989 protests in Beijing.

In this episode, recorded on January 13, 2023, Jeremiah in Florida and David in Taiwan touch base and exchange updates on the evolving Covid-19 situation in China and elsewhere. We compare and contrast the foreign media accounts of China’s current Covid struggles with the reports from friends and family within China. David gives an account of his wife’s bout with Covid-19 in Taiwan. We also offer a quick update on the gradual opening of student visas for study in China and provide prognostications on the prospects for restoring academic exchanges with Chinese universities and educational institutions.

David and Jeremiah are both traveling this week, and in that spirit, we offer a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from the archives. In this episode from March 2022, we spoke with historian and author Mo Yajun about her book Touring China: A History of Travel Culture, 1912-1949. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!As Covid-19 gradually recedes and China resumes domestic travel, we are pleased to interview Mo Yajun about her book Touring China: A History of Travel Culture, 1912-1949, a fascinating history of the development of China’s travel industry during the Republican period. Professor Mo recounts how early tourism guides and photographic travel journals enabled Chinese people to expand the concept of quanguo 全国 ”the nation as a whole,” providing the public with an enhanced mental image of the vast scope and diversity of their “national space.” We also hear the story of Chen Guangfu, the father of China’s modern travel industry. He founded the China Travel Service during the tumultuous warlord period, partially responding to the hegemony of foreign travel services, which treated Chinese tourists as second-class citizens. Other topics covered include the issue of class in the tourism environment of semi-colonial China, cultural clashes with well-funded foreign researchers who traveled to historical sites such as the Dunhuang caves to study – and often purloin -- cultural relics, and the effect of the new technology of the personal camera on the perception, promotion and imagining of China’s historical sites.