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From the Archives: Mao and the Marriage Counselor

June 8, 2016

Still one of my favorite posts, a little something from the archives on the Anti-Rightist Movement of 1956-1958. Also known as the 100 Flowers Movement, this era set the stage for the Great Leap Forward and foreshadowed the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. [Read More...]

Beijing’s Roadways: Beyond Thunderdome

May 31, 2016

I've seen drivers plow through crowded hutong, barrel down bicycle lanes, and park on sidewalks. I rarely ride my bike anymore, it's too dangerous and I feel for the guys who make a living riding around town delivering food and packages. [Read More...]

Barbarians at the Gate Podcast: The An Lushan Rebellion

May 28, 2016

Our inaugural episode looks at An Lushan: the outsider who charmed his way into the court of the Tang Dynasty in the eighth century and who almost succeeded in bringing down the empire. It’s a story made for imperial slash fic: The aging emperor, his rotund but sexy concubine, and the foreigner who came between them. [Read More...]

“The Barbarian and the Babe,” The World of Chinese

May 23, 2016

The story of An Lushan has been told so many times that it qualifies as Tang Dynasty slash fic. There is the aging emperor, his sensual concubine, and the exotic foreign warrior who comes between them. But this story is far more Byzantine than an 8th-century love triangle gone horribly sideways. [Read More...]

“A few days in North Korea,” Here! Dongguan Magazine

May 21, 2016

I have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in numerous countries, cities, and towns around the world including outdoors on the Appalachian Trail, on the Tibetan Plateau, and one semi-memorable night in which I turned into Shiva Destroyer of Worlds while celebrating at a Holiday Inn in White Plains, New York. I thought I was safe celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the one capital city on Earth without an Irish Pub. [Read More...]
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