The short reign of Zhu Changluo
On August 28, 1620, Zhu Changluo took power as the Taichang Emperor. Less than a month later, he was dead, apparently having pooped himself to death. [Read More...]
Writings
Forbidden City to close from August 22-September 3
Just heard from a reliable source that the [Read More...]
Large Mammals Crossing: Jogging in Beijing
I'm a large mammal in a country of mostly smaller mammals. But this summer I have resolved to lose weight and get healthy...even if it kills me. [Read More...]
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences throwing shade at The New Qing History
Why did the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences launch an attack on Qing historians Mark Elliott, James Millward, and Pamela Crossley? It seems they had the temerity to challenge long-cherished tropes of Qing history, and that Just! Won't! Do! [Read More...]
Advice to New Wai: Things I wish I learned 13 years ago about life in China
Let’s face it: It’s not easy to live [Read More...]
Kind of Online in the PRC: The New Normal?
For anybody who still thinks China is a great business environment or that China has a bright future as a research hub, intellectual incubator, or simply a good place for their next office or factory, I would strongly suggest spending 30 minutes trying to do a few routine tasks that involve using the Internet. [Read More...]
Confucian Confusion
Last week, China named Cuban strongman Fidel Castro the latest recipient of the Confucius Peace Prize, but the Peace Prize isn’t China’s only wholesale commandeering of her most famous sage, known for his philosophy of ethics and morals. [Read More...]
From the Ruins of Empire…arise the nation-state
Empires want to be respected. Nation-states need to be loved. It's a simple formula, and one that I share with author and historian of empire Pankaj Mishra. [Read More...]
Censoring History
When an American historian tries to translate his latest book into Chinese, wacky hilarity ensues. . [Read More...]
And All My Words Come Back to Me…
As police move to take control of Queensway and city workers with power tools are dismantling the barricades, it's worth remembering that the PRC government was not always so threatened by unrest in Hong Kong. When it was Britain’s ox that was getting gored, China actually encouraged it. [Read More...]
Beware of Dog!
For whatever reason, a shocking number of people are terrified, actually overcome with fear by....Snickers. [Read More...]
Kennedy’s Aggression is Meeting with Growing Revulsion: 1962 Poster
What can a 1962 Xinhua poster tell us about Sino-US Relations during the Cold War? Guest post by author Scott D. Seligman. [Read More...]
Book Review: The Incarnations by Susan Barker
How many lifetimes does it take for two souls to truly bond? Susan Barker’s remarkable book The Incarnations is a time-bending fantasy with an unknown (and possible unreliable) narrator sweeping us down the rabbit hole of history. [Read More...]
Scenes from a Forbidden City…
Scenes from a Forbidden City....clear skies and heightened security. [Read More...]
Wealth and Power at Capital M
Historian John Delury gave an excellent talk at Capital M today about wealth and power as defining recent Chinese history, but how to fit a search for modernity into that equation? [Read More...]