“How China’s History Shapes, and Warps, its Policies Today,” Foreign Policy
A ChinaFile Conversation which asks how does China's imperial past affect its present-day foreign policy. [Read More...]
Chinese history
“Blinged-Out Mobile Not the First Telephone Controversy at the Forbidden City,” The Beijinger
The recent flap over the Palace Museum's promotion of a bling-out luxury mobile phone was not the first time that a phone has caused a stir at the Forbidden City. The story of a phone, an emperor, and his love of prank calls. [Read More...]
“Long Road to Abolition,” The World of Chinese
My new post for The World of Chinese on the legal, social, and cultural barriers to ending China’s forced labor tradition. [Read More...]
“The Life and Times of Edmund Trelawney Backhouse,” The Beijinger
I've long been fascinated with Edmund "The Hermit of Peking" Backhouse. It's time the famous Sinologist received a little love as one of the original hutong hipsters. [Read More...]
“A Stroll Along Beijing’s Restored Canal System and the Ongoing Plan to Revive its Ancient Waterways,” The Beijinger
A project to reconstruct a section of an ancient canal system that once flowed through the heart of Beijing is finally nearing completion. [Read More...]
“Beijing Emperor and Qing Dynasty Scammer Faces Prison Time in Shenzhen,” The Beijinger
It is a twist on an old scam: A gullible patsy loses a small fortune helping a former monarch recover his royal funds. But what happens when the deposed ruler claims to be the Beijing born and raised Qianlong Emperor who last ruled China in the 18th century? [Read More...]
The Perils of Advising the Empire: Yuan Shikai and Frank Goodnow
New post by me at ChinaFile. The Perils of Advising the Empire: Yuan Shikai and Frank Goodnow. [Read More...]
Zhou Enlai, the Qingming Festival, and the spring demonstrations of 1976
Is our lasting image of Zhou Enlai to be the smooth, urbane diplomat showing up for talks in Geneva in a tailored-suit, silk tie, and a fedora, exchanging quips about the French Revolution? Or will it be the Zhou Enlai standing on top of Tiananmen with a red armband and a little red book, screeching in a high-pitched hysterical frenzy, “Long Live Chairman Mao!” as hordes of fanatical teenagers chant in the square and the Chairman looks on in approval? [Read More...]
Charlie Sheen, the Lady of Loulan, and Alternative Pasts in the PRC today
When faced with an artifact which contradicts accepted narratives, China reacts one of two ways, both of which are similar to how CBS is handling Charlie Sheen. [Read More...]
Sovereignty and Suzerainty
In a commentary in the Financial Times today, [Read More...]
Bad History: China’s Economic Policies and the Opium War
This is a longish post… A long time ago, [Read More...]
The Burning of the Yuanmingyuan: 150 Years Later
150 years ago this month, troops from an [Read More...]
On Memories of Violence, Part 2: Chinese textbooks and questions about the Korean War 60 years later
A 1950 Chinese propaganda poster showing a [Read More...]
Seeking to improve agricultural yields, China looks back to the basics of the Columbian Exchange
There’s an article today in The Boston [Read More...]
The 10-year anniversary of Macau’s handover and the politics of history
If the British takeover of Hong Kong was the [Read More...]