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Barbarians at the Gate

Barbarians at the Gate

Di: Barbarians at the Gate
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A proposito di questo titolo

 A semi-serious deep dive into Chinese history and culture broadcast from Beijing and hosted by Jeremiah Jenne and David Moser.Copyright 2026 Barbarians at the Gate Mondiale Scienze sociali Scrittura e commenti di viaggio
Episodi
  • Barbarians at the Gate x By Their Own Compass: Emily Hahn's Shanghai

    Barbarians at the Gate x By Their Own Compass: Emily Hahn's Shanghai
    Feb 10 2026

    Welcome to a special episode of Barbarians at the Gate. David and Jeremiah are off this week preparing for Chinese New Year, but as a special gift to our listeners, we are cross-posting this bonus episode about the life and China travels of the American writer Emily "Mickey" Hahn. This episode is from By Their Own Compass, a podcast looking at historical travelers and past journeys co-hosted by Jeremiah with travel expert Sarah Keenlyside.

    Emily Hahn partied with poets (and her pet gibbon) at Shanghai soirees. Wrote biographies while dodging bombs in wartime Chongqing, and did her best to keep herself and her family alive in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong. Along the way, she became famous (some might add “notorious”) for her affairs, including with Chinese writer Sinmay Zau (Shao Xunmei 邵洵美) and the head of British intelligence in Hong Kong, Charles Boxer.

    Mickey lived through some of China’s most tumultuous moments. While many foreigners experienced these events, Mickey gave her readers an unvarnished look at what was happening, with a style all her own.

    We hope you enjoy this special bonus episode. Follow By Their Own Compass at bytheirowncompass.com or search for By Their Own Compass on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or where you get your podcasts.

    Links:

    

    Books referenced in the episode

    • China to Me by Emily Hahn
    • Nobody Said Not To Go by Ken Cuthbertson (biography of Emily Hahn)
    • I Wonder as I Wander: An Autobiographical Journey by Langston Hughes
    • The Soong Sisters by Emily Hahn

    Tours & Resources:

    • Historic Shanghai - walking tours (Patrick Cranley and Tina Kanagarathnam)

    Further Reading:

    • Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson by Paul French
    • Hong Kong Holiday by Emily Hahn
    • No Hurry to Get Home: A Memoir by Emily Hahn
    • Mr Pan by Emily Hahn
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    1 ora e 1 min
  • Lost in Thailand: The New Chinese Diaspora from Bangkok to Addis Ababa

    Lost in Thailand: The New Chinese Diaspora from Bangkok to Addis Ababa
    Jan 27 2026
    It’s high season in Thailand. The weather is perfect. But look around the hotel lobbies and the night markets, and you’ll notice something missing: the tour buses. For the last decade, Thailand bet the house on Chinese mass tourism. Now, that wager is looking shaky. The numbers are down, and the reasons go deeper than just a sluggish post-COVID economy. On this episode, David dials in from Addis Ababa and we are joined by travel writer Thomas Bird (author of Harmony Express), global strategist Yajun Zhang to try and figure out where everyone went and where Chinese travelers are going next. We look at the "scam center" panic that’s terrifying parents on WeChat, the shift from package tours to solo travel, and why a new generation of Chinese tourists might be skipping Bangkok for Singapore. Plus, we look at how the Chinese diaspora is changing the sound of the region—literally. From the streets of Bangkok to the markets of Addis Ababa, is Mandarin replacing English as the default second language of the Global South? In this episode: The Hangover: Thailand’s pivot from GI R&R spot to Chinese holiday destination—and the current crash. The Fear Factor: How viral stories about kidnappings and scam compounds are killing the vibe for mainland travelers. The New Traveler: Why the "flag-following" tour groups are being replaced by digital nomads and independent explorers. Diaspora Voices: Comparing the Chinese communities in Southeast Asia with the newer waves arriving in Africa.
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    36 min
  • Perilous Prognostications for China in 2026 with Yajun Zhang

    Perilous Prognostications for China in 2026 with Yajun Zhang
    Jan 13 2026
    Following a tumultuous 2025, we gallop into the Year of the Horse. Tradition says it should be a year of dynamism and progress, but which way is the stampede heading? To help us read the tea leaves, we welcome back our occasional co-host, Zhang Yajun. As a global strategist and former innovation lead at the World Economic Forum, Yajun has spent over 16 years translating complex shifts—from AI to cultural narratives—for international audiences. She joins us to look past the headlines and offer a reality check on where China’s policies, social fabric, and daily life are actually going in 2026. Topics include: The Student Exodus: After American student numbers hit historic lows, can China lure them back? Is the "China Dream" for foreign talent dead, or can the country overcome deep-seated geopolitical friction to become a destination for career-building again? The AI Reality Check: Beyond the state-level hype, how is Artificial Intelligence reshaping the rhythm of the street? We look at how aggressive government promotion of the sector is filtering down to everyday life. The Death of the Dining Room: The delivery apps are winning. As take-out replaces the communal table, restaurants are closing at an alarming rate. Are we witnessing the end of China’s boisterous, public food culture? Character Amnesia: As digital input methods proliferate, muscle memory is fading. With fewer people able to write by hand, will the Ministry of Education double down on rote discipline, or is the era of handwritten Chinese officially over? Yajun Zhang, Global Strategy & Innovation Leader | AI & XR for Policy | East–West Connector LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yajun-zhang-strategist/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yajun_zhang Substack: https://yajunzhang.substack.com/
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    48 min
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