Barbarians at the Gate

Recent Episodes

Lost in Thailand: The New Chinese Diaspora from Bangkok to Addis Ababa

Posted January 27, 2026 • 00:35:51

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:...

Perilous Prognostications for China in 2026 with Yajun Zhang

Posted January 13, 2026 • 00:47:31

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...

Barbarians Remix: Horse Racing, History, and the Final Champion's Day in Old Shanghai

Posted December 30, 2025 • 00:31:36

Champions Day in the city of Shanghai, November 1941.

The world was at war, but the clubhouse at the Shanghai Race Club (now People's...

The Dowager and the Dynasty: How did Empress Dowager Cixi rule China and should we blame her for bringing down an empire?

Posted December 16, 2025 • 00:51:40

How does a teenage girl from Beijing’s hutongs end up ruling the world’s largest empire—without ever technically sitting on the throne? In this...