Barbarians at the Gate

A podcast of Chinese history and Chinese culture

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Recent Episodes

Standing Up to Zero COVID: The View from Beijing

Posted November 28, 202200:35:54

This episode of BATG provides a “time stamp” and an initial reaction to protests in several major Chinese cities on November 26 and 27, events that...

Lockdowns, Legacies, and Looking Back with Journalist Melinda Liu

Posted November 15, 202200:51:35

In this week’s podcast, we are delighted and honored to talk to Melinda Liu, legendary journalist and long-time observer of post-Mao China. In addition...

Back to the Land: Author Alec Ash on escaping to Dali, rural retreats, and a return to England

Posted October 30, 202200:45:10

In this week’s episode, we catch up with our old friend Alec Ash, writer, journalist, and author of the Wish Lanterns, a portrait of six...

CoCo19 and the Quarantines: The Scene from Beijing

Posted October 2, 202200:41:55

Post-Covid China border closings, the expulsion of western journalists, and suspensions of academic exchanges have resulted in a woeful lack of foreign...

Beijing Calling Taipei

Posted August 30, 202200:38:44

In this episode, David phones in from Taiwan to share some of his impressions of the current mood of the beleaguered island. The discussion touches...