Barbarians at the Gate

A podcast of Chinese history and Chinese culture

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Recent Episodes

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, 202500:51:40

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...

Barbarians at the Gate x China Books Review: From Heaven Lake

Posted November 13, 202500:27:15

In 1981, the Indian writer and poet Vikram Seth traveled from Nanjing, where he was studying literature, to his hometown of Delhi. Moving by train across...

The Destruction of the Old Summer Palace (Remix)

Posted October 29, 202500:42:58

David and Jeremiah are traveling this week, which means, like the days of summer TV (pre-Internet and pre-InfiniteStreamingNetflixVerse), we are replaying...

The Voyages of Zheng He

Posted October 16, 202500:33:14

It’s just two guys talking China's naval history. In this episode, David and Jeremiah dig into the story of Zheng He, the 15th-century admiral who...

Barbarians at the Gate x China Books Review: The Records of the Grand Historian

Posted September 29, 202500:23:54

Picture this: You’re 45 years old, halfway through writing the definitive history of your civilization. Writing this history is the family business,...