Barbarians at the Gate

Has the Chinese government killed stand-up comedy in China? In May of 2023, a popular standup comedian made an innocuous joke in which he mentioned a phrase used to laud the fighting spirit of the People’s Liberation Army. The next day, a complaint from a nationalistic netizen resulted in the Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Company being fined a whopping $2 million and the temporary shutdown of virtually all the standup TV shows and comedy clubs in China’s major cities. The immediate aftermath of the incident also cast a pall over other entertainment venues, leading to increased scrutiny of music and live entertainment in clubs and bars. In this episode, we talk with reporter and freelance writer Chang Che, who initially reported this incident and has been interviewing comedians and promoters grappling with the repercussions in the entertainment industry. Chang Che provides insights into how comedians, musicians, and creative media workers must function within a system where the lines for acceptable discourse are nebulous and ever-changing.  Chang Che’s writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and he was formerly with the New York Times reporting on tech in Asia. His first article on this subject of the podcast can be found at this link:No Joke: China Fines a Comedy Firm $2 Million for ‘Insulting’ the MilitaryChang Che’s websiteOur earlier episode on comedy in China:Chinese Funny Business with Mark "Da Shan" Roswell

On this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, I talk to Kristel Ouwehand, also known by her Tibetan language name, Tenzin Dolma, the founder of Snowland Academy in Gansu province where she lives with and teaches young Tibetan artists. Beginning at age 17, Tenzin traveled across Central America, Europe, parts of the Middle East, and the east coast of Africa before settling in India. She stayed in India for 11 years, mastering the traditional art of thangka painting. She also learned to craft butter sculptures and sand mandalas, contributed as one of 30 artists painting a new prayer hall, and even organized and translated for a year-long fundraising arts tour in North America from 2005-2006. In 2007, Kristel relocated to China, initially living in Sichuan until the earthquake in 2008, and then in Qinghai. In 2010, a pivotal moment occurred when a monk approached her, seeking art lessons. In the summer of 2014, she settled in Labrang (Xiahe), Gansu, where Snowland continues to operate today.Link to Snowland Art:http://www.snowlandart.org/about-us/

Jeremiah kicks off the podcast with news that the decades-long Qing History Projectn being carried out by, among other institutions, Renmin University and the Chinese Academy of Social Science(CASS) seems to have been "put on ice" after the draft document produced by the team of Chinese historians was deemed as “politically unacceptable” by the authorities. One of the specific objections to the project’s content was that it was “overly influenced by the New Qing History,” referring to a group of prominent Western historians who have used Manchu-language sources and new perspectives to offer an interpretation of Qing history that departs from earlier narratives that emphasized the "Sinicization" of the Qing Empire. In the podcast, we discuss how the PRC government attempts to rewrite history to promote current-day political narratives, including revisionist attempts to downplay Mongol and Manchu influences in the story of China.Mentioned in the podcast:China Digital Times, Qing History another front against Western InfluenceMore from Jeremiah, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Throwing Shade at the New Qing HistoryYoung Tsu-wong review of Qingchaoshi de jiben tezheng zai tanjiu: Yi dui beimei xin Qingshi guandian de fansi wei zhongxin 清朝史的基本特徵再探究: 以對北美新清史觀點的反思為中心 [A New Look at the Fundamental Characteristics of the Qing Dynasty History: Focus on Rethinking the Views of the New Qing History School of North America by Zhong HanGuo Wu, New Qing History: Dispute, Dialog, and InfluenceThe Art, “Blocked show on Genghis Khan finally opens in France,”Christian Henriot, "Who owns China's Past? American Universities and the Writing of Chinese History"Jeremiah’s review of Ian Johnson’s new book Sparks: China's Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future, on the China Project 

In today’s episode, we talk with journalist and travel writer Thomas Bird about his latest book, The Harmony Express. Entering an uncertain new chapter of his life several years ago, Bird decided to embark on an exploration of the People’s Republic of China via the country’s vast web of railroad lines. In the spiritual footsteps of travel writers such as Paul Theroux (Riding the Iron Rooster and The Great Railway Bazaar), Bird took the trains as his trajectory, exploring and documenting the diverse ethnic, geographical, linguistic, and culinary worlds of China by rail.With solid Mandarin skills, an intrepid, often foolhardy willingness to immerse himself into unfamiliar surroundings, and an ethnographer’s voracious intellectual appetite for detail, Bird gives the reader vivid accounts of the diverse places and personalities he encounters in his journey.We also talk about his impetus for writing the book, the evolution of train travel from the 绿皮火车 lüpi huoche “green trains” to the new sci-fi-style bullet trains, and what has changed – and not changed – in China.Thomas Bird, Harmony Express. (Earnshaw Books, 2023)Amazon Link

Warning: GEEKY CONTENTHosting solo in this week’s episode, David takes a geeky deep dive into the digital revolution in Chinese language learning in conversation with Chinese language pedagogy expert Matt Coss. The Sisyphean task of learning to write hundreds of Chinese characters has long been the bête noire of Chinese language students. The explosion of digital devices and apps for processing Chinese characters is giving rise to a radical rethinking (no pun intended) of the handwriting and dictation components of Chinese language curricula. Matt Coss is on the front line of a new generation of Chinese language educators who advocate a drastic reduction, if not outright elimination, of the handwriting requirement for Chinese language learners. Topics covered include the disturbing drop in the number of American students studying Mandarin, the implications of AI tools such as ChatGPT for Chinese language learning, and the escalating problem of native Chinese speakers forgetting how to write common characters (“character amnesia” tíbǐ wàngzì提笔忘字).Matt Coss holds a BA in Hispanic Linguistics and Asian Studies (Chinese) and an MA in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Maryland College Park. Matt has taught Chinese classes at George Washington University and Georgetown University and has worked as a Second Language Acquisition Specialist on the STARTALK project at the National Foreign Language Center. He is currently a PhD Student in Second Language Studies (Michigan State University)Mentioned in the podcast:Transforming L2 Hanzi Teaching & Learning in the Age of Digital Writing: Theory and Pedagogy (《电写时代汉字教学的理论与实践》) published by Routledge 2023https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/outputs/bookChapter/Save-Your-Strokes-Further-Studies-on/9924210987301921L1: First language (i.e., native language)L2: Second language  “The New Paperless Revolution in Chinese Reading.” Olle Linge’s Hacking Chinese Site. https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-new-paperless-revolution-in-chinese-reading/“Character Amnesia Yet Again” Victor Mair, Language Log, April 28, 2022. https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=54465Hanzi Yingxiong 《汉字英雄》 “Chinese Character Heroes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaoxdiwKaHo&t=337sZhongguo Hanzi tingxie dahui《中国汉字听写大会》”Chinese Character Dictation Competition.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=insD5qbJw2g&list=PL0eGJygpmOH4xEZ7Gu2IluCL07GYcHiZu

Isabel Nepstad’s passion for nature, food, and agriculture can be traced back to her childhood growing up in Belém, a city on the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil. Her connection to China dates to Isabel’s experience studying Chinese at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and economic development and environmental science at Yunnan University while still an undergraduate. For over 11 years, Isabel has worked in the food and agriculture industry in the United States, Brazil, the Netherlands, and China. From 2011 to 2012, she worked as an Analyst for a Brazilian NGO, Alliança da Terra, in Cuiaba, Brazil, and as a Program Manager for Solidaridad Network based in Beijing. In 2021, she founded BellaTerra Consulting to provide sustainability consulting in the food and agriculture supply chains, bridging China and the world. Isabel takes time out of her busy schedule to drop by the Barbarians at the Gate studio to share her career journey, give advice to those looking to pursue their professional lives in China, and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the environmental and agricultural sectors in China and around the world.

On this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, Jeremiah talks to Brian “DJ Bo” Offenther. From being the FKFDJ (First Known Foreign DJ) to play in Pyongyang since 1945 to putting together the first Elvis Festival in Mainland China, DJ Bo has been at the center of China’s music scene for over a decade. The self-proclaimed "Shanghai's #2 DJ" is a DJ and event producer based in Shanghai who has performed in 29 countries and 42 cities around China. He’s involved in many cultural activities, including lecturing at universities, hosting the streaming The Critical Music Club, producing ARTGER, presenting public domain events, writing/editing, and more. DJ Bo also created a wonderfully curated Spotify playlist that accompanied past BATG guest Andrew Field’s book Rocking China. With David off on summer shenanigans, Jeremiah flies solo as DJ Bo, in town for a couple of gigs, regales us with his adventures performing across China, what drives his passion for music, and makes a case for Shanghai, that other city, as the true birthplace of Rock n’ Roll.

David and Jeremiah are on holiday this week, but we hope you enjoy this encore episode with educator Jiang Xueqin, originally released in February 2022.Contrary to the common stereotype that Chinese education is regimented and mired in tradition, the education system in China is actually one of the most dynamic sectors of Chinese society, with core aspects such as the gaokao college entrance exam constantly in flux. On the podcast, this week to discuss the evolution of Chinese education is Jiang Xueqin, an educational consultant who has worked with schools throughout China to promote the ideas of creativity and critical thinking skills. Topics include the new emphasis on ideology in the curriculum since the ascent of Xi Jinping, the massive effort to turn elite Chinese universities into “world-class” institutions to compete with schools such as Harvard and Oxford, and the plight of cross-national educational projects and international schools in these years of Covid-19 shutdowns and US-China “decoupling.” Jiang Xueqin has published two books: Creative China, which recounts his experiences working in the Chinese public school system, and Schools for the Soul, which presents his approach to fostering creativity in secondary education. Jiang’s articles have appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Chronicle of Higher Education.

The podcast discusses the shrinking cultural space in Beijing, from crackdowns on stand-up comedy to limitations on foreign musicians. It highlights the disappearance of LGBTQ spaces and the challenges faced by expats. The closure of cultural venues like the Bookworm is examined, alongside the implications for Chinese soft power and academic exchanges. The hosts explore the implications of these changes and the emergence of alternative creative spaces amidst a less welcoming environment for foreigners.

In this episode, we welcome back Andrew Field to discuss his new book Rocking China: Rock Music Scenes in Beijing, Shanghai and Beyond.  While having already conducted valuable research into the history of Shanghai jazz, in 2007, Andrew began a deep dive into the nascent Chinese underground rock scene of the early 2000s with the passion of a rock fan and the intellectual fascination of an anthropologist. He spent years haunting the indie rock bars and performance venues of Beijing and other cities, interviewing the performers, observing the audience reactions, and taking extensive “field notes” (pun intended), all documenting this explosive chapter in the evolution of rock music in the PRC.  Andrew followed seminal groups such as the Carsick Cars, Subs, and Hedgehog, giving first-hand accounts of the performance ambiance and providing fascinating portraits of performers like Yang Haisong, Kang Mao, and Wu Hao.  Andrew has become one of the go-to documentarians of popular music in China: Rocking China: Rock Music Scenes in Beijing, Shanghai & Beyond Spotify playlist for Rocking China by DJ BO Shanghai’s Dancing World: Cabaret Culture and Urban Politics, 1919–1954The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2010Documentary: A Century of Jazz in Shanghai Andrew Field's websitehttp://shanghaisojourns.net/ Mentioned on the show: China with a Cut: Globalisation, Urban Youth and Popular MusicJeroen de Kloet (IIAS Publications series)