Barbarians at the Gate

The outbreak of Covid-19 has drawn attention to public health in China and around the world. In the early stages, there was considerable criticism of China's initial handling of the outbreak. This criticism drew an emotional response in China. In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, Jeremiah Jenne and David Moser look at the intimate link in Chinese history between public health, hygiene, and modernity.

Note: In the podcast, we mention China's expulsion of Wall Street Journal reporters Josh Chin, Chao Deng, and Philip Wen. Since we taped the podcast, the situation has escalated and last week the government pulled the press cards of all US citizens working as reporters in China for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post. Local employees at those bureaus have also been pressured to leave their jobs. We don’t mention those events here, but we will be discussing the situation on an upcoming podcast.

Here are links to some of the articles, books, and websites mentioned during the podcast:

Walter Russell Mead, China is the Sick Man of Asia, Wall Street Journal (February 3, 2020)

Jeremiah Jenne, Empires of Disease: Why the Coronavirus is an emotional issue for China and the World, Radii China (February 10, 2020)

Ruth Rogaski, Hygienic Modernity: Meanings of Health and Disease in Treaty-Port China (2004)

Mao Zedong, “A Study of Physical Education” (New Youth xin qingnian, 1917)

Karl Taro Greenfeld, China Syndrome: The True Story of the 21st Century's First Great Epidemic (2009)

Chinese Propaganda Posters website

Poster: "Everybody must take precautions against epidemics" (1952)

Poster: "Less births, better births, to develop China vigorously" (1987)

6.8.0

Joining Jeremiah in this episode is Alec Ash, author of the book Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China to look at three of youth movements from the 20th century: The May Fourth/New Culture Era, the Cultural Revolution, and the 1980s.

Jeremiah and James look at the life and times of Yaqub Beg (1820-1877) and what his legacy means for Beijing's relationship with Western China and Central Asia today.

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, James and Jeremiah discuss the history of the Khitans, their empire and their legacy with a little help from the Godfather Trilogy and Dragon Barbie from Game of Thrones.

David Moser (Beijing Capital Normal University, Sinica Podcast) and Brendan O'Kane (Paper Republic, University of Pennsylvania) join Jeremiah to discuss David's new book, A Billion Voices, the history of language reform and national unity in China, the best way to learn Chinese, and the debate over whether it's okay to hate on Chinese characters.

Our inaugural episode looks at An Lushan: the outsider who charmed his way into the court of the Tang Dynasty in the eighth century and who almost succeeded in bringing down the empire. It’s a story made for imperial slash fic: The aging emperor, his rotund but sexy concubine, and the foreigner who came between them.