Yasheng Huang is a professor at MIT and the author of many books, including his most recent work, “The Rise and Fall of the EAST”. 

I reached out to Professor Huang because, after reading his book, I wanted to learn more about Chinese history. 

In this episode, Yasheng and I discuss: 

Imperial China v. The Roman Empire; Keju; The origin of Civil Service Exams; Purges: Hard and Soft; Meritocracy v Aristocracy; Enlightenment Thinkers; The American Founding; Stalin and Mao; Xi Jinping; Autocratic “Stickiness”; Liberal Democracy; Global Economics; Anthony Fauci; Robert F. Kennedy; Public Health; COVID; Planning for Future Pandemics; Tiananmen Square; Taiwan; Donald Trump; Student Protests;

And much more! 

I hope that you enjoy this chat. 

Links to Professor Huang’s content: 

X: @YashengHuang

Book: The Rise and Fall of the EAST - https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300281934/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-east/

Links to my content: 

Instagram, on which I post shorts from this and prior episodes: @danielethanfinneran https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/

X: @DanielEFinneran

Message me on X, or send me an email at [email protected] (especially if you have in mind someone whom I can interview!) 

My sister project, PNEUMA, on which I put out sleep stories, meditations, and mindfulness content. Search “Pneuma meditations” on any podcast streaming platform. 

If you enjoy these conversations, please share them with family and friends! 

Thank you.