In the latest episode in our series on belief, we’re looking at the CCP’s faith in Artificial Intelligence. China has embraced AI like no other nation, laying out a plan for AI that would see 70 percent adoption across six sectors - including governance – within the next two years. (1/3)

The resurgence of shamanism in China has taken many different forms, but none quite as surprising as a shaman-inspired theme park. In this excerpt from our latest episode, Feng Qu tells the story of Chang Chun’s Shamanistic Joy Park and its untimely ending following government disapproval. (1/2)

Our latest episode in our series on belief in China examined the revitalisation of shamanism. Guests Feng Qu and Mayfair Yang detail what Shamanistic practices look like today, how it is considered in comparison to other beliefs in China, and what the future holds for shamanism. (1/2)

In our episode on shamanism in China, we explore regional differences in shamanistic practices. Feng Qu reflects upon practices in Northeastern China, while Mayfair Yang compares northern shamanism with practices in Wenzhou in southeastern China. Listen to the full ep: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

In our most recent episode, we looked into the resurgence of shamanism across China, bringing ancient practices into the contemporary era. Guests Feng Qu and Mayfair Yang contemplate what shamanism looks like today, from its geographic spread to current associations with the practice (1/2).

In the latest episode in our series on belief, we’re exploring the surprising revival of shamanism in China, which has made a comeback despite Mao's best efforts at eradication. Ritual healers and spirit mediums are tapping into online believers and a public thirst for authentic spirituality. (1/3)

Our episode on China’s incel community explored discourse on gender expectations in Chinese society. @qianhuang.bsky.social from the University of Groningen weighs in on how state and incel perspectives differ on articulating women’s roles. Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

In our most recent episode, we examine the history and development of incel culture on China’s internet. Guests Ling Tang, @qianhuang.bsky.social and Yihuan Zhang provide insights into where online misogyny takes place and give us an introduction to terminology from China’s manosphere.

In our episode on the Chinese manosphere, guests @qianhuang.bsky.social and Ling Tang answer the question, is there a Chinese Andrew Tate? How does Chinese online misogyny compare to Tate’s arguments? Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

How does the Chinese manosphere compare to the Western one? In our latest episode, guests @qianhuang.bsky.social and Ling Tang weigh up on similarities and differences between incel discourse across cultures. Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

In the latest in our series on belief, we’re examining the emergence of incels in the world’s largest manosphere. China’s growing incel community is fuelled by state-approved nationalism and simple demographics—by one estimate, 30 million Chinese men won’t find a life partner. (1/3)

In our most recent episode, guests Gareth Fisher and Chien-Peng Chung contemplate the intersection of Buddhism and power in both China today and in the past. (1/2)

What does President Xi Jinping think about Buddhism? With the rise of Buddhism in China, this question looms large. Back in 2014, Xi gave a speech at UNESCO speaking to the impact of Buddhism on China, the first time a PRC leader had given a pro-religious speech. (1/2)

Looking for a new way to catch up on the Little Red Podcast? We are now on YouTube, where you can stream our episodes for free. youtube.com/@littleredpo...

In our latest episode, we examine Buddhism's adoption by China's people and the state. Shaolin Temples have been built overseas to promote Buddhism, authorised by its leader Shi Yong Xin. Yet Shi has caught global media attention this week with news he is under investigation for corruption. (1/2)

China watchers: here’s a must-listen episode for you from @littleredpodcast.bsky.social, it’s incredibly fascinating. You will be shocked. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/t...

A great, and quietly shocking, episode of @littleredpodcast.bsky.social. @louisalim.bsky.social, @graemeksmith.bsky.social @wingkuang.bsky.social

Continuing our series on belief in China, we look at the revival of Buddhism, which is being embraced by citizens and the Chinese state. While temple visits increase, the state is funding temples and martial arts academies from Nepal to Tanzania. (1/3)

From our latest episode, a different opinion on the status of ideology, specifically Marxism, in today’s China. Alison Sile Chen Zhao questions how prominent Marxism ever was to the PRC to start with. Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

What does Marxism mean in today’s China? How can the Chinese Communist Party’s ideology be described in 2025? Professor @chenggang-xu.bsky.social of Standford University attempts to answer this question in this excerpt from our latest episode. For the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

With China's rare earth strategy proving significant to ongoing trade wars, we reflect on a 2023 episode exploring the topic. Beijing's 2023 ban on the export of two rare metals represented the latest front in the global battle to control chipmaking technology. (1/3)

In the latest in our series on belief, we’re looking at China’s official belief system—Marxism. In recent years, netizens have argued China has entered the ‘garbage time’ of history, a phrase borrowed from the dying minutes of a basketball game, which now references a crisis of trust ... (1/3)

With news of Boys’ Love authors being arrested this month, we rewind to an episode from 2021. Angie Baecker and BL author Huangxiang Zhenghuanzhe reflect on the downsides to the growing popularity of the genre, including its politicisation. Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

Back in 2021, we delved into boys’ love or BL fiction. From niche online novels to TV shows such as the Netflix fantasy epic The Untamed, their storylines revolve around male relationships with a tinge of sexual tension. But there’s a quirk. It’s not gay fiction. (1/4)

On the theme of Boys' Love this week, read host Graeme Smith’s 2021 article on The Interpreter for @lowyinstitute.bsky.social about the growth in popularity of BL and the censorship backlash: www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

With recent crackdowns on Boys' Love (BL) in China, we reflect on an episode from back in 2021 exploring the genre. We hear from guests Angie Baecker and Huangxiang Zhenghuanzhe about the appeal of consuming and writing BL and how it explores masculinity and taboos in Chinese society. (1/2)

June 4 marks the anniversary of the deadly crackdown ordered by Deng Xiaoping, which killed hundreds – maybe thousands – of people in Beijing and Chengdu. While the campaign to erase all memory of the event continues, explosive new information emerged in the lead up to the anniversary in 2019. (1/3)

In our 2019 episode “Tiananmen’s Final Secret”, @josephtorigian.bsky.social and @zhoufengsuo.bsky.social discuss what newly discovered materials about June 4 revealed about party allegiances at the time and the extent of popular support for the protestors. (1/3)

In September 2018, the Vatican and China struck a landmark deal about the appointment of Catholic Bishops, but the political symbolism was far greater. The Holy See and Beijing effectively cut off relations in 1950. Around 12 million Chinese Catholics were forced to choose... (1/3)

With a new Pope in the Vatican, we reflect on China's relationship with the Holy See in an episode from way back in 2018. Six years ago, the Vatican and China signed a deeply controversial agreement on the appointment of bishops, ending the cold war that has frozen ties since 1950. (1/3)

Prefer reading to listening? The transcript for our second-latest episode "Let's Get Spiritual: State, Digital Spirituality and Feng Shui in China" is available now! Hear from guests @tristangbrown.bsky.social and Haoyang Zhai on the China in the World website: ciw.anu.edu.au/podcast/lets...

Thanks for the shout out @killerswan.bsky.social!

In our latest episode, we discussed the recent rise of psychology in China. Guests Yiying Xiong, Hsuan-ying Huang, Barclay Bram share their thoughts on why the surge in interest in psychology has taken place, therapeutic trends, and the sustainability of psychology in China. (1/2)

In our latest episode on the recent surge in psychology in China, guest Hsuan-ying Huang speaks to how Xi Jinping defines mental health and its impact on societal understandings.

Our LRP transcripts have moved to a new home! Read the transcript for our second-most recent episode, about changing marriage and birth rates in China: ciw.anu.edu.au/podcast/sist...

From our archives, guest Rebecca Davis discusses the possibility of China exerting control on Hollywood in the future, "China's such a big market. It doesn't need anyone else. It could just focus on itself, and that's perfectly sufficient, which might be less and less true for Hollywood." (1/2)

We revisit China’s foray into Hollywood from an episode back in 2019. With cinema takings in the United States at a 22-year low, Hollywood moguls looked to an unlikely saviour: China. With box office revenues growing at 9 percent, Hollywood was scrambling to find the formula for movies ... (1/3)

In our third episode on beliefs and ideologies, we explore China’s newfound enthusiasm for psychiatry. Counselling was only registered as a profession in 2001 yet has seen a massive boom under Xi Jinping. The psy-boom is such that even party branch meetings are doing mindfulness exercises, … (1/3)

Thanks for the shoutout @the-syllabus.bsky.social!

A teaser from our latest episode: Barclay Bram contemplates the causes of the psychology boom in China in recent years.

From the archives, we hear from insiders about strategies used by the Chinese government to tame Chinese-language media in Australia, from cooption to intimidation to outright censorship. Speakers: Raymond Chow, Sameway Magazine; John Fitzgerald, Swinburne University; Yan Xia, Vision China Times.

Thanks @jmulich.bsky.social!

In our latest episode, guests @tristangbrown.bsky.social and Haoyang Zhai discuss what feng shui means in China, from history to the digital age.


What does spirituality mean in today’s China? In our latest episode, Haoyang Zhai explains what spirituality looks like online and how it has evolved in digital spaces. Listen to the full episode in the link in the reply.

To welcome the Year of the Snake, we’re launching a new series looking at belief in China. Young Chinese people are increasingly turning to spirituality - even online manifestations of it - and feng shui, in this moment of high unemployment and economic stress. (1/3)

Here's a sneak peak from our upcoming episode to be released this week. Historian @tristangbrown.bsky.social discusses how the Qing dynasty used feng shui to maintain peace and legitimacy.

Follow our Little Red Podcast starter pack here on BlueSky with our guests from over 100 episodes. go.bsky.app/SrcvmU3

This year in China, for the first time, women who are married are more educated than their partners. Qiqi Huang’s research even suggests that women want pets more than they want husbands. (1/2)

Wishing you a happy year of the wood snake from the team at the Little Red Podcast 🐍🧧🎇 新年快乐！

Follow our Little Red Podcast starter pack here on BlueSky with our guests from over 100 episodes. go.bsky.app/SrcvmU3