William Adams didn’t set out to become the first Englishman in Japan, a confidant of a warlord, or the inspiration for James Clavell’s Shōgun. It just all rather happened. Link to this week's Compass Dispatch Newsletter: bytheirowncompass.substack.com/p/compass-di...

After years teaching and leading educational travel in Asia, I moved to Geneva and had an existential crisis about medieval Swiss politics. What I learned about communication after 20+ years of making history interesting to strangers: open.substack.com/pub/jeremiah...

Antifa? You mean Wanyan *Aguda?* Founding emperor of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, and ancestor of the Manchus??

Media outlets that fail to report on Jeffrey Epstein’s upstanding behavior and model lifestyle can expect swift prosecution. by Pam Bondi

This week's Compass Dispatch includes observations from Sicily on the intersection of film tourism and historical reality. The Godfather locations reveal how Hollywood mythology can overshadow complex local histories. Also mosquitoes. bytheirowncompass.substack.com/p/compass-di...

The sinologist David Moser talks about moving to China in 1989, his first appearance on the Spring Festival Gala in 1999, and learning xiangsheng from the masters. Listen to the episode of Peking Hotel: chinabooksreview.com/2025/09/16/p...

I will be moderating Yale's Prof. Valerie Hansen on "The Song Dynasty (960-1276): Was China Modern Before Europe?" Why did historians see Song China as early modern centuries before Europe hit that phase? Wed Sept 17, 8-9pm Beijing | 1-2pm UK | 8-9am EST.

Pest is your great-aunt who started vaping at age 68 and still outdrinks rugby players at her local. Buda is the great-aunt who summers in Margate with her cats and her collection of Royal Worcester. We picked a side. open.substack.com/pub/bytheiro...

The Shiji abounds with examples of corrupt, venal, or stupid rulers getting cosmic comeuppance. In today's timeline, it's almost quaint to believe in a universal order that punishes terrible leaders. Read more in my latest for @chinabooksreview.com chinabooksreview.com/2025/09/09/s...

History is supposedly written by the victors. Sima Qian, author of China's original historical classic, showed it could also be written by the condemned. Read Jeremiah Jenne's essay on the urtext for Chinese history, the Shiji or Records of the Grand Historian: chinabooksreview.com/2025/09/09/s...

Are the A's, Rockies, and White Sox enough of an argument that American sports leagues should adopt relegation? And not just in baseball. I'm all in on having the most recent edition of the New England Patriots justify their spot in the NFL by making them beat Ohio State twice in a season.

Every traveler shares one universal experience, regardless of era: digestive challenges far from home. Our latest newsletter dives into how archaeologists track ancient journeys through the "evidence" left behind. (1/2)

Ok its ‘feed it off an aux, speak, grunt no strength, the ladder start to clatter with fear fight down height, wire in a fire representing seven games, a government for hire and a combat site’.

Does technology enhance language learning or is it cheating? In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, David and Jeremiah consider the evolution of digital aids to studying Chinese from looking up radicals in paper dictionaries to Pleco to AI. jeremiahjenne.substack.com/p/ai-laoshi-...

TV. Computers. Internet. AI. Teachers seem to always have a new technology to fret about. In this episode, we look at how AI is transforming language learning, and how educators can integrate these tools while maintaining focus on human connections. jeremiahjenne.substack.com/p/ai-laoshi-...

I see over the weekend, America unlocked the “leader hasn’t been seen for a few days, is he dead?” level of authoritarianism. As a historian of China, let me welcome you into our club, here's a T-Shirt and official tote bag. The open bar starts service in five minutes. 热烈欢迎!

Name this band.

David Moser is on holiday, so translator and longtime friend of the pod @bokane.org fills in. It takes us exactly 10 minutes to go full nerd and recreate the arguments that echoed through the courtyard of Amilal in Beijing, ca 2010. If you know, you know. open.substack.com/pub/jeremiah...

Co-host Jeremiah is on holiday in his homeland, and we offer some thoughts on that most American of travel institutions: The Interstate Highway System. Infrastructure designed for Cold War logistics, now fully weaponized for family vacations. open.substack.com/pub/bytheiro...

Many Westerners remember the Boxer Siege. Far fewer remember the occupation that followed. In this Barbarian Remixed episode from 2020, Historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom joins us to talk about memory, myth, and why “Boxer Rebellion” is a misnomer. blubrry.com/barbarians/1...

From horses to moon landings in 75 years. Meanwhile, it still takes 4 hours to get to Brighton via the M25 on a Friday afternoon. Progress is relative. 🚀 open.substack.com/pub/bytheiro...

Sad day. Remember the best way possible. Play music. Very loudly. Give zero fucks.

Nobody tell Tankie James, but they typically don't use either CCP or CPC in China... Typically, they use 中共 (Zhōnggòng), an abbreviation of 中国共产党 (Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng) which... if you were to translate it word-for-world, right out of the box, goes: 中国 - ℂhina 共产 - ℂommunist 党 - ℙarty 🤷‍♂️

July 15 is the birthday of Chinese scholar and geographer Gu Yanwu (1613-1682). When the Ming dynasty fell in 1644, rather than serve the new Manchu conquerors, Gu Yanwu chose early retirement and a life of study and travel throughout northern China.

New episode of Barbarians at the Gate: Shanghai-based writer Jacob Dreyer on China-US convergence. Are Trump's policies mirroring Xi Jinping's China? Is the China model outperforming Western liberal democracy? Plus: Who is winning the race for AI supremacy? blubrry.com/barbarians/1...

On the latest Barbarians at the Gate episode, David Chaffetz—author of Raiders, Rulers, and Traders—explains why he thinks the “Silk Road” is better understood as the “Horse Road.”

#298 - Qing 33: Echoes of the Erased The story of the last great nomadic empire’s fall - and the Qing’s ruthless imperial vision for a New Frontier. megaphone.link/ARML5144415524

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, @davidmoserbeijing.bsky.social and I had the pleasure of chatting with David Chaffetz, author of Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires. blubrry.com/barbarians/1...

Henry Dunant's unsuccessful business trip to Solferino on June 24, 1859, inspired the founding of the International Red Cross. How a traumatic travel experience ultimately saved millions of lives. #ThisDateinHistory #RedCross #HenryDunant #ICRC #BattleofSolferino open.substack.com/pub/bytheiro...

We’re not only about Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. We also do the impact of famous beach movies on the travel industry, plus BONUS explorations of our co-host’s childhood traumas. Enjoy! open.substack.com/pub/bytheiro...

On this classic episode of Barbarians at the Gate, we ask: "What is the purpose of Putonghua 普通话? Is it to bridge the dialect divide, or to eventually replace regional languages and dialects? Listen to the full episode "Mandarin Mayhem" at the link below: open.substack.com/pub/jeremiah...

In this classic episode of Barbarians at the Gate, @davidmoserbeijing.bsky.social and I discuss the evolution and political significance of Putonghua (普通话), the spoken language most people refer to as Mandarin Chinese. open.substack.com/pub/jeremiah...

the Army played "FORTUNATE SON", for a military parade, while the troops were walking in front of the reviewing stand full of Senators, millionaires, generals, and the Commander in Chief? 😲🤯🫡

The CCP finally getting a chance to acknowledge Chen Yun seems like the revolutionary equivalent of the MCU finally giving Jeremy Renner his own series. I mean, Mao, Zhu De, Zhou, Liu Shaoqi...Chen Yun has got to be the Hawkeye of this generation, right?

The strategy for "Making America Great" appears to be "Making America more like China" when it comes to history education and telling complex stories from the nation's past. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/c...

Had a great discussion with Alexander Boyd, Associate Editor of China Books Review, about “Beijing Jeep.” James Mann's classic account of what happens when enthusiasm for the China market and low-cost manufacturing triumph over common sense and basic math. chinabooksreview.com/2025/06/10/b...

It’s the 700th anniversary of one of history’s wildest adventures. By Their Own Compass Co-host @jeremiahjenne.com recaps the incredible story of Ibn Battutah.

Javert is a man so rigidly moral he will sacrifice his life before he bends his concept of the rules, Valjean is a redeemed sinner who will risk his life to save others. Do either of these sound like Donald Trump? Thenardier is a failed businessman who sees the world only in zero-sum terms.

We know the Mongols burned cities and killed a lot of people, but from postal relay stations to paper money, they also connected the world in astonishing ways. Had a great chat with Dr. Eleanor Janega about the story behind the headline: "Mongol Hordes conquer all." shows.acast.com/gone-medieva...

An autopsy of an American automaker’s failed dream of making and selling jeeps in China reveals much about the delusional thinking of joint ventures in the 1980s. Read @jeremiahjenne.com‬ 's latest China Archive pick, a look at James Mann's "Beijing Jeep" chinabooksreview.com/2025/06/10/b...

The repeated use of ALL CAPS tells you this is a calm and rational decision

Narrator: “It was at this moment that Dorgon approached his top commanders and quietly inquired about the readiness of the banners.”

In December 1899, Beijing's first electric tramway, built by Belgian engineers for the Compagnie de Tramways et d'Éclairage de Pékin, began trial operation on the Majiabu to Yongdingmen route.

Emergency Podcast from Barbarians at the Gate: @davidmoserbeijing.bsky.social and I discuss the future of US-China educational exchanges and the Trump Administration's actions against Harvard University and Chinese students in America. jeremiahjenne.substack.com/p/emergency-...

Emergency Podcast from Barbarians at the Gate: @davidmoserbeijing.bsky.social and I discuss the future of US-China educational exchanges and the latest developments in the Trump Administration's actions against Harvard University and Chinese students in America. blubrry.com/barbarians/1...

Our weekly newsletter from the archives of travel history, notes about historical travelers, and other random travel-related thoughts jotted down while waiting at the intersection of distance and time. open.substack.com/pub/bytheiro...

In "The Six," explorer and writer Steven Schwankert challenges a century of misinformation surrounding six Chinese survivors of the Titanic. Why were these men vilified while members of other groups were celebrated? An investigation into a forgotten history. #Titanic #history #UntoldStories

"They weren't stowaways. They didn't dress as women." Steven Schwankert joins us to discuss his book 'The Six' about the Chinese Titanic survivors. A detective story spanning continents, challenging misinformation, and reclaiming erased history. #Titanic #TheSix blubrry.com/barbarians/1...

Our weekly roundup of history, travel, and things that made us chuckle over the past week. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Excited to have a series of launch events for my @columbiagr.bsky.social book Milk Tea Alliance coming together: a June 10 pub date one at JF Books (details TK), a June 11 Young China Watchers DC dialogue w/ @ishaantharoor.bsky.social (details here www.eventbrite.com/e/ycw-dc-hon... ), more TK...