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Chinese History FAQs: “What was Mao’s Deal?”
Perhaps the most commonly asked question in my classes after “Will this be on the exam?” and “Have we passed the deadline to drop?” is: “What was Mao’s deal?” It’s a tough question to answer, even for...
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“Capital Histories: How Beijing became the capital of China,” The Beijinger
My column for the November/December issue of the Beijinger: A short-form history of Beijing. Capital Histories: How Beijing became the capital of China To protect the North, the founding emperor of the...
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“How to Order a Jiānbing in Mandarin,” The Beijinger
How to Order a Jiānbing in Mandarin Ubiquitous. Delicious. Not entirely nutritious. You can find them on the street in Beijing and Brooklyn. They are a staple of both morning commuters and late night...
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“The Left-Behind Village,” The World of Chinese
The Left-Behind Village Mae Salong sits along a winding mountain road in Northern Thailand. The village is in an isolated valley, the hillsides lined with terraced fields. Thirty years ago it would...
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“Will the Authorities Slow the Out-of-Control Roll of the Bike Sharing...
Will the Authorities Slow the Out-of-Control Roll of the Bike Sharing Revolution? I knew the bike sharing economy had gotten out of hand when I woke up this morning to find stacks of competing yellow...
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“Forever Repeating the Past,” Here! Dongguan
Forever Repeating the Past The year was 1882. Populist politicians appealed to the lowest common denominator by spreading rumors, which in turn excited the xenophobia and racism. Leaders promised...
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“Slow Boats and Caravans: Great Explorers in Chinese History,” The Beijinger
Slow Boats and Caravans: Great Explorers in Chinese History China was never closed to the world. The myth of Chinese civilization huddled behind the Great Wall, isolated and insular, is as much a...
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1000 Days Between: Around the World #43
Traveler, explorer, and photographer Dan Perry is one of Beijing’s most fascinating residents even as he prepares to resume his peripatetic lifestyle and move on later this month. While we will need...
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“24 Hours in Siem Reap,” Here! Dongguan
24 Boozy Hours in Siem Reap It’s 3:00 in the morning. You are sitting on a stool next to a drinks cart somewhere near “Pub Street” in Siem Reap. Somewhere in the reptilian core of your brainstem—the...
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“The Electric Camel,” Here! Dongguan
The Electric Camel They disrupt traffic as they zip and careen through streets, narrow lanes and even onto sidewalks. They are the vehicular avatar of the modern economy. In China’s cities, a rising...
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“Forbidden City Tickets Only to Be Sold Online Beginning October,” The Beijinger
Forbidden City Tickets Only to Be Sold Online Beginning October The Forbidden City without massive queues for tickets? That’s the plan as Palace Museum administration announced this week that all...
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“Walking the City: A Guide to Exploring Beijing by Foot,” The Beijinger
Walking the City: A Guide to Exploring Beijing by Foot Beijing is not a walkable city. In fact, it can be fairly hostile to pedestrians. But that doesn’t mean it lacks interesting places to explore by...
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“Not Just for Tourists: How to Make the Most of Beijing’s Scenic Spots,” The...
Not Just for Tourists: How to Make the Most of Beijing’s Scenic Spots Beijing’s scenic spots are often dismissed as touristy by those of us who have called this city home for longer than, say, six...
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“A Summer of Anniversaries,” Here! Dongguan
Summer of Anniversaries It’s a summer of anniversaries for Dongguan’s near neighbor, Hong Kong. Earlier this year, it was announced that Xi Jinping would personally review troops at the PLA’s Hong...
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“What Can Donald Trump Learn from China’s Great Wall?” Radii China
What Can Donald Trump Learn from China’s Great Wall? Why did they build it? Did it work? Is it true the Chinese tried to get the Mongolians to pay for it? Donald Trump’s efforts to build a border wall...
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“Beijing’s Mystery Canal: Centuries-Old Brook Reimagined in Qianmen...
Beijing’s Mystery Canal: Centuries-Old Brook Reimagined in Qianmen Neighborhood Last month, state media buzzed about the restoration of an ancient brook, a long-lost waterway transformed into a...
View Article“Telling The Story of China” in Six Hours is Futile, But Give BBC Credit for...
Telling “The Story of China” in Six Hours is Futile, But Give BBC Credit for Trying It can be difficult to convey the broad sweep of China’s history in six hours. More than one professor has struggled...
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“Reflections on traveling to North Korea,” Here! Dongguan
Reflections on traveling to North Korea Mr. Warmbier’s death was a tragedy. He was the victim of a government that does not understand rule of law. He did not in any way deserve to be arrested, much...
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“The “VPNs are going to be blocked in China” story seems to get written at...
China’s Latest Proposal to Block Internet VPNs Still Doesn’t Make Sense The “VPNs are going to be blocked in China” story seems to get written at least once a year. Eventually, it might actually come...
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“The boat claiming the South Seas for China,” Here! Dongguan
The boat claiming the South Seas for China The 1987 discovery of Nanhai One, and the raising of the vessel and its artifacts in 2007, resulted in a heightened level of sweaty panting by state media in...
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