Best Chengdu Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 8: An American student's cultural explorations in China 24:51

6h ago24:51

24:51

This summer, Michael Connelly, a graduate student from the University of Chicago, took a summer program organized by Peking University, attending lectures and travelling in some Chinese cities. "China Travel" has become a top trending search term on multiple global social media platforms. What does Michael have to share after his "China Travel"? Do…

1
Does Beijing Really Want Trump? 16:25

26m ago16:25

16:25

Hey folks! I took some time off to drive the kids to college and then flew to California to celebrate my brother John’s birthday. The upshot is there’s no interview this week, so in place of that, here’s my essay from this week. Hope you enjoy it. If all goes as planned, I’m back next week with regular interview for Sinica! You can find the text of…

1
S5E99 - The Most Underrated Universal Park - Singapore 1:15:47

3h ago1:15:47

1:15:47

Our final Universal Studios park was also one of the most surprising. Join us on Singapore's Sentosa Island, home to Resorts World and Universal Studios Singapore. We will discuss rides such as Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, Battlestar Galactica, Spaghetti Space Chase, how the park compares to the other Universal parks and much more.…

1
The Swifts of Beijing, with Terry Townshend of Birding Beijing 58:00

6d ago58:00

58:00

I was looking for a good episode to pull from the archive to run this week as I'll be traveling and I asked my good friend Deb Seligsohn for a recommendation. She went immediately to this one, and by God if it's not an oldie-but-goodie. This is from December 2015 and features Jeremy Goldkorn — I miss him dearly! — and Terry Townshend, an absolute i…

1
Bonus: A Free-Range Father in a Tiger Mom World — Reflections on Chinese and American Education 13:26

22d ago13:26

13:26

Here's a little bonus ep for you ahead of tomorrow's show, which will be a re-run of a really fun one from about 10 years ago! I'm driving the rest of this week to the Midwest to drop my kids off at their respective universities, and I've been thinking a lot about the education systems in China and the U.S. So here's my essay for this week. See Pri…

1
S5E98 - D23 Announcements - Answers and Questions! 1:30:25

18h ago1:30:25

1:30:25

Sean and Alex disect the 2024 D23 announcements in detail. Reactions, Details, Analysis, and Questions – 90 minutes of Disney Horizons talk that covers all the bases. ** Please note this was recorded prior to Walt Disney World releasing plans to place the Magic Kingdom Cars attractions where Rivers of America are.…

1
China's Response to U.S. Semiconductor Export Controls, with Paul Triolo and Kevin Xu 1:35:08

14d ago1:35:08

1:35:08

This week on Sinica, Paul Triolo rejoins the show for a deep, deep dive into China's response to American export controls on advanced semiconductors and related technologies. How much hurt has the policy put on Chinese firms — and how far along is China in finding its way toward technological autonomy? Kevin Xu, author of the fantastic "Interconnec…

1
S5E97 - Hong Kong Disneyland Bébé 1:01:56

22d ago1:01:56

1:01:56

Diverting to Hong Kong and taking a nine-week-old to Disneyland? You bet, bébé. How's this stepchild of Disney parks holding up? Join us on yet another asian theme park adventure with can't-miss rides like Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, Mystic Manor, Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs, Frozen Ever After, Iron Man Experience, Ant-Man and The…

1
Eric Olander on China in the Global South 1:03:57

12d ago1:03:57

1:03:57

This week on Sinica, I'm joined by Eric Olander, host of the outstanding China in Africa Podcast and the indispensable China-Global South Podcast, and creator of the China-Global South Project. Eric's detailed and very current knowledge of China's relations across the developing world is on display in this whirlwind tour that takes us from the trou…

1
S5E96 - Dreamy Summer Eve at Efteling 47:19

1M ago47:19

47:19

Sean boarded Alex' train in Utrecht, and they ended up at Efteling for a relaxed, beautiful summer evening at one of the world's most picturesque theme parks. From exhilarating coasters to whimsical dark rides, this was another park visit to remember.

51
A Letter from Beijing 34:05

1M ago34:05

34:05

This week, my narration of a longish essay about my recently-concluded four-week trip to Dalian and, more importantly, Beijing — my first time back in the city I called home for so long since the COVID pandemic. If you prefer to read rather than listen, you can find the essay — free for everyone this week — on the Substack. I hope you enjoy this! S…

1
NEW In Central Florida: Tiana's Penguin Rising 57:32

19d ago57:32

57:32

Rattle your way around the track of Phoenix Rising at Busch Gardens Tampa, travel down to the Bayou with Tiana and her many musician animal friends at Magic Kingdom, and join us on SeaWorld Orlando's second 2-seater B&M coaster, Penguin Trek! How do these three major new attractions in Central Florida measure up? Do they live up to the hype?…

1
S5E95 - Nanjing is King 1:01:25

1M ago1:01:25

1:01:25

Chinese Cheetah Hunt, a violent backwards Wing Coaster, and riding a Vekoma Shockwave in maintenance mode. Join us on another wild adventure in China, this time in Nanjing!

1
Anthony Tao: The Poetry and Soul of Beijing 1:02:08

1M ago1:02:08

1:02:08

This week on Sinica, I'm in Beijing, where I spoke with my dear friend Anthony Tao, an English-language poet and a builder of community in the city where I lived for over 20 years. Anthony recently published a volume of his poetry called We Met in Beijing, and it captures the relationship that so many have with the city wherever they might come fro…

1
S5E94 - Massive Buddhas and Wing Coasters - Leshan and Chongqing 55:43

2M ago55:43

55:43

From the world-famous Giant Buddha of Leshan to the unique character of Chongqing's Hongyadong, this region is spectacular beyond its amusement parks. In this episode, Sean and Alex will talk about Happy Valley Chongqing, which is literally in a valley, as well as one of the world's fastest growing cities.…

1
Sinica Unscripted: Wang Zichen of CCG with a Third Plenum Preview and more 56:37

1M ago56:37

56:37

I'm trying something different: totally unscripted and very, very lightly edited recordings grabbed on the go where I happen to be. For the inaugural episode, I've got Wang Zichen, the author of the amazing Pekingnology newsletter on Substack, as well as the man behind the Center for China and Globalization's newsletter "The East is Read." Hear Zic…

1
Improbable Diplomats: Historian Pete Millwood on how Scientific and Cultural Exchange Remade U.S.-China Relations 1:20:19

1M ago1:20:19

1:20:19

This week on Sinica, I chat with University of Melbourne transnational historian Pete Millwood about his outstanding book Improbable Diplomats: How Ping-Pong Players, Musicians, and Scientists Remade U.S.-China Relations. The road to normalization is told too often with a focus only on the Nixon-Kissinger opening and official diplomatic efforts cul…

1
S5E93 - Chengdu: Sunac Land + Happy Valley! 54:08

2M ago54:08

54:08

Thousands of ecstatic schoolchildren, taking off your shoes for the Chinese Taron credit, glass water slides, and Mega-Lites with shoulder straps. This episode is a whirl of emotion as we analyze Chengdu's two big regional parks.

1
Adam Tooze on the U.S., China, the Energy Transition — and Saying the Unsayable 1:05:48

1M ago1:05:48

1:05:48

This week on Sinica, in a show recorded on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions, historian Adam Tooze joins to chat about what the U.S. wants from China, China's vaulting green energy ambitions, and much more. Don't miss this episode: Tooze gets pretty darn spicy! 3:13 How Adam launched Chartbook in Chines…

1
S5E92 - Shanghai & Shanghai Disneyland! 1:03:11

1M ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Join Sean and Alex on their journey from Old Shanghai and Yu Garden on to the world's fastest train and tallest observation deck. Of course, no trip to Shanghai is complete without a day at one of its most spectacular parks: Shanghai Disneyland. How is the brand-new Zootopia ride and land? How is the park holding up?…

1
An Ecological History of Modern China, with Stevan Harrell — Part 2 1:15:14

2M ago1:15:14

1:15:14

This week on Sinica, Part 2 of the interview with anthropologist Stevan Harrell, professor emeritus at the University of Washington, about his magnum opus, An Ecological History of China. Be sure to listen to Part 1 first, as many important framing concepts are discussed in that episode! 1:44 “– The Four Horsemen of Ecopocalypse” and ecological dis…

1
An Ecological History of Modern China, with Stevan Harrell — Part 1 1:14:07

2M ago1:14:07

1:14:07

This week on Sinica, Part 1 of a two-part podcast with Stevan Harrell, Professor Emeritus in Anthropology at the University of Washington. Steve's groundbreaking book An Ecological History of Modern China represents the culmination of a professional lifetime of work in disparate fields. It synthesizes ideas from geography, earth science, biology, a…

1
Peter Hessler on his new book, "Other Rivers: A Chinese Education" 1:26:15

2M ago1:26:15

1:26:15

This week on Sinica, the highly-regarded writer Peter Hessler joins to talk about his new book, out July 9: Other Rivers: A Chinese Education. Over 20 years after teaching with the Peace Corps in Fuling (the subject of his first book, Rivertown, Pete returns to China to teach at Sichuan University in Chengdu. He writes about the two cohorts of stud…

1
Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Sino-American Rivalry 1:19:21

3M ago1:19:21

1:19:21

This week on Sinica, a conversation that I moderated on May 30th called “Assessing the Impact of US-China Rivalry on Ukraine and Taiwan,” put on by the Ukrainian Platform for Contemporary China. The main organizer was my friend Vita Golod, who is the chair of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists. The panelists are: Dmytro Burtsev, a Junior Fell…

1
Episode 7: Where will China-U.S. trade go? 30:06

3M ago30:06

30:06

Wondering where China-U.S. trade will go? We talked about ten questions into the China-U.S. trade with Dr. Xia Le, Chief Economist for Asia at Spain's second largest bank BBVA. He is also an Academic Committee Member at the International Finance Forum. Click on the play button and have a listen to the refreshing observation into the trade relation …

1
Jonathan Chatwin on Deng Xiaoping's 1992 Southern Tour 1:00:09

3M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Jonathan Chatwin, author of a new book about Deng Xiaoping's "Southern Tour" of early 1992 — a pivotal event that renewed a commitment to economic reforms after they'd stalled following 1989, and seized the initiative from conservatives in the Chinese leadership. The book is called The Southern Tour: Deng Xi…

1
Ed Lanfranco: from Hoarder to Historian 1:06:07

3M ago1:06:07

1:06:07

This week on the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser is joined by old friend Ed Lanfranco, who lived in Beijing from 1988 to 2009. An inveterate packrat, Ed managed to accumulate an incredible trove of documents, maps, photos, and ephemera from his years there and from the decades and even centuries before his arrival. Ed talks about his collection, and invites…

1
Jay Kuo on Beijing's Gay 90s 1:09:15

3M ago1:09:15

1:09:15

This week on Sinica, I'm delighted to welcome — my brother! Jay Kuo is a Broadway writer & producer, and the man behind the terrific U.S. politics-focused Substack newsletter The Status Kuo. In a previous life, from 1996 to 2000, he was also really active in Beijing's gay community, just at the time when homosexuality was being decriminalized and w…

1
S5E91 - I <3 BJ Pt. 2 - Happy Valley + More 58:27

3M ago58:27

58:27

Continuing the chat about the Beijing trip Sean and Alex went on, this time they're focusing on some must-visit sights such as the Summer Palace, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and Happy Valley Beijing! All of these destinations blew them away, including Beijing's original large-scale theme park!…

1
The Struggle for Taiwan: Sulmaan Wasif Khan of Tufts University on his new book 1:46:08

3M ago1:46:08

1:46:08

This week on Sinica, I chat with Sulmaan Wasif Khan, professor of history and international relations at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, about his book The Struggle for Taiwan: A History of America, China, and the Island Caught Between, which comes on May 14. 4:28 — The Cairo Agreement 6:59 — General George Marshall, George Kennan, and the…

1
S5E90 - I <3 BJ Pt. 1 - Universal Studios Beijing 1:30:18

4M ago1:30:18

1:30:18

Sean and Alex took the cutest little long weekend to Beijing, jam-packed with activities. One of which was a day at Universal Studios Beijing. Let's get into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of this Chinese Universal resort!

1
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jane Perlez on her new podcast series, Face-Off 1:02:00

4M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

This week on Sinica, veteran reporter Jane Perlez, who served as bureau chief for the New York Times in Beijing until 2019, joins to discuss her new podcast series Face-Off, which explores different facets of the U.S.-China relationship. We also talk about the state of Western journalism in China in the wake of tit-for-tat expulsions of reporters f…

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