The holiday season is upon us, and all the world unites in a moment of happiness and reflection. Or something. Meanwhile, at school, the song that I'd picked for a Christmas performance turns out to be more challenging than I'd initially expected. Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
Warning – this episode contains descriptions of war crimes As darkness descends on Nanjing, our trip to the city comes to an end. We look at the rise of Japanese ultranationalism and fascism, their unhinged campaign to take over China, and the most famous atrocity the city is known for. Twit: @SMKYpodcast
The rises and falls and rises and rivalries of China's most famous power-sisters, the Soongs. With a story that spans some 100 years, China's 20th century is nothing without this family. Twitter @SMKYpodcast
Me and teacher friend Jess head to Nanjing with the intention of visiting the Rape of Nanjing Memorial museum. Before that though, a little background of some notable Nanjing moments in history, as China's southern capital, and the founding values of Chinese republicanism and where they went. Twitter @SMKYpodcast
Twit: @SMKYPodcast
It's time for a school trip to Suzhou, following in Marco Polo's footsteps, to learn the secrets of silk, and muse on China's healthcare. "Too many tweets might make a twat," as David Cameron once said. My twitter: @SMKYpodcast
Like any teacher worth his salt, I attempted to combat the onset of an early winter depression by getting hopelessly drunk and trying to play a piano song to a group of drunks in a bar in the city. And if that doesn't work, there's always Roland Emmerich movies and bamboo carpentry. One of these things must provide a cure surely. Twitter @SMKYpodcast
There's a bit in most movies called the low point, not long before the end, where it seems that all is lost for the main character. We're not quite at the end of this tale, but in November, all was lost.
Back at the Cradle of Elites, there's a newcomer in town. Jess is from the UK, and we find ourselves in a temple. From there, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to a discussion about religion and spirituality in China, from the ancient belief systems to the modern cults. Twitter @SMKYpodcast
I arranged for one more chat with Spring, and decided not to play so nice this time. (This was recorded before the British government came up with its "send asylum seekers to Rwanda" policy. This is possibly relevant in the first half of this conversation, when I'm claiming that we respect human rights. Oops.)
This is the first of two chats. We talk about censorship and foreign companies pulling out of China, whether "Taiwan is China!", whether Trump was good or bad for China, the people's trust of the CCP in relation to Covid, and cultural differences in general.
The concluding part of this idiom-inspired doublepod about human rights in China. We start at Tiananmen Square, and weave through the current Shanghai lockdown to troubled, outspoken businessmen and recent events in Hong Kong. And of course, the saint of human rights in China, Liu Xiaobo, makes an appearance.
Scandals and troublemakers in China, and how the authorities react. Featuring appearances from the Gang of Four, Jiang Qing, Chen Mengjia with his Chinese characters, Zhang Zhan exposing Covid-19 failures and Tiananmen Square.
Shanghai's been locked down for weeks now, and China's reputation for dealing well with Covid is being undermined as cases continue to rise. Not only that, but hospital appointments are getting missed and people are running out of food. I chat with one of those on the inside.
I'm grateful to founding editor of @NewBloomMag Brian Hioe for joining me for a chat about the political situation in Taiwan, mainly in regards to the Sunflower Movement, the relationship with China, chances of war... Twit @SMKYpodcast Blog https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com New Bloom https://newbloommag.net Brian @brianhioe
I took a weekend trip to Wuxi, the most notable part of the trip being the discomfort of the transportation and the nice fella who worked in Wuxi's youth hostel. With hushed voices, we covered a number of controversial topics. Twitter: @SMKYpodcast https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Down with Apple 👊
Instead of a regular episode, a few reflections on the way counternarrative-inclined westerners have responded to Russia's aggression, mostly on Twitter. My twitter @SMKYpodcast
A chat today with Manzhou from Shanghai about Confucianism. And stick around to the end for an email from Teacher Kelly, as some of the staff make a move against the school management. https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Penny rocks up to drag me away from the safety of my apartment, and we go back into Changshu City to find sweatshops, green tea, and an illegal swimmer. https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Back in school, we laowai suffer the stress of an open class. For those unlucky enough to be faced with such a challenge, here are some games and stuff that require minimum planning and are fairly fun too. https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Part two in Shanghai, finding the city's shiny financial centre, the colonial hangover which is the Bund, and one of the city's darkest hours. https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Conflicting personalities in the school combined with some irritating school scheduling crap led to me seeking the city lights of Shanghai. In part one of a two-part extravaganza about the great city, we visit the bars of the French Concession and track down JG Ballard's old home. Some nice pics here: https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Many challenges come with teaching English abroad: language barriers, cultural differences, unusual teas... and other teachers. Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
1) Salaries, savings, visa requirements and a few tips for the budding ESL teacher in China. 2) Classroom discipline, getting to know students, and another tricky meeting with the management. 3) Indecent proposal. Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
Summer is a journalist in Taipei. We discuss journalism and press freedom in taiwan, emotional connections with China, lessons from Hong Kong, chances of war, traveling between Taiwan and China, competition between democratic and Chinese systems, voting in Taiwan
A bit of a travelogue episode, finding Changshu's ancient district and the city's sole mountain. Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
On today's podcast, a day in the life at the international school. And the symbols of modern China – flag and anthem – and Mao's tricky Hundred Flowers Campaign. Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
Hi and welcome back to Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with You, the show about teaching in China and Chinese history. Last time, we touched on the Cultural Revolution in relation to one of its victims, Deng Xiaoping, who would later claw his way back into power and remake China. This time, I find myself in the village of Shajiabang, which was the setting of one of the Cultural Revolution's model operas. So that means we're going back to the 60s, for peak crazy, China-style. Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.c...
Today we look at the fall of Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi, and then the rise of Deng Xiaoping and capitalism in China. This covers some of the Cultural Revolution, a topic that we'll come back to next time. Some nice pics to accompany this episode, found on https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com For anyone interested in the music, this episode featured the Chinese National Anthem, the Mao propaganda song "The East is Red", another Mao propaganda song "Red Sun in the Sky", the 1940s Chinese Communist p...
