NewsNews CommentaryHistoryEducation

Sinobabble

Edi Obiakpani

A relaxing, educational podcast covering China's modern history, current events, and academic analyses of China's politics, society, and culture in a variety of mini-series. Starting with the history of the 20th century, this podcast aims to explore all facets of the history of China, from the major events to the smallest local changes, to give you a full picture of the development of one of the world's most powerful nations. As the series develops, we will discuss Chinese art, religion, politics, culture, and economics, bringing the country's past to life. If you're more interested in modern China, stay tuned for the modern China series where we talk about how the CCP exercises control, makes people disappear, and encourages loyalty. We also get on the ground and talk to the people of Hong Kong about their recent experiences with the protests in the territory in 2019.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
Avg 47 min
English

Support the show

Goes straight to the publisher. podnod takes nothing.

Support this Podcast

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

August 15 · 1 hr 14 min
The Promise of China's Renewable Energy Market w/David Fishman
David Fishman joins us once again to serve up a complete beginner's guide to the energy market in China, from how power is generated, to how it's bought and sold, to how the future is planned at the centre. David has spent his entire career in the Chinese power sector, so if anyone knows what the major developments are in traditional and green energy generation and consumption it's him. We learn about profit motives and compensation, growing pains in the transition to a more renewables-based market, and why China is still building coal plants in 2026. Get your thinking caps on, school's in session. This one is not to be missed! David's Energy stuff David's Travel stuff Support the show! Read my latest Substack post Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
August 8 · 48 min
When China Rules the World Book Review | Sinobabble Book Club
For more on the book club, including upcoming books and where to buy them, head to this webpage. To support the show, head over to my Buy Me a Coffee page to give a one-off or monthly donations, if your discretionary entertainment funds allow! Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
July 18 · 46 min
“It is a way for me to seek meaning in this absurd world": Digital vulnerability and the rise of spiritual scams in China
Across China and the Chinese diaspora, digital spirituality is growing as users flock to online platforms seeking services to help with luck, love, and wealth. However, these spaces are also hotbeds for scammers, who prey on prey on loneliness, uncertainty, and cultural vulnerability to exploit hundreds if not thousands of people. In this episode, I do a deep dive to explore how post‑Mao moral crises, revived but fragmented spiritual practices, and China’s low‑trust social environment have created fertile ground for spiritual conmen. We look at why victims often hide their experiences, how “face culture” and filial piety complicate intervention, and why enforcement struggles to keep up with an ever-evolving scene. Learn more about the Book Club here Support the show! Read my latest Substack post Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
July 11 · 1 hr 8 min
How to read China well w/Alexander Boyd
Alexander from China Books Review joins us to talk about evolutions in the Chinese book space, upcoming works by notable authors, and his favourite China books you may not have heard of before. He also gives tips on how to read more, what not to read, and how to create a good book club list! Read more from Alexander and the team at Chinabooksreview.com and don’t forget to find out more about the Sinobabble bookclub here! Books mentioned The Shanghai Agents: The Soviet Plot to Start a Revolution in Interwar China by Heather Salter Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity by Frank Dikötter Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Liu Cixin The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China by Ruixue Jia, Hongbin Li, Claire Cousineau I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan Adrift in the South by Xiao Hai Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang Song of Praise for a Flower: One Woman’s Journey through China’s Tumultuous 20th Century by Fengxian Chu and Charlene Chu Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang Crazy Rich Asians Series by Kevin Kwan Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zi To Live 活着 by Yu Hua Hunter by Shuang Xuetao To Rule All under Heaven: A History of Classical China, from Confucius to the First Emperor by Andrew Seth Meyer Uncanny Beliefs: Superstition in Modern Chinese History Edited by Emily Baum and Albert Wu Why China Needs Democracy by Dongxian Jiang Make China Great Again: Online Alt-History Fiction and Popular Authoritarianism by Rongbin Han Anyuan: Mining China’s Revolutionary Tradition by Elizabeth J. Perry On the Edge: Feeling Precarious in China by Margaret Hillenbrand Negative Exposures: Knowing What Not to Know in Contemporary China by Margaret Hillenbrand Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
July 4 · 34 min
Violence as 'family dispute': culture and politics in China's domestic violence laws
After reading the story about a young woman abused and kidnapped by her family, I went down a rabbit hole to learn why police and judiciary avoid prosecuting what they consider to be 'family disputes'. In this episode, I unpack how domestic violence is routinely dismissed as a “family affair,” why police and courts avoid intervention, how cultural norms around shame and harmony shape reporting behaviour, and why China’s 2016 Anti‑Domestic Violence Law still has no real teeth. We cover clan and kinship networks, cultural attitudes, and political pressures to understand the roots of a system that places family harmony above victim protection. Read the original story here Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
June 27 · 27 min
Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa Review | Sinobabble Book Club
For more on the book club, including upcoming books and where to buy them, head to this webpage. To support the show, head over to my Buy Me a Coffee page to give a one-off or monthly donations, if your discretionary entertainment funds allow! Support the show Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
June 22 · 51 min
Media influence as foreign policy: China’s journalist training in Africa w/Dr Emeka Umejei
In 2022, Freedom House released a report titled “Beijing's Global Media Influence 2022”, highlighting the numerous ways in which the Chinese government seeks to influence media across the world. They stated that China’s main tactics were the mass distribution of content, harassment and intimidation of outlets that publish negative news, disinformation campaigns, and training for media workers and officials in different locales. The provision of free or subsidised training for local journalists in the Global south is a foundational aspect of China’s efforts to ‘tell China’s story well’ through legitimate means. By co-opting local voices, China is able to disseminate its own message through local partners in an organic way and free of charge. But what does this training look like? Who is participating and what are they learning? And how does China ensure that after journalists return home, they continue to talk about China in the right way? Today’s guest is here to discuss this and more. Dr Emeka Umejei is currently Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg. He has a PhD in Journalism and Media Studies and has taught in institutions across Africa including the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, the American University of Nigeria, and the University of Ghana. Prior to this he worked as a journalist in Nigeria for leading national newspapers and served as an African correspondent for U.S.-based media outfit LNG Publications. He has written two books on Chinese influence on African journalism: Chinese Media in Africa: Perception, Performance, and Paradox (2020) and China in African Media: Between Influence Operations and Decolonization which came out this year. Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
June 13 · 39 min
The Party's Interests Come First Review | Sinobabble Book Club
For more on the book club, including upcoming books and where to buy them, head to this webpage. To support the show, head over to my Buy Me a Coffee page to give a one-off or monthly donations, if your discretionary entertainment funds allow! Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
June 6 · 14 min
[Preview] How Chinamaxxing foreigners are performing nationalism on Chinese social media
**This is a bonus episode for paid subscribers. If you would like to become a paid sub and receive bonus content, head over to Buy Me a Coffee using the link in the description, or upgrade your Substack account** An article in the Journal of Contemporary China inspire me to dip my toe in the Chinamaxxing trend and discuss how foreign influencers in China promote state approved nationalist narratives at home and abroad. We look at the different types of influencer (Western, non-Western, couples, students, teachers, and more) and get to the bottom of the types of content they produce, what's in it for them, and how the CCP maintains their control over what's produce at all times. Imported Nationalism: How Foreign Influencers and Local Followers Amplify the Chinese Dream in Weibo’s Attention Economy Too Simple, Sometimes Naive article Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
May 23 · 49 min
From victim to victor: Xenophobia and anti-Japanism as nationalism in China
Earlier this week, I read a Substack article discussing the rise in viral anti-Japanese content on Chinese social media. The gruesome posts and recent polling data all point to the fact that anti-Japanese sentiment is increasing among Chinese people, despite increasing economic ties and a move away from 'wolf warrior' style diplomacy. Why, when China seems to be more doveish, does Japan still draw so much ire? What is about the history, proximity, and perceived injustices between the two nations that causes continuous rifts? And how does the CCP harness these feelings of hatred and disgust for their own benefit? In this episode we push the envelope a bit further on the nationalism theme, and examine how sometimes xenophobia can go really right, and how at other times it can go terribly wrong. Check out the article I mention at the beginning of the episode here "Japanophobia — a quick way to go viral in China" Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
May 16 · 1 hr 6 min
Nationalism with International Characteristics w/Nick Zeller
Nick and I ramble about nationalism for about an hour. Follow the China Monitor and Nick on Substack Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
May 9 · 29 min
Can an outsider truly portray an ethnic group faithfully? | Last Quarter of the Moon Review (Sinobabble Book Club)
A (late!) review of our April Book club book The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian. A 90-year-old Evenki woman who has spent her life in the forests of northeast China herding reindeer recounts the story of her life, her people, and the encroachment of modernity and imperialism on how they live. A story of nature, love, loss, despair, and change, we also ask if someone who is not part of a particular ethnic group can truly capture their spirit, or are they doomed to orientalism at worst and essentialisation at best. May's book is The Party's Interests Come First by Joseph Torigian, check out the link below if you still need to buy a copy! Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
April 18 · 1 hr 4 min
China's Ethnic Unity and Progress Law: A breakdown
In early March, the PRC's National People's Congress passed a law titled the P.R.C. Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress. According to the government the law, which has been in development since 2023, the law "lays out the overall requirements, important principles, and responsibilities and duties of relevant entities concerning the promotion of ethnic unity and progress. It also outlines specific measures to build a common cultural home, facilitate interaction, exchanges, and integration, and promote shared prosperity and development." In this episode we do a close reaading of the letter of the law, and look at some of the analyses that have come out in support or condemnation of its contents. We'll also look at some of the wider academic discourse on the treatment, place and role of ehtnic minorities in the Chinese nation-building project, so that we can understand the law in its full context. Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Chapters (00:00) Introduction to the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law (12:25) The Letter of the Law (32:20) Initial reactions to and analyses of the law (48:48) Further discussion on ethnic minorities in China Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
April 9 · 46 min
[Archive] Dreaming of East Turkestan: Xinjiang and China, c.700-1950
Over the Easter break, the next two episodes of the podcast will be archival episodes covering the medieval and modern history of Mongolia and Xinjiang. This is in preparation for an episode I'll be doing when I get back on the New Ethnic Unity Policy released by the Chinese government. Our book club book for this month is The Last Quarter of the Moon, also on the theme of ethnic minorities in China, so it's a very topical month! This episode discusses the historical background of the relationship between China and the Xinjiang region, putting into context the current situation of the Uyghur people. It traces Chinese imperial attempts to first turn the area into a vassal, and then incorporate the region entirely into the empire, creating a new nationalist ideology based on a multicultural identity. The discussion starts from the 8th century AD and the fall of the Uyghur Khaghanate, and ends with the story of the reintegration of Xinjiang into the PRC after 1949, and the CCP's views on the status of the region since then. Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
April 2 · 30 min
[Archive] Why is Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia? (+Bonus Article)
Over the Easter break, the next two episodes of the podcast will be archival episodes covering the medieval and modern history of Mongolia and Xinjiang. This is in preparation for an episode I'll be doing when I get back on the New Ethnic Unity Policy released by the Chinese government. Our book club book for this month is The Last Quarter of the Moon, also on the theme of ethnic minorities in China, so it's a very topical month! The second episode of three on the CCP’s incorporation of the periphery into the PRC after 1949. We discuss the historical relationship between the Mongolian people and the Mainland Han Chinese people, to give context to why modern China feels that Inner Mongolia is part of the great Chinese nation. At the end of the episode, we discuss the numerous articles on attitudes towards sex in China that I've come across in my casual reading. We highlight a woman working towards bringing foreplay into Chinese couples' bedrooms, and a survey revealing the lack of sexual knowledge among Chinese university students. Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
March 27 · 1 hr 2 min
How to glaze your billionaire bestie | The Troublemaker Book Review | Sinobabble Book Club
This episode is the third installment in our book club, we’re doing well guys. The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic certainly tries to live up to its name. It covers the “‘extraordinary life story’ (Publishers Weekly) of the billionaire businessman Jimmy Lai, a leading Hong Kong democracy activist fighting for freedom of speech who became China’s most famous political prisoner.” My review of this book is very, very mixed. All will become clear when you listen! Please do leave your own thoughts in the way of comments, I’d love to hear what you thought about the book. Oh and I forgot to mention in the review that Lai also blocks a state pension law using his media outlets to push anti-pension propaganda. And that’s probably why you still see old men and women picking up cardboard for pennies every morning. Enjoy! Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
March 20 · 31 min
Internal agitprop & 'minimum compliance' in Chinese governance
A look at three recent papers published in the China Quarterly, and what they say about local governance, internal propaganda and the politics of 'getting things done' in modern China. Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
March 13 · 51 min
Down to the countryside 2.0 & the myth of the rural reset
China’s post 90s and 00s generation are burnt out, mentally and emotionally drained, and apparently are not getting enough sunlight. While grinding in the city seems to have led to a law of diminishing returns -- typically referred to as ‘involution’ -- many young hopefuls are still seeking opportunity elsewhere. In this episode I explore the phenonmenon of the ‘rural reset’, the idea that one can up sticks and move down to a beautiful rural idyll and live out the dream life running a coffee shop and farming a small veg patch. But is taking your urban ways of life and grindset mentality down to the countryside the true path to happiness? Is a bucolic setting all one really needs to reinvent the self? Is it really possible to outrun admin? We discuss all this and more as we try to determine whether or not this is a sustainable, long-term vision that can be supported by the government, or another flash in the pan fad for the downtrodden laobaixing to cling to while they can. Buy bookclub books here Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
March 6 · 1 hr
Consumption as identity and politics in China w/Yaling Jiang
Today's guest is Yaling Jiang. Yaling is a former journalist who currently uses her research and reporting skills to provide businesses with insights and analysis on the Chinese consumer market. She is the founder of research agency Aperture China, alongside which she runs the newsletter Following the Yuan on Substack, which provides nuanced takes on Chinese consumer trends. We discuss how Chinese people see themselves as consumers first and political citizens second, the CCP's attempts to influence the consumer market, and how a rise in China's soft power is linked to trends like Chinamaxxing. We also talk about how movements like involution, lying flat, and feminism present in people's lives, and prove once more that Chinese people and Americans are more similar than we think. Subscribe to Following the Yuan Buy bookclub books Buy me a coffee Latest Substack post Links to everything: https://linktree.com/sinobabble Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod
February 27 · 40 min
Sex and irreverence during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution | "Serve the People!" Review (Sinobabble Book club)
This is a recording of the livestream of our monthly book club. In this livestream we discuss the book Serve the People! by Yan Lianke, a banned book set during the Cultural Revolution in China. If you would like to find out more about the book club and which books we’re reading, please click here. Buy me a coffee Links to everything Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes