Podcasts about Hangzhou

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Moonlit Connections: A Mid-Autumn Tale of Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-10-01-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 西湖的暮色中，月亮静静地升起，洒下银白色的光辉。En: In the twilight of Xihu, the moon quietly rises, casting a silvery white light.Zh: 湖面上漂浮着灯笼，随波荡漾，仿佛在述说古老的传说。En: Lanterns float on the lake, drifting with the waves, as if narrating ancient legends.Zh: 这是一个充满欢乐的中秋夜，杭州的西湖因节日的到来而变得更加迷人。En: It is a Mid-Autumn night filled with joy, and Hangzhou's Xihu becomes even more enchanting with the arrival of the festival.Zh: 连和郭都是出版社的同事。En: Lian and Guo are colleagues at the publishing house.Zh: 这是他们第一次一起参加工作活动。En: It's their first time attending a work event together.Zh: 连喜欢诗歌和传统，性格内向，却在忙碌的节日氛围中感到些许不安。En: Lian, who loves poetry and tradition, is introverted but feels a bit uneasy amidst the busy festival atmosphere.Zh: 她多么希望能和郭有一次有意义的对话，而不仅仅是聊工作上的事情。En: She wishes to have a meaningful conversation with Guo, rather than just talking about work.Zh: 郭是个刚被提拔的编辑，充满工作热情，喜欢社交，但有时不得不在个人交流和工作职责之间挣扎。En: Guo is a newly promoted editor, passionate about work and enjoys socializing, but sometimes struggles between personal interactions and work duties.Zh: 今晚，他希望能在湖边享受节日，同时与同事们建立更多的联系，尤其是连。En: Tonight, he hopes to enjoy the festival by the lake and build more connections with colleagues, especially with Lian.Zh: 夜色渐深，灯笼逐渐增多，湖边的热闹氛围也跟着升温。En: As the night deepens, the number of lanterns increases, and the lively atmosphere by the lake warms up accordingly.Zh: 连站在灯笼摊位旁，手握着一个尚未点燃的纸灯笼。En: Lian stands by a lantern stall, holding an unlit paper lantern.Zh: 她知道这可能是个好机会，她决定参与进来，希望能和郭有更多的互动。En: She knows this might be a good opportunity, and she decides to join in, hoping for more interaction with Guo.Zh: 郭在人群中来回穿梭，与各部门的同事交流心得，讨论未来的发展趋势。En: Guo weaves through the crowd, exchanging insights with colleagues from various departments, discussing future development trends.Zh: 但他的目光时不时地瞥向湖边的连，心中有个声音告诉他应该过去跟她聊聊。En: But his gaze occasionally drifts towards Lian by the lake, with a voice inside telling him he should go over and talk to her.Zh: 于是，他找了个空隙，向连走去。En: So, he finds a gap and walks towards Lian.Zh: 在湖边的桂花树下，连和郭终于面对面站在一起，四周只剩下水波轻荡的声音。En: Under the osmanthus tree by the lake, Lian and Guo finally stand face to face, with only the gentle sound of rippling water around them.Zh: 郭微笑着递上一个为连准备好的月饼。En: Guo smiles and hands over a mooncake he prepared for Lian.Zh: “中秋快乐，连。”他轻声说道。En: "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Lian," he gently says.Zh: 连接过月饼，心底的羞涩渐渐褪去。En: Lian accepts the mooncake, and the shyness in her heart gradually fades away.Zh: 随着夜色愈加沉静，两人点燃了手中的灯笼。En: As the night grows quieter, the two light the lanterns in their hands.Zh: 灯笼被放入湖中，水面反射出温暖的光芒。En: The lanterns are placed into the lake, where the surface reflects a warm glow.Zh: 他们看着灯笼逐渐远去，像是看着自己的心愿漂向远方。En: They watch the lanterns gradually drift away, as if watching their wishes float into the distance.Zh: “我喜欢文学，尤其是诗歌。”连终于开口，声音清晰而坚定。En: "I like literature, especially poetry," Lian finally speaks, her voice clear and determined.Zh: “我也是，”郭回应道，“你有没有兴趣周末一起去听诗歌朗诵会？”En: "So do I," Guo replies, "Would you be interested in going to a poetry reading together this weekend?"Zh: 连的脸上泛起微笑，月光下的她显得格外迷人。En: Lian smiles, looking particularly enchanting under the moonlight.Zh: 就这样，两人找到了共同的话题，他们约定在工作之外也能分享自己热爱的东西。En: Thus, the two find common ground, agreeing to share their passions beyond work.Zh: 灯笼顺流漂远，连和郭都感到心里多了一份温暖。En: As the lanterns drift downstream, Lian and Guo both feel a warmth in their hearts.Zh: 他们明白，工作之外的友谊同样重要，而在这个秋夜，他们的友谊悄然萌芽。En: They understand that friendship beyond work is equally important, and on this autumn night, their friendship quietly blossoms. Vocabulary Words:twilight: 暮色silvery: 银白色的drifting: 荡漾narrating: 述说colleagues: 同事publishing house: 出版社introverted: 性格内向uneasy: 不安meaningful: 有意义newly promoted: 刚被提拔enchanting: 迷人opportunity: 好机会weaves: 穿梭insights: 心得development trends: 发展趋势gaze: 目光gap: 空隙osmanthus: 桂花rippling: 轻荡mooncake: 月饼shyness: 羞涩determined: 坚定poetry reading: 诗歌朗诵会enchanting: 迷人common ground: 共同的话题passions: 热爱downstream: 顺流warmth: 温暖blossoms: 萌芽

AGENDA: IntroAlexander Bublik campeón del ATP 250 de Hangzhou vs Valentin Royer (7-6, 7-6), 8vo título de su carrera y 4to del año. Career high #16 en los Rankings.Alejandro Tabilo campeón del ATP 250 de Chengdu vs Lorenzo Musetti (6-3, 2-6, 7-6) salvando 2 MPs y es el 3er título de su carrera.Preview final ATP 500 Tokio (Carlos Alcaraz vs Taylor Fritz). H2H.Predicción.Preview semifinales ATP 500 BeijingH2H'sPrediccionesPreview Masters 1000 Shanghai Roads a la final.Posibles CF por siembra.Quien lo defiendePicks8vos de final WTA 1000 Beijing. Y más ...Instagram: @TennisPiochasTwitter: @TennisPiochasTikTok: @tennis.piochas  Distribuido por Genuina Media Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on Sinica, I chat with Peking University's Professor Wang Dong (王栋), an international relations scholar at the School of International Studies at Peking University, where he also serves as Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Office for Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding. Professor Wang's scholarship and public commentary focus on U.S.–China relations, Cold War history, and the uses of historical memory in diplomacy. He has been an especially thoughtful voice in connecting the Flying Tigers legacy with today's efforts to stabilize and strengthen the people-to-people ties between our two countries.Check back in a day or two for the full podcast page and the transcript!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Tea, Love, and Letting Go: An Autumn Night in Hangzhou Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-09-27-07-38-20-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 温暖的灯笼在茶馆的角落里轻轻摇曳，温柔的光影为整个空间增添了一份宁静的氛围。En: Warm lanterns swayed gently in the corner of the chaguan, their gentle light and shadow adding a peaceful ambiance to the entire space.Zh: 茶馆外，秋风悄然扫过，带来杭州湖边树木间那缤纷的秋叶。En: Outside the chaguan, the autumn wind quietly swept through, bringing the colorful autumn leaves from the trees by the lake in Hangzhou.Zh: 微细细地踏入这座茶馆时，心里满是期待。En: As Wei stepped into this chaguan, her heart was filled with anticipation.Zh: 热爱茶艺的她，专程来到此地，想更深入地了解中国传统茶文化。En: A lover of tea art, she had come specifically to this place, wanting to delve deeper into traditional Chinese tea culture.Zh: 微静静地坐在桌边，闻着空气中弥漫的茉莉香。En: Wei sat quietly at the table, inhaling the jasmine fragrance permeating the air.Zh: 她的目光很快便被台上的莲吸引。En: Her gaze was quickly drawn to Lian, the owner of the chaguan and a tea master.Zh: 莲身着素色长衫，动作优雅从容。En: Lian, dressed in a simple long robe, moved with grace and ease.Zh: 他温和地指导着顾客们的同时，展现着对待茶叶的敬重。En: He gently guided the customers while demonstrating his respect for the tea leaves.Zh: 然而，每当微想与莲交流时，总有名的身影从旁闪现。En: However, whenever Wei wanted to engage with Lian, Ming always seemed to appear out of nowhere.Zh: 名是茶馆的常客，也是莲的老朋友。En: Ming was a regular at the chaguan and a longtime friend of Lian.Zh: 他总是带着幽默的笑容，却在微张口前，替她接下了话题。En: He always carried a humorous smile, but before Wei could speak, he would always take over the conversation.Zh: 中秋节的前一日，莲准备举办一场茶艺活动。En: The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lian planned to host a tea art event.Zh: 微犹豫是否参加，因为她总感到名的存在如影随形。En: Wei hesitated about whether to participate because she always felt Ming's presence was ever-present.Zh: 然而她内心还是渴望了解更多，终于鼓起勇气报了名。En: Yet, her inner desire to learn more overcame her, and she finally mustered the courage to sign up.Zh: 茶艺活动当天，茶馆比往常更热闹，红色灯笼高挂，甜美的月饼静静地摆在桌上。En: On the day of the tea art event, the chaguan was livelier than usual; red lanterns hung high, and sweet mooncakes were quietly laid on the tables.Zh: 微坐在那里，静静观察莲的每一个泡茶动作。En: Wei sat there, quietly observing every move Lian made as he brewed tea.Zh: 缓缓升起的茶香，混着柔和的笑声，逐渐化解了她的拘谨。En: The slowly rising aroma of tea mixed with gentle laughter gradually eased her restraint.Zh: 突然，莲朝着微的方向走来，轻轻为她斟满一杯清茶。En: Suddenly, Lian walked over to Wei and gently poured her a cup of clear tea.Zh: 两人目光相遇，霎时，微感到了一种从未有过的共鸣。En: Their eyes met, and instantly, Wei felt a resonance she had never experienced before.Zh: 周围的喧嚣似乎逐渐模糊，唯余茶香随着时间流动。En: The surrounding clamor seemed to blur, leaving only the tea fragrance flowing with time.Zh: 名站在一旁，默默观察。En: Ming stood nearby, silently observing.Zh: 他认出微和莲之间的小小火花，同时意识到自己的心结。En: He recognized the small spark between Wei and Lian, while also realizing his own internal conflict.Zh: 内心一阵触动后，他明白了孤单是无法强求友谊或爱情的。En: After a moment of inner turmoil, he understood that loneliness cannot be forced into friendship or love.Zh: 微与莲交谈甚欢，而名则轻轻将心事放下。En: Wei and Lian enjoyed a pleasant conversation, while Ming quietly let go of his feelings.Zh: 活动结束后，微和莲走出茶馆，共享这美妙的秋夜。En: After the event ended, Wei and Lian walked out of the chaguan, sharing this wonderful autumn night.Zh: 而名远远注视着，露出释然的微笑。En: Ming watched from afar, showing a relieved smile.Zh: 他终于明白，有时候接受现实才是最好的成长。En: He finally understood that sometimes, accepting reality is the best form of growth.Zh: 微和莲的友谊在这秋夜悄然绽放，远处的月亮照耀着新生的可能。En: The friendship between Wei and Lian quietly blossomed on this autumn night, as the distant moon illuminated new possibilities.Zh: 微因这段缘分变得更为自信，而名也坦然地迎接内心的变化。En: Wei became more confident because of this connection, and Ming calmly embraced the changes within himself.Zh: 湖水静谧，秋叶轻舞，仿佛在诉说茶馆里的故事仍将继续。En: The lake lay silent, the autumn leaves danced lightly, as if narrating a story from the chaguan that would continue on. Vocabulary Words:lanterns: 灯笼swayed: 摇曳ambiance: 氛围anticipation: 期待inhale: 闻着permeating: 弥漫fragrance: 香gaze: 目光robe: 长衫grace: 优雅engage: 交流humorous: 幽默participate: 参加hesitated: 犹豫mustered: 鼓起restrain: 拘谨resonance: 共鸣blur: 模糊clamor: 喧嚣3: 身影turmoil: 触动loneliness: 孤单listen: 倾诉blossomed: 绽放moon: 月亮possibilities: 可能confidence: 自信embrace: 坦然silent: 静谧narrate: 诉说

In this new pod, we are joined by special guest @TennisWizard69! First, we recap the ATP 250s in Chengdu and Hangzhou and talk about various topics surrounding the ATP Tour. A few of the topics we discussed are Tabilo's impressive run, Musetti's hard court power ranking, Bublik's strong form, Royer's excellent week, Medvedev's struggles, and much more. We then breakdown the draws at the ATP 500s in Tokyo and Beijing and talk about our favorite 1st round bets. This podcast was recorded live during the 1st round matches in Tokyo!

Alexander Bublik a remporté hier son quatrième tournoi de la saison. En battant le français Valentin Royer en finale à Hangzhou, le Kazakhstanais a confirmé son retour au premier plan. Il a remporté un titre sur chaque surface cette saison et devient le deuxième joueur le plus titré en 2025 derrière Carlos Alcaraz et ses sept trophées. Cette victoire va permettre à Bublik d'être classé 12ème à la Race et il se place désormais en outsider pour le Masters. Mais jusqu'ou peut aller Bublik et surtout peut-il décrocher sa place dans les 8 pour le Masters ?

Con l'arrivo dei tornei asiatici il calendario tennistico inizia a sfasarsi rispetto al tradizionale scorrere delle settimane, e le partite si spostano nelle ore mattutine. A Shenzhen la nazionale italiana ha confermato il titolo della BJK Cup vinto nel 2024 sconfiggendo con una entusiasmante cavalcata Cina, Ucraina e USA. Lorenzo Musetti non è riuscito a rompere la sequenza di finali perse cedendo 7-6 al terzo contro Tabilo nel match conclusivo dell'ATP di Chengdu. Vittorie per Bublik ad Hangzhou e per Swiatek a Seoul. La squadra del Resto del Mondo ha sconfitto l'europa nell'ottava edizione della Laver Cup a San Francisco.Dopo il successo del 2024, viene riproposta in versione ampliata la raccolta di contributi per supportare Vanni e Luca nelle loro trasferte per seguire dal posto i tornei più importanti del circuito. Qui sotto il link per chi volesse dare il proprio aiutohttps://www.gofundme.com/f/dirette-e-trasferte-2025-luca-e-vanni-per-ubitennisRitorna Ubicontest, il concorso pronostici di Ubitennis con tanti ricchi premi. Scarica l'app e gioca per vincere la possibilità di andare a vedere di persona i campioni del tennis mondiale.https://www.ubitennis.com/ubicontest-2025/

This week on Sinica, co-host Tianyu Fang makes his debut on the show to join me in interviewing his Stanford classmate and talented writer Jasmine Sun, who studies the anthropology of disruption. This summer, she took a trip to China with a group of friends with different levels of China experience, from people raised in the country to total novices. She reflects on how it hit, and how a group of young people reckoned with the reality of Chinese hypermodernity, which she wrote about in a terrific essay titled "america against china against america: notes on shenzhen, shanghai, and more."Check back on this page in a couple of days for the full podcast page with time stamps and recommendations!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last time we spoke about the battle of Nanjing. In December 1937, as the battle for Nanjing unfolded, terror inundated its residents, seeking safety amid the turmoil. General Tang Shengzhi rallied the Chinese forces, determined to defend against the advancing Japanese army. Fierce fighting erupted at the Gate of Enlightenment, where the determined Chinese soldiers resisted merciless assaults while tragedy loomed. By mid-December, the Japanese made substantial advances, employing relentless artillery fire to breach Nanjing's defenses. Leaders called for strategic retreats, yet amid chaos and despair, many young Chinese soldiers, driven by nationalism, continued to resist. By December 13, Nanjing succumbed to the invaders, marking a tragic chapter in history. As destruction enveloped the city, the resilience of its defenders became a poignant tale of courage amidst the horrors of war, forever marking Nanjing as a symbol of enduring hope in the face of despair.   #168 The Nanjing Massacre Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So obvious disclaimer, today we will be talking about, arguably one of if not the most horrific war atrocities ever committed. To be blunt, it may have been worse than some of the things we talked about back during the fall of the Ming Dynasty, when bandit armies raped and pillaged cities. The Nanjing Massacre as its become known is well documented by both Chinese and foreign sources. There is an abundance of primary sources, many well verified. Its going to be extremely graphic, I am going to try and tell it to the fullest. So if you got a weak stomach perhaps sit this one out, you have been warned. Chen Yiding began evacuating his troops from the area surrounding the Gate of Enlightenment before dawn on December 13. En route to Xiaguan, he took the time to visit a dozen of his soldiers housed in a makeshift hospital located in an old cemetery. These men were too severely injured to participate in the evacuation, and Chen had to leave them with only a few words of encouragement. Little did he know, within days, they would all perish in their beds, victims of the Japanese forces. Upon arriving in Xiaguan later that morning, Chen was met with grim news: his divisional commander had crossed the Yangtze River with his chief of staff the previous afternoon. Now, he was on his own. He didn't linger near the riverside chaos, quickly realizing there was nothing he could do there. Instead, he chose to move downstream, hoping to find a secure spot for himself and his soldiers to wait out the next few days before devising an escape from the war zone.  He was fortunate, for soon the Japanese would live up to their notorious reputation developed during their advance from Shanghai; they were not inclined to take prisoners. That afternoon, several hundred Chinese soldiers arrived at the northern end of the Safety Zone. The committee responsible for the area stated that they could offer no assistance. In a misguided attempt to boost morale, they suggested that if the soldiers surrendered and promised not to engage in combat, the Japanese would likely show them "merciful treatment." This optimism was woefully misplaced. Later that same day, Japanese troops entered the zone, dragging out 200 Chinese men, the majority of them soldiers, for execution just outside the city. On December 13, Japanese soldiers started patrolling the riverbank, shooting at anything and anyone floating downstream. Their comrades aboard naval vessels in the river cheered them on, applauding each time they struck another helpless victim in the water. Civilians were not spared either. While traveling through downtown Nanjing as the battle concluded, Rabe observed dead men and women every 100 to 200 yards, most of them shot in the back. A long line of Chinese men marched down the street, numbering in the hundreds, all destined for death. In a cruel twist, they were compelled to carry a large Japanese flag. They were herded into a vacant lot by a couple of Japanese soldiers and as recalled by American correspondent Archibald Steele "There, they were brutally shot dead in small groups. One Japanese soldier stood over the growing pile of corpses, firing into any bodies that showed movement." The killings commenced almost immediately after the fall of Nanjing. The victorious Japanese spread out into the city streets, seeking victims. Those unfortunate enough to be captured faced instant execution or were taken to larger killing fields to meet a grim fate alongside other Chinese prisoners. Initially, the Japanese targeted former soldiers, whether real or imagined, but within hours, the scope of victims expanded to include individuals of all age groups and genders. By the end of the first day of occupation, civilian bodies littered the streets of downtown Nanjing at a rate of roughly one per block. The defenseless and innocent were subjected to murder, torture, and humiliation in a relentless spree of violence that persisted for six harrowing weeks. At the time of the attack, Nanjing felt eerily abandoned, houses stood boarded up, vehicles lay toppled in the streets, and the once-ubiquitous rickshaws had vanished. However, hundreds of thousands remained hidden indoors, seeking refuge. The most visible sign of the city's new rulers was the display of the Japanese flag. On the morning of December 14, the Rising Sun flag was hoisted across the city, seen in front of private homes, businesses, and public buildings. Many of these flags were hastily made, often a simple white sheet with a red rag affixed, hoping to be spared. As the days progressed, horrifying accounts of violence began to emerge. A barber, the sole survivor among eight people in his shop when the Japanese arrived, was admitted to a hospital with a stab wound that had nearly severed his head from his body, damaging all muscles at the back of his neck down to his spinal canal. A woman suffered a brutal throat wound, while another pregnant woman was bayoneted in the abdomen, resulting in the death of her unborn child. A man witnessed his wife being stabbed through the heart and then saw his child hurled from a window to the street several floors below. These are but a few stories of individual atrocities committed. Alongside this there were mass executions, predominantly targeting young able-bodied men, in an effort to weaken Nanjing and deprive it of any potential resistance in the future. American professor, Lewis Smythe recalled “The disarmed soldier problem was our most serious one for the first three days, but it was soon resolved, as the Japanese shot all of them.” On the evening of December 15, the Japanese rounded up 1,300 former soldiers from the Safety Zone, binding them in groups of about 100 and marching them away in silence. A group of foreigners, permitted to leave Nanjing on a Japanese gunboat, accidentally became witnesses to the ensuing slaughter. While waiting for their vessel, they took a brief walk along the riverbank and stumbled upon a scene of mass execution, observing the Japanese shooting the men one by one in the back of the neck. “We observed about 100 such executions until the Japanese officer in charge noticed us and ordered us to leave immediately”. Not all killings were premeditated; many occurred impulsively. A common example was when Japanese soldiers led lines of Chinese POWs to holding points, tightly bound together with ropes. Every few yards, a Japanese soldier would stand guard with a fixed bayonet aimed at the prisoners as they trudged forward. Suddenly, one of the prisoners slipped, causing a domino effect as he fell, dragging down the men in front of and behind him. The entire group soon found themselves collapsed on the ground, struggling to stand. The Japanese guards lost their patience, jabbing their bayonets into the writhing bodies until none remained alive. In one of the largest massacres, Japanese troops from the Yamada Detachment, including the 65th Infantry Regiment, systematically executed between 17,000 and 20,000 Chinese prisoners from December 15 to 17. These prisoners were taken to the banks of the Yangtze River near Mufushan, where they were machine-gunned to death. The bodies were then disposed of by either burning or flushing them downstream. Recent research by Ono Kenji has revealed that these mass killings were premeditated and carried out systematically, in accordance with orders issued directly by Prince Asaka. A soldier from the IJA's 13th Division described killing wounded survivors of the Mufushan massacre in his diary “I figured that I'd never get another chance like this, so I stabbed thirty of the damned Chinks. Climbing atop the mountain of corpses, I felt like a real devil-slayer, stabbing again and again, with all my might. 'Ugh, ugh,' the Chinks groaned. There were old folks as well as kids, but we killed them lock, stock, and barrel. I also borrowed a buddy's sword and tried to decapitate some. I've never experienced anything so unusual”. Frequently, the Japanese just left their victims wherever they fell. Corpses began to accumulate in the streets, exposed to the elements and onlookers. Cars constantly were forced to run over corpses. Corpses were scavenged by stray dogs, which, in turn, were consumed by starving people. The water became toxic; workers in the Safety Zone discovered ponds clogged with human remains. In other instances, the Japanese gathered their machine-gunned or bayoneted victims into large heaps, doused them in kerosene, and set them ablaze. Archibald Steele wrote for the Chicago Daily News on December 17th “I saw a grisly scene at the north gate, where what was once a group of 200 men had become a smoldering mass of flesh and bones, so severely burned around the neck and head that it was difficult to believe he was still human.” During the chaos in the beginning, whereupon the Japanese had not yet fully conquered the city, its defenders scrambled desperately to escape before it was too late. Individually or in small groups, they sought vulnerabilities in the enemy lines, acutely aware that their survival hinged on their success. Months of conflict had trained them to expect no mercy if captured; previous experiences had instilled in them the belief that a swift death at the hands of the Japanese would be a fortunate outcome. On December 12, amid intense artillery fire and aerial bombardment, General Tang Sheng-chi issued the order for his troops to retreat. However, conflicting directives and a breakdown in discipline transformed the ensuing events into a disaster. While some Chinese units successfully crossed the river, a far greater number were ensnared in the widespread chaos that engulfed the city. In their desperation to evade capture, some Chinese soldiers resorted to stripping civilians of their clothing to disguise themselves, while many others were shot by their own supervisory units as they attempted to flee.Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of individual escape stories emerged from this period. In some rare instances, entire units, even up to divisional strength, successfully infiltrated Japanese lines to reach safety. For others, such as the 156th Division, there were detailed plans outlining escape routes from Nanjing. Several soldiers and officers adhered to this three-day trek, skillfully evading Japanese patrols until they reached Ningguo, located south of the capital. Nonetheless, these cases were exceptions. The vast majority of soldiers from China's defeated army faced significant risk and were more likely to be captured than to escape. Some of Chiang Kai-shek's most elite units suffered near total annihilation. Only about a thousand soldiers from the 88th Division managed to cross the Yangtze safely, as did another thousand from the Training Division, while a mere 300 from the 87th Division survived. Even for units like the 156th Division, the escape plans were only effective for those who learned of them. These plans were hurriedly disseminated through the ranks as defeat loomed, leaving mere chance to determine who received the information. Many stayed trapped in Nanjing, which had become a fatal snare. One day, Japanese soldiers visited schools within Nanjing's Safety Zone, aware that these locations sheltered many refugees. They called for all former soldiers to step forward, promising safety in exchange for labor. Many believed that the long days of hiding were finally coming to an end and complied with the request. However, they were led to an abandoned house, where they were stripped naked and bound together in groups of five. Outside, a large bonfire had been ignited. They were then bayoneted and, while still alive, thrown onto the flames. Only a few managed to escape and share the horrifying tale. The Japanese were of course well aware that numerous soldiers were hiding in Nanjing, disguised as locals, evidenced by the piles of military uniforms and equipment accumulating in the streets. Consequently, they initiated a systematic search for soldiers within hours of taking control. The Safety Zone was not spared, as the Japanese Army suspected that Chinese soldiers had sought refuge there. On December 16, they raided Ginling College, despite a policy prohibiting the admission of men, except for elderly residents in a designated dining room. The soldiers brought axes to force open doors that were not immediately complied with and positioned six machine guns on the campus, prepared to fire at anyone attempting to escape. Ultimately, they found nothing. In cases where they did encounter young men of military age, the soldiers lined them up, scrutinizing for distinct telltale features such as close-cropped hair, helmet marks, or shoulder blisters from carrying a rifle. Many men, who had never served in the military but bore callouses from hard manual labor, were captured based on the assumption that such marks indicated military experience. As noted by Goerge Fitch the head of Nanjing's YMCA “Rickshaw coolies, carpenters, and other laborers are frequently taken”. The Japanese employed additional, more cunning tactics to root out soldiers. During an inspection of a camp within the Safety Zone, they struggled to get the approximately 6,000 men and women to surrender. Before leaving, they resorted to one last trick. “Attention!” a voice commanded in flawless Chinese. Many young men, conditioned by months or years of military training, instinctively responded. Even though most realized their mistake almost immediately, it was too late; the Japanese herded them away. Given the scale of the slaughter, efforts were soon organized to facilitate the killing and disposal of as many individuals as possible in the shortest time. Rows of prisoners were mowed down by machine-gun fire, while those injured were finished off with single bullets or bayonets. Much of the mass murder occurred near the Yangtze River, where victims could be disposed of easily by being pushed into the water, hoping the current would carry them away.As the weeks progressed and the Japanese grew increasingly concerned about the possibility of former soldiers still at large, the dragnet tightened. Beginning in late December, Japanese authorities implemented a registration system for all residents of Nanjing. At Ginling College, this process lasted about a week and resulted in scenes of almost indescribable chaos, as the Japanese also decided to register residents from the surrounding areas on campus. First, the men were registered, followed by the women. Often, women attended the registration to help save their husbands and sons, who would otherwise have been taken as suspected former soldiers. Despite these efforts, a total of 28 men were ultimately seized during the registration process at Ginling College. Each individual who registered received a document from the authorities. However, it soon became clear that this paper provided little protection against the caprices of the Japanese military. That winter in Nanjing, everyone was a potential victim. While systematic mass killings primarily targeted young men of military age, every category of people faced death in the days and weeks following the Japanese conquest of Nanjing. Reports indicated that fifty police officers from the Safety Zone were executed for permitting Chinese soldiers to enter the area. The city's firefighters were taken away to meet an uncertain fate, and six street sweepers were killed inside their dwelling. Like an uncontrollable epidemic, the victors' bloodlust seemed to escalate continuously, seeking out new victims. When the Japanese ordered the Safety Zone committee to supply workers for the electricity plant in Xiaguan to restore its operations, they provided 54 individuals. Within days, 43 of them were dead. Although young men were especially targeted, the Japanese made no distinctions based on age or sex. American missionary John G. Magee documented numerous instances of indiscriminate killings, including the chilling account of two families nearly exterminated. Stabbings, shootings, and rapes marked the slaughter of three generations of innocents, including toddlers aged four and two; the older child was bayoneted, while the younger was struck in the head with a sword. The only survivors were a badly injured eight-year-old girl and her four-year-old sister, who spent the following fortnight beside their mother's decaying body. The violence was often accompanied by various forms of humiliation, as if to utterly break the spirit of the conquered people. One woman lost her parents and three children. When she purchased a coffin for her father, a Japanese soldier tore the lid off and discarded the old man's body in the street. Another soldier, in a drunken stupor, raped a Chinese woman and then vomited on her. In yet another incident, a soldier encountered a family of six huddled over a pot of thin rice soup; he stepped over them and urinated into their pot before continuing on his way, laughing heartlessly. The atrocities committed at Nanjing were not akin to something like the Holocaust. Within places like Auschwitz killings became industrialized and often took on an impersonal, unemotional character. The murders in Nanjing had an almost intimate quality, with each individual perpetrator bearing the blood of their victims on their hands, sometimes literally. In this sense, the Nanjing atrocities resemble the early Holocaust killings executed by German Einsatzgruppen in Eastern Europe, prior to the implementation of gas chambers. How many died during the Nanjing Massacre? Eyewitnesses at the time recognized that the Japanese behavior had few immediate precedents. Missionary John Magee compared the situation to the Turkish genocide of the Armenians during World War I, which was still fresh in memory. Despite this, no consensus emerged regarding the exact number of fatalities, a state of affairs that would persist for nearly eight decades. In his first comprehensive account of the atrocities following the conquest of the capital, New York Times correspondent Tillman Durdin reported that 33,000 Chinese soldiers lost their lives in Nanjing, including 20,000 who were executed. Foreign correspondent Frank Oliver claimed in a 1939 publication that 24,000 men, women, and children were put to death during the first month of the city's occupation. As time progressed, much larger figures began to circulate. After returning to Germany in 1938, John Rabe held a lecture where he cited European estimates that between 50,000 and 60,000 people had died. In February 1942, Chiang Kai-shek stated that 200,000 were slaughtered within one week. The Nanjing tribunal established by Chiang's government to try Japanese war criminals in 1946 and 1947 reported that more than 300,000 lives had been lost following the city's fall. The highest estimate recorded comes from a Chinese military expert, who put the death toll at 430,000. Currently, the figure most commonly accepted in official Chinese media is 300,000, a number also cited by various authors sympathetic to China's contemporary regime. The debate over the Nanjing death toll has been a complex and extensive discussion, likely to remain unresolved to everyone's satisfaction. As missionary and Nanjing University teacher Miner Searle Bates remarked when he testified before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in July 1946, “The scope of this killing was so extensive that no one can provide a complete picture of it.” On December 16, American missionary Minnie Vautrin witnessed a truck passing by Ginling College, loaded with eight to ten girls. When they saw the Western woman, they cried out, "Jiu ming! Jiu ming!" which means “Help! Help!” Vautrin felt powerless, fully aware of the fate that awaited them. As early as Tuesday of that week, she had documented rumors of girls being raped. The following night, women were taken in large numbers from their homes. Another missionary, John Magee wrote to his wife “The most horrible thing now is the raping of the women, which has been going on in the most shameless way I have ever known”. A tentative list compiled by Lewis Smythe detailed instances of rape occurring soon after the Japanese Army entered Nanjing: four girls at noon on December 14; four more women that evening; three female refugees on December 15; and a young wife around the same time. The accounts revealed chilling individual horrors. A 15-year-old girl was taken to a barracks housing 200 to 300 Japanese soldiers and locked in a room, where she was raped multiple times daily. Victims ranged from as young as 11 to over 80. American correspondent Edgar Snow recalled “Discards were often bayoneted by drunken soldiers,. Frequently, mothers had to witness their babies being beheaded, only to then be raped themselves.” Y.M.C.A. head George Fitch reported the case of a woman whose five-month-old infant was deliberately smothered by a soldier to silence its cries while he raped her. Such acts were a gruesome form of humiliation, designed to demonstrate that the vanquished were powerless to protect their own families. Japanese soldier Takokoro Kozo recalled “Women suffered most. No matter how young or old, they all could not escape the fate of being raped. We sent out coal trucks to the city streets and villages to seize a lot of women. And then each of them was allocated to fifteen to twenty soldiers for sexual intercourse and abuse. After raping we would also kill them”. Women were frequently killed immediately after being raped, often through horrific mutilations, such as being penetrated with bayonets, long bamboo sticks, or other objects. For instance, one six-months-pregnant woman was stabbed sixteen times in the face and body, with one stab penetrating her abdomen and killing her unborn child. In another case, a young woman had a beer bottle forcibly inserted into her vagina after being raped, and was subsequently shot.  On December 19, 1937, the Reverend James M. McCallum wrote in his diary “I know not where to end. Never I have heard or read such brutality. Rape! Rape! Rape! We estimate at least 1,000 cases a night and many by day. In case of resistance or anything that seems like disapproval, there is a bayonet stab or a bullet... People are hysterical... Women are being carried off every morning, afternoon and evening. The whole Japanese army seems to be free to go and come as it pleases, and to do whatever it pleases”.  Rabe wrote in his diary dated December 17 “wo Japanese soldiers have climbed over the garden wall and are about to break into our house. When I appear they give the excuse that they saw two Chinese soldiers climb over the wall. When I show them my party badge, they return the same way. In one of the houses in the narrow street behind my garden wall, a woman was raped, and then wounded in the neck with a bayonet. I managed to get an ambulance so we can take her to Kulou Hospital... Last night up to 1,000 women and girls are said to have been raped, about 100 girls at Ginling College...alone. You hear nothing but rape. If husbands or brothers intervene, they're shot. What you hear and see on all sides is the brutality and bestiality of the Japanese soldiers”. In a documentary film about the Nanjing Massacre, In the Name of the Emperor, a former Japanese soldier named Shiro Azuma spoke candidly about the process of rape and murder in Nanjing. “At first we used some kinky words like Pikankan. Pi means "hip", kankan means "look". Pikankan means, "Let's see a woman open up her legs." Chinese women didn't wear under-pants. Instead, they wore trousers tied with a string. There was no belt. As we pulled the string, the buttocks were exposed. We "pikankan". We looked. After a while we would say something like, "It's my day to take a bath," and we took turns raping them. It would be all right if we only raped them. I shouldn't say all right. But we always stabbed and killed them. Because dead bodies don't talk”. Without anyone to defend them, the women of Nanjing resorted to desperate measures for their safety. The young and attractive cut their hair and smeared soot on their faces to diminish their allure. Others donned boys' clothes or the garments of elderly women. However, the Japanese were well aware of these tactics and were not easily deceived. As American correspondent Snow described, it was an orgy of unprecedented debauchery, involving not only the lower ranks of the Japanese military but also officers who turned their quarters into harems, bedding a new captive each night. Open-air sexual assaults were common. During the first ten days of occupation, groups of Japanese soldiers entered the Ginling campus ten to twenty times daily, brandishing fixed bayonets stained with fresh blood. So overwhelmed, Vautrin decided to prioritize saving lives over salvaging possessions, spending those early days frantically moving across campus to prevent marauding soldiers from taking away women. A particularly tense situation unfolded on the evening of December 17, when Vautrin and other staff members at Ginling College were called to the front of the campus to confront a group of Japanese soldiers. Earlier, Vautrin had received documentation from another officer affirming that the area was a legitimate refugee camp. The soldiers torn up the document in front of her. For hours, with armed Japanese soldiers encircling them, Vautrin and her colleagues were left standing or kneeling, uncertain of what awaited them. Gradually, it became clear that they had been lured to the front gate so that other soldiers could enter through a side entrance and abduct twelve women. As Vautrin recalled “Never shall I forget the scene. The dried leaves rattling, the moaning of the wind, the cries of women being led away.” The staff remained at the entrance until 11:00 pm, fearing that hiding soldiers might fire on them if they moved. This was the only time that Vautrin was unable to prevent rape, a failure that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Some Japanese soldiers, seeking young girls, ordered a middle-aged Chinese woman to assist them in finding targets. When she either could not or would not comply, they shot a rifle across her abdomen, narrowly missing and taking away “three handbreadths of flesh.” When the Japanese Army entered Nanjing, little damage had been inflicted on the buildings, as noted by U.S. missionary James McCallum at the end of December. On the first day of their occupation, Japanese soldiers immediately dispersed into Nanjing in small groups, breaking shop windows and looting the goods within. They carried away their spoils in crates and stolen rickshaws. Initially, the looting was partly a makeshift response to the poor logistics of the Japanese Army. Combat soldiers had arrived well ahead of their supply lines and faced severe food shortages until the roads reopened and the Yangtze River became navigable.  Every building in Nanjing was looted and turned upside down. Everything not nailed down was stolen: doors and window frames were removed, safes opened with rifle shots or grenades. Japanese soldiers often pillaged property while the owners were present, threatening them with bayonets. Abandoned cars littered the streets, typically overturned and stripped of useful items, including batteries. Like Russian soldiers in Berlin seven and a half years later, the rank-and-file soldiers displayed a particular interest in watches. As the scale of plunder grew, transportation became scarce. By the end of December, looting was being conducted using trucks. When vehicles were unavailable, Japanese soldiers resorted to wheelbarrows and even children's prams. Mules, donkeys, and people were also commandeered. Just as during their advance from Shanghai to Nanjing, the Chinese were forced to assist in looting their own homes. A common sight was a Japanese soldier leading a group of Chinese down the street, laden with stolen goods. While Chinese soldiers had also engaged in some looting during their evacuation of Nanjing, it was nothing compared to the scale of the Japanese victors' plunder. The Chinese forces had deliberately avoided breaking into foreign buildings, a distinction that the Japanese disregarded. The American, British, and German embassies, along with the ambassadors' residences, were ransacked, stripped of everything from bedding and money to watches, rugs, and artwork. The American School was looted, and its wall breached to remove the piano. As the Japanese stripped the city, they also began to burn it. While the winter sky could have been sparkling, it was instead filled with smoke from thousands of fires across the city. Some fires resulted from carelessness, such as when soldiers cooked meat from a stolen cow over a bonfire, accidentally igniting an ancient building. Others were acts of mindless vandalism. The Nanking Music Shop saw all its instruments and sheets piled in the street and set ablaze. The extent of the massacre can, to some degree, be linked to a breakdown in discipline among Japanese soldiers. Released from weeks or months of hardship on the battlefield, many soldiers experienced an intoxicating sense of freedom, resembling misbehaving boys. The deterioration of order among Japanese soldiers astonished those familiar with the stories of the stringent discipline within Japan's armed forces. Observers commented on soldiers laughing at proclamations from their own officers or tearing up orders and tossing them to the ground. Some foreign witnesses speculated that this lack of discipline was exacerbated by the absence of visible individual numbers on soldiers, making it challenging to identify wrongdoers. The issue also stemmed from the quality of the Japanese officer corps and their ability to manage a large army of young men, many of whom were experiencing freedom from societal constraints for the first time. Not all officers rose to the occasion; Vautrin witnessed an officer almost fail to prevent a soldier from raping a girl. Even worse, some officers transitioned from passive bystanders, guilty by inaction, to active participants in prolonged rape sessions. While a few attempted to instill discipline among their troops, their efforts often fell short. A Japanese colonel, for instance, slapped a soldier attempting to rape a Chinese woman. Another general was seen striking a private who had bayoneted a Chinese man and threatened two Germans, raising questions about how much of this discipline was merely performative for the benefit of foreign observers. Ultimately, disciplinary measures had little impact. As Rabe noted in his diary dated December 18th “The soldiers have almost no regard for their officers”. The absence of effective higher leadership during this critical period likely exacerbated the problem. General Matsui had been suffering from malaria since November 3, which left him largely incapacitated from December 5 to 15. A subordinate later testified that he had been informed of "incidents of stealing, killing, assault, and rape and had become quite enraged.” Although Matsui may have been displeased by the unruly behavior of his soldiers, it is conceivable that his inaction led to even greater levels of atrocity than might have occurred otherwise. He insisted on holding a victory parade on December 17, immediately after recovering from his illness, which likely triggered a security frenzy among Japanese officers concerned about the safety of Prince Asaka, uncle to Emperor Hirohito. This reaction likely prompted a surge in searches for, and executions of, suspected former Chinese soldiers. The Japanese high command in Tokyo was also aware of the unraveling discipline. On January 4, 1938, Army Headquarters sent Matsui an unusually direct message ordering him to restore control among his troops: Our old friend Ishiwara Kanji bitterly criticized the situation and placed the blame on Matsui “We earnestly request enhancement of military discipline and public morals. The morale of the Japanese had never been at a lower level.” A detachment of military police eventually arrived in Nanjing, leading to some improvements, though their presence was mixed. Some officers stationed outside the Safety Zone ignored atrocities occurring before them and, in some cases, participated directly. At Ginling College, the experience with military police was decidedly uneven. The first group of about 25 men tasked with guarding the college ended up committing rape themselves.  Despite frequent visits from Japanese soldiers in search of loot and victims to assault, the Safety Zone was perceived as successful. Many believed that both the zone and the work of its managing committee were responsible for saving countless lives. W. Plumer Mills, vice chairman of the committee, noted that the zone “did give some protection during the fighting…but the chief usefulness of the Zone has been the measure of protection it has afforded to the people since the occupation.” Shortly after the Japanese conquest, the population of the Safety Zone swelled to a quarter million people. Around 70,000 of these were organized into 25 pre-arranged camps, while the majority sought accommodation wherever possible. Makeshift “mat-shed villages” sprang up in vacant areas throughout the zone. Nanjing quickly became informally divided into two distinct cities. Outside the Safety Zone, the atmosphere was ghostly, with a population dwindling to around 10,000, while within the zone, bustling activity thrived. Shanghai Road, which ran through the center of the zone and had once been a wide boulevard, transformed into a hub of barter and trade, resembling a festive market during Chinese New Year, overflowing with makeshift stalls, tea shops, and restaurants, making it nearly impossible to traverse by vehicle. The Japanese held a degree of respect for Westerners, although this sentiment was not universal and did not always offer protection. Many foreigners tried to safeguard their homes by displaying their national flags outside, but they often found that Japanese soldiers would break in regardless. To protect Ginling College, American flags were displayed at eight locations around the compound, and a large 30-foot American flag was spread out in the center. However, this proved to be “of absolutely no use” in preventing Japanese soldiers from entering the area. Despite this, there was some limited outright hostility towards Americans. Stronger negative sentiments were directed towards the Russians and the British, who were viewed as representatives of nations with competing interests against the Japanese Empire. The Japanese displayed particular reverence for one nationality, the Germans. Rabe would shout “Deutsch” or “Hitler” to command respect from unruly Japanese soldiers or show them his swastika armband, indicating his allegiance to the Nazi Party. Germany was seen as a rising power and rapidly becoming one of Japan's closest allies, a fellow outcast in global politics. However, as time passed, the limits of this respect became evident; individual soldiers began searching for women within the German embassy compound, and eventually, nearly all German buildings were broken into. Despite all the challenges, there was no doubting that foreigners offered a form of protection unavailable elsewhere. Within days of the Japanese conquest, women and children began appearing in large numbers outside Rabe's home, kneeling and knocking their heads on the ground as they begged to be let into his already overcrowded garden.  At 1:00 pm on January 1, the Chinese were proclaimed rulers of their own city, or at least this is what Japanese propaganda sought to convey. On the first day of the new year, a puppet government was established in a ceremony held just north of the Safety Zone. A new five-bar flag, the one associated with the early Chinese republic was raised, signaling a patriotic spirit in a gesture that felt unconvincing. As the new leaders took office, vowing to resurrect their city, buildings burned all around them. The ceremony marked the culmination of two weeks of preparatory work. As early as December 15, General Matsui met with a local Chinese leader, referred to in the Japanese commander's diary only as Chen, who had been selected to assist in forming this new puppet government. Chen had been present in the northern port city of Tianjin two years earlier when Matsui helped establish the Chinese chapter of the Greater Asia Association. He subscribed to Matsui's concepts of “Asia for Asians,” but cautioned that Chinese fears of the Japanese would complicate the governance of the conquered territories.   The new government aligned with the Japanese army to implement a system of indoctrination centered on conservatism, primarily targeting the youth, who were perceived as most likely to resist. The indoctrination included messages like, “You must follow the old custom in marriage, letting your parents make arrangements for you. You must not go to theaters or study English, etc. China and Japan must become one, and then the nation will be strong.” Few were deceived by these attempts to win hearts and minds. The government-sanctioned newspaper, the Xinshengbao, or New Life Journal, was immediately dismissed as a crude vehicle for propaganda. Additionally, the government made minimal progress in more urgent tasks, such as restoring peacetime conditions and revitalizing Nanjing's economy, a challenge made formidable by Japanese brutality. Given the fate of the first group of volunteers at the electricity plant after the conquest, no one could be found to fill the needed 40 to 45 worker slots. The same was true for firefighters. The predictable outcomes followed. Water and limited power were restored to parts of the city by January 2, but within two days, the city was plunged back into darkness. By January 13, the waterworks were still non-operational, and the power supply remained intermittent while fires continued to blaze well into January. The government was not taken seriously, struggling even with the Japanese. It quickly built a reputation for being venal and corrupt. One of its names was the Nanjing Autonomous Government, which a clever member of the foreign community humorously rebranded as the “Automatic Government,” reflecting its actual role as a puppet regime devoid of autonomy.  While Nanjing endured its own nightmarish reality, the city's inhabitants had little understanding of the events transpiring beyond its walls. The first radio news that reached foreign residents came on January 7, reporting Japanese air raids on Wuhan. There were also unconfirmed rumors suggesting that Hangzhou was experiencing similar horrors to those in Nanjing, but details were scarce. It was perhaps expected that reports from afar would be limited in wartime, yet information about situations closer to Nanjing was similarly scarce, and the horrific truth gradually dawned on the city's populace. A Westerner who managed to escape east from Nanjing in early January reported that all villages within a 20-mile radius had been burned to the ground. Outside the city, Japanese soldiers were randomly shooting civilians, including children. A German who drove an hour from Nanjing encountered no living souls. After the conquest, Chinese who managed to leave Nanjing reported that every pond between the city and Juyong was filled with the decaying corpses of people and animals. Many of the atrocities committed during this time appeared to stem from boredom and a search for cheap thrills. American missionary Magee witnessed a young farmer who had sustained severe burns on his upper body. After the soldiers demanded money from him and he failed to comply, they doused him in kerosene and set him ablaze. Similarly, a young boy suffered horrific burns after he failed to lead a group of soldiers to his “mama.” People in the rural areas surrounding Nanjing faced danger from numerous directions. Not only were they potential targets for marauding Japanese soldiers, but they were also at risk from bands of Chinese outlaws, who preyed on the large influx of refugees on the roads and the few souls who remained at home despite the fierce conflict raging nearby. Magee encountered a 49-year-old woman whose home was invaded by bandits looking for money. “When she and her husband said they had none they battered her head and breast with a stool and burned her feet until she revealed their savings of between four and five dollars.” In the absence of a formal government, informal authority was often wielded by secret societies. For instance, the “Big Sword Society” reportedly offered protection not only against Japanese soldiers and local bandits but also against small groups of Chinese troops seeking to escape back to their lines and resorting to theft for survival. What a blast from the past eh?   Rumors began to circulate in early January 1938 that the Chinese Army was preparing to retake Nanjing and that Chiang Kai-shek's soldiers had already been spotted inside the city walls. Many of the small makeshift Japanese flags that had appeared outside private homes in mid-December suddenly vanished, and some Chinese residents who had been wearing Japanese armbands hastily removed them. There was even talk of launching an attack on the Japanese embassy. Word spread that the Japanese were becoming frightened and were searching for Chinese clothing to disguise themselves as civilians in the event of a retreat. In reality, none of this was true. The Chinese Army was still reorganizing after the costly campaign that had forced it from Shanghai to Nanjing and then further into the interior. However, this did not imply that the Japanese had achieved complete control over the city. After six weeks of terror, Nanjing began to reassert itself. Japanese soldiers faced fatalities and injuries in skirmishes with members of secret organizations like the “Yellow Spears” and the “Big Sword Society.”  After the New Year, the population within the Safety Zone began to dwindle. A week into 1938, the number of refugees at Ginling College, which had peaked at more than 10,000, fell to around 5,000. Less than a month after the conquest, many former residents started returning to their homes during the day and then coming back to the college at night. Still, the city was far from safe, and even for those whose homes were located within the Safety Zone, Vautrin believed it was unwise to stray too far from her refugee camp. One month after Japanese forces had surged through its gates, Nanjing was a thoroughly devastated city, with fires still being set every day and night. By mid-January, estimates suggested that more than half the city had been burned down, with the main shopping district completely gone, as well as the entertainment area surrounding the Confucius Temple. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, the shell-shocked city began to pull itself together and started the long process of renewal. Vautrin considered opening an industrial school offering four-month courses for women to help compensate for the loss of labor resulting from the indiscriminate killing of men. Chinese New Year fell on January 31, 1938. Celebrated throughout Asia, it was also recognized by the Japanese. It was a “dismal, muddy” day, and as many feared, soldiers who appeared “too happy” from excessive drinking attempted to enter the Safety Zone in search of women but were stopped. The sound of thousands of firecrackers filled the air, fulfilling the age-old purpose of scaring away evil spirits. Refugees in Rabe's compound presented him with a large red silk banner adorned with a gold Chinese inscription. His Chinese friends translated the message for him “You are the living Buddha For a hundred thousand people”. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In December 1937, the battle for Nanjing left its residents in terror as the Japanese army advanced. Following the invasion, a horrific massacre began, with thousands targeted in brutal killings, torture, and humiliation. Civilians and soldiers alike were indiscriminately slain, and the Japanese military showed no mercy. To this day the Nanjing Massacre stands as a testament to the unbelievable evil man holds within him.

Issu des qualifications et 88e mondial, Valentin Royer s'est offert une performance majeure en 8es de finale de Hangzhou. Il s'est offert la tête de série n°1, Andrey Rublev. C'est la première fois que le Français bat un joueur du Top 20. Royer confirme sa très belle année et n'en finit plus de progresser... peut-il s'imposer durablement dans le paysage du tennis mondial ? dans le top 50 ? Dans la 2e partie de l'émission tops et flops sans oublier une partie pronostics sur le début de la tournée asiatique. 

Nigel Seeley and Sean Calvert look at the best bets for the quarterfinals in the first stops on the Asian swing at Chengdu and Hangzhou.

The ATP Tour continues with the Chengdu Open and Hangzhou Open. Sean Calvert and Nigel Seeley offer their best bets and a weather update.

In this new pod, we are joined by special guest @SmoothManSports! Here, we recap the US Open by discussing hypothetical lines for "matches we didn't see but wish we did." We talk briefly about the Davis Cup before launching our new collaboration "Ace the Odds" (@acetheodds123 on X) where we will each post our play of the day. We then dive deep into the ATP 250s in Hangzhou and Chengdu. We break down the draws quarter by quarter and talk about our favorite Round 1 bets. Apologies for the late release. We recorded super late and I fell asleep right after.

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with well-known author and public intellectual Yascha Mounk about his recent fascination with China, his approach to learning about the country and learning Chinese, and his thoughts on how China fits into the current crisis of Western liberal democracy.7:15 – Yascha's experience of living in China and learning Chinese12:18 – Yascha's perspective on China's strengths and weaknesses20:12 – China in a global comparative perspective: Generational aspirations and demographic decline29:45 – China's Soft Power vs. Japan, Korea, and the U.S.45:30 – Media narratives on China: have they shifted?54:20 – Western Liberalism confronts China01:07:07 – Backlash & criticism01:11:35 - Polarization and “China as enemy” narrativesRecommendations: Yascha: The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (book), The Leopard (1963) (movie)Kaiser: A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism by Adam Gopnik (book)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nigel Seeley and Sean Calvert analyze the upcoming ATP tournaments in Chengdu and Hangzhou, discussing betting angles, player form, and weather impacts.

Dave and Jon are back to talk all things early rounds in China! Like Steve's (@Ace_Previews) analysis? Join his no-nonsense Discord with a free trial: https://buy.stripe.com/fZe6qfeEg5GIfyEfZ65:22 ATP Chengdu Tournament Preview8:08 Chengdu Draw Talk14:27 Prizmic/Atmane21:22 Zhou/Norrie24:23 McDonald/Budkov Kjaer29:10 Halys/O'Connell32:05 Quinn/Giron35:02 Harris/Daniel41:38 Perricard/Misolic 45:15 ATP Hangzhou Tournament Preview 47:35 Hangzhou Draw Talk52:38 Korda/Walton54:47 Navone/Tien56:55 Zhang/Bu

This week on Sinica, I speak first with retired Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, a frequent commentator on Chinese military and security affairs and a prolific writer now at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, and with Rana Mitter of the Harvard Kennedy School and author of Forgotten Ally, a book about World War II in China.I will update this page when the transcript is ready. Check back in a couple of days!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Moonlit Mystery: Unveiling Hangzhou's Legendary Teapot Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-09-03-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 秋天的一个清晨，阳光透过薄雾洒在杭州乡村茶园的茶树上。En: One crisp autumn morning, the sunlight filtered through the thin fog and spilled over the tea trees in the countryside tea garden of Hangzhou.Zh: 每年的这个时候，空气中弥漫着一丝凉意，紧张而又愉快的准备工作正在展开。En: At this time of year, a slight chill lingered in the air, and anxious yet joyful preparations were underway.Zh: 梁，一个年轻的采茶工人，正忙着摘下色泽饱满的茶叶。En: Liang, a young tea picker, was busy plucking the full-colored tea leaves.Zh: 他总是在思考，脑子里装满了关于当地传说和神秘事件的想法。En: His mind was always occupied with thoughts of local legends and mysterious events.Zh: 传说中，这片茶园里有一个古老的茶壶，能给园子带来繁荣。En: According to legend, there was an ancient teapot in this tea garden that could bring prosperity to the garden.Zh: 然而，几天前，这个茶壶突然消失了。En: However, a few days ago, the teapot suddenly disappeared.Zh: 梁对此非常好奇，并觉得有必要查明真相。En: Liang was very curious about this and felt it was necessary to uncover the truth.Zh: 他相信，这不仅仅是一个简单的失物，这背后一定藏着什么秘密。En: He believed that this was not just a simple lost item, but that there was certainly some secret behind it.Zh: 然而，茶园主人程对此毫不在意。En: However, the tea garden's owner, Cheng, was indifferent to this.Zh: 他认为，一个古老的茶壶消失了并不是什么大事。En: He thought that the disappearance of an old teapot was no big deal.Zh: 但每次谈到这个话题，梁总感觉他的同事梅有些欲言又止，仿佛知道些什么。En: But every time this topic was mentioned, Liang felt that his colleague, Mei, seemed hesitant to speak, as if she knew something.Zh: 有天晚上，明亮的月光洒在茶园上，梁决定跟随梅看看她的举动。En: One night, with bright moonlight blanketing the tea garden, Liang decided to follow Mei and observe her actions.Zh: 他想，或许梅知道茶壶的下落。En: He thought perhaps she knew the whereabouts of the teapot.Zh: 梁轻手轻脚地尾随梅，看着她沿着小路走向山那头。En: Liang quietly followed Mei, watching as she walked along the path towards the other side of the mountain.Zh: 终于，在月光下，梅停在了一棵老树下，拿出那个失踪已久的茶壶。En: Finally, under the moonlight, Mei stopped under an old tree and took out the long-lost teapot.Zh: 梁屏住呼吸，梅轻声祈祷，En: Liang held his breath as Mei softly prayed.Zh: 原来，她是为了履行她祖母的一个承诺——将茶壶归还到指定的地点，为茶园祈福。En: It turned out she was fulfilling a promise to her grandmother—to return the teapot to a designated place to bless the tea garden.Zh: 梁终于明白整个事件的真相。En: Liang finally understood the truth of the whole event.Zh: 他上前帮助梅，把茶壶放回树下的石座上。En: He stepped forward to help Mei place the teapot back on the stone pedestal under the tree.Zh: 此时此刻，茶园恢复了安宁，仿佛一切都回到了正轨。En: At that moment, the tea garden returned to peace, as if everything was back on track.Zh: 在接下来的中秋佳节，茶园一片祥和，工人在满地桂花的香气中欢声笑语。En: During the coming Mid-Autumn Festival, the tea garden was serene, and the workers laughed and chatted amidst the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms scattered all over the ground.Zh: 梁通过这次经历，理解了祖辈留下的文化传统和社区的重要性。En: Through this experience, Liang came to understand the cultural traditions passed down by the ancestors and the importance of community.Zh: 他发现自己更加热爱这片土地，以及隐藏在背后的所有故事。En: He found himself loving this land and all the hidden stories behind it even more.Zh: 故事从此未被遗忘，梁不仅成为了茶园的守护者，也成为了社区的一部分。En: The story was never forgotten, and Liang not only became the guardian of the tea garden but also a part of the community. Vocabulary Words:crisp: 清晨filtered: 透过linger: 弥漫anxious: 紧张joyful: 愉快plucking: 摘下prosperity: 繁荣disappeared: 消失uncover: 查明indifferent: 毫不在意hesitant: 欲言又止designated: 指定fulfilling: 履行blanketing: 洒在observe: 看看whereabouts: 下落pathway: 小路breath: 屏住呼吸prayed: 祈祷promise: 承诺stone pedestal: 石座serene: 祥和fragrance: 香气scattered: 满地cultural traditions: 文化传统ancestors: 祖辈guardian: 守护者mythical: 神秘community: 社区mysterious: 神秘事件

This week on Sinica, I chat with Dave Kang (USC), Zenobia Chan (Georgetown), and Jackie Wong (American University in Sharjah, UAE) about their new paper in International Security titled "What Does China Want?" The paper, which has generated quite a bit of controversy, takes a data-driven approach to examine the claim that China seeks global hegemony — that it wants to supplant the U.S. as a globe-spanning top power. I'm traveling much of this week, so I'll update this podcast page when the transcript comes back!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeremy Au and Jianggan explore why China business environment is locked in cycles of over-competition that destroy margins and push firms to seek growth abroad. They trace how JD, Meituan, and Alibaba's food delivery war escalated into billions of yuan in subsidies, why regulators hesitate to intervene, and how clusters like Shenzhen and Hangzhou still thrive despite intense rivalry. Their discussion highlights collapsing product margins, subsidy-driven chaos in the EV sector, and the role of provincial governments in fueling excessive competition. They also examine how talent migration and generational shifts are reshaping workforce dynamics, with younger Chinese workers increasingly prioritizing lifestyle and aspirations over hardship-heavy careers. 00:24 Over-competition defined daily life in China: Companies copied each other's hardware and burned billions on subsidies in food delivery, bubble tea, and coffee. 02:49 JD, Meituan, and Alibaba escalated into a price war: Subsidies wiped out profits and locked companies into a prisoner's dilemma. 07:11 Government offered mixed signals: Some regulators praised subsidies for boosting consumption while others warned about disruption. 13:04 Hardware margins collapsed quickly: AI note-taking devices saw profits fall from 20 percent to 1 percent within a year as competitors rushed in. 15:35 EV industry showed subsidy-driven chaos: BYD slashed prices by 25 percent, alarming regulators who feared smaller firms would be wiped out. 18:58 Shenzhen and Hangzhou emerged as key clusters: They benefited from policy support, inertia, and government backing for overseas expansion. 23:59 Younger workers demanded balance: Unlike older generations, they sought personal aspirations and resisted hardship-heavy roles abroad. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/jianggan-li-china-price-wars Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

陳之漢 chén zhī hàn – Chen Zhi-han, a well-known Taiwanese internet personality and fitness entrepreneur館長 guǎn zhǎng – gym director (nickname of Chen Zhi-han, referring to his role as gym owner)爭議 zhēng yì – controversy; dispute健身教練 jiàn shēn jiào liàn – fitness coach海軍陸戰隊 hǎi jūn lù zhàn duì – Marine Corps (of the Navy)志願役 zhì yuàn yì – voluntary military service (non-drafted)士官 shì guān – non-commissioned officer (NCO)退伍 tuì wǔ – to retire or be discharged from military service連鎖 lián suǒ – chain (store, business)成吉思汗健身館 chéng jí sī hàn jiàn shēn guǎn – Genghis Khan Fitness Center (Chen's gym brand)經營 jīng yíng – to operate; to run (a business)電商 diàn shāng – e-commerce直播 zhí bō – live streaming直白 zhí bái – straightforward; blunt顛沛流離 diān pèi liú lí – displaced and wandering; a life full of hardships欺負 qī fù – to bully拳頭 quán tóu – fist堅強 jiān qiáng – strong; resilient剛硬 gāng yìng – tough; unyielding竹聯幫 zhú lián bāng – Bamboo Union (a Taiwanese gang)黑道 hēi dào – gangster; organized crime亂七八糟 luàn qī bā zāo – a mess; chaotic; disorganized推銷 tuī xiāo – hard selling; aggressive sales promotion企業家精神 qì yè jiā jīng shén – entrepreneurial spirit共產黨 gòng chǎn dǎng – Communist Party (usually referring to the Chinese Communist Party, CCP)反感 fǎn gǎn – dislike; aversion中華民國派 zhōng huá mín guó pài – pro-Republic of China faction極統 jí tǒng – extreme unification (with China)極獨 jí dú – extreme independence (for Taiwan)統一 tǒng yī – unification獨立 dú lì – independence中立 zhōng lì – neutral和平 hé píng – peace骨氣 gǔ qì – integrity; moral backbone被...壓著打 bèi ... yā zhe dǎ – to be oppressed by...; to be suppressed by... (used metaphorically)杭州 háng zhōu – Hangzhou, a city in eastern China西湖 xī hú – West Lake, a famous scenic spot in Hangzhou翻牆 fān qiáng – to bypass internet censorship (using VPNs to "climb over the firewall")If you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I welcome back Evan Feigenbaum, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Evan served for many years as a State Department official, was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia among his numerous positions in government, and was instrumental in building the U.S.-India relationship after 2000 — only to watch Trump round on India in recent months, slapping large punitive tariffs on the South Asian giant ostensibly over its purchases of Russian oil. What motivated Trump? And how does this look from New Delhi and from Beijing? Will China capitalize on the strains in the U.S.-Indian relationship? Listen and find out.As this show is news pegged, I decided to release it as soon as I finished the edit, rather than wait for the transcript. I'll update this podcast page when the transcript comes back.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hangzhou is a city once famed for its poets, tea, and silk, but it's now capturing attention for something entirely different: AI labs, robotics startups, and IPO-hungry tech firms. The rapid rise of innovative and globally competitive tech startups has led to Hangzhou being dubbed “China's Silicon Valley.” But not everyone agrees that the comparison is so black and white.Chapters (00:00) Introduction - Hangzhou(02:15) Historical role of Hangzhou(03:28) A bit on Alibaba(09:45) How Hangzhou created its own growth model(14:45) How Hangzhou and Silicon Valley differBuy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sinobabblepodLatest Substack post: https://sinobabble.substack.com/p/chinas-rise-was-planned?r=bgkuvLinks to everything: https://linktree.com/sinobabble#Hangzhou #chinatech #deepseek #siliconvalley Support the showSign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod

Esta madrileña es una artista multidisciplinar que combina su práctica creativa con la enseñanza del arte. Su obra pictórica se basa principalmente en la técnica mixta sobre lienzo, una elección que le permite experimentar con texturas, colores y materiales. Sus cuadros no buscan simplemente ser observados, sino sentidos. Claudia quiere despertar recuerdos, mover emociones y abrir espacios de imaginación en el espectador. Cada pieza invita a detenerse, a mirar con calma y conectar con el momento presente. Graduada en Bellas Artes, ha estudiado en instituciones como la Bauhaus Universität en Alemania, Central Saint Martins en Londres y la KABK: Royal Academy of Arts en La Haya. También ha realizado un Máster en Formación del Profesorado y otro en Dirección de Arte, lo que le ha permitido participar en distintos proyectos audiovisuales. Su trabajo fotográfico ha captado la atención de medios como VOGUE Italia, y actualmente mantiene colaboraciones con galerías como Sara Caso en Madrid y la Yudian Art Gallery en Hangzhou, China. Ha formado parte de ferias de arte emergente como ARTIST y SIAC en Marsella. Este 2025 ha sido seleccionada para la London Art Biennale, una oportunidad que reafirma el crecimiento de su carrera artística a nivel internacional. Además de su faceta artística, es profesora de arte para niños, algo que le apasiona. Puedes conocer su obra en Instagram: @claudiadroscelli

This week on Sinica, I'm delighted to be joined by Dan Wang, formerly of Gavekal Dragonomics and the Paul Tsai Law Center at Yale University, now with the Hoover Institute's History Lab. Dan's new book is Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, and it's already one of the year's most talked-about books. In this conversation, we go beyond what's actually in the book to discuss the origins and implications of the Chinese "engineering state" — the world's biggest technocratic polity — and what the United States should and should not learn from China. We discuss how Dan's ideas sit with Abundance by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein, and much more. Don't miss this episode!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last time we spoke about the fall of Shanghai. In October 1937 a small battalion led by Colonel Xie Jinyuan transformed the Sihang Warehouse into a fortress against the advancing Japanese army. These men, known as the "800 Heroes," became symbols of hope, rallying local citizens who provided vital support. Despite heavy casualties, they held out against overwhelming odds until a strategic retreat was ordered on November 1. As Japanese forces intensified their assaults, they breached the Chinese defenses and captured strategic positions along Suzhou Creek. The fighting was fierce, marked by desperate counterattacks from the besieged Chinese soldiers, who faced an unyielding enemy. By November 9, the Chinese faced a full retreat, their organized defenses collapsing into chaos as they fled the city. Desperate civilians sought refuge in the International Settlement but were met with hostility, exacerbating the terror of the moment. Amidst the turmoil, remaining forces continued to resist in pockets, holding out as long as possible. By November 11, Japanese troops raised their flag in the last stronghold, marking a grim victory.   #163 Crossing Nanjing's Rubicon Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. As the Japanese were mopping up Shanghai, Chiang Kai-Shek wrote in his diary on November 11th “I fear that they could threaten Nanjing”. Over In Shanghai, General Matsui Iwane was dealing with foreign correspondents, eager to learn what Japan's next move would be and to this he simply stated “For future developments, you had better ask Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek”. The correspondents were surprised by this response and pressed him further. He replied . “Chiang Kai-shek was reported to have predicted a five-year war, well, it might be that long. We don't know whether we will go to Nanjing or not. It all depends on Chiang.” At this point Shanghai was falling under Japanese control and now Matsui and his fellow field commanders were thinking, what's next? Nanjing was certainly the next objective. It was a common understanding amongst the Japanese leadership, that if the four main eastern cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Nanjing were lost, Chiang Kai-Shek's government would collapse. Three of these cities had been taken, Nanjing was dangling like fresh fruit. Matsui's staff believed the Chinese units departing Shanghai would mount a stand immediately west of the city, probably a defensive line running from Jiading to Huangduzhen. On the night of November 11th, Matsui issued a command to all units in the Shanghai area to advance west along the railway towards Nanjing. Their first objective would be a line extending from Taicang to Kunshan. Chiang Kai-Shek was not only reeling from military defeats, but also the gradual loss of his German allies. The Germans were increasingly aligning with the Japanese. Chiang Kai-Shek was looking for new external help, so he turned to the Soviets. It was a marriage of convenience, Chiang Kai-Shek signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR that year and wasted no time pleading for aircraft and pilots. Moscow began sending them before the ink touched the paper. 200 aircraft and pilots in return for some essential minerals, wolfram and tungsten. The Sino-Soviet friendship even drew in an unlikely source of support, Sir Winston Churchill. The Soviet envoy to the UK described how during a meeting with Churchill “he greatly praised our tactics in the Far East: maintenance of neutrality and simultaneous aid to China in weaponry.” Soviet pilots found themselves dispatched to Nanjing where they were briefed by Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich, the deputy commander of the Soviet Air Force. “The Japanese armed forces are technically superior to the Chinese. The Chinese Air Force is a particular concern. Soviet pilots who have rushed to China's aid are currently in Nanjing. They are fighting valiantly.” Meanwhile back at Shanghai discipline and order that had characterized previous Chinese withdrawal had collapsed. Simply put, there were hundreds of thousands of men trying to retreat across the lower Yangtze region, it was a shitstorm. Many units had to disengage during combat with the enemy and scramble to pull out. Huang Qixiang, the deputy commander of the Chinese right flank in Shanghai, executed a strategic withdrawal moments before his command post succumbed to the advancing enemy forces. Just fifteen minutes after his departure, the area was overrun by Japanese troops. In a desperate bid to avoid capture, another general had to cross a creek, nearly drowning in the process. Rescued while barely clinging to life and drenched in icy water, he was welcomed by a peasant family who aided in his recovery before he resumed his arduous journey westward. The scale of this withdrawal, occurring both day and night, could hardly escape the enemy's notice, and its complexity made the operation increasingly difficult. The execution of the withdrawal exacerbated the situation significantly. Orders to abandon their positions started to trickle down immediately after the upper command made the decision. However, these orders reached the units in a disorganized manner. Many telephone lines had been sabotaged, and when soldiers were sent to relay the orders in person, they faced severe disruptions in the transportation network. Consequently, many units only became aware of the withdrawal when they witnessed the mass movements of their comrades heading westward. Upon realizing what was happening, many soldiers fled in a state of panic. There were no comprehensive plans outlining the retreat, no designated routes for the various units, nor any established timetables. The outcome was a chaotic scramble for survival. Soldiers who had fought side by side for three months suddenly found themselves competing against one another in a desperate race to escape. At bridges and other chokepoints, weary soldiers exhausted their last reserves of strength, brawling with their fellow troops to be the first to cross. Meanwhile, officers traveling in chauffeur-driven cars attempted to assert their rank to gain priority access to the roads, adding to the growing disorder that ensued. The massive army was hindered by its sheer size, resulting in miles of congested roads filled with men unable to move in any direction. This made them easy targets for Japanese aircraft, leading to a bloody cycle of repeated attacks. Planes adorned with the red Rising Sun insignia would emerge from the horizon, swooping down to strike at these vulnerable formations. As commander Chen Yiding recalled “The lack of organization and the gridlocked roads resulted in far more casualties than could have been avoided,”.  On November 12th, the newspaper Zhaongyang Ribao, published an editorial addressing the citizens of Nanjing, to remind them that tough times lay ahead now that Shanghai had fallen. The article stipulated they needed to prepare the city for the upcoming battle,  “Now, all the citizenry of the capital must fulfill their duty in a way that can serve as a model for the entire nation.” Nanjing in 1937 was a city touched by the war, but not enough to change the social fabric just yet. Cinema's remained open, the shopping arcade was crowded as usual, traffic was heavy along Zhongshan Road, order remained. Telephones remained on, except during air raids. Connections to the outside world functioned as they should, given this was the capital. The region had seen a good harvest in 1937, no one was going hungry. However as the front 200 miles away drew closer, bombing raids more frequent, fear of the enemy increased. Contact with the outside world gradually declined. By mid November the train link from Nanjing to Shanghai was severed.  While the fear amongst the populace increased, so did a newfound sense of common purpose against a common enemy. Poster calling for the Chinese to unite against the Japanese invaders were found throughout Nanjing. Residents were conscripted for various fortification efforts, with some receiving basic military training to help defend the city. Those who refused to cooperate faced severe penalties as “traitors,” while the majority willingly participated. Both military and civilian police were deployed throughout the city, diligently checking identities in an ongoing effort to root out spies and traitors. The authorities enforced a strict prohibition against discussing military matters in restaurants and other public venues. Then all the high ranking military officials and politicians families gradually began departing the city in secrecy. This was followed by said politicians and military officials. Twas not a good look. Nanjing soon saw its population decline from 1 million to half a million. Those who stayed behind were mainly the poor, or those anchored, like shopkeepers. Every day saw a steady stream of Nanjing citizens leaving the city over her main roads, fleeing into the countryside with carts full of belongings. On November 12th at 10am orders were issued for the Japanese to advance west. What had been a war of attrition, where inches of land were claimed with blood, suddenly it was a war of movement. As one Japanese soldier recalled “In the course of 50 days, I had moved only two miles. Now suddenly we were experiencing rapid advance”. As the Japanese came across small towns, they found large posters plastered on all the walls. These were all anti-japanese with some nationalist propaganda. The Japanese soldiers would tear them down and paint up their own messages “down with Chiang Kai-Shek!”.  Towns and cities west of Shanghai fell rapidly one after another, each succumbing to a grim pattern: swift conquest followed by widespread devastation. Jiading, a county seat with a population of approximately 30,000, succumbed to a prolonged siege. When the 10st division captured Jiading on November 13, after relentless shelling had leveled a third of the city, they began a massacre, indiscriminately killing nearly everyone in their path, men, women, and children alike. The battle and its aftermath resulted in over 8,000 casualties among the city's residents and surrounding countryside. One Japanese soldier referred to Jiading as “A city of death, in a mysteriously silent world in which the only sound was the tap of our own footsteps”.  On November 14, soldiers from the 9th Division reached Taicang, an ancient walled city designed to withstand lengthy sieges. As they crossed the 70-foot moat amid heavy fire, the Japanese troops confronted the formidable 20-foot-high city wall. After breaching the wall, their infantry swiftly entered the city and seized control. The destruction persisted long after the fighting ceased, with half of the city being devastated, including significant cultural institutions like the library, and salt and grain reserves were looted. It was as if the Japanese aimed to obliterate not just the material existence of the people but their spiritual foundation as well.  Casual cruelty marked the nature of warfare along the entire front, with few prisoners being taken. Ishii Seitaro, a soldier in the 13th Division's 26th Brigade, encountered a mass execution while marching alongside the Yangtze River. Several headless corpses floated nearby, yet three Chinese prisoners remained alive. A Japanese officer, personally overseeing the execution, wore a simple uniform, but the two ornate swords at his belt indicated his wealthy background. Approaching one prisoner, the officer dramatically drew one of the swords and brandished it through the air with exaggerated flair. In an almost theatrical display, he held it aloft, the blade trembling as if he were nervous. The prisoner, in stark contrast, exhibited an unnerving calmness as he knelt, awaiting his inevitable fate. The officer swung the sword down but failed to deliver a clean strike. Although he inflicted a deep gash to the prisoner's skull, it was not fatal. The prisoner collapsed, thrashing and emitting a prolonged scream that sent chills through those present. The officer, seemingly exhilarated by the anguish he caused, began wildly slashing at the figure until the screams subsided. Ishii turned away in horror, his mind swirling with confusion. Why were the Chinese being executed? Had they not surrendered?  Three months into the war's expansion to the Yangtze region, air raids had become an all too frequent menace in Nanjing. The first major raid came on August 15th and increased each week. On the night of August 27, approximately 30 bombs were dropped on Purple Mountain, specifically targeting the Memorial Park for Sun Yat-sen, aiming to hurt the morale of Nanjing's residents. As days melted into weeks and weeks stretched into months, the landscape of Nanjing transformed under the weight of war. Residents began constructing dugouts in courtyards, gardens, public squares, and even on streets. Foreigners painted their national flags on top of buildings and vehicles, attempting to avoid the risk of being machine-gunned by strafing aircraft. Each raid followed a predictable routine: sirens wailed loudly 20 to 30 minutes before the attack, signaling pedestrians to seek shelter and drivers to stop their engines. By the time a shorter warning sounded, the streets had to be cleared, leaving nothing to do but await the arrival of Japanese planes. Initially, the part-US-trained Chinese Air Force posed a considerable threat to Japanese bombers. The 4th and 5th Chinese Squadrons, stationed near Nanjing to defend the capital, achieved early success, reportedly downing six bombers during the first air raid on Nanjing. Much of the credit for these aerial victories belonged to Claire Chennault, a retired American Army Air Corps captain who had become an advisor to the Chinese Air Force, overseeing Nanjing's air defense. Chennault taught his pilots tactics he had developed in the US but had never fully implemented. His strategy was straightforward: three fighters would focus on one enemy bomber at a time. One would attack from above, another from below, while a third would hover in reserve to deliver the final blow if necessary. He instructed the Chinese pilots to target the engines rather than the fuselage, reasoning that any missed shots could hit the gas tanks located in the wing roots. This approach proved successful, leading to the loss of 54 Japanese planes within three days. For Chennault, it validated his belief that air superiority required a diverse range of aircraft, not just bombers. Nighttime raids, however, posed a greater challenge. Chennault, along with other commanders, sought solutions. Chinese General C.C. Wong, a German-trained artillery officer overseeing the country's anti-aircraft defenses, ensured that dozens of large Sperry searchlights were positioned throughout Nanjing in a grid pattern. This setup had a dual purpose: it would dazzle the Japanese bomber crews and highlight their planes in silhouette for Chinese fighters above to target. The bravery of the most skilled Chinese pilots occasionally gained media attention, making them local celebrities amidst an otherwise grim war environment. However, this bright moment faded quickly when the Japanese command decided to provide escorts for their bombers. Consequently, the elite of China's air force, its finest pilots and aircraft, were lost within weeks that fall. All air raids were brutal, but the worst assaults occurred at the end of September. As a radio broadcaster reported on September 25th “Gallons of civilian blood flowed today as Nanking endured three ferocious air raids”. In total, 96 Japanese sorties were launched on that day. Witnesses observed around a dozen Chinese aircraft retreating north across the Yangtze, initially believing they were fleeing, but some returned to confront the enemy. When Chinese fighters managed to down a Japanese bomber, the streets erupted in cheers as civilians momentarily forgot their fear. The primary aim of the September 25 attack appeared to be spreading terror among the civilian population. Chiang Kai-Shek wrote in his diary that day  “The repeated Japanese air raids over the past several days have had no impact on our military installations. Instead, civilian property has sustained significant damage.” Around 20 bombs struck the Central Hospital, one of Nanjing's largest medical facilities, causing extensive destruction and prompting the evacuation of its staff. Two 1,000-pound bombs exploded nearby, leaving large craters. Had these bombs landed slightly closer, they could have resulted in mass casualties among the hospital's 100 patients, including a Japanese pilot who had been shot down earlier that month. The air raids at the end of September prompted protests from the Americans, British, and French governments to Japan. In response, Tokyo issued a statement on September 30, asserting that while they were not intentionally targeting non-combatants, it was “unavoidable” for achieving military objectives that military airfields and installations in and around Nanjing be bombed.   The battle for Jiashan was among the fiercest in the southern Yangtze delta campaign in November 1937. Although Jiashan was a moderately sized town straddling a crucial railway connecting Shanghai to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. For the Japanese, seizing Jiashan was imperative for their westward advance; without it, their military progress would be severely hampered. Jiashan had endured three days of relentless bombing by the Japanese Air Force, driving most residents to flee into the surrounding countryside. Only about 100 remained, those who were too old or too sick to escape, abandoned by family or friends who lacked the means to assist them. The Japanese troops brutally bayoneted nearly all of these individuals and buried them in a mass grave just outside the town's northern gate. Jiashan was captured by the 10th Army, a division fresh from victories and eager to engage in combat, unlike the weary forces of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force further north. With less than a week of combat experience, the 10th Army's soldiers were hungry for a fight. The martial spirit of the 10th Army was exemplified by its commander, Yanagawa Heisuke. Born near Nagasaki in 1879, he was among a group of retired officers called back to active service as the war in China escalated unexpectedly. Having served in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and taught at the Beijing Army College in 1918, Yanagawa had considerable experience in military affairs. However, his past exposure to China did not cultivate any empathy for the enemy. He was determined to push all the way to Nanjing, and once there, he intended to blanket the city in mustard gas and incendiaries until it capitulated. While Japanese commanders debated the value of capturing Nanjing, the Chinese were equally preoccupied with whether it was worth defending. Most military professionals viewed the situation as a lost cause from the start. After the fall of Shanghai, Chiang Kai-shek summoned one of his top commanders, Chen Cheng, to Nanjing for discussions. “How can Nanjing be held?” Chen Cheng shot back “Are you ordering me to hold Nanjing?” Chiang replied “I am not”. Chen Cheng stated frankly, “I believe Nanjing should not be held at all.” By mid-November, Bai Chongxi, one of China's most respected generals, advocated for declaring Nanjing an open city. He argued that defending it was not only unnecessary but also impossible. All available forces had been deployed to Shanghai and were now exhausted. Furthermore, no reinforcements would be forthcoming if they made a stand in Nanjing. Instead of stubbornly clinging to fixed positions, he preferred a more flexible defensive strategy. Zhang Qun, Chiang's secretary, supported Bai's stance, believing that while Nanjing should ultimately be abandoned, political considerations were paramount. If the Chinese simply withdrew and allowed the Japanese to occupy the city, it would undermine China's position in any future negotiations. The Japanese would not be able to present themselves as victors who had triumphed in battle. Similarly, Chiang's chief military advisor, General Alexander von Falkenhausen, was against attempting to hold Nanjing. He deemed it “useless from a military perspective, suggesting it would be madness.” He warned that if Chiang forced his army into a decisive battle with their backs to the Yangtze River, “a disaster would probably be unavoidable.” Chiang's head of the operations bureau Liu Fei argued Nanjing could not be abandoned without a fight as it would crush the NRA's morale. He believed that defending the city could be managed with as few as 12 regiments, although 18 would be feasible. Most at the meeting agreed and Chiang understood Nanjing's international recognition necessitated some form of defense, doomed or not. A second meeting was formed whereupon, Tang Shengzhi, a general staff officer whose loyalties were, lets be honest very flip floppy. During the warlord era, he routinely switched sides, especially against Chiang Kai-Shek. At the meeting Tang stated in regards to Nanjing's international prominence and being the final resting place of Dr Sun Yat-Sen “How can we face the spirit of the former president in heaven? We have no choice but to defend the capital to the death.” Chiang's commanders were all well aware of his intentions. The generalissimo was eager for a dramatic last stand in Nanjing to serve propaganda purposes, aiming to rally the nation and convey to the world that China was resolute in its fight against Japan. His commanders also recognized the rationale behind fighting for Nanjing; however, very few were inclined to embark on what seemed a likely suicide mission. The third meeting occurred the day after the second. Chiang opened by asking, as many anticipated, “Who is willing to shoulder the burden of defending Nanjing?” An awkward silence followed. Then Tang Shengzhi stepped forward. “Chairman, if no one else is willing, I will. I'm prepared to defend Nanjing and to hold it to the death.” Without hesitation, Chiang accepted his offer. “Good, the responsibility is yours.”A little refresher on Tang, he had played a role in Chiang Kai-shek's efforts to unify China by force in the 1920s, when the nation was a patchwork of fiefdoms. However, their relationship had soured on two occasions, forcing Tang into temporary exile, first to Japan and then to Hong Kong. The Japanese invasion of northeastern China in 1931 prompted a loose reconciliation, and since then, Tang had held several important positions, notably organizing war games simulating a Japanese assault on Nanjing. However Tang had often suffered from illness, and crucially, he had not led troops in the field against the Japanese since the onset of full-scale war that summer. Hailing from Hunan province, he was a typical provincial soldier and would likely face challenges commanding respect among elite divisions loyal solely to the central government in Nanjing. He was definitely not the first choice for such a significant task.  Amazingly, while tens of thousands of Chinese and Japanese were killing each other, while Japanese planes relentlessly bombarded Chinese cities including the capital, and while Japanese soldiers committed heinous atrocities against Chinese civilians, the two nations maintained diplomatic relations. China had a fully operational embassy in Tokyo, led by Xu Shiying, a 65-year-old diplomat. This surreal arrangement persisted because neither side was willing to officially declare war. In the fall of 1937, as Japanese armies were heavily engaged on two fronts within mainland China, Xu met with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirota Koki to propose a non-aggression treaty. The proposal was swiftly rejected in Nanjing. By November 1937, Xu was no longer at the forefront of events, and foreign observers shifted their focus from the capitals of the warring nations to Belgium. While large-scale battles raged along the lower Yangtze, representatives from 19 countries convened in Brussels to search for a way to end hostilities. Although China participated in the conference, Japan did not. Japan had received two invitations to join the talks, with its response to the second arriving in Brussels on November 12: a firm rejection. Japan asserted that it preferred direct bilateral negotiations with China, dismissing the Brussels conference held under the auspices of the Nine-Power Treaty, a pact signed in 1922 aimed at ensuring China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Japan argued that intervention by a collective body like the conference “would merely stir national sentiments in both countries and complicate efforts to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution.” The League of Nations had called for a Nine-Power conference a month earlier, which ultimately became a 19-power conference as other nations with interests in East Asia joined. From the outset, Japan opposed the assembly and was absent when the first plenary meeting commenced in Brussels on November 3. Japanese leaders feared that China might attempt to leverage the conference against Western powers, recalling how, in 1895, Japan had been denied its spoils following its first modern war with China due to the intervention of Russia, France, and Germany, who blocked Japan from claiming the strategic Liaodong Peninsula adjacent to Korea. China also exhibited a lukewarm attitude toward the conference. While Japan feared the potential outcomes, China was concerned about the lack of significant results. The proposal to transition discussions from the League of Nations, perceived as ineffective, to the even less authoritative Nine Powers, which lacked formal organization. Nonetheless, the Chinese chose to participate in Brussels, maintaining the pretense that something meaningful could be accomplished. Shortly after Japan's second rejection of the invitation, Wellington Koo made an impassioned plea in Brussels, stating, “Now that the door to conciliation and mediation has been slammed in your face by the latest reply of the Japanese Government, will you not decide to withhold supplies of war materials and credit to Japan and extend aid to China?” In reality, Koo understood that significant Western aid to China was highly unlikely, aside from token gestures. Previous international discussions had momentarily halted Japanese advances in the past; for instance, in 1932, Japanese troops had paused their movements in the Shanghai area just hours before the League of Nations General Assembly commenced. However, that was nearly six years earlier, and circumstances had changed dramatically since then. Rogue states had grown bolder, while democracies seemed increasingly timid. Thus, the Chinese agenda in Brussels was not primarily driven by hopes for substantial Western concessions. Instead, the delegates had been tasked by Nanjing to anticipate the post-conference landscape and to actively seek ways to encourage Europe and America to support Soviet military action against Japan.   China, long reliant on Germany as a diplomatic partner, increasingly felt betrayed, not just by Germany, but also by its fascist ally, Italy. Consequently, it began looking more favorably upon the Soviet Union, Japan's archrival in Northeast Asia, as its main source of international support. The Soviet Union exhibited a firmer stance than the Western democracies at the Brussels conference, joining China in advocating for collective security in Europe and Asia. On November 15th, a small group of officers from the 10th Army gathered for late-night discussions in an abandoned building north of Hangzhou Bay, where they would effectively decide the fate of China. Yanagawa Heisuke, the commander of the 10th Army, presided over the discussions. Fresh from the battlefield since the beginning of the month, he was eager to escalate the fight, a sentiment echoed among the others. It was an unusual meeting, where officers as low in rank as major were making decisions typically reserved for the highest echelons of political power. The agenda included a pivotal question: Should they adhere to Order No. 600 received from Tokyo a week prior, which instructed them to halt their advance along a line from Suzhou to Jiaxing? Or, should they disregard these explicit orders and push forward to seize Nanjing? While the Japanese Army had failed to completely annihilate the Chinese forces around Shanghai, there was a consensus that their adversary was now reeling from recent setbacks, presenting an opportune moment to strike decisively and secure a swift victory. The only remaining question was how aggressively to pursue this goal. Colonel Terada Masao, a senior staff officer within the 10th Army, spoke first. “The Chinese Army is currently retreating toward the capital. We should cross that line and pursue the enemy straight to Nanjing.” Major Iketani Hanjiro, a staff officer recently attached to the fast-moving 6th Division, then offered his input “From a tactical perspective, I completely agree with Terada that we should cross the line, but the decision to attack Nanjing should be considered not just tactically, but also politically. It's not that field commanders can't create a fait accompli to pressure our superiors in Tokyo. However, we must proceed with great caution”. A staff officer raised this question  “What if Tokyo orders us to pull back those smaller units?” Iketani responded “In that case, we will, of course, withdraw them to this side of the line”. Ultimately, Iketani's cautions were set aside, and Terada's aggressive approach prevailed. The majority agreed that the tactical circumstances presented a rare opportunity. Japanese troops in the Shanghai area were poised to advance west, not through small, individual skirmishes but with a substantial deployment of their forces. Officers estimated that if a decisive push was made immediately, Nanjing could fall into Japanese hands within 20 days. However Colonel Kawabe Torashiro, the newly appointed chief of the Army General Staff's Operations Section suddenly arrived at the theater. He was sent on a mission to assess whether the Central China Area Army should be granted greater operational freedom. It was well known in Tokyo that field officers were eager to capitalize on the momentum created by the collapse of Chinese defenses around Shanghai. Kawabe's task was to explore the possibility of allowing forces to cross the line from Suzhou to Jiaxing and move westward in pursuit of the retreating enemy. However, Kawabe was staunchly opposed to further military adventures in China. Kawabe was part of the dwindling faction of "China doves" within the Japanese military. As early as the summer of 1937, he had become alarmed by a letter from a civilian Japanese visitor to the Chinese mainland, warning that Japanese officers were attempting to engineer an “incident” with China to provoke open conflict. This would provide Japan with a pretext to expand its influence in northern China. Kawabe had attempted to alert his superiors, but his warnings fell on deaf ears. They had been lulled into a false sense of security by reports from China that dismissed all talk of war-mongering as baseless and alarmist. When he arrived to the front he stated “I am here to inspect conditions on the ground so that a final decision can be made on where to establish the operational restriction line”. Alongside him came General Akira Muto, recently appointed the commander of the Central China Area Army. He also happened to be one of the architects of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Muto responded promptly: “The line currently stretches from Suzhou to Jiaxing, but we should consider crossing it. This will help us achieve our overall objectives in the theater.” Muto continued, arguing that the 10th Army should be permitted to advance to Huzhou, south of Lake Tai, effectively cutting off communications between Nanjing and the strategic city of Hangzhou. He further claimed that the Shanghai Expeditionary Force should be allowed to capture the vital city of Jiangyin, suggesting, perhaps overly optimistically, that its loss could lead to the fall of Chiang Kai-shek. Ultimately, Muto insisted, Nanjing should also be seized, which he asserted would bring an end to the war. Kawabe listened patiently, a practice he would repeat in the following days as other field officers echoed similar sentiments, eagerly expressing their desire to advance all the way to Nanjing. Yanagawa and his 10th Army exemplified this aggressive mindset. Nevertheless, just as the hawks within the Japanese military and the nation's political leadership appeared to be prevailing in the struggle over China policy, they faced unexpected challenges from a different direction. Germany, a power with ambiguous sympathies in East Asia, was quietly engaged in negotiations aimed at bringing peace. Oskar Trautmann, Germany's ambassador to China, had maintained an objective and neutral stance when he met with Chiang Kai-shek in early November to relay Japan's conditions for initiating peace talks. These conditions included extensive concessions in northern China, such as the withdrawal of all Chinese troops to a line south of Beijing and the establishment of a pro-Japanese regime in Inner Mongolia, bordering the Soviet-controlled Mongolian People's Republic. Chiang dismissed these demands outright, but Trautmann and his superiors in Beijing continued their top-secret efforts. Germany's motivation for seeking an end to the Sino-Japanese War was not rooted in a genuine love for peace, but rather in their embarrassment over witnessing their old Asian ally, China, fighting against their new partner, Japan. Herman Göring, president of the Reichstag and a leading figure in the Nazi party, told a Chinese visitor, “China and Japan are both friends of Germany. The Sino-Japanese War has put Germany between Scylla and Charybdis. That's why Germany is ready to seize the chance to become a mediator.” Germany also feared that a prolonged conflict in China could jeopardize its commercial interests in East Asia and weaken Japan's capacity to confront the Soviet Union, potentially freeing Moscow to allocate more resources to a fight in Europe. In essence, continued hostilities could significantly harm Germany. Japanese field commanders were frustrated by Germany's mediation efforts.  When news of Trautmann's mission leaked, the German diplomat faced severe criticism in the Chinese media, which deemed any negotiation with the "Japanese devils" unacceptable. Additionally, there was the matter of China's ties with the Soviet Union; employing a German mediator raised the possibility of cooperation among China, Japan, and Germany, potentially expanding the anti-Soviet bloc, which would, in turn, pressure Moscow to increase its support for China. By mid-November, however, the complexities of this diplomatic game started unraveling and then Japan took action. At 7:00 am on November 19, Yanagawa issued instructions to his troops in the field. “The enemy's command system is in disarray, and a mood of defeat has descended over their entire army. They have lost the will to fight. The main Chinese forces were retreating west of the line stretching from Suzhou to Jiaxing, and this withdrawal was soon likely to spiral into a full-scale retreat. We must not miss the opportunity to pursue the enemy to Nanjing.” I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Shanghai had fallen, and the Japanese forces pursued their fleeing enemy further west. However they had orders to halt, but would they? Officers from top down deliberating on the issue, with the vast majority pushing for a drive to Nanjing. They thought it represented the end objective of the conflict. They would all be very wrong. 

Artificial intelligence has been a frequent topic on Sinica in recent years — but usually through the lens of the two countries that have produced the leading models and companies: the United States and China. We've covered generative AI, national strategies, governance frameworks, and the geopolitical implications of AI leadership.This webinar, broadcast on the morning of August 14, broadens that lens to explore how other countries — and especially Ukraine — are approaching AI in the public sector. Around the world, governments are experimenting with AI well beyond chatbots and text generation: China's “City Brain” optimizes traffic, energy use, and public safety; U.S. agencies are streamlining services and automating benefits processing; and elsewhere, smart grids, predictive infrastructure planning, and AI-enabled e-governance are reshaping public administration. These projects reveal both the promise and the complexity of bringing AI into government — along with valid concerns over privacy, fairness, and inclusiveness.We'll look at what lessons Ukraine might draw from U.S. and Chinese experiences, the opportunities and challenges of adapting these practices, and the strategic risks of sourcing AI solutions from different providers — especially in the context of Ukraine's eventual postwar reconstruction.Joining us are three distinguished guests:Dmytro Yefremov, Board Member of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists, with deep expertise in China's political and technological strategies and Ukraine's policy landscape.Wang Guan, Chairman of Learnable.ai in China, bringing extensive experience in AI applications for public administration and education.Karman Lucero, Associate Research Scholar and Senior Fellow at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center, whose work focuses on Chinese law, governance, and the regulation of emerging technologies.Thanks to the Ukrainian Platform for Contemporary China, the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists, and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill for organizing and sponsoring today's event. Special thanks to Vita Golod for putting together the panel and inviting me to moderate.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join me for a conversation with four fantastic panelists about nuclear safety and security issues brought on by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and more broadly on the state of nuclear security globally during this era of dramatic change.This program was made possible by the Ukrainian Platform for Contemporary China and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.Nickolas Roth is Senior Director for Nuclear Materials Security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Nickolas works at the intersection of arms control, risk reduction, and institutional resilience, and previously directed nuclear security work at the Stimson Center and contributed to Harvard's Project on Managing the Atom.Mariana Budjeryn is a Senior Research Associate with Managing the Atom at Harvard's Belfer Center and author of Inheriting the Bomb, a definitive study of Ukraine's post-Soviet disarmament and the limits of the Budapest Memorandum. Her scholarship grounds today's debates about guarantees, coercion, and nuclear restraint.Pan Yanliang is a Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). He studies the Russian and Chinese nuclear industries and the nuclear fuel cycle, and works on CNS engagement with Chinese counterparts—giving him a distinctive cross-regional vantage.Lily Wojtowicz is a Research Fellow at the Hertie School (Berlin) and a USIP–Minerva Peace & Security Scholar, whose work focuses on extended deterrence credibility, European security, and alliance adaptation under great-power rivalry.5:19 - The Gap Between Coercive Rhetoric and First-use Thresholds11:26 - The Implication of Ukraine's allies regarding weapons 17:26 - Golden Dome21:30 - China's Position on Nuclear Weapons29:25 - How Belarus Altered European Debates 31:13 - Civilian Nuclear Power 38:32 - North Korea's Support for Russia40:59 - Beijing on NATO and Asian Security43:09 - Europe's Reaction to Nuclear Risk45:44 - Nuclear Risk in the Russia-Ukraine War52:56 - Trump's Impact on Kremlin Nuclear Thinking1:01:52 - US-China Nuclear Relations1:04:49 - Ukraine's Nuclear DisarmamentSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

①Night economy recharging urban life in coastal city②China reports dramatic H1 surge in cruise passenger throughput③Chinese products deliver cool comforts to world amid heatwaves④Chinese scientists synthesize meteorite diamond harder than Earth diamond⑤New air route links China's Hangzhou, UAE's Dubai⑥China unveils 2025-2030 plan to promote healthy environments

Every year, hundreds of films are produced in Hengdian, a once-obscure township in Zhejiang province that is now often referred to as "China's Hollywood".Few people realize, however, that the ascent of Hengdian — and the broader transformation of Zhejiang as a cultural powerhouse — was shaped earlier when Xi Jinping served as the province's Party secretary.In 2003, months after becoming secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Provincial Committee, Xi visited Hengdian at a moment when its sprawling film sets were growing rapidly, but the industry lacked support for deeper integration across the production value chain.Private capital was still restricted from entering critical areas such as film production and distribution."He encouraged us to explore boldly and vigorously develop the film and cultural industry," recalled Xu Tianfu, vice-president of Hengdian Group.Soon after Xi's visit, Zhejiang authorities launched a provincial task force to study reforms, which led to the creation of China's first national-level film industry pilot zone in Hengdian in 2004.The move marked a turning point in widening investment opportunities for the cultural sector and laid the groundwork for what is now one of the world's busiest film production hubs.In 2005, the provincial Party committee, under Xi's leadership, adopted "eight projects" to build Zhejiang into a province with strong culture.The projects span eight areas — civic quality, cultural excellence, cultural research, cultural preservation, cultural industry promotion, cultural infrastructure, cultural communication and cultural talent development.As China pushes to build itself into a nation strong in culture, the projects have provided key references and are a critical component of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, analysts said.The thought, first put forward at a two-day national meeting on the work of public communication and culture in October 2023, highlighted the need to meet the people's increasingly diverse, multitiered and multifaceted spiritual and cultural needs, and enhance the supply of services and products, in order to strengthen people's sense of cultural fulfillment and happiness.Chen Ye, former vice-president of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, said the eight projects reflected Xi's belief that cultural development is central to modernization."His strategic vision, forward-looking ideas, political courage and pragmatic approach laid a solid foundation for preserving cultural heritage and promoting contemporary cultural development," she said.In Zhejiang, the results have been more than palpable. More than 5,000 film and television companies operate across the province. Since 2003, the added value of Zhejiang's cultural industries has risen from 44.2 billion yuan ($6.15 billion) to over 615 billion yuan. Their share of the province's GDP has more than doubled, to over 7 percent.The province is now home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites, five national archaeological parks, 281 nationally protected heritage sites and 926 registered village museums.One of the most notable preservation efforts has focused on the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City, a Neolithic site on the outskirts of Hangzhou.Preserving heritageDuring a 2003 visit, Xi was briefed on the status of the preservation of the site — a hub for a rice-cultivating and jade-worshiping culture dating back 4,300 to 5,300 years."The Liangzhu archaeological site is a sacred testament to China's 5,000-year civilization and a rare, invaluable treasure. We must ensure its preservation with the utmost care," Xi said during the visit.He ordered the expansion of the preservation zone, halted nearby quarrying and called for the site to be prepared for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the next decade, archaeological work accelerated alongside policy, legal and ecological support, and in 2019, Liangzhu was inscribed on the World Heritage List.Preservation of intangible heritage was also elevated under Xi's tenure in Zhejiang.In 2005, when he visited a Kunqu Opera troupe in Yongjia county, the troupe had been struggling to survive since losing public funding in the 1980s.After watching the performance and speaking with veteran actress Lin Meimei, Xi initiated a provincial-level plan to rescue the centuries-old Kunqu Opera.The troupe was granted heritage status and allocated funding of 1 million yuan per year. Today, it stages more than 200 shows annually and has worked with a vocational college to train new performers."We are full of gratitude," Lin said. Now recognized as a national inheritor of Kunqu Opera, she added: "The flame of Kunqu Opera in Yongjia has not gone out. We've lived up to the legacy entrusted to us by our forebears."Innovation mattersXi's emphasis on cultural innovation also extended to the animation and gaming sectors.In 2005, he visited the China Academy of Art, where he highlighted the broad potential of the animation sector and the strength for Hangzhou to build a "city of animation".That same day, he toured Zhejiang Zhongnan Animation Co, now one of the largest original animation companies in China."Animation should not be measured purely in financial terms," Xi told Wu Jianrong, chairman of Zhongnan Group, of which Zhongnan Animation is a subsidiary."It provides young people with healthy spiritual nourishment. Chinese civilization has over 5,000 years of history — you can create animated works featuring our national heroes," Xi said.Encouraged by Xi's remarks, Zhongnan produced a series of animations and began exporting them.That year, Hangzhou hosted the inaugural China International Cartoon & Animation Festival, generating over 10 million yuan in on-site sales and 3 billion yuan in potential deals.Xi later wrote to national regulators to help secure Hangzhou as the event's permanent home and supported the creation of a dedicated organizing office.Hangzhou is now home to more than 270 animation and gaming companies, employing over 12,000 people. The city is the birthplace of the hit video game Black Myth: Wukong, and 227 internet-based animated series produced in the city were licensed in 2024, accounting for 34.45 percent of the national total.Across Zhejiang, there are more than 300,000 private cultural enterprises — up from fewer than 45,000 in 2003.Chen, the former vice-president of Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, said that Xi's cultural initiatives during his tenure in Zhejiang and the landmark achievements in the new era highlighted the importance of sustained efforts to deliver cultural development outcomes that truly benefit the people."It also indicated that the implementation and evaluation of cultural initiatives should prioritize the production of more high-quality outcomes to meet the cultural rights and interests of the broadest segments of the population."

This week on Sinica, Paul Triolo of DGA Albright Stonebridge and tech investor Ryan Cunningham join to talk about their observations and insights from the World AI Conference (WAIC), held in July in Shanghai, and what it tells them about China's ambitions in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence. Don't miss this one!04:21 - Ryan on his Edgerunner fund06:23 - Impressions of the World AI Conference in Shanghai13:52 - Approaches to AI development in the US and China24:04 - China's role in global AI safety 33:42 - AI market: US vs China38:20 - AI diffusion in China44:56 - AI safety frameworks52:06 - Domestic development of Chinese AI1:04:06 - Pressure of Domestic AI Alternatives1:08:43 - Can AI have a dual role in the U.S.?1:17:25 -Paying it Forward 1:20:16 - RecommendationsPaying it Forward: Kevin Xu, Kyle Chan, Helen Toner (Rising Tide Substack), Piotr Mazurek and Felix Gabriel (LLM Inference Economics from First Principles).Recommendations: Paul: Neil deGrasse Tyson - Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution (book), Sara Imari Walker's Life As No One Knows It (book)Ryan: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (video game)Kaiser: The Studio (TV series), Platonic (TV series)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robots humanoïdes, voitures autonomes, IA générative et même lunettes de paiement par clignement d'œil... La Chine dévoile ses ambitions technologiques à l'occasion de la World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) à Shanghai. La journaliste chinoise Shanhui Zhang (China Global Television Network) nous présente les innovations de la WAIC et analyse les ambitions chinoises en matière de technologie.Les sujet abordés dans cet épisode :Une industrie en pleine effervescence : avec plus de 800 exposants, la World Artificial Intelligence Conference de Shanghai a présenté un panorama spectaculaire de la tech chinoise, des géants comme Alibaba, Huawei ou Baidu jusqu'aux industriels traditionnels comme Baosteel, qui se lancent dans la robotique.Les robots humanoïdes dans la vie quotidienne : démonstrations de robots capables de jouer avec les enfants, de réaliser des tâches dans l'industrie lourde ou encore d'assurer des fonctions éducatives et sociales.Des lunettes pour payer dans les magasin : à Hangzhou, Alibaba a dévoilé les lunettes « AI Quark » qui permettent de payer d'un simple mouvement d'œil via Alipay.Des taxis autonomes à l'assaut des villes chinoises : Baidu propose des taxis autonomes sans chauffeur à Pékin et Wuhan, pour des trajets deux fois moins chers qu'un taxi classique. Shanhui Zhang les a testés.Un enjeu stratégique mondial : derrière les démonstrations technologiques, une véritable volonté politique. La Chine promeut une gouvernance internationale de l'IA, évoquant des mécanismes communs pour la protection des données, la sécurité et l'inclusion.Un appel à la coopération internationale : Pékin présente un plan d'action global pour encadrer le développement de l'IA, tout en soulignant le rôle central que la Chine souhaite jouer dans ce nouveau paradigme.-----------

This week on Sinica: On my final two days in Shaxi in Yunnan, Chris Thomas and Stephanie Li, the hosts of the marvelous YouTube channel Chinese Cooking Demystified, joined me for some cooking and lots of chatting about food! We recorded this show together and focus our conversation on their heroic attempt at a taxonomy of different Chinese cuisines. We don't talk about all 63 that they identify, but we do get into their04:31 - Flavors of Yunnan 08:44 - On balancing between the “exotic” and “normal” China 11:53 - The origin story behind “Chinese Cooking Demystified”14:56 - The Breath of the Wok (Wok Hei, 鑊氣 / huo6 hei3)21:05 - A Comprehensive Taxonomy on Chinese Cuisine 32:25 - Correlations between dialects and cuisine 37:15 - Efforts behind the work39:09 - Promoting local specialties44:23 - Chinese identity and food trends52:30 - "Minority" cuisine in Yunnan01:00:52 - Yunnan cuisine and the Chinese hipster generation01:05:52 - Dali dish recommendationsRecommendations: Chris & Steph: Shunde Lao Baby, Pin Nuo, Lao DongbeiKaiser: Taking time off to do something you love!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when an emerging‑markets banker, lifelong Reddit degen, and early Ethereum believer builds a global crypto fund focused on AI? Meet Matthew “Matty” Graham, Managing Partner at Ryze Labs.Matty shares how a pizza post pulled him into Bitcoin, why the Ethereum whitepaper was his “drop everything” moment, and how Ryze helps founders reach 2B+ users across emerging markets through its “global + local” team model.We dig into the big ideas: AI agents as economic actors that must transact on open, programmable ledgers; stablecoins as the clearest current use case; why meme speculation crowds out real adoption; and why every startup should obsess over its first 5–7 real super fans (not airdrop farmers).We also hit culture clashes (AI vs crypto), institutional entry, tech history, data privacy (your ChatGPT logs are more revealing than your Google search history), and what Matty would do if launching Ryze today.Not investment advice.Key Timestamps[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam tees up Ryze Labs, AI + crypto, and future signals. [00:01:00] Origin story: Reddit pizza, early Bitcoin, failed 2013 banker pitch, curiosity grows. [00:02:30] Ethereum moment: Programmable money snaps it wide open for Matty. [00:04:00] Banker to degen: Emerging markets + appetite for the “wild west.” [00:05:00] What is Ryze Labs: Global fund with local experts across key emerging markets. [00:06:30] Why AI + crypto: Digital agents will transact value; legacy rails can't scale. [00:08:00] Real PMFs so far: Stablecoins & thinly disguised gambling; AI could be next. [00:09:30] Stablecoin utility: Paying global teams when Stripe/PayPal fail. [00:10:30] Tech history lens: Hardware waves unlock software waves; AI feels similar. [00:12:00] Data intensity: You'd leak Google history before ChatGPT chats — privacy matters. [00:14:00] AI for health: Matty's coffee/acid anecdote shows practical value already. [00:16:30] Work futures: New roles (prompt skill!), humans reorganize around tech. [00:21:00] Super fans first: 5–7 paying evangelists > vanity metrics. [00:23:00] Incentive traps: Points & airdrops mask real product‑market fit. [00:25:00] Trends check: Utility underhyped; meme/points meta overweight. [00:26:30] Institutional adoption: East‑coast style (ETFs) vs tech‑driven engagement. [00:29:00] If starting today: Split team across AI hubs (SF, Hangzhou) + emerging market depth. [00:30:00] The ask: Best‑in‑class AI+crypto builders & top engineers — DM @MattyRyze.Connecthttps://ryzelabs.io/https://x.com/RyzeLabshttps://ky.linkedin.com/company/ryzelabshttps://x.com/mattyryzeDisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

I'm in Shaxi, a wonderful little town in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, and I was joined here by the Columbia economic historian Adam Tooze, who shared his thoughts on what he sees happening on the ground in China. Adam's been in China for the last month and reflects on his experiences learning about the country — and even attempting the language!03:49 - The economic situation in China10:42 - Patterns of consumption in China14:38 - China's industrial policy and renewable energy 18:52 - China vs. the U.S. on renewables26:15 - China's economic engagement with the Global South33:13- Beijing's strategic shift and Europe's rethinking37:49- The recent European Parliament paper42:43 - Learning about China as an “Outsider” 51:31 - Adam's evolving views on China 59:30 - Paying it Forward01:01:07 - Recommendations Paying it Forward: Kyle Chan, Pekingology.Recommendations: Adam: Caught by the Tide, Jia Zhangke (movie).Kaiser: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI, Karen Hao (book), Vera, or Faith, Gary Shteyngart (book).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

China's automotive companies have accelerated their global expansion in recent years, leaving the competition struggling to keep up. We explore what's driving Chinese brands' acceleration into international markets. And we look at how established carmakers are having to tighten their belts to compete with low-cost rivals.Some claim Chinese cars are a security risk because they could, in theory, be hacked - but could they really be used to spy on their owners? Presented and produced by Theo Leggett(Picture: BYD Yangwang U9 electric supercar on display during 2025 China Mobility Show at Hangzhou International Expo Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China, June 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

Hangzhou, lieu de naissance d'Alibaba, s'impose comme la nouvelle destination phare de l'IA en Chine. Pour « La Story », le podcast d'actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et Raphaël Balenieri vous invite dans la ville des six nouveaux dragons chinois. « La Story » est un podcast des « Echos » présenté par Pierrick Fay. Cet épisode a été enregistré en juillet 2025. Rédaction en chef : Clémence Lemaistre. Invité : Raphaël Balenieri (correspondante des Echos en Chine). Réalisation : Willy Ganne. Chargée de production et d'édition : Michèle Warnet. Musique : Théo Boulenger. Identité graphique : Upian. Photos : Cfoto/SIPA USA/SIPA : Extrait «Alibaba et les 49 voleurs», Teaser «Dragons», CNBC, Extrait «le dîner de cons», Extrait «Les 400 coups». Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Tradition Triumphs: Wei's Victory at the Hangzhou Tea Harvest Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-06-28-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在一个炎热的夏季，杭州的茶园一片绿意盎然。En: In a scorching summer season, the Hangzhou tea plantation was lush with greenery.Zh: 茶园的工人们戴着宽檐帽，忙碌地在茶田里采摘新鲜的茶叶。En: The workers there wore wide-brimmed hats, busily picking fresh tea leaves in the fields.Zh: 空中偶尔飘过色彩斑斓的风筝，这些都是端午节庆祝活动的留下的痕迹。En: Occasionally, colorful kites floated through the sky, remnants of the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.Zh: 空气中弥漫着茶花的芬芳，让人感到心旷神怡。En: The air was filled with the fragrance of tea flowers, evoking a refreshing tranquility.Zh: 魏是一位年轻的茶农，他热衷于保护传统的茶叶种植方法。En: Wei was a young tea farmer who was passionate about preserving traditional tea planting methods.Zh: 今天，他面临一场严峻的挑战：天气预报说有一场突如其来的夏季暴风雨将袭击这片茶园。En: Today, he faced a formidable challenge: the weather forecast predicted an unexpected summer storm would hit the plantation.Zh: 这场风暴，会威胁到一年一度的茶叶丰收节。En: This storm threatened the annual Tea Harvest Festival.Zh: 莉娜是魏的儿时玩伴，目前在城里工作。En: Lina was Wei's childhood friend who currently worked in the city.Zh: 今天，她特意返回家乡参加这个节日。En: Today, she returned to her hometown specifically for the festival.Zh: 梅是社区里的长者，以她的智慧和茶叶种植知识而闻名。En: Mei was the elder of the community, renowned for her wisdom and knowledge of tea cultivation.Zh: 面对即将到来的风暴，魏心中有些紧张。En: With the impending storm, Wei felt a bit anxious.Zh: 他坚持认为，传统的方法可以抵御这场风暴。En: He firmly believed that traditional methods could withstand this storm.Zh: 暴风雨来临前，魏和莉娜一同走遍整个茶园。En: Before the storm arrived, Wei and Lina walked through the entire tea plantation together.Zh: 茶树在微风中轻轻摇曳。En: The tea trees swayed gently in the breeze.Zh: 然而乌云很快覆盖了天空，风速也逐渐加快。En: However, dark clouds soon covered the sky, and the wind gradually picked up speed.Zh: 魏考虑用梅曾教过他的方法来保护茶叶——一种古老的覆盖法。En: Wei considered using a method Mei had once taught him to protect the tea – an ancient covering technique.Zh: 他将想法告诉社区，但大部分人都认为应该使用现代科技手段，而非老旧的方法。En: He proposed his idea to the community, but most people believed modern technology should be used instead of outdated methods.Zh: 风暴开始了，比预期的更为猛烈。En: The storm began and was fiercer than expected.Zh: 魏意识到，时间紧迫，必须立即采取行动。En: Wei realized time was running out and immediate action was necessary.Zh: 在梅的指导下，他快速地用竹帘覆盖了茶叶。En: Under Mei's guidance, he quickly covered the tea leaves with bamboo screens.Zh: 与此同时，莉娜组织社区的人来帮助加强茶园的防御。En: Simultaneously, Lina organized community members to help bolster the plantation's defenses.Zh: 风雨交加中，魏和莉娜坚持不懈。En: Amidst the stormy weather, Wei and Lina persevered tirelessly.Zh: 他们通宵达旦，确保每一片茶叶都被妥善保护。En: They worked through the night to ensure every tea leaf was properly protected.Zh: 风暴持续到第二天清晨，终于结束。En: The storm lasted until the following morning when it finally ended.Zh: 茶园经历了一场大考验，茶叶损失比想象中要轻微得多。En: The tea plantation had undergone a major test, yet the tea leaf loss was much less severe than anticipated.Zh: 晴空重现，阳光洒在每个辛勤劳作的人脸上。En: Clear skies returned, and sunlight graced the faces of everyone who had worked hard.Zh: 当节日重新开始时，社区里的每个人都向魏以及他所采用的传统方法致以敬意。En: When the festival resumed, everyone in the community paid their respects to Wei and the traditional methods he employed.Zh: 他用自己的努力证明了传统技术的力量，也赢得了大家的尊重。En: He demonstrated the power of traditional techniques through his efforts and won everyone's respect.Zh: 梅看着一切，脸上露出赞许的微笑。En: Mei observed everything with an approving smile.Zh: 通过这场风暴，魏不仅增强了对自己实力的信心，也对梅的智慧和传统知识充满了敬意。En: From this storm, Wei not only reinforced his confidence in his own abilities but also gained immense respect for Mei's wisdom and traditional knowledge.Zh: 杭州茶园的风光依旧优美，茶农们像往常一样在田间忙碌，守护他们的家园。En: The Hangzhou tea plantation remained as beautiful as ever, with tea farmers as busy as usual, safeguarding their homeland.Zh: 魏学会了一种立足传统、迎接现代挑战的方法，使他对未来充满了希望与信心。En: Wei learned a way to stand on tradition while embracing modern challenges, filling him with hope and confidence for the future.Zh: 最终，所有人欢度端午节，分享着这个辛勤劳作后的美好成果。En: Ultimately, everyone celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival, sharing the wonderful results of their hard work. Vocabulary Words:scorching: 炎热的plantation: 茶园lush: 郁郁葱葱wide-brimmed: 宽檐tranquility: 心旷神怡formidable: 严峻的forecast: 天气预报unexpected: 突如其来的renowned: 闻名wisdom: 智慧impending: 即将到来的anxious: 紧张swayed: 摇曳breeze: 微风gradually: 逐渐considered: 考虑proposed: 将想法fiercer: 猛烈的immediate: 立即guidance: 指导bolster: 加强persevered: 坚持不懈properly: 妥善anticipated: 预期的resumed: 重新开始employed: 采用demonstrated: 证明reinforced: 增强immense: 充满embracing: 迎接

This week on Sinica, in a show taped in early June in Washington, Kaiser chats with Tong Zhao (赵通) of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading expert on Chinese nuclear doctrine, about why the PRC has, in recent years, significantly increased the size of its nuclear arsenal. Zhao offers a master class in the practice of strategic empathy.03:12 – China's nuclear doctrine: core principles06:56 – Xi Jinping's leadership and nuclear policy12:33 – Symbolism vs. strategy: Defensive or offensive buildup?16:55 – What's driving the nuclear expansion?28:33 – Trump's second term: Impact on China's strategic thinking34:34 – Nukes and Taiwan41:45 – Washington and Beijing nuclear doctrines perceptions48:04 - China's perspective on the Golden Dome program52:32 - China's Stance on North Korea's nuclear program 01:01:00 - Beijing's View on North Korean troops in UkrainePaying it forward: David Logan, at Tufts UniversityRecommendations:Tong: Yellowstone, TV series Kaiser: Gomorrah, TV series See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Hoopsology, we dive deep into the global growth of basketball with an exclusive conversation featuring a key executive behind the Asia University Basketball League, AUBL CEO Jay Li. Learn how NBA legend Yao Ming's legacy inspired a new movement to elevate college basketball across Asia and how the AUBL is building the next generation of international hoops stars. Our guest discusses: Jay working with Yao Ming as chief of staff Why college sports are the missing piece in Asia's sports culture How the AUBL is modeled after March Madness and the NCAA The global future of basketball—including possible NBA expansion into Asia Behind-the-scenes of the hit anime basketball series Left-Hand Layup, now streaming on Crunchyroll Whether you're an NBA superfan, Rockets loyalist, or passionate about basketball culture around the world, this is a must-listen.

Today, we have an exciting guest on the podcast - Rah Mahtani from Alibaba.com. We dive into the impact of tariffs on Alibaba's business, the shifts in sourcing behavior among American importers, and the biggest emerging countries in manufacturing that might be worth considering in the future. Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let's talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business. For today's episode, we have a special guest.  We have the Head of Commercial Strategy of Alibaba, Rah Mahtani.  We talk about tariffs, other countries that are seeing rising demand and what Alibaba is currently focused on to grow their portfolio of manufacturers. This episode is one not to miss!   The Big Takeaway Tariffs create cash flow challenges for businesses. Alibaba saw a surge in new customers during high tariff periods. Sourcing behavior is shifting towards larger orders and long-term planning. Vietnam and Mexico are emerging as key sourcing countries. Alibaba is committed to increasing supplier diversity. Community engagement is a priority for Alibaba. Alibaba offers various services beyond sourcing, including logistics support. The company is focused on educating suppliers in emerging markets. There is a growing demand for nearshoring and offshoring. Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou is open for tours. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to today's guest 05:02 - Impact of Tariffs on Alibaba's Business 09:49 - Shifts in Sourcing Behavior 15:03 - Emerging Markets and Supplier Diversity 19:57 - Community Engagement and Alibaba's Services As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.   Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In 2014, the writer Christopher Beam published a humorous, heartwarming story in The New Republic about an unlikely team of American football enthusiasts in Chongqing who went on to defeat their archrivals in Shanghai to win a championship. The piece was optioned by Sony Pictures, and had some big names attached, but was ultimately never made — not, at least, by an American studio. Eleven years later, Chris has written about a film that was made: Clash, produced by iQiyi, hit theaters in China earlier this year and followed the Chongqing Dockers in the same story arc, but with important and telling differences. His new story was published in The Atlantic, and he talks to me about the Dockers and the long, strange story of the film that wasn't and the one that was.03:50 – The Meaning of Chinese YOLO05:33 – Chris's First Meeting With the Chongqing Team13:11 – Chris McLaurin's Background15:54 – American Football as a Symbol of Masculinity19:50 – The Failed Hollywood Adaptation25:34 – First Impressions of the Film31:55 – Bridging Perspectives: Can a Movie Speak To Both Sides?36:42 – A Lost Moment in GlobalizationPaying it Forward: Viola ZhouRecommendations: Chris: Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte (short story collection)Kaiser: Becoming Led Zeppelin (documentary); the Beijing-based artist Michael Cherney.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, I chat with Stephen Platt, historian at UMass Amherst and author, most recently, of the book The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II. Like his previous works, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and Imperial Twilight, it offers a compelling narrative history of an overlooked chapter through a deeply empathetic and well-researched examination of individual lives. Please make sure to listen to the excerpt from the audiobook at the end of this podcast.04:21 - Evans Carlson: A forgotten hero07:49 - The Real Carlson vs. the constructed Carlson10:04 - The book's origin12:20 - Carlson's ideological transformation16:50 - Carlson's religious beliefs and public perception20:04 - Emerson's influence on Carlson's thinking 23:46 - Inner conflicts: Soul-searching or regret?27:15 - Carlson's relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt30:39 - Gung Ho Meetings: meaning, practice, and legacy33:34 - Zhu De's influence on Carlson 40:28 - Carlson's relationships with Agnes Smedley and Edgar Snow47:49 - Hopes for U.S.-China alliance 51:57 - Carlson's death and his legacy 58:01 - Lessons from CarlsonPaying it Forward: Peter Thilly, Emily MokrosRecommendations: Stephen: 11.22.63 by Stephen King; Ted Chiang (author); Otoboke Beaver (band); Book of Mormon (musical)Kaiser: Wobbler (band); The Religion by Tim Willocks; Zappa (2020)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, I chat with Jostein Hauge, political economist and an Assistant Professor in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, based at the Centre of Development Studies and the Department of Politics and International Studies, and author of the book The Future of the Factory: How Megatrends are Changing Industrialization.3:09 – Self Introduction: Jostein Hauge4:23 – Anti-China Sentiment in Western Discourse7:40 – Misconceptions and Prevailing Narratives10:08 – Technological Transfer and the Political Economy12:18 – Historical Periods of Economic Rivalry 14:36 – Evolving Industrial Policy: From Japan's MITI to China and the U.S. today18:59 – China's Contemporary Industrial Policy: Quality or Quantity? 21:13 – China as a Rising Power: Is History Repeating?24:18 – The Sustainability of China's Industrial Policy 26:43 – China, Overcapacity, and Global Imbalances34:07 – Overcapacity: Economic Reality or Ideological Construct?36:04 – China's domination in the renewable energy market39:13 – China's greenhouse gas emissions43:17 – How China is reshaping the IP regime 48:14 – The U.S. national security stance and the trade war with China55:10 – Europe's approach to ChinaPaying it forward: Kyle Chan at High CapacityRecommendations:Jostein: The White Lotus (TV Series)Kaiser: The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II by Stephen R. PlattSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Kendra Schaefer, the partner at Trivium China who heads their tech practice. She recently published a fascinating paper looking at the Cyberspace Administration of China's comprehensive database of generative AI tools released in China, and she shares the insights and big takeaways from her research on that database. It's a terrific window into what Chinese firms, both private and state-affiliated, are doing with generative AI.03:51 – Mandatory registration of generative AI Tools in China10:28 – How does the CAC categorize AI Tools?14:25 – State-affiliated vs. non-state-affiliated AI Tools18:55 – Capability and competition of China's AI Industry22:57 – Significance of Generative Algorithmic Tools (GAT) registration counts26:06 – The application of GATs in the education sector29:50 – The application of GATs in the healthcare Sector31:00 – Underrepresentation of AI tools in other sectors32:56 – Regional breakdown of AI innovation in China36:07 – AI adoption across sectors: how companies integrate AI40:21 – Standout projects by the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS)42:42 – How multinationals navigate China's tech regulations47:50 – Role of foreign players in China's AI strategy49:38 – Key takeaways from the AI development journey53:41 -– Blind spots in AI data57:25 – Kendra's future research directionPaying it Forward: Kenton Thibaut.Recommendations:Kendra: The Chinese Computer: A Global History of the Information Age by Thomas Mullaney.Kaiser: the Rhyming Chaos Podcast by Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria RepnikovaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeremy Goldkorn joins for this largely unedited throwback to the early, sweary days of the show. We talk about the announcement made on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, on the "aggressive" revocation of Chinese student visas for students with Party "connections" or who study "critical fields." You've been warned!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bonus episode this week. On May 22, I moderated a panel organized by Vita Golod and the UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies. The focus was on the U.S.-Ukraine Mineral Security Partnership, and it features Ivan Us, Chief Consultant at the Center for Foreign Policy at the National Institute for Strategic Studies; Jim Mullinax, a Senior Foreign Service Officer and former Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu (closed in 2020); Grzegorz Stec, Senior Analyst and Head of the Brussels Office at MERICS; and Xu Qinduo, journalist at CGTN and Senior Fellow at the Pangoal Institution. The panel explores the background and the implications of the minerals deal, signed on May 1, 2025, for the ongoing war in Ukraine, and prospects for post-war reconstruction. I hope you enjoy what I thought was a fascinating conversation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, I chat with Eva Dou, technology reporter for the Washington Post, about her terrific new book about Huawei. From its prehistory to its fight for its life under tremendous U.S. pressure, she tells its story in a way that's both deeply engaging and very evenhanded. 04:53 – Meng Wanzhou's case and its impact on media interest in Huawei07:13 – How did Ren Zhengfei's experiences in the PLA shape the corporate culture of Huawei?10:21 – The impact of his father on Ren Zhengfei 13:42 – Women in Huawei's leadership and Sun Yafang as a chairwoman 18:41 – Is Huawei a tool of the state?23:21 – Edward Snowden's revelations and how they influenced the perception of Huawei 26:34 – The Cisco lawsuit influence on the company's approach to foreign markets 28:07 – Reasons for Huawei working with embargoed or sanctioned states30:46 – Huawei's international expansion 33:04 – Huawei's management style and internal competition 36:33 – Meng Wenzhou's detainment as a turning point for Huawei and China-U.S. relations38:09 – Ren Zhengfei's media campaign and narrative shift after the Meng affair40:44 – Huawei's involvement in Xinjiang's surveillance 43:09 – Huawei's success in shaping 5G standards despite global pushback46:27 – The “Huawei index”: tracking Chinese investment abroad through Huawei's market presence48:35 – Huawei's push into chip development amid sanctions: real progress or just hype?52:23 – Huawei: a proxy, a leading or lagging indicator, or just a bellwether?54:11 – Huawei's “too big to fail” status: benefits and risks amid U.S. government pressure56:29 – Huawei's perspective on the backlash from sanctions58:19 – Concluding question: about Huawei's ownership and governancePaying it forward: Raffaele Huang at The Wall Street JournalRecommendations: Eva: The Party's Interests Come First by Joseph Torigian; Yang Jie at The Wall Street Journal; Piranesi by Susanna ClarkeKaiser: Adolescence on Netflix; Kyle Chan's high-capacity.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Sinica Network proudly presents a new podcast: China Talking Points, featuring Kaiser Kuo (host of the Sinica Podcast), Eric Olander (host of the China-Global South Podcast and China In Africa Podcast) and Andrew Polk, co-founder of Trivium China and host of its podcast. We'll be joined regularly by Lizzi Lee, Fellow on Chinese Economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute's (ASPI) Center for China Analysis. Tune in live every other week for unscripted thoughts on the major China-related news of the week.This week, we focused on the truce in the trade war that Donald Trump launched with the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs of April 9. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with top Chinese trade negotiator He Lifeng and his team in Geneva over the weekend, and we look at what came out of those meetings and what we can expect to happen next. We also discussed the dogfight that took place between India and Pakistan last week, in which the Pakistani air force claims to have downed as many as five Indian planes, significant for China because the Pakistani planes were Chinese-made J10-C fighters. Eric, who wrote about the Chinese reaction to this and offered his take on the reasons for their success, managed to incur a lot of online Indian wrath — an occupational hazard — but presents a compelling case for why the fully integrated Chinese military systems gave Pakistan the edge.Watch us live on YouTube starting May 28th. Check out the new Sinica Network YouTube channel here!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I had scheduled a show to record while I was in Providence last week, but it fell through and had to be rescheduled, so please give this talk I delivered at Carnegie Mellon last month a listen!Hope you enjoy.KaiserSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.