Podcasts about Shanghai

What happens when China's wine market shrinks by 15% annually since 2019, yet some companies post their best year ever? In this landmark 200th episode of Bottled in China, we assembles an expert roundtable to decode 2025's contradictions and what they mean for 2026.Guests:Nick Marro, Principal Economist for Asia, Economist Intelligence UnitIan Ford, Founding Partner at Nimbility, previously the Co-founder of SummergateMartin Shen, Managing Director, Tiansai Vineyards (Xinjiang)Richard King, Sommelier in Shanghai's fine dining sceneFrom Beijing's anti-corruption crackdown that decimated government banqueting to the surprising surge in aromatic white wines, our panel reveals how "involution"—China's race-to-the-bottom pricing wars—is reshaping everything. Discover why post-2000 consumers spend fortunes on wine pairings but only Instagram the famous labels, how instant retail delivers chilled bottles in 30 minutes, and why Xinjiang is becoming China's hottest wine destination.The verdict? China remains Asia's largest bottled wine market with massive upside in a $300 billion² beverage alcohol sector—but only for those willing to adapt to the new normal.Insights: IWSR Wine Landscapes 2025 - China, ¹Wine market CAGR -14.9% 2019-2024. ²$266 billion TBA value Since 2016, Bottled in China brings you into the food and drink scene through conversations with the some of the most happening personalities. Hosted by Emilie Steckenborn, the show is your one spot for all things food, beer, wine and spirits from across the world. Connect with us on LinkedIn or Instagram @bottled.in.chinaPodcast available on iTunes, Spotify , online or wherever you listen to your episodes! Subscribe to Bottled in China to follow the journey!Check out our new website & find out more at https://www.thebottledshow.com

It's time for us to look back and reflect on the year that was in the horror landscape. Tonight the fiends Totemlydrunk and Grindhouse Zombie shine the spotlight on some of the under the radar releases that deserve your attention. 2025 offered a slew of hidden gems and we're here to let you know which ones you need to seek out immediately. One of our fiends had a new book drop on JANUARY 2ND - Vampires of Shanghai! It would mean a lot if you could click the amazon page and order a copy.  Kick Watch Parties (Tues/Thurs 7:30PM PT on discord) Discord: bit.ly/handlewithscare

Throughout December we'll be taking a closer look at some of our top rated horror releases from 2025. Our full top 10 rankings will be revealed on the final episode of the year. This week Totemlydrunk and Grindhouse Zombie tackle the body horror codependency in TOGETHER!  One of our fiends has a new book dropping on JANUARY 2ND - Vampires of Shanghai! It would mean a lot if you could click the amazon page and order a copy.  Kick Watch Parties (Tues/Thurs 7:30PM PT on discord) Discord: bit.ly/handlewithscare

Chris Whalen, chairman of Whalen Global Advisors and author of The Institutional Risk Analyst blog, joins The Julia La Roche Show for "The Wrap with Chris Whalen" for his 2026 outlook.In this episode, Whalen warns of a market correction comparable to 2008, driven by carnage in private equity where hundreds of companies cannot be sold and sponsors are selling companies to themselves. After a decade-and-a-half Fed liquidity party, he predicts corporate credit will worsen in 2026, setting the stage for a housing market decline in 2027-28. Whalen reveals fraud has become epidemic in housing thanks to AI-altered bank statements, discusses the global power shift as Shanghai now sets gold prices (not Chicago or London), and explains why Powell will likely stay on the Fed board through 2028 to protect the institution - betraying Trump just like every Fed chair before him.Links:    The Institutional Risk Analyst: https://www.theinstitutionalriskanalyst.com/  https://www.theinstitutionalriskanalyst.com/post/theira794Inflated book (2nd edition): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/inflated-r-christopher-whalen/1146303673Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/rcwhalen    Website: https://www.rcwhalen.com/   Timestamps:0:00 Intro and welcome back to The Wrap with Chris Whalen01:25 2025 retrospective3:35 Big stories of 2026 05:30 Midterms 08:21 Maxi market correction coming alongside 2008 in textbooks15:09 Will Powell retire or remain on the board?16:45 Will we see a more hawkish Fed in 2026?17:50 Default rates21:25 What happens with housing in 202622:42 Drawing parallels to the Gilded Age26:29 Gold and silver - another good year ahead32:41 Viewer question: Annaly mortgage REIT common vs preferred36:48 What's on the radar next week: Big investment banks piece38:18 Wrap up and where to find Chris Whalen

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Navigating Shanghai: A Journey of Family, Trust & Adventure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-01-03-08-38-19-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 上海地铁站，人群摩肩接踵。En: The Shanghai subway station buzzed with crowds jostling shoulder to shoulder.Zh: 冬季的寒风从地铁站口灌入，带来节日的讯号。En: The winter chill swept in through the station entrance, heralding the arrival of the holiday season.Zh: 彩色的灯笼拼贴出新年的祝福。En: Colorful lanterns crafted wishes for the New Year.Zh: 在这热闹的背景下，明宇和丽华站在一起。En: Against this bustling backdrop, Mingyu and Lihua stood together.Zh: 明宇是一个认真学习的大学生，此时他心里充满不安。En: Mingyu, a diligent college student, was filled with unease.Zh: 今年春节，他想要回家和家人团聚。En: This Spring Festival, he wanted to go home and reunite with his family.Zh: 丽华是明宇的表姐，比他大一些。En: Lihua was Mingyu's older cousin.Zh: 她总是充满着冒险精神，愿意尝试新的办法。En: She always brimmed with a spirit of adventure, willing to try new methods.Zh: 这次，丽华负责带着明宇回家。En: This time, Lihua was tasked with taking Mingyu home.Zh: 他们站在地铁站的显示屏前，盯着拥挤的出行信息。En: They stood before the subway station's display screen, staring at the packed travel information.Zh: “明宇，等下这班车可能已经爆满，”丽华说，语气中充满了果断。En: "Mingyu, this next train might already be full," Lihua said decisively.Zh: “我们走另一条路线吧。En: "Let's take another route."Zh: ”“可是，那条路线看上去有风险，”明宇犹豫不决。En: "But that route looks risky," Mingyu hesitated.Zh: 他不想冒险，但看着拥挤的人群，他开始动摇。En: He didn't want to take risks, but seeing the crowded masses, he began to waver.Zh: “相信我，走另一条更快。En: "Trust me, taking the other way will be faster."Zh: ”丽华微笑着，给了明宇一剂强心针。En: Lihua smiled, giving Mingyu a boost of confidence.Zh: 最终，他点了点头，随着丽华走向另一条地铁线。En: Ultimately, he nodded and followed Lihua toward another subway line.Zh: 两人随着人流排队等候。En: The two queued up with the flow of people.Zh: 但刚到下一站，广播响起，宣布地铁因维护而停运。En: But as soon as they reached the next stop, an announcement rang out, declaring the subway temporarily closed for maintenance.Zh: “啊，怎么会这样！En: "Ah, how did this happen!"Zh: ”明宇感到一阵绝望。En: Mingyu felt a wave of despair.Zh: 他们已经很晚了，怎么还能赶上？En: They were already late, how could they still make it?Zh: 丽华却不慌不忙。En: Yet Lihua remained calm.Zh: “我们去试试拼车软件。En: "Let's try a rideshare app."Zh: ”她拿出手机迅速打开应用，一边搜索一边带明宇走向地铁站出口。En: She quickly took out her phone, opening the app while leading Mingyu to the subway exit.Zh: 经过一番等待后，他们成功拼到一辆车，终于在黄昏前迈向了家庭聚会。En: After a bit of waiting, they successfully shared a ride and finally headed toward the family gathering by dusk.Zh: “丽华，谢谢你，”在车上，明宇心里终于安定下来。En: "Thank you, Lihua," in the car, Mingyu finally felt at ease.Zh: 他意识到，面对挑战时，自己应该更果敢，也应该更相信他人。En: He realized that in the face of challenges, he should be more courageous and more trusting of others.Zh: 随着车窗外风景的变幻，他知道不管是旅途的困难还是人生的岔路，都会让人逐渐成熟。En: As the scenery shifted through the car window, he knew that whether it was the difficulties of travel or the crossroads of life, both would gradually mature a person.Zh: 他感受到这次旅行不仅是为了团聚，更是对自己信心的一次提升。En: He felt this journey was not just for reunion, but also a boost for his own confidence.Zh: 当他们到达家门，家人们已经在门口等候，笑声中夹杂着节日的祝福和温暖的拥抱。En: When they arrived at their home, the family was already waiting at the door, their laughter mixed with holiday blessings and warm embraces.Zh: 这个年夜饭，明宇比以往更懂得珍惜和团聚的意义。En: This New Year's Eve dinner, Mingyu appreciated more than ever the meaning of cherishing and reuniting. Vocabulary Words:buzzed: 嗡嗡作响jostling: 摩肩接踵heralding: 带来...的讯号diligent: 认真的unease: 不安adventure: 冒险decisively: 果断地hesitated: 犹豫不决waver: 动摇boost: 强心针queued: 排队announcement: 广播despair: 绝望rideshare: 拼车challenges: 挑战courageous: 果敢trusting: 相信scenery: 风景mature: 成熟crossroads: 岔路reunion: 团聚cherishing: 珍惜lanterns: 灯笼background: 背景masses: 人群temporarily: 暂时maintenance: 维护embraces: 拥抱gathering: 聚会shifted: 变幻

This week on Sinica, recorded at Yale University, I speak with Michael Brenes and Van Jackson, coauthors of The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy. Their argument is that framing the U.S.-China relationship as geopolitical rivalry has become more than just a foreign policy orientation — it's a domestic political project that reshapes budgets, norms, and coalitions in ways that actively harm American democracy and the American people. Rivalry narrows political possibility, makes dissent suspect, encourages neo-McCarthyism (the China Initiative, profiling of Chinese Americans), produces anti-AAPI hate, and redirects public investment away from social welfare and into defense spending through what they call "national security Keynesianism."Mike is interim director of the Brady Johnson Program in Grand Strategy at Yale, while Van is a senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and host of the Un-Diplomatic Podcast. We discuss the genesis of their collaboration during the Biden administration, how they navigate China as a puzzle for the American left, canonical misrememberings of the Cold War that distort current China policy, the security dilemma feedback loop between Washington and Beijing, why defense-heavy stimulus is terrible at job creation, how rivalry politics weakens democracy, recent polling showing a shift toward engagement, and their vision for a "geopolitics of peace" anchored in Sino-U.S. détente 2.0.5:47 – The genesis of the book: recognizing Biden's Cold War liberalism 11:26 – How they approached writing together from different disciplinary homes 13:20 – Navigating China as a puzzle for the American left21:39 – How great power competition hardened from analytical framework into ideology 28:15 – Mike on two canonical misrememberings of the Cold War 33:18 – Van on the security dilemma and the nuclear feedback loop 39:55 – National security Keynesianism: why defense spending is bad at job creation 44:38 – How rivalry politics weakens democracy and securitizes dissent 48:09 – Building durable coalitions for restraint-oriented statecraft 51:27 – Has the post-COVID moral panic actually abated? 53:27 – The master narrative we need: a geopolitics of peace 55:29 – Associative balancing: achieving equilibrium through accommodation, not armsRecommendations:Van: The Long Twentieth Century by Giovanni Arrighi Mike: The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991 by Vladislav Zubok Kaiser: Pluribus (Apple TV series by Vince Gilligan)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Tessa Hulls' grandmother, Sun Yi, was a dissident journalist in Shanghai who faced intense political persecution during the Chinese Communist Revolution. In today's episode, Hulls tells Here & Now's Scott Tong that her grandmother's trauma often cast a shadow over their family – one she decided to finally face in her new graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. It's a reexamining of Hulls' matriarchal lineage, of Chinese history and of generational love and healing.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Bill Holter to the show. Bill is a Precious Metals Expert and Broker. In this in-depth discussion about the precious metals market, Holter provides a comprehensive overview of the current dynamics driving silver and gold prices, highlighting a significant structural shift in the global metals market. Holter emphasizes a substantial supply and demand deficit in silver, estimated at 300-400 million ounces, driven by increasing industrial applications such as AI technology and electric vehicle batteries. He notes that physical metal exchanges like Shanghai are experiencing significant premiums over paper markets, indicating a fundamental change in metals trading. This phenomenon, known as backwardation, suggests investors are increasingly prioritizing physical metal ownership over paper contracts. Bill predicts a potential transformation in global currency systems, suggesting that the US dollar is declining while BRICS nations are developing a potentially gold-backed settlement currency. Holter believes this shift could dramatically impact global financial markets, with gold and silver emerging as the only truly trustworthy currencies. Institutional buying is currently driving the precious metals market, with family offices, hedge funds, and even sovereign nations like Russia purchasing significant quantities. Holter sees this as a critical moment for metals, potentially leading to a delivery failure in silver markets that could trigger massive price increases. For individual investors, Holter recommends starting with silver, particularly “junk silver” coins minted before 1965, which offer the most practical and recognizable form of silver ownership. He stresses that it’s not too late to enter the market, warning that current financial systems are fundamentally unstable and that precious metals represent a critical hedge against potential economic collapse. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:01:00 – 2025 Precious Metals Review 00:01:41 – Structural Supply Deficit 00:02:29 – Industrial Demand & Vaults 00:03:21 – Backwardation and Premiums 00:06:04 – Historical Interventions 00:07:17 – Gold vs Silver Differences 00:09:30 – BRICS Remonetization Outlook 00:11:42 – Failure to Deliver Risks 00:13:58 – Institutional Buying Trends 00:14:56 – Retail Flows and Junk Silver 00:20:10 – Silver Going Mainstream 00:21:48 – Investment Advice for Beginners 00:23:17 – Fiat Collapse and Great Taking 00:26:03 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/jsmineset/ Website: https://billholter.com E-Mail: mailto:bholter@proton.me Bill was a stockbroker for 23 years and a branch manager for 12. He retired and moved his family out of the U.S. to Costa Rica in late 2006. He returned to Texas in 2011. He was a contributor to GATA since 2007 and began writing for Miles Franklin from 2012 to 2015. He then joined with Jim Sinclair and the Holter/Sinclair collaboration from 2015-2022. Bill is a precious metals expert and broker, he clears through Miles Franklin.

Francis Hunt thinks there's a fundamental shift underway in the global silver market and the spread in price between West and East is painting a picture of physical metal replacing paper contracts as the strategic value of silver becomes more apparent. Francis breaks out the charts to dive into Shanghai's impact on the silver market, why he thinks a $1000 price is possible, and why the gold-silver ratio could be headed to single digits ahead.Get Your 'Stack Silver Not Fiat' Shirt: https://commodity-culture-shop.fourthwall.com/products/stack-silver-not-fiat-t-shirtThe Market Sniper on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMarketSniper1Book a Call With Francis: https://themarketsniper.comFollow Jesse Day on X: https://x.com/jessebdayCommodity Culture on Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/CommodityCulture

Wir schreiben das Jahr 2008. Es ist Sommer und die 22 Jährige Diana ist für 3 Monate als Model in Shanghai gebucht. Doch schon nach einer Woche hat sie genug von der Millionenmetropole und will nach Kanada zurückkehren. Der Rückflug ist bereits gebucht, aber Diana wird Shanghai nicht mehr lebend verlassen.#truecrimecommunity #truecrimestories #truecrimedeutsch #Dokumentation #Doku Dieser Fall ist gelöst. Ob ein Fall gelöst ist oder nicht, seht ihr übrigens auch immer schön übersichtlich in meiner:CRIME MAP - Eine Übersicht zu meinen Fällen findet ihr hier:https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1aRlgNhTwqoLB1gi8C0JKsghGbgmwkyo&ll=-3.81666561775622e-14%2C-60.74788220000005&z=2____________________Ihr möchtet meinen Kanal unterstützen? Dann schreibt mir einen Kommentar, lasst einen Daumen nach oben da und lasst die Werbung zu Beginn des Videos abspielen.Wer gerne Trinkgeld geben möchte - hier entlang: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ReiseohneWiederkehrVIELEN DANK für jegliche Form der Unterstützung, Jules____________________DISCLAIMER:· This video is for educational purposes, for spreading awareness and distributing information only.· Fair-use Copyright: “Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.”Since Youtube runs under US-Law, the same applies for this video.· Important: Great effort is made to ensure everything used in this video falls within the guidelines of Fair-use. No copyright infringement is intended. · Dieses Video dient der Information, der Sensibilisierung und Vorbeugung.· Alles in diesem Video habe ich selbst recherchiert und erarbeitet.· Alle genannten Informationen sind im Internet frei zugänglich (siehe Quellenangabe) und wurden von mir gesammelt und in einem Video zusammengefasst. Ich verweise hiermit auf das Zitatrecht: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/urhg/__51.html· trotz gründlichster Recherche besteht keine Garantie, dass alle genannten Fakten zu 100% korrekt sind· Alle persönlichen Ansichten, Meinungen und Kommentare sind ausschließlich meine eigenen und spiegeln in keiner Weise die Meinungen der im Video gezeigten oder genannten Personen wieder.· Es geht auf keinen Fall darum, das zu behandelnde Land oder dessen Einwohner unter einen Generalverdacht zu stellen. Die besprochenen Fälle sind Einzeltaten, die in jedem Land der Welt vorkommen und passieren (können).QUELLENhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1RzQSqgsJb8JSbTETWdRT_XvyqmHRG62pxXivasa1va8/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.f4n9qljkrkzaMUSIK · Intro | “Heroes” by Fuzzeke | www.youtube.com/@FuzzekeTrailerMusic · Trailer | Reise ohne Wiederkehr by me (Eigenkomposition/Original) | umgesetzt und eingespielt von: www.fiverr.com/kastoriusergi· Outro | Eigenkomposition/Original00:00 - Intro00:42 - Vorwort/ Housekeeping05:09 - Dianas Leben12:39 - Reise nach Shanghai19:16 - die Tat49:42 - Nachbesprechung56:51 - Outro

Frohes Neues Jahr an alle Formel 1 Fans. In dieser Folge blicken wir auf die komplette Formel-1-Saison zurück mit Fokus auf Fahrer und Teams. Welche unserer Hottakes aus der Saisonvorschau sind eingetroffen? Wo lagen wir komplett daneben? Wir analysieren überraschende Entwicklungen, diskutieren unsere Awards und vergeben die wichtigsten Auszeichnungen der Saison. Wir sind auch auf Instagram erreichbar: https://www.instagram.com/formulanerdpodcast Wir freuen uns über Kritik, Ideen und weitere Anregungen, um unser kleines Projekt für euch immer Besser zu machen. Viel Spaß wünschen Marc und Manu. E-Mail: formulanerdpodcast@web.de Dieser Podcast wird vermarktet von der Podcastbude.www.podcastbu.de - Full-Service-Podcast-Agentur - Konzeption, Produktion, Vermarktung, Distribution und Hosting.Du möchtest deinen Podcast auch kostenlos hosten und damit Geld verdienen?Dann schaue auf www.kostenlos-hosten.de und informiere dich.Dort erhältst du alle Informationen zu unseren kostenlosen Podcast-Hosting-Angeboten. kostenlos-hosten.de ist ein Produkt der Podcastbude.

Protect Your Retirement with a PHYSICAL Gold and/or Silver IRA https://www.sgtreportgold.com/ CALL( 877) 646-5347 - You Can Trust Noble Gold The gulf between the Shanghai silver market and the fraudulent US paper market has never been wider or more obvious. And while China and India wisely hoard PHYSICAL precious metals, the criminal bankers continue dumping mountains of PAPER silver because you can't build jack sh#t with it BUT you CAN suppress prices with it! The jig is almost up. GOT PHYSICAL? Bix Weir joins me to discuss the "Asian guy" silver videos, the true silver supply-demand story and much more. Thanks for tuning in.   BIX'S WEBSITE: Road to Roota https://www.roadtoroota.com/ https://old.bitchute.com/video/18bo9M3V25uz/

Welcome back to Bri Books, the podcast (and corner of the internet) where we educate, entertain, and feel our way through ideas both on and off the page. As we head toward the end of 2025 and look ahead to 2026, I'm sharing my best-of beauty and skincare favorites — the products I've loved all year and continue to reach for during the colder months. These are my true winter staples: products that prioritize hydration, warmth, glow, and comfort when the weather (and life) feels a little harsher. If you're new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Please tell me where you're traveling to by using #bribooks on Instagram and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.  So cozy up with your tea, light a candle, swipe on your favorite lip gloss, and let's begin. Bri Books' Winter Beauty Philosophy I always think about winter beauty through memory. Last December, I was sipping hot cider by my Brooklyn window, watching snow fall, listening to my radiator hiss, and feeling my skin crack, peel, and protest. Late winter dryness hits me every year, so I've learned to curate intentionally. Here's how I nurture my skin and my beauty in the winter and beyond. 1. Dyson Corrale Flat Iron — $499–$539 I've used the Dyson Corrale for over five years, and it remains unmatched. Its flexing plates reduce heat damage and tugging, which is especially important when winter hair is already dry and fragile. Yes, it's an investment — but if you want salon-quality results at home, it's worth it. 2. Kérastase Nutritive Range — $40–$85 per product at Sephora For deep nourishment, the Kérastase Nutritive line is my winter hero. I use the shampoo weekly, followed by either the conditioner or the Riche mask. I always finish with the Nectar Thermique heat protectant and the split ends serum. When my scalp is dry, I add the hydrating scalp serum. If you're heat-styling more, always pair it with a mask. Winter hair loves moisture. 3. Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm — $42 at Sephora This cult favorite transforms from balm to oil to milk and melts away makeup and SPF without stripping the skin. It feels incredibly luxe — and in winter, hydration should feel indulgent. 4. Sephora Collection Overnight Hydrating Dose Mask — $10 each 2025 had me on more planes than ever — Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Mexico. Sephora's sheet masks became my travel and weekend staples. They're affordable, effective, and easy to keep in rotation when your skin feels parched. 5. Elasten Liquid Collagen — $99 on Amazon This is my only true "health" pick of the year. Collagen production declines with age, and liquid collagen supplements can help support skin elasticity and hydration — especially when paired with vitamin C. I take mine in the morning with tea. It's a small ritual with a big payoff. 6. LUSH Bath Bombs & Epsom Salts — $6–$13 per bath bomb Long soaks are my ultimate self-care reset. I love LUSH bath bombs for the sensory experience, paired with classic Epsom salts for muscle relief. There's nothing like a hot bath before diving into life admin — or after a long day. 7. Mandelic Acid + Vitamin C — $20–$100 depending on brand After years of experimenting, I've stabilized my routine with professional guidance. Mandelic acid gently exfoliates while vitamin C protects against dullness and boosts brightness — a winter glow essential. 8. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic — $185 Still my gold-standard antioxidant serum. It protects against oxidative stress from dry air and gives the skin a true glow shield. 9. Byredo "Mixed Emotions" Eau de Parfum — $235 Fragrance sets the mood for me year-round, and Byredo has completely captured my heart. Mixed Emotions is warm, woodsy, softly sweet, and deeply comforting — like a winter hug. 10. La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 50 — $49 SPF is non-negotiable, even in winter. This lightweight, broad-spectrum sunscreen works beautifully under makeup and doesn't irritate my eyes or sensitive skin. 11. OPI Infinite Shine Holiday 2025 — $7–$15 Winter nails take a beating with constant handwashing and gloves. OPI Infinite Shine delivers gel-like durability without the commitment. I love deep reds, classics, and neutral shades all season long. These are my winter beauty favorites — the products that carried me through 2025 and will absolutely stay with me into 2026. Let me know what you've tried, what you're curious about, and what you want to explore next. I'm always here for cozy beauty conversations. If you're new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Please tell me where you're traveling to by using #bribooks on Instagram and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter. 

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: New Year's Reflections: Beyond the Bright Lights of the Bund Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-12-31-23-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在上海的一个冬天之夜，外滩的灯光正闪烁着温暖的黄光。En: On a winter night in Shanghai, the lights of the Bund were flickering with warm yellow light.Zh: 正值除夕，人们在被寒风吹拂的江边散步，沉浸在节日的氛围中。En: It was New Year's Eve, and people were walking along the river, touched by the cold wind, immersed in the festive atmosphere.Zh: 此时，莉华和美琳正沿着外滩的河畔走，手中捧着热气腾腾的咖啡。En: At this moment, Lihua and Meilin were strolling along the riverside of the Bund, holding steaming hot coffee in their hands.Zh: 莉华是一名勤恳细致的项目经理，今年的年终考评让她心中略显不安。En: Lihua is a diligent and meticulous project manager, and this year's annual review made her feel a bit uneasy.Zh: 这一年虽然努力工作，但她总感到不如美琳那样游刃有余。En: Although she had worked hard this year, she always felt less adept than Meilin.Zh: 美琳是她的同事，充满活力，总能轻松达成目标。En: Meilin, her colleague, is full of energy and always easily achieves her goals.Zh: 看着美琳不懈前行的职业轨迹，莉华难免自我质疑。En: Watching Meilin's relentless career trajectory, Lihua couldn't help but question herself.Zh: “美琳，”莉华停下脚步，看向她，声音有些犹豫，“你总是看起来很自信。今年的年终评估，我有些紧张。能不能跟我分享一下你是怎么设定目标的？”En: "Meilin," Lihua paused, looked at her, her voice a bit hesitant, "You always seem so confident. I'm a bit nervous about this year's annual review. Could you share with me how you set your goals?"Zh: 美琳微微一笑，轻轻握了握莉华的手。En: Meilin smiled slightly, gently holding Lihua's hand.Zh: 她们在铺满细雪的椅子上坐下，眺望着熙熙攘攘的人群。En: They sat down on a snow-covered bench, gazing at the bustling crowd.Zh: 美琳开始讲述自己常常遇到的困难，“你知道吗，其实我也有过很多挫折。我也曾觉得过不去。”En: Meilin began to talk about the difficulties she often encountered, "You know, I've actually experienced many setbacks myself. I've also felt like I couldn't go on."Zh: 莉华惊讶地看着美琳，“真的吗？”En: Lihua looked at Meilin in surprise, "Really?"Zh: 美琳点点头。“没错。我们都有自己的压力。不过，我学会了坦然面对。重要的是我们一直在成长，无论多慢，都比停滞不前好。”En: Meilin nodded. "That's right. We all have our pressures. However, I've learned to face them calmly. What's important is that we are always growing. No matter how slow, it's better than standing still."Zh: 在这场对话中，莉华意识到，原来美琳也有过不为人知的挣扎。En: During this conversation, Lihua realized that Meilin also had her own struggles unknown to others.Zh: 她也曾经为了自己的目标而努力奋斗。En: She, too, had worked hard for her goals.Zh: 莉华觉得心里的负担被慢慢卸下，她突然感受到了一种新生的力量。En: Lihua felt the burden in her heart slowly lift, and suddenly, she sensed a newfound strength.Zh: 当她们离开外滩，夜幕已深，烟花在远方灿烂绽放。En: As they left the Bund, it was late in the evening, and fireworks blossomed brilliantly in the distance.Zh: 莉华深吸一口气，迎着寒冷的风，心中似乎充满了前所未有的信心。En: Lihua took a deep breath, facing the cold wind, and felt a newfound confidence within her.Zh: 她明白了，成功不只是达成目标，更是感受自己的成长和变化。En: She understood that success is not just about achieving goals but also about feeling her own growth and change.Zh: 每个人都有自己的旅程，每一步都是值得的。En: Everyone has their own journey, and every step is worthwhile.Zh: 走过这一年，展望新的一年，莉华带着新的视角，轻松地微笑着。En: After this year and looking forward to the new year, Lihua smiled with a new perspective.Zh: 这一次，莉华不仅仅期待年终评估的结果，她更期待着能在下一年里，继续追求自己的步调。En: This time, Lihua wasn't just anticipating the results of the annual review; she was looking forward to continuing her own pace in the coming year.Zh: 在这灯火通明的外滩，她感受到了一份宁静的满足。En: In this brightly lit Bund, she felt a peaceful satisfaction. Vocabulary Words:flickering: 闪烁immersed: 沉浸diligent: 勤恳meticulous: 细致adept: 游刃有余relentless: 不懈trajectory: 轨迹hesitant: 犹豫relentless: 不懈bustling: 熙熙攘攘setbacks: 挫折trajectory: 轨迹pressure: 压力unburden: 卸下newfound: 新生的brilliantly: 灿烂confidence: 自信perspective: 视角anticipating: 期待pace: 步调satisfaction: 满足annual review: 年终考评goal: 目标calmly: 坦然growth: 成长worthwhile: 值得journey: 旅程brilliantly: 灿烂breathe: 深吸festive: 节日的

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Shanghai's New Year: Fireworks, New Hopes, and New Friendships Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-12-31-08-38-20-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 新年的前夕，上海的外滩笼罩在一片节日的欢腾中。En: On the eve of the New Year, Shanghai's The Bund was enveloped in a festive cheer.Zh: 黄浦江的水面反射着历史建筑的灯光，游客和本地人都期盼着午夜的焰火表演。En: The surface of the Huangpu River reflected the lights of historic buildings, as both tourists and locals eagerly awaited the midnight fireworks display.Zh: 梅，一个年轻的女子，站在江边，心中思绪万千。En: Mei, a young woman, stood by the river, her mind filled with countless thoughts.Zh: 过去的一年并不顺利，她希望在新年能找到新的希望。En: The past year had not been smooth, and she hoped to find new hope in the new year.Zh: 她身边是活泼的朋友梁，梁笑着说：“梅，今天晚上，我们一定要尽情享受，不要想太多！”En: Beside her was her lively friend, Liang, who laughed and said, "Mei, tonight, we must enjoy ourselves to the fullest and not think too much!"Zh: 梅微微一笑，En: Mei smiled slightly.Zh: 尽管内心对拥挤的人群感到不安，她决定尝试融入这欢乐的氛围。En: Despite feeling uneasy about the crowded scene, she decided to try and immerse herself in the joyful atmosphere.Zh: 与此同时，君，一个本地的摄影爱好者，在人群中寻找最佳的拍摄点。En: Meanwhile, Jun, a local photography enthusiast, was in the crowd searching for the best spot to shoot.Zh: 他的相机记录着这座城市的每一个动人瞬间。En: His camera was capturing every touching moment of the city.Zh: 君想在新年的一刻，抓住最美的烟火。En: Jun wanted to seize the most beautiful fireworks at the stroke of the new year.Zh: 人群越聚越多，时间也在逼近午夜。En: The crowd grew larger and larger as midnight approached.Zh: 君调整好相机，准备记录下激动人心的一刻。En: Jun adjusted his camera, ready to capture the thrilling moment.Zh: 就在烟火点燃的瞬间，梅和君不约而同地抬头望向天空。En: As the fireworks ignited, both Mei and Jun unintentionally looked up at the sky.Zh: 绚烂的烟火在他们头顶炸开，五彩斑斓，仿佛为新的一年揭开了帷幕。En: The brilliant fireworks exploded above them, colorful and vibrant, as if unveiling the curtain for the new year.Zh: “好漂亮！”梅不由自主地说道。En: "So beautiful!" Mei said involuntarily.Zh: “是啊，”君从相机后面抬起头，看着梅微笑道，“这座城市的夜晚总是充满惊喜。”En: "Yes," Jun replied, lifting his head from behind the camera and smiling at Mei, "the nights in this city are always full of surprises."Zh: 他们开始聊天，分享各自的新年愿望。En: They began to chat, sharing their New Year wishes.Zh: 君说他希望拍到更多感动人心的照片，而梅则希望能忘却过去的不快，迎接崭新的开始。En: Jun said he hoped to capture more touching photographs, while Mei wished to forget the past unhappiness and embrace a fresh start.Zh: 两人聊得很投机，不久就交换了联系方式。En: The two found their conversation congenial and soon exchanged contact information.Zh: 梅感受到了一种久违的轻松和快乐。En: Mei felt a long-lost sense of ease and happiness.Zh: 午夜过后，人群逐渐散去，外滩的灯光依旧明亮。En: After midnight, the crowd gradually dispersed, but the lights of The Bund remained bright.Zh: 梅和君漫步在江边，继续谈论着生活和梦想。En: Mei and Jun strolled along the riverbank, continuing to talk about life and dreams.Zh: 梅意识到，偶然的相遇可能带来意想不到的机遇。En: Mei realized that a chance encounter might bring unexpected opportunities.Zh: 也许正是这个晚上，她终于鼓起勇气，迎接新的可能。En: Perhaps on this very night, she finally mustered the courage to embrace new possibilities.Zh: 当他们分开时，梅的心中充满了对未来的憧憬和希望。En: As they parted, Mei was filled with anticipation and hope for the future.Zh: 她知道，这个新年不仅带来了灿烂的焰火，还有一个值得期待的新朋友。En: She knew that this New Year not only brought dazzling fireworks but also a new friend worth expecting.Zh: 冬夜的寒冷似乎因为心中的温暖而退去。En: The cold of the winter night seemed to retreat due to the warmth in her heart.Zh: 梅决定向未知迈出一步，去探索一个充满变化与成长的未来。En: Mei decided to take a step into the unknown, to explore a future full of changes and growth. Vocabulary Words:eve: 前夕enveloped: 笼罩festive: 节日的cheer: 欢腾reflected: 反射eagerly: 期盼smooth: 顺利immerse: 融入enthusiast: 爱好者capturing: 记录seize: 抓住thrilling: 激动人心ignited: 点燃spontaneously: 不约而同exploded: 炸开brilliant: 绚烂unveiling: 揭开involuntarily: 不由自主congenial: 投机embrace: 迎接encounter: 相遇anticipation: 憧憬mustering: 鼓起possibilities: 可能dispersed: 散去mustered: 鼓起strolled: 漫步retreat: 退去opportunities: 机遇unexpected: 意想不到

Alessandro Barbero è ospite della China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair - Ccbf, di cui Bologna Children's Book Fair - Bcbf dal 2018 è co-organizzatrice, per una lectio magistralis dal titolo "Marco Polo's Description of the World and its Readers: A Travel Account Mistaken for a Fantasy Book" nella quale il professore spiegherà come il diario di viaggio di Marco Polo sia diventato una vera e propria opera di fantasia leggendaria per le generazioni future.  L'appuntamento è moderato da Ivan Canu (illustratore e direttore Mimaster Illustrazione), con i saluti di Elena Pasoli (direttrice Bologna Children's Book Fair) e del professor Francesco D'Arelli (direttore Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Shanghai). Video: ⁠https://youtu.be/-HGqTDMXjb8⁠

Why New York/Shanghai Silver Spread Is Narrowing The battle for silver pricing supremacy continues as the price for silver in New York and Shanghai remains wide, although a slightly narrowed. To understand what this means and why it's happening click to watch today's video with the great Vince Lanci now! - To get access to Vince's research in 'Goldfix Premium' go to: https://vblgoldfix.substack.com/ - Get access to Arcadia's Daily Gold and Silver updates here: https://goldandsilverdaily.substack.com/ - Join our free email list to be notified when a new video comes out: click here: https://arcadiaeconomics.com/email-signup/ - Follow Arcadia Economics on twitter at: https://x.com/ArcadiaEconomic - To get your copy of 'The Big Silver Short' (paperback or audio) go to: https://arcadiaeconomics.com/thebigsilvershort/ - #silver #silverprice #gold And remember to get outside and have some fun every once in a while!:) (URL0VD)Subscribe to Arcadia Economics on Soundwise

Happy New Year, and here is our second ‘best of’ episode. But this time it’s the All the Best staff picks. Cockroach by Jin Hien Lau Kwame’s first pick comes from #659 Extra(ordinary) Tales – Part One. What begins as a chance encounter with a cockroach on an escalator spirals into a wild story of movie nights, pop culture, and a swarm of roaches bursting out of a DVD case. Kwame loves this story for its humour and cockroach-themed 90s nostalgia. Produced by: Jin Hien Lau Sound design by: Gregory Thorsby The audio corpse Cat’s fav was the #641 The audio corpse. This piece is part of The Exquisite Audio Corpse, an ambitious international collaboration between 75 audio makers from around the globe run by Audio Club, creating a series of seven sonic “corpses” inspired by the surrealist game exquisite corpse. Cat loved seeing the individual styles of storytelling. The sample was from M. Cristina Marras and storytellers in that episode were Lezak, Pierre & Florence, Yhane, Ali, Darien, Arielle, Valdez & Hazel, Ellie, Cole & Claudia. The Love Game by Wing Kuang Mel’s pick was from #661 The Love Game. Wing Kuang guides us through a love story of two gamers —one in Melbourne and one in Shanghai —navigating the complexities of long-distance relationships and the bureaucracy of Australia’s immigration system. This story came from the Jesse Cox Fellowship 2025, and Mel enjoyed seeing Wing explore how to include elements of bilingual storytelling and gamification. Produced by Wing Kuang Supervising Producer: M. Cristina Marras Window by Danni Stewart Kwame’s second pick comes from #633 Small Audio Art. It came from a Small Audio Art challenge, and Danny’s story, The Window, follows a parasocial relationship with a neighbour. Produced by Danni Stewart Just Breathe by Ben Haywood Our final pick is Mel’s second pick. It’s another one from the Jesse Cox Fellowship 2025. This time it’s #662 Just Breathe Man. Ben suffers from depression after knee surgery. Searching for ways to heal online, he finds himself trapped in toxic ideas of masculinity. It’s only when a friend takes him to his breathwork class that he finally breaks down and begins to heal, learning that recovery can come through friendship, community, and space to breathe. Mel said  ’This story started out when Ben first pitched to the fellowship as a completely different idea. He had a kind of couple of story false starts in the making of this, and then yeah, sort of turned his audio story in on himself and the time that he was going through.’ Substack If you want more of what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a roundup of all our activities with a little bit of BTS. All The Best Credits Program Manager & Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to our volunteers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throughout December we'll be taking a closer look at some of our top rated horror releases from 2025. Our full top 10 rankings will be revealed on the final episode of the year. This week Totemlydrunk and Grindhouse Zombie tackle a divisive horror entry from this year's slate but one that we feel is misunderstood. Tonight we discuss the unconventional haunted house movie  - PRESENCE!  One of our fiends has a new book dropping on JANUARY 2ND - Vampires of Shanghai! It would mean a lot if you could click the amazon page and order a copy.  Kick Watch Parties (Tues/Thurs 7:30PM PT on discord) Discord: bit.ly/handlewithscare

☝️Queridos oyentes, cerramos el año con una charla que sacude el corazón del Evangelio. Néstor Díaz nos invita a redescubrir una libertad que no huye, una libertad que ama, sirve y transforma. Terminá este año recordando esto: fuiste hecho libre… para amar mejor. No te la pierdas. Es para escuchar, pensar y adorar. Podés hacernos preguntas a través de nuestras cuentas en Facebook o Instagram. Toda la música del podcast es de Pippo y Banda IA. Pippo y Banda IA ya tiene su propio canal en Telegram, ahí podes escuchar y bajar su música. https://t.me/+Nr8mhrQJZFpjNzdh Unite a nuestro canal de difusión en Telegram https:/t.me/radioshanghai. También podés escucharnos en Youtube, Applepodcast, Ivoox y muchos lugares más.Recordá que podés seguirnos en Facebook e Instagram, dejanos tus comentarios y si te gusta compartilo…Si queres colaborar con nosotros podés hacerlo a través de Cafecito https://cafecito.app/radioshanghai Soli DEO Gloria

Champions Day in the city of Shanghai, November 1941. The world was at war, but the clubhouse at the Shanghai Race Club (now People's Park) was packed with owners and punters cheering on the pony. The funeral of Shanghai's richest widow, Liza Hardoon, was a spectacle that filled the streets of the International Settlement. Japanese occupiers and their Chinese collaborators came together in a bizarre ritual to celebrate the birthday of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen. The opening of a new movie featuring, of all subjects, Charlie Chan had folks lining up at the local cinema box office. The world had changed, but the "Lone Island" of Shanghai persisted, as it had since becoming a treaty port a century earlier. In this encore episode from 2020, historian James Carter joins us to discuss his fascinating book Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai. Carter brings to life the vivid tableau of an era coming to an end. By the end of the year, Japanese authorities would take control of Shanghai and the city would never again be the same. What did the end of the colonial era mean for Shanghai and its residents? Why were race tracks such powerful symbols? Join us as we discuss the history of horse racing, colonialism, and the last days of Old Shanghai.

Acceso a Telegram: https://t.me/+fG1MRyb5LRQzMDg0En este último Martes MiTrading del 2025, del 30 de diciembre, Alberto Lezaun y Giancarlo Prisco cierran el año con un repaso potente de lo vivido: récords en SP500 cerca de 7000 puntos, oro superando targets, Bitcoin rozando 130k y la caída brutal de la plata por manipulación en CME . Analizan la salida de Powell, inyecciones de liquidez de la Fed por 17 billones el 26 de diciembre para salvar bancos, y el cambio de poder hacia China en metales preciosos . Para 2026, prevén un año de midterm volátil con correcciones hasta 20% en SP (soporte 5200), pero alcista estructural con targets en 7700-7900, Bitcoin a 140-160k, oro hacia 6000$ e incluso 9000-10k en reset global, impulsado por IA y energía . Hablan de burbuja inmobiliaria en Miami, long squeeze en plata, apoyo eterno de Fed y oportunidades en utilities energéticas como Exelon por demanda de data centers (4% red eléctrica al año) . Giancarlo enfatiza paciencia experimental, evitar emotividad (ej. suicidios en cripto crash octubre) y posicionarse en narrativas clave antes que el retail . ⸻ Lo que aprendes hoy• 2025 cumplió targets: SP500 casi 7000, oro superó previsiones, Bitcoin 130k, plata manipulada pero estructuralmente alcista . • 2026 midterm: volatilidad alta, correcciones 20% SP (a 5200), pero infravalorado 5-6%, target 7700-7900 por fundamentales IA y Trump . • Fed inyecta liquidez constante (17B$ post-Navidad), sostiene mercado; sin ella, colapso 80% .• Plata/oro: China vs Occidente, Shanghai toma control, long squeeze, oro a 6000$ pronto, 10k en reset .• Bitcoin: compresión alcista, target 140-160k si compradores dominan .• IA narrativa evoluciona a energía: utilities como Exelon explotarán por data centers (doble consumo 2026) . • Operativa: paciencia en caídas, datos/volumen/narrativa; evita propsósitos año nuevo, actúa ya .• Riesgos: burbuja inmobiliaria Miami, recesión, Gran Reset político/económico en 5 años . ⸻ Quiénes participanAlberto Lezaun y Giancarlo Prisco. ⸻Formato del canal — Matinal MiTrading (lunes): columna ágil de Giancarlo Prisco
 — Martes MiTrading (martes): visión global y táctica operativa

Tu and Lei close out 2025 with a sweeping, on-the-ground review of the most consequential year yet for China's EV, AV, and mobility ecosystem — and why its ripple effects are now impossible for the rest of the world to ignore.  From CES to Shanghai, Munich, and New York, the hosts reflect on firsthand experiences that defined the year: China's EV export surge, the maturation of robotaxis, the cooling of the domestic price war, and the emergence of clear winners — and vulnerabilities — among Chinese and global automakers.They break down why BYD became a true global volume force, how XPeng, Geely, and Zeekr gained momentum, why NIO's long game is finally paying off, and what the rise of autonomous mobility outside China (Waymo, Baidu, WeRide, Pony.ai) means heading into 2026.The episode also revisits major inflection points: • Chinese EV exports flooding Europe, Latin America, Russia, and the UK • The beginning of an exported price war • Robotaxis moving from pilots to real commercial expansion • Why average vehicle prices topping $50,000 in the U.S. is unsustainable • How geopolitics, tariffs, and supply chains reshaped strategy • Why 2026 could be the year autonomy truly breaks throughCandid, data-driven, and reflective — this episode connects the dots on how 2025 reshaped the global auto industry and sets the stage for what comes next.⸻

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Mystery Beneath the Fireworks: A Shanghai Night Unfolds Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-12-29-23-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 上海的冬夜，黄浦江畔灯火辉煌，外滩上人潮涌动。En: On a winter night in Shanghai, the banks of the Huangpu River were brilliantly illuminated, and the The Bund was teeming with people.Zh: 空气中充满了新年的欢庆，人们的笑声和烟花的期待在寒风中回荡。En: The air was filled with the celebrations of the New Year, with laughter and the anticipation of fireworks resonating in the cold wind.Zh: 嘉浩站在人群中，手中攥着一张神秘的信息卡，上面写着一个时间和地点——正是现在，正是这里。En: Jiahao stood amidst the crowd, clutching a mysterious information card that displayed a time and place—it was precisely now, precisely here.Zh: 他对这一切的好奇压过了心头的恐惧。En: His curiosity about it all outweighed the fear in his heart.Zh: 明知道这次会面可能充满未知风险，但嘉浩仍决定去见那个神秘人。En: Although he knew that this meeting might be fraught with unknown risks, Jiahao still decided to meet the mysterious person.Zh: 他脑中响起好友梅的声音，“小心一点，嘉浩！En: In his mind, he heard the voice of his friend Mei, who had said, "Be careful, Jiahao!Zh: 不行就别去。En: If it doesn't feel right, don't go."Zh: ”然而，他注定要找到答案。En: However, he was destined to seek the answer.Zh: 嘉浩沿着外滩慢慢走着，眼睛时不时扫向四周，寻找信息中提到的“标记”。En: Jiahao walked slowly along the The Bund, occasionally glancing around, searching for the “mark” mentioned in the message.Zh: 忽然，他看见一个风衣男子站在灯塔下。En: Suddenly, he saw a man in a trench coat standing under a lighthouse.Zh: 他心跳骤然加快，知道这就是他要找的人。En: His heart suddenly raced, knowing that this was the person he was looking for.Zh: 梅并不知道这么快就找到了，而嘉浩已无退路。En: Mei did not know that he would find them so quickly, and Jiahao had no way to retreat.Zh: 他深吸一口气走上前，那男子也注意到了他。En: He took a deep breath and walked forward; the man noticed him as well.Zh: 两人目光交汇，沉默片刻。En: Their eyes met, and they were silent for a moment.Zh: 然后，男子从口袋里掏出一个无标记的白色信封，递给嘉浩。En: Then, the man pulled a plain white envelope with no markings from his pocket and handed it to Jiahao.Zh: 就在此刻，天空中绽放出灿烂的烟花，五光十色的光芒在夜空中绚丽闪烁。En: At that moment, fireworks burst in the sky, colorful lights dazzling in the night.Zh: 嘉浩接过信封，“谢谢。En: Jiahao took the envelope, saying softly, "Thank you."Zh: ”他低声说，怀疑和好奇交织在心中。En: Inside him, suspicion and curiosity intertwined.Zh: 信封很轻，嘉浩感觉里面藏着某种秘密。En: The envelope was light, and Jiahao felt that it hid some kind of secret.Zh: 他小心翼翼地打开，只看到一把小钥匙和一张纸条。En: He carefully opened it to find only a small key and a note.Zh: 纸条上写着一个地址，除此之外什么也没有。En: The note had an address and nothing else.Zh: 无论如何，他知道自己的疑问又多了一层。En: Nevertheless, he knew his questions had just deepened.Zh: 他抬头，那名叫梁的男子已经消失在茫茫人海中。En: He looked up, but the man named Liang had already vanished into the sea of people.Zh: 嘉浩心中深知，这把钥匙和纸条并不是结束，而是一个新的开始。En: Jiahao knew deep down that this key and note were not the end but a new beginning.Zh: 他站在烟火下，漫天的光影之中，心中涌现出不一样的坚定。En: He stood under the fireworks, amid the dazzling light and shadows, feeling a newfound determination.Zh: 他决定无论这个线索将他引向何方，他都会勇敢地面对。En: He decided that no matter where this clue led him, he would face it bravely.Zh: 新年的钟声响起，嘉浩迎来了他的另一个季节，心中有了新的期待。En: The chimes of the New Year began, ushering in another season for Jiahao, with new hopes arising in his heart. Vocabulary Words:brilliantly: 辉煌illuminated: 灯火teeming: 涌动anticipation: 期待resonating: 回荡clutching: 攥着outweighed: 压过fraught: 充满unknown: 未知retrreat: 退路glancing: 扫向mark: 标记raced: 骤然加快envelope: 信封intertwined: 交织vanished: 消失determination: 坚定chimes: 钟声ushering: 迎来了bravely: 勇敢地curiosity: 好奇mysterious: 神秘dazzling: 灿烂risk: 风险carefully: 小心翼翼地hidden: 藏着secret: 秘密noticing: 注意到suspect: 怀疑shadows: 光影

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Fireworks, Fate, and The Unforgettable Night in Shanghai Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-12-29-08-38-20-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 上海外滩的灯光闪烁，在冬季的新年夜，空气中弥漫着期待。En: The lights of Shanghai's Bund flickered on the New Year's Eve of winter, with an air of anticipation in the air.Zh: 街道拥挤，游客们裹着围巾，脸上带着微笑。En: The streets were crowded, and tourists wrapped in scarves wore smiles on their faces.Zh: 黄浦江的水面反射着灯光，天空渐渐暗下来，等待着烟花表演的开始。En: The surface of the Huangpu River reflected the lights as the sky gradually darkened, awaiting the start of the fireworks display.Zh: 梅琳站在人群中，心里既兴奋又紧张。En: Mei Lin stood among the crowd, feeling both excited and nervous.Zh: 她是第一次来上海，期待与多年的笔友建见面。En: It was her first time in Shanghai, and she was eager to meet her pen pal of many years, Jian.Zh: 今晚，他们计划一起迎接新年，对梅琳来说，这个夜晚承载着许多期待。En: Tonight, they planned to greet the New Year together, and for Mei Lin, this night carried a lot of expectations.Zh: 渐渐地，四周的人越来越多，梅琳看到身边的人们都在欢声笑语。En: Gradually, more and more people surrounded her, and Mei Lin saw the people around her laughing and chatting joyfully.Zh: 她的小心脏扑通扑通跳得飞快。En: Her little heart was pounding rapidly.Zh: 突然，她看见一个熟悉的身影，以为是建。En: Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure and thought it was Jian.Zh: 她急忙向那个方向走去，心中默念着，希望他的真实模样如她想象的一样美好。En: She hurried in that direction, silently hoping that his real appearance would be as wonderful as she imagined.Zh: 但不知为何，她跟随的人其实是莉莉的哥哥。En: But for some reason, the person she followed was actually Lili's brother.Zh: 此时，莉莉正巧和建一起在人群中寻找梅琳。En: Meanwhile, Lili coincidentally was with Jian in the crowd, looking for Mei Lin.Zh: 莉莉是一位热情的本地导游，喜欢为游客制造神奇的瞬间。En: Lili was a passionate local tour guide who loved creating magical moments for tourists.Zh: 她很快发现梅琳跟错了人。En: She quickly realized that Mei Lin had followed the wrong person.Zh: 莉莉灵机一动，决定在最完美的时刻安排他们见面。En: Lili had a quick idea and decided to arrange their meeting at the perfect moment.Zh: 建急切地想找到梅琳。En: Jian was eagerly wanting to find Mei Lin.Zh: 他的心就像冬日的气氛一样紧张。En: His heart was as tense as the winter atmosphere.Zh: 旁边的莉莉则调皮地笑着，安慰他说她有办法。En: Next to him, Lili playfully smiled, reassuring him that she had a plan.Zh: 午夜即将来临，烟花即将绽放。En: Midnight was approaching, and the fireworks were about to bloom.Zh: 当梅琳意识到自己跟错人时，心里一凉，但很快烟花在空中开始绽放。En: When Mei Lin realized she had followed the wrong person, her heart sank, but soon the fireworks began to explode in the sky.Zh: 她抬头仰望，欣赏这美丽的光景。En: She looked up, admiring the beautiful spectacle.Zh: 这时，莉莉手中拿着一个小旗子挥舞着，指引着梅琳的方向。En: At that moment, Lili was waving a small flag to guide Mei Lin in the right direction.Zh: 梅琳顺着指引，看到了在人群另一侧的建。En: Mei Lin followed the guidance and saw Jian on the other side of the crowd.Zh: 他正向她微笑，眼里充满了坚定和温暖。En: He was smiling at her, his eyes filled with determination and warmth.Zh: 当时钟指向午夜，天空中一朵巨大的烟花绽放，形成了"爱"的字样，正如莉莉精心安排的那样。En: As the clock struck midnight, a huge firework bloomed in the sky, forming the word "love," just as Lili had meticulously arranged.Zh: 梅琳和建终于在人群中相遇，分享着属于他们的温暖时刻。En: Mei Lin and Jian finally met in the crowd, sharing a warm moment that belonged to them.Zh: 在这一刻，所有紧张和担忧都化为乌有。En: At this moment, all tension and worries vanished.Zh: 莉莉看到这一幕，微笑着向后退去，消失在热闹的人群中。En: Lili watched this scene, smiled, and quietly retreated into the lively crowd.Zh: 此刻，梅琳和建心中都有了不同的改变。En: At this moment, both Mei Lin and Jian felt a change in their hearts.Zh: 梅琳开始享受命运的惊喜，而建则鼓起勇气，终于大胆说出自己的心声。En: Mei Lin began to enjoy the surprises of fate, while Jian gathered the courage to finally express his feelings boldly.Zh: 在外滩，灯火辉煌，烟花如梦如幻，这真是一个难忘的新年夜。En: At the Bund, the lights were brilliant, and the fireworks were dreamlike, making it truly an unforgettable New Year's Eve. Vocabulary Words:flickered: 闪烁anticipation: 期待reflected: 反射surface: 水面darkened: 暗下来expectations: 期望surrounded: 围绕pounding: 扑通扑通familiar: 熟悉appearance: 模样coincidentally: 正巧eagerly: 急切reassuring: 安慰approaching: 将临spectacle: 光景guidance: 指引determination: 坚定meticulously: 精心vanished: 化为乌有retreated: 后退unforgettable: 难忘pen pal: 笔友crowded: 拥挤nervous: 紧张tourists: 游客chatting: 聊天magical: 神奇moment: 瞬间fireworks: 烟花bloomed: 绽放

As 2025 comes to a close, Shane reflects on the year by counting down the five most listened to episodes of Education Leaders. The podcast has grown significantly, doubling in size just in the last six months and reaching around 150 episodes total. Whether you've been following along all year or you're brand new to the show, this episode gives you a curated guide to the conversations that resonated most with school leaders worldwide. You'll hear about episodes covering everything from mastering your interview game to understanding why teachers resist great ideas, from curriculum change implementation to the unique challenges of teacher educators. Shane shares why each episode connected with listeners, what makes them valuable, and which specific insights from Katherine Birbalsingh, Dr Ciara O'Donnell, Christopher Youles, Ben Whitaker and Orla Dempsey stood out. If you're looking for the most impactful conversations from the year or want to catch up on episodes you might have missed, this countdown will guide you to exactly what busy school leaders found most useful. Resources & Links Mentioned:Master Your Leadership Interview Game | A Conversation with Orla DempseyHow To Learn From Everyone | A Conversation with Ben WhitakerWhy Teachers Resist your Great Ideas | A Conversation with Christopher YoulesWhen Teachers Teach Teachers | A Conversation with Dr. Ciara O'DonnellLeading With Conviction | A Conversation with Katharine BirbalsinghEducation Leaders Live bonus episodes with Chris Scorer Episode PartnersInternational Centre for Coaching in Education (Use discount code SHANE5 for 5% off)International Curriculum AssociationJoin Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensiveShane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The annual Shanghai-Taipei City Forum has opened in Shanghai, aiming to promote cooperation and exchanges in urban development.

Happy holidays from Sinica! This week, I speak with Paul Triolo, Senior Vice President for China and Technology Policy Lead at DGA Albright Stonebridge Group and nonresident honorary senior fellow on technology at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis. On December 8th, Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that he would approve Nvidia H200 sales to vetted Chinese customers — a decision that immediately sparked fierce debate. Paul and I unpack why this decision was made, why it's provoked such strong reactions, and what it tells us about the future of technology export controls on China. We discuss the evolution of U.S. chip controls from the Entity List expansions under Trump's first term through the October 2022 rules and the Sullivan Doctrine, the role of David Sacks and Jensen Huang in advocating for this policy shift, whether Chinese firms will actually want to buy H200s given their heterogeneous hardware stacks and Beijing's autarky ambitions, what the Reuters report about China cracking ASML's EUV lithography code tells us about the choke point strategy, and whether selective engagement actually strengthens Taiwan's Silicon Shield or undermines it. This conversation is essential listening for understanding the strategic, technical, and political dimensions of the semiconductor competition.6:44 – What the H200 decision actually changes in the real world 9:23 – The evolution of U.S. chip controls: from Entity Lists to the Sullivan Doctrine 18:28 – How Jensen Huang and David Sacks convinced Trump 25:21 – The good-faith case for why export control advocates see H200 approval as a strategic mistake 32:12 – What H200s practically enable: training, inference, or stabilizing existing clusters 38:49 – Will Chinese companies actually buy H200s? The heterogeneous hardware reality 46:06 – The strategic contradiction: exporting 5nm GPUs while freezing tool controls at 16/14nm 51:01 – The Reuters EUV report and what it reveals about choke point technologies 58:43 – How Taiwan fits into this: does selective engagement strengthen the Silicon Shield? 1:07:26 – Looking ahead: broader rethinking of export controls or patchwork exceptions? 1:12:49 – What would have to be true in 2-3 years for critics to have been right about H200?Paying it forward: Poe Zhao and his Substack Hello China TechRecommendations: Paul: Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, Amerca's Great Power Propheti by Ed Luce; Hyperdimensional Substack by Dean Ball Kaiser: Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green; The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green; So Very Small by Thomas LevensonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's an absolute honour to welcome Bernard (Barney) Haas from the Blue Man Group to the podcast. Barney was in Shanghai for a four-month residency, and I was lucky enough to attend one of the shows. I went in not knowing what to expect and came away completely blown away by the talent of the Blue Man Group performers — from drumming on bongos to create exploding paint, to catching marshmallows in their mouths, to creating art live on stage. The audience was a perfect mix of young kids through to grandparents, all equally captivated. In this episode, Barney and I talk about working in Shanghai and learning not just Chinese, but other languages along the way. We dive into his life in Ireland, busking on the streets, forming bands, and eventually landing acting roles. He shares how he first discovered Blue Man Group in an Indian restaurant, the intense audition process, meeting the original members, and travelling the world as part of one of the biggest live music productions in the world. We also talk about navigating the entertainment industry during COVID, his time with Le Wagon, his passion for tackling insomnia, and many unforgettable experiences from a truly unique career. Please welcome Barney Haas from the Blue Man Group.

In this episode of 5 Minutes of Peace, we welcome Stan Lai, one of the world's most acclaimed playwrights and theatre directors. Born in the U.S. and raised in both America and Taiwan, Stan earned his PhD from UC Berkeley and has since written over 40 groundbreaking plays, including A Dream Like a Dream and Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land. He is also the co-founder of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival and Huichang Theatre Village, and the creative force behind Theatre Above in Shanghai, a venue devoted entirely to his work.Today, Stan reads from Chapter Four of his new book, CreativitRy, released by Anthem Press — a deeply reflective and practical guide to awakening your own creative potential. Drawing on Buddhist philosophy and his own artistic journey, Stan explores the balance of wisdom and method, two essential parts of the creative process.He shares a transformative moment from a teaching trip to India, where a discussion with a Buddhist monk led him to realize that creativity, like spiritual practice, requires both technical skill and inner wisdom. Without this balance, our work—and our lives—remain incomplete.“To be an artist, you need to have skills. At the same time, you must have the wisdom to know what to use those skills for.”— Stan Lai, CreativitRyInstagram: @Stanlai99Book: CreativitRy on Amazon →Five Minutes of Peace is created by The Peace Room, Boise — offering Reiki treatments, crystal healings, and workshops for personal and spiritual growth.Learn more at www.thepeaceroom.love.

Several travel agencies have reported a significant hike in winter vacation tour bookings after schools and universities across China recently announced their winter holiday schedules. Industry insiders said domestic destinations with milder climates and overseas scenic spots are in intense competition to attract winter holiday travelers.多家旅行社表示，随着全国中小学和高校陆续公布寒假安排，冬季度假游预订量显著攀升。业内人士称，气候温和的国内目的地与海外景点正展开激烈竞争，争夺寒假游客资源。Since late November, primary and high schools nationwide, as well as universities, have been releasing their winter holiday plans, with vacation lengths ranging from 25 days to over 40 days.自11月下旬以来，全国中小学及高校陆续公布寒假安排，假期时长从25天到40多天不等。In Shanghai, for instance, primary and high school students will have 25 days off from Feb 2 to 27. In contrast, winter holiday breaks last 43 days in Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, starting in mid-January, as the region experiences earlier and more severe cold weather.例如，上海的小学生和中学生将从2月2日至27日享受25天的假期。相比之下，中国东北的黑龙江省因寒冷天气来得更早且更为严酷，其寒假从1月中旬开始，长达43天。As students' winter vacations will overlap with the Spring Festival holiday—a traditional Chinese period for family reunions falling in mid-February next year—many families are choosing to travel during the first half of their children's winter breaks to avoid travel peaks and potential price hikes for flights and hotel rooms during the Spring Festival holiday period.由于学生寒假将与春节假期重叠——这个中国传统的团圆时节将于明年二月中旬到来——许多家庭选择在孩子寒假的前半段出行，以避开春节期间的出行高峰和机票酒店可能上涨的价格。"I plan to take my son on a week-long winter tour in late January using my paid leave, although we haven't finalized the dates yet," said Wang Li, 39, who works in Beijing." We have two final choices—Hainan in South China and Kunming in Southwest China—both of which enjoy milder climates in winter."39岁的北京上班族王莉（音译）表示：“我计划在一月底用带薪休假带儿子进行为期一周的冬游，不过具体日期尚未敲定。我们有两个最终选择——中国南部的海南和西南部的昆明，这两个地方冬季气候都比较温和。”Wang said she previously sent her son to winter holiday tutoring classes, such as ice hockey and tennis, and scheduled family trips during the Spring Festival holiday. "Those plans cost much more because accommodation and flight prices skyrocketed during Spring Festival. This winter holiday, I want to move the family trip to earlier," she said.王莉（音译）表示表示，她此前曾让儿子参加寒假补习班，比如冰球和网球课程，并在春节假期安排了家庭旅行。她说：“这些计划花费更高，因为春节期间住宿和机票价格飞涨。这个寒假，我想把家庭旅行提前安排。”Wang is not alone. Travel portal Qunar said tour bookings from mid-January—when most students begin their winter school breaks—to the period before the Spring Festival holiday have seen significant growth since late November.王莉（音译）并非个例。旅游门户网站去哪儿网表示，自1月下旬（多数学生开始寒假）至春节假期前的旅游预订量，自11月下旬以来呈现显著增长。Qunar also reported a notable increase in flight ticket bookings for children during that period. Bookings for infants and children aged up to 12 rose by 60.7 percent year-on-year. Domestically, warmer destinations including Zhuhai in Guangdong province, Sanya in Hainan, and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province have all seen a surge in tourism bookings, the platform said.去哪儿旅游网数据显示，同期儿童机票预订量显著增长，0至12岁婴幼儿及儿童机票预订量同比增长60.7%。该平台指出，国内旅游方面，广东珠海、海南三亚、云南西双版纳等温暖目的地均迎来旅游预订高峰。Overseas destinations such as Thailand and Russia are also popular choices for winter holiday travelers. According to Qunar, Thailand is currently the top overseas destination on its platform, with flight ticket bookings from the Chinese mainland to the country increasing 21 percent from mid-January to the eve of the Spring Festival holiday.泰国和俄罗斯等海外目的地也是冬季度假游客的热门选择。据去哪儿旅游网数据显示，泰国目前在其平台上位居海外目的地榜首，1月中旬至春节假期前夕，中国大陆至泰国的机票预订量同比增长21%。Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu, noted a boom in overseas winter holiday tours.途牛旅游网副总裁齐春光指出，海外冬季度假游呈现爆发式增长。"Some long-distance tour products to Australia and New Zealand for the winter holiday have already sold out," Qi said. "Tours to Europe, Dubai and Egypt will see a booking rush this month." He added that tour products to overseas island destinations such as the Maldives are also entering their peak reservation season.齐春光表示：“部分澳大利亚和新西兰的冬季长途旅游产品已售罄，本月欧洲、迪拜和埃及的旅游线路将迎来预订高峰。”他补充道，前往马尔代夫等海外岛屿目的地的旅游产品也正进入预订旺季。Zhou Chenjie, 42, who lives in Shanghai, said she has booked a five-day family trip to Thailand starting Feb 4. "It's my daughter's birthday wish," Zhou said. "Traveling before the Spring Festival holiday is a good deal, as flight tickets and hotel rooms are offered at discounted prices."现居上海的42岁周晨洁（音译）表示，她已预订了2月4日起为期五天的泰国家庭游，她说：“这是女儿的生日愿望。春节前出行很划算，机票和酒店都提供折扣价。”

You can't avoid pain, but you can choose which pain is worth it.In this episode of Innovators Inside, Hong Kong–raised entrepreneur and two-time TEDx speaker Yunsu Tang shares her journey from a stable corporate career in Hong Kong and Shanghai to rebuilding in London's startup ecosystem. She unpacks imposter syndrome, why anxiety often comes from a lack of data points, and what she learned from hundreds of user interviews. Then she breaks down how her new company Syncro uses AI to turn information overload into actionable stakeholder intelligence—without losing sight of the deeply human need for real, imperfect connection.Topics & Timestamps

Today we're honored to welcome Stan Lai, one of the world's most celebrated playwrights and theatre directors. He has been called by one critic ‘the major contemporary Asian playwright of his time, perhaps of all time' and by the BBC ‘the best Chinese-language playwright and director in the world'. Stan's Website @Stanlai99 on Instagram Stan on YouTube Born in the U.S. and raised in both America and Taiwan, Stan earned his PhD from UC Berkeley before launching a groundbreaking career in Taiwan that now spans over 40 acclaimed plays, including masterpieces like A Dream Like a Dream and Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land. He's also the co-founder of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival and Huichang Theatre Village in China, and his Shanghai venue, Theatre Above, is dedicated entirely to his work.Stan joins us today to discuss his new book, CreativitRy: Asia's Iconic Playwright Reveals the Art of Creativity, coming in November 2025 from Anthem Press — a transformative guide that blends memoir, Buddhist philosophy, and practical methods for unlocking the creative potential that lives within each of us. https://a.co/d/56PRqeG5 QuestionsThe Source of CreativityStan, you've said that CreativitRy explores “where creativity lives — within each and every one of us.” How did your own creative process as a playwright and director lead you to this realization, and what inspired you to put these ideas into book form?From Stage to Page — Translating Art into InsightYour plays are known for their emotional depth and philosophical reach. How was writing about creativity — in prose rather than in performance — a different kind of creative act for you?Buddhist Wisdom and Creative FlowYou describe the book as rooted in Buddhist thought, guiding readers to unlock creativity through introspection rather than productivity hacks. How do mindfulness and spiritual awareness shape your own approach to artistic creation?Creativity as Education — A New FrontierCreativitRy is being adopted as the foundational text for a new Department of Creative Studies at major Chinese universities. How did that initiative come about, and what does it say about the growing importance of creativity in education and society today?The Universality of the Creative JourneyYou've been praised by artists like Ang Lee and Jack Ma for bridging the arts, business, and human growth. What do you hope readers — whether they're artists, entrepreneurs, or students — will take away from CreativitRy about living a truly creative life?Stan, as we close, what's one piece of advice you'd offer to someone who feels disconnected from their creativity — someone who wants to rediscover that creative energy in everyday life?Thanks to our sponsor, White Cloud Coffee — fueling creative conversations everywhere. Listeners, enjoy 10% off your first order at whitecloudcoffee.com.And be sure to download your free e-book of Your World of Creativity when you visit

Last time we spoke about the Japanese Victory over Changkufeng. Japan's generals hatched a plan: strike at night, seize the peak, then bargain if need be. Colonel Sato, steady as a compass, chose Nakano's brave 75th Regiment, selecting five fearless captains and a rising star, Nakajima, to lead the charge. Ahead, scouts and engineers threaded a fragile path through darkness, while distant Soviet tanks rumbled like distant thunder. At 2:15 a.m., wire breached and soldiers slipped over the slope. The crest resisted with brutal tenacity, grenades flashed, machine guns spit fire, and leaders fell. Yet by 5:15 a.m. dawn painted the hill in pale light, and Japanese hands grasped the summit. The dawn assault on nearby Hill 52 and the Shachaofeng corridor followed, with Takeshita's and Matsunobe's units threading through fog, fire, and shifting trenches. Narukawa's howitzers answered the dawn with measured fury, silencing the Soviets' early artillery as Japanese infantry pressed forward. By daybreak, the Russians were driven back, their lines frayed and retreating toward Khasan. The price was steep: dozens of officers dead or injured, and a crescent of smoke and memory left etched on every face.    #181 The Russian Counter Offensive over the Heights 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. After admitting the loss of Changkufeng and Shachaofeng by dawn on 31 July, the Russian government issued a communique the next day asserting that Soviet troops had "hurled back a Japanese division… after a two-day battle" involving tanks, artillery, and aircraft. Some hours after the Japanese penetration, Soviet regulars rushed to the scene and drove out the invaders. Japanese losses amounted to 400 men; Soviet losses were 13 killed and 55 wounded. On Soviet soil, the Japanese abandoned five cannons, 14 machine guns, and 157 rifles, while the Russians admitted losing one tank and one gun. A Soviet reconnaissance pilot may have fallen into Japanese hands after bailing out. "Both before and during the Japanese attack… Soviet troops did not once cross the Manchukuoan frontier,which deprived them of the possibility of surrounding or outflanking the invaders." By 1 August, Russian ground forces were deployed and the Soviet Air Force took action. Soviet aircraft appeared at 24:30 to reconnoiter. Soon after, more than ten planes flew in formation, launching strikes against forward units. Eight sorties, light bombers and fighters, roughly 120–150 aircraft in flights of two or three dozen, bombed and strafed. Raids were conducted by as many as 30 planes, though no Soviet losses were reported. The Russians also hit targets on the Korean side of the Tumen. The 75th Regiment judged that the Soviet Air Force sought only to intimidate. Russian planes dropped several dozen bombs on the Kyonghun bridge, but the span was not struck; damage was limited to the railway, producing an impression of severity that was misleading. The lack of air cover troubled the troops most. Japanese casualties on 1 August were modest: three men wounded in the 75th Infantry, and one wounded and a horse killed in the 76th. However the three Japanese battalions expended over 15,000 machine-gun and 7,000 rifle rounds that day. The appearance of Soviet air power at Changkufeng drew anxious international attention. Shanghai reports electrified observers, who anticipated that major Russo-Japanese hostilities would transform the China campaign overnight. Some observers were openly dismayed, foreseeing a prolongation of the mainland war with potential benefits to Soviet interests. Japanese Army spokesmen sought to downplay the situation. Officers in Hsinking told correspondents that the raids, while serious, represented only a face-saving measure. The Red Army was reportedly attempting to compensate for losses at Changkufeng and other disputed positions, but aside from the bombings, the frontier remained quiet. If the Russians were serious, observers noted, they would have bombed the vital Unggi railway bridge, which remained untouched; raids focused on minor bridges, with limited damage. In Tokyo, foreign observers believed the appearance of about 50 Soviet heavy bombers over North Korea signaled an extension of the incidents and that the Japanese government was taking urgent measures. Military leaders decided not to escalate but prepared for emergencies. The Korea Army Headquarters denied Soviet bombing of Harbin in Manchuria or Najin and Chongjin in Korea. Regarding retaliation, an American correspondent reported that the Japanese military had no intention of bombing Russian territory. Although Soviet use of aircraft introduced a new dimension of danger, the main efforts remained ground-based on both sides. After Japanese troops cleared Changkufeng and Shachaofeng, the Russians appeared to be redeploying to contract their defensive frontage; no troops or works remained west of Khasan. Four or five Russian infantry companies and ten artillery pieces stood between the lake and Paksikori, while the main forces, with numerous gun sites, were concentrated west of Novokievsk. On the Kwantung Army front in southeast Manchuria, no changes were observed. "The Russians were apparently shocked by their defeat at Changkufeng and must suddenly have resorted to negative, conservative measures." Korea Army Headquarters assessed the situation as of the evening of 31 July: "The enemy must fear a Japanese advance into the Novokievsk plain and therefore is concentrating his main forces in that district. Our interests require that we anticipate any emergency, so we must prepare the necessary strength in the Kyonghun region and reinforce positions at Wuchiatzu."  At 20:45 on the 31st, the 19th Division received a detailed message from the Hunchun garrison commander describing his northward deployments. Suetaka was heartened; he "earnestly desired to bring about the end of the incident as a result of the fighting of 30–31 July but was equally resolved to defend the border firmly, based on Japanese interpretation of the Hunchun pact, in case the Soviet side did not perform intensive self-reflection." First, Suetaka issued instructions from Kyonghun at 8:15 on the 31st via K. Sato: "It is our intention that Changkufeng and the high ground northwest of Shachaofeng be secured, as well as the high ground south of Shachaofeng if possible. Enemy attacks are to be met at our positions, but you are not to pursue far." Second, Colonel Tanaka was instructed not to fire as long as Russian artillery did not bombard friendly forces. "Except for preparing against counterassaults, your actions will be cautious. In particular, harassing fire against inhabited places and residents is prohibited." Suetaka was finally armed with formal authority, received at 22:05 on 1 August. He did not delay in implementing it. At 23:00 he ordered the immediate rail movement of strong reinforcements: the alerted infantry brigade headquarters, as well as four infantry battalions and the remaining mountain artillery battalion. Thus, Suetaka could deploy forward not only the forces he had requested but also a brigade-level organization to assume control of the now sizeable combat elements massed at the front for "maneuvers." Earlier that afternoon he had already moved his division's message center forward to the Matsu'otsuho heights at the Tumen, and he regularly posted at least one staff officer there so that the center could function as the division's combat headquarters. An additional matter of explosive potential was built into the divisional order: provision of Japanese Air Force cover for rail movements forward, although use of aircraft had been prohibited by all higher headquarters; Nakamura intended only ground cover. At the front, Japanese units spent most of their time consolidating their hard-won positions. By 3 on 1 August, a column of Soviet forces with vehicles was observed moving from the east side of Khasan. Late in the day, the division received an extremely important telegram from the 2nd (Intelligence) Section of the Kwantung Army: "According to a special espionage report from our OSS in Khabarovsk city, Red Army authorities there have decided to retake the high ground along Changkufeng." From other intelligence, the Kwantung Army concluded that the Russians were rebuilding in the Novokievsk region. Frequent movements observed immediately to the rear of the Soviet battle zone caused K. Sato to grow apprehensive about a dawn counterattack on the 1st, and he reinforced Changkufeng with the 6th Company. The second of August was marked by continuation of Soviet air attacks and the anticipated Russian counteroffensive. According to Japanese intelligence, Marshal Blyukher had arrived in Khabarovsk, and Lieutenant General Sokolov was in Voroshilov. An offensive buildup, estimated at about 3,000 men plus tanks and guns, was reported in the Kozando area by evening on the 1st. Hirahara, commanding the battalion at Changkufeng, grew concerned about Hill 52. With day's end approaching, he reinforced the defenses further and ordered the battalion medical officer to establish a dressing station at Fangchuanting. Around 15:00 Soviet artillery began firing at forward areas, especially gun positions; the bombardments were described as severe. Japanese artillery sought to conserve ammunition, firing only at worthwhile, short-range targets. Main Russian ground actions focused on the far-right (Hill 52) and far-left (Shachaofeng) sectors, not Changkufeng. In line with Hirahara's orders, two infantry companies and four heavy machine guns were moved by 8:00 from Changkufeng to the heights 800 meters southeast. Soviet heavy artillery pounded the zone between Fangchuanting and Hill 52; observing the enemy became difficult. Russian planes engaged at 9:00 fighters, then bombers, to soften defenses and gun positions. Meanwhile, the Soviets deployed firepower southeast of Khasan, while two infantry battalions and more than ten tanks advanced through the pines on the western slopes. Japanese regimental guns and two machine-gun platoons at Hill 52 attacked the enemy heavy machine guns and neutralized them. By 10:00 the Russians had advanced with heavy weapons to the high ground 800 meters from Hill 52. From Changkufeng, the battalion guns engaged heavy weapons. Hirahara moved with the engineers and battalion guns to the heights to which he had transferred reinforcements earlier, took command, and prepared an assault. Initially, Soviet troops advanced in formation, but after cresting a dip, they dispersed and moved onto the high ground opposite Hill 52. Heavily armed, they drew within 700 meters, with artillery and heavy machine guns providing coverage. By 10:00 Sato requested Shiozawa's mountain guns across the Tumen to unleash a barrage against Hill 52's front. For about half an hour, the battery fired. By 10:30, the Soviet advance grew listless. Believing the moment ripe, Hirahara deployed his men to charge the foe's right wing, ordering rapid movement with caution against eastern flank fire. On the heights north of Hill 52, Inagaki watched the struggle; with the telephone out and the situation urgent, he brought up firepower on his own initiative. Taking the main body of the 1st Machine Gun Company, along with the battalion guns, he moved out at noon, making contact with the 10th Company on Hill 52 around 14:00, where the Japanese machine guns and battalion guns joined the fray. The Russians, losing momentum, were checked by Japanese heavy weapons and by mountain guns from Hill 82. Hirahara's main battalion advanced onto the high ground north of Hill 52 around noon. By 15:00, two enemy companies began to fall back, climbing the western slopes of Hill 29 as the main forces retreated piecemeal to a dip. By 16:00, Suetaka observed that his units were continuing to secure their positions and were "gradually breaking the hostile intention." Despite heat and rain, front-line troops showed fatigue but remained vigilant. Between 11:00 and 16;00, Sato inspected the lines and directed defensive positions, particularly at Hill 52. After a poor initial performance, the Russians awaited reinforcements before attempting another assault on Hill 52. They moved up a mechanized corps, and by 15:00 50 tanks massed east of Maanshan. Around 17:00, the Russians began moving south along the high ground across Khasan. Another two Soviet battalions advanced along the Tumen hills, led by armor. Hirahara anticipated an assault at twilight, especially after 18:00, when nine bombers struck Hill 52. Earlier, Takeshita had received reports from the antitank commander, Lieutenant Saito, that at 17:00 several enemy tanks and three infantry battalions were advancing from Hill 29. Convinced of an imminent Soviet strike, Takeshita ordered the defense to conceal its efforts and to annihilate the foe with point-blank fire and hand-to-hand fighting. He sought to instill confidence that hostile infantry could not reach the positions. Before 19:00, the enemy battalions came within effective range, and Japan opened with all available firepower. Rapid-fire antitank guns set the lead tank alight; the remaining tanks were stopped. Support came from Hisatsune's regimental guns and two antitank gun squads atop Changkufeng. The Russian advance was checked. By nightfall, Soviet elements had displaced heavy weapons about 400 meters from Japanese positions. As early as 16:00, Suetaka ordered a mountain artillery squad to cross the river. Sato told Takeshita at 7:30 that there would be a night attack against Hill 52. Takeshita was to annihilate the foe after allowing them to close to 40–50 meters. The Russians did mount a night assault and pressed close between 8 and 9 p.m. with three battalions led by four tanks. The main force targeted Takeshita; all ten Russian heavy machine guns engaged that side. Japanese machine guns and battalion guns joined the fray. The Russians pressed within 30 meters, shouted "Hurrah! Hurrah!" and hurled grenades before advancing a further 15 meters. The Japanese repelled the first waves with grenades and emplaced weapons, leaving light machine guns and grenade dischargers forward. Soviet illuminating shells were fired to enable closer approaches within 100 meters. Japanese grenade-discharger fire blasted the forces massed in the dead space before the works. While the Hill 52 night attack collapsed, other Russian units, smaller in strength and with one tank leading, moved against the hill on the left that the Japanese had not yet occupied that morning. The Russians advanced along the Khasan slope north of Hill 52, came within point-blank range, and shouted but did not charge. By 22:00, the Japanese, supported by machine guns, had checked the foe. Thereupon, the 6th Company, now under a platoon leader, Narusawa, launched a counterattack along the lake. "The enemy was bewildered and became dislocated. Buddies were heard shouting to one another, and some could be seen hauling away their dead." The Soviet troops held back 300–400 meters and began to dig in. Sato decided artillery should sweep the zone in front of Hill 52. At 21:30, he requested support, but the mountain guns could not open fire. Still, by 23:00, not a shadow of an enemy soldier remained on the Hill 52 front, where the Japanese spent the night on alert. In the northern sector, eight Russian tanks crossed the Japanese-claimed border at 5:25 on 2 August and moved south to a position northwest of Shachaofeng. Around 7 Russian artillery opened fire to "prepare" the Japanese while a dozen heavy bombers attacked. An hour later, the ground offensive began in earnest, with one and a half to two infantry battalions, a dozen machine guns, and several tanks. Supporting Takenouchi's left wing were several batteries of mountain artillery and two heavy batteries. Well-planned counterfire stopped the offensive. There was little change north of Shachaofeng and in the southeast, where Kanda's company held its positions against attack. On Takenouchi's front, Akaishizawa notes 120-degree daytime heat and nighttime chill. Men endured damp clothes and mosquitoes. To keep warm at night, soldiers moved about; during the day they sought shade and camouflage with twigs and weeds. No defense existed against cold night rain. Nocturnal vigilance required napping by day when possible, but the intense sun drained strength. For three days, Imagawa's company had only wild berries and dirty river water to eat. At 6:00 on 2 August, Colonel Tanaka exhorted his artillery to "exalt maximum annihilation power at close range, engage confirmed targets, and display firepower that is sniperlike—precise, concentrated, and as swift as a hurricane." Tanaka devised interdiction sectors for day and night attacks. At 10:30, the artillery laid down severe fire and eventually caused the enemy assault to wither. Around 24:40, Rokutanda's battalion detected a Russian battalion of towed artillery moving into positions at the skirt of Maanshan. When the first shells hit near the vanguard, a commander on horseback fled; the rest dispersed, abandoning at least eight artillery wagons and ten vehicles. Suetaka, observing from the Kucheng BGU, picked up the phone and commended the 3rd Battalion. Japanese casualties on 2 August were relatively light: ten men killed and 15 wounded. Among the killed, the 75th Infantry lost seven, the 76th Infantry two, and the engineers one. Among the wounded, the 75th suffered nine and the 76th six. Infantry ammunition was expended at an even higher rate than on 30–31 July. In Hirahara's battalion area, small arms, machine guns, ammunition, helmets, knapsacks, and gas masks were captured. A considerable portion of the seized materiel was employed in subsequent combat, as in the case of an antitank gun and ammunition captured on 31 July. Soviet casualties to date were estimated at 200–250, including 70 abandoned corpses. Twelve enemy tanks had been captured, and five more knocked out on 1–2 August; several dozen heavy bombers and about 5,000 Soviet ground troops were involved in the concerted offensives.  Nevertheless, reports of an imminent Soviet night attack against Hill 52 on 2–3 August alarmed Suetaka as much as his subordinates. Shortly after 20:00 accompanied by his intelligence officer, Suetaka set out for the hill, resolved to direct operations himself. Somewhat earlier, the division had sent Korea Army Headquarters a message, received by 18:30, reflecting Suetaka's current outlook: 30 to 40 Soviet planes had been bombing all sectors since morning, but losses were negligible and morale was high. The division had brought up additional elements in accord with army orders, and was continuing to strive for nonenlargement, but was "prepared firmly to reject the enemy's large-scale attacks." Impressed by the severity of the artillery and small-arms fire, Suetaka deemed it imperative "quickly to mete out a decisive counterassault and thus hasten the solution of the incident." But Japanese lines were thinly held and counterattacks required fresh strength. This state of affairs caused Suetaka to consider immediate commitment of the reinforcements moving to the front, although the Korea Army had insisted on prior permission before additional troops might cross the Tumen. Suetaka's customary and unsurprising solution was again to rely on his initiative and authorize commitment of every reinforcement unit. Nearest was T. Sato's 73rd Regiment, which had been ordered the night before to move up from Nanam. Under the cover of two Japanese fighters, these troops had alighted from the train the next morning at Seikaku, where they awaited orders eagerly.   K. Sato was receiving reports about the enemy buildup. At 20:10 orders were given to the 73rd Regiment to proceed at once to the Matsu'otsuho crossing and be prepared to support the 75th. Involved were T. Sato's two battalions, half of the total infantry reinforcements. Suetaka had something else in mind: his trump, Okido's 76th Infantry. At 23:40 he ordered this regiment, coming up behind the 73rd, to proceed to Huichungyuan on the Manchurian side of the Tumen, via Kyonghun, intercept the enemy, and be ready to go over to the offensive. On the basis of the information that the division planned to employ Okido's regiment for an enveloping attack, K. Sato quickly worked out details. He would conceal the presence of the reinforcements expected momentarily from the 73rd Regiment and would move Senda's BGU and Shimomura's battalion to Huichungyuan to cover the advance of the 76th Regiment and come under the latter's control. Japanese forces faced the danger of Soviet actions against Changkufeng from the Shachaofeng front after midnight on 2 August. Takenouchi had been ready to strike when he learned that the enemy had launched an attack at 01:00 against one of his own companies, Matsunobe's southwest of Shachaofeng. Therefore, Takenouchi's main unit went to drive off the attackers, returning to its positions at 02:30. The Russians tried again, starting from 04:00 on 03 August. Strong elements came as close as 300 meters; near 05:00 Soviet artillery and heavy weapons fire had grown hot, and nine enemy fighters made ineffective strafing passes. By 06:30 the Russians seemed thwarted completely. Hill 52 was pummeled during the three battles on 2 August. Taking advantage of night, the Russians had been regrouping; east of the hill, heavy machine guns were set up on the ridgeline 500 meters away. From 05:00 on 03 August, the Russians opened up with heavy weapons. Led by three tanks, 50 or 60 infantrymen then attacked from the direction of Hill 29 and reached a line 700–800 meters from the Japanese defenses. Here the Russian soldiers peppered away, but one of their tanks was set ablaze by gunfire and the other two were damaged and fled into a dip. Kamimori's mountain artillery reinforcements reached Nanpozan by 07:15 on 03 August. Tanaka issued an order directing the battalion to check the zone east of Hill 52 as well as to engage artillery across Khasan. A site for the supply unit was to be selected beyond enemy artillery range; on the day before, Russian shells had hit the supply unit of the 3rd Mountain Artillery Battalion, killing two men and 20 horses. The exposed force was ordered to take cover behind Crestline 1,000 meters to the rear. After 09:00 on 03 August, the artillery went into action and Japanese morale was enhanced. Near 09:00, Soviet bombardment grew pronounced, accompanied by bomber strikes. The Japanese front-line infantry responded with intensive fire, supported by mountain pieces and the regimental guns atop Changkufeng. Enemy forces stayed behind their heavy weapons and moved no further, while their casualties mounted. At 11:00 the Russians began to fall back, leaving only machine guns and snipers. One reason the Soviets had been frustrated since early morning was that K. Sato had seen the urgency of closing the gap midway between Changkufeng and Hill 52 (a site called Scattered Pines) and had shifted the 2nd Company from Changkufeng. Between 06:00 and 07:40, the company fired on Soviet troops which had advanced north of Hill 52, and inflicted considerable casualties. A corporal commanding a grenade launcher was cited posthumously for leading an assault which caused the destruction of three heavy machine guns. In the afternoon, the Japanese sustained two shellings and a bomber raid. Otherwise, the battlefield was quiet, since Russian troops had pulled back toward Hill 29 by 15:00 under cover of heavy weapons and artillery. At Hill 52, however, defense posed a problem, for each barrage smashed positions and trenches. During intervals between bombardments and air strikes, the men struggled to repair and reinforce the facilities. Changkufeng was again not attacked by ground troops during the day but was hit by planes and artillery. Trifling support was rendered by the mountain gun which had been moved to the Manchurian side of the Tumen. Japanese infantry reinforcements were on the way. By 23:00 on 02 August, T. Sato had left Shikai. His 73rd Regiment pushed forward along roads so sodden that the units had to dismantle the heavy weapons for hauling. The rate of advance was little more than one kilometer per hour, but finally, at 05:20 on 03 August, he reached Chiangchunfeng with the bulk of two battalions. The esprit of the other front-line troops "soared." K. Sato, who was commanding all forces across the Tumen pending Morimoto's setting up of headquarters for the 37th Brigade, had T. Sato take over the line to the left of Changkufeng, employing Takenouchi's old unit and the 73rd Regiment to cover Shachaofeng. T. Sato set out with his battalions at 06:00 amid heavy rain. By 07:30, under severe fire, he was in position to command the new left sector. According to division orders to Morimoto, this zone was to include the heights south and northwest of Shachaofeng, but, in the case of the former, it was "permissible to pull back and occupy high ground west of the heights south of Shachaofeng." T. Sato contemplated using his regiment to encircle the foe on the north side of the lake, while Okido's 76th Infantry formed the other prong. Most of the day afterward, Soviet artillery was active; the Japanese responded with barrages of their own. Eventually, from 15:30, the entire enemy front-line force in this sector began falling back under violent covering fire. Morimoto's initial operations order, received at 18:00, advised T. Sato officially that he was coming under command of the 37th Brigade. The night of 03–04 August passed with the units uneasy, striving to conduct security and reconnaissance while working on the battered defenses. Total Japanese casualties on 3 August were light again: six men killed and ten wounded, four of the dead and seven of the wounded being suffered by the 75th Infantry, the rest by Takenouchi's battalion. Ammunition was expended at a lower rate than on the preceding day. The Japanese War Ministry reported no significant change since nightfall on 03 August. Thereafter, the battlefield seemed to return to quiescence; Japanese morale was high. In the press abroad, Changkufeng attracted overriding attention. The world was no longer talking of "border affrays." Three-column headlines on page 1 of the New York Times announced: "Soviet Hurls Six Divisions and 30 Tanks into Battle with Japanese on Border, 2 Claims Conflict, Tokyo Reports Victory in Manchukuo and Foes' Big Losses, Moscow Asserts It Won." The startling claim that six Soviet divisions were in action seemed to have been supplied for external consumption by Hsinking as well as Seoul. According to Nakamura Bin, the Russians employed 4,000 to 5,000 men supported by 230 tanks. Although Japanese casualties were moderate, Soviet artillery bombardment had stripped the hills of their lush summer grass. According to the uninformed foreign press, "the meager information showed both sides were heavily armed with the most modern equipment. The Russians were using small, fast tanks and the Japanese apparently were forewarned of this type of weapon and were well supplied with batteries of armor-piercing antitank guns." On 03 August the Russians lost 200 men, 15 tanks, and 25 light artillery pieces. One feature of the fighting was Japanese use of "thousands of flares" to expose fog-shrouded enemy ranks during a Soviet night attack. During the "first phase counteroffensive" by the Russians on 2–3 August, the 75th Regiment judged that the enemy's choice of opportunities for attacking was "senseless"; once they started, they continued until an annihilating blow was dealt. "We did not observe truly severe attacking capacity, such as lightning breakthroughs." With respect to tactical methods, the Japanese noted that Soviet offensive deployment was characterized by depth, which facilitated piecemeal destruction. When Russian advance elements suffered losses, replacements were moved up gradually. Soviet artillery fired without linkage to the front-line troops, nor was there liaison between the ground attacks staged in the Shachaofeng and Hill 52 sectors. Since enemy troops fought entirely on their own, they could be driven off in one swoop. Additionally, although 20–30 Russian tanks appeared during the counterattacks, their cooperation with the infantry was clumsy, and the armor was stopped. Soviet use of artillery in mobile warfare was "poorness personified." "Our troops never felt the least concern about hostile artillery forces, which were quite numerous. Even privates scoffed at the incapability of Russian artillery." It seemed that "those enemies who had lost their fighting spirit had the habit of fleeing far." During the combat between 31 July and 03 August, the defeated Russians appeared to fear pursuit and dashed all the way back to Kozando, "although we did not advance even a step beyond the boundary." On 4 August Suetaka prepared a secret evaluation: the enemy attacks by day and night on 2 August were conducted by front-line corps built around the 40th Rifle Division. "In view of the failure of those assaults, the foe is bound to carry out a more purposeful offensive effort, using newly arrived corps reinforcements." Russian actions on 02 August had been the most serious and persistent offensive efforts undertaken since the outset of the incident, but they were about the last by the front-line corps whose immediate jurisdiction lay in the region of the incident. Consequently, the enemy's loss of morale as a result of their defeat on 30–31 July, combined with their lack of unity in attack power, caused the attacks to end in failure. "We must be prepared for the fact that enemy forces will now mount a unified and deliberate offensive, avoiding rash attacks in view of their previous reversal, since large new corps are coming up." 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 the shadowed night, Japan's Sato chose Nakano's 75th to seize a peak, sending five captains and a rising Nakajima into darkness. At 2:15 a.m., they breached wires and climbed the slope; dawn lit a hard-won crest, then Hill 52 and Shachaofeng yielded to resolve and fire. The day wore on with brutal artillery, fluttering bombers, and relentless clashes. By August's edge, casualties mounted on both sides, yet Japanese regiments held fast, repelling night assaults with grit. 

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide (Liveright, 2025), the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head.That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947.Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power.In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books, including Born in Blackness, French lives in New York City. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

In this year-end 2025 wrap-up, Craig Hemke for Sprott Money is joined by legendary investor Eric Sprott to dissect a historic year for precious metals. With gold up 65% and silver soaring, Eric discusses why the price of gold and silver are just getting started. From record-breaking physical silver demand in India to unprecedented delivery requests on the COMEX and Shanghai exchanges, Sprott believes the silver market is out of control—and that's just the beginning. Eric predicts a return to a 15:1 gold-silver ratio, suggesting silver could reach $300 if gold hits $4,500. They cover the latest on solid-state battery technology, China's silver export ban, and why mining stocks remain significantly undervalued despite the silver price doubling. If you're wondering whether now is the time to buy gold, buy silver, or dive into silver mining stocks, this is the must-watch podcast. With keywords like gold price, silver price, buy gold, buy silver, and precious metals investing front and center, you won't want to miss Eric's actionable insights. Note: This podcast was recorded on Thursday, 18th December 2025.

Is the US really in an AI race with China—or are we racing toward completely different finish lines?In this episode, Tristan Harris sits down with China experts Selina Xu and Matt Sheehan to separate fact from fiction about China's AI development. They explore fundamental questions about how the Chinese government and public approach AI, the most persistent misconceptions in the West, and whether cooperation between rivals is actually possible. From the streets of Shanghai to high-level policy discussions, Xu and Sheehan paint a nuanced portrait of AI in China that defies both hawkish fears and naive optimism.If we're going to avoid a catastrophic AI arms race, we first need to understand what race we're actually in—and whether we're even running toward the same finish line.Note: On December 8, after this recording took place, the Trump administration announced that the Commerce Department would allow American semiconductor companies, including Nvidia, to sell their most powerful chips to China in exchange for a 25 percent cut of the revenue.RECOMMENDED MEDIA“China's Big AI Diffusion Plan is Here. Will it Work?” by Matt SheehanSelina's blogFurther reading on China's AI+ PlanFurther reading on the Gaither Report and the missile gapFurther Reading on involution in ChinaThe consensus from the international dialogues on AI safety in ShanghaiRECOMMENDED YUA EPISODESThe Narrow Path: Sam Hammond on AI, Institutions, and the Fragile FutureAI Is Moving Fast. We Need Laws that Will Too.The AI ‘Race': China vs. the US with Jeffrey Ding and Karen Hao Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

China Eastern Airlines a inauguré le vol direct le plus long du monde, reliant Shanghai à Buenos Aires. Ce lancement est perçu comme un renforcement stratégique des liens Asie-Amérique du Sud.Traduction: China Eastern Airlines launched the world's longest direct flight, connecting Shanghai to Buenos Aires. This is viewed as a strategic strengthening of Asia-South America ties. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Mark Sidel, the Doyle Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a senior fellow at the International Center for Not for Profit Law. Mark has written extensively on law and philanthropy in China and across Asia, including widely cited analyses of how the Chinese security state came to play a central role in managing foreign civil society organizations. Since the Law on the Management of Domestic Activities of Overseas NGOs took effect on January 1, 2017, China has introduced a remarkably comprehensive, vertically integrated system of oversight for foreign NGOs, foundations, and nonprofits.We discuss how this system combines securitization and political risk management with selective accommodation of service provision and technical expertise, Mark's typology of organizational responses (survivors, hibernators, regionalizers, work-arounders, and leavers), the requirement that foreign NGOs secure professional supervisory units, the impact on China's domestic nonprofit ecosystem, and what this tells us about the party-state's long-term vision for controlled engagement with the outside world.4:43 – The landscape of non-state organizations before the 2016 law 7:06 – What changed: color revolutions, Arab Spring, and domestic anxieties 9:08 – Public security intellectuals and their influence on the law 11:51 – How registration and temporary activity filing systems work in practice 13:48 – Why the Ministry of Public Security, not Civil Affairs, was put in charge 19:31 – The professional supervisory unit requirement and dependency relationships22:48 – How the state shifted foreign NGO work away from advocacy without banning it26:17 – Mark's typology: survivors, hibernators, regionalizers, work-arounders, and leavers 35:19 – What correlates with success for those who have survived 40:41 – Impact on China's domestic nonprofit ecosystem and professional intermediaries 45:54 – What makes China's system distinctive compared to India, Egypt, Russia, and Vietnam 50:19 – The Article 53 problem and university partnerships 55:32 – Advice for mid-sized foundations or NGOs considering work in China todayPaying it Forward: Neysun Mahboubi and the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China RelationsRecommendations:Mark: Everyday Democracy: Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China by Anthony SpiresKaiser: The music of Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, The Dregs, Steve Morse Band)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Japan Stands Up for Taiwan While Canada Demurs: Colleagues Charles Burton and Gordon Chang report that Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi recently declared that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be a "survival threatening situation" for Japan, authorizing the mobilization of self-defense forces; this statement has triggered a massive propaganda campaign from Beijing demanding a retraction, as a successful invasion of Taiwan would likely require violating Japanese sovereignty, while in contrast Canada remains reluctant to support Tokyo or criticize Beijing, hoping to secure trade benefits and diversify exports away from the U.S., leaving Japan isolated by its allies. 1937 SHANGHAI

This isn't the final episode of 2025 for Des and Kara, but this is the last episode of the year with a long list of running results to discuss. Listen in because there was A LOT of running action this past weekend from XC to the indoor track to the marathon. Des and Kara start with updates on their recent travels - Des to Shanghai and Seoul, Kara to snowy Wisconsin. As highlights, we learn Des's nickname in China and get an update on Colt's race at Brooks XC regionals in proper blizzard conditions. Then, they turn to this past weekend's results, starting with Nike NXN and the US XC Champs in Portland. Who showed up and showed out to earn spots on the World XC team for the US?  Plus, holy Hedengren(!) as Jane H ran 14:44 to break the collegiate indoor and outdoor 5K record at BU. That's also the 2nd fastest time ever by an American indoors. She is only 19, but it seems like she is making it look too easy! The sky is the limit for her. Finally, they drill in on the US Marathon Champs at CIM (including Courtney D's near OTQ) and some fast times at the Valencia Marathon in Spain as the fall marathon season finally wraps up. Thanks to Lever Movement for sponsoring the very uplifting Top 5 this week. For 20% off on your Lever system, use code NOBODYASKEDUS at levermovement.com. 

PREVIEW — Charles Burton — The US Silence Regarding China's Threats Against Japan. Burton and John Batchelor discuss the strategic "mystery" of the United States failing to explicitly defend Japan against China's recent escalated threats directed toward Japan's new Prime Minister. Burton argues that China systematically deploys disinformation campaigns to misrepresent democratic Japan's legitimate defensive modernization as aggressive militarism, thereby expanding Beijing's regional influence through propaganda and narrative manipulation. Burton warns that this absence of explicit American allied support for Japan against Chinese coercion is "repugnant," undermining the credibility of the U.S.-Japan security alliance and emboldening Beijing to escalate pressure against regional partners through nuclear threats and strategic intimidation. 1937 SHANGHAI