Podcasts about Sichuan

This week on Sinica, Pulitzer Prize-winning veteran journalist Ian Johnson, now a senior China fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Kaiser to discuss his new book, Sparks" China's Underground HIstorians and their Battle for the Future. Profiling both prominent and lesser-known individuals working to expose dark truths about some of the grimmest periods of the PRC's history, including the Great Leap Forward famine and the violence of the Cultural Revolution, Johnson argues that the efforts of China's "counter-historians" have managed to survive the stepped-up efforts of Xi Jinping to control the historical narrative completely.03:27 – Is the obsessive control of historical narratives a particularly Chinese phenomenon?07:19 – The life of Ai Xiaoming and the creation of a collective memory as one of the main themes in the book21:46 – The story of Jiang Xue, citizen journalist25:22 – Journalistic stubbornness of Tan Hecheng28:39 – Cheng Hongguo and the Zhiwuzhi salon30:26 – Common traits shared by many Chinese regime critics37:17 – Is there a link between dissent in China and Christianity?39:53 – Historical nihilism and sensitive topics for the Chinese Communist Party47:08 – Are counter-historians especially noteworthy because they're exceptional, or representative?57:36 – The most important insight the book adds to our understanding of regime critics in ChinaA complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Ian: The Quiet Before: On the Unexpected Origins of Radical Ideas by Gal BeckermanUnofficial Chinese Archives Kaiser: Death in Venice and Other Tales by Thomas Mann, translated by Joachim NeugroschelSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, Kaiser speaks with Representative Rick Larsen of the Washington 2nd District, the co-founder and continuously serving Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group. Last month, he published a white paper outlining his recommendations for how the U.S. can more effectively compete. That paper and its recommendations are the focus of this week's show.02:35 – The origins of the U.S.-China Working Group04:44 – Updated version of the white paper: new priorities and recommendations in response to the new reality07:42 – What is the danger of bifurcating the world into blocs in Biden's administration?11:16 – Four guiding principles behind a four-point strategy.16:09 – Five issue areas mainly affected by the four-point strategy: national security, development, diplomacy, technology, and education.18:38 – What should be the approach we take toward China's Belt & Road Initiative?29:40 – The ideas for changes in education investment in the U.S. and the role of China34:08 – The response to the paper from the members of Congress as well as the general public 37:53 – Is there a bigger change happening regarding the relations with China?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations: Rep. Larsen: Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe by David MaranissKaiser: The Driftless Area (a topographical and cultural region in the Midwestern United States)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Roots is an enthusiastic young man hailing from Sichuan, China. Despite the strong Sichuanese accent, Roots, through his diligent practice, has successfully mastered standard Mandarin. Moreover, Roots is a popular Instagram teacher (IG: chinesewithroots), gaining over fifty thousand followers in just one month with his witty and humorous short videos. In this episode, Roots shares his journey from being a voice actor to becoming a Mandarin teacher for foreigners. He also provides insights into how he corrected his pronunciation. Let's get to know the lively and charming Roots teacher together! Roots老师是一个充满激情的四川小伙儿。尽管四川话有着浓重的口音，但是Roots凭借自己的刻苦练习，成功地练就了一口标准的普通话。同时，Roots也是Instagram上备受欢迎的网红老师（IG: chinesewithroots），他风趣幽默的短视频在短短一个月内吸引了五万多粉丝。在这期节目中，Roots将与我们分享他从配音员转型为对外汉语老师的人生经历，同时也会分享他如何纠正自己的发音问题的心得。让我们一同来认识这位充满活力和可爱的Roots老师吧！

This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Karen Hao, a reporter recently with the Wall Street Journal whose previous work with the MIT Technology Review has been featured on Sinica; and by Deborah Seligsohn, assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, who has been on the show many times just in the last three years. Both Karen and Deborah have written persuasively about the importance of renewing the U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement, first signed in 1979 shortly after the normalization of U.S.-China relations under Jimmy Carter and renewed, for the most part, every five years without much fuss — until this year. Karen and Debbi make clear what has been accomplished under the agreement's auspices, and why GOP concerns are largely misplaced.03:45 – The origins of the STA and the reasons for establishing it07:34 – Criticisms against the agreement — the question of IP theft and PLA's engagement17:53 – What is the real reason behind such a strong opposition towards the agreement?22:23 – How have the dynamics between China and the U.S. contribution to the STA changed over the years?30:36 – The consequences of ending the scientific relationship with China on the example of the terminated space exploration cooperation 35:23 – Which specific projects would be put on hold in case of lack of renewal of scientific cooperation with China?41:23 – Other scenarios for cooperation in the area of AI in the possible absence of the STA50:10 – Are there parts of the agreement that should be enhanced or improved?53:50 – What's the chance for a renewal of the agreement after the six-month extension?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.comRecommendations:Debbi: Abortion Opponents Are Targeting a Signature G.O.P. Public-Health Initiative by Peter Slevin (in The New Yorker)Karen: Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity by Daren Acemoglu and Simon JohnsonKaiser: King's War (Chinese TV series 《楚汉传奇》Chǔhàn chuánqí on NetflixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Panzhihua used to be a state secret. The steel-making city, buried deep in the mountains of Sichuan, formed part of Mao Zedong's Third Front, a covert plan to move core industries inland in case America or the Soviet Union attacked. David Rennie, The Economist's Beijing bureau chief, travels to Panzhihua to reflect on China's ambitious, costly experiment in self-reliance. He and Alice Su, The Economist's senior China correspondent, ask what lessons the city provides today and what happens when China's leaders choose national security over economic interests. Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/drumoffer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Sinica, MIT professor Yasheng Huang joins Kaiser to talk about his brand new book The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why they Might Lead to its Decline. This ambitious and thought-provoking book is bound to stir up quite a bit of controversy. It's a long conversation — but worth the listen!A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Something different this week on Sinica: A selection of "This Week in China's History" columns by James Carter, all narrated by Kaiser with a little interstitial music by Chunqiu (Spring & Autumn).The columns:Not just a metaphor: Dragons of imperial China show us how people lived (1517)The ‘Empress of China' and the beginning of U.S.-China trade (1784)The rise of Empress Dowager Cixi (1861)In the 7th century, a Chinese coup of Shakespearean proportions (626)Titanic's six Chinese survivors tell a story that goes far beyond a shipwreck (1912)The problem with Mao's ‘continuous' revolution (1967)The Battle of Red Cliffs and the blurring of fact and fiction (208-209)The music: snippets fromThe HuntsmanThe Last Page (intro)The SubcelestialA Call from AfarBetween the Mountains and the SeaBorn of the StormBorn of the Storm (again)A New DayThe Last Page (outro)All these tracks and more are available on Spotify here or on YouTube here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audio roundup of selected biopharma industry content from Scrip over the past business week. In this episode: a look at global executive compensation; Pfizer's new myeloma approval; Merck and Sichuan trump ADC breast cancer success; combo Alzheimer's therapies in Eisai's pipeline; and an overview of the state of gene therapy. https://scrip.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/SC148914/Quick-Listen-Scrips-Five-MustKnow-Things

Today's blockchain and cryptocurrency news Bitcoin is up slightly at $28,506 Eth is down slightly at $1,785 BNB is down slightly at $230 Ripple Labs opposes SEC's move to seek summary judgement North Korean hackers have nabbed over $180 million in the first half of the year per SK intelligence. Singapore authorities shut down money launderers. Securitize to acquire crypto investment platform Onramp Invest. Sichuan province makes metaverse push. Price of SEI slides on airdrop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Sinica, Kaiser welcomes back Lyle Goldstein, director for China engagement at the think tank Defense Priorities and previously a professor at the U.S. Naval War College, where he taught for 20 years. Lyle offers his perspectives on an extensive wargaming exercise focusing on a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan, conducted under the auspices of CSIS (the Center for Strategic and International Studies) and published in January of this year — the first such exercise whose findings were made public. He offers insight into the real value of the exercise, as well as some of its shortcomings.01:03 – The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan – the first large-scale publicly available wargame conducted by CSIS04:05 – The history of wargaming and its significance09:09 – What is the value of wargaming?13:12 – The physical setup of the wargames and the role of dice and technology in contingency17:49 – The assumptions that go into the game22:05 – How much agency do the players have?24:16 – How are the decisions of other countries factored in the wargame?26:11 – Pros and cons of the CSIS wargame31:57 – Thoughts on the possibility of nuclear escalation38:43 – A take on the report's assumptions and conclusions47:37 – Will we get a warning?A complete transcript of this episode is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:CSIS Report: The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of TaiwanLyle: Yin Yu Tang in Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MassachusettsKaiser: The Story of Civilization [Volumes 1 to 11] by Will & Ariel DurantOur Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1 by Will DurantMentioned:Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry by Lyle J. GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, Paul Triolo returns to the show to give us a rundown on what's happening in the exciting arena of generative AI in China. The veteran China tech watcher, who is now Senior VP for China and Technology Policy Lead at Dentons Global Advisors ASG, is Just back from a trip to China during which he spoke with numerous companies working in the space, Paul offers a great overview of what various companies are doing, and how they're responding to U.S. restrictions on the export of key hardware needed for large AI training and modeling.The timestamps and transcript will be up in a couple of days. Check back here soon for an update!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From migrating locals to new homes to banning logging and promoting ecotourism, panda conservation changes people's lives in China.Click here to read the article by Shao Yefan.Narrated by Kim Dalrymple.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Xi Jinping has called food security a “guozhidazhe”, a national priority. He's introduced new policies emphasising China's need to grow more of its own crops on its limited arable land. But these new plans clash with other signature directives, including pulling farmers out of poverty—and that is causing resentment and confusion.The Economist's Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss whether China is food insecure and why the Communist Party's legitimacy rests on its ability to feed the population. David travels to Sichuan to see how the overlapping rural reforms are affecting farmers. He and Alice ask whether Mr Xi's fixation on food security could be a warning of a future conflict. Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/drumoffer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we dive into the distinctive music of the Yi people, the sixth largest ethnic minority in China. In 2019, two Gen-Z musicians, Ji'er Chisha and Liu Junlin, embarked on a journey to the Yi ethnic areas in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces to collect folk songs. In March, 2023, they released an album featuring a collection of songs with strong Yi characteristics based on what they had seen, heard and felt during the three-year journey.

This week on Sinica, with Kaiser on holiday we're running a terrific Twitter Spaces conversation convened by Neysun Mahboubi of UPenn's Center for the Study of Contemporary China. He's gathered a great group including Yawei Liu, whose U.S.-China Perception Monitor under the Carter Center is the co-sponsor for Neysun's series, as well as Anna Ashton of the Eurasia Group, Robert Daly of the Kissinger Institute, Rorry Daniels of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Ian Johnson of the Council on Foreign Relations. Enjoy this in-depth exploration of the state of U.S.-China relations — as well as the opening segment on the fate of ex-PRC Foreign Minister Qin Gang.No transcript this week, but enjoy the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Xi Jinping has called for breaking new ground in China's high-quality development during an inspection tour in Sichuan.

A new building of the Sanxingdui Museum has started trial operation in the Chinese province of Sichuan. Nearly 600 relics unearthed from the renowned Sanxingdui Ruins are on display for the first time.

This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Margaret (Maggie) Lewis, professor of law at Seton Hall University and veteran Taiwan observer, and Paul Heer, former national intelligence officer for East Asia in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) under the Obama administration. Both were members of the Council on Foreign Relations's task force on U.S.-Taiwan policy, which produced a report titled “U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era: Responding to a More Assertive China.” Both also wrote dissents, included in the report, about some of its findings and recommendations. They discuss what they think the report got right — and what it got wrong.01:01 – Introduction to the CFR's report U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era: Responding to a More Assertive China05:09 – The mechanics of producing the report06:46 – Areas of common consensus among participants08:48 – What is the significance of the PLA's centennial in 2027 in view of the CFR task force?10:54 – Is the report too focused on the military at the expense of political, diplomatic, and economic considerations?14:22 – Taiwanese perspectives in the report16:36 – Strategic ambiguity and President Biden's “gaffes” as a new baseline for U.S. declaratory policy20:48 – The issue of deterrence: American and Chinese approaches25:48 – What has the United States done to move the status quo in terms of the Taiwan issue?41:06 – Is there evidence yet of Chinese preparation for a military action against Taiwan?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Maggie: Fever: The Hunt for Covid's Origin by John Sudworth (podcast)Paul: Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan Kennan: A life between Worlds by Frank Costigliola Kaiser: The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline by Yasheng HuangSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Strange, new clouds are appearing all over the world, and no one seems to have any explanation for what this could mean. In some cases, unusual cloud formations have appeared prior to a natural disaster, which is what happened in China during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Although these clouds have been added to the Cloud Atlas, which documents cloud formations, could they be the result of something unnatural? What about weather modification and sky pollution from giant factories? What about UFOs or alien technology? But the biggest question is: what really made these clouds? Join Ben and Rob on this Edge of Wonder Live as they take to the skies to unravel this mysterious phenomena. Hear about an Air Force document from 1996 that began the “chemtrail conspiracy,” what cloud seeding is, and how DARPA has been trying to modify the weather for a long time. Don't miss the Q&A where you get to ask Ben & Rob your questions directly, followed by a live meditation/prayer near the end of the show only on Rise.TV.

Last time we spoke about the origins of the Big Sword Society and the invulnerability technique known as the Armor of the Golden Bell. China was certainly no stranger to sects and martial art groups. The Big Sword Society rose up to counteract the rebels and bandits that plagued parts of China like good old Shandong province. However when Christian missionaries began to get involved in the mix things got ugly quick. Bandits would exploit the conversion to christianity to protect themselves from justice. The Big Sword Society had been largely successful combating bandits, but when it came to matters involving the church they were powerless. Finally enough was enough and now the Big Swords were tussling with the Christians, truly raising hell. Yet for now the Big Swords averted fatalities and limited their attacks to property, but what would happen if they turned up the heat?    #58 The Juye Incident & Scramble for China   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. The story of Pang Sangjie and the minor skirmish between the Big Sword Society and Church was quite minor. French Jesuits reported two main mission residence at Daitaolou and Houjiazhuang were attacked alongside Christian homes in over 16 villages. The church settled the losses with local Qing officials for only 2000 strings of cash on June 26th, before the final battle had occurred. The Germans in Shandong submitted their report which amounted to petty vandalism to chapels in 17 villages and the burning of 119 rooms in Xue-Jonglou. For this they received 12,020 strings of cash. There were no Christian casualties during the entire conflict either Chinese or foreign. The Big Swords got rowdy, targeted the property of the Christians, but made sure not to take lives. If they had wanted to take lives, they easily could have as they demonstrated. The Qing authorities were too busy with another ongoings, there was a large Muslim rebellion raging in Gangsu and Shaanxi seeing General Dong Fuxiang with numerous forces going into the northwest. Thus the trouble of the Big Swords was pretty small in comparison.  But what if the Big Swords began killing Chinese christians, or some foreign missionaries? How would the church react, how would foreign nations react? We talked a lot about French Catholic missionaries, some protestant British and Americans, but another large group came from Germany. There were three missionaries working on behalf of the “Societas Verbi Divini” Society of the divine word. This was a catholic society founded in Steyl, Netherlands in 1875, which drew mostly German priests into its ranks. When Otto von Bismarck came into power, there was a conflict known as die Kulturkampf, basically the church wanted clerical control over education and ecclesiastical appointment. Otto von Bismarck and other enlightenment minded leaders sought a separation of church and state and this led to countless priests fleeing places like Germany. In 1882 the Society began sending missionaries to Shandong province. Three German missionaries working on behalf of the society of the divine wind, George Stenz, Richard Henle and Francis Xavier Nies were at a missionary residence in Zhangjiazhuang in Juye county. This was the mission station of Stenz, it was around 25km west of Jining. The two other men had come to visit. Henle was quite discouraged because his work was going very slow, thus Stenz urged him to take a break. The three men did their best to raise their spirits on the evening of November 1st, 1897, the night of all saints day. They sang songs from their childhood as Stenz played his zither. They practiced the requiem for the following day. When they retired for the evening, Stenz gave up his own room to his two guests and moved over to the servants quarters. It was around 11pm, when suddenly shots rang out into the night, the courtyard was full of torches. A band of 20-30 armed men raced towards the missionary quarters. They charged the door to Stenz quarters which were unlocked as the priest had no reason to believe anything like an attack would occur. The mob grabbed Henle and Nies and hacked them to death. Apparently they realized neither were the local missionary, as the mob continued to ransack the building searching for Stenz. They checked the church, the missionary quarters and such, but they never checked the servants quarters. The christian villagers became aroused by the mob and raised their own mob to combat them, driving the assailants out. It was not certain who committed the murders, but people generally assumed it was the work of the Big Swords Society. So why the hell did all of this happen? Nine men were rounded up by Qing officials, these men were vagrants, the usual suspect types. Two of men of the nine were executed for the crime, but no one really believed they were guilty. Stenz certainly did not believe them to be the assailants, everything was done in haste, with little to no actual investigation. The governor Yuxian claimed that it was the work of a band of robbers, but there was no evidence of robbery, except for a few pieces of clothing being stolen from Stenz's room. Regardless, if it was a simple case of robbery, they would certainly have not resorted to murder, especially against foreign missionaries. It was certain, particularly to Stenz that this was a deliberate attack on German missionaries. Why might Stenz believe so, he had good reason to believe the residents of Juye would wish harm upon him and his colleagues.  Local villagers told Stenz, that Henle's failed work in the southern town of Yuncheng was the actual target of the attack. Henle had been interfering in lawsuits and made a few enemies. He apparently was a very difficult man to get along with, so much so, even his own christian congregations had revolted against him. However despite Henle's reputation, its more than likely Stenz that was the target of the attack. He was the resident missionary and the mob literally targeted his room. According to Stenz, he heard them screaming his name as they searched for him. Stenz was not very popular. He was a particularly militant member of the society of divine word. In his autobiography the very first line reads "On September 29, 1893, I received at Steyl the mission cross which was to be at once weapon and banner in my fight for the Kingdom of God." He was also a racist, and I do not mean by today's standards. When he first arrived to China, in Shanghai, he wrote a description of the people, it is as follows. “An entirely new world now opened before us. Crowds of slit-eyed Chinese swarmed about the harbor—prominent merchants in their rustling silks and poor coolies in ragged clothes that did not hide their filthy bodies. Confidence was not our first impression on reaching this gate of the Celestial Empire. Cunning, pride, and scorn flashed from the eyes that met our inquiring looks”. He often wrote about how lazy and procrastinating the Qing officials were and that the food was unpalatable in the nation. He was mortified when forced “to use two short pieces of stick” to eat. Its easy to say Stenz had a rough time adapting to life in China. His experience as a missionary in China was that of suffering and homesickness. He was trained prior to coming to China, but this training was designed to steel himself into a martyr. Indeed he alongside countless other missionaries were taught their deaths in the service of god were a sign of grace. Father Xavier while in China had written back home "More than once I have prayed to God for the grace of martyrdom, but most likely it will not be granted to me. My blood is not deemed red enough by God, and is still mingled with the dust of this earth." The oral history of the event, passed down by local villagers had Stenz and other missionaries interfering in lawsuits. In the case of Stenz he was also accused of raping 10 local women, and participating in christian theft. Though these claims could easily be false, it at least tells us what the locals thought of such a man. Stenz also gave his own oral account of the incident. In Stenz account he talks about how a few members of the White Lotus sect enrolled in his church from the village of Caojiazhuang. He refused the admission of the headman from that village, because he was accused of stealing and killing an ox from a neighboring village. This refusal lead to a lot of villagers becoming upset. Stenz recent converts were from some of the wealthiest families in that village and they began refusing to make normal contributions to village festivals such as paying for food for feasts. This led the other villagers to try and force the christians to pay, and they went to local Qing authorities to complain. Stenz became convinced it was all the work of the headman he refused and he believed that man joined the Big Swords to lead the attack on his mission. Given the previous instances of conflict between the church and Big Swords, such a explanation has merit. Perhaps the villagers sought revenge on the missionaries and went to the Big Swords for help or, perhaps they simply pretended to be members of the Big Swords. Regardless it seems clear, bandits were in their ranks. A story often told of this incident includes a former bandit named Liu Derun who apparently was seeking revenge against the Juye magistrate who had arrested and tortured his wife or daughter. To attack a missionary could bring about the end to the magistrates career. Regardless of why it all happened, it seemed certain to the church that they were indanger. The anti-christian conflicts that had occurred in the previous years were well known, and the involvement of the Big Sword Society also. All of this was seen as a godsend to the missionaries and the new German government. In 1897 Germany was an infant nation looking to flex her muscles on the world stage. Her economy was the largest in continental europe, she was emerging as Britain's rival in the world of trade. German's new position in China reflected her competition with Britain and she was becoming a force to be reckoned with. In 1890 the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank became the first non-British foreign bank in China. However, while German trade was thriving, her military capacity to expand her foreign markets were lackluster. This was also coming upon the time Alfred Mahan's “the influence of sea power upon history” had come out in 1890 which proscribed naked force to be employed to protect one's market in the age of imperialism. The German navy was the 5th largest in the world, far below her ranking in economics. Her navy was being developed by the legendary Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz backed by Kaiser Wilhelm II. A late 19th century navy required coaling stations, and for Tirpitz he desired one in China. Germany requested a lease for a naval base in China in October of 1895, and the following year Tirpitz scouted potential ports, and thought Jiaozhou Bay on the Shandong peninsula to be an excellent location. Jiaozhou held a deep water port, and was surrounded by mineral resources. Alongside this, German missionaries of the society of the divine word were operating in the region which was a large bonus. By November of 1896 Germany was determined to acquire Jiozhou and Heyking in Beijing, looking for any means necessary to grab them. When news came to Berlin on november 6th of 1897 of the murdered missionaries, Wilhelm was delighted “that a splendid opportunity had at last arrived”. The next day Wilhelm met with advisors and argued "It is the last chance for Germany to get a possession anywhere in Asia and to firm up our prestige which has dropped.... [N]o matter what it costs, we must not under any circumstances give up Kiaochow. It has a future for economic development as well as industry, a future which will be greater and more meaningful than Shanghai is today." Meanwhile back in China the Qing officials were as incompetent as usual. As was becoming typical of any incidents involving missionaries, the Zongli Yamen received news of the missionaries murders on November 7th from the German ambassador, before any local officials ever reported it. The Qing court immediately understood the dangerous situation, the Emperor realized Germany would use the situation to seize a harbor. The Emperor ordered governor of Shandong, Li Bingheng to be reprimanded for his incompetence, but on November 14th, German warships arrived at Jiaozhou bay. The local Qing garrison withdrew from the area, without firing a shot. Li Bingheng immediately reported the potential invasion to the Qing court urging them to fight the invaders ''Since they started the feud, we have no alternative but to resist.' He proposed they raise 5 additional companies of soldiers in Caozhou to drive the Germans out. However the Qing court rejected his proposal stating such recruits would be worthless in battle. The Qing court responded with this to Li "although the enemy has certainly acted arbitrarily, the court will definitely not mobilize its troops. The foreigners' actions rely entirely on power. If our power cannot assure victory, we will absorb a great loss." They were not wrong in this regard, do remember they literally just lost a war against Japan. The Qing navy was shattered, the imperial treasury was on the verge of bankruptcy already paying indemnities to Japan, how could China resist Germany at this time? One thing the Qing court understood was the balance of power theory. Europe was divided and all competing in China. When Japan claimed the Liaodong peninsula, the triple intervention of Russia, France and Germany had occurred. The Qing court expected Russia to yet again intervene against the Germans now, hell Russia had also shown desires for Jiaozhou bay. However the Qing did not know Wilhelm had been talking to Tsar Nicholas, convincing him to take Port Arthur and Dalien, while Germany could seize Jiaozhou. You have probably heard of the great scramble for Africa during the late 19th century. This involved multiple world powers literally scrambling to seize colonies in Africa, well this situation was also occurring in China. You may have seen a famous painting by the Artist H. Meyer, depicting China as a pie being carved up by the leaders of the great powers. There is a description of the painting which helps greatly for a audio podcast haha “En Chine: Le gâteau des Rois et... des Empereurs” Le Petit Journal Supplément Illustré, January 16, 1898 Artist: H. Meyer “In this French rendering, Queen Victoria glares at the German Kaiser, while the Russian, French, and Japanese figures look pensively at China. The Kaiser stabs his knife into the German-leased territory Jiaozhou (Kiao-Tcheou) in Shandong, acquired in 1898, while the Russian Tsar puts his fists on Port Arthur (the Chinese port of Lüshun, leased in 1897). The caption reads: “China: The cake of Kings and Emperors.” The Germans had long been seeking a port on the Chinese coast, and the Juye incident was a perfect pretext to grab Jiaozhou. On November 6th Kaiser Wilhem sent a telegram to the Tsar stating “sending a German squadron to Jiaozhou, as it is the only port available to operate from as a base against marauders. I am under obligation to Catholic party in Germany to show that their missions are really safe under my protection”. For quite a while, the great powers had engaged in a sort of gunboat diplomacy with China, to compel her government to bring persecutors of Christianity to justice. However now Germany was taking things into her own hands to suppress anti christian activity on Chinese soil. This was quite a novel departure from what the great powers had been doing. Germany had been strong arming China for awhile now, back in October of 1895 the German minister threatened China after some disturbances in Yanzhou. The Qing had failed to act effectively to protect some Christians prompting the minister to say  "my government will have no alternative but to devise methods to protect them ourselves." This was the type of threat the Germans would continue to make and after the Juye incident the Germans demanded a guarantee. However the Qing as much as they wanted to avoid conflict could not guarantee anything, they replied areas like Caozhou were unruly in nature and impossible to guarantee 100% protection. Thus the minister now sent this message "Since China cannot guarantee that in the future such incidents will not recur, our warships are in Jiaozhou and can help you handle the matter." The Qing responded with this "this concerns the internal affairs of China, you need not interfere in it." On December 16th, Wilhelm made a speech and sent his brother in command of an additional squadron to China “Make it clear to every European there, to the German merchant, and, above all things, to the foreigner in whose country we are or with whom we have to deal, that the German Michael has set his shield, decorated with the imperial eagle, firmly upon the ground. Whoever asks him for protection will always receive it.... But if any one should undertake to insult us in our rights or wish to harm us, then drive in with the mailed fist and, as God wills, bind about your young brow the laurels which no one in the entire German Empire will begrudge you. “ So yeah, the kaiser meant business. The Germans pushed extremely hard upon the Qing forcing them to do some pretty extraordinary things. The Qing agreed to construct new cathedrals in Jining and Caozhou where the missionaries were killed and the funds would be coming from their pockets. They were forced to put inscriptions over the doors of the new cathedrals reading "Catholic church constructed by imperial order." On top of this they were forced to build new residences for missionaries in Yutai, Cao, Chengwu, Shan, Yuncheng, Heze and Juye. Five magistrates from those countries were dismissed, one was impeached, a daotai was transferred, and a army commander was also dismissed. Governor Li Bingheng was supposed to be receiving a promotion, viceroyship over Sichuan, but instead he was stripped of his promotion and demoted two grades down. Li Binghengs punishment was largely a result of his anti christian behaviors. The Germans pointed out that in the wake of the Big Sword Society causing troubles in 1896, Li Bingheng had made statements like "Ever since the Western religion came to China, its converts have all been unemployed rascals [xiu-min, lit.: weed people]. They use the foreign religion as protection to bring suits for others and oppress their villages. They use the Church to avoid prosecution, and gradually the local officials, to avoid trouble, bend the law in their favor. After a while the people's long-suppressed anger becomes unbearable. They feel the officials cannot be relied upon, and that they must vent their spleen in private disputes. Thus they gather crowds and seek quarrels, burning and destroying churches." Li Bingheng proposed prohibiting missionary interference in lawsuits, so that local Qing officials could do their job. This all obviously angered the Germans, who complained to Beijing about him.  Now for the common people of Shandong, Li Bingheng was quite loved. Li Bingheng was seen as an honest man and rather good at administrating economic affairs. He managed yellow river works that saved over a million taels in 1895, raised money for the board of revenue about 100,000 per year. While he was seen as anti christian, he also was seen as an uncorrupt official, something quite rare in the late Qing dynasty. The German move was met with exhilaration by other great powers. Sir Claude McDonald, the minister to Beijing from Great Britain said "The effect on the security of our own people will be of the best. It seems hopeless to expect the Chinese to do their duty in protecting missionaries and discouraging anti-foreign movements unless they are forced thereto by some measure as the Germans have taken." An American missionary working in northwestern Shandong named Henry Porter said "the German Government deserve the admiration of all right-minded men, the world over. A great sense of relief was felt by the foreign residents of China. .. . The immediate effect throughout Shantung province is to strengthen every form of mission work.. .. We welcome the German vigor and the German advance." And of course such people were ecstatic about Germany flexing its arms in China, the Big Sword Society had ruffled many feathers. Getting rid of Li Bingheng was seen as a major play to increase conversions in Shandong. Indeed there was a dramatic change with Li Bingheng gone and a German squadron present. A missionary working in Qingzhou reported the proclamations made by the new governor, Zhang Ru-mei to be "much more favorable to the missionary than anything we have been accustomed to in times past." Another missionary working in Wei county reported "The most marked effect we see is the prestige [the Jiaozhou seizure] gives to the foreigners, a prestige that is pitiful to see. The officials seem for the time being to stand in abject fear of any complications with foreigners."  The Germans were pushing the envelope, after the Juye incident, German missionaries got into the habit of placing blame on the Big Sword Society for any difficulties that came about. It was clear to all what they were doing, Governor Zhang Ru-mei remarked "They wish to stir up trouble in this way and let the German troops enter the interior." Local Qing officials began bending over backwards to Christians and lawsuits got worse and worse. Zhang Ru-mei gave an example of one bad situation that arose in the village of Wenshang. There was a dispute over the rights to a village temple, and a Christian had been assaulted. A German missionary sent a message to the magistrate stating the Christian had been killed, prompting the magistrate to rush to the scene to find the man had only light injuries. Nonetheless the magistrate prepared a list of 20 people guilty of the crime and they were forced to kneel and beg for forgiveness before converting to christianity. The German missionary praised the 20 chinese who he called good people, then he stated none of them should be prosecuted as he pulled out his own list with 5 other guilty chinese villagers. The 5 were forced to pay a sum of around 170 strings of cash. Then the same missionary demanded the village as a whole be fined 900 strings of cash. The magistrate anxious to be rid of the situation, increased the sum and added a banquet to be made for the missionary.  So as you can see the church was really abusing this situation. The protestant missionaries in the region were quite jealous, one of their missionaries went on to say "The influence of the Catholic persuasion is felt in nearly all parts of the field. Multitudes are flocking to them for the sake of 'help' in various forms, chiefly for the 'power' that is supposed to reside in them more than in the Protestant." The Kaiser famously was quoted to say “hundreds of thousands of Chinese would feel the iron first of Germany heavy on their necks”. Indeed Germany humiliated China and received a lease of Jiaozhou bay from 1898 that would last until 1920. 50 kms of the Jiaozhou bay area was proclaimed a neutral zone in which Chinese sovereignty was limited in favor of the Germans. Germany did not stop there, they immediately went to work grabbing mining and railway concessions within Shandong province. The scramble for concessions was on. Germany seized influence over Shandong; Russia seized influence over Northern Manchuria, Mongolia and Xinjiang; France seized Yunnan, most of Guangxi and Guangdong; Japan seized Fujian; Britain seized influence over the whole of the Yangtze river valley and Italy requested Zhejiang province and was rejected by the Qing government haha. I always loved that aspect of this, despite China literally being torn apart, Italy was still seen to be too small to grab a piece, get rekt.  The Kaiser's actions had reinforced China's fears about missionaries, or as many of the locals called them “devils”. In common Chinese believed the missionaries were working on behalf of their respective governments as a pretext for seizing territory in China. To the common Chinese things looked like things were getting wildly out of hand. The Christian converts were becoming not only more numerous, but had extravagant demands. In one famous case a Christian agricultural worker forced his non christian employer to serve him a feast. Over in Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi bitterly resented hearing these reports and would go on to say “These Chinese Christians are the worst people in China. They rob the poor country people of their land and property, and the missionaries, of course, always protect them, in order to get a share themselves.” It was truly a problem, it was breaking the social fabric of village life. Chinese christians were barred from traditional ceremonies and festivals in their own villages and more crucially they no longer had to share the costs of them. They were not allowed to practice ancestor worship which was a fundamental aspect of Chinese society. As one Qing scholar using the pen name Wen Ching put it “As soon as a man becomes a Christian he really ceases to be a Chinaman”. It was commonly believed many only converted because they were too poor to afford food and were disparagingly referred to as “rice Christians”.  Empress Dowager Cixi asked a foreign diplomat at one point “Why don't these missionaries stay in their own country and be useful to their own people?” At the time she made this remark there was over 700,00 Catholic converts ministered by more than 850 nuns and priests, mostly from France. Another 85,000 protestant Chinese were under the guidance of 2800 missionaries, mostly from Britain and America. As Ron Burgundy once said “boy that escalated quickly”. China was being carved up, her social fabric was being torn apart, foreign powers were bearing their boots down upon her, who could come to her rescue?  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. China was literally being carved up by the great powers of the globe. The Kaiser had ushered in a scramble, and now China braced itself for further humiliation. Was there anyone who could save China for the foreign menace? 

This week on Sinica, Kaiser welcomes back Jeremy Daum, senior research scholar in law and senior fellow at the Paul Tsai China Law Center. Jeremy has a well-deserved reputation as a debunker of myths and misperceptions about China. This time, he takes on the much-discussed “overseas police stations,” and examines how they are — and aren't — related to China's transnational repression.01:03 – The overview of the investigation on Chinese overseas police stations06:19 – The disparity between the press release and the actual charges against the investigated Chinese individuals08:48 – The functions of so-called Chinese secret police stations in the U.S.11:10 – What was wrong with the report written by Safeguard Defenders?16:57 – What is being national in the aforementioned policies?19:22 – Evidence of a link between physical presence with transnational repression or repatriation of criminals26:29 – Is the media narrative regarding popular myths about China slowly changing?30:22 – Other governments' views on and actions towards Chinese police stations31:38 – Tactics used on the return of alleged criminals to China34:11 – An update on the topic of draft regulations on Generative AIA complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Jeremy: I'm a Virgo, a television show on Amazon Prime.Kaiser: A perfect family dinner for the summer: An easy recipe for spicy salmon/tunaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Strange, new clouds are appearing all over the world, and no one seems to have any explanation for what this could mean. In some cases, unusual cloud formations have appeared prior to a natural disaster, which is what happened in China during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Although these clouds have been added to the Cloud Atlas, which documents cloud formations, could they be the result of something unnatural? What about weather modification and sky pollution from giant factories? What about UFOs or alien technology? But the biggest question is: what really made these clouds? Join Ben and Rob on this Edge of Wonder Live as they take to the skies to unravel this mysterious phenomena. Hear about an Air Force document from 1996 that began the “chemtrail conspiracy,” what cloud seeding is, and how DARPA has been trying to modify the weather for a long time. Don't miss the Q&A where you get to ask Ben & Rob your questions directly, followed by a live meditation/prayer near the end of the show only on Rise.TV.

It's Time for Our Annual Review of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Foodie GuideFor 2023 there are a total of 32 new food dishes to try and 42 new beverages options to try at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. We share the entire menu including our top picks from what's new and top picks from returning favorites.As a reminder, Emile's Fromage Montage is back and the locations are noted below. This festival food stroll features several cheese dishes from the Global Marketplaces. Pick up a Festival Passport and collect stamps by buying five of these. Once you have at least five you can head over to Shimmering Sips to get a free bonus prize. Shimmering Sips is located on the way to Canada near the Port of Entry.India Food Items:   Curry-spiced Crispy Cheese with mango-curry ketchup (Emile's Fromage Montage) Potato and Pea Samosa with coriander-lime cream (Plant-based)  Chicken Tikka Masala with fennel-spiced yogurt and naan bread Beverages:  Mango Lassi (Non-alcoholic) Taj Mahal Premium Lager SULA Brut Tropicale Sparkling Wine SULA Chenin Blanc Mango Lassi with Sōmrus Chai Cream Liqueur CORKCICLE Stemless Flute Refreshment OutpostFood Item: Spicy Githeri with white beans, pigeon peas, curried BEN'S ORIGINAL Long Grain & Wild Rice, and kachumbari slaw (Plant-based)  Beverages:  Gulf Stream Brewing Co. Cloud 9 Watermelon Hibiscus Lager (New)  Ciderboys Mango Tango Hard Cider (New) North Coast Brewing Co. PranQster Golden Ale (New) Kenya Food Items: Kenyan Coffee Barbecued Beef with sweet potato-corn mealie pap and kachumbari slaw > Mike's Favorite Peri-Peri Skewered Shrimp with citrus-flavored couscous Beverage: 81Bay Brewing Co. Congo PilsnerThe Alps Food Items: Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with shaved ham, baby potatoes, cornichons, and baguette (Emile's Fromage Montage) Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with baby potatoes, cornichons, and baguette (Emile's Fromage Montage) Dark Chocolate Fondue with berries, pound cake, and meringues (New)  Beverages:  Stiegl Brewery Key Lime Radler Huber Vision Grüner Veltliner Frozen Rosé Germany Food Items: Schinkennudeln: Pasta gratin with ham, onions, and cheese (Emile's Fromage Montage) Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll with mustard Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce Beverages:  Gaffel Kölsch Weihenstephaner Festbier Schöfferhofer Prickly Pear Hefeweizen Selbach-Oster Riesling Lo Alcohol-Removed Riesling (New)  Beer Flight Spain Food Items: Charcuterie in a Cup with a selection of imported Spanish meats, cheeses, olives, and an herbed serrano vinaigrette (Emile's Fromage Montage) Paella with saffron rice, chorizo, and shrimp Seafood Salad with shrimp, bay scallops, mussels, extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and smoked paprika Beverages:  Viña Borgia Macabeo White Sangria (New) Viña Borgia Rosé Sangria (New) Viña Borgia Garnacha Red Sangria (New) Sangria Flight (New)  Flavors of America Food Items: Italian Hot Beef Sandwich with shaved beef au jus and spicy giardiniera (New)  > Mike's Pick  > Amelia's pick Cioppino: Seafood Stew with saffron-infused tomato-fennel broth and crostini (New) Chilaquiles: Corn tortilla chips tossed in salsa verde with ranchero chicken, queso fresco, cilantro-lime crema, and a soft-poached egg (New)  Freshly Baked Carrot Cake with walnuts and cream cheese icing Beverages:  Rogue Dreamland American Lager Goose Island Beer Co. Neon Beer Hug Left Hand Brewing Sawtooth Amber Ale Beer Flight Greece Food Items: Spanakopita Griddled Cheese with pistachios and honey (Emile's Fromage Montage) Lamb Gyro with shaved lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and tzatziki on warm flatbread Plant-based IMPOSSIBLE Moussaka (Plant-based) (New)  Beverages:  Mylonas Winery Assyrtiko White Wine Skouras ‘Zoe' Rosé Kir-Yianni Naoussa Xinomavro Dry Red Wine Flight Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina (Morocco)Food Items: Grilled Kebabs with carrot-chickpea salad and garlic aïoli  Chermoula Chicken Moroccan-spiced Lamb Falafel Pita with Tahini Sauce (Plant-based)  Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with hummus, chermoula, and Zhoug dips (Plant-based) Pistachio Cake with cinnamon pastry cream and candied walnuts Beverages:  3 Daughters Brewing Fig Hard Cider Keel Farms Raspberry Citrus Hard Cider (New)  Blake's Hard Cider Co. Peach Party Peach & Blackberry Hard Cider (New) Fig Cocktail with fig vodka, sparkling wine, and cranberry juice Hard Cider Flight CORKCICLE Stemless Flute Belgium Food Items: Beer-braised Beef served with gouda mashed potatoes Belgian Waffle with warm chocolate ganache Belgian Waffle with berry compote and whipped cream Beverages:  Belgian Chilled Coffee (Non-alcoholic) Brasserie D'Achouffe Houblon Chouffe IPA (New) Delirium Red Fruit Belgian Ale Brewery Van Steenberge Gulden Draak Tripel Ale (New) Belgian Chilled Coffee featuring ChocoLat Deluxe Salted Caramel Chocolate Liqueur Beer Flight Brazil Food Items: Feijoada: Black beans with pork belly, Brazil nut pesto, and Long Grain White Rice Pão de Queijo: Brazilian cheese bread (Emile's Fromage Montage) Beverages:  Xingu Brazilian Black Lager Frozen Caipirinha with cachaça Ireland Food Items: Fisherman's Seafood Pie Roasted Irish Sausage with colcannon potatoes and onion gravy Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake with Irish cream liqueur custard Beverages:  Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale Bunratty Mead Honey Wine Guinness Baileys Coffee Shake Canada Food Items: Canadian Cheddar and Bacon Soup served with a pretzel roll (Emile's Fromage Montage) Canadian Filet Mignon served with mushrooms, Boursin Black Truffle & Sea Salt mashed potatoes and a Boursin Black Truffle & Sea Salt whipped butter Beverages:  Collective Arts Brewing Audio/Visual Lager Château des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon Refreshment Port Food Items: Braised Beef Poutine: French fries with braised beef, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese sauce, cheese curds, crumbled Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs, and gherkin relish Cinnamon-Sugar Beaver Tail (New) > Amelia's pick Beverages:  Boulevard Brewing Co. Quirk Pineapple Orange Whip Hard Seltzer Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkling Peach Australia Food Items: Sweet-and-Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with pepper, onion, snap peas, and sweet chili sauce Roasted Lamb Chop with mint pesto and potato crunchies Lamington: Yellow cake with raspberry filling with chocolate and coconut Beverages: Yalumba ‘The Y Series' Viognier Château Tanunda Grand Barossa Shiraz Shimmering Sips hosted by CORKCICLEFood Item:Guava Cake with whipped cream and coconut (Plant-based)  Beverages: Tropical Mimosa with sparkling wine and Minute Maid Passion Fruit, orange, and guava juices Berry Mimosa with berry fizz sparkling wine and white cranberry juice (New)  Blood Orange Mimosa with sparkling wine and blood orange juice Beer Mimosa: Boulevard Brewing Co. Berry Noir Sour Ale and sparkling wine Mimosa Flight Coastal Eats Food Items: Lump Crab Cake with Cajun-spiced vinegar slaw Oysters Rockefeller Beverages:  Wildly Brut Cuvée (New)  Cape Codder: Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka with cranberry, pomegranate, and lime Flavors from Fire Food Items: The IMPOSSIBLE Burger Slider with wasabi cream and spicy Asian slaw on a sesame seed bun (Plant-based)  Smoked Corned Beef with house-made potato chips, cheese curds, pickled onions, and beer-cheese fondue (Emile's Fromage Montage) Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak Taco with crushed avocado, grilled corn salsa, pickled red onions, queso fresco, and cilantro-lime cream (New) > Mike's Pick Spiced Chocolate Tart with BBQ potato chip crust, salted whisky-caramel, and smoked sea salt (New) > Mike's Pick Beverages:  Saugatuck Brewing Company Bonfire Beer Four Virtues Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel Swine Brine featuring Jim Beam Bourbon The Fry Basket Food Items: Adobo Yuca Fries with garlic-cilantro aïoli (Plant-based)  Fry Flight  Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Fries (Plant-based) BBQ Bacon Fries with smoked aïoli Sweet Potato Casserole Fries with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream, and maple bourbon glaze Pickle Fries with dill ranch (New) > Mike's pick Beverages:  Salty Dog Cocktail: Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka with grapefruit juice, ginger, simple syrup, and lime with a salted rim Stone Brewing Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager (New)  Brew-Wing Lab at the OdysseyFood Items: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Wings Garlic-Parmesan Wings Orange-Cardamom Wings (New)  Traditional Buffalo Wings with celery and ranch IMPOSSIBLE Buffalo Chicken Tenders with plant-based blue cheese, plant-based ranch, and celery (New) (Plant-based)  Unnecessarily Spicy, Yet Extremely Tasty Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings with cool cucumber yogurt (New) > Mike's Pick Buffalo Brussels Sprouts with plant-based blue cheese and plant-based ranch (Plant-based)  Beverages:  Frozen Fusion: Twinings Pomegranate and Raspberry Herbal Tea fused with orange ice cream molecules (Non-alcoholic) (New) Pickle Milkshake (Non-alcoholic) (New) > Mike's Pick Sun King Brewing Caipirinha Lager (New)  Brew Hub French Connection IPA (New) 3 Daughters Brewing Old Fashion Porter (New) Beer Flight Blake's Hard Cider Co. Tropicolada Hard Cider (New) Bold Rock Peach Berry Hard Cider (New) 3 Daughters Brewing Raspberry Lemonade Hard Cider (New) Cider Flight Connections Cafe and Connections EateryFood Item:Remy Liege Waffle: Cream cheese Liege waffle with cream cheese icing, graham cracker crumbs, and a Remy chocolate garnish > Amelia's Favorite Beverage: Yucatan Sunset Margarita: Teremana Blanco Tequila, passion fruit syrup, Bols Triple Sec 30 proof Liqueur with lime and orange juicesHawaii (Opening August 15) Food Items: Kālua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE Pineapple Chutney and spicy mayonnaise SPAM Sushi with sushi rice, Teriyaki-glazed SPAM, spicy mayonnaise, eel sauce, and nori Passion Fruit Cheesecake with toasted macadamia nuts (Emile's Fromage Montage) Beverages: Kona Brewing Co. Hanalei Island IPA Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine AULANI Sunrise: Vodka, DOLE Pineapple Juice, and grenadine The Noodle Exchange (Opening August 15)Food Items: Shaved Beef Ramen with shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots and daikon radish, shaved peppers, and a soy egg in citrus-sesame broth IMPOSSIBLE Pork Ramen with shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots and daikon radish, baby bok choy, and a soy egg in savory chicken broth Thai Shrimp with rice noodles, shiitake mushrooms, and basil in coconut-curry broth Tofu Ramen with shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots and daikon radish, shaved peppers, and baby bok choy in citrus-sesame broth (Plant-based)  Beverages:  Parish Brewing Strawberry Mochi Berliner Weisse (New)  Pacific Rim Solstice Vineyard Old Vine Riesling (New) NEW! Char & Chop (Opening Later This Fall) Food Items: Roasted Porchetta with lemon-parsley salsa verde and shaved fennel salad (New)  Grilled IMPOSSIBLE Spicy Sausage with herbed polenta, puttanesca sauce, and ricotta (New)  Meat Assorti: Trio of shaved meats with baby arugula, pickled mustard seeds, truffle oil, and grilled ciabatta (New)  Beverages:  Krombacher Pilsner (New)  North Coast Laguna Baja Vienna Lager (New) Motorworks Brewing Midnight Espresso Coffee Porter (New) GoGi ‘Birdie' Pinot Noir Bloody Mary with Seaside Grown Bloody Mary Mix and Kurvball Barbecue Whiskey Beer Flight NEW! Wine & Wedge (Opening Later This Fall)Food Items: Assorted Artisanal Cheeses and Accompaniments (New) (Emile's Fromage Montage) Boursin Fig & Balsamic Soufflé with fig tapenade (New) (Emile's Fromage Montage) Southern Pimento Cheese with bread-and-butter pickled vegetables and grilled bread (New) (Emile's Fromage Montage) Artist Palette of Wine and Cheese: Assorted Artisanal Cheeses and Accoutrements paired with Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, Hartley Apple Brandy, and Florida Orange Groves Winery Black and Blue Port (New)  Beverages:  Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (New)  Hartley Apple Brandy (New) Florida Orange Groves Winery Black and Blue Port (New) NEW! Bubbles & Brine (Opening Later This Fall)Food Items: Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with prosecco cocktail sauce and grilled lemon (New)  Jonah Crab Claw Cocktail with stone-ground mustard sauce (New) Caviar with traditional accompaniments, champagne cream, and blini (New) Beverages:  Moët & Chandon Impérial Veuve Clicquot Rosé Dom Pérignon NEW! Swirled Showcase (Opening Later This Fall) Food Items: Mickey-shaped Liquid Nitro Cake > Amelia's pick Soft-serve in a Waffle Cone > Amelia's pick Vanilla Apple-Cinnamon Salted Caramel Cream Soda Float with vanilla soft-serve > Amelia's pick Fanta Grape Float with vanilla soft-serve > Amelia's pick Beverages:  Frozen Apple Pie (Non-alcoholic) Cinnamon Apple Cider (Non-alcoholic) 3 Daughters Toasted Coconut Porter 3 Daughters Toasted Coconut Porter Float with vanilla soft-serve Berry Fizz Fragolino Red Sparkling Wine Float with vanilla soft-serve MexicoFood Items: Tostada de Carnitas: Braised pork on a fried corn tortilla with black beans, avocado mousse, queso fresco, and chives (New)  Taco de Costilla: Slow-braised beef short rib on a corn tortilla with salsa de chile morita, avocado mousse, and spring onions (New) > Mike's Pick Pastel Imposible: Layers of traditional Mexican flan and tres leches with guava and cajeta (New)  Beverages:  Mexican Craft Beer Trouble in Paradise Margarita: Ilegal Mezcal, Combier Watermelon Liqueur, Rosé Wine, Lime Juice, and Agave with a Chili-Lime Powder Rim (New)  Fly Away Margarita: Nocheluna Sotol, Pineapple-Ginger Juice, Chile Ancho Verde Liqueur, and Ambhar Blanco Tequila with a Sweet Dried Chili Salt Rim (NEW) > Mike's Pick FranceFood Items: Beignet aux Trois Fromages: Warm beignet filled with three cheese blend Croissant aux Escargots: Escargot croissant with garlic and parsley Boeuf Bourguignon, Pommes Dauphine: Braised short ribs in cabernet with puffed potatoes Crème Brûlée Vanille à la Confiture de Fraises: Vanilla crème brûlée with house-made strawberry jam Beverages:  Strawberry Rose Mimosa: Pol Remy Sparkling Wine, orange juice, and Monin Strawberry Rose Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon Blend (New)  Chardonnay (New) Parisian Cosmo Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose Le Ctiron Vodka, Grand Marnier, and cranberry juice (New) > Mike's Pick ItalyFood Items: Focaccia Ripiena: Freshly-baked focaccia, beef meatballs, tomato sauce, and burrata cheese (New) > Mike's Pick Cavatelli with sweet sausage ragoût and crispy Applewood-smoked bacon (New)  Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with vanilla cream and strawberry compote (New) > Amelia's pick Beverages:  Prosecco Moscato Chianti Italian Sangria (Red or White) Italian Margarita with tequila and limoncello Peroni Pilsner ChinaFood Items: Pan-fried Chicken Dumplings with house-made sweet-and-spicy sauce Crispy Duck Bao Bun with hoisin sauce (New)  Dandan Noodles: Spicy pork with Sichuan sauce, peanut butter, and sesame Beverages:  Passion Fruit Bubble Tea (Non-alcoholic) Fiery Dream: Citrus vodka, triple sec, guava nectar, and spicy hot honey syrup ByeJoe Punch: Chinese BaiJiu spirit, piña colada mix, lychee syrup, and sparkling water Fireworks: Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, citrus vodka, orange juice, and mango syrup Brew Hub Lychee Foo Draft Beer JapanFood Items: Teriyaki Chicken Bun: Steamed bun filled with chicken, vegetables, and teriyaki sauce Fire Taiko Roll: Sushi roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, and pickled daikon radish served with spicy sauce (New)  Beef Wa-Gyu Don: Traditional Japanese rice bowl with American wagyu beef over steamed white rice (New)  Beverages:  Sake Passion Cocktail (New)  Moon on the Water Sake (New) Brew Hub Momo Amber Ale (New) Funnel CakeFood Item:Candied Bacon Funnel Cake: Funnel Cake topped with Vanilla Ice Cream, Candied Bacon, and Maple Syrup Drizzle (New) > Amelia's pick Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company The American Adventure – Nutty Caramel Mocha Cold Brew: A sweet blend of caramel mudslide cold brew, caramel syrup, peanut butter syrup, and chocolate syrup topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce (Spirited version available with Carolans Peanut Butter Irish Cream Liqueur) (New) Near Canada – Frozen Roseberry: A refreshing blend of frozen lemon and strawberry-rose syrup (Spirited version available with Grey Goose Vodka) (New)  World Discovery (Near Mission: SPACE) – Amaretto Iced Tea: A sweet and nutty blend of black iced tea and amaretto syrup (Spirited version available with Citrónge Orange Liqueur) (New)  World Showcase (Near Disney Traders) – Java Horchata: A sweet blend of espresso and horchata topped with whipped cream and cinnamon (Spirited version available with Grey Goose Vodka and Kahlúa Liqueur) (New)  --Thank You for Listening to the Disney Travel PodcastThank you very much for listening to this episode, Amelia and I hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, we would be very grateful if you could rate, review and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes (or on whichever app you choose to listen). A brief review about what you liked most about an episode truly helps to keep the show going by exposing it to new listeners. We look forward to continue producing new episodes each week.Sharing the podcast with your friends and on social media is also extremely helpful and very much appreciated.Contact 1923 Main StreetThank you for listening to the Disney Travel News Podcast at 1923MainStreet.com. As always, we love to get feedback and questions from our listeners and to hear your suggestions and ideas for future episodes.Please be sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.Thank you for listening and have a magical day!Mike Belobradic and Amelia Belobradic--Media provided by Jamendo

Pies from all over the United States! Plus, ways to get over your reluctance to cook. And a one-minute cooking tip.We've got it all. We're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen (!) cookbooks with several New York publishers, including our latest, THE LOOK AND COOK AIR FRYER BIBLE (which you can find here).We've got a packed show this week. Tips on getting over your not-cooking vibe. Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[00:57] How to get over your reluctance about cooking.[14:50] Our one-minute cooking tip: use a salt cellar in the kitchen, rather than a salt shaker.[16:35] Bruce's interview with Stacey Mei Yan Fong, the author of the brand-new cookbook 50 PIES 50 STATES.[31:58] What's making us happy in food this week? Hunan preserved mushrooms and fermented Sichuan chilis.

This week on Sinica, UPenn legal scholar Neysun Mahboubi talks about his recently-concluded trip back to China — his first time back since the outbreak of the pandemic. Neysun talks about the importance of in-person, face-to-face scholarly exchange, and despite concerns over the more restrictive political space in China, sounds a hopeful note about what the restoration of in-person exchange might mean for the future of U.S.-China relations.05:02 – Neysun Mahboubi's YouTube-based initiatives on the U.S.-China relations10:15 – The changes in Beijing in recent years13:49 – The recently observed growing reticence of Chinese people to speak up, and the third-rail topics16:50 – The effect of Chinese administrative handling of the pandemic on people's trust25:01 – What is the view of Chinese liberal intellectuals on the role of the U.S. in the worsening U.S.-China relations?28:29 – Have the Biden administration's recent efforts to thaw the U.S.-China relations been well received by the Chinese side?32:48 – The future of scholarly exchanges from China and the U.S. in light of the pandemic and escalating political tensions40:13 – The Ukraine War from the perspective of Chinese intellectualsA complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Neysun: To Live, directed by Zhang YimouKaiser: The Status Kuo, an American politics substack by Jay KuoMentioned: To Live: A Novel by Yu Hua (translated by Michael Berry)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Balık kokulu patlıcan” yemeğine ne dersiniz? Dünyada patlıcan yolculuğunda bu sefer Japonya'dan Çin'e geçiyoruz. Sezuan (Sichuan) bölgesinde bu yemek çok seviliyor. Çin yemekleri uzmanı Fuchsia Dunlop bu yemeği evinde bize özel olarak yapmıştı, önce biraz korkmuştum balık gibi kokacak, diye ama tam tersi balık pişirirken kullanılan, hatta balık kokusunu gideren malzemeler, soslar kullanıldığı için öyle demişler. Sonradan Fuchsia röportajlarında bu yemeği “Patlıcanı bin bir türlü pişiren Türk arkadaşlarıma Sichuan usulü Fish Fragnant Aubergine” yemeğini yaptım, bayıldılar!” diye anlatmıştı. Gerçekten de bayıldık, o zaman küçük olan kızım bütün tabağı süpürdü. Bize yaptığı gibi tarif kayıtta.

“Balık kokulu patlıcan” yemeğine ne dersiniz? Dünyada patlıcan yolculuğunda bu sefer Japonya'dan Çin'e geçiyoruz. Sezuan (Sichuan) bölgesinde bu yemek çok seviliyor. Çin yemekleri uzmanı Fuchsia Dunlop bu yemeği evinde bize özel olarak yapmıştı, önce biraz korkmuştum balık gibi kokacak, diye ama tam tersi balık pişirirken kullanılan, hatta balık kokusunu gideren malzemeler, soslar kullanıldığı için öyle demişler. Sonradan Fuchsia röportajlarında bu yemeği “Patlıcanı bin bir türlü pişiren Türk arkadaşlarıma Sichuan usulü Fish Fragnant Aubergine” yemeğini yaptım, bayıldılar!” diye anlatmıştı. Gerçekten de bayıldık, o zaman küçük olan kızım bütün tabağı süpürdü. Bize yaptığı gibi tarif kayıtta.  

This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with Elsa Kania, a Ph.D. candidate in Harvard University's Department of Government and adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security who researches China's military strategy, defense innovation, and emerging technologies. Elsa joins the show to discuss China's push for Military-Civil Fusion, debunking some of the myths about the program that U.S. pundits and policymakers have imbibed.03:54 – Did the concept of Military-Civil Fusion start with the leadership of Xi Jinping?06:48 What were the barriers to MCF's successful implementation before Xi's leadership?09:50 – The comparison between attempts and successes of MCF in China and the U.S.15:39 – Areas of focus of China's MCF. Which areas offer the most significant possibility for success?20:17 – A look at the perceived legal obligation of Chinese companies to participate in MCF24:59 – The collaboration between Chinese and American researchers in light of MCF31:00 – The awareness of Chinese policy-makers of the sensitivities associated with MCF by other nations34:56 – Does MCF have the same place of prominence in the Biden administration that it did in the Trump' administration?37:20 – How should we approach the policy of MCF?42:27 – Is the U.S. trying to “out-China” China?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.com.Recommendations:Elsa: Translation State by Ann LeckieKaiser: A recipe for making homemade nuomi cha / genmai cha — green tea with roasted glutinous riceSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We love farmers' markets. They may not be quite as hip as they once were, but they're still a great place to shop, meet people, and try new foods.Join us, Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, as we talk about why you should still seek out your local farmers' market. We've also got an interview with Leslie Wilcott-Henrie, the president of the Lexington, Massachusetts, farmers' market, to give you the lowdown on how these markets work.Plus, our traditional one-minute cooking trip. And lots of praise for Shanghai leek sauce and Sichuan xian bing!Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:[01:20] Let's talk about farmers' markets. Why should you still seek them out? What should you be looking for? How do you find the bargains?[13:47] Our one-minute cooking tip: Don't wash jars of preserves but make a vinaigrette with the leftovers.[15:03] Bruce's interview with Leslie Wilcott-Henrie, head of the Lexington Mass Farmer's Market[32:02] What's making us happy in food this week? Shanghai leek sauce and Sichuan xing bing!

To understand the process, benefits and barriers within regenerative sericulture, we go back to Kim's conversation from November 2021 with Hilmond Hui, Vice President of international clothing enterprise PFG and its subset Bombyx. Hilmond tells us more about Bombyx, which was formed in 2018 with a focus on regenerative silk production and transforming the way silk is produced, traded and consumed. Their Nanchong Ka Fung (NCKF) facility is located in the northeast of China's Sichuan province, and they're on a mission to do everything from dirt to fabric and beyond.

Yao Zhao is a man on a mission. In his family's home in China, sichuan peppers were a culinary staple, and now he's determined to expose the world to the unique, tingly spice. On this episode of KAMA Journeys, he tells us about the cooking experience that inspired his business “50Hertz Tingly Foods,” the story behind its creative name, and why exactly he's so passionate about sharing Sichuan's magic with everyone he meets.

Host Karl Honegger, member of The Steamboat Institute's Emerging Leaders Council Alumni Board interviews entrepreneur and educator, Lily Tang Williams. She is  fighting to prevent the country she loves from becoming the country she left. Lily Tang Williams was a law school assistant professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, China who became an American entrepreneur and an educator. She is currently co-chair of the New Hampshire Asian American Coalition, elected Supervisor of the Checklist in Town of Weare, NH. She has been married to John Williams for 31 years and they have three adult children.Born to illiterate working-class parents in China's western Sichuan province just before Mao's Cultural Revolution, Lily Tang Williams grew up experiencing extremely poor living conditions, food rationing, social chaos, and Communist indoctrination.She learned to work hard, persevere, and be grateful for the opportunities she was given. Eventually, she graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai with an undergraduate law degree. After graduation, she was selected to continue as part of the law school faculty, as well as practice corporate law in Shanghai as China began to rebuild its economy.In 1988, Lily Tang Williams decided to study in the U.S., leaving her position with only $100 in her pocket and $1200 in debt to her American sponsor, a Fulbright professor at the University of Texas at Austin.  Though she could not speak English fluently she was determined to achieve success in this country, earning a Master's degree in Administration and Planning from the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. Subsequently, Lily started work for Wyoming Home Health as a medical social worker, and later she worked as an executive for corporations in both Hong Kong and the U.S. Eventually, she went into business for herself, providing consulting and expert witness services in China-related business and legal cases. She and her husband also manage residential real estate properties they own.Subscribe to The Steamboat Institute Newsletter: https://www.steamboatinstitute.org/update/sign-up-for-newsletter-updates/

With Secretary of State Antony Blinken's two days of meetings in Beijing just concluded, Kaiser spoke with Dennis Wilder, managing director for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, where he also serves as an assistant professor of practice in Asian Studies in the School of Foreign Service. Dennis was the National Security Council's director for China from 2004-2005, and then served as the NSC special assistant to the president and senior director for East Asian affairs from 2005 to 2009. From 2009 to 2015 Dennis served as the senior editor of the President's Daily Brief, the worldwide intelligence update produced under the auspices of the director of national intelligence. He also served from 2015 to 2016 as the CIA's deputy assistant director for East Asia and the Pacific. Who better to give an informed take on Secretary Blinken's diplomatic mission?Today is a public U.S. holiday so we'll get the transcript and podcast page with show notes up later in the week. Look for it on the TheChinaProject.com website.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you ever travel to the Sichuan province in China, you may hear the word "mala" to describe much of the food.

If you ever travel to the Sichuan province in China, you may hear the word "mala" to describe much of the food.

Last time we spoke about the aftermath of the battle for Attu. The American victory over Attu meant the end of the Aleutian campaign for the Japanese, Tokyo decided to pull everyone out. Over 6000 Japanese needed evacuation from Kiska and it would be very tricky for the Japanese to get past Admiral Kinkaids blockade. Then we finished up the West Hubei offensive, with a part of it being known colloquially as the Rice Bowl Campaign. The Japanese had brutalized the Chinese, but we're stopped short of invading Chongqing or Sichuan. Thus for the Chinese it was a victory, but at the same time the Japanese had secured exactly what they wanted, stealing vast amounts of property, notably rice. Vessels left Yichang and sailed further west through the riverways acquiring large sums of goods to help the China war cause. Today we are diving back into the south Pacific. This episode is Operation Cartwheel starts rolling Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  So honestly for awhile now we have been hitting the North Pacific and China theaters, which certainly was a change of pace, but as you can imagine these events do not simply move along in a vacuum. Yes a lot was going on in the other theaters and this episode is going to be tackling a lot of different events so buckle up buckos. First we are going to talk about Operation Cartwheel. The ULTRA intelligence that brought Yamamoto's death was not the only information the Americans received in April. A lifeboat bearing a list of the names of 40,000 active Japanese officers washed ashore after the battle of the Bismarck Sea. Using this Cryptographers were able to match each name to radio signals from Japanese army units, ensuring General MacArthurs intelligence remained as operationally up to date as it could be. At the same time William Bull Hasley showed to on April 15th to Brisbane to meet with MacArthur and the two hit it off. Halsey would later write this about their first encounter. “Five minutes after I reported, I felt as if we were lifelong friends. I have seldom seen a man who makes a quicker, stronger, more favorable impression. He was then sixty-three, but he could have passed as fifty. His hair was jet black; his eyes were clear; his carriage erect….My mental picture poses him against the background of these discussions; he is pacing his office, almost wearing a groove between his large, bare desk and the portrait of George Washington that faced it; his corncob pipe is in his hand (I rarely saw him smoke it): and he is making his points in a diction I have never heard surpassed. “ Both men would hammer out a plan on April 26th, it was a revision to MacArthur's Elkton plan, this one would be known as Elkton III, but it was soon to be coded as Operation Cartwheel.  The plan consisted of 13 amphibious landings in just 6 months with MacArthur and Halsey providing maximum support to each others efforts. The first phase of the plan would see MacArthur seizing Woodlark and the Kirwina islands while Hasley invaded New Georgia. Phase 2 would commence 2 months after the start of the offensive where MacArthur would capture Lae, Salamaua and Finschhafen. Phase 3 would be the seizure of the Shortland islands and Bougainville in the south pacific. In December MacArthur would seize Cape Gloucester in Western New Britain and shortly after that they would seize Rabaul. Halsey's forces would knock out Japanese air bases on Buka, allowing MacArthurs men to clear the northwestern half of New Guinea. By January of 1944, MacArthur and Halsey figured they would be ready for the final assault on Rabaul which was their ultimate objective for victory. MacArthur resisted sending details of their joint plan to Washington, probably fearing the Europe first obsessed chiefs of staff would veto their ambitious thrust. He told them only that he anticipated that the first move toward Woodlark and Kirwina would start in June. However this was too slow for Admiral King. King wanted his protege Admiral Nimitz to begin a thrust into the central pacific, heading through the Marshalls in November and proposed shifting the Marine 1st and 2nd divisions, the ones that fell under MacArthurs and Halsey's command to help with the Marshalls offensive, this alongside two bomber groups promised to General Kenney. MacArthur was very pissed off and he sent a distressed message to George Marshall damning the entire central Pacific strategy as a quote “unnecessary and even wasteful diversion from what should be the main pacific strategy”,  that being MacArthur's own.”. He added in “from a broad strategic viewpoint, I am convinced that the best course of offensive action in the Pacific is a movement from Australia through New Guinea to Mindanao. Air supremacy is essential to success, for the southwestern strategy where large numbers of land-based aircraft are utterly essential and will immediately cut the enemy lines from japan to his conquered territory to the southward. Pulling any additional heavy bombers groups would in my opinion, collapse the offensive effort in the southwest pacific area…in my judgment the offensive against Rabaul should be considered the main effort, and it should not be nullified or weakened ”. But King was adamant. There would indeed be a thrust through the central pacific led by the navy with its main axis passing through the Marshalls and Marianas towards Japan,which might I remind you listening, bypasses the Philippines. It of course was a strategy completely at odds with MacArthurs. Marshall supported King, as did the other Joint Chiefs. But in the end MacArthurs whining forced King to relent on the transfer of the two marine divisions and the bomber groups, thus MacArthur revealed his timetable for operation Cartwheel. He told them he planned to take Kiriwna and Woodlark in the Trobriand Island around June 30th. The advance on New Georgia would start on the same date, and in September the First Cavalry and 3 Australian divisions would begin operations against the Madang-Salamaua area. Meanwhile MacArthur's 43rd division would invade southern Bougainville on October 15th, while the 1st Marines and 32nd division would invade Cape Gloucester on December 1st.  For all of these amphibious landings, there were no serious problems when it came to shipping and landing craft….that is for Nimitz designated areas. However at the beginning of 1943, MacArthur had practically no amphibious equipment nor experts in these types of operations. The only units available to him were the Army's engineering special boat brigade which had very few small craft. The man who would be responsible for the amphibious assaults during much of the coming campaigns was to be Rear Admiral Daniel Barbey. On January 10th, 1943 he took command of the forces that would later be designated the 7th Amphibious force. Barbey from the offset established good relations with MacArthur…because well anyone who worked with MacArthur had to. He had nearly nothing to work with in the beginning, but started with establishing bases at Toobul Bay, near the mouth of the Brisbane river and Point Stephens. MacArthur had requested more small craft and transports as early as mid 1942, but because of the European and central pacific being a priority, little had come his way. Before the equipment came, MacArthur was receiving American and Australian troops, so he got Barbey's team to improvise. They began training the troops in debarking from larger ships down cargo nets to smaller landing craft. However Barbey had no attack transports (APA), which was the key to this kind of operation. To solve this they rigged nets from cliffs, boy that must have been fun. The first Landing ship tanks LSTs and Landing craft tanks LCTs would not arrive until mid january, and on Easter Sunday 13 Landing craft infantry's LCI's were delivered, giving them very little time before the first operations were to begin to train the crews on how to use them.  Now on the other side Halsey had his own three phase operation. Part 1 saw the invasion of New Georgia, part 2 was the seizure of Buin and Rekata Bay if possible and last 3 was the seizure of Kieta and the neutralization of Buka. Phase 1 was codenamed Operation Toenails. Halsey described the operation to Nimitz as “a infiltration and staging operation”. The operation would see simultaneous landings at Wickham Anchorage to hit its landing craft base; Segi point for its airfield site; Viru Harbor for its small craft base and Rendova Harbor which would serve as a new base to stage troops for a future attack upon Munda. This would all occur on June 30th. The main force assigned to Operation Toenails was General Hester's 43rd division. Admiral Turner and his Task Force 31 were in charge of the amphibious landings while Admiral Fitch would toss 1182 aircraft to give them aircower and Admiral's Ainsworth and Merrill's Task force 36 would provide further naval support. On the other side, interservice coordination between the Japanese Generals and Admirals remained intermittent and largely ad hoc, when it was not hostile. General Imamura's 8th area army HQ at Rabaul stood above Hyakutake's 17th Army, comprising 3 divisions spread over the SOlomons and New Britain, and General Hatazo Adachi's 8th Army had 3 divisions on New Guinea. Troop reinforcements were arriving in Rabaul bolstering the garrison at one point to 90,000 men. Vice Admiral Jinichi Kusaka remained in command of navy forces at Rabaul and held responsibility for the defense of the central solomons. Admiral Mineichi Koga had succeeded the slain Yamamoto as commander in chief of the combined fleet, based at Truk. Nowhere in the theater was there a blended command, the army and navy had to coordinate their operations through a meticulous process of “nemawashi / digging around the roots” for a consensus. The Japanese moved new air units into the theater, including more of the elite carrier aircrews that had trained and honed their skills prior to the war, but the loss ratios in air combat was ruining them.  As a result of the devastating loss during the battle of the Bismarck Sea, the Japanese were forced to change plans. USAAF and RAAF aircraft based at Port Moresby and Milne Bay had slaughtered an entire convoy of Japanese transports attempting to land troops in the Lae-Slaamaua area using a new technique called “skip bombing”. Imperial General HQ set up a joint Army/Navy investigation board to study the disaster, seeing the IJA accused the IJN of being too focused on the Solomons rather than on New Guinea. The Army argued New Guinea was vital for the national defenses and proposed that if a retreat became necessary, it would be as a direct result of the navy's lack of support. If this were to happen they would have to pull back and create a defensive line from northwest New Guinea to Timor. The Navy's representatives argued that the Huon Peninsula must be held or its loss would swing open the western gate to Rabaul, forcing the combined fleet to withdraw from Truk. Well the fighting eventually resulted in an ultimatum with both sides agreeing the army/navy operations should focus on eastern New Guinea. It was decided that both the army and navy would literally operate as one unit, because that would go well. The Central solomons were still under the overall responsibility of the 8th fleet, now commanded by Vice Admiral Baron Samejima Tomoshige with some IJA units placed under naval command according to agreements made between General Imamura and Admiral Kusaka. It seems the Japanese could get along once and awhile, as just like Halsey and MacArthur, Imamura and Kusaka developed a deep friendship. Both of their staffs ate lunch together once or twice a week, where southeast area affairs were discussed informally and their respective staffs got to know another personally. Kusaka went on the record to say Imamura was a very great person. Many army units would be sent to reinforce the New Georgia defenses and by late May the bulk of the 229th regiment arrived to Munda, and the 13th regiment went to Vila by late June. Imamura placed both regiments under the command of Major General Sasaki Noboru's southeast detachment who responded directly to Samejima. Samejima's first orders were to arrange the responsibilities between General Sasaki's southeast detachment and Admiral Ota's 8th combined SNLF, seeing Sasaki in charge of Munda and Ota in charge of the Enogai and Bairoko area's. If the situation arose, command would be unified under the senior officer on New Georgia, General Sasaki. Ota would also have responsibility for coastal artillery defense, radio communications, and barge operations. Admiral Koga in his new role as commander of the combined fleet, preemptively sent move of his forces back to the home islands in preparation to reinforce Attu. But as the fate of the Aleutians became sealed by late May, Koga decided to concentrate the combined Fleet at Truk, so it would be primed and ready for a decisive naval battle with the Americans. Without the aid of Koga's carriers, Kusaka had launched another air counteroffensive after I-Go, this one taking place in June. The aim was yet again to prevent the Americans from invading the central solomons . Kusaka began tossing waves of Bety's against American shipping east of San Cristobal and night raids over guadalcanal. Simultaneously he also unleashed Operation SO; a major offensive to smash allied air power in the Solomon islands; and operation SE: which targeted airfields and shipping. He sent 105 Zeros to sweep and bomb the enemy airfields with a new type of gasoline bomb. Operation SE began with 25 Val dive bombers attacking US shipping in the Guadalcanal-Tulagi area and Operation SO began on June 7th with 81 Zeros led by Lt Commander Shindo Saburo assaulting the Russels. However the Russel group ran right into 104 allied fighters who shot down 9 Zeros. A follow up attack was made on the 12th with 74 Zeros led by Lt Miyano Zenjiro, this time the Japanese lost 7 fighters but took down 6 American. As usual the Japanese pilots made wild claims, stating the first attack saw 41 American fights shot down and the second attack 24.  Kusaka launched the main attack of Operation SE on June 16th led by Lt commander Saburo consisting of 24 Vals and 70 Zero escorts who swung south of the Russells, turning at Beaufort Bay. Yet again they were intercepted, this time by 74 allied fighters over BEaufort Bay and the ensuing ari battle rolled over the mountainous spine of guadalcanal. This time the Japanese lost 15 Zeros and 13 Vals while only shooting down 6 allied fighters. The Japanese lost first rate pilots such as Lt Miyano who had scored a total of 16 kills during the war. Again Japanese veteran pilots were being bled dry severely affecting the nation's airpower. Despite their waves being intercepted nearly every time, the Vals were able to press through with their attacks and managed to hit the cargo ships Caleno and LST-340. But such results were hardly worth the cost, so Kusaka began to urgently request reinforcements. The carrier Ryhuo would lend her bombers to replace the lost ones, arriving on the 2nd of July. The losses taught the Japanese pilots some bitter lessons and never again would the fly over guadalcanal during daylight as the American CAP was far to powerful. Over in New Guinea, General Blamey was laying out his plan for the capture of Lae, codenamed Operation Postern which was approved by MacArthurs headquarters. Before the allies would invade Woodlark and Kiriwana, MacArthur proscribed the seizure of Lae and the Markham and Ramu valley. The Markham operations were to be based on Port Moresby while the north coast operations would be staged from Buna and Milne Bay. The invasion of Woodlark and Kiriwana islands codenamed Operation Chronicle would be entrusted to Lt General Walter Kruegers 6th army. The islands northeast of the Papuan coast would allow the allies to have air bases closer to Japanese targets in the Solomons and around Rabaul, thus Blamey had devised his plan to secure the northeastern part of New Guinea. The first phase of his plan was Lae and the Markham and Ramu Valleys; the 2nd phase was to seize a shore base within 60 miles of Lae, he chose Nassau Bay. Nassau Bay would help with the supply problems in the Wau-Mubo-Bobdubi area, as all the supplies were being flown in from Port Moresby. The mountains were serious obstacles for transport aircraft, not to mention the Japanese fighters that could spring out of nearby Lae. Taking Nassau Bay would greatly shorting supply lines for allied troops fighting in the Salamaua region and also allow a junction to be made with General Saviges forces operating at Mubo The 162nd American Regiment led by Colonel Archibald MacKechnie would help hit Nassau Bay, they would be known as the MacKechnie force. They would seize the high ground around Goodiew Junction and Mount Tambu and the ridges running down therefrom to the sea, allowing the Australians to link up with the 15th brigade at Bobdubi and the American landing force at Nassau. D-day for the Nassau Landing was set for June 30th and it was all going to act as a feint, hoping to lure Japanese forces from Lae to Salamaua.  Now the last time we left off in New Guinea, General Savige had launched a limited offensive against the Japanese at Mubo and Bobdubi ridge. General Nakano was certain Salamaua was the main allied target and this prompting him on the 29th to order Major General Chuichi Muroya to lead the 51st division to fortify it. In the process Muroya's men expelled Warfe's commandos from the northern ridge. To the east of Mubo, Brigadier Moten was trying to take the Pimple, but his 17th brigade would be performing more patrolling than actual attacks throughout the later half of May. Eventually Savige would relieve the exhausted 2/7th battalion with the 2/6th battalion led by Lt Colonel Frederick Wood who would begin an advance on May the 27th. Meanwhile Nakano had brought more reinforcements to defend Mubo and launched a strong counterattack in early May, nearly breaking through towards the main Australian camp at Lababia ridge. On May 23rd Nakano received two battalions of the 66th regiment and began to work out a plan for assembling supplies and ammunition in the Mubo area to prepare for an offensive. Men would move at night in a single file along the narrow jungle trails carrying the materials by hand, through mud and rain. The main train was a slope on Komiatum ridge known to the Japanese as Regret Hill as the hard working soldiers became more exhausted with each passing day marching along it. The Japanese sought to clear out Lababia ridge as far as Guadagasal, thus securing Mubo. On June 3rd, allied patrols discovered Nakano had reoccupied Markham point which forced Savige to keep the bulk of the 24th away from the action at Bobdubi and Mubo. From their camp at the bank of the Markham Savige ordered patrols to investigate the Nadzab area. On June 14th, a 3 man patrol came across friendly natives at the village of Gabsonkek who informed them of the Japanese activity in the area. They said "that the Japs come to the village every day between 10:00 and 12:00 hours taking everything in sight—pigs, fowls, fruit, etc., without paying; they take native girls back to Lae if they can catch them. The guides would not proceed farther to Ngasawapum because Japan man come up Big Road, cut us off", and they would not go to Narakapor because they claimed there were too many Japs and two big guns". The patrol went back to camp by the 18th informing command. A second patrol was made, led by Lt Dave Burke who forded the Tabali River to get to Nassau Bay. Their report indicated the area was suitable for landing and road construction. To further prepare for the American landings, the Australians began building a footbridge over the Bitoi River and blazed a track up to Bitoi Ridge. On Lababia Ridge the main defensive position withdrew to a junction on the Jap Tracks where it would be easier to counter enemy encirclement attempts. Reports came in from forward platoons that there was considerable enemy activity along the Komiatum-Mubo track. This was Nakano's 66th regiment carrying the food and ammunition in preparation for the upcoming offensive. In response to this, Savige ordered Brigadier Frank Hosking of the 15th brigade to assume command of the Bobdubi ridge area and to begin harassing the Japanese supply route. Meanwhile the 58th/59th battalion relieved the 2/3rd independent company at Hote and a party of Warfe's commando's were sent to attack the Komiatum-Mubo track. However disaster struck as the Australians ran into their own booby-traps on June 16th suffering a number of casualties. By June 20th, the commando's established ambush positions along a ridge near the junction of Stephens Track and the Komiatum Track. They successfully ambushed some Japanese later that day, killing a few men and capturing valuable documents about the arrival of Nakano's 66th regiment. However by this point Nakano's units were already assembling in front of Lababia ridge and the offensive was about to begin. Now we gotta finish up the episode talking about some developments in India. After the disastrous first Arakan Campaign, Marshal Wavell was to receive a promotion, and by promotion I mean he was kicked upstairs as they say, succeeded Lord Linlithgow as the new Viceroy of India. But until then he began looking into training his forces in jungle warfare as the bitter lessons learned at Arakan proved the men were very unprepared. Wavell also wanted to investigate what the hell had happened during the disaster, so he sent Major General Roland Richardson in late May to head a infantry committee at New Delhi for the task. The committee's report about the Arakan campaign found the troops fighting spirit was fundamentally sound, but the major problems that affected their combat performance were more about the over expansion of the army in India. The army mobilization had been rushed, they barely met basic training and the supplying of their sheer numbers was a catastrophe. There were also issues regarding their low status, inferior pay for the infantry, which further deprived them of skilled and well educated recruits.  Yet above all else the Infantry committee found their lack of jungle training to be the most egregious issue. As observed “This is the most urgent problem facing us, and one which requires prompt and energetic action if results are to be produced in time for the winter campaigning season.” The lack of jungle training severely undermined their ability to fight efficiently and ultimately led to the breakdown of infantry battalions in the Arakan. And of course there was the ever present unseen enemy, that of malaria, alongside an assortment of other ailments that were wreaking havoc on the men. But many of these problems could not be tackled until June 20th, when General Claude Auchinleck was officially appointed as the new Commander in Chief in India. For General Slim this was excellent news and certainly worked in his favor alongside the sacking of Irwin. The “Auk” as he was called, had always been a Slim supporter and was the one who recommended him to Wavell for advancement when Wavell was Commander in Chief of the middle east back in 1941. The Auk had wanted to retain Slim in the middle east and fought hard to dissuade Wavell from taking him over to Burma. Churchill never held Wavell ever in high regard and was tired of his quasi-academic effusions and preferred a “fighting general” in Burma. Alongside the Auk, Irwin was replaced with General George Giffard, and Slim had this to say of the replacement.  “The new Army Commander had a great effect on me. A tall, goodlooking man in the late fifties, who had obviously kept himself physically and mentally in first-class condition, there was nothing dramatic about him in either appearance or speech. He abhorred the theatrical, and was one of the very few generals, indeed men in any position, I have known who really disliked publicity . . . But there was much more to General Giffard than good taste, good manners and unselfishness. He understood the fundamentals of war – that soldiers must be trained before they can fight, fed before they can march, and relieved before they are worn out. He understood that front-line commanders should be spared responsibilities in the rear, and that soundness of organization and administration is worth more than specious short-cuts to victory” Auckinleck went to work from the offset of his new command by improving the welfare, health and feeding of the Indian army to foster improved morale. General Giffard as the new commander of the Eastern Army had Major General Temple Gurdon to oversee some reforms for training and the development of new doctrines. A lot of effort was made to conduct intensive collective training under jungle conditions. The men would train near Nasik, Ranchi, Dehradun and in the Jhansi-Nowgong-lalitpur region. Commanders low to high were given a chance at handling units to improve standards of staff work, practice combined army tactics and build team spirit. Auchinleck also initiated a policy of active patrolling at Assam and Arakan to gather intelligence and maintain touch with the Japanese as to destroy the feeling that they were super soldiers.    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. A lot of chess pieces were moved around the board this week. Bitter lessons had been learnt in multiple theaters of the war and now it came time to reorganize and try new things to ultimately bring the war against Japan to a closer end.