Sinica Podcast
A weekly discussion of current affairs in China with journalists, writers, academics, policymakers, business people and anyone with something compelling to say about the country that's reshaping the world. Hosted by Kaiser Kuo.
562 episodes
Afra Wang on Liangzhu, China’s Vibe-Coding Capital, and the Anxious Optimism of the AI Boom
0:00 / 98:47
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The Morning Star of Lingau
unknown
she wrote a a great piece on the morning star of lingau the sprawling crowdsourced time travel novel that serves as the kind of ur text as we said on the show of of china's industrial party ▶ tap to play from here
In Line Behind a Billion People: How Scarcity Will Define China's Coming Century
Damian Ma
in line behind a billion people and it lends a lot of china through the ▶ tap to play from here
Journey Without a Map
Lien S
he published a book earlier this year this ring called journey without a map ▶ tap to play from here
Home
Marilynne Robinson
mine for this week is the novel home by marilyn robinson ▶ tap to play from here
Stoner
John Williams
if you've read the book i've still talked about so much stoner ▶ tap to play from here
Crash
J.G. Ballard
i think there's also a story called crash which i think j d barr are deliberately using this plain like bureaucratic language to to create a story ▶ tap to play from here
From Barefoot Doctors to Biologics: Dr. Ruby Wang on China's Healthcare Revolution
0:00 / 85:30
China Cure: The Rise of a Biotech, AI Medicine and Global Health Superpower
Ruby Wong
her new book is called china cure the rise of a biotech ai medicine and global health superpower published by agenda publishing with a forward by someone i very much admire carrie brown who's been on the show ▶ tap to play from here
Deep China: The Moral Life of the Person
Arthur Kleinman
you write deep china the moral life of the person ▶ tap to play from here
Butcher's Crossing
John Williams
book butcher's crossing on the show not that l very long ago ▶ tap to play from here
Stoner
John Williams
which had a strange kind of second life as a rediscovered masterpiece ▶ tap to play from here
Not a Master Plan: The Real History of China's Rare Earth Dominance, with Gloria Xiong and Jessica Chen Weiss
0:00 / 78:11
Rare Earth Frontiers
Julie Klinger
julie klinger who is the author of rare earth frontiers still a very worthwhile book to read ▶ tap to play from here
Powerful Patriots
Jessica Chen Weiss
your first book powerful patriots was was about you know when the chinese government permits nationalist protest and when it suppresses it ▶ tap to play from here
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China's Battle to Defend Its Rare Earths
Unknown
china's battle to defend its rare earths was published in 2011 ▶ tap to play from here
Politicizing Business: How Firms Are Made to Serve the Party-State in China
Ning Lun
she has recently published an awardwinning book with a title politicizing business how firms are made to serve the party state in china ▶ tap to play from here
Healing the Heart of Democracy
Parker Palmer
the book is called healing the heart of democracy by written by perka palmer ▶ tap to play from here
The Scientist and the Spy
Mara Hvistendahl
the scientist and the spy by mara fistendal ▶ tap to play from here
Angle of Repose
Wallace Stegner
this time it's his novel angle of repose uh which actually won the pulitzer in 1972 and i'd somehow never read it but it turns out to be actually to tie it to to today's conversation kind of about mining uh ▶ tap to play from here
Strategic Stalemate: Ryan Hass on How Beijing Sees America — and Trump
0:00 / 60:36
The Three-Body Problem
Liu Cixin
i have read fiction recently i read the three body problem finally ▶ tap to play from here
The Guns of August
Barbara Tuchman
the first that i am late getting to but it it was pretty poignant to read is the guns of august ▶ tap to play from here
Regime Change
Unknown
the other one and i'll stop here is uh is a book that recently came out called regime change ▶ tap to play from here
The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914
Christopher Clark
christopher clark's the sleepwalkers how europe went to war in 1914 ▶ tap to play from here
Talking Past Each Other: Pallavi Aiyar on India, China, and the Case for Cognitive Empathy
0:00 / 79:52
Smoke and Mirrors
Pallavi Iyer
that period produced smoke and mirrors her wonderful memoir of those years ▶ tap to play from here
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Travels in the Other Place: Pursuing the Self in Eight Acts
Pallavi Iyer
on japan uh places where she's lived for good stretches as the wife of a diplomat uh more recently she's turned the case inward in her latest excellent book travels in the other place pursuing the self in eight acts ▶ tap to play from here
India and China
Anand Krishnan
that was in the context of anand krishnan's book india and china and i was on there as a discussant ▶ tap to play from here
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The Highest Exam
Unknown
i and i refer you to to a a conversation that i had with the authors of a book ▶ tap to play from here
Flashlight
Susan Choi
i read um two i read one called um flashlight by susan choi i've just finished that ▶ tap to play from here
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Daniyal Mueenuddin
the second book and first novel by my favorite pakistani writer called daniel moutin and this is where the serpent lives ▶ tap to play from here
True Grit
Charles Portis
in fact i i just reread something that was recommended last week by evan osnos ▶ tap to play from here
Crossing to Safety
Wallace Stegner
my recommendation for this week is wallace stegner's novel crossing to safety ▶ tap to play from here
Angle of Repose
Wallace Stegner
i'm now about to read another wallace stegner novel called angle of repose ▶ tap to play from here
The Future, Made in China: Evan Osnos on America's Reckoning
0:00 / 94:39
Age of Ambition
Evan Osnos
he is the author of the outstanding age of ambition which won the national book award in 2014 ▶ tap to play from here
Wildland: The Making of America's Fury
Evan Osnos
he's since written a couple of books wildland the making of america's fury which is just a fantastic one ▶ tap to play from here
The Haves and the Have Yots
Evan Osnos
and the haves and the have yots which i have yet to read ▶ tap to play from here
America Against America
Wang Huning
which is often referenced when we try to understand what senior ranks of the politburo think about about the united states ▶ tap to play from here
The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State
Jill Lepore
this book is called the rise and fall of the artificial state ▶ tap to play from here
How to Rule the World
Theo Baker
a book by a young journalist in the united states theo baker uh called how to rule the world ▶ tap to play from here
Stoner
John Williams
another novel by john williams who's the author of stoner which i recommended last episode ▶ tap to play from here
Butcher's Crossing
John Williams
this one is a western called butcher's crossing ▶ tap to play from here
Samm Sacks and Paul Triolo on WAIC 2026, Xi's AI Speech, and Kimi K3
0:00 / 97:37
The Land and Its People
David Sedaris
i am reading david sederis' new book the land and its people and i am laughing so hard ▶ tap to play from here
And the Party's Interests Come First
Joseph Torigian
i recently we had over joseph tergian to talk about uh and the party's interests come first and you know ▶ tap to play from here
Stoner
John Williams
by john williams which is not sorry to disappoint you burners out there about a pothead ▶ tap to play from here
Gilead
Marilynne Robinson
in very much the same vein is the novel gilead by marilyn robinson ▶ tap to play from here
The Golden Age
Wang Xiaobo
i just read this excellent translation by a translator named yen yen of uh wang xiaobu's most famous novel the golden age huang jin shu dai ▶ tap to play from here
Transcription
Ben Lerner
it's a very thin book it's called transcription by ben lerner ▶ tap to play from here
Lili, Dido, Eve: Joan Didion, Eve Babitz, and the Hollywood Rock Scene
Lili Anolik
it's called diddy and babbitt and it's about two joan diddy and obviously very well known but eve bavits who's not as well known but who were writers and deeply embedded in the rock scene in the seventies in california ▶ tap to play from here
The Platform State: Angela Zhang and Alex Yang on How China Really Governs Its Economy
0:00 / 64:09
High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy
Angela Zhang
angela zhang is professor of law at the university of southern california previous previously seven years at uh university of hong kong and she's the author of high wire how china regulates big tech and governs its economy ▶ tap to play from here
Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism
Angela Zhang
and chinese antitrust exceptionalism ▶ tap to play from here
Agile Governance: Tsinghua's Xue Lan on How China Regulates What It Can't Fully Predict
0:00 / 53:01
China Shock 2.0: This Time It's Europe, with Adam Tooze
0:00 / 46:53
The Wages of Destruction
Adam Tooze
the wages of disc destruction crashed shut down ▶ tap to play from here
The Road to Serfdom
Friedrich Hayek
hayek's road to surfdom on the one hand the great transformation on the other by polani as one of the great products ▶ tap to play from here
The Great Transformation
Karl Polanyi
the great transformation on the other by polani as one of the great products ▶ tap to play from here
"But China!": Robert Wright on the AI Race and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning
0:00 / 113:44
The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
Robert Wright
the the moral animal why we are the way we are the new science of evolutionary psychology which was his landmark nineteen ninety four book on evolutionary psychology ▶ tap to play from here
Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
Edward O. Wilson
i had i think i had just read either before or right afterward concilience uh by edward o wilson ▶ tap to play from here
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
Robert Wright
there's also non zero the logic of human destiny which argues that you know the long arc of biological and cultural evolution has a direction ▶ tap to play from here
The Evolution of God
Robert Wright
uh the evolution of god a finalist for the pulitzer prize ▶ tap to play from here
Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
Robert Wright
and uh why buddhism is true a bestseller on meditation and the modern mind ▶ tap to play from here
The God Test
Robert Wright
it is called the god test and it's the reason we're talking today ▶ tap to play from here
The Texas Paradox: How the Most Anti-China State Is Building America's China Capacity
0:00 / 101:35
Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age
Stephen Platt
that book enough it was just a fantastic book about him it's called raider by stephen platt ▶ tap to play from here
The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present
John Pomfret
yeah my job that is so so enlightening of how close our relationship has been ▶ tap to play from here
Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives
Stephen Roach
stephen roach's fairly recent book it was goes back a couple of years called accidental conflict america china and the clash of false narratives ▶ tap to play from here
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
David Grann
i am finally getting around to the book the wager by david grant ▶ tap to play from here
Killers of the Flower Moon
David Grann
he wrote killers of the flower moon about the osage killings ▶ tap to play from here
The View from Everywhere Else: Eric Olander on how the Global South is reading the Beijing summits
0:00 / 80:37
The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China
Kevin Rudd
i read kevin rudd's book on xi and that was i think that's like his phd dissertation and it really read like that but it was important ▶ tap to play from here
Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future
Chun Han Wong
now i'm reading party of one the rise of xi jinping and china's superpower future by chun han wong ▶ tap to play from here
The Party's Interests Come First: The Life and Times of Xi Zhongxun
Joseph Torigian
have you read joseph tourayin's book the the party's interests come first the no the the biography of xi xijong shun ▶ tap to play from here
The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers
Richard McGregor
and of course this is all tied into even to richard mcgregor's you know famous book and seminal book party and seeing the relationship by how the control the party has ▶ tap to play from here
To Rule All Under Heaven: Andrew Meyer on His New Popular History of the Warring States
0:00 / 80:37
To Rule All Under Heaven: A History of Classical China from Confucius to the First Emperor
Andrew Seth Meyer
the author of a remarkable new book from oxford university press called to rule all under heaven a history of classical china from confucius to the first emperor ▶ tap to play from here
Huainanzi
Liu An
listeners may know him as cotranslator with john major sarah queen and harold roth of the magnificent huainanze ▶ tap to play from here
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The Tao of the Military: Liu An's Art of War
Andrew Seth Meyer
he he's also written the tao of the military liuan's art of war ▶ tap to play from here
The Thirty Years War
C. V. Wedgwood
can you imagine i i read c v wedgewood's book on on thirty years war ▶ tap to play from here
The Origins of Political Order
Francis Fukuyama
in the book the origins of political order by francis fukuyama and he did write other things besides you know the end of history and the last man and some of them are great this book i would argue is really great ▶ tap to play from here
The End of History and the Last Man
Francis Fukuyama
in the book the origins of political order by francis fukuyama and he did write other things besides you know the end of history and the last man and some of them are great ▶ tap to play from here
Records of the Grand Historian
Sima Qian
dogmatically draconian you know at all it almost break that out break that out because you know this is the most maybe remarkable claim that that the book makes and yeah i know it's not just you saying this but but you've said it very clearly and this is going to be read by a lot of people so maybe it's worth it for us to take some time to unpack this you know you you you point at you know that there were 70 erudites that were housed at exp imperial expense and they do represent ▶ tap to play from here
The Three-Body Problem
Liu Cixin
have you read um the this threebody problem trilogy by leo tzu shin of course ▶ tap to play from here
To Say Nothing of the Dog
Connie Willis
he recommended to me a really fun book called to say nothing of the dog or how we found the bishop's bird stump at last by connie willis ▶ tap to play from here
"Constructive Strategic Stability": Ali Wyne of the International Crisis Group on the Trump-Xi Summit
0:00 / 66:18
America's Great Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition
Ali Wyne
he is the author of america's great power opportunity revitalizing us foreign policy to meet the challenges of strategic competition which the spectator named one of its books of the year in 2022 ▶ tap to play from here
No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain
Rebecca Solnit
it's by rebecca solnet one of my favorite writers and it's called no straight road takes you there essays for uneven terrain ▶ tap to play from here
A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness
Michael Pollan
michael pollan's latest book a world appears a journey into consciousness ▶ tap to play from here
Living in the Present with John Prine
Tom Piazza
this is by tom piazza it's called living in the present with john prine ▶ tap to play from here
"The China Debate We're Not Having" | Part 4: The AI Race Reconsidered
0:00 / 36:24
The Poetry of Zheng Xiaoqiong: A Conversation with Translator Eleanor Goodman
0:00 / 71:32
Nine Dragon Island
Eleanor Goodman
sees the author of the poetry collection nine dragon island ▶ tap to play from here
Iron Moon: An Anthology of Chinese Migrant Worker Poetry
Eleanor Goodman (translator)
the translator of among many many works the landmark anthology uh iron moon ▶ tap to play from here
In the Roar of the Machine
Zheng Xiao Chung
also author of in the roar of the machine the translator of roar in the roar of the machine ▶ tap to play from here
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Leslie T. Chang
leslie ti chang makes this great point in in her book factory girls ▶ tap to play from here
"The China Debate We're Not Having" | Part 3: Tech, Rivalry, and Competing Visions of the Future
0:00 / 66:21
War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War
John Dower
john dower dover did this book on world war ii and how the us conducted the war in the pacific differently than they conducted the war against germ germany ▶ tap to play from here
Spain's China Gambit: Pedro Sánchez, Strategic Autonomy, and the European Turn to Beijing — with Mario Esteban Rodríguez
0:00 / 66:14
China's Vertical Multilateralism and the Global South
Mario Esteban Rodriguez
he is the author or editor of several important books including most recently china's vertical multilateralism and the global south published by rutluge just this year ▶ tap to play from here
The Fellowship of the Ring
J. R. R. Tolkien
this year is going to be the 25th anniversary of the release of the fellowship of the ring ▶ tap to play from here
"The China Debate We're Not Having" | Part 2: What Does the United States Want?
0:00 / 67:19
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