Shows
Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#51 | Last EpisodeAnd so we are at an end.
Summer break was here, relations with the school were in the gutter, but I'd signed a contract for next year and was effectively trapped.
The only way out was to concoct a cunning scheme, and that's exactly what I did... *cackle*
谢谢，再见
亚当
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2023-10-2523 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIn Conversation with Lisa, another of the Cradle of Elites’ English TeachersAs I was planning my escape from the Cradle, Lisa was just settling in. How did her experience compare to mine? From her home back in the USA, she told me her story.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2023-10-0734 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#50 | Farewell DrinksIn this penultimate episode, the foreign teachers meet for one last time at Brew Kettle, and as the booze takes effect a certain clarity appears.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-09-2413 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#49 | A Daring Escape – The Rise and Fall (and Crash and Burn) of Lin BiaoWe're almost at the end of this troubled tale and, because few stories end as dramatically as Lin Biao's, I think it's time to revisit the ailing marshal and find out how it all went so wrong.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-09-0926 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#48 | Contract KillerThe year end is nigh. School holidays approach. The question to renewing the contract has come. What should a paranoid, anxiety-addled teacher do?
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-08-2719 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#47 | Something in the Water – Jinxi Water Town and TibetWe cycle through the wetlands of Jiangnan to the water town of Jinxi, muse a little on the contradicting feelings of restriction and freedom in China, and then get into the story of modern Tibet.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-08-1325 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#47 | Down The Rabbit HoleIt's Easter in Changshu, and an Easter Egg hunt at school goes hopelessly off the rails.
Also, the festival of Qingming, and the Chinese story of creation – with a giant rabbit called Pangu.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
Song: 'I am the Sea' - Epic Pirate Battle Music, supported by #TheROOMnoCopyRMusic
2023-07-2314 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#46 | NewbiesA change in the teacher line-up has been taking place following the surprising dismissal of teacher Tyler. The new clan heads out to a nightclub, where I get some advice about dealing with Dodi.
(dubious accent alert)
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-07-1011 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#45 | The Sino-Soviet Split pt. 3 – Rapprochement with AmericaIn episode 1 of this three-parter, China was alarmed at Soviet attempts to live alongside the Americans; and in part 2 those attempts went into reverse as the Cold War reached its peak temperatures.
In the final part, we follow the secret mission of Henry Kissinger as he went to China to make contact after 25 years of silence, and how the new Sino-American relationship shook up the final decades of the Cold War.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-06-2539 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#44 | The Sino-Soviet Split pt.2 – Peaceful Co-Existence?Part 2 of 3 in a Sino-Soviet Split miniseries, and it's time for the hopes for peaceful co-existence between the Americans and the Soviets to be roundly dashed, much to the satisfaction of a certain Chairman over in Beijing.
Next time, how the Chinese capitalised on the situation for their own ends.
Music in this episode:
Dragon Castle by Makai Symphony
Cuba Baion by Kurt Drabek
Russians by Sting (guitar cover by Giuseppe Torrisi)
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-06-1117 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#43 | The Sino-Soviet Split pt. 1If only the two big communist powers had gotten on, perhaps they could have stuck it to the Americans during the Cold War, but it wasn't to be. Personalities and ideologies got in the way. In this first part of an SMKY doublepod, we look at the period leading up to the split in the early 60s.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-05-2819 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#42 | Red Tourists – Neo-Maoism, Lei Feng, Suzhou’s GardensChina might be a big scary communist country to people in the West, but for Neo-Maoists the country has lost its way, and sometimes it seems that communism in China is more of a nostalgic indulgence. Apart from Mao, Lei Feng is the mascot of commie merchandise.
We also take a trip into the Humble Administrator's Garden, and the Suzhou Museum, before a dramatic race for the bus.
FYI: Songs that feature in this episode – 1, Without the Communist Party, there is No New China – 2, Learn from Lei Feng's Good Example
2023-05-1419 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#41 | “Better to hear two Suzhou people argue than listen to one regular person talking”As we head back to Suzhou, we look at the story of the ancient city and make sense of all those Wus associated with the area.
We then dive into the local tourist hotspot at Shantang Street, it's poetry and nostalgia, for dinner.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-04-3015 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIn Conversation | Making sense of touching fish, lying flat, letting it rot and sang cultureA number of curious phrases have popped up lately in China, as a new internet-native generation join the workforce and find themselves getting knocked about by office politics and social pressures.
In this episode, a Shanghai-based worker joins me to explain these terms.
Sang culture - 丧文化
Lying flat - 躺平
Let it rot - 摆烂
Neijuan - 奶卷
Touching fish - 摸鱼
2023-04-1930 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#40 | This is My Town – Office politics, hukou, sang culture, neijuan...white collar work in ChinaAfter visiting the harsh cold countryside for the Lantern Festival, I get back to the school only to be thrown into more office politics. But compared to the Chinese workers, laowai work is pretty tame. Let's explore that a little.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-04-0217 min
Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#39 | Lily’s TownHaving returned from the winter break, I head off into rural Jiangsu to spend the Lantern Festival in Lily's Town.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @AdamSMKY
2023-03-1922 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#39 | Lily’s TownHaving returned from the winter break, I head off into rural Jiangsu to spend the Lantern Festival in Lily's Town.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @AdamSMKY
2023-03-1922 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#38 | The Yangtze Never Runs backwards; Man Recaptures Not His Youth - More Opium Wars and the Century of HumiliationPicking up at the end of the last episode, today Grade 7 teacher Penny and I travel to the epic Yangtze River, and we get stuck in to the Opium Wars. Not Britain's finest moment, that.
And we discover why Penny left a note under my door while I was sick....
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @AdamSMKY
2023-03-0516 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#38 | The Yangtze Never Runs backwards; Man Recaptures Not His Youth - More Opium Wars and the Century of HumiliationPicking up at the end of the last episode, today Grade 7 teacher Penny and I travel to the epic Yangtze River, and we get stuck in to the Opium Wars. Not Britain's finest moment, that.
And we discover why Penny left a note under my door while I was sick....
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @AdamSMKY
2023-03-0516 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#37 | Choppy Waters – Zheng He, Tea, Opium, and the beating of war drumsIt's time to recall the Opium Wars that began China's Century of Humiliation. After the lofty heights of the Ming expeditions with Zheng He's epic fleet, the Chinese lost their ability to rule the waves. This episode details the prelude to the first Opium War, how the British set up their drug trade and why they did it. Next episode, battle commences.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-02-1915 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#36 | The New GuyAs Winter Break approaches, I take a trip to the biology department.
And a new guy starts at the school...
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-02-0514 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#35 | ”The Headdress is no worse than the Eyebrows” – Liu Rushi, Wu Zetian, Cixi, female leaders and little emperorsToday we go back in time to find out about "China's most respectable prostitute", and the winners and losers in the concubine system.
Also, the dramatic end of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Qing!
And #MeToo in China, or #RiceBunny...
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2023-01-2228 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#34 | ”Shame the Poor, not the Harlot” | Valentines Days, Ding Ling, Sex Work, and the baifumei lookAs events in the school take a curious turn, we turn to the topic of love, sex and marriage in China. How have the ruptures of the modern age changed this part of life?
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @AdamSMKY
2023-01-0817 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#34 | ”Shame the Poor, not the Harlot” | Valentines Days, Ding Ling, Sex Work, and the baifumei lookAs events in the school take a curious turn, we turn to the topic of love, sex and marriage in China. How have the ruptures of the modern age changed this part of life?
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @AdamSMKY
2023-01-0817 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#33 | From Revolutions to ResolutionsIt's time to go back to the school, where the dawning of a new year gives this troubled teacher a chance to reset the clock, and begin afresh with a new positive spirit. Or something.
Meanwhile, one teacher makes an untimely departure, and the prospect of romance is in the air.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: SMKYPodcast
2023-01-0113 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouMaoism Beyond China pt.2 | The Counterculture, New Left, Black Panthers, Weather Underground, Paris ’68To conclude this two-parter exploring how Mao's ideas manifested outside China, we look to the world of the hippies and stoners and idealists. Why did this strand of Marxist thinking, with its emphasis on the peasantry and anti-imperialism, appeal to the relatively comfy students, activists and thinkers of the developed West?
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2022-12-0824 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouMaoism Beyond China pt.1 | Maoist Workers Institute, Shining Path, Pol PotDoes Maoism really deserve all the criticism that it gets? Er, yes. Yes it does.
For some it was a fad, but for others it became a way of life which endures to this day. Over the next two episodes, we’re going to have a look at Maoism, from the bad to the very bad.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2022-11-2426 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#32 | The Rising Sun – Zhou Enlai, Sun Weishi, and Jiang QingOn the past few episodes of SMKY, we covered some of the challenges in modern China with regard to the competition, guanxi and ruthlessness which infuse the culture. China is indeed a competitive society where relationships matter more than anything, and one-upmanship is the name of the game. But, despite Xi Jinping’s cult of personality, the situation now is nothing when compared to the headiest days of the Mao years, when even for the number 2, Premier Zhou Enlai, things were touch n go.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
2022-11-1022 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You”Either You’re a Wolf or You’re a Sheep.” | In Conversation with ESL teacher TomIn the past few episodes we've been attempting to get our heads around Chinese culture and the pitfalls that foreigners often find themselves in when they go there to teach English. Unlike me, in relatively well-developed Changshu, Tom was teaching way out in the sticks, in a place that he describes as "the real China."
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2022-10-3044 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#31 | 吃人不吐骨头 ...Without Spitting Out the BonesGuanxi is the oil the greases the engine of life in China. But when things go wrong, it all comes tumbling down, and fast. This is the story of Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai.
And then, back to the school.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
2022-10-1314 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#30 | 吃人不吐骨头 Eat a Man...It's not always a barrel of laughs for those who find themselves living in the Middle Kingdom – culture shock is real and when it hits, it hits hard. In the first of a two-parter doublepod, we try to make a little sense of some of the cultural cornerstones of Chinese society: guanxi and mianzi, and also status and hierarchy.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-09-3019 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#29 | Shut Up and ColourDespondency sets in amongst the foreign teachers as we each find a reason to gripe about the school.
Say hi on Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-09-1511 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#28 | 久病成良医 Long Time Ill Become DoctorTeacher Adam's tour of China takes us finally to the hospital. Well, sickness is no fun at the best of times, but at least the management are supportive. Or are they?
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-09-0214 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#27 | Christmas in ChangshuThe holiday season is upon us, and all the world unites in a moment of happiness and reflection. Or something.
Meanwhile, at school, the song that I'd picked for a Christmas performance turns out to be more challenging than I'd initially expected.
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2022-08-1809 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#26 | Sunset in Nanjing - The Rape of Nanjing/Nanjing Massacre, Meiji Restoration, Sino-Japanese Wars, Xi-an IncidentWarning – this episode contains descriptions of war crimes
As darkness descends on Nanjing, our trip to the city comes to an end. We look at the rise of Japanese ultranationalism and fascism, their unhinged campaign to take over China, and the most famous atrocity the city is known for.
Twit: @SMKYpodcast
2022-08-0324 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#25 | One Loved Money, One Loved Power, and One Loved ChinaThe rises and falls and rises and rivalries of China's most famous power-sisters, the Soongs. With a story that spans some 100 years, China's 20th century is nothing without this family.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-07-2012 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#24 | Sunrise in Nanjing – Hongwu Emperor, Taiping Rebellion, Sun Yatsen, and Chinese republicanismMe and teacher friend Jess head to Nanjing with the intention of visiting the Rape of Nanjing Memorial museum. Before that though, a little background of some notable Nanjing moments in history, as China's southern capital, and the founding values of Chinese republicanism and where they went.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-07-0719 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#23 | December – Shivers, fads, Social Credit Scores, and baijiuTwit: @SMKYPodcast
2022-06-2312 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#22 | The Silkworms Will Weave Until They DieIt's time for a school trip to Suzhou, following in Marco Polo's footsteps, to learn the secrets of silk, and muse on China's healthcare.
"Too many tweets might make a twat," as David Cameron once said. My twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2022-06-1015 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#22 | The Silkworms Will Weave Until They DieIt's time for a school trip to Suzhou, following in Marco Polo's footsteps, to learn the secrets of silk, and muse on China's healthcare.
"Too many tweets might make a twat," as David Cameron once said. My twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2022-06-1015 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#21 | Bamboo BluesLike any teacher worth his salt, I attempted to combat the onset of an early winter depression by getting hopelessly drunk and trying to play a piano song to a group of drunks in a bar in the city.
And if that doesn't work, there's always Roland Emmerich movies and bamboo carpentry. One of these things must provide a cure surely.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-06-0315 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#21 | Bamboo BluesLike any teacher worth his salt, I attempted to combat the onset of an early winter depression by getting hopelessly drunk and trying to play a piano song to a group of drunks in a bar in the city.
And if that doesn't work, there's always Roland Emmerich movies and bamboo carpentry. One of these things must provide a cure surely.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-06-0315 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#20 | Dear DiaryThere's a bit in most movies called the low point, not long before the end, where it seems that all is lost for the main character. We're not quite at the end of this tale, but in November, all was lost.
2022-05-2711 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#20 | Dear DiaryThere's a bit in most movies called the low point, not long before the end, where it seems that all is lost for the main character. We're not quite at the end of this tale, but in November, all was lost.
2022-05-2711 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#19 | Temple Tantrums – Religion and Spirituality in China: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Falun Gong, Mao ZedongBack at the Cradle of Elites, there's a newcomer in town. Jess is from the UK, and we find ourselves in a temple. From there, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to a discussion about religion and spirituality in China, from the ancient belief systems to the modern cults.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-05-2030 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#19 | Temple Tantrums – Religion and Spirituality in China: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Falun Gong, Mao ZedongBack at the Cradle of Elites, there's a newcomer in town. Jess is from the UK, and we find ourselves in a temple. From there, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to a discussion about religion and spirituality in China, from the ancient belief systems to the modern cults.
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-05-2030 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You“It’s Not About the Truth!” | Xinjiang, Peng Shuai, and more China-West misunderstandingsI arranged for one more chat with Spring, and decided not to play so nice this time.
(This was recorded before the British government came up with its "send asylum seekers to Rwanda" policy. This is possibly relevant in the first half of this conversation, when I'm claiming that we respect human rights. Oops.)
2022-05-1236 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You“It’s Not About the Truth!” | Xinjiang, Peng Shuai, and more China-West misunderstandingsI arranged for one more chat with Spring, and decided not to play so nice this time.
(This was recorded before the British government came up with its "send asylum seekers to Rwanda" policy. This is possibly relevant in the first half of this conversation, when I'm claiming that we respect human rights. Oops.)
2022-05-1236 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You”This society, it works!” A Shanghainese view on how we misunderstand ChinaThis is the first of two chats. We talk about censorship and foreign companies pulling out of China, whether "Taiwan is China!", whether Trump was good or bad for China, the people's trust of the CCP in relation to Covid, and cultural differences in general.
2022-05-0524 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You”This society, it works!” A Shanghainese view on how we misunderstand ChinaThis is the first of two chats. We talk about censorship and foreign companies pulling out of China, whether "Taiwan is China!", whether Trump was good or bad for China, the people's trust of the CCP in relation to Covid, and cultural differences in general.
2022-05-0524 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#18 | ...And Quick MouthsThe concluding part of this idiom-inspired doublepod about human rights in China. We start at Tiananmen Square, and weave through the current Shanghai lockdown to troubled, outspoken businessmen and recent events in Hong Kong. And of course, the saint of human rights in China, Liu Xiaobo, makes an appearance.
2022-04-2732 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#18 | ...And Quick MouthsThe concluding part of this idiom-inspired doublepod about human rights in China. We start at Tiananmen Square, and weave through the current Shanghai lockdown to troubled, outspoken businessmen and recent events in Hong Kong. And of course, the saint of human rights in China, Liu Xiaobo, makes an appearance.
2022-04-2732 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#17 | Those With Straight Hearts...Scandals and troublemakers in China, and how the authorities react. Featuring appearances from the Gang of Four, Jiang Qing, Chen Mengjia with his Chinese characters, Zhang Zhan exposing Covid-19 failures and Tiananmen Square.
2022-04-2021 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#17 | Those With Straight Hearts...Scandals and troublemakers in China, and how the authorities react. Featuring appearances from the Gang of Four, Jiang Qing, Chen Mengjia with his Chinese characters, Zhang Zhan exposing Covid-19 failures and Tiananmen Square.
2022-04-2021 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouStuck in the Middle Kingdom with Covid: A chat with a locked-down ShanghaineseShanghai's been locked down for weeks now, and China's reputation for dealing well with Covid is being undermined as cases continue to rise. Not only that, but hospital appointments are getting missed and people are running out of food. I chat with one of those on the inside.
2022-04-1119 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouStuck in the Middle Kingdom with Covid: A chat with a locked-down ShanghaineseShanghai's been locked down for weeks now, and China's reputation for dealing well with Covid is being undermined as cases continue to rise. Not only that, but hospital appointments are getting missed and people are running out of food. I chat with one of those on the inside.
2022-04-1119 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIn Conversation: Brian Hioe on Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement & China-Taiwan situationI'm grateful to founding editor of @NewBloomMag Brian Hioe for joining me for a chat about the political situation in Taiwan, mainly in regards to the Sunflower Movement, the relationship with China, chances of war...
Twit @SMKYpodcast
Blog https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
New Bloom https://newbloommag.net
Brian @brianhioe
2022-04-0633 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIn Conversation: Brian Hioe on Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement & China-Taiwan situationI'm grateful to founding editor of @NewBloomMag Brian Hioe for joining me for a chat about the political situation in Taiwan, mainly in regards to the Sunflower Movement, the relationship with China, chances of war...
Twit @SMKYpodcast
Blog https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
New Bloom https://newbloommag.net
Brian @brianhioe
2022-04-0633 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#16 | Will of the People – Wuxi, Chinese Democracy, VPNs, TaiwanI took a weekend trip to Wuxi, the most notable part of the trip being the discomfort of the transportation and the nice fella who worked in Wuxi's youth hostel. With hushed voices, we covered a number of controversial topics.
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-03-3018 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#16 | Will of the People – Wuxi, Chinese Democracy, VPNs, TaiwanI took a weekend trip to Wuxi, the most notable part of the trip being the discomfort of the transportation and the nice fella who worked in Wuxi's youth hostel. With hushed voices, we covered a number of controversial topics.
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-03-3018 min2022-03-2001 min2022-03-2001 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouUkraine EpisodeInstead of a regular episode, a few reflections on the way counternarrative-inclined westerners have responded to Russia's aggression, mostly on Twitter.
My twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-03-0519 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouUkraine EpisodeInstead of a regular episode, a few reflections on the way counternarrative-inclined westerners have responded to Russia's aggression, mostly on Twitter.
My twitter @SMKYpodcast
2022-03-0519 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#15 | The Grass Bends when the Wind Blows on it – Confucianism in China, a ConversationA chat today with Manzhou from Shanghai about Confucianism. And stick around to the end for an email from Teacher Kelly, as some of the staff make a move against the school management.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-2426 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#15 | The Grass Bends when the Wind Blows on it – Confucianism in China, a ConversationA chat today with Manzhou from Shanghai about Confucianism. And stick around to the end for an email from Teacher Kelly, as some of the staff make a move against the school management.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-2426 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#14 | Plunging Vertically, Lightly ClinkingPenny rocks up to drag me away from the safety of my apartment, and we go back into Changshu City to find sweatshops, green tea, and an illegal swimmer.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-1715 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#14 | Plunging Vertically, Lightly ClinkingPenny rocks up to drag me away from the safety of my apartment, and we go back into Changshu City to find sweatshops, green tea, and an illegal swimmer.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-1715 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#13 | Open ClassBack in school, we laowai suffer the stress of an open class. For those unlucky enough to be faced with such a challenge, here are some games and stuff that require minimum planning and are fairly fun too.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-0916 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#13 | Open ClassBack in school, we laowai suffer the stress of an open class. For those unlucky enough to be faced with such a challenge, here are some games and stuff that require minimum planning and are fairly fun too.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-0916 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#12 | Random Impulse – The Bund, Sun Yatsen, Shanghai Massacre 1927Part two in Shanghai, finding the city's shiny financial centre, the colonial hangover which is the Bund, and one of the city's darkest hours.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-0221 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#12 | Random Impulse – The Bund, Sun Yatsen, Shanghai Massacre 1927Part two in Shanghai, finding the city's shiny financial centre, the colonial hangover which is the Bund, and one of the city's darkest hours.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-02-0221 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#11 | Getting Away – Shanghai, Colonialism, the French Concession and JG BallardConflicting personalities in the school combined with some irritating school scheduling crap led to me seeking the city lights of Shanghai. In part one of a two-part extravaganza about the great city, we visit the bars of the French Concession and track down JG Ballard's old home.
Some nice pics here: https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-01-2621 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#11 | Getting Away – Shanghai, Colonialism, the French Concession and JG BallardConflicting personalities in the school combined with some irritating school scheduling crap led to me seeking the city lights of Shanghai. In part one of a two-part extravaganza about the great city, we visit the bars of the French Concession and track down JG Ballard's old home.
Some nice pics here: https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
2022-01-2622 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#10 | The Kettle BoilsMany challenges come with teaching English abroad: language barriers, cultural differences, unusual teas... and other teachers.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2022-01-1914 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#10 | The Kettle BoilsMany challenges come with teaching English abroad: language barriers, cultural differences, unusual teas... and other teachers.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2022-01-1914 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#9 | Easy Meat1) Salaries, savings, visa requirements and a few tips for the budding ESL teacher in China.
2) Classroom discipline, getting to know students, and another tricky meeting with the management.
3) Indecent proposal.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2022-01-1224 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#9 | Easy Meat1) Salaries, savings, visa requirements and a few tips for the budding ESL teacher in China.
2) Classroom discipline, getting to know students, and another tricky meeting with the management.
3) Indecent proposal.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2022-01-1224 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIn Conversation: A Taiwanese view on life in China’s ShadowSummer is a journalist in Taipei. We discuss journalism and press freedom in taiwan, emotional connections with China, lessons from Hong Kong, chances of war, traveling between Taiwan and China, competition between democratic and Chinese systems, voting in Taiwan
2022-01-0530 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIn Conversation: A Taiwanese view on life in China’s ShadowSummer is a journalist in Taipei. We discuss journalism and press freedom in taiwan, emotional connections with China, lessons from Hong Kong, chances of war, traveling between Taiwan and China, competition between democratic and Chinese systems, voting in Taiwan
2022-01-0530 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#8 | Dwelling in the Yushan MountainA bit of a travelogue episode, finding Changshu's ancient district and the city's sole mountain.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2021-12-2922 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#8 | Dwelling in the Yushan MountainA bit of a travelogue episode, finding Changshu's ancient district and the city's sole mountain.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYPodcast
2021-12-2922 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#7 | Attention! A Day in the Life at the Cradle of ElitesOn today's podcast, a day in the life at the international school. And the symbols of modern China – flag and anthem – and Mao's tricky Hundred Flowers Campaign.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2021-12-2121 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#7 | Attention! A Day in the Life at the Cradle of ElitesOn today's podcast, a day in the life at the international school. And the symbols of modern China – flag and anthem – and Mao's tricky Hundred Flowers Campaign.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2021-12-2121 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#6 | Shajiabang – Peng Dehuai and Wu Han, the Start of the Cultural RevolutionHi and welcome back to Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with You, the show about teaching in China and Chinese history. Last time, we touched on the Cultural Revolution in relation to one of its victims, Deng Xiaoping, who would later claw his way back into power and remake China. This time, I find myself in the village of Shajiabang, which was the setting of one of the Cultural Revolution's model operas. So that means we're going back to the 60s, for peak crazy, China-style.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: SMKYPodcast
2021-12-1322 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#6 | Shajiabang – Peng Dehuai and Wu Han, the Start of the Cultural RevolutionHi and welcome back to Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with You, the show about teaching in China and Chinese history. Last time, we touched on the Cultural Revolution in relation to one of its victims, Deng Xiaoping, who would later claw his way back into power and remake China. This time, I find myself in the village of Shajiabang, which was the setting of one of the Cultural Revolution's model operas. So that means we're going back to the 60s, for peak crazy, China-style.
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: SMKYPodcast
2021-12-1322 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#5 | The Nine Lives of Deng Xiaoping – with Liu Shaoqi, Xi Jinping, and China‘s State CapitalismToday we look at the fall of Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi, and then the rise of Deng Xiaoping and capitalism in China. This covers some of the Cultural Revolution, a topic that we'll come back to next time.
Some nice pics to accompany this episode, found on https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
For anyone interested in the music, this episode featured the Chinese National Anthem, the Mao propaganda song "The East is Red", another Mao propaganda song "Red Sun in the Sky", the 1940s Chinese Communist propaganda song "Without the Communist Party, There Would be...
2021-12-0524 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#5 | The Nine Lives of Deng Xiaoping – with Liu Shaoqi, Xi Jinping, and China‘s State CapitalismToday we look at the fall of Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi, and then the rise of Deng Xiaoping and capitalism in China. This covers some of the Cultural Revolution, a topic that we'll come back to next time.
Some nice pics to accompany this episode, found on https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
For anyone interested in the music, this episode featured the Chinese National Anthem, the Mao propaganda song "The East is Red", another Mao propaganda song "Red Sun in the Sky", the 1940s Chinese Communist propaganda song "Without the Communist Party, There Would be...
2021-12-0524 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#4 | Settling InHi! Thanks for listening to the SMKY podcast, where we delve into all things China, including living and working there.
This little episode picks up after the slightly explosive meeting we laowai had with the Chinese management team. We get to know some colleagues a bit better and take a group trip into town and get hot pot.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2021-11-2812 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#4 | Settling InHi! Thanks for listening to the SMKY podcast, where we delve into all things China, including living and working there.
This little episode picks up after the slightly explosive meeting we laowai had with the Chinese management team. We get to know some colleagues a bit better and take a group trip into town and get hot pot.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter @SMKYpodcast
2021-11-2812 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#3 | Pumped and Deflated – e-bikes, atom bombs, propaganda, Mao Zedong and the Great Leap ForwardThis episode introduces one of Changshu's best brains, Wang Ganchang, which leads into the Great Leap Forward. Yes, that Great Leap Forward.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2021-11-2215 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#3 | Pumped and Deflated – e-bikes, atom bombs, propaganda, Mao Zedong and the Great Leap ForwardThis episode introduces one of Changshu's best brains, Wang Ganchang, which leads into the Great Leap Forward. Yes, that Great Leap Forward.
Email: SMKYpodcast@gmx.com
Twitter: @SMKYpodcast
2021-11-2215 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#2 | ”You Don‘t Want a Grenade Blowin‘ up Beside Yer Face”Hello and thanks for listening to the SMKY podcast. In this episode, I meet most of the other foreign teachers who were to be my colleagues for that year. It was also out first meeting with the Chinese management, and we laowai were ill-prepared for the cultural expectations of such a situation – and it showed.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
2021-11-1414 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#2 | ”You Don‘t Want a Grenade Blowin‘ up Beside Yer Face”Hello and thanks for listening to the SMKY podcast. In this episode, I meet most of the other foreign teachers who were to be my colleagues for that year. It was also out first meeting with the Chinese management, and we laowai were ill-prepared for the cultural expectations of such a situation – and it showed.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
2021-11-1414 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#1 | It‘s Not the Worst Punishment...Hi! Thanks for listening to the SMKY podcast, which is my account of living in China and exploring its history and culture. In this episode I settle into my new apartment which is literally inside the school gates, and talk about the region and the river.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
2021-11-0716 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with You#1 | It‘s Not the Worst Punishment...Hi! Thanks for listening to the SMKY podcast, which is my account of living in China and exploring its history and culture. In this episode I settle into my new apartment which is literally inside the school gates, and talk about the region and the river.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Email: SMKYPodcast@gmx.com
2021-11-0716 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouOn the Word ”Laowai”Hi, you've made it to the Stuck in the Middle Kingdom With You podcast, a story of teaching English in China peppered with tales from Chinese history and culture. This is a preface of sorts.
Laowai: rude and offensive or friendly or neutral? I'll spell it out here, 'cos this word is going to come up a few times.
In this episode, we also mention the foreign tutors of China's last emperor and empress. Now that's a job! Shame that it was under such doomed circumstances.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Email: S...
2021-11-0115 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouOn the Word ”Laowai”Hi, you've made it to the Stuck in the Middle Kingdom With You podcast, a story of teaching English in China peppered with tales from Chinese history and culture. This is a preface of sorts.
Laowai: rude and offensive or friendly or neutral? I'll spell it out here, 'cos this word is going to come up a few times.
In this episode, we also mention the foreign tutors of China's last emperor and empress. Now that's a job! Shame that it was under such doomed circumstances.
https://smkypodcast.blogspot.com
Email: S...
2021-11-0115 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIntro | Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouThis podcast tells the story of a year of an English teacher in China, working in an international school in Changshu, Jiangsu.
It's also full of history and culture. We'll go back to the imperial days, the revolutionary days, the days of triumph and the days of humiliation. Mostly though, it's modern China that I'll focus on, as it is the most relevant to understanding China now. China is super fascinating, and it's also probably the most important country in the world to understand right now, so this is my contribution to that. It's not a chronological...
2021-10-2804 minStuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouIntro | Stuck in the Middle Kingdom with YouThis podcast tells the story of a year of an English teacher in China, working in an international school in Changshu, Jiangsu.
It's also full of history and culture. We'll go back to the imperial days, the revolutionary days, the days of triumph and the days of humiliation. Mostly though, it's modern China that I'll focus on, as it is the most relevant to understanding China now. China is super fascinating, and it's also probably the most important country in the world to understand right now, so this is my contribution to that. It's not a chronological...
2021-10-2804 min