‘Superpower Interrupted’: A conversation with veteran China journalist Michael Schuman about his Chinese history of the world
Sinica Podcast
Kaiser Kuo
4.8 • 676 Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2020
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, Kaiser and Jeremy speak with Michael Schuman, a reporter and writer who’s been covering China for 23 years, about his new book, Superpower Interrupted: The Chinese History of the World. The book sets out to present world history as China has understood it, and what that understanding of history tells us about what the China of today really wants.
11:12: Notable historical books on China that have withstood the test of time
17:48: What Chinese exceptionalism means
34:45: When historical context matters, and when it doesn’t
42:11: Michael Schuman’s insights on what China wants
Recommendations:
Jeremy: The work of SupChina’s very own society and culture editor, Jiayun Feng. Click here to explore more of her work.
Michael: The Analects, a work attributed to Confucius and his peers.
Kaiser: The “Frankenstein” That Wasn’t: A Realistic Appraisal of Today’s China, an essay by Damien Ma of MacroPolo.
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Transcript
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| 0:45.7 | That's audible.com slash Wondery UK. Welcome to the cynical podcast, the weekly discussion of current affairs in China, produced in partnership with sub-China. |
| 1:04.5 | Sub-China is simply the best way there is to keep on top of all the important news coming out of China with our indispensable daily newsletter, our website, and our growing range of podcasts and videos. |
| 1:14.6 | It's a feast of business, political, and cultural news about a nation that is reshaping the world. |
| 1:20.4 | I'm Kaiser Guo, coming to you today from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. |
| 1:23.2 | Joining me from storied gold corn holler in Nashville, Tennessee, is a man determined, |
| 1:27.3 | despite the obvious obstacles to be the first person arrested under Beijing's newly proposed national security law for Hong Kong. |
| 1:33.8 | Jeremy, before you're inethereable incarceration, please greet the people this one last time, won't you? |
| 1:40.0 | Come and get me. |
| 1:41.9 | You never know, man. |
| 1:43.4 | The arm is long. It's long. Yeah long yeah no it is sadly very long so chances |
| 1:50.3 | are if you are a listener to this show or have ever heard in talks i've given publicly you've heard me |
| 1:54.5 | talk about cognitive empathy informed empathy i've sometimes called it uh it's something i've often |
... |
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