Why subscribe?
If you’re here, then you might be considering signing up for another newsletter. Brave choice. The internet certainly needed more content, right?
But seriously, thanks for being here. This Substack is where I upload the results of my research and wanderings that don't quite fit elsewhere – including random observations, unpublished and archival scribblings, podcast updates, and occasional insights.
Some of you may remember me from such past classics as “the prof who once taught you history” or “that guy in the hat who led your tour in Beijing.” Others of you might know me as a columnist for the China Books Review or co-host of the Barbarians at the Gate podcast where David Moser and I attempt to make sense of China, or perhaps By Their Own Compass, my new exploration of historical travelers and the messy, complicated ways our world has always been connected.
Or maybe you stumbled in by accident, looking for Sichuan noodle recipes. Either way, welcome.
About Me
I'm a historian with a Ph.D. who spent over two decades living in China, specializing in 19th-century empires, imperialism and international relations. With 15 years' experience teaching history to university students and organizing educational travel, I'm equally at home discussing Qing politics, Central Asian trade patterns, or Alpine confederation strategies. I’ve written for books, journals, and various publications including The Economist, South China Morning Post, Journal of Asian Studies, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
I'm also an experienced guide and historical storyteller leading groups though the back streets of Beijing, along the less traveled trails of China, into North Korea, up to the Tibetan highlands, across the deserts and steppes of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, and now among the cobblestoned lanes of European cities and beyond—turning academic minutiae into gripping narratives and stories that captivate listeners of all ages.
When not writing or podcasting, I can be found answering strangers' history questions with long-winded answers full of obscure anecdotes or out and about searching for the perfect intersection of history, culture, and a decent cup of tea.
What to expect:
Raw, rarely reverent thoughts on China, history, and travel: Some of these might eventually evolve into more polished pieces, others will remain the half-formed musings they are.
Behind-the-scenes stuff from my podcasts and other projects: The stories too strange, tangential, or possibly libelous to make it into the final cuts.
Travel dispatches: Where I am, what I'm seeing, and what history I'm obsessing over in any given location.
The occasional Jeremiad: (ahem) about historical misconceptions, travel clichés, and whatever else happens to irritate me that week.
Want More?
I get a lot of newsletters sent to my email. I’m guessing you do, too. If you sign up, I’ll do my best to send timely updates, you pinky swear you’ll read them, and I promise not to flood your email with stuff you don’t want to read. Deal?
Let 100 Flowers Bloom and Keep in touch,
Jeremiah
