Barbarians at the Gate: Steven Schwankert and the Untold Stories of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors

Why were Chinese survivors of the Titanic vilified while members of other groups were celebrated?

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, hosts Jeremiah Jenne and David Moser interview Steven Schwankert about his groundbreaking research into the forgotten story of the Chinese survivors of the Titanic disaster. Schwankert, author of The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors, details how he uncovered the remarkable tale of six Chinese men who survived the sinking in 1912 and whose stories were erased from historical records.

The conversation explores how these third-class passengers achieved an extraordinary survival rate despite a disadvantaged position on the ship. Schwankert explains how their maritime experience as professional sailors may have helped them make crucial life-saving decisions during the disaster.

We talk to Steve about the detective work he and his team carried out researching the lives of the six surviving Chinese passengers, including their challenges in identifying Romanized Chinese names that had been misread for decades. They also got hands-on, using a full-scale replica of a Titanic collapsible lifeboat built by students and teachers from the Western Academy of Beijing to test historical claims about how the Chinese survivors may have escaped.

Throughout the episode, Schwankert addresses the discrimination and false narratives these men faced in the aftermath of the disaster, including malicious newspaper accounts claiming they had dressed as women or stowed away. The documentary based on this research received a wide theatrical release in China in 2021, bringing this important historical correction to audiences worldwide.

Finally, we discuss racism, official policy, and historical bias, as well as Steven and his team’s work to recover the lost stories, reputations, and posthumous dignity of the six Chinese men who survived the sinking of the Titanic.