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This 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 history; instead, it kind of matches up to the things that were occuring in my roller-coaster of a year living in Changshu. I‘ve changed the names of the people I that I met when I was in China, except Jess of course. You‘ll meet Jess later. She‘s awesome. Blog: SMKYpodcast.blogspot.com
Episodes
Friday Jun 10, 2022
Friday Jun 10, 2022
It'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
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Me 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
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
The 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
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Warning – 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
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
The 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
Friday Sep 02, 2022
Friday Sep 02, 2022
Teacher 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
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
Despondency sets in amongst the foreign teachers as we each find a reason to gripe about the school.
Say hi on Twitter @SMKYpodcast
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
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
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
Guanxi 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