@jayjamescarter

Historian of Modern China. Latest book CHAMPIONS DAY: The End of Old Shanghai (@WWNorton). #PIP fellow @NCUSCR. This Week in China's History @thechinaproj

 Between Philly and NYC
jayjamescarter.com
Joined May 2011
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What can one day tell us about China's 20th-century fate? Pleased to share the official trailer for CHAMPIONS DAY! youtu.be/qWarwF2wIos On sale from @wwnorton June 16, 2020 jayjamescarter.com/books/cha…
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Kaiser Kuo
@KaiserKuoSep 17
New @SinicaPodcast : Gloria Xiong (@Colby) and @jessicacweiss (@SAISHopkins) on their @ForeignAffairs essay arguing China's rare earth dominance was no master plan — but a messy accident of export mania, pollution, local defiance, and lessons learned from Washington. With the Busan truce expiring in November, this one matters. Listen wherever you get your pods or click below 👇
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Today's 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist spotlight is ‘Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia’, by @SamDalrymple123, published by @WmCollinsBooks ‘A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian’ - Peter Frankopan cundillprize.com/news/the-20…
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Kaiser Kuo
@KaiserKuoSep 16
An excellent thread that captures well Beijing's perspective, insofar as I can discern. It's based on Ryan's well-honed sense of how things land on Beijing's ear. That's something we should be thinking about as we try to engage in productive discussion.
Ryan Hass
@ryanl_hassSep 15
1/ This feels like a plastic moment in our thinking about how US and China will relate to each other on AI safety, a moment when it matters how accurately we read China's signals. I approach this question with humility. I’m sure others will have additions/amendments. (short 🧵)
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Kaiser Kuo
@KaiserKuoSep 15
Because certain analysts — even ones who've served in government, shockingly — continue to read a Global Times op-ed as an official CPC statement, this gem from @gwbstr needs to be re-upped: thechinaproject.com/2017/01/…

Who speaks for the Chinese government? – The China Project

Who speaks for the Chinese government?

thechinaproject.com
Matt Sheehan@mattsheehan88Sep 14
This is a dramatic over read of a Global Times op-ed. Chinese reactions to Amodei always focus on his China rec: undermine them as much as possible. Of course they're going to lambast that. Going from that to China rejecting any engagement on safety is a giant, unsupported leap.
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Today on the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist spotlight we have ‘Vanilla: The History of an Extraordinary Bean’, by Eric T. Jennings, published by @yalepress @YaleBooks “Vanilla is a tour de force." - Alice L. Conklin, The Ohio State University cundillprize.com/news/the-20…
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September 13, 55 years ago: Lin Biao flew too close to the sun. But why did he really fall? thechinaproject.com/2023/09/… via @thechinaproj

Lin Biao flew too close to the sun. But why did he really fall? – The China Project

Lin Biao was a principal architect of the cult of Mao Zedong. But by the summer of 1971, Mao was publicly identifying Lin as someone who had committed political errors, and seemed on the verge of...

thechinaproject.com
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James Carter@jayjamescarterSep 13
Sept 13, 1971. My This Week column from 2023: Lin Biao flew too close to the sun. But why did he really fall? thechinaproject.com/2023/09/… via @thechinaproj

Lin Biao flew too close to the sun. But why did he really fall? – The China Project

Lin Biao was a principal architect of the cult of Mao Zedong. But by the summer of 1971, Mao was publicly identifying Lin as someone who had committed political errors, and seemed on the verge of...

thechinaproject.com
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Sept 13, 1971. My This Week column from 2023: Lin Biao flew too close to the sun. But why did he really fall? thechinaproject.com/2023/09/… via @thechinaproj

Lin Biao flew too close to the sun. But why did he really fall? – The China Project

Lin Biao was a principal architect of the cult of Mao Zedong. But by the summer of 1971, Mao was publicly identifying Lin as someone who had committed political errors, and seemed on the verge of...

thechinaproject.com
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Read Jeff Tompkin's profile of the author Bill Porter, better known as "Red Pine": chinabooksreview.com/2026/09…
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Mark Witzke
@mkwitzkeSep 10
Finished @JosephTorigian’s bio of Xi Zhongxun last night. After reading a few biographies of other party figures recently this really stood out. The book is not just a biography but also a case study on how the CCP works, as well as a window into Xi Jinping’s background. Torigian traces Zhongxun’s life and work across a variety of areas and topics—from Shaanxi to Guangdong from United Front ethnic policies to economic reform and opening—while still having a keen eye for the interesting personal details. It is both a work of history and political science. Inspired by @vshih2, next I’ll step away from the English secondary sources for a bit and dig into some Chinese language primary sources.
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The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the bank account overwhelms them both, at least sometimes: This Week in China’s History | The Boxer Protocol open.substack.com/pub/sinica…

This Week in China’s History | The Boxer Protocol

September 7, 1901

sinicapodcast.com
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Kaiser Kuo
@KaiserKuoSep 11
Paying subscribers get access to the full transcript and goodies like the "This Week in China's History" column — this week on the Boxer Indemnity, by @jayjamescarter sinicapodcast.com/p/transcri…

Transcript | Strategic Stalemate: Ryan Hass on How Beijing Sees America — and Trump

This week on Sinica, I’m joined once again by Ryan Hass, Director of the John L.

sinicapodcast.com
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Kaiser Kuo
@KaiserKuoSep 11
Check out this week's "This Week in China's History" by historian @jayjamescarter. The focus this time: The Boxer Protocol, a crippling indemnity on the Qing dynasty that helped bring on its demise. 👇
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Kerry Brown@BkerrychinaSep 10
L’eredità di Mao nella Cina di Xi, a 50 anni dalla sua morte Le contraddizioni della figura del “grande timoniere” e la sua memoria nella Repubblica Popolare, cinque decenni dopo. Intervista al sinologo britannico Kerry Brown rsi.ch/info/mondo/L%E2%80%99…

L’eredità di Mao nella Cina di Xi, a 50 anni dalla sua morte - RSI

A 50 anni dalla morte di Mao Zedong, il sinologo Kerry Brown analizza la sua eredità nella Cina di Xi Jinping tra continuità, potere del Partito e differenze storiche.

rsi.ch
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Kaiser Kuo
@KaiserKuoSep 10
Read this ahead of a podcast that will drop Friday or Saturday from @SinicaPodcast with @ryanl_hass about this piece and another!
Kyle Chan
@kyleichanSep 9
“Beijing is focused on strengthening its long-term position for competing with the United States, not on securing breakthroughs with Trump.” Very insightful new piece by @ryanl_hass brookings.edu/articles/why-b…

Why Beijing isn't taking the bait with Trump | Brookings

Beijing is focused on strengthening its long-term position for competing with the United States, not on securing breakthroughs with Trump.

brookings.edu
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Ian Johnson@iandenisjohnsonSep 10
Berlin's @CrossAsia has launched a Beta version of an ambitious new archive of the Mao era. Test it for free until Sept. 30 blog.crossasia.org/neuer-tes…
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Over 50 years and 30 books, the American Bill Porter — better known as “Red Pine” — has followed the trails and trials of China’s classical poets and modern hermits. A new documentary tells his own story. Read Jeff Tompkin's profile of the enigmatic translator, travel writer and poet: chinabooksreview.com/2026/09…

Red Pine: Channeling Silent Voices | China Books Review

Over 50 years and 30 books, the American Bill Porter — better known as “Red Pine” — has followed the trails and trials of China’s classical poets and modern hermits. A new documentary tells his own...

chinabooksreview.com
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Stéphane Malsagne@malsagneSep 10
Delighted to announce that my latest book, La Bataille de Kinmen, Aux origines du conflit entre la Chine et Taiwan, is out today. A new contribution to the history of the Chinese Civil War. gallimard.fr/catalogue/la-ba…
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"Mao, Cultural Revolution cast long shadow over China 50 years on" @Reuters. With thoughts from me and @Bkerrychina reuters.com/world/china/mao-…

Mao, Cultural Revolution cast long shadow over China 50 years on

China on Wednesday marked half a century since the death of Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic, who ​brought roughly a quarter of the world's population under Communist Party rule and whose...

reuters.com
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