Summary: This week on Sinica, your hosts Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn are pleased to welcome Geremie R Barmé, the well-known Chinese historian, author, filmmaker and translator, and the Director of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University in Canberra. And the topic for debate? Today we take a break from our usual focus on current affairs for a more wide-ranging discussion that starts with the history and constant reinvention of Hangzhou's West Lake, and moves on to the Chinese penchant for top-ten lists, the lingering importance of Southern Song general Yue Fei to Chinese patriots, and the perennial issue of history's grip on the Chinese psyche and its role in determining China's place in the modern world. We hope you enjoy the show half as much as we enjoyed recording it. Be sure to let us know whether you agree or disagree with our opinions in the comments section as well. Enjoy Sinica? Stay up-to-date on all things China by subscribing to the Sinica show through iTunes. The easiest way to do this is to select "Subscribe to Podcast" from the Advanced file menu in iTunes, and provide the URL http://popupchinese.com/feeds/custom/sinica when prompted. You'll be able to download new episodes automatically as soon as they're released. Note that this podcast is also available as a standalone mp3 file.
