The Little Red Podcast

08/10/2025

In the latest episode in our series on belief, we’re exploring the surprising revival of shamanism in China, which has made a comeback despite Mao's best efforts at eradication. Ritual healers and spirit mediums are tapping into online believers and a public thirst for authentic spirituality. Shamanism has also become a tourist draw as a form of cultural and religious heritage, with a shamanic theme park even existing in northeast China until 2021. To explore the diversity of shamanic practices across China and their survival in the face of official scepticism, Louisa and Graeme are joined by Feng Qu, an archaeologist from Nanjing Normal University and Mayfair Yang, a cultural anthropologist from UC Santa Barbara.

Image: Totem poles at the Changbai Mountain Nayin Tribe Shamanic Culture Tourist Resort. Feng Qu, February 2023.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/wolf-spirits-and-wild-shamans-the-revival-of-spirit-mediums

08/10/2025

Our latest episode of the pod is live - you can catch it on YouTube or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

In the latest episode in our series on belief, we’re exploring the surprising revival of shamanism in China, which has made a comeback despite Mao's best eff...

30/09/2025

Our episode on China’s incel community explored discourse on gender expectations in Chinese society. Qian Huang from the University of Groningen weighs in on how state and incel community perspectives differ on articulating women’s roles.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/man-up-the-rise-and-rise-of-china-s-manosphere

21/09/2025

In our most recent episode, we examine the history and development of incel culture on China’s internet. Guests Ling Tang, Qian Huang and Yihuan Zhang provide insights into where online misogyny takes place and give us an introduction to terminology from China’s manosphere.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast

Watch the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwDiqA8dhA

13/09/2025

In our episode on the Chinese manosphere, guests Qian Huang and Ling Tang answer the question, is there a Chinese Andrew Tate? How does Chinese online misogyny compare to Tate’s arguments?

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/man-up-the-rise-and-rise-of-china-s-manosphere

04/09/2025

How does the Chinese manosphere compare to the Western one? In our latest episode, guests Qian Huang and Ling Tang weigh up on similarities and differences between incel discourse across cultures.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/man-up-the-rise-and-rise-of-china-s-manosphere

21/08/2025

In the latest in our series on belief, we’re examining the emergence of incels in the world’s largest manosphere. China’s growing incel community is fuelled by state-approved nationalism and simple demographics—by one estimate, 30 million Chinese men won’t find a life partner. To find out why so many Chinese men believe that women are the source of their problems, Louisa and Graeme are joined by Yihuan Zhang, a graduate researcher at the University of Macau, Ling Tang, a cultural studies lecturer at the University of Melbourne, and Qian Huang from the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen.

Listen to the full episode here: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/man-up-the-rise-and-rise-of-china-s-manosphere

18/08/2025

In our most recent episode, guests Gareth Fisher and Chien-Peng Chung contemplate the intersection of Buddhism and power in both China today and in the past.

Listen to the full episode here: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/karma-chameleon-the-ccp-turns-to-buddhism

08/08/2025

What does President Xi Jinping really think about Buddhism? With the rise of Buddhism in China, this question looms large. Back in 2014, Xi gave a speech at UNESCO speaking to the impact of Buddhism on China, the first time a PRC leader had given a pro-religious speech. In our latest episode, guests Chien-Peng Chung and Gareth Fisher speculate as to what Buddhism means to China's leader.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/karma-chameleon-the-ccp-turns-to-buddhism

01/08/2025

Looking for a new way to catch up on the Little Red Podcast? We are now on YouTube, where you can stream our episodes for free.

Bringing you China from beyond the Beijing beltway. Hosted by Louisa Lim and Graeme Smith, with support from the Australian Centre for China in the World at the ANU.

29/07/2025

In our latest episode, we examine Buddhism's adoption by both China's people and the state. Shaolin Temples have been built across the world as a vehicle for promoting Buddhism overseas authorised by its leader Shi Yong Xin. Yet Shi has caught international media attention this week with news that he is under investigation for corruption. Host Graeme Smith and guest Gareth Fisher ponder how Shi Yong Xin has maintained his role until now in spite of scandals.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/karma-chameleon-the-ccp-turns-to-buddhism

23/07/2025

Continuing our series on belief in China, we look at the revival of Buddhism, which is being embraced by citizens and the Chinese state. While temple visits increase, the state is funding temples and martial arts academies from Nepal to Tanzania. As Xi Jinping extols Buddhism with Chinese characteristics, the Chinese state is leveraging Buddhism diplomacy to its advantage. To find out more, Louisa and Graeme are joined by anthropologist Gareth Fisher from Syracuse University, the author of From Comrades to Bodhisattvas, and political scientist Chien-Peng Chung from Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

Image: c/- Bitter Winter. Weibo image of Xi Jinping visiting Hongjue Temple, 18 June 2024.

Listen to the full episode: https://omny.fm/shows/the-little-red-podcast/karma-chameleon-the-ccp-turns-to-buddhism