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Podcast: Barbarians at the Gate
Episode: A Great Leap Backwards?: The Closing of Cultural Spaces and the New Normal in Beijing
Description: This episode of the podcast addresses a worrisome question: Is China’s “cultural space” shrinking? The recent crackdown on stand-up comedy content and the scrutiny of foreign musicians performing in bars have raised worries that other artistic domains will soon be targeted. Over the past decade, there has been a perception of a “death by a thousand cuts,” as increasing scrutiny and tightening regulations have slowly sanitized, squelched, or strangled many areas of artistic and cultural expression. The once vibrant LGBTQ scene in Beijing, characterized by thriving queer film festivals...