*Given the rapid developments, this episode is an early release of content originally scheduled for this Friday. No new content will be uploaded this Friday (August 1), and regular updates will resume next Friday (August 8).
With the surge in Circle’s stock price and U.S. President Trump signing the "Genius Act," the blockchain concept of stablecoins has entered the mainstream public eye. What exactly are stablecoins? How did Tether, the parent company behind USDT, become the world’s most profitable financial company? Why are countries rushing to pass stablecoin legislation? What crazy designs exist in decentralized stablecoins? In this episode, we will introduce the past and present of stablecoins to help everyone understand them. Starting from May 30, 2024, Leftover Talk officially launches its "Annual Membership Plan." Listeners who join the Leftover Talk annual membership will enjoy the following "benefits":
Topics in this episode: [Chinese Podcast Carnival · Tokyo Summer Festival] Trump Brazenly Imposes 25% Tariffs on Japan and South Korea, Shaking Japanese Politics Trump Still Living in the 1980s Shigeru Ishiba May Face the Awkward Situation of Not Having a Majority in Either House Same Tariffs, Different Circumstances: Which Industries Are Facing Difficulties Under the 25% Rate?
From Tokyo's complex, spider-web-like railway network, to the historically rich yet "steeped in old grime" railway system of the United States, to China's rapidly evolving high-speed rail and subway networks, rail transit has long been more than just a tool for connecting cities. It has profoundly shaped urban forms, people's living habits, and even spawned a unique "railway otaku" culture. In this episode, we invited "Shui Ye (aka Shui Gong)," a professional in the field of rail transit design, to join the hosts in an in-depth discussion of all aspects of railway culture. From a professional perspective, we will re-examine the dispute over subway mileage between Shanghai and Tokyo; look back at history to explore how Japan's JR and private railways jointly "constructed" cities; and funly inventory the major schools of "railway otaku." Why are East Asian railways known for punctuality, while German railways are frequently delayed? What is the safety logic behind "pointing and calling"? When urban life and rail transit become integrated, do we become more efficient "human-machine hybrids," or are we alienated within a "tightly balanced" system?
Topics for this episode: Returning from the Expo: So~ hot~! So~ many~ people~! The large wooden roof was stunning. US Pavilion: Mediocre, focusing on vitality. French Pavilion: Awesome! Another day of being obsessed with France! Chinese Pavilion: As expected, mediocre and conventional.
Topics for this episode: Observations from the South Korean election scene: vastly different atmospheres and moods between the two sides A hard advertisement for Hebei tourism suddenly appears in Moon Jae-in's bookstore Where is the seaside spot most beloved by young Koreans? The most tragic 'fireworks festival' in all of Japan, plagued by misfortune Young Koreans prefer 'playing in the mud' over 'fireworks'
As the second oldest profession, the existence of espionage is fraught with paradox and coldness: it is the hidden dagger behind a smile amidst drunken revelry, the fatal blow after a feint, the supreme righteousness of brazenly betraying one's country for an ideal, and the madness of being blinded by money and beauty... But when all that is solid melts into air, when the smokeless Cold War is no longer shrouded in fog, and when the tense brinkmanship that once seemed life-or-death has become the dust of history, what becomes of those spies who hid within the "Cloak and Dagger"? In this episode, Sha Qingqing will use his recently published book, "Friend or Foe?: Anecdotes from the Cold War's Sea of Espionage," to meticulously unravel the vicissitudes of espionage activities. When did spying transform from a gentleman's side hustle into a vocation worth shedding blood for, and when did it become a money-making business? For the KGB, why were MI5 and MI6 transparent like sieves? And to what extent did espionage influence—or fail to influence—the outcome of the Cold War? Why do spies sacrifice the self for the greater good, and why do intelligence agencies sacrifice the greater good for the self? What does the legendary mysterious "intelligence" actually look like? Please listen to this episode.
On June 9, 2025, Frederick Forsyth, the author of the classic spy novel The Day of the Jackal, passed away in London at the age of 86. His life was as legendary as his novels: at 19, he served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force; after retiring, he became a Reuters war correspondent, venturing deep into the front lines of conflict. In his autobiography, he revealed in his later years that he had secretly served MI6 for 20 years under a dual identity. However, why did Forsyth, who despised the British government, choose to serve MI6? What surprising and interesting intelligence stories did Forsyth experience in East Germany? Compared to other spy novelists such as le Carré, what unique values are revealed in Forsyth’s works? Please listen to this episode’s guests, Zheng Shiliang and Sha Qingqing, for their insightful sharing!
Topics of this episode: Rice prices have risen by 70% on average over the past year and a half, striking a chord in the hearts of the Japanese people. The gaffe by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries instead boosted Shinjiro Koizumi. Old rice, older rice, oldest rice... From the GHQ's land redistribution after World War II to the long-standing "production adjustment policy." Yesterday's postal service, today's agricultural cooperatives: Does Shinjiro exhibit his "father's style"?
In recent years, "reducing burden" and "fairness" have become keywords in education policy, and various regions across the country have adopted "random computer lottery" methods for student admissions at the "kindergarten-to-primary" and "primary-to-middle" stages. However, parents' anxiety has not diminished much as a result. Around the "lottery," tragedies and comedies of joy and sorrow always unfold, and many families inevitably fall into feelings of pain and helplessness. This episode invites an expert in adolescent development and family education planning to discuss her unique observations of parents and children in the "lottery" era, and to share her personal reflections and advice.
This episode features a new guest, Shunzi, who works as a real estate agent in Tokyo. She joins substitute host Yuting and host Sha Qingqing to discuss the ins and outs of finding, renting, and buying a home in Tokyo. In this episode, we will talk about the vast differences in rental markets and procedures between China and Japan, the cultural conflicts that new residents may encounter, the various strange tenants Shunzi has come across, and her observations on the changes and trends in the Tokyo real estate market. The views expressed in the program are merely one perspective based on personal experience and are bound to contain errors and omissions; they are for reference only.
The top six highly-rated comments in this episode’s comment section will each receive a copy of host Sha Qingqing’s translated work Ishikawa Takuboku or his authored book Friend or Foe? (Positions 1, 3, and 5 will receive Ishikawa Takuboku; positions 2, 4, and 6 will receive Friend or Foe?)
Whig historiography, Whiggism, the Whig interpretation of history... These concepts, which seem very distant from us, actually point to a way of viewing and narrating history that is not unfamiliar to the public and is even widely appreciated: progress will inevitably defeat reaction, freedom will inevitably defeat despotism, reason will inevitably defeat ignorance, and justice will inevitably defeat evil. And all this happens because, under the leadership of certain great figures, people have embarked on a path that conforms to the correct historical trend. So, how did Whig historiography emerge? What impact did it have in history? What are its contemporary "variants"? How do we overcome Whig historiography? In this episode, the hosts discuss these topics.
"In the Chinese-speaking world, our understanding of Latin America is relatively scarce. Many of the perspectives through which we view the Latin American region are, to varying degrees, influenced by Anglo-American culture, leading to deviations in our perception of their true nature." In this episode, Guo Cunhai, a researcher at the Latin America Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Sha Qingqing, a historian and podcast host, engage in a dialogue. They discuss why the United States and Mexico, separated only by the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico, present such a stark contrast in development. P.S. Leave your thoughts in the comments section of this episode. We will randomly select 6 subscribers to gift them a copy of The Melancholy Cage: Mexican Identity and Transformation or Five Hundred Years of the Caribbean.
The French intelligence community has not been peaceful since modern times. The "Dreyfus Affair" once caused a massive rift in French society. On the international stage, French intelligence agencies sparked numerous scandals due to their reckless actions. During the Cold War, France served as an important platform for intelligence exchange between the two major camps. Starting from the French Revolution, what legacy did this revolution leave for the French intelligence community? During the era of appeasement, why did French intelligence agencies exaggerate German military preparedness, influencing the course of history? How did the French intelligence network play a "third way" role between Moscow and the West? And how did de Gaulle forge a distinct style for the French intelligence system? Please listen to this episode's insightful sharing by Sha Qingqing!
Topics in this episode: Where to go for summer travel? If you haven't decided, consider Osaka? Fan Yiru went to the Expo in early June to "scout ahead" for everyone The awkward Kansai Expo hopes for a turnaround in reputation Why has this Expo been "unpopular" from the start? Expos born in the 19th century are no longer the "hot commodity"
This episode focuses on a Japanese poet who left a huge literary echo in his short life—Ishikawa Takuboku. Ishikawa Takuboku was born in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, in 1886 and died young from illness at the age of 26. He is famous for his tanka poetry, breaking with tradition by using plain, descriptive strokes to directly depict personal emotions and social reality, displaying a sense of subjectivity rarely seen at the time. He is also regarded as the most well-known national poet in contemporary Japan. This episode invites young writer Dong Lai to discuss the recently translated and published biography of Ishikawa Takuboku by Donald Keene, written in his later years. We review Takuboku's short life of precocity, anxiety, self-destruction, and struggle, as well as his astonishing talent as a poet.
98.1% is the employment rate for 2024 undergraduate graduates in Japan, as recently released. During the same period, the average monthly wage for ordinary workers in Japan was 330,000 yen (approximately 15,000 RMB), also hitting a new high since 1976. As if overnight, Japan ended the 'Employment Ice Age' and entered an era of 'reverse selection by job seekers', even seeing multiple HR departments competing for job applicants. The 'Employment Ice Age' originated after the burst of the bubble economy. In 1991, Japan's asset price bubble peaked and then burst, after which the national economy fell into a long-term slump, and household balance sheets continued to deteriorate.
This episode invites returning guest and old friend @Li Dazang (Episodes 66 and 70) to talk about his past experiences in nightclubs. For many people, nightclubs may be a mysterious and tempting place, filled with urban legends and constantly sending out various danger signals. There are ambiguous whispers, mixed with the smell of alcohol and cigarettes, deafening music, and all kinds of men and women. Setting aside all stereotypes, whether you find true love here, renew a short-term fling, or simply drink bitter liquor to show "solidarity" with others, nightclubs remain a place where the distance between people can potentially be shortened. As a former worker who was once part of this world, he will examine this place from his perspective and, along the way, review with everyone that era of "rapid" advancement and long nights filled with dreams.
Topics for this episode: Sighs: The farce of "Winter in Seoul" finally draws to a close Sha Qingqing: South Korea's democratic forces set a bottom line for the farce Quan Xiaoxing: South Korea's social mechanisms expose their loopholes, but there is still hope The implications of the Constitutional Court's 8-0 ruling If Lee Jae-myung is elected, how will South Korea's foreign relations shift?
Recently, The Atlantic revealed that senior U.S. government officials, including the Vice President, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence, had been using Signal, a commercial end-to-end encrypted messaging app, for work discussions, covering sensitive topics such as decisions on military operations. Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was 'mysteriously' invited to join this Signal group chat of high-ranking officials, witnessing a 'top-secret' national security discussion centered on the airstrike against the Houthi armed forces in Yemen. Beyond discussions on leaks and politics, this episode will focus on the development history and technical features of encrypted messaging apps like Signal, as well as how ordinary users should objectively view the balance between the security and convenience of communication software.
W. Somerset Maugham, the author of bestselling novels such as The Moon and Sixpence and The Razor's Edge, was a very famous 'second-rate novelist' who, as a spy, actively entered the treacherous international struggles behind World War I and World War II. The spy novels born from this experience were even highly regarded by masters of the genre such as Ian Fleming, the creator of '007', and John le Carré. He seems to be a collection of contradictions: he wrote only fictional novels, yet after publication, he was often complained about by the relatives and friends of celebrities; he was homosexual, yet excelled at depicting heterosexual love; he described himself as a 'second-rate author', yet maintained close relationships with high-ranking figures such as Churchill and Eleanor Roosevelt... This episode attempts to peek behind the secrets of Maugham, who loved to 'spy' on others.
A History of the Rise and Fall of Factional Politics in Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, 1955–2025 (4 episodes total) https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/6793c1db0a4fdd4e3d63d8f4
Nowadays, various artificial intelligence technologies seem to have permeated our daily lives, and humanoid robots can even perform yangge dances at the Spring Festival Gala, making scenes from science fiction and anime seem closer to us than ever. In this episode, we invite Cai Yuanxiaomai, a veteran friend of 'Leftover Talk' and a researcher of Japanese anime history, to chat about robot stories in anime. We will focus on Naoki Urasawa's 'Pluto' and its origins with Osamu Tezuka's 'Astro Boy,' reviewing discussions on robots, artificial intelligence, and ethical issues throughout the history of Japanese anime. *The recording time for this episode was November 2024. Due to technical reasons, the quality of some recordings is not ideal; please forgive us.