The Bridge to China

China’s Golden Week means more spending. Eight days off means that trains, flights and hotels are all booked across the country. Venues will be slammed with crowds. China’s tourist economy rises like the phoenix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For every Mid-Autumn festival, families and friends gather to savor moon cakes and re-tell the story of Lady Chang’e and why she lives on the moon. Being the time for bountiful harvests and relishing in the season, the legends and the celebrations have also traveled abroad to nations all over the region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you find bizarre or maybe even off-putting about food from another culture? Alex and Jason explore the shocks from tasting foreign food. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senior Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, Mario Cavolo just visited the US after living in China for 24 years. He offers some side-by-side comparisons between his experiences in the US and in China. From tipping to homelessness and the cost of living, we discuss how America has changed and what our nations can learn from one another. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

Arnaud Bertrand is an entrepreneur and CEO of Me and Qi, and former CEO of HouseTrip. A well-known commentator on economics and geopolitics with more than 100,000 followers on Twitter. He discusses how China has provided freedom from fear on the streets of its cities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the age of Amazon, JD, and Taobao, why do people still go out to mammoth shopping centers? New research suggests that the business is evolving. The view from China is much the same, despite more and more malls being built at incredible speeds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Microplastics are now being found in the remotest parts of our earth. The half-life of microplastics is hundreds of years long, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry. This may come at a high cost to all living beings on the planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jerry Grey, long time British-Australian resident of China, takes on some bad takes on China from the west. From doubts of safety to cries of collapse, let's hear the facts from Jerry instead. What is China's Social Credit Score? Where is the Greater Bay Area in China? Tune in and listen up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Electronic vehicles seem too good to be true. But, what do we do with the batteries when they reach the end of their lives? Solar panels harness the power of the sun so we can take high-speed rail or watch lots of TV, but what happens when the panels reach the end of their life cycle? Solar, EV, wind, and hydropower are saving the planet from climate change, but what will save us from them? Hosted...

Generational divides may suggest that younger men are taking presentation to a new level. According to CNN and Statista, “the global male grooming market is expected to be worth $115 billion by 2028.” What's driving the new game of grooming? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Wood has a background in information technology. Before moving to China's mainland, he lived in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. Now living in Fuzhou, he describes himself as an amateur earth scientist, linguist and photographer. We ask him about what he really thinks of life in China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some are calling the Maui fires the worst natural disaster in US history. With Canadian fires polluting New York city, recent flooding in Northern China and in Slovenia and Georgia, evidence of extreme weather abounds. Are people around the world really waking up to climate change? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will using paper straws save our oceans? Does caving to single-use plastics make you feel dispirited? If you spend hours reading the headlines, you might become so paralyzed by climate change that you simply want to give up. New mental health research suggests that Eco-anxiety and doomscrolling are making us too depressed to go green. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artists in the US are suing companies responsible for AI. Has AI been stealing from our artists? Can Hollywood writing be replaced by robots? What will happen to our most creative storytellers, painters, and musicians if their ideas can just be sucked up by massive databases and reproduced in part by anyone at will? Even comedians are saying the robots are coming for their jobs… Hosted on Acast. S...

The fire, the aftermath and a community in calamity, we invite a resident of Maui, Polina Marian onto the show. She discusses the fire, and how the community has come together. She describes the heroes, the losses, the plight of survivors, and how we can help. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the world sweltering under the summer sun, it's time for a more creative take on what it means to stay cool and how. Did the ancient Chinese get it right? The Indians? How severely are air-conditioners being used in China compare to that in the US? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inflation tops the chart of issues plaguing America, with 77% of Republicans and 52% of Democrats saying it is a ‘very big problem’ according to recent research. While the economy is roaring for the rich, the least well-off are worse off than any other time in recent history. Will this be the new norm of inequality in America? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author, journalist, and key opinion leader Nury Vittachi joins us on the show. He discusses how children's literature can incubate the next generation of scientists with cross cultural insights that transcend contemporary disputes. We talk about Taoism, literature, physics and the distorted lens through which China is sometimes seen. Listen in as Nury explains his key tip for understanding the med...

According to a new 2023 publication by Deloitte, amid glimpses of progress, problems regarding working women’s mental health are still waiting to be addressed. And the BBC reports “a precarious economy and employment instability may be making the problem worse.” Would you put yourself in jeopardy to report a rotten boss? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While there are 9.5 million jobs with no qualified applicants in the US, there are 5.6 million working age Americans who have given up on getting a job. We ask, with so many workers and so many jobs, is the real problem being not paying workers enough? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While a new survey shows an increase in anti-Asian hate and discrimination, we also see some small victories in the battle against anti-Asian hate in the US. We have the latest in America's struggle with anti-Asian hate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lee Barrett is an engineer and social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers. A citizen of the UK living in China, he makes videos that deal with technology and industry as they impact people and the society. We ask him about the future of China, the UK, the US, and that of global manufacturing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the state of Earth's old growth forests? While countries like China and Vietnam are both reforesting at impressive rates, it is not enough to make up for the deforestation happening elsewhere. A new study by Global Forest Review shows that deforestation in the past three years is raging at full speed ahead. Let's take a look. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK’s Express calls tipping in the US a tourist’s ‘nightmare.’ Why has it spiraled out of control? And how do people show appreciation for good services in other countries? We discuss how to fix this growing phenomenon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Michael Dunford is a Visiting Professor at Chinese Academy of Sciences. We discuss China’s economic history. He explains China’s fight to end poverty. We ask him about the BRI and whether China’s tactics will work in the underdeveloped world. He also gives us some insights into the next steps for China’s Common Prosperity initiative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...