Round Table China

A two-month summer break sounds like freedom. But for many children in China, it comes with a new set of assignments: previewing lessons, completing workbooks, and preparing for the semester ahead. Parents see it as a way to get a head start, while experts warn that too much academic pressure can come at a cost. So how much preparation is helpful? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushun

Solo founders are leaving China's biggest cities for county towns, where the cost of living is a fraction of what they paid. AI has made location less relevant, and smaller counties are wroking to attract these one-person companies with real incentives and real-world testing grounds. Is this a smarter way to build a business, or a step backward? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushun

The obituaries for reading are written every week. Young people scroll past books, grades dip, professors mourn a lost age of deep thought. But the data refuses to cooperate with the gloom. In some corners of the world, reading is surging. Maybe the problem is not that reading is dying, but that we are looking for it in all the wrong places. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

At the World Humanoid Robot Games, machines run, dance, fight, and even play football. The spectacle is futuristic, but watching them compete is as awkward as it is impressive. For every graceful motion, there is a stumble, a missed grip, or a kick that goes nowhere. Each failure reveals exactly where the technology falls short, and that is precisely what makes these games valuable. On the show: S...

A single word, a former boss, and a social media post that changed everything. What started as a personal grievance quickly turned into a legal fight, but the real story is not about the word itself. It is about who gets to use it, who takes offense, and why a generation that once mocked the old guard now finds itself sounding just like them. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

The ice cup market in China is heating up in more ways than one. As consumers develop a taste for clearer, slower melting ice in their iced coffee and other chilled beverages, a wave of new players has rushed in to meet the demand. At the same time, Chinese cooling products are finding their way into international markets, adding another layer of opportunity and pressure. What does it take to comp...

For years, a shouted slogan at one of China's most popular restaurant chains made a single chef a household name. Then this summer, it disappeared overnight. Across industries, thousands of so-called masters are suddenly losing their status as new national rules rewrite who gets to claim expertise. / China's biggest performing arts companies are trading the grand stage for the small screen. Tradit...

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A working film set opens its doors to the public, and the result is more than just a quirky day out. Visitors suit up, follow a director's lead, and walk away with their own short film. It feels like a fun escape, but something deeper is happening behind the scenes. As AI produces content faster than ever, this immersive experience is offering a glimpse into where storytelling might be headed next...

It's Qixi season in China, and love is in the air in ways you might not expect. Couples are celebrating everywhere from city parks to cruise ships, while a new generation is finding connection through apps, algorithms, and a little bit of courage. The ancient legend behind Chinese Valentine's Day is rich with meaning, but today young people are writing their own love stories. On the show: Steve, F...

You ask your kid to help clean up and they look around like there's nothing to do. It's not attitude, but a glimpse into something researchers call cognitive labor, the invisible load of noticing what needs to be done before anyone asks. That same divide shows up between partners, often without anyone realizing it, yet there are practical ways to bring everyone onto the same page. On the show: Ste...

Step inside the hospital of the near future, where smart pumps track supplies, beds monitor movement, and AI helps flag risks before they escalate. These intelligent wards are becoming a reality across China, promising safer care and relief for overstretched staff. But as the technology scales, the real question is how far its benefits will reach and whether every hospital will get to share in the...

How much time in nature is actually enough? The 20-5-3 framework claims to have the answer. It breaks down ideal outdoor time into daily, monthly, and yearly targets. The rule keeps reappearing across wellness articles and social feeds, but is there real science behind it? Where did this framework come from, what do researchers actually say, and can any formula truly measure our connection to the...

Forget the Great Wall and the pandas. This summer, millions of travelers are flooding into China for something entirely different. Instead of ancient history, they're chasing the future. With over 22 million foreign arrivals already this year, tech tourism is rapidly rewriting the China travel checklist. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

What if the thing you toss without thinking outlasts you by four centuries? That is the tennis-ball problem. Millions of them, every year, destined for centuries in a landfill. But in Qingdao, they have found a fix. The solution came from 20,000 dead balls reborn as a court you can actually play on. This is the story of waste that won't wait 400 years to disappear. / A viral complaint is sweeping...

What if the thing you toss without thinking outlasts you by four centuries? That is the tennis-ball problem. Millions of them, every year, destined for centuries in a landfill. But in Qingdao, they have found a fix. The solution came from 20,000 dead balls reborn as a court you can actually play on. This is the story of waste that won't wait 400 years to disappear. / A viral complaint is sweeping...

Summer break arrives with a mountain of homework, but the work is not just for students. Parents across China find themselves tracking assignments, managing schedules, and pushing their kids to stay on pace. They say they just want their children to keep up. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushan

Paid annual leave is a legal right in China, yet many workers choose not to take it. The reasons are nuanced. Concerns about falling behind, disappointing a manager, or the weight of a culture that values presence over performance all play a part. Provincial governments are introducing new measures to encourage companies to let employees step away. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushan

No new episode of Round Table in your feed today. We're pausing briefly because we're cooking up something special behind the scenes, and we can't wait to share it with you soon! We'll be back on schedule tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to revisit our past episodes. Thanks for your patience!

Shared bicycles took over China's streets years ago. Their electric cousins? Not so welcome. City officials kept them out over safety worries, parking chaos, and the belief that public transit already had short trips covered. That stance just cracked as Beijing revised its bike-share regulations to include e-bikes for the first time. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

China just introduced new national safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Under these rules, automakers are now required to maintain safety oversight throughout the entire lifecycle of the car, not just at launch. That shift changes who is responsible when things go wrong and redefines the future of driving. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

Across China, more and more people are leaving their cities behind for a few days or even an entire month, trading crowded streets and sweltering heat for mountain villages and northern retreats where summer feels mild and manageable. Local towns are adapting quickly, building longer-stay accommodations and outdoor experiences tailored to these new visitors. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushu...

Powerful AI used to belong to a handful of tech giants, but that's no longer the case. Today, anyone can download, tinker with, and build on these models, and that shift is reshaping everything from how apps are made to who controls the technology in your daily life. Some call it progress, while others see it as a risk we're underestimating. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun.

A thousand years ago, scholars from across Asia made their way to China to study governance, science, and philosophy. Some even sat for the imperial exams alongside local students. That era eventually faded, and for decades, studying abroad meant one destination: the West. But that map is now being redrawn. So is China becoming a major study destination once again? / The internet's biggest user is...

We all reach for the AC when temperatures soar past 35 degrees. But in one Chinese city, residents are trying something different. In Xuzhou, homes are being cooled with cold water pumped from an abandoned coal mine deep underground. No hot exhaust on the streets. No overworked power grid. Just a smart, low-carbon solution that could change how we think about staying cool in a warming world. On th...