Round Table China

You know that feeling when everyone else seems to have it figured out and you're just wandering? The Odyssey time of life may have you wondering how to navigate the unknown. The good news is, you're not alone. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

World Environment Day is no longer just about emissions and tree planting. This year, the UN wants us to reimagine our economies and our relationship with the planet. China's vision? "Beautiful China," where development and ecology grow side by side. Plus, a conversation with Tahomina Sultana, a young woman with a dream to help her home country of Bangladesh. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

From pickleball to Hyrox, the way China is getting fit is changing. Across the country, 800 million people took part in outdoor sports last year. Retirees. Office workers. Mothers. They are turning courts and trails into offline social platforms. They are not here to win or get attention. They are here for the experience. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushan

For decades, Chinese factories and families saved money by waiting until midnight to use bulk electricity. But as solar power floods the grid, the cheapest electricity is not necessarily at midnight anymore. With record heat driving up power usage, operators are rethinking how to design the system in a smarter way with a more flexible pricing system. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushan

Centuries of art history, billions of dollars, and one problem that may finally have a solution. Fingerprint of Things (FoT) technology now allows researchers to use microscopic bubble patterns and tangled paper fibers as natural ID cards for ancient objects. / Are you a future faker (14:58)? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

From lattes and cakes to bottled drinks and soft serve, matcha is everywhere right now, and China makes a huge percentage of the world's supply. Farmers are ditching old crops, factories can't keep up, and exports are exploding. Is this just another social media fad, or is matcha here to stay? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

Vegetable anxiety is trending. Young diners feel "anxious" if there isn't enough produce on the plate. That's a strange twist, because getting anyone to eat their leafy greens used to be the hard part. Somewhere along the way, the script flipped. So what changed? And what happens when a generation can no longer trust a meal that's missing the greens? / Heart to Heart - please send your audio quest...

You remember when the internet just handed everything over for free. Maps, music, random facts at three in the morning. Nobody asked who was really paying for it. Now AI is flipping the script. The same tools that save time and think alongside people are starting to ask for money. So was free always a trap? Or have we just never considered what it costs to pay for our own intelligence? On the show...

A mother wants to protect her child from bullying. So she files a complaint. Then another. Then she goes after a university professor. The problem? No one seems to agree with her bullying claim. When protecting your child becomes a crusade, who decides where to draw the line? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Xingyu

AI chatbots, storytelling robots, and companion apps are entertaining, comforting, and teaching kids earlier than ever. But China's Ministry of Education is now pushing back. They want families to swap screens for playgrounds and apps for real play. In a world flooded with smart technology, how do we make sure our kids are still being kids? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Xingyu

What do motorcycles, letters from overseas, and university campuses have in common? On the surface, nothing. But dig a little deeper, and nothing is truly separate. The Full Circle finds that connection. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

The UK just passed a radical ban: no tobacco for anyone born after 2008. Meanwhile, Chinese cities like Shenzhen and Hong Kong are using AI and other technologies to police public smoking, all in the name of clean air. Gen Z is becoming the first "nicotine free generation." But even if laws really can kill addiction, where do we draw the line between protecting health and policing choice? On the s...

Think about something you held onto for too long. A job, a project, a goal that just wasn't working. We all love stories about people who never gave up, but staying with the wrong thing can drain years from your life. So how can we know when it's time to let go? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushun

AI doesn't just eat data. It devours power, water, and land. So what happens when you run out of all three? China answered by going underwater. Off Shanghai, one of the country's first commercial ocean-floor data centers has gone live. It is powered by offshore wind and cooled by the sea itself. Could it be a smart solution to the world's data center controversy? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yush...

How did Chinese migrants send money and messages home before phones or banks existed? They did not click send. Instead, they handed cash and letters to couriers who crossed the sea on faith alone. It was not fast, but it somehow worked. We're talking about Qiaopi, a forgotten system that connected families when nothing else could. / Would you take a lot more money for a lot more loneliness (14:25)...

You share a room, you share the space, and you might even share the chores. But what happens when your roommate starts running a business from the top bunk? In China, some students are launching side hustles right from their dorms. But when does a side gig start to cross the line? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Xingyu

Tourists wander into lecture halls. Students grumble about lost seats. All because one university in China decided to open its campus to the public. Suddenly, a simple question becomes complicated: who actually gets to use a university? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Niu Honglin.

There comes a moment when the person who taught you to tie your shoes asks you how to open an app. For many young people, that moment repeats itself. Teaching parents to use phones, avoid scams, and navigate apps has become part of family life. It's not just about technology. It's about patience, role reversal, and watching the people who raised you grow older. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Niu Ho...

Gen Z in the United States has taken up a new self-care hobby. For those who suffer from anxiety, people are packing small comfort bags to help them get through a tough moment. Smart planning, or a touch of self-indulgence? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

Flood season is hitting harder than ever. This year, China isn't just waiting for disasters to happen. It's seeing them coming. Faster warnings. Smarter tech. Less guesswork. The fight against extreme weather is getting an upgrade. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

Hotpot. A dish with dozens of regional forms across China alone. It has gotten so big that entire industries have grown up around the stove. Now we're seeing standards for everything from cooking methods to ingredients. Chongqing just released a fresh set, and we dig into what these new rules mean for the broth we all love. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Niu Honglin.

To some, Xizang is considered sacred, remote, untouched by modernity. A postcard frozen in time. But 75 years ago, peaceful liberation set in motion a transformation that shattered that image. Today, we're peeling back the labels and demystifying the region for what it really is. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Niu Honglin.

Zero celebrities. Zero big budget. Zero marketing push. And somehow, a tiny short drama named 'Enemy' exploded across Chinese social media in days. What happened? And with AI and the giants changing everything, what will people actually want to watch next? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun.

Motorcycles in China were once just cheap, utilitarian transport. But today? They represent freedom, adventure, and identity. So what changed? Championship bikes, a new generation of riders, and the engineering behind the roar. Welcome to China's motorcycle boom. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun.

Something new appeared at a major motorsport event in the Taklamakan Desert recently. It's a type of gasoline most drivers have never seen before: 103-grade fuel. When people online started talking, the questions got interesting fast. Should you be putting it in your car? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun