Mosaic of China

I would wager that all of us have stepped foot into a gym or a fitness studio, even if it was to immediately step out again. But that's the point of today's episode with Siri Nordhejm, Co-Founder of Z&B Fitness and MYbarre Fitness. What is it about fitness establishments that gets you passed that line, and what gets you coming back? And is it the same in China as in other places?   As with all epi...

When you think of an alcoholic drink that’s made out of traditional Chinese ingredients, you might not immediately think of… gin. But that’s exactly what came to the mind of Fergus Woodward six years ago when he helped to create Peddlers Gin, China's first and leading craft gin brand.   Today’s episode takes us through Fergus’ story of discovery and distillation, one that has resulted in a gin tha...

You don't need to be a fan of comic books to understand their galactic-superhero-sized impact on the Zeitgeist. But what about in China? Are there fans of comic books here? And if so, who are they and what do they look like? The search for answers to these questions has taken the podcast to the city of 成都 [Chéngdū], to find the one and only shop in China totally dedicated to American-style comic...

We may not understand it yet, but at this point we’ve all heard about the Metaverse. Some of us can’t wait to embrace it; others are already bitterly opposed to it. But it’s coming, whether we like it or not. In fact, the building blocks of Big Data and Augmented Reality (AR) are already here, we’re just waiting for technology companies to help converge them together.   That’s where today’s guest...

Hello, I’m Oscar. In this trailer, I introduce the new features of Season 03 of the Mosaic of China podcast, including the PREMIUM version of the show that's available on: Apple Podcasts Subscriptions https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mosaic-of-china-premium-apple/id1574444302 Patreon https://patreon.com/mosaicofchina and 爱发电 https://afdian.net/@mosaicofchina   This PREMIUM version will includ...

Being locked into our compounds hasn't been a fun experience for the residents of Shanghai over the last month. But we will survive this inconvenience, and we will hopefully be all the more grateful for the luxuries of living in Shanghai, once they have finally returned.   Oscar could have spent this time preparing for Season 03 of Mosaic of China. But he hasn’t. So the launch of next season is pr...

If language is one of the most important keys to unlocking a culture, then today's tenth and final compilation episode from Season 02 of the show perhaps represents the epitome of what I’m trying to achieve with Mosaic of China. It's a collection of the voices of 30 people from 30 contrasting backgrounds describing 30 favourite words or phrases in Chinese. With hearts heavy under the burden of wor...

In today’s penultimate compilation episode from Season 02, we’re talking about the favourite places people like to frequent in China. Whether you’re looking for recommendations of street food, high-end restaurants, bars, or coffee shops, you should find some inspiration from today’s episode. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 00:57 - Main 23:24 - Outro Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visua...

We're coming up to the Spring Festival in China, so please consider this to be your Chinese New Year gift. It's the compilation episode of the favourite WeChat stickers from the guest of Season 02. With electronic communications, it’s no longer good enough to learn how to compose compelling messages; you need to be fluent in the language of images. Without including things like emojis and emoticon...

In today's special compilation episode from Season 02 of the show, we listen to how 30 people answered the question: “If you left China, what would you miss the most, and what would you miss the least?" There’s no such thing as perfection, living life is about dealing with both the rough and the smooth. The same holds true no matter where you live, or to which cultural identity you feel most affil...

To mark the final episode of 2021, we're switching away from our usual programming to include an edited version of the discussion that Oscar had on The Honest Drink podcast. Recorded a few weeks ago, the conversation covers many aspects that we don't usually have a chance to explore in Mosaic of China, so I hope you'll enjoy listening to the different themes that emerge. A big thanks to Justin, Ho...

Today’s special compilation from Season 02 is all about where people get their news and information from about China. Around the world, news and journalism continues to get more consolidated, more digitalised, and more aggregated onto social media. And China is no exception. But there is still a host of different sources to help people discover more about what's happening on the ground. So I hope...

It's that time of year where our thoughts turn to... buying stuff we don't really need. In China, we've just had the annual Singles' Day online shopping bonanza. And the U.S. equivalent of Cyber Monday is coming up next week. So what? As someone who hates shopping, I couldn't care less about what this means, or what people choose to spend their money on. But somehow, when you ask someone the quest...

Do you know why Chinese politicians have lustrous black hair? Do you know why you wouldn’t write '1,000,000' in China? And do you know why pandas do handstands? If the answer to any of those question is ‘no’, then you should definitely listen to this week’s compilation episode, where we listen to the favourite China-related facts from all 30 guests of the last season. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & In...

This week's compilation episode from Season 02 is about the things which surprise people the most about life in China. No matter whether you're a China outsider or someone who's been living here for decades, there's always something new around the corner to keep you on your toes.   What is it about China that makes you feel the most surprised? It's scale? The pace of change? The way decisions are...

These days you don't *need* to be a fan of KTV (karaoke) to thrive in China. But it certainly helps to have a favourite song prepared, just in case your friends, colleagues or clients force you to join them for an evening of merriment and microphones... In today's compilation episode from Season 02 of Mosaic of China, we hear from 30 people about their strategies for symphonic survival. Do you agr...

As we come up to the October ‘Golden Week’ holidays in China, wouldn’t you like to hear the opinions of 30 people on their favourite travel destinations within Mainland China? Your wish is my command! In today’s special compilation episode from Season 02 of Mosaic of China, we showcase the guests’ travel recommendations, from the beaches of 海南 [Hǎinán] to the mountains of 云南 [Yúnnán]; from the...

It's time to reflect on Season 02 of Mosaic of China. So for today's special Wrap-Up episode, I invited Logan Brouse from Tacolicious to interview me, and to share his thoughts on podcasting in China, in the context of the launch of his own upcoming show: 'China on the Rocks'. As well as discussing the past legacy and future development of Mosaic of China, we also discuss the thorny issues of auth...

One of the themes that comes up a lot in Mosaic of China is the idea that people who can span different cultures can often gain a certain superpower when it comes to analysing their own culture. It's that inside/outside perspective that becomes honed when you venture outside the comforts of your cultural paradigm. In today's episode, we extend that idea beyond the realm of cultural identity, and i...

Murray King is one of those people who took an early bet on China, and applied for a Beijing posting with the Canadian diplomatic service in the 1990s. Fast forward two decades, and he was part of the team that was bringing the Disney experience to China. In today's episode, Murray shares how he continues to apply his experience in negotiation and public relations to his role as the Head of Public...

Zhao Huiling was born in Shanghai, and spent the formative years of her life in West Africa. The experience changed her life, and still informs her work - and her world view - to this day. So it's useful for listeners to Mosaic of China to be reminded that culture clashes are not binary; they can happen no matter where you're from, and no matter with what new culture you're confronted. More than j...

We all know the old stories about fake goods in China. But the parallel worlds of intellectual property infringement and anti-counterfeit regulation have changed a great deal over the last decade. In today's episode, I talk with the lawyer Vittorio Franzese to reminisce about what it was like when this cat-and-mouse game was at it's peak. Who were the counterfeiters? What actions could the lawyers...

Crystyl Mo has been reporting on the world of restaurants in China for over twenty years, so she has borne witness to the phenomenal growth of the modern Chinese fine dining experience. Now, as an Academy Chair at The World's 50 Best Restaurants, she has also been able to contextualise China's culinary scene on the global stage, and she shares some of her insights in today's episode. Apart from th...

Hot off the press, today’s episode is with the Fire Engineer, Michael Kinsey. Like a moth to a flame, I was fascinated to learn what his job entails. It was a slow burn, but I was soon fired up, and all guns blazing to learn more. To add fuel to the fire, Michael explains in glowing detail how he has blazed a trail in the research between human behaviour and the development of fire-safety guidance...

Coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, it's fitting that today's episode includes a family history that spans a similar historical timeframe. Salome Chen is a child of the 清 [Qīng] and 明 [Míng] Dynasties, as well as a child of the modern Chinese property boom. So in many ways she personifies the quirky mix of tradition and moderniity of today's C...