Footprints

In this edition of Footprints, we learn the story of sign language interpreter Mao Donglai, a young woman from Hangzhou who tries her best to remove the communication barriers for the hearing impaired in the city. She and her team of volunteers also try innovative ways to help the disabled start up in business.

Rajni Aggarwal co-owns an Indian restaurant in Hangzhou, China. She has been living in Hangzhou for nearly 20 years and calls herself a "Xin Hangzhou Ren", or the "new Hangzhou local". Why did she choose Hangzhou and what motivated her to stay? Join our story today and hear about Rajni's deep bond with this city!

Here comes the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games! Joining the chat are four Zhejiang University students who are volunteers at the Games. Coming from various Asian countries and cultural backgrounds, what motivated them to become volunteers? What types of work are they tasked with? Join us on this heart-to-heart trip to see how Tong Yan, Cen Huaxiu, Zhang Shuiyun, and Chun Tian are contributing to make th...

“Never too early, never too late” -- that’s the theme of the 30th World Alzheimer’s Day, observed worldwide this year on Thursday, September 21st, focusing on risk factors and risk reduction for the disease. Yet the disease still has no cure, and an estimated two thirds of the people globally have little awareness of the Alzheimer’s. However, with aging as a great risk factor for the development o...

​Thirty-year-old Joseph Olivier Mendo’o is an expat living in China from the African country of Cameroon, who has finished his master’s and doctor’s degree studies at one of China’s most prestigious universities. Over the past seven years, he has travelled across the country and mingled with ordinary Chinese on his self-imposed mission to learn about China and promote China-Africa exchanges and co...

Featuring the China-Europe Railway Express, or the CR Express, the Ganzhou International Inland Port in China’s Jiangxi Province has grown into a comprehensive trading hub for exporters and importers around the world. Since April 2017, over 1,300 freight trains have been sent out from here to over 100 cities across Central Asia and Europe, unlocking enormous potential along the route. Join us in t...

Eighty year-old Lin Zhanxi is a Chinese agro-scientist who has invented the technology of growing mushrooms with grass. Since the birth of this technology in 1986, it has played an important role in helping farmers increase their income and environmental conservation both in China and in many other developing countries. At present, this technology, called Juncao, has been adopted in more than 100...

Togolese national Léon Kossivi, also known as Su Xin, has found both professional fulfillment and personal happiness through his involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative's infrastructure projects in Senegal in west Africa. Over his 12 years with the China Road and Bridge Corporation, he has contributed significantly to vital projects like the Dakar Bus Rapid Transit system, making a tangible di...

Gabriella Bonino is known as the “Contemporary female Marco Polo”. As an Italian, she has traveled far and wide in China and writes about the country emphatically. She even followed Marco Polo’s footsteps and retraced the Silk Road.

Dancers Simon Abbe from Cameroon and Jiang Keyu from China are not only partners on stage but also a loving couple in life. Over the past decade, they've actively bridged the cultural gap between the two countries with their love and art. Through performances and community projects, they've nurtured ties that bind people across generations and geography. Join us in this episode of 'Connected' to e...

​Thirty-nine year-old Zhang Yiqing is an infrastructure project builder. Over the past 13 years, he has helped build a series of projects in the Bahamas, Egypt and many other countries. Always ready to take challenges and passionate about his work, Zhang has demonstrated to the world the superb building prowess and excellent teamwork of Chinese builders.

Sharing a border of more than 4,700 kilometers, China and Mongolia have been deepening cultural and economic connections continuously within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. The bond between the two nations was strengthened in 2020 when exchanges of goods and medical supplies occurred, known as the "gifts of sheep and tea". As participants of this friendly gesture, Li Mengyang and Zh...

Dong Lili from China’s Jiangsu Province is an eye doctor with over twenty years of experience. She is also a member of the Chinese medical team dispatched to Zanzibar to provide health aid. This region has long been plagued by high rates of visual impairments. In this episode of ‘Connected’, we bring you the stories and challenges faced by a Chinese doctor in Africa, her motivation for joining the...

​Forty-five year-old Jin Zhaoyu is a Chinese restorer who has helped with the restoration of the splendid Ta Keo Temple, one of the major temples in the UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor in Cambodia. Serving as “doctors of the cultural relics,” Jin and his fellow Chinese restorers have revived the former glory of the Angkor monument after years of hard and smart work. But how exactly has he wor...

"Footprints" presents "Connected," a gripping 10-episode series arriving on July 13th on all major podcast platforms. Join us on this wondrous journey that takes you into the lives of ordinary people whose destinies intertwine with the ancient Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative.

She is called “Princess of the Beavers”. She initiated the“Beaver’s Canteen”, “Guardians of the Beaver” and “Beaver’s Ark” programs to save the endangered Mengxin Beaver species. She is Chu Wenwen, a wildlife conservationist from China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Zheng Dongping is a renowned master of bronze casting. In this edition of Footprints, we'll hear about his journey of mastering and reviving the traditional lost wax casting method, and how he promotes bronze culture through his works.

Eris, or Ling Yuhan, is the founder of an international voluntourism organization. As a blend of volunteering and tourism, voluntourism includes public welfare activities or social services as a part of a travel experience, allowing travellers to help others while enjoying the trip themselves. For almost a decade, Eris Ling has been dedicated to inspiring more travelers to contribute to local soci...

​How to innovate in traditional Chinese ink-wash painting is something many artists have been trying to figure out for centuries. Born into a family of art, Chinese painter Wang Xiaoyan has been making her own exploration since the 1980s. In her drawings, she has seamlessly fused Chinese tradition with Japanese and Western painting techniques.

Located in northwest China, Mu Us used to be a lifeless land plagued sandstorms all year round. Through decades of tireless efforts by the local people to fight against desertification, it has become a thriving place for plants and animals. In this episode, we meet a 100-year-old man who has dedicated his life to tree planting, playing a pivotal role in this extraordinary journey of restoration.

Eighteen year old Shirin Abdullayeva is an Uzbek singer and actress. She has a sweet Chinese name -- Gu Tiantian. Today, she is still shuffling between Uzbekistan and China from time to time, pursuing her dreams of becoming a well-loved performing artist.

​Alai is a renowned contemporary writer in China. Many of his books, such as “Red Poppies” and “Empty Mountain,” have been translated into dozens of languages and published in many other countries. Although the background of each work is different, they all express his feelings towards his homeland and compel readers to think about the meaning of life.

In this edition of Footprints, we’ll meet a member of China’s new generation of farmers, and see how young people like him are transforming China’s farming and rural areas.

​Eighty-four year-old Peppino Cocozza is an Italian-born Swedish businessman. Ever since first visiting China in 1966, he has been a great fan and constant participant in the biannual Canton Fair. Through decades of association with the Fair and China, Cocozza has formed a deep love for and keen insight into the country.

53-year-old Tao Gongming was among the first group of Chinese engineers who were engaged in the research and design of the earliest domestically produced high-speed railway tracks. According to calculations from the World Bank, the construction cost of the Chinese high-speed rail network, at an average of $17 million to $21 million per km, is about two-thirds of the cost in other countries. Behind...