Round Table China

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 & Ni...

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Beijing for a state visit. Trade and education lead the headlines, but what is actually happening on the ground? Round Table's Fei Fei sat down with Pavel Kiparisov of the Russian-Chinese Guild of Commerce to find out what making deals looks like beyond the press releases. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

You order food and it crosses the city with no problem. Then it hits the building entrance and just stops. That's the old problem. But a new handoff system is smoothing out that final choke point, and how well it works could reshape delivery in crowded cities. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

On weekends in Beijing, a few subway lines are trying something new: letting cyclists bring their bikes onboard. You ride to the station, take the train, and get off right near some of the city's best greenways and cycling trails. No driving, no hassle. Just an easy connection between transit and the outdoors. So how's it working so far? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei and Yushan

May 18 is International Museum Day, and this year's theme is "Museums Uniting a Divided World." It reminds us that across time and place, we share universal bonds: love for family, and the pain of loss. In this segment of China Finds, we're zooming in on a recent exhibition at the National Museum of China, telling a story so personal and powerful, it resonates with people everywhere. On the show:...

For decades, industrialization meant a trade-off: growth versus environmental damage. Today, China is exploring a different path—where development and nature reinforce each other. Known as ecological civilization, this vision is reshaping conservation and urban life. In this episode, we unpack what it means and how it connects to daily life, through a conversation with Wang Zhihe, Director of the...

A major fast food chain is putting artificial intelligence in its employees' ears. Burger King is testing AI-powered headsets that do more than take orders. The devices coach workers on their performance, track inventory, and monitor customer conversations. The technology raises an uncomfortable question about whether this is helpful assistance or employee surveillance. On the show: Niu Honglin, S...

Governments around the world are all trying to answer a key question: How can digital commerce support the real economy — without replacing it? Well, in China, a new set of policy guidelines from several ministries is aiming to do just that. They want to improve global logistics, make better use of AI technology, lower barriers for exporters, and deepen the connection between e-commerce platforms...

Are China and the United States shaping the same AI future, or diverging down different paths? Having worked in both ecosystems, Alex Lamb shares his perspective from Tsinghua University. Together with RoundTable's Yushun, they explore how AI tools and agents are transforming how students learn and code. From data bottlenecks to real-world robots, and a shifting job market, what skills will matter...

Another "super league" is sweeping China's schools: the Class Super League. Sports contests are getting kids off screens and outdoors — but can a football match really teach a child more about failing better than a textbook ever could? / Do pets need 24/7 livestreams (18:17)? On the show: Niu Honglin, Fei Fei & Yushan

What do you do when words aren't enough, yet you still long to connect? For a group of students from Yale University, the answer was simple: sing. This March, the Whiffenpoofs set off on a tour across China, using music to bridge cultures and spark unexpected moments of connection. Round Table’s Yushan spoke with three members about their journey, the experiences that stayed with them, and the sto...

Have you heard of "boyfriend photography"? We spend so much time teaching our partners about angles and lighting that we actually start to believe we've turned them into unpaid content creators. But then comes the moment of truth: snap and the photo is still blurry! So what's the problem here? On the show: Niu Honglin, Fei Fei & Yushun

Two ways to lose a virtual companion without saying goodbye. One, a software update rewrites their personality. Or the company goes bankrupt and pulls the plug. Users are holding digital funerals, calling themselves widows. These weren't just chatbots. They were "best friends", "mentors" or more. So who really controls your most intimate relationship, you or the company behind your partner? On the...

You didn't press record, but there you are, in someone's livestream, their vlog or their viral clip. No permission asked. No warning given. So when does being in public mean giving up the rights to your own face? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yangyang

What do an office worker, ten thousand livestream viewers, and a smart fishing rod have in common? They are all part of fishing's unexpected comeback in China. Only now, the anglers are getting younger and the gear is getting smarter. On the show: Fei Fei, Steve, & Yushan

Internships were once a golden ticket, but now they are a financial burden. Students work for free while paying rent in expensive cities, where experience has become a luxury good. So who gets left behind when opportunity itself has a price tag? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve, & Yushan

Forget dusty storefronts. China's oldest brands are now crashing livestreams and racking up billions of views, making the "old-timers" cool again. But beneath the hype lies a brutal scramble for digital talent, a constant battle with the algorithm, and one lingering question about whether the magic survives when heritage chases trends. / Heart to Heart - please send your audio questions to roundta...