Footprints

Twenty-three year-old Chen Han, wearing a pair of glasses, is an intern technician who has been working on an inter-city metro project in eastern China since July 2022. In late December, the young graduate was infected with the coronavirus amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in China. Wasting no time to improve himself and build infrastructure for the country’s future, he returned to work soon after his recovery just as many other fearless and resilient Chinese did.

The term “bespoke suits” usually evokes an image of sophistication and elegance overlying its renowned expensiveness. Here in China, 37-year-old business owner Cao Peng started his own custom-tailoring suit brand dedicated to bringing customized suits to the ordinary man in the street. After 7 years of unwavering efforts, he has weaved up a bespoke suit chain across the country. As China went through its Covid-19 prevention and control measures in the past three years, he led his company to achieve business growth and has remained positive for a bright post-pandemic future.

Chen Jialing and Wang Mingming both are renowned Chinese artists who have won wide acclaim through their ink and wash paintings. The former shot to fame for his ability to break through traditional norms to create master-pieces of scenic beauty while the latter has revived the elusive charm of classic Chinese literature with his ink and wash painting.

In this podcast, we meet the Guo family – presented by London-based vlogger Guo Toto, who describes himself as “a child of two heritages.” His father is a Chinese musician and his mother is British and a garden designer. As Toto says, his family has been on a self-imposed mission to bridge the gaps between Chinese and British cultures.

Fifty-five year-old Fang Chun is a ranger and bird protector working in a wetland reserve situated in the northwest suburb of Beijing. Over the past two decades, his faithful daily patrol and monitoring work for the birds, however tedious it may seem, has contributed to a significant improvement of the local ecology and biodiversity.

Michael Wood has been a TV historian for 40 years and is well-known for his knowledge and understanding of China’s fascinating heritage and culture. His Story of China films and documentary on Chinese poet Du Fu have charmed both Chinese and international audiences alike.

Frances Wood is a British linguist who has surrounded herself with ancient Chinese manuscripts and books for most of her life. In this podcast, she tells about what inspired her interest in Chinese culture and what it was like to restore the Diamond Sutra – an incredible scroll described as the world’s earliest-dated printed book.

Alex Hua Tian, the first ever Chinese eventing rider in Olympic history, says every competitive rider is in search of that elusive "perfect moment of harmony" with his or her horse. In addition to having his sights set on the Paris Olympics in 2024, he has other aspirations too. For example, he wants to ensure that more children in China have access to ponies and horses and he wants to further increase the profile of the equestrian industry.

"Footprints" will present "Bridge Builders," a four-episode series telling stories about people who have devoted themselves to promoting exchanges and understanding between China and Britain.

Footprints presents "The Incredibles" where you will meet ordinary but incredible individuals. For over two decades, Tang Yan has made efforts to strike a balance between innovative designs in silk figurine making and traditional cultural heritage preservation. The modified version of a silk figurine, also known as Tang Wawa was selected as one of the cultural gifts customized for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.