Round Table China
China Plus
Round Table is a premier English radio/podcast show, straight from Beijing.
Hear what's buzzing on the Internet and the main streets, see the latest lifestyle trends, and feel the pulse of life in China, Round Table is your golden ticket. With dynamic cultural exchanges between hosts from diverse backgrounds, we take you on a journey deep into modern China.
We invite you to join our conversation! Shoot us an email or a voice memo at roundtablepodcast@qq.com. Let the fun begin!
Hear what's buzzing on the Internet and the main streets, see the latest lifestyle trends, and feel the pulse of life in China, Round Table is your golden ticket. With dynamic cultural exchanges between hosts from diverse backgrounds, we take you on a journey deep into modern China.
We invite you to join our conversation! Shoot us an email or a voice memo at roundtablepodcast@qq.com. Let the fun begin!
Episodes
Mentioned books
14 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 21min
The Soapbox: Fast food's new AI is listening to you
A fast food chain is testing AI headsets that coach staff, manage inventory, and listen to customer interactions. The tech can recite procedures, prompt upsells, and score friendliness in real time. Conversations explore whether these tools improve training or cross into employee surveillance and dehumanizing workplace metrics.
12 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 31min
From premium malls to pre-owned treasures
You hear how flea markets and curated resale shops have become magnet spots for Gen Z collectors. The conversation covers online resale apps expanding into physical stores and night bazaars reviving traditional markets. It touches on certification and warranties that professionalize secondhand buying and how reselling reshapes attitudes toward luxury and community connections.
38 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 18min
The Full Circle: Degree rethinking, comedic dating, theatrical arts
A trio explores how young Chinese people are reshaping tradition through education, dating and theater. They discuss aligning university programs with industry needs and joint company-university degrees. They look at stand-up comedy turning into a matchmaking trend that challenges dating norms. They examine plans to modernize folk opera and the debate over preserving authenticity versus adapting for survival.
27 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 35min
The OpenClaw craze
A viral open-source AI agent called OpenClaw has China buzzing, from DIY installs to paid setup services. Local governments are even subsidizing deployments and creating lobster service zones. Security scares dominate the conversation, including exposed instances and a ‘claw jacked’ flaw. Developers race to patch, stay open source, and weigh whether this tool will transform industries or remain a niche curiosity.
8 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 20min
When an economy runs on AI
A deep dive into a national shift where AI becomes the engine of industry and daily life. They map how smart infrastructure, factories and energy systems interlock with massive computing. Listeners hear about AI agents enabling small creators and the real-world rollout from labs to lighthouse factories. The conversation highlights manufacturing scale, regional energy links, and the rise of hyperscale intelligent computing.
11 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 33min
Curtains up on China's new era of theater
China's bold three-year plan aims to revitalize theatre, curb wasteful mega-productions, and uplift endangered local troupes. They unpack backstage costs, talent pipelines, and a one-yuan script licensing idea. The conversation explores AI-enhanced shows, vertical micro-dramas, and how to make traditional drama resonate with younger and international audiences.
22 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 14min
Redefining the 9-to-5
Young Chinese workers are moving beyond the nine-to-five with flexible schedules, multiple income streams and digital entrepreneurship. Platforms power delivery, livestream commerce and niche services that reshape daily urban life. New AI-related roles and one-person companies are emerging alongside debates over legal protections, social security and policies discussed at the Two Sessions.
10 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 39min
Generation Global: Navigating a Changing World, Ep. 3
Rory D'Angelo, a UK-born scholar studying Chinese language, dialects and education. Nicole Akalyang Griawan, an Indonesian scholar of politics and the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed rail. They discuss studying in China and how everyday interactions reshape perspectives. Topics include Chinese dialects and language influence, educational leadership and teaching, and the local impacts and transferability of China-built infrastructure.
20 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 21min
When love takes the stage
Singles in China are turning to stand-up comedy matchmaking with improv icebreakers and live audience feedback. The format blends visible mutual signals like lamps with interactive games and platform tie-ins. Hosts debate performative pressure, cultural shyness, and whether the trend favors fun, profit, or real connection.
46 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 32min
The great degree rethinking
Gen Z in China is trading academic paths for hands-on vocational training. The conversation covers widening gaps between majors and employer needs and how AI reshapes which skills matter. They highlight interdisciplinary demands in new industries and examples of bachelors returning to vocational colleges. The discussion also touches on industry-university collaboration and efforts to align curricula with real-world work.
