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
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.
30 snips
Mar 9, 2026 • 55min
Generation Global: Navigating a Changing World, Ep. 2
Belinda Chapey, China analyst focused on energy transition and climate policy, and Guo Bowei, Renmin University associate professor on energy security and electricity markets, discuss China's green transition. They explore renewable expansion, grid flexibility, energy storage and batteries. They examine coal's contested role, electrifying industry and transport, and what to watch in the next five years.
55 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 36min
Can we fix doctor burnout?
They walk through what burnout looks like: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low accomplishment. They highlight high-risk departments like ER, ICU, and orthopedics and contrast them with lower-burnout areas such as psychiatry. They discuss systemic drivers: long shifts, paperwork, infection risk, regional staffing gaps, and how AI and policy proposals might help or create new pressures.
12 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 17min
The Full Circle: First meetings, silver-haired students，time-honored brands
A look at how ritualized meetings shape regional agendas. A report on retirees studying abroad and the boom in lifelong-learning travel. An exploration of century-old brands going online with livestreams and museums to stay relevant. Three stories linked by how timelines and new beginnings are being reimagined.
24 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 53min
Generation Global: Navigating a Changing World, Ep. 1
Ace Asim, a researcher and student at Peking University focused on AI, ethics, and policy, shares cross-continental views on technology and culture. He discusses how local contexts shape AI, the ethical risks of recommendation algorithms, AI’s role in education and creative fields, and the need for AI literacy and evolving policy. The conversation spotlights transparency, accountability, and realistic expectations about job disruption.
22 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 23min
Tradition's tricky digital rebirth
Historic Chinese brands are crashing livestreams and courting young shoppers with modern twists. Hosts explore product reinventions like medicinal breads, goji lattes and tea ice cream. They dig into platform tactics, sales surges on Douyin, and the brutal talent gap between craftsmen and digital operators. Conversation moves from local specialties finding national audiences to the risks of stretching heritage for trends.
20 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 29min
Beijing's new plan to save the Great Wall
New Beijing rules aim to protect the Great Wall using smarter monitoring, clearer legal duties and dedicated funding. They discuss plant and climate threats, region-wide coordination and the contrast between scenic and wild stretches. Tech tools like cameras, drones, sensors and electronic fences get examined. They also cover visitor infrastructure, patrol challenges and plans to open more sections safely.
16 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 23min
Lifelong learning takes China's retirees overseas
Older Chinese are traveling abroad not for sightseeing but to enroll in months-long immersive learning programs. Agencies and schools now tailor language, art and cultural courses for 50+ learners with translators and varied intensities. Stories highlight art retreats in the UK, market growth, accessibility limits and how study travel can boost confidence and curiosity.
36 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 29min
The glowing evolution of the Lantern Festival
Ancient Lantern Festival traditions meet modern tech in a lively clash of lanterns, drones and projection mapping. Handmade bamboo-silk displays sit alongside drone shows and robot performers. Massive lantern fairs, riddle games and sticky rice ball customs share space with museum immersions and global live streams.
