Round Table China

Episodi

• Are you suffering from vegetable anxiety? 02.06.2026 21min

  Vegetable anxiety is trending. Young diners feel "anxious" if there isn't enough produce on the plate. That's a strange twist, because getting anyone to eat their leafy greens used to be the hard part. Somewhere along the way, the script flipped. So what changed? And what happens when a generation can no longer trust a meal that's missing the greens? / Heart to Heart - please send your audio questions to roundtablepodcast@qq.com (13:22). On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun
• A penny for your AI thoughts? 02.06.2026 31min

  You remember when the internet just handed everything over for free. Maps, music, random facts at three in the morning. Nobody asked who was really paying for it. Now AI is flipping the script. The same tools that save time and think alongside people are starting to ask for money. So was free always a trap? Or have we just never considered what it costs to pay for our own intelligence? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun
• The Soapbox: mom vs everyone else 01.06.2026 17min

  A mother wants to protect her child from bullying. So she files a complaint. Then another. Then she goes after a university professor. The problem? No one seems to agree with her bullying claim. When protecting your child becomes a crusade, who decides where to draw the line? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Xingyu
• The best AI for kids? Maybe none at all 01.06.2026 34min

  AI chatbots, storytelling robots, and companion apps are entertaining, comforting, and teaching kids earlier than ever. But China's Ministry of Education is now pushing back. They want families to swap screens for playgrounds and apps for real play. In a world flooded with smart technology, how do we make sure our kids are still being kids? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Xingyu
• The Full Circle: motorcycles, university campuses, and Qiaopi 29.05.2026 15min

  What do motorcycles, letters from overseas, and university campuses have in common? On the surface, nothing. But dig a little deeper, and nothing is truly separate. The Full Circle finds that connection. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun
• Is Gen Z the last generation of smokers? 29.05.2026 36min

  The UK just passed a radical ban: no tobacco for anyone born after 2008. Meanwhile, Chinese cities like Shenzhen and Hong Kong are using AI and other technologies to police public smoking, all in the name of clean air. Gen Z is becoming the first "nicotine free generation." But even if laws really can kill addiction, where do we draw the line between protecting health and policing choice? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun
• Is quitting underrated? 28.05.2026 17min

  Think about something you held onto for too long. A job, a project, a goal that just wasn't working. We all love stories about people who never gave up, but staying with the wrong thing can drain years from your life. So how can we know when it's time to let go? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushun
• Can AI go underwater? 28.05.2026 34min

  AI doesn't just eat data. It devours power, water, and land. So what happens when you run out of all three? China answered by going underwater. Off Shanghai, one of the country's first commercial ocean-floor data centers has gone live. It is powered by offshore wind and cooled by the sea itself. Could it be a smart solution to the world's data center controversy? On the show: Fei Fei, Steve & Yushun
• Qiaopi: when letters held families together 27.05.2026 23min

  How did Chinese migrants send money and messages home before phones or banks existed? They did not click send. Instead, they handed cash and letters to couriers who crossed the sea on faith alone. It was not fast, but it somehow worked. We're talking about Qiaopi, a forgotten system that connected families when nothing else could. / Would you take a lot more money for a lot more loneliness (14:25)? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Xingyu
• Dorm hustle or dorm trouble? 27.05.2026 28min

  You share a room, you share the space, and you might even share the chores. But what happens when your roommate starts running a business from the top bunk? In China, some students are launching side hustles right from their dorms. But when does a side gig start to cross the line? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Xingyu
• Should universities be open to everyone? 26.05.2026 19min

  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.
• The multi-layered onion of teaching parents tech 26.05.2026 32min

  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 & Niu Honglin.
• The Soapbox: Anxiety bags 25.05.2026 24min

  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
• How technology is empowering China's flood control system 25.05.2026 27min

  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 just got a rulebook 22.05.2026 18min

  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.
• The real Xizang 22.05.2026 34min

  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.
• Are we ready to watch humans again? 21.05.2026 21min

  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.
• Chinese motorcycles: from factory to podium 21.05.2026 30min

  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.
• The Why: 103-grade gasoline? 20.05.2026 22min

  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
• Russia-China trade: beyond the headlines 20.05.2026 29min

  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