Round Table China
China Plus
300 episodes
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!
Episodes page 4 of 6
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Did the social media crackdown work?
Every generation worries about what young people do with their time, but today's screens are designed to never let go. As a result, governments stepped in with various measures to solve the problem. Now a newly…
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Tick tock goes the checkout clock
For decades, hotels worldwide have followed the same rule. Check in after two in the afternoon, check out before noon the next day. Most travelers never question it. But some Chinese hotel chains are now tearing up…
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China's road tax debate heats up
Gasoline drivers have long funded roads through fuel taxes, while electric vehicles have contributed nothing. But with six in ten new cars in China now running on batteries, that old system is cracking. The debate is…
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Lights, camera... football?
What happens when the movies are no longer the main attraction? Across China, cinemas are reinventing themselves as all-in-one entertainment destinations, hosting everything from live sports and concerts to gaming,…
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Is your car more than a car?
Forget traffic jams and parking headaches. In China, the car is becoming more than transportation. From RV campsites and smart mobility hubs to a booming culture of customization, the automotive aftermarket is…
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The joint degree reputation reversal
For years, Chinese-foreign cooperative programs were seen as backup options for students who missed their top choice universities. Inflated tuition fees only fueled the perception that families were buying degrees from…
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New rules for China's "flying" doctors
For years, China's "Fei Dao" system let rural hospitals fly in top city surgeons for a few thousand yuan extra. It saved lives, but it was a legal gray zone. Now new rules mandate hospital-to-hospital payments and…
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Do you need a 3D printer?
Chinese malls are rolling out something new: 3D printing stations that let anyone design and print a custom object in under ten minutes. It's easy to dismiss as a fun distraction, but there's a serious push to bring…
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Robo-students are off to school
We send kids to school for reading, math, and the occasional history class snooze. But what if the students are made of circuits and steel? In Hangzhou, a school just welcomed humanoid robots as its newest pupils. As…
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Can ancient hacks beat modern heat?
We are in the thick of summer, cranking the AC and reaching for anything cold. But for thousands of years, people survived blazing heat without a single modern convenience. China's traditional playbook was full of…
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China's bid to electrify trucks
China reshaped the global auto industry with electric cars. Now it is targeting the heavy-duty trucks that move the world's goods. But truckers respond to hard numbers, not hype. If the math works, the price of…
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Are we meeting ourselves to death?
The average worker spends more than an entire workday each week in meetings. Calendars are overflowing, focus is fractured, and meaningful work keeps getting pushed aside. Meetings are necessary at times, but the real…
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Eldercare Is now a recognized profession
China is turning eldercare into a licensed occupation. A new national certification is formalizing the workforce that will shape how millions of seniors are cared for. This is not about expanding beds or abstract…
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How to change your mood in 60 seconds
You know that nagging feeling that follows you through the day: what if a sixty-second mental move could dissolve it? Behavioral scientists have uncovered a practice called mental subtraction. It's not about positive…
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How to keep history's hangouts cool
Older cities are facing a new question, where preserving buildings and streets is no longer enough. Across China, historic neighborhoods are becoming living spaces where people don't just observe the past but actually…
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Europe's AC dilemma
Temperatures have soared past forty degrees across Europe. Schools have sent children home. Outdoor work has been banned. A famous landmark closed its doors. A continent built for cold winters now bakes under…
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The future factory points up
When it comes to how cities use land, what is the right formula? China is reimagining urban land use by looking inward, not outward. We are talking about turning empty warehouses into senior care centers, building…
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The track that changed everything
Two decades after the Qinghai–Xizang Railway first sliced across the plateau, the tracks tell a story bigger than engineering. At 4,000 meters, they've rewired daily life, shifting supply chains, redirecting tourism,…
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Your life, their data, your job
You have heard of gig work, but this is different. There are no apps and no ratings. There is just a camera strapped to your head while you fold laundry, care for children, or operate a sewing machine. Your daily life…
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Why all your screens just got pricier
Prices are rising across the entire consumer electronics sector, yet this surge does not follow the usual pattern. The driving force is neither a raw material crunch nor a logistics breakdown. A far larger…
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Your block, rebuilt from within
We tend to picture Chinese cities as endless expansion machines. But the next five years are about retrofitting, not rebuilding. The national strategy has pivoted to upgrading existing neighborhoods. By 2030, your…
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The Soapbox: speaker off or get off
You are settled into your seat and finally relaxing. Then someone starts blasting videos without headphones. One airline says that is now a punishable offense, and the penalty could go as high as a permanent ban. On…
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The end of commute misery
For millions of commuters, the daily trek is a draining puzzle of schedules and traffic jams. Now China is weaving suburban rail, subways, bikes, and roads into a smarter transportation web across its megacities. If…
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The Full Circle: digital babysitting, AI doctors, AI authors
Digital babysitters, AI doctors, and AI authors walk into a story. It sounds like the start of a joke, but it's actually the beginning of something bigger. In The Full Circle, we find the unexpected link between three…
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Shelf wars: grocers strike back
Something has shifted in the grocery aisle. Store brands now dominate grocery shelves, and major retailers are competing head‑to‑head with the brands they once stocked. From the rise of private labels to the strategies…
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Who really wrote that novel?
Artificial intelligence is a useful tool for many people, but what does it mean for writers? A prize-winning sci-fi author has admitted that part of her new book came from AI. A bestselling novelist now uses AI chat…
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From the campus to the company
The Class of 2026 is entering a job market that no longer follows the old rules. The megacity dream is fading, and patents are replacing theses for a growing number of graduates. Success is being redefined by a…
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The hidden costs of working from home
We celebrated the work-from-home revolution with no traffic, no commute, and total freedom. But the research is in, and the findings are unsettling. Days without face-to-face contact are taking a real toll. Isolation…
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Such a major decision
The Gaokao is over, but a new pressure has just begun. What to study? What to become? This year, Chinese universities are rewriting the rules with flexible tracks and unconventional majors. Their message is simple.…
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The blurry ethics of smart glasses
Smart glasses promise to translate any language, recognize every face, and capture life hands-free, all without a phone in sight. But when a device can see, store, and remember everything you do, the line between…
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The trip to nowhere
In early June 2026, a cruise slipped out of Shanghai. The Adora Magic City steamed into open water with no foreign dock in sight, then looped back to where it began. They call it a 'voyage to nowhere,' and travelers…
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The changing drama name game
If you have ever watched a drama and wondered why fans lose their minds over the opening credits, it all comes down to billing order. In China's entertainment industry, a name's position is everything. But new rules…
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Home sweet rental home
Finding a place to live in a new city is supposed to be exciting. Then you start scrolling listings and realizing those perfect photos are probably from a decade ago. Renting in China has changed. Young renters want…
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Dragon Boat Festival gets a modern makeover
June 19 marks this year's Dragon Boat Festival, one of China's oldest traditions. These days, it is about more than rice dumplings and boat races. The holiday now includes study tours, DIY herb bouquets, healthier…
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Harvard says no to the easy "A"
For years, "A" grades have been piling up like participation trophies. Now Harvard University is hitting the brakes. A strict 20 percent cap on top marks has students nervous and corporate recruiters thrilled. Why the…
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China Finds: ancient verses, modern vibes
Open a music app in China and you might find a poet from a thousand years ago sitting alongside today's biggest pop stars. Ancient lyrics are being set to fresh new melodies, and young listeners are trading textbooks…
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150 million passports stamped
China welcomed more than 150 million international visitors in 2025, and the usual postcard sights are only part of the story. Easier visa rules and a new wave of discovery driven by social media are flipping the old…
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When your tea shop gets hungry
Walk into a milk tea shop these days, and you may leave carrying more than just a drink. Crisps, cakes, and even surprise snack packs now line the shelves alongside the bubble tea. Chinese brands are transforming a…
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Paging Dr. AI
Getting a child the right care sometimes meant a long trip to a big city hospital. Local clinics just did not inspire enough trust. But now, doctors are teaming up with artificial intelligence to give community…
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Reviewing the influencer review
We trust online reviews. We buy what influencers recommend. But what happens when those reviews are faked or secretly paid for? China just rolled out new rules targeting influencers who rig demos, hide sponsorships,…
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One family, one health wallet, nationwide
China's new policy allows you to share your health insurance wallet with parents, grandparents, siblings, and children across the country. One app and one tap create a national safety net for your entire family. That…
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Fix it, don't forget it
There's a growing backlash against the throwaway culture most of us grew up with. Enter the Repair Café movement. Strangers sit down together, pull out their broken stuff, and actually fix it. They bring in toasters,…
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Same dinner, smarter shell
The takeout bag that shows up at your door doesn't look or feel like it used to. Same goes for the straw, the container, and the little box holding your noodles. The guidelines for delivery packaging are getting…
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Inside the 2026 World Cup
Every four years, the World Cup takes over the planet. But behind the viral moments and dramatic goals lies a much bigger story. We're talking global brands, local businesses, wild tech experiments, and debates no one…
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SIFF 2026: when Shanghai becomes a movie set
The Shanghai International Film Festival is back and completely different this year, breaking records with over 4,100 submissions from 125 countries. But the real story is what happens off screen, from AI workshops and…
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The dark side of weight loss camps
What if your shortcut to a better body came with hidden costs? Luxury weight loss camps are booming, promising fast results and a summer transformation. But behind the glossy reviews, some facilities have been cited…
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The battle against the bite
As mosquito-borne diseases spread, Chinese cities are taking action. But a proposal coming from one company in the U.S. is another story. Releasing over 30 million bioengineered mosquitoes sounds extreme. Is it bold…
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Ancient wisdom for the digital generation
Our ancestors built the Parthenon and the Forbidden City. We are scrolling screens. Turns out, both can coexist. In China and elsewhere in the world, brands are selling ancient philosophical ideas as lifestyle, and…
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When poverty ends, what begins?
China lifted nearly 100 million people out of poverty, a feat praised worldwide. But the real test begins now. How do you keep poverty from coming back? The country built a digital net that spots disaster before it…
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The rise of the robot housekeeper
Do you still fold your own laundry? That might feel very 2025. In some cities across China, household robots are already working alongside human cleaners, handling repetitive tasks while people focus on more delicate…
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