Footprints

​Forty-five year-old Jin Zhaoyu is a Chinese restorer who has helped with the restoration of the splendid Ta Keo Temple, one of the major temples in the UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor in Cambodia. Serving as “doctors of the cultural relics,” Jin and his fellow Chinese restorers have revived the former glory of the Angkor monument after years of hard and smart work. But how exactly has he worked to restore the iconic ancient temple? And what has really driven him to travel thousands of miles in geography and hundreds of years in time to pursue and revive the glamour of the ancient Khmer Empire? Join us to find out.

"Footprints" presents "Connected," a gripping 10-episode series arriving on July 13th on all major podcast platforms. Join us on this wondrous journey that takes you into the lives of ordinary people whose destinies intertwine with the ancient Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative.

She is called “Princess of the Beavers”. She initiated the“Beaver’s Canteen”, “Guardians of the Beaver” and “Beaver’s Ark” programs to save the endangered Mengxin Beaver species. She is Chu Wenwen, a wildlife conservationist from China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Zheng Dongping is a renowned master of bronze casting. In this edition of Footprints, we'll hear about his journey of mastering and reviving the traditional lost wax casting method, and how he promotes bronze culture through his works.

Eris, or Ling Yuhan, is the founder of an international voluntourism organization. As a blend of volunteering and tourism, voluntourism includes public welfare activities or social services as a part of a travel experience, allowing travellers to help others while enjoying the trip themselves. For almost a decade, Eris Ling has been dedicated to inspiring more travelers to contribute to local societies and the environment on their trips.

​How to innovate in traditional Chinese ink-wash painting is something many artists have been trying to figure out for centuries. Born into a family of art, Chinese painter Wang Xiaoyan has been making her own exploration since the 1980s. In her drawings, she has seamlessly fused Chinese tradition with Japanese and Western painting techniques.

Located in northwest China, Mu Us used to be a lifeless land plagued sandstorms all year round. Through decades of tireless efforts by the local people to fight against desertification, it has become a thriving place for plants and animals. In this episode, we meet a 100-year-old man who has dedicated his life to tree planting, playing a pivotal role in this extraordinary journey of restoration.

Eighteen year old Shirin Abdullayeva is an Uzbek singer and actress. She has a sweet Chinese name -- Gu Tiantian. Today, she is still shuffling between Uzbekistan and China from time to time, pursuing her dreams of becoming a well-loved performing artist.

​Alai is a renowned contemporary writer in China. Many of his books, such as “Red Poppies” and “Empty Mountain,” have been translated into dozens of languages and published in many other countries. Although the background of each work is different, they all express his feelings towards his homeland and compel readers to think about the meaning of life.

In this edition of Footprints, we’ll meet a member of China’s new generation of farmers, and see how young people like him are transforming China’s farming and rural areas.