Today’s episode is a special one, I’m usually trying to introduce aspects of the lives people lead in China without going over too much familiar territory to China experts. But with today’s episode, my role is reversed. My guest today is Michael Zee, who is a social media influencer with a global fan base on Instagram. However, Instagram is very difficult to access from within China, so there might be listeners to this in China who haven’t ever seen Instagram, let alone come across Michael’s account. Michael’s background is as an educator, and there are other parts of his story that will lead you to conclude, as I did, that it’s no accident that he has become the biggest and best Food Instagrammer in China today. We discuss the fluctuating nature of national cuisines, the cultural connections between Shanghai and Liverpool, and the glamorous (and decidedly unglamorous) life of a full-time social media influencer in China. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 02:23 - Part 1 20:26 - Part 2 29:37 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

“Failure is three meals a day”. You may have heard other tech entrepreneurs talk about how they embrace the idea of failure. But it has never sounded as genuine as when uttered by today’s guest, Gina Li. In our discussion, Gina tells the story of growing up on the Silk Road, embarking on a career in Hip-Hop, and eventually stumbling into the world of innovation and product design. If Gina defines her life as failure served up like three meals a day, then… I’ll have what she’s having. In our discussion we talk about the essence of product design, and how it is allowing China to rediscover its roots as a world leader in technology and innovation. We also discuss two examples of the products that Gina’s company, Beach IoT, has reimagined: the digital telescope and… the cotton candy machine, of course. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:52 - Part 1 21:11 - Part 2 32:05 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

Today’s guest is Jorge Luzio, who works for Coca-Cola as the Greater China Marketing Director for Sprite and Fanta. He’s originally from Venezuela, and has had an international marketing career with Coca-Cola in Caracas, Bogota, Atlanta and Mexico City before coming to China.   Digital marketing in China is a real science, and today’s recording is a masterclass. Jorge discusses how he and his team mix anthropological and societal insights with digital functionality to reveal fascinating insights about the Chinese consumer. He also addresses the uniqueness of the overall marketing landscape in China: the dominance of Tencent and Alibaba; the unparalleled acceptance of digital payments; the boundless availability of big data; and the digital savviness of the creative talent who are tasked to analyse it. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 02:56 - Part 1 24:32 - Part 2 30:47 - Outro   Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

Today’s interview is with Astrid Poghosyan, an Armenian violinist and the first non-Chinese management employee in the 140-year history of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Astrid is the youngest guest in Season One of the podcast, but she has achieved a lot in the nine years that she has been here in China. Astrid and I talk about her passion for music, her passion for Armenia, and her life as an unofficial ambassador for both those parts of her identity. Astrid was in the first batch of graduates who could stay on in China after completing their studies. Before that, graduates needed to leave the country and work elsewhere for a couple of years before searching for employment back in China. Her application number under the new Visa regime was "001", and at the time she became a focus of debate on Chinese social media on the value of allowing young foreigners to stay and work in Shanghai. So it's a pleasure to release this recording, and give her the final word on this debate. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:44 - Part 1 20:41 - Part 2 29:24 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

My guest this week is Eric Olander, who has been a journalist in China off and on since 1989. His most recent incarnation has been with the China Africa Project, in which he reports on China’s huge and growing influence across that continent. And through that lens, Eric can talk eloquently and knowledgably about many aspects of journalism today, including issues of bias; censorship; his relationship with the public online; the relationship between officials and the online media; and the way in which China's soft power is being felt in places like Africa and beyond. Since Eric has so many interesting things to say, it was very difficult to keep the interview short. So apologies for going a bit long on this episode, I hope you'll agree it was worth the few extra minutes. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 02:22 - Part 1 26:08 - Part 2 40:47 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

This week’s recording is with Maple Zuo, an up-and-coming comedian based in Shanghai. Maple has amazing energy, which I hope you can hear in this conversation. We start off by talking about her comedy set, and how her approach is different in English versus Chinese. But we then veer into some unexpectedly dark territory, so there’s part of this chat which might not be suitable for all audiences. We discuss some interesting details about her family background growing up in Inner Mongolia. Thankfully the things she mentions have no bearing on the situation there today. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:30 - Part 1 21:33 - Part 2 32:22 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

At the time of recording, Philippe Gas was the President & General Manager of the Shanghai Disney Resort. Philippe is one of the most charming business leaders I’ve met, and in this interview, we talk about his experiences in the five or so years that he has been with Disneyland in Shanghai, from the tail-end of the construction phase to today, where the Resort has been open for around 3 years. Among other things, we talk about how Philippe managed local and international stakeholders, about the Chinese consumer and their tastes on everything from Snow White to Star Wars, and most importantly how the Disney organisation has itself managed to adapt to the needs of the China market. Philippe and I recorded this in my apartment in Shanghai, so the sound quality isn’t as good as the interviews that I’ve done in the studio. But I hope it doesn’t distract you from what was otherwise a great conversation. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:59 - Part 1 28:38 - Part 2 36:33 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat

Hello, I’m Oscar. In this trailer, I introduce the podcast: why I’m doing it, it’s limitations, the guests lined up for Season 1, the interview format, the visual element and it’s integration with social media. Mercifully, this introduction episode is the most you’ll ever hear my voice. In all future podcast episodes, I’ll be leaving the guest to do most of the talking. Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat