Sometimes big themes can be tackled through the guise of performance art. In previous episodes of the podcast, we have explored how drag performers can teach us to embrace our own weirdness, and how clowns can teach us to embrace our own fallibility. These stories may be specific to China, but they apply to us all.   In today’s very special episode, we explore how the world of Shibari (縛り) has made its way from the world of BDSM to the world of Rope Art, and also made its way from Japan to China. And we discover how this art form can make us think about the themes of communication, connection and consent.   The episode also includes a catch-up interview with: Yang Yi from Season 01 Episode 21 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-01-episode-21-yang-yi   Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:50 - Part 1 27:37 - Part 2 35:42 - Outro 39:26 - Catch-Up Interview   Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-09-laodai   Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

The economic developments of the last three decades in China have propelled forward an entire generation. But when we strive for opportunity and prosperity, are we prepared for the knock-on effects on the people around us? Looking back at this era, how can we understand the human stories hiding in the profit charts?  Elaine Huang is making an independent feature film which explores exactly these themes. In today’s episode, Elaine describes her experiences working in the film industry in China, and in so doing reveals a deeply personal family story of riches, rupture and redemption. The episode also includes catch-up interviews with: Björn Dahlman from Season 02 Episode 17 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-episode-17-bjorn-dahlman and Maple Zuo from Season 01 Episode 02 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-01-episode-02-maple-zuo Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:27 - Part 1 24:19 - Part 2 32:33 - Outro 37:15 - Catch-Up Interview [1] 42:46 - Catch-Up Interview [2] Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-08-elaine-huang  Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

Some people still have the outdated image in their heads of China as a country of grim sweatshops and cheap manual labour. In fact, China is the country which boasts the largest number of robots deployed in the world. And that makes it a prime location for one of the newest category of industrial robot: the 'cobot', or collaborative robot.   Today's episode is with Andrew Pether, who has spent a decade in the field of robotics engineering in China, and over eight years working at the global vanguard in the world of collaborative robots: Universal Robots. So he is perfectly placed to observe the world of innovation and competition in this unique space in China.   The episode also includes catch-up interviews with: Michael Kinsey from Season 02 Episode 15 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-episode-25-michael-kinsey and Srinivas Yanamandra from Season 01 Episode 15 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-01-episode-15-srinivas-yanamandra Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:33 - Part 1 24:12 - Part 2 35:13 - Outro 39:05 - Catch-Up Interview [1] 42:53 - Catch-Up Interview [2] Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-07-andrew-pether Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

They say it takes a village to raise a child. That doesn't just include parents, teachers and care-givers, in China it often also includes grandparents and domestic helpers. Indeed, the raising of kids impacts impatient childless podcasters whose everyday lives also casually intersect with children, whether they like it or not.   We all could use a little help, especially when it comes to knowing when to follow the best practices of our parents, and when it's time to break certain cycles. That's where today's guest Barbara Poppell steps in. And having lived exactly half her life in China, she can also speak to the global village of family and community services.   The episode also includes a catch-up interview with: Louise Roy from Season 02 Episode 06 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-episode-06-louise-roy Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:48 - Part 1 28:57 - Part 2 41:03 - Outro 43:43 - Catch-Up Interview   Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-06-barbara-poppell   Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

China is a country of cities, and mega-cities... and mega-mega-cities. But guess what folks, in between these cities is a whole bunch of countryside. And as we question whether our modern urban lifestyles are truly sustainable, sometimes we need to turn to those places where the answers have been waiting for us all along.   Today's guest - the architect, Chen Haoru - has been searching for these answers from his base in 杭州 [Hángzhōu] for the last twenty years. And this journey has led him to establishing a model of communal living, to designing structures that define a philosophical movement, and to questioning our misplaced expectation about the permanence of architecture.   The episode also includes a catch-up interview with: Jovana Zhang from Season 02 Episode 08 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-episode-08-jovana-zhang   Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:47 - Part 1 21:45 - Part 2 31:56 - Outro 36:28 - Catch-Up Interview   Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-05-chen-haoru   Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

I would wager that all of us have stepped foot into a gym or a fitness studio, even if it was to immediately step out again. But that's the point of today's episode with Siri Nordhejm, Co-Founder of Z&B Fitness and MYbarre Fitness. What is it about fitness establishments that gets you passed that line, and what gets you coming back? And is it the same in China as in other places?   As with all episodes of Mosaic of China, we discuss not only what the guest does, but who the guest is. So tune in to today's show to find out how someone finds themselves becoming a fitness entrepreneur in their early twenties, and finds the energy to stick with it for over a decade.   The episode also includes catch-up interviews with: Jo McFarland from Season 02 Episode 18 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-episode-18-jo-mcfarland and Jorge Luzio from Season 01 Episode 05 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-01-episode-05-jorge-luzio   Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:53 - Part 1 25:33 - Part 2 35:18 - Outro 39:40 - Catch-Up Interview [1] 45:43 - Catch-Up Interview [2]   Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-04-siri-nordhejm   Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

Fergus Woodward, co-founder of Peddlers Gin, shares his journey creating craft gin in China with unique botanicals like Sichuan pepper and Buddha's hand. The episode explores cultural perceptions of busyness, culinary adventures in China, and the entrepreneur community in Shanghai. Discussions also include managing a beer brand, life changes during a pandemic, and the cozy bar scene in Shanghai.

You don't need to be a fan of comic books to understand their galactic-superhero-sized impact on the Zeitgeist. But what about in China? Are there fans of comic books here? And if so, who are they and what do they look like? The search for answers to these questions has taken the podcast to the city of 成都 [Chéngdū], to find the one and only shop in China totally dedicated to American-style comic books. And if you think that sounds like a unique story, just wait until you hear more about the shop's owner Ashley Huang, a member of the 土家 [Tǔjiā] minority ethnic group. The episode also includes a catch-up interview with: Yael Farjun from Season 01 Episode 12 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-01-episode-12-yael-farjun Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:45 - Part 1 22:57 - Part 2 34:05 - Outro 39:51 - Catch-Up Interview Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-02-ashley-huang Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

We may not understand it yet, but at this point we’ve all heard about the Metaverse. Some of us can’t wait to embrace it; others are already bitterly opposed to it. But it’s coming, whether we like it or not. In fact, the building blocks of Big Data and Augmented Reality (AR) are already here, we’re just waiting for technology companies to help converge them together.   That’s where today’s guest Eric Liu comes in. The CTO of the China-based company DIGITWIN Technologies (and its sister company Virspatial Technologies in Singapore), Eric is helping to usher in a new world where reality will coexist alongside its digital twin. Listen to today’s episode to understand how these technologies are already being applied both in China and around the world, and to ponder the moral and ethical implications behind them.   The episode also includes a catch-up interview with: Casey Hall from Season 02 Episode 22 https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-episode-22-casey-hall   Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 03:14 - Part 1 25:57 - Part 2 37:25 - Outro 40:23 - Catch-Up Interview   Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at: https://mosaicofchina.com/season-03-episode-01-eric-liu   Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat

Hello, I’m Oscar. In this trailer, I introduce the new features of Season 03 of the Mosaic of China podcast, including the PREMIUM version of the show that's available on: Apple Podcasts Subscriptions https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mosaic-of-china-premium-apple/id1574444302 Patreon https://patreon.com/mosaicofchina and 爱发电 https://afdian.net/@mosaicofchina   This PREMIUM version will include an average of 10-20 minutes of extra content for every episode, accumulating to over 10 hours of extra content over the course of the entire season. And of course it includes access to the full back-catalogue from previous seasons too.   I also introduce the new corporate supporters of the show this season, who are: Shanghai Daily - the China news site; Rosetta Stone - the language learning company; naked Retreats - the luxury resorts company; SmartShanghai - the listings and classifieds app; and JustPod - the podcast production company.   A big thanks to everyone who managed to come to the Season launch party in Shanghai last week! Photos from the event can be found at: https://www.mosaicofchina.com/events   Everyone who attended received a little gift bag, so to see silly photos of how they’re being used by listeners, go to: https://www.mosaicofchina.com/photos   Join the community: Instagram https://instagram.com/oscology LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mosaicofchina Facebook https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat