Round Table China

Chinese tourist sites are no longer just backdrops for vacation photos. Step inside one and you may find yourself cast in a story. Performers take on characters, characters become stars, and some attractions now recruit talent from overseas in pursuit of the next viral moment. Sustaining the spectacle is a harder trick, and it comes down to the opportunities, the pressures, and the race to stand out. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

China operates the world's largest fleet of agricultural drones. They spray crops, scout fields, and haul fruit down mountainsides that once cost hours of sweat to cross. On many farms, the hardest worker no longer stands in the field. It hums overhead. How does that revolution reach every farmer? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

Who looks after your baby when you go back to work? Across China, more public hospitals are now stepping into the childcare business, offering care for children under three. Could that make childcare more affordable for young families? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

Every small habit now comes with a name. A morning routine becomes an optimized system, and a few favorite songs become a curated playlist. Social media in China and also elsewhere in the world has turned ordinary life into something to label, package, and present, and that playful habit of naming is exactly what makes internet slang so much fun to learn. On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

Liangzhu offers rare evidence of early state formation in China, and safeguarding a 5,000-year-old civilization means more than preserving artifacts. The next generation also needs to feel what life was like then, so experts are using drone light shows and virtual reality in creative and careful ways. The real challenge is protecting the past while making it discoverable. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei, Yushan.