Round Table China

In lecture halls once defined by PowerPoint slides and exam prep, a different kind of competition is unfolding. At several Chinese universities, the most sought-after electives are no longer traditional academic offerings, but hands-on courses in cooking, woodworking, beadwork, and car maintenance. / Is cucumber water the newest restaurant flex (16:14)? On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushun.

Another Chinese New Year celebration has just wrapped, but this year felt different. We saw robots trading folk dances for high-speed kung fu, AI assistants causing literal "bubble tea meltdowns" in the real world, and digital clones of celebrities showing up in kitchens where they definitely weren't invited. It was a week where the line between "festive tradition" and "Black Mirror episode" got a little blurry. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushun.

Once the fireworks fade and the tables clear, reality creeps back in. Your thoughts move at molasses speed, your energy flatlines, and that cozy holiday haze suddenly feels suspiciously like a coma. It's not just exhaustion. It's your body coming down from weeks dialed up to eleven, crash-landing straight into the office. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

The fireworks have faded, the reunions have ended, and the last dumpling is a distant memory. Now the numbers are in. The receipts, the records, and the data that reveals what kind of holiday this year's Spring Festival really was. From tourism hauls to box office gold, we break down how China rang in its Year of the Horse. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

Round Table presents the last of six stories from the new podcast, "Sage and Youth: Debating Zhuangzi's Tao." In this episode: a humble butcher survives chaos yet refuses honor. But why? When devotion meets power, what truly counts as merit? Zhuangzi's ancient tale sparks a modern debate: whether integrity lies in rejecting rewards or in acknowledging shared struggle. For more fascinating stories and heated debates, search "Sage and Youth: Debating Zhuangzi's Tao."