For this episode we’re delving into the mission of EGRC (Educating Girls of Rural China), an NGO supporting the educational pursuits of girls in China’s underprivileged regions. Our guest is the founder of EGRC, Ching Tien, who shares with us her personal story of growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. Her path strays from an educated family background and setting, to relocation in Gansu, the poorest province in China at the time, where she worked in a factory. Several decades later, Ching found herself at a children’s concert in Vancouver, thinking of the girls she bumped shoulde ..read more

For this episode we’re exploring the world of Chinese social media with WildChina founder and Chinese social media influencer, Mei Zhang.   Despite having the world’s largest social media market with over a billion users, to rest of the world, the Chinese social media sphere is largely considered an enigma, with language and geo-barriers effectively shrouding it in mystery to those outside China. In late 2020 Mei started posting on China’s social media platform Little Red Book and has since gained influencer status with over 270k followers and counting. In this episode we cover China’s le ..read more

For this episode we explore culinary traditions with US-based French chef, Jacques Pépin.   Jacques has authored over 30 books, received honorary doctorate degrees from five American universities, as well as 16 James Beard Foundation Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and an Emmy Award for his TV show with Julia Child, “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” – one of numerous TV shows that he starred in.   Mei and Jacques compare French and Chinese cuisine and the journeys each have taken to their respective places in global societies today. ----- For a more detail ..read more

For this episode we explore the possibility of making the Tea Horse Road a continuous hiking trail by looking at the Rails-To-Trails project in the US with Ed Norton, Founding Chair of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy. Mei and Ed discuss the Rails-To-Trails project, from infancy to its present day 25,005 miles of trails, as well other historic trails around the globe, as models for a continuous trail along the Tea Horse Road in Yunnan (and beyond). ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more

For this episode we dive into the contemporary art scene in China with director of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art and CEO of the UCCA Group, Philip Tinari. Mei and Philip cover an array of topics, from influential Chinese artists to the architectural masterpieces that house the country’s growing number of art museums, talking all things contemporary art in today’s China.   ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more

For this episode we explore the transportation systems and local luster of Guangzhou, with Cycle Canton founder, Bram van Ooijen. From the award-winning Guangzhou bus rapid transport system that couriers over 800,000 people every day to the quiet back alleyways and green river-side promenades perfect for exploring on bike, Mei and Bram cover the many ways to explore the metropolis of Guangzhou. ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more

For our seventeenth episode we cover the evolution of rock climbing in China and its crossover with growing conservation awareness in the country. Our guest for this episode is lifetime conservationist and Yunnan climbing pioneer, Bob Moseley. The episode is hosted by WildChina’s Mei Zhang, and previously Beijing-based, climber Kendra Tombolato.   ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more

For our sixteenth episode, we talk cycling in China with Ken Goh, founder of Shanghai-based RideNow Cycle Club. Ken is a Singapore native who now lives and works, and of course, cycles, in Shanghai, as well as all over China and the rest of Asia. In this episode we cover the basics of cycling in China, what logistics are involved in planning a group cycling trip, and Ken’s favorite cycling destination – Tibet.   ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more

For our fifteenth episode we asked Jim Nobles, founder of Bizarre Beijing, to chat with us on some of China’s more haunting facets. We cover a range of afterlife and ghoulish topics, from joss paper burnings going virtual due to growing awareness of environmental impacts to Chinese Ouija boards and supernatural beliefs, and of course there’s a smattering of local ghost stories woven in along the way.   ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more

For our fourteenth episode we head to the to the Sanxingdui archaeological site in Sichuan province with Harvard’s anthropology department professor of archaeology, Rowan Flad. Dr. Flad shares insights on the importance of the Sanxingdui findings, an overview on archaeological sites across China within the context of Chinese history, and of course recommendations for archaeological sites in China open to visitors.   ----- For a more detailed write-up on this episode, including links to resources mentioned, please visit our website: wildchina.com ..read more