VOICE 嗓

Podcasts offer immediate access to native content on almost any subject imaginable, and a broader range of perspectives than offered via official media channels.

The series listed here include several that share the personal stories and perspectives of ordinary people, or seek the views of specialists in various fields, making them valuable sources of insight into discussions taking place in Chinese societies.

Others focus on pop culture scenes such as art and music, or delve into literature and philosophy.

Beyond those listed below, simple search terms for your area of interest - such as 電影 or 新聞 - will likely return several options on any major podcast platform.

See SOURCES for tips if you're having trouble tracking down these or other podcasts.

Amazing 驚奇

Begun in September 2020, Amazing 驚奇 is a science-fiction podcast from the JustPod digital media platform.

The hosts discuss the fictional worlds of authors like Philip K Dick, William Gibson, and Liu Cixin 劉慈欣, and explore themes such as the differing traits of Chinese or Japanese sci-fi.

Sample episodes:

• 《克蘇魯神話中的“不可名狀的恐怖”到底是什麽？》
• 《斯坦尼斯拉夫·萊姆：站在科學和哲學的邊界上》
• 《中式科幻在1912：從暗黑烏托邦到鴛鴦蝴蝶派》

Blah Art 藝術叨叨

Part of the JustPod digital media family, Blah Art 藝術叨叨 is the creation of Monie and Lanyi 蘭奕, former students of museum and art gallery education at University College London.

The hosts discuss contemporary art, and introduce exhibitions they visit over the course of the series. Other episodes focus on individual artists and feature interviews with people from art and museum circles.

Sample episodes:

• 《弗朗西斯·培根：不是那個“培根”》
• 《蔡國强：以最浪漫的方式使用火藥》
• 《香港藝術速游》

Bu Mingbai 不明白

Begun in mid-2022, Bu Mingbai 不明白 is the personal project of a group of professional journalists, hosted by New York Times reporter Yuan Li 袁莉.

In the words of its creators, the Bu Mingbai podcast "hopes to share interesting conversations with a global Chinese-language audience, to shine a little light and warmth during this dark and chaotic era."

Yuan Li interviews guests from a range of professional and social backgrounds, and also asks each guest for their book recommendations, making it a good source for reading suggestions. Episodes last around an hour each.

One entry in a slightly different format is episode 12, "Twists and Turns in the Chinese Nation's World Entrance" 《傳統中國人認識世界的曲折和挫折》, in which Fudan University historian Ge Zhaoguang 葛兆光 delivers a seminar on the title subject.

Sample episodes:

• 《那些年輕的抗議者：我們爲什麽要上街》
• 《從ChatGPT看中美人工智能競爭》
• 《俄烏戰爭一周年，台灣學到了什麽？》
• 《中國古代的女改革家》

Chiang Hsun on Dream of the Red Chamber
蔣勛細説紅樓夢

With this 160-part series, Chiang Hsun 蔣勳 (intro here) provides a detailed guide through Dream of the Red Chamber 《紅樓夢》, the classic Qing dynasty novel by Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹.

A former professor of fine arts at Taiwan's Tunghai University 東海大學, Chiang Hsun proceeds through the novel from cover to cover, offering rich explanations of the cultural and historical context of the narrative, bringing it to life in vivid detail. The result is comparable to the late Frank Delaney's analysis of James Joyce's Ulysses in his Re: Joyce podcast, which sadly remains incomplete due to his passing in 2017.

Chiang Hsun is an engaging speaker with deep knowledge of the subjects he covers here and elsewhere, and is enjoyable to listen to in his own right.

Classical Chinese can be difficult to grasp even for native Chinese-language speakers today. This podcast offers a good alternative to reading the novel directly, and would be a useful companion for non-native speakers interested in taking it on.

Dagong Tan 打工談

Launched in 2020, the hosts of Dagong Tan 打工談 ("Labour Talks") spend time with manual labourers and people from other working-class professions, to discuss how they make their living, their perspective on their position in society, and obtacles they face in their work and personal lives.

The hosts show genuine interest in getting to know their guests and portray their experiences with dignity, in defiance of the prevailing social mood towards the so-called "low-end population" 低端人口 responsible for the PRC's prosperity.

Sample episodes:

• 《真騎士-俠義破解平臺套路》
• 《我在深圳送快遞：日行三萬步，罰款上千元》
• 《七種生活：工作自由在哪裏？》
• 《一個農民工思考勞工問題是再正常不過的事》

Eye on East Asia 東亞觀察局

Eye on East Asia 東亞觀察局 is a podcast about the politics, culture and history of China, Japan and Korea, and the relationships between them.

The hosts are journalists Fan Yiru 梵一如, Shao Qingqing 少青青 and Quan Xiaoxing 權小星, who discuss their perspectives of developments affecting the three countries, and the nuances of their interactions.

For those interested in the politics and culture of the region, this series is a refreshing source of insight that goes beyond the more typical English-language media focal points.

Sample episodes:

• 《日韓“泡沫時代”的光與影》
• 《天皇的特殊性和其在東亞的存在感》
• 《奈良的“兩聲槍響”讓日本加速右轉？》

Gushi FM 故事FM

Created by journalist Kou Aizhe 寇愛哲 in 2017, Gushi FM 故事FM is a podcast series that relays personal narratives from ordinary people in their own words. With its 700th episode released in early 2023, it is an incredible resource that provides a platform for voices across the spectrum of human experience.

Recorded as interviews, the podcast team's questions are largely edited out to leave an uninterrupted monologue told by each guest. Most episodes run from 20 to 40 minutes.

Sample episodes:

• 《我所知道的催債那些事兒》
• 《一個關於衰老、死亡、與生命尊嚴的故事》
• 《我是毒販的女兒》
• 《創業經：如何科學養豬》

Intro 音球

Hosted by Shanghai-based B and Kuangkuang 框框, Intro 音球 is a music podcast launched in mid-2021.

The show covers many kinds of music genres from China and overseas, with a focus on alternative and underground scenes, and intros to bands, gigs and records.

For an intro to part of the Cantonese music scene, try episode 22, "Niche Hong Kong Bands" 《香港小衆樂隊大賞》.

Sample episodes:

• 《尋尋覓覓奇奇怪怪可可愛愛的樂隊》
• 《後朋克和TA的兄弟姐妹們》
• 《打破音樂分類的天才們》

Left - Right 忽左忽右

Launched in 2018 as part of the JustPod platform, Left-Right 忽左忽右 is a longform podcast on current affairs, social issues, history and geopolitics.

Cheng Yanliang 程衍樑 hosts the series, with guests from a range of disciplines including academia, journalism, and the arts.

Sample episodes:

• 《從土耳其到波斯灣：中東石油版圖的重構》
• 《中國女性忍受傻白甜形象已經太久了》
• 《近代亞洲城際之爭》

Mei De Chen Si 美的沉思

In Chiang Hsun's recent series Mei De Chen Si 美的沉思, he explores the aesthetic values of different cultures, individuals, and festivals, in a mix of solo episodes and dialogues with his production team.

Sample episodes:

• 《談味覺》
• 《談孤獨》
• 《談貓》
• 《談端午》

Midnight Talks 大内密談

A long-running series with over 1,000 episodes, Midnight Talks 大内密談 is a light-hearted pop culture talk-show that launched in 2013.

The show has several hosts on rotation, with regular guests from the music and entertainment industries. Their conversations cover all sorts of topics, and can be a good way to discover new bands and trending issues in mainland China.

Sample episodes:

• 《當爵士遇見搖滾》
• 《朋克在古巴》
• 《上帝是個程序員，而你是個蘑菇》
• 《我們在富山釀清酒》

Salon des Refuses 落選沙龍

Salon des Refuses 落選沙龍 is a JustPod production launched in 2019, and hosted by Zhu Yujie 祝羽捷 and Ge Sang 格桑.

The hosts and their guests discuss women's rights issues in society, and cover related topics such as pay and power imbalances, and the effects of gender inequality and prejudice on men and women.

Sample episodes:

• 《我做訃聞記者的日子》
• 《開口談錢：你行嗎？》
• 《奶爸苗煒：文學到頭來是對自我的安慰》
• 《一貫懶惰的我爬起來做了個展覽》

Simon Shen 沈旭暉

This is a Cantonese-language podcast by political scientist Simon Shen 沈旭暉.

Shen speaks on political and economic affairs in the Greater China region, and further afield regarding issues such as Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine.

Sample episodes:

• 《金沙老闆與特朗普金主：澳門賭牌與中美關係》
• 《以色列、阿聯酋和解：中東三大勢力合縱連橫的蝴蝶效應》
• 《國際關係如何閲讀内外蒙古問題？》
• 《葡萄牙政策研究者Jacky:葡萄牙政府爲何中介“黃金簽證”？對港人移民影響有多大？》

Stochastic Volatility 隨機波動

Stochastic Volatility 隨機波動 is a cultural commentary series, hosted by "three female media workers" Fu Shiye 傅適野, Zhang Zhiqi 張之琪, and Leng Jianguo 冷建國.

Discussions include a mix of current affairs and social criticism, with weekly episodes that average from 40 to 90 minutes.

For those who want to dig deeper into a given subject, the hosts cite films and books relevant to the issues and controversies they cover, and the show's website features occasional articles that expand on themes from the podcast episodes.

Sample episodes:

• 《中國Metoo兩周年：“你沒辦法攔住下一個要站出來的人”》
• 《作爲14億分之一理解中國：人與人口如何建立關聯？》
• 《Netflix這麽好看，誰還要去電影院？》
• 《性的湮滅》

Talking Literature 跳島FM

Talking Literature 跳島FM is a weekly literature podcast launched in March 2020.

Discussions dive into the works of different authors and genres, political and social themes reflected in writing, and technical areas such as the difficulties involved in translation.

Zhong Na 鍾娜 and Xiao Li 小李 are the main hosts, though the series has an open format and shows are often led by other writers, critics and translators.

The series has good coverage of modern Chinese literature, so is a great place to pick up reading recommendations or learn more about the context of literary movements and writers' works.

Sample episodes:

• 《台灣文學的“内向時代”：小説家應該直面現實還是凝視自我？》
• 《張愛玲在美國：時代、故鄉和心靈的“流亡者”》
• 《雙語寫作者：在語言的異鄉裏，帶著口音講故事》
• 《“第二性”在第二故鄉：她們在紐約跨界寫作》

YiXi 一席

A long-running platform launched in 2012 and modelled on the TED Talks format, each episode of YiXi 一席 has a different guest relate a story from the humanities or technology fields.

Episodes are recorded with live audiences, and typically run to around 30 minutes. Some talks rely on visual presentations, so would be better viewed than listened to; videos are available on the YiXi website.

Sample episodes:

• 《馬伯庸：當古人遇到十二星座》
• 《何健翔：看不見的城市》
• 《姜斌：F廠日與夜》
• 《陳淑慧：好事地圖》