January 10, 2022 • 25 mins
In today's special compilation episode from Season 02 of the show, we listen to how 30 people answered the question: “If you left China, what would you miss the most, and what would you miss the least?" There’s no such thing as perfection, living life is about dealing with both the rough and the smooth. The same holds true no matter where you live, or to which cultural identity you feel most affiliated. So it always makes for interesting listening to hear how people from different backgrounds answer this particular question. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:03 - Main 24:17 - Outro Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-compilation-07-china-bests-and-worsts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
[Trailer]CHANG Chihyun: You want to make the exception?
You are going to suffer, mate.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina.
I’m your host, Oscar Fuchs.
We’re already well into January, but sincethis is the first episode of 2022 let me wish
(00:25):
you all a happy new year.
We’re in that weird phase between the calendarnew year and the lunar new year, where I feel
like I can’t really be bothered to do anything.
Maybe that’s just what January is, no matterwhere you are in the northern hemisphere.
Anyway, I am here, and I did manage to puttogether today’s compilation from Season
02 of the show, where we hear answers to thequestion “If you left China, what would
(00:48):
you miss the most, and what would you missthe least?”
If you listened to the special episode fromthe end of 2021, you’ve probably got some
idea about how I would answer this question!
But now it’s over to the 30 guests of Season02 to share their answers.
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:04):
Zhao Huiling, the Africa travel vlogger from Episode 28.
[Clip]ZH: What would I miss the most?
Convenience, with Alipay, with 饿了么 [Èleme]…
No.
Can I change my mind?
You can.
ZH (01:21):
OK, what I would miss the most, the Chinese food.
OF (01:26):
OK, but that's too obvious.
ZH (01:28):
I know but there are certain characteristics to the food I like.
So it's something soupy, hot, very flavourful,spicy, with coriander.
OF (01:38):
Oh, has to have coriander.
ZH (01:41):
Yes.
I think the least will be the limited accessto platforms like YouTube, Instagram.
Wink, wink.
OF (01:50):
Wink, wink.
We all know why we can't access these thingsin China.
Unless there's a special magic fairy.
ZH (01:57):
Exactly.
OF (01:58):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Ajay Jain, the car designer from Episode
21.
[Clip]AJ: The dynamism; the reinvention; the excitement;
the convenience of everything; the actualefficiencies of how things, if they didn't
work today, they are definitely working tomorrow.
And what about anything that you wouldn't miss
AJ (02:19):
****ing around with my VPN.
One of the biggest conveniences in China isto do with the internet.
And one of the biggest frustrations in Chinais to do with the internet.
OF (02:29):
Yeah.
AJ (02:30):
You can't have both ways.
You can't have only the convenience withoutsome of the frustration.
And currently they blocked WeChat in India.
So now, people keep trying to contact me throughWhatsApp.
You know, I've got to fiddle around and tryto get online, and they're trying to call
me, and messaging me, wondering why I'm notresponding to the messages.
OF (02:49):
Right.
AJ (02:50):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Cassandra Chen, the heavy metal bar owner
from Episode 16.
[Clip]CC: I think I would miss the most is… this
very convenient lifestyle.
At 2 o’clock, if you want to buy some beer,you can get it delivered in China.
Other countries, probably not.
OF (03:12):
And have you ever left China?
Did you ever go overseas?
CC (03:15):
Yeah, I went to Germany.
When I was in Germany, I really missed vegetables.
OF (03:21):
Because they have a lot of meat in Germany.
CC (03:24):
And I think, for them, potato is a salad.
[Voiceover]OF: Jovana Zhang, the handicrafts designer
from Episode 08.
[Clip]JZ: I’d miss the vegetables, the range of
vegetables, which we don’t have in Europe,and it's such a pity, it's really nice.
Even some parts of the flowers, and the tree.
(03:45):
You know that tree you can eat it, 香椿树[Xiāngchūnshù], you see it nowhere else.
It's just really nice.
The least I would miss the summer here, andthe wetness.
Especially 杭州 [Hángzhōu], where we sawthe air, how the air circulates.
It comes from Beijing, the one wind; and fromShanghai, another wind; and they all finish
in West Lake, and become a little swirl.
(04:07):
And it’s just like a dumpling in here, steamingourselves.
[Voiceover]OF: Vladimir Djurovic, the brand naming expert
from Episode 13.
[Clip]VD: The spices of China, literally and in
a metaphorical way, I think there is so muchflavour, so many things to experiment.
(04:30):
Of course the scale, also, of things, whichmeans you can see things that you can't imagine
in other places.
And I will say the same thing that I won'tmiss is the scale.
If one day I leave China it will be becauseI want to go into a smaller place.
[Voiceover]OF: Björn Dahlman, the Swedish clown from
(04:51):
Episode 17.
[Clip]BD: My friends, the people.
OF (04:54):
Yeah.
What would you miss the least?
BD (04:56):
Oh, the silence of Sweden, I love it.
I am very sensitive to sound.
Cars honking, drilling, people screaming,crowded restaurants, you know.
That's the one thing.
I feel it in my body, there’s a higher levelof tension when all this noise is going on.
(05:17):
[Voiceover]OF: Jo McFarland, the product sourcing leader
from Episode 18.
[Clip]JM: Well, I know this is gonna be a really
obvious answer, but I would absolutely missthe people the most.
So I mean, in the office, it's like, I amthe office foreigner.
And I would miss the colleagues in the officebecause they tell me all the time I'm their
Chinese family.
You know, we've been on a journey.
(05:39):
And then there's other ladies, like down inthe noodle bar that I go to, that don't speak
any English - and my Chinese is very limited- and somehow we can communicate, and they're
very very sweet to me.
And there are so many people from all walksof life around Shanghai, that I see in my
daily life that are incredibly kind to me.
That's what I would miss the most if I leftChina.
(06:00):
Because this is my second time in China.
And when I left the first time, that is whatI missed.
But the thing that I would miss the leastis the sniffing.
[Sniffing sounds]Like that, right?
OF (06:10):
Mmm hmm.
JM (06:12):
Honestly, it's like grating.
It’s like, I can't bear it.
I have to put on headphones, or get up andwalk away.
I don't know how it doesn't drive them crazy.
Because I find it totally unbearable.
OF (06:24):
They would say the same about us, when they hear us going to the bathroom, blowing
our noses, and coming back.
They’re like “Eurgh, you blow your nose”.
Because this is the whole thing about wearingmasks.
It's all about keeping your exhalations toyourself.
And so when you're sniffing, in a sense, you'resniffing in your own runny nose, because it's
rude to blow them out.
JM (06:43):
I prefer the nose-blowings.
[Voiceover]OF: Salome Chen, the investor and developer
from Episode 24.
[Clip]SC: My parents.
For me, people are always the most importantthing.
And of course, then I wouldn't miss thosepopulists.
OF (07:00):
Oh what do you mean?
Oh, populists.
SC (07:03):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
OF (07:04):
I do.
And it's the same wherever you go, right?
If we were in the UK, I would say the samething about people there, right?
SC (07:11):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Crystyl Mo, the fine dining expert from
Episode 26.
[Clip]CM: The people and the people.
So, Chinese are not great as strangers.
Americans are very friendly and have a warmthto them, that you can have some kind of friendly
(07:33):
interaction with a stranger, which I thinkmakes just walking around the city feel like
more of a community.
And yet, Chinese - while they can be quitecold and selfish to strangers - they are so
warm and generous as soon as you are on anykind of friendly terms with them.
(07:55):
You go to their house, and they will cookyou a banquet and take care of you.
That kind of warmth and generosity is somethingthat struck me as a student when I first went
to China and lived in 南京 [Nánjīng].
And so I would say that I don't miss beinga stranger in China.
But I do miss being a friend.
OF (08:14):
Lovely.
[Voiceover]OF: Alex Shoer, the clean energy entrepreneur
from Episode 11.
[Clip]AS: Random conversations with strangers.
About the simplest and most mundane things.
You know, in the U.S., everyone asks “Howare you?”
But they don't actually want to know.
In China, they want to know, they're like“Tell me everything.
(08:35):
Where are you from?
What colour hair does your mother have?”
You know they wanna go more and more.
The simple conversations that you have withstrangers.
And what about the things that you would miss the least?
AS (08:46):
Yeah, it's very simple.
It's air pollution.
I really, really, really disliked it.
The AQI was over 900 one time.
[Voiceover]OF: Douglon Tse, the island businessman from
Episode 15.
[Clip]DT: I’ll miss the energy.
Because you can tell that people are stillhopeful and optimistic, and not jealous and
(09:08):
full of hatred.
I won't miss the pollution.
[Voiceover]OF: Sean Harmon, the beer company CEO from
Episode 09.
[Clip]SH: What I would miss the most is the energy.
It's just so powerful here.
If you push, and you have a great productand a great plan, and you put it to action,
(09:31):
things can happen.
And people work hard.
And it's fun, it’s addicting, that sortof energy where you feel like anything's possible.
Then the other side of that question is, it'sgot to be the pollution.
And it's not only the air pollution.
For me, it's also the noise pollution.
You know the power drill, my boss used tocall that ‘the birds of Shanghai’, because
(09:52):
you don't hear birds that often but you dohear that power drill frequently.
OF (09:56):
But those two things that you've said… you don't get this energy, this growth, this
movement, without the sound of a growing city,right?
SH (10:03):
Exactly, and that’s why I'm still here.
It evens itself out.
[Voiceover]OF: Seth Harvey, the education coach from
Episode 19.
[Clip]SH: What would I miss?
Man, have you ever tried to take a taxi inNew York City?
OF (10:17):
Ah.
SH (10:18):
It's like $30 to put your hand on the handle.
This is such a well planned out city.
It seems so big, but I find that getting aroundit from one side to the other is amazing.
Like I said, you can take the bus, you cantake the metro, and you can call a cab for
like two bucks to go anywhere.
The thing I will miss the least would be,ah man, like the construction.
(10:39):
That hammer drill.
TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!
Like, everyone knows that, and I think everyone'shad an apartment where somebody's been renovating
next door.
So that's a trade-off for the amount of changeand development that we enjoy, and we love.
Sometimes that comes back, and it’s a hugenegative.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhang Yuan, the performance art exhibitor
(11:01):
from Episode 07.
[Clip]ZY: Traditional Chinese breakfast, particularly
Shanghai breakfast.
大饼油条 [Dàbǐng yóutiáo], how doyou call it in English?
You know?
OF (11:08):
Yeah, it’s those oily sort of sticks, right?
ZY (11:12):
Yeah.
OF (11:13):
It’s made of dough.
ZY (11:14):
Dough, yeah.
For the fat one, there is sweet and salty.
For the longer one it’s only salty, I think.
OF (11:21):
And anything that you would not miss if you left?
ZY (11:24):
The noise, in the construction site.
Wherever you go, there’s this noise.
Something being demolished.
Something being constructed.
You move to a new house, and your neighbouris renovating…
ach!
In China, I really don’t think I could hearmyself.
(11:44):
[Voiceover]OF: Jiyoung, the transgender teacher from
Episode 30.
[Clip]J: I would miss all of the advocates, who
always inspire me, day to day.
I will not miss having to hide my identityat work.
So, yeah…
(12:05):
[Voiceover]OF: Noxolo Bhengu, the African community organiser
from Episode 14.
[Clip]NB: WeChat Pay, I would miss the most.
OF (12:13):
Oh yeah.
NB (12:14):
I love not like carrying money.
There’s these conveniences here that I believeare five years, 10 years ahead of other parts
in the world.
The one thing I will not miss is not beingable to see the sky.
It never gets old, whenever I get home, I’mlike a little kid just lost in wonder.
(12:36):
I’m like “Oh my goodness, the sky is soblue.
I can actually see stars”.
And I can taste the air when I land in Durban.
You land by the ocean.
You can just taste the sea salt.
And the air just hits you differently, man.
So that's the one thing I will not miss, iswalking outside and not seeing the sky.
[Voiceover]OF: Cocosanti, the drag performer from Episode
(13:01):
05.
[Clip]C: Same answer for both.
It's a combination of three things Taobao,美团 [Měituán], and 嘀嘀[Dídí].
Once I go back home to the U.S., I'm goingto be so sad that I have to start using Amazon,
or I can't order food randomly in the middleof the night, without paying a surcharge of
(13:21):
like 500元 [Yuán], you know, or gettinga taxi for the price of a cup of coffee.
And I get it, I understand why.
But my god, it's so convenient.
And I hate that I've adapted to it so well.
OF (13:37):
Oh, this is why it's also the thing you won't miss.
C (13:39):
Oh, it makes me a monster.
Yeah.
I’m coming home from the club, “Oh, Ihave this in my cart”.
It's been in my cart for maybe like five weeks.
It's time to buy it.
I'll message the seller and tell them “Hey,can you send this tomorrow, because I really
need it now”.
But I don’t.
I don't, I don't ever need it.
I never need it.
I just want it.
(13:59):
[Voiceover]OF: Louise Roy, the childbirth and lactation
specialist from Episode 06.
[Clip]LR: Taobao.
I love Taobao, I've bought so much on Taobaoover the years.
I love, just the concept of you can get anything.
OF (14:17):
Yeah LR
What would I miss the least?
Actually, I think what I would miss the leastis when people, kind of like, ‘Chinasplain’
to me.
Oh god.
LR (14:29):
You know, like the ‘Chinasplaining.’
And then if I have a difference of opinion- that's, you know, gleaned from 15 years
of experience - I've been brainwashed.
[Voiceover]OF: Katherine Wong, the Peruvian healer from
Episode 04.
[Clip]KW: Online shopping.
It's mostly for groceries.
It is so easy.
So efficient.
(14:50):
You get your groceries within one hour.
In Peru, there are no such things.
So my mother had to call the lady from thelittle shop to ask “Do you have this?
Do you have that?”
And if she would say “Yes, I have this bread”.
“Okay, which brand?”
“I have this brand, this brand”.
So it would take a long time.
OF (15:11):
A great example.
And what about the thing that you miss theleast?
KW (15:15):
The fast pace of life.
You're sucked into this energy of going fast.
[Voiceover]OF: Murray King, the public affairs leader
from Episode 29.
[Clip]MK: The most is the excitement of every day.
Every day, something is happening, I learnsomething, I'm challenged in some way, I also
(15:39):
feel like it can contribute in some way.
I just feel like it's where everything's happening.
So that's what I would miss the most.
What I would miss the least is the fast pace.
I don't know if that makes any sense.
But when I do get out of the country - andwhen I go to my comfort zone, to France or
somewhere else - you know, it's really niceto not have a fast pace.
(16:01):
And every so often you need to kind of rechargeyour batteries, I think that's obvious.
And the problem is, when I'm there I missthe fast pace after a couple of weeks; when
I'm here after a few months, I need a breakfrom the fast pace.
So I'm never going to be completely happyin either.
[Voiceover]OF: Jamie Barys, the street food expert from
(16:21):
Episode 02.
[Clip]JB: Food.
Food, food, food…
Sichuan noodles, that would be so hard.
OF (16:28):
What about anything that you wouldn't miss?
JB (16:30):
That’s tough because I feel like that's a coin that has two sides, whenever it happens.
You know, a lot of times, I’ll take thesubway and get pushed around and jostled around
a little bit, and it's really annoying.
But then I go to a wet market, and an 85 yearold woman shoves me out of the way because
I'm standing in front of the daikon radishthat she really wants, and that just tickles
me.
(16:51):
So there are things that annoy me in the moment.
But then on the flip side, if you understandwhy it's happening, it just… you can get
over it really easily.
OF (16:59):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Michelle Qu, the improvisational comedian
from Episode 20.
[Clip]MQ: Oh, if I left China, of course I would
miss my theatre, and my partners.
Right.
MQ (17:13):
Yeah.
OF (17:14):
And what about the thing that you will miss the least?
MQ (17:16):
When you get off a metro, or when you get off an elevator, somebody just stands
in the middle of the gate.
You're face to face.
You want to kiss me?
OF (17:32):
Yeah!
Why did they do that?
MQ (17:35):
Yeah, I really hate that.
[Voiceover]OF: Danma Jyid, the Tibetan social enterprise
leader from Episode 10.
[Clip]DJ: I’d really miss Tibetan food.
Momo.
Momo is similar to dumplings, but we alsohave, like, steamed momo.
Inside you have fillings.
OF (17:54):
Like what?
Like…
DJ (17:56):
Yak meat.
OF (17:57):
Oh, I knew it!
I knew it.
DJ (17:59):
Yeah, yak meat and herbs sometimes, yeah.
OF (18:01):
Nice.
DJ (18:02):
Yeah.
OF (18:03):
What about, what would you miss the least?
DJ (18:05):
Snow.
OF (18:06):
Snow.
DJ (18:07):
Yeah, we get heavy snow, and the road is all blocked.
[Voiceover]OF: DJ BO, the DJ from Episode 23.
[Clip]BO: OK.
Shanghai is such an international city.
And it's a place where I've met Dutch people,and Belgian people, and Italian people, and
(18:28):
Japanese people.
I'm able to engage with so many differentcultures and people here.
You can find some of that in New York andin London, but in Shanghai it just manifests
itself so much into the legacy and the historyof what Shanghai is.
Least interesting, it’s that sort of policyof not engaging with things that you find
(18:51):
in China.
The idea that when there's a conflict, everyonestands back and watches.
When there's a problem, you just kind of moveaway from things, and you don't engage with
things.
[Voiceover]OF: Stéphane Wilmet, the head of consumer
insights at L'Oreal from Episode 01.
(19:11):
[Clip]SW: I think I would miss the ‘ding ding
ding’, you know, those tricyclers, the peddlerson their tricycles.
I would miss this music.
They’re recyclers on tricycles.
And in this modern city, with so many millionsof people that is so tech-advanced, this little
(19:33):
music, it comes from another time.
But I will remember that music.
I actually followed one day, with my youngestson, I mean with his consent, we followed
one such person in his day.
And they have a very tough day.
So this music is also bittersweet, in a way.
What I would miss the least?
(19:56):
Everybody knows everything about you.
Everything.
You know, what time you went out, what timeyou came back, what time your kids, what did
they do, why you're this, why you’re that…
And so at some point, it becomes too much.
[Voiceover]OF: Chang Chihyun, the humanities professor
from Episode 03.
[Clip]CC: I would miss the culture.
(20:19):
That's an abstract thing.
You can see I'm quite westernised.
The way I think, the wine, the scotch, whatsoever.
But I still like to live this sort of culturalcontext.
I wouldn't miss the bureaucracy.
It can be extremely efficient, and it canbe extremely outdated and slow.
OF (20:42):
Yeah.
CC (20:43):
You want to make the first case, the exception, you are going to suffer, mate.
[Voiceover]OF: Casey Hall, the fashion journalist from
Episode 22.
[Clip]OF: Next question, if you left China, what
would you miss the most, and what would youmiss the least?
CH (20:59):
煎饼 [Jiānbing].
I’ve said for so many years that peopleshould be exporting 煎饼 [jiānbing] into
the West, because we foreigners all love thatstuff.
And it's a wonderful hangover cure.
I think I would not miss…
If I never had to go to a Chinese bank again,I would be a happy chappy.
OF (21:13):
You have to take a whole file of paperwork, don’t you?
CH (21:16):
You have to take a whole file of paperwork, and half a day, and even then I'll probably
have to go home and get more paperwork.
OF (21:22):
Yep.
[Voiceover]OF: Wendy Saunders, the architect from Episode
12.
[Clip]WS: I have to say the spontaneity of living
in China, and the way things go so fast.
OK, on the one hand it makes you very tired,and it has a lot of other things to it.
(21:45):
But I will miss that.
It’s so lively, and it's so flexible.
And I remember when I first arrived, I thoughtthat was so amazing, that you don't have to
make appointments weeks ahead with people.
You don't have to…
Your work environment, it’s not so plannedout.
That, I think, is something quite special.
That's well said.
What about anything you'd miss the least?
WS (22:06):
Yeah, the fact of being misunderstood, and the frustration of it, I think.
You're always the foreigner, right?
You're always a little bit, the one on theoutside.
That also gives a certain freedom, and a pleasureto it.
I'm not gonna lie about that.
But there's also sometimes something alienatingabout it.
(22:27):
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Kinsey, the fire engineer from
Episode 25.
[Clip]MK: I think I would miss the convenience of
living here.
You can find almost anyone to do anything.
Like fix things almost at any time of theday, or any day of the week.
Actually, last night, I forgot my keys.
(22:47):
And I know a guy who will come at any time.
And it was slightly late at night, and hewould just get up, come, and then he would
come and open the door, and that was it.
OF (22:54):
Wow.
MK (22:55):
I think one of the things I would miss the least is the language barrier, and certainly
being able to connect with certain peopleon certain levels.
Conversely, it motivates me to want to learnmore.
[Voiceover]OF: Vittorio Franzese, the lawyer from Episode
27.
[Clip]VF: It's something that I have always thought
about China.
(23:15):
By living here, you realise how easy lifeis.
Sometimes you have a problem, and it getssolved just by knowing someone that has dealt
with it before.
Suddenly, it's not any more a problem.
I feel like I do a lot of things in one day,which I wouldn't be able to do back home where
(23:37):
life is so chill, and you need to take yourtime for every single thing you want to complete.
On the other side, something that could looksuper straightforward and super easy to get
would become impossible for reasons that areunknown to you.
Because you have to pass through some authorisationor procedure that suddenly becomes slow and
(24:05):
you cannot explain why.
And you just find yourself in front of a problemthat you didn't expect to encounter.
China’s not a compromise.
So you can get everything fast, or… impossible.
[Outro]OF: And there you have it, the 阴 [yīn]
and 阳 [yáng] episode.
China is so liveable, so welcoming.
(24:26):
And it’s the exact opposite of those thingstoo.
There’s a rough and a smooth in every countryand in every culture, and indeed in every
person.
So let’s make it our job in 2022 to spreadthis message of nuance, balance and equanimity
to as many people as possible.
Mosaic of China is me, Oscar Fuchs, with artworkby Denny Newell.
(24:46):
And we’ll be back with the next compilationepisode in two weeks, see you then.
[Clips]SW: Thank you very much.
JB (24:55):
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
CC (24:56):
My pleasure.
KW (24:57):
Thank you so much.
C (24:58):
Oh hey, thanks.
LR (25:00):
Thank you very much.
ZY (25:01):
Thank you.
JZ (25:02):
Thank you.
SH (25:03):
It’s been a pleasure.
DJ (25:04):
Thank you.
AS (25:05):
Thank you.
WS (25:06):
Thank you.
VD (25:07):
Thanks.
NB (25:08):
Thank you.
DT (25:09):
Thank you.
CC (25:10):
Thank you.
BD (25:11):
Hehe, thank you.
JM (25:12):
Thank you very much.
SH (25:13):
My pleasure, thanks.
MQ (25:14):
Thank you.
AJ (25:15):
Thanks a lot.
CH (25:16):
Thank you.
BO (25:17):
Thank you very much.
SC (25:18):
Thank you.
MK (25:19):
Thank you.
CM (25:20):
Thank you.
VF (25:21):
Thank you so much.
ZH (25:22):
Thank you for having me.
MK (25:23):
It was my pleasure.
J (25:24):
Thank you so much.
[Trailer]CHANG Chihyun: You want to make the exception?
You are going to suffer, mate.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina.
I’m your host, Oscar Fuchs.
We’re already well into January, but sincethis is the first episode of 2022 let me wish
(00:25):
you all a happy new year.
We’re in that weird phase between the calendarnew year and the lunar new year, where I feel
like I can’t really be bothered to do anything.
Maybe that’s just what January is, no matterwhere you are in the northern hemisphere.
Anyway, I am here, and I did manage to puttogether today’s compilation from Season
02 of the show, where we hear answers to thequestion “If you left China, what would
(00:48):
you miss the most, and what would you missthe least?”
If you listened to the special episode fromthe end of 2021, you’ve probably got some
idea about how I would answer this question!
But now it’s over to the 30 guests of Season02 to share their answers.
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:04):
Zhao Huiling, the Africa travel vlogger from Episode 28.
[Clip]ZH: What would I miss the most?
Convenience, with Alipay, with 饿了么 [Èleme]…
No.
Can I change my mind?
You can.
ZH (01:21):
OK, what I would miss the most, the Chinese food.
OF (01:26):
OK, but that's too obvious.
ZH (01:28):
I know but there are certain characteristics to the food I like.
So it's something soupy, hot, very flavourful,spicy, with coriander.
OF (01:38):
Oh, has to have coriander.
ZH (01:41):
Yes.
I think the least will be the limited accessto platforms like YouTube, Instagram.
Wink, wink.
OF (01:50):
Wink, wink.
We all know why we can't access these thingsin China.
Unless there's a special magic fairy.
ZH (01:57):
Exactly.
OF (01:58):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Ajay Jain, the car designer from Episode
21.
[Clip]AJ: The dynamism; the reinvention; the excitement;
the convenience of everything; the actualefficiencies of how things, if they didn't
work today, they are definitely working tomorrow.
And what about anything that you wouldn't miss
AJ (02:19):
****ing around with my VPN.
One of the biggest conveniences in China isto do with the internet.
And one of the biggest frustrations in Chinais to do with the internet.
OF (02:29):
Yeah.
AJ (02:30):
You can't have both ways.
You can't have only the convenience withoutsome of the frustration.
And currently they blocked WeChat in India.
So now, people keep trying to contact me throughWhatsApp.
You know, I've got to fiddle around and tryto get online, and they're trying to call
me, and messaging me, wondering why I'm notresponding to the messages.
OF (02:49):
Right.
AJ (02:50):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Cassandra Chen, the heavy metal bar owner
from Episode 16.
[Clip]CC: I think I would miss the most is… this
very convenient lifestyle.
At 2 o’clock, if you want to buy some beer,you can get it delivered in China.
Other countries, probably not.
OF (03:12):
And have you ever left China?
Did you ever go overseas?
CC (03:15):
Yeah, I went to Germany.
When I was in Germany, I really missed vegetables.
OF (03:21):
Because they have a lot of meat in Germany.
CC (03:24):
And I think, for them, potato is a salad.
[Voiceover]OF: Jovana Zhang, the handicrafts designer
from Episode 08.
[Clip]JZ: I’d miss the vegetables, the range of
vegetables, which we don’t have in Europe,and it's such a pity, it's really nice.
Even some parts of the flowers, and the tree.
(03:45):
You know that tree you can eat it, 香椿树[Xiāngchūnshù], you see it nowhere else.
It's just really nice.
The least I would miss the summer here, andthe wetness.
Especially 杭州 [Hángzhōu], where we sawthe air, how the air circulates.
It comes from Beijing, the one wind; and fromShanghai, another wind; and they all finish
in West Lake, and become a little swirl.
(04:07):
And it’s just like a dumpling in here, steamingourselves.
[Voiceover]OF: Vladimir Djurovic, the brand naming expert
from Episode 13.
[Clip]VD: The spices of China, literally and in
a metaphorical way, I think there is so muchflavour, so many things to experiment.
(04:30):
Of course the scale, also, of things, whichmeans you can see things that you can't imagine
in other places.
And I will say the same thing that I won'tmiss is the scale.
If one day I leave China it will be becauseI want to go into a smaller place.
[Voiceover]OF: Björn Dahlman, the Swedish clown from
(04:51):
Episode 17.
[Clip]BD: My friends, the people.
OF (04:54):
Yeah.
What would you miss the least?
BD (04:56):
Oh, the silence of Sweden, I love it.
I am very sensitive to sound.
Cars honking, drilling, people screaming,crowded restaurants, you know.
That's the one thing.
I feel it in my body, there’s a higher levelof tension when all this noise is going on.
(05:17):
[Voiceover]OF: Jo McFarland, the product sourcing leader
from Episode 18.
[Clip]JM: Well, I know this is gonna be a really
obvious answer, but I would absolutely missthe people the most.
So I mean, in the office, it's like, I amthe office foreigner.
And I would miss the colleagues in the officebecause they tell me all the time I'm their
Chinese family.
You know, we've been on a journey.
(05:39):
And then there's other ladies, like down inthe noodle bar that I go to, that don't speak
any English - and my Chinese is very limited- and somehow we can communicate, and they're
very very sweet to me.
And there are so many people from all walksof life around Shanghai, that I see in my
daily life that are incredibly kind to me.
That's what I would miss the most if I leftChina.
(06:00):
Because this is my second time in China.
And when I left the first time, that is whatI missed.
But the thing that I would miss the leastis the sniffing.
[Sniffing sounds]Like that, right?
OF (06:10):
Mmm hmm.
JM (06:12):
Honestly, it's like grating.
It’s like, I can't bear it.
I have to put on headphones, or get up andwalk away.
I don't know how it doesn't drive them crazy.
Because I find it totally unbearable.
OF (06:24):
They would say the same about us, when they hear us going to the bathroom, blowing
our noses, and coming back.
They’re like “Eurgh, you blow your nose”.
Because this is the whole thing about wearingmasks.
It's all about keeping your exhalations toyourself.
And so when you're sniffing, in a sense, you'resniffing in your own runny nose, because it's
rude to blow them out.
JM (06:43):
I prefer the nose-blowings.
[Voiceover]OF: Salome Chen, the investor and developer
from Episode 24.
[Clip]SC: My parents.
For me, people are always the most importantthing.
And of course, then I wouldn't miss thosepopulists.
OF (07:00):
Oh what do you mean?
Oh, populists.
SC (07:03):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
OF (07:04):
I do.
And it's the same wherever you go, right?
If we were in the UK, I would say the samething about people there, right?
SC (07:11):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Crystyl Mo, the fine dining expert from
Episode 26.
[Clip]CM: The people and the people.
So, Chinese are not great as strangers.
Americans are very friendly and have a warmthto them, that you can have some kind of friendly
(07:33):
interaction with a stranger, which I thinkmakes just walking around the city feel like
more of a community.
And yet, Chinese - while they can be quitecold and selfish to strangers - they are so
warm and generous as soon as you are on anykind of friendly terms with them.
(07:55):
You go to their house, and they will cookyou a banquet and take care of you.
That kind of warmth and generosity is somethingthat struck me as a student when I first went
to China and lived in 南京 [Nánjīng].
And so I would say that I don't miss beinga stranger in China.
But I do miss being a friend.
OF (08:14):
Lovely.
[Voiceover]OF: Alex Shoer, the clean energy entrepreneur
from Episode 11.
[Clip]AS: Random conversations with strangers.
About the simplest and most mundane things.
You know, in the U.S., everyone asks “Howare you?”
But they don't actually want to know.
In China, they want to know, they're like“Tell me everything.
(08:35):
Where are you from?
What colour hair does your mother have?”
You know they wanna go more and more.
The simple conversations that you have withstrangers.
And what about the things that you would miss the least?
AS (08:46):
Yeah, it's very simple.
It's air pollution.
I really, really, really disliked it.
The AQI was over 900 one time.
[Voiceover]OF: Douglon Tse, the island businessman from
Episode 15.
[Clip]DT: I’ll miss the energy.
Because you can tell that people are stillhopeful and optimistic, and not jealous and
(09:08):
full of hatred.
I won't miss the pollution.
[Voiceover]OF: Sean Harmon, the beer company CEO from
Episode 09.
[Clip]SH: What I would miss the most is the energy.
It's just so powerful here.
If you push, and you have a great productand a great plan, and you put it to action,
(09:31):
things can happen.
And people work hard.
And it's fun, it’s addicting, that sortof energy where you feel like anything's possible.
Then the other side of that question is, it'sgot to be the pollution.
And it's not only the air pollution.
For me, it's also the noise pollution.
You know the power drill, my boss used tocall that ‘the birds of Shanghai’, because
(09:52):
you don't hear birds that often but you dohear that power drill frequently.
OF (09:56):
But those two things that you've said… you don't get this energy, this growth, this
movement, without the sound of a growing city,right?
SH (10:03):
Exactly, and that’s why I'm still here.
It evens itself out.
[Voiceover]OF: Seth Harvey, the education coach from
Episode 19.
[Clip]SH: What would I miss?
Man, have you ever tried to take a taxi inNew York City?
OF (10:17):
Ah.
SH (10:18):
It's like $30 to put your hand on the handle.
This is such a well planned out city.
It seems so big, but I find that getting aroundit from one side to the other is amazing.
Like I said, you can take the bus, you cantake the metro, and you can call a cab for
like two bucks to go anywhere.
The thing I will miss the least would be,ah man, like the construction.
(10:39):
That hammer drill.
TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!
Like, everyone knows that, and I think everyone'shad an apartment where somebody's been renovating
next door.
So that's a trade-off for the amount of changeand development that we enjoy, and we love.
Sometimes that comes back, and it’s a hugenegative.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhang Yuan, the performance art exhibitor
(11:01):
from Episode 07.
[Clip]ZY: Traditional Chinese breakfast, particularly
Shanghai breakfast.
大饼油条 [Dàbǐng yóutiáo], how doyou call it in English?
You know?
OF (11:08):
Yeah, it’s those oily sort of sticks, right?
ZY (11:12):
Yeah.
OF (11:13):
It’s made of dough.
ZY (11:14):
Dough, yeah.
For the fat one, there is sweet and salty.
For the longer one it’s only salty, I think.
OF (11:21):
And anything that you would not miss if you left?
ZY (11:24):
The noise, in the construction site.
Wherever you go, there’s this noise.
Something being demolished.
Something being constructed.
You move to a new house, and your neighbouris renovating…
ach!
In China, I really don’t think I could hearmyself.
(11:44):
[Voiceover]OF: Jiyoung, the transgender teacher from
Episode 30.
[Clip]J: I would miss all of the advocates, who
always inspire me, day to day.
I will not miss having to hide my identityat work.
So, yeah…
(12:05):
[Voiceover]OF: Noxolo Bhengu, the African community organiser
from Episode 14.
[Clip]NB: WeChat Pay, I would miss the most.
OF (12:13):
Oh yeah.
NB (12:14):
I love not like carrying money.
There’s these conveniences here that I believeare five years, 10 years ahead of other parts
in the world.
The one thing I will not miss is not beingable to see the sky.
It never gets old, whenever I get home, I’mlike a little kid just lost in wonder.
(12:36):
I’m like “Oh my goodness, the sky is soblue.
I can actually see stars”.
And I can taste the air when I land in Durban.
You land by the ocean.
You can just taste the sea salt.
And the air just hits you differently, man.
So that's the one thing I will not miss, iswalking outside and not seeing the sky.
[Voiceover]OF: Cocosanti, the drag performer from Episode
(13:01):
05.
[Clip]C: Same answer for both.
It's a combination of three things Taobao,美团 [Měituán], and 嘀嘀[Dídí].
Once I go back home to the U.S., I'm goingto be so sad that I have to start using Amazon,
or I can't order food randomly in the middleof the night, without paying a surcharge of
(13:21):
like 500元 [Yuán], you know, or gettinga taxi for the price of a cup of coffee.
And I get it, I understand why.
But my god, it's so convenient.
And I hate that I've adapted to it so well.
OF (13:37):
Oh, this is why it's also the thing you won't miss.
C (13:39):
Oh, it makes me a monster.
Yeah.
I’m coming home from the club, “Oh, Ihave this in my cart”.
It's been in my cart for maybe like five weeks.
It's time to buy it.
I'll message the seller and tell them “Hey,can you send this tomorrow, because I really
need it now”.
But I don’t.
I don't, I don't ever need it.
I never need it.
I just want it.
(13:59):
[Voiceover]OF: Louise Roy, the childbirth and lactation
specialist from Episode 06.
[Clip]LR: Taobao.
I love Taobao, I've bought so much on Taobaoover the years.
I love, just the concept of you can get anything.
OF (14:17):
Yeah LR
What would I miss the least?
Actually, I think what I would miss the leastis when people, kind of like, ‘Chinasplain’
to me.
Oh god.
LR (14:29):
You know, like the ‘Chinasplaining.’
And then if I have a difference of opinion- that's, you know, gleaned from 15 years
of experience - I've been brainwashed.
[Voiceover]OF: Katherine Wong, the Peruvian healer from
Episode 04.
[Clip]KW: Online shopping.
It's mostly for groceries.
It is so easy.
So efficient.
(14:50):
You get your groceries within one hour.
In Peru, there are no such things.
So my mother had to call the lady from thelittle shop to ask “Do you have this?
Do you have that?”
And if she would say “Yes, I have this bread”.
“Okay, which brand?”
“I have this brand, this brand”.
So it would take a long time.
OF (15:11):
A great example.
And what about the thing that you miss theleast?
KW (15:15):
The fast pace of life.
You're sucked into this energy of going fast.
[Voiceover]OF: Murray King, the public affairs leader
from Episode 29.
[Clip]MK: The most is the excitement of every day.
Every day, something is happening, I learnsomething, I'm challenged in some way, I also
(15:39):
feel like it can contribute in some way.
I just feel like it's where everything's happening.
So that's what I would miss the most.
What I would miss the least is the fast pace.
I don't know if that makes any sense.
But when I do get out of the country - andwhen I go to my comfort zone, to France or
somewhere else - you know, it's really niceto not have a fast pace.
(16:01):
And every so often you need to kind of rechargeyour batteries, I think that's obvious.
And the problem is, when I'm there I missthe fast pace after a couple of weeks; when
I'm here after a few months, I need a breakfrom the fast pace.
So I'm never going to be completely happyin either.
[Voiceover]OF: Jamie Barys, the street food expert from
(16:21):
Episode 02.
[Clip]JB: Food.
Food, food, food…
Sichuan noodles, that would be so hard.
OF (16:28):
What about anything that you wouldn't miss?
JB (16:30):
That’s tough because I feel like that's a coin that has two sides, whenever it happens.
You know, a lot of times, I’ll take thesubway and get pushed around and jostled around
a little bit, and it's really annoying.
But then I go to a wet market, and an 85 yearold woman shoves me out of the way because
I'm standing in front of the daikon radishthat she really wants, and that just tickles
me.
(16:51):
So there are things that annoy me in the moment.
But then on the flip side, if you understandwhy it's happening, it just… you can get
over it really easily.
OF (16:59):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Michelle Qu, the improvisational comedian
from Episode 20.
[Clip]MQ: Oh, if I left China, of course I would
miss my theatre, and my partners.
Right.
MQ (17:13):
Yeah.
OF (17:14):
And what about the thing that you will miss the least?
MQ (17:16):
When you get off a metro, or when you get off an elevator, somebody just stands
in the middle of the gate.
You're face to face.
You want to kiss me?
OF (17:32):
Yeah!
Why did they do that?
MQ (17:35):
Yeah, I really hate that.
[Voiceover]OF: Danma Jyid, the Tibetan social enterprise
leader from Episode 10.
[Clip]DJ: I’d really miss Tibetan food.
Momo.
Momo is similar to dumplings, but we alsohave, like, steamed momo.
Inside you have fillings.
OF (17:54):
Like what?
Like…
DJ (17:56):
Yak meat.
OF (17:57):
Oh, I knew it!
I knew it.
DJ (17:59):
Yeah, yak meat and herbs sometimes, yeah.
OF (18:01):
Nice.
DJ (18:02):
Yeah.
OF (18:03):
What about, what would you miss the least?
DJ (18:05):
Snow.
OF (18:06):
Snow.
DJ (18:07):
Yeah, we get heavy snow, and the road is all blocked.
[Voiceover]OF: DJ BO, the DJ from Episode 23.
[Clip]BO: OK.
Shanghai is such an international city.
And it's a place where I've met Dutch people,and Belgian people, and Italian people, and
(18:28):
Japanese people.
I'm able to engage with so many differentcultures and people here.
You can find some of that in New York andin London, but in Shanghai it just manifests
itself so much into the legacy and the historyof what Shanghai is.
Least interesting, it’s that sort of policyof not engaging with things that you find
(18:51):
in China.
The idea that when there's a conflict, everyonestands back and watches.
When there's a problem, you just kind of moveaway from things, and you don't engage with
things.
[Voiceover]OF: Stéphane Wilmet, the head of consumer
insights at L'Oreal from Episode 01.
(19:11):
[Clip]SW: I think I would miss the ‘ding ding
ding’, you know, those tricyclers, the peddlerson their tricycles.
I would miss this music.
They’re recyclers on tricycles.
And in this modern city, with so many millionsof people that is so tech-advanced, this little
(19:33):
music, it comes from another time.
But I will remember that music.
I actually followed one day, with my youngestson, I mean with his consent, we followed
one such person in his day.
And they have a very tough day.
So this music is also bittersweet, in a way.
What I would miss the least?
(19:56):
Everybody knows everything about you.
Everything.
You know, what time you went out, what timeyou came back, what time your kids, what did
they do, why you're this, why you’re that…
And so at some point, it becomes too much.
[Voiceover]OF: Chang Chihyun, the humanities professor
from Episode 03.
[Clip]CC: I would miss the culture.
(20:19):
That's an abstract thing.
You can see I'm quite westernised.
The way I think, the wine, the scotch, whatsoever.
But I still like to live this sort of culturalcontext.
I wouldn't miss the bureaucracy.
It can be extremely efficient, and it canbe extremely outdated and slow.
OF (20:42):
Yeah.
CC (20:43):
You want to make the first case, the exception, you are going to suffer, mate.
[Voiceover]OF: Casey Hall, the fashion journalist from
Episode 22.
[Clip]OF: Next question, if you left China, what
would you miss the most, and what would youmiss the least?
CH (20:59):
煎饼 [Jiānbing].
I’ve said for so many years that peopleshould be exporting 煎饼 [jiānbing] into
the West, because we foreigners all love thatstuff.
And it's a wonderful hangover cure.
I think I would not miss…
If I never had to go to a Chinese bank again,I would be a happy chappy.
OF (21:13):
You have to take a whole file of paperwork, don’t you?
CH (21:16):
You have to take a whole file of paperwork, and half a day, and even then I'll probably
have to go home and get more paperwork.
OF (21:22):
Yep.
[Voiceover]OF: Wendy Saunders, the architect from Episode
12.
[Clip]WS: I have to say the spontaneity of living
in China, and the way things go so fast.
OK, on the one hand it makes you very tired,and it has a lot of other things to it.
(21:45):
But I will miss that.
It’s so lively, and it's so flexible.
And I remember when I first arrived, I thoughtthat was so amazing, that you don't have to
make appointments weeks ahead with people.
You don't have to…
Your work environment, it’s not so plannedout.
That, I think, is something quite special.
That's well said.
What about anything you'd miss the least?
WS (22:06):
Yeah, the fact of being misunderstood, and the frustration of it, I think.
You're always the foreigner, right?
You're always a little bit, the one on theoutside.
That also gives a certain freedom, and a pleasureto it.
I'm not gonna lie about that.
But there's also sometimes something alienatingabout it.
(22:27):
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Kinsey, the fire engineer from
Episode 25.
[Clip]MK: I think I would miss the convenience of
living here.
You can find almost anyone to do anything.
Like fix things almost at any time of theday, or any day of the week.
Actually, last night, I forgot my keys.
(22:47):
And I know a guy who will come at any time.
And it was slightly late at night, and hewould just get up, come, and then he would
come and open the door, and that was it.
OF (22:54):
Wow.
MK (22:55):
I think one of the things I would miss the least is the language barrier, and certainly
being able to connect with certain peopleon certain levels.
Conversely, it motivates me to want to learnmore.
[Voiceover]OF: Vittorio Franzese, the lawyer from Episode
27.
[Clip]VF: It's something that I have always thought
about China.
(23:15):
By living here, you realise how easy lifeis.
Sometimes you have a problem, and it getssolved just by knowing someone that has dealt
with it before.
Suddenly, it's not any more a problem.
I feel like I do a lot of things in one day,which I wouldn't be able to do back home where
(23:37):
life is so chill, and you need to take yourtime for every single thing you want to complete.
On the other side, something that could looksuper straightforward and super easy to get
would become impossible for reasons that areunknown to you.
Because you have to pass through some authorisationor procedure that suddenly becomes slow and
(24:05):
you cannot explain why.
And you just find yourself in front of a problemthat you didn't expect to encounter.
China’s not a compromise.
So you can get everything fast, or… impossible.
[Outro]OF: And there you have it, the 阴 [yīn]
and 阳 [yáng] episode.
China is so liveable, so welcoming.
(24:26):
And it’s the exact opposite of those thingstoo.
There’s a rough and a smooth in every countryand in every culture, and indeed in every
person.
So let’s make it our job in 2022 to spreadthis message of nuance, balance and equanimity
to as many people as possible.
Mosaic of China is me, Oscar Fuchs, with artworkby Denny Newell.
(24:46):
And we’ll be back with the next compilationepisode in two weeks, see you then.
[Clips]SW: Thank you very much.
JB (24:55):
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
CC (24:56):
My pleasure.
KW (24:57):
Thank you so much.
C (24:58):
Oh hey, thanks.
LR (25:00):
Thank you very much.
ZY (25:01):
Thank you.
JZ (25:02):
Thank you.
SH (25:03):
It’s been a pleasure.
DJ (25:04):
Thank you.
AS (25:05):
Thank you.
WS (25:06):
Thank you.
VD (25:07):
Thanks.
NB (25:08):
Thank you.
DT (25:09):
Thank you.
CC (25:10):
Thank you.
BD (25:11):
Hehe, thank you.
JM (25:12):
Thank you very much.
SH (25:13):
My pleasure, thanks.
MQ (25:14):
Thank you.
AJ (25:15):
Thanks a lot.
CH (25:16):
Thank you.
BO (25:17):
Thank you very much.
SC (25:18):
Thank you.
MK (25:19):
Thank you.
CM (25:20):
Thank you.
VF (25:21):
Thank you so much.
ZH (25:22):
Thank you for having me.
MK (25:23):
It was my pleasure.
J (25:24):
Thank you so much.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com