June 16, 2020 • 17 mins
If you're an annoying person like me, you will love to share little pieces of trivia to unsuspecting listeners. You will think it makes you look clever to those around you, and you will accept their polite silent nods as proof of your awe-inspiring worldliness, oblivious to the reality of your unending tediousness. If any of that sounds familiar to you, then you will love today's special compilation episode from Season 1. Today we listen to how all the guests from the season answered the question: "What is your favourite China-related fact?". We cover everything from traditions to timezones, from diversity to durians, and from railways to rural migrant workers. So let's hear from you: what is your favourite China-related fact or piece of trivia? Please contribute to the communities on WeChat, Instagram and Facebook. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 00:55 - Main 16:23 - Outro Instagram: www.instagram.com/oscology Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosaicofchina WeChat: www.mosaicofchina.com/wechat
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
[Trailer]Tom BARKER: When you talk about the Shanghai
recycling regime that they're introducing,if you have a durian, it is not food waste.
OF (00:10):
Because of…? TB
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina. I'm your host Oscar Fuchs.
OK, this is already the fourth special compilationepisode from Season 01, so I hope by now you
(00:30):
get the deal. For this compilation, we'relooking at how all the guests from the season
answered the question “What is your favouriteChina-related fact?” The idea of asking
this question is to provide you with the ammunitionto impress people when you're next at a polite
gathering and the topic of China comes up.So get ready to take notes, and with just
a bit of practice you could one day be asmuch of a pretentious know-all as I am.
(00:54):
[Main][Voiceover]
Gigi Chang, the translator from Episode 24.
[Clip]GC: Some years ago, I discovered that Noël
Coward wrote ‘Private Lives’ in Shanghai.OF: Really?
GC (01:06):
At the Cathay Hotel, which is the Peace Hotel. And I think he got a cold or influenza,
and he got stuck. It’s just this utterly,utterly English upper-class play is written
in Shanghai in 1930.OF: Wow.
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Zee, the Instagram influencer
(01:28):
from Episode 07.[Clip]
MZ (01:29):
你好 [Nǐ hǎo] doesn’t mean ‘hello’. I think this is the interesting thing about
translation, that we always want to have equals,equivalents, of words. “This word in my
language means this word in your language”.And 你好 [nǐ hǎo] is ‘you good.’ Literally,
‘you good.’ And it's implied there's aquestion. Whereas ‘hello’ is ‘I'm here,
but I'm not asking for your recognition (01:53):
Hello’. In the sense of, you can just say “Hello”
to an empty room. But you would never say“你好 [nǐ hǎo]” to an empty room.
[Voiceover]OF: Vy Vu, the fitness community leader from
Episode 08.[Clip]
VV (02:09):
Everybody knows the four great inventions, which were gunpowder, the compass, paper and
printing. But no one knows that they alsoinvented the fishing reel, the wheelbarrow,
kites and the umbrella.OF: And the umbrella?
Yeah, amazing really. OF
hell were they doing?[Voiceover]
OF (02:29):
Sebastien Denes, the inclusion advocate from Episode 11.
[Clip]SD: It's a very simple one, it’s 1.4 billion
people. I love this number, because it’sa mirage. The illusion of capturing this 1.4-billion-people
market, right. Having spent seven years herein China, I've seen so many companies with
(02:52):
that in mind, coming here to think they’regonna conquer this market.
[Voiceover]OF: Emily Madge, the aquarium conservationist
from Episode 14.[Clip]
EM (03:03):
One in every five people in the world as Chinese.
OF (03:09):
Is it one in five? Wow. And presumably they’re not all in China, this is the whole
diaspora included?EM: Yes.
[Voiceover]OF: Nick Yu, the playwright from Episode 13.
[Clip]NY: Traditional management in the village.
I think that's something like a dream before.That is really good.
Right. NY
(03:31):
a teacher in the county, in the village. Butbefore, he didn’t have a salary. So who
will pay him? The village would give him afield.
A field? NY
him. And all the people in the village don’tpay a salary to him, but this field, you can
(03:54):
plant, and when you have gain, you can getthe food.
So actually then, they would farm the field, and whatever they made in that field,
they would give to your father.NY: Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Greg Nance, the ultramarathon athlete
from Episode 23.[Clip]
GN (04:12):
My favourite China-related fact is that the 黄浦 [Huángpǔ] River, the river that
flows through Shanghai here, was actuallyexcavated and dredged to be created around
2,500 years ago during the Warring Statesperiod. It starts around 松江 [Sōngjiāng],
which is like far southwest Shanghai, it'sa district. And it winds its way merrily over
(04:35):
the Bund, 陆家嘴 [Lùjiāzuǐ], on to theYangtze River, which drains into the East
China Sea.OF: OK.
[Voiceover]OF: Jorge Luzio, the marketer for Sprite from
Episode 05.[Clip]
JL (04:47):
There are 675 million active gamers in China.
OF (04:52):
Wow. JL
Europe is, but I think it's less than that.So imagine more than the population of Europe
playing games every day of their lives. Sofor me that's like ‘wow’.
[Voiceover]OF: Eric Olander, the journalist from Episode
(05:12):
03.[Clip]
EO (05:13):
They created this anti-Valentine’s Day. So it was Singles Day and they picked November
11, because it's representing single people.And Alibaba, the world's largest e-commerce
company, started just discounting products.And they created this phenomenal type of culture
around selling. And so everybody, all thebrands line up, the whole country, it becomes
(05:34):
like a national holiday. So basically takeBlack Friday, Black Monday, Cyber Monday,
all of those kind of sales and put it on steroids.And this is compacted into just one 24-hour
period, they're selling more in volume thanall of the Christmas holiday shopping season
in the United States. It's remarkable. 24billion, and it just keeps going up every
(05:56):
year.[Voiceover]
OF (05:57):
Lori Li, the private club GM from Episode 10.
[Clip]
LL (06:03):
I like the stone inscriptions at tourist sites. Because every dynasty, the people saw
the same view - same mountain, same lake - butthey have different feelings. So all of them,
they put their feelings on the stone. So generationby generation, you can tell the different
(06:30):
people's feelings.[Voiceover]
OF (06:32):
Abe Deyo, the tour manager from Episode 27.
[Clip]AD: China is the only place with over 100
cities with over a million people. So there's102 cities in China with over a million people.
In the US the number is 10.[Voiceover]
Lexie Comstock, the cookie supplier from Episode 20.
(06:54):
[Clip]LC: I recently have learned about this thing
called ‘Panda Diplomacy’. Apparently Chinaowns most, if not all, of the pandas worldwide.
And they kind of use them as like a bargainingtool. So you can see the strength of the relations
between countries - and, like, your standingwith China - based on the panda situation.
(07:14):
I think that's so funny. And that these supersweet but dumb pandas are getting tossed around.
I just think that's great. So that's definitelymy favourite China fact.
[Voiceover]OF: Stephane de Montgros, the events company
CEO from Episode 19.[Clip]
SDM (07:30):
So I think the one thing we need to be aware of is that China is the number one economy
in the world today. I do enjoy that storytellingaround the world that China is up and coming
and that they will be number one by 2030.The truth is, they are already number one,
but they don't want people to know. I thinkthey understand that being number one is also
(07:54):
a burden. Because once you’re number one,you have a lot of responsibility. So I think
the Chinese are extremely smart in tryingto keep that brand of like “We are a developing
country, we are getting there, give us a bitof time”, where actually they are already
extremely strong.[Voiceover]
OF (08:12):
Nini Sum, the artist from Episode 16. [Clip]
NS (08:16):
I don't really know if this is a fact. But I like how surreal China is, and how fast
it changes. And how alive this place is. Likewhen I was young, even a can of Coca-Cola
is precious. I remember this, my parents wouldtake me to the street, and also some kind
of field trip. And I would beg them to buyme a can of Coca-Cola, this would be a rare
(08:38):
chance maybe for the whole season, I couldget a sip of that. But now if I go to a supermarket,
I see all these products on the shelves. I'mjust like "Where is this place?” It's just
a short, maybe 10-20 years, and it has changedso much. New things are popping up all the
(08:58):
time, it’s really surreal living in thisplace.
OF (09:00):
Is that what you're trying to encapsulate in your art?
NS (09:03):
Yes. And I want to keep that feeling, but also add a poetic twist.
[Voiceover]OF: Astrid Poghosyan, the violinist from Episode
04.[Clip]
AP (09:15):
You know, that put together, all of China's railway lines could loop around the Earth
twice.OF: …And they're still building more right?
Yes. So maybe it's gonna be three times. [Voiceover]
OF (09:26):
Noah Sheldon, the documentary filmmaker from Episode 09.
[Clip]NS: There was 287 million rural migrant workers
in China in 2017.OF: Wow.
NS (09:38):
Which I think is amazing, to be migrant workers in your own country. I think that's
a really interesting kind of policy, becauseof the residency permits and stuff like that.
OF (09:48):
Yeah because there could be equivalents in other countries, but they don't track it
in the same way, right?NS: You know, this is a way of controlling
things like urban slums and stuff, right?They keep people tied to the countryside.
Which is a really interesting policy.[Voiceover]
Yael Farjun, the historical researcher from Episode 12.
[Clip]YF: You know how people claim that you can
(10:09):
see the Great Wall from the moon? That isnot true.
Right. I wonder how that rumour got started? YF
[Voiceover]OF: Octo Cheung, the fashion designer from
Episode 30.[Clip]
OC (10:25):
I loved Chinese history when I was young. All the first kings of each dynasty destroyed
the previous dynasty. And you feel that it’stime to make some change. And if it’s long-lasting
or not, we didn't know. Maybe that's why Ibecame a designer. I like to create things.
(10:50):
[Voiceover]OF: Philippe Gas, the Disney resort CEO from
Episode 01.[Clip]
PG (10:56):
This is such a big country, vast geography, and one timezone.
OF (11:02):
Right. PG
for me. Don't ask me why, but that's something.[Voiceover]
Lissanthea Taylor, the pain expert from Episode 28.
[Clip]LT: I love the fact that China has one timezone.
The sun doesn't rise till 10am in 新疆 [Xīnjiāng].And I just love the ability to say “We're
(11:22):
just gonna do just one time”.[Voiceover]
Maple Zuo, the comedian from Episode 02. [Clip]
MZ (11:30):
I like strong female characters. So there was one woman called 武则天 [Wǔ Zétiān],
right?OF: Yes.
And she's the emperor, I so admire her. I can't imagine how she got through it. I
know she killed a lot of people. But like,every emperor killed loads of people.
OF (11:46):
Yeah. MZ
evil”. But all male emperors are evil. SoI feel like she must have done something so
spectacular to get there. And that inspiresme. You know, I want to be a queen some day.
[Voiceover]OF: Roz Coleman, the theatre producer from
Episode 22.[Clip]
RC (12:07):
There are 10 million Chinese people entering the middle classes every year in China. Which
I find to be absolutely astounding, but tomake perfect sense. And that when I see the
hunger for experiential art, and finding newthings to do, I can attribute it a lot to
(12:29):
a country that's really saying, like “OK,we're here, this is where we're going, this
is what we're going to do, this is how wewanna spend our time.” It's just time travel.
It's Shanghai time, it moves so fast, andI feel like you can see that in that fact,
somehow.[Voiceover]
OF (12:44):
Gina Li, the invention company CEO from Episode 06.
[Clip]
GL (12:50):
The Chinese are always good at surviving. OF
Yeah, because we have a long history of 5,000 years of change and wars, everything.
But I think Chinese do deeply inside knowthat it doesn't matter what horrible things
are happening, whatever change is out there,the best way is to adapt, to keep yourself
alive. Survive first, and then you figureit out later.
(13:12):
[Voiceover]OF: Sabrina Chen, the dance programme curator
from Episode 26.[Clip]
SC (13:18):
The cultural diversity. Because China is so big. And when you travel to Beijing,
you realise the city is completely differentfrom Shanghai. Some people like it, some people
hate it. For me, I really enjoy this diversity.And this is the reason why I decided to come
back to China after my studies, because Ifound so many interesting things going on
(13:44):
in this country.OF: I think it's more like a continent than
a country, right?SC: Yes.
[Voiceover]OF: Tom Barker, the diplomat from Episode
25.[Clip]
TB (13:55):
At the moment, I'm just, I'm really stuck on this one thing I heard this afternoon,
which is that the skin of durians is not consideredorganic matter. And so, when you talk about
the Shanghai recycling regime that they'reintroducing, and where you put certain items
of your household waste (14:11):
if you have a durian, it is not food waste.
OF (14:16):
Because of…? TB
[Voiceover]OF: Yang Yi, the broadcaster from Episode
21.[Clip]
YY (14:27):
In Chinese we call it 中庸之道 [Zhōngyōng zhī dào]. I don't know how to translate
it into English. I searched on Wikipedia,it’s called Doctrine of the Mean.
OF (14:37):
‘Doctrine of the Mean’, yes. YY
balance. Chinese medicine uses this philosophy.In Chinese medicine, if you were sick, they
didn't try to find a reason behind that. Theyjust keep your body balanced. At that time,
when the body got back into balance, you willfeel better.
(15:02):
[Voiceover]OF: Angie Wu, the jewellery craftsman from
Episode 18.[Clip]
AW (15:04):
OK, so the first time I heard this fact, I was fascinated and shocked. Shanghai itself
is around 26 million people. The entire Taiwanis no more than 23 million people. And this
just blew my mind.[Voiceover]
OF (15:23):
Simon Manetti, the business leader from Episode 17.
[Clip]SM: There are more English speakers in China
than there are in the United States. It'sa good reminder of the diligence and the approach
to education here. And also a reflection ofChina's scale.
[Voiceover]OF: Srinivas Yanamandra, the compliance leader
(15:44):
from Episode 15.[Clip]
SY (15:46):
The most interesting fact I always try to tell any visitor who comes to China
can't write your name in Chinese at all. Soif I say for example “Srini” there is
no way in which you can write ‘Srini’in Chinese. It is like mathematics. Can you
write ‘Srini’ in mathematics? No, becauseyou have got nine characters which can represent
(16:08):
the entire mathematics. And in those ninecharacters, you can't create a combination
called ‘Srini.’ And that's the most, Ithink for me, is an eye-opener, and the reason
for shutting down my Chinese classes.
[Outro]OF: Thank you so much for listening. And please
share your own China-related facts with meon social media. We are on @mosaicofchina_
(16:32):
on Instagram or @mosaicofchina on Facebook,or add me on my WeChat ID: mosaicofchina and
I'll add you to the listeners community there.
Next week, we will be at the halfway pointof these compilations, and we will also be
around the halfway point of 2020. This hasbeen a tumultuous year, and right now these
are still tumultuous times, so I'm going tocontinue trying to offer some respite. And
(16:58):
next week's episode will be on perhaps themost frivolous of all topics: the best and
worst purchases that my guests have made inChina. I'll see you then.
[Clips]PG: Thank you very much.
MZ (17:10):
Thank you. EO
AP (17:12):
Thank you too. JL
GL (17:13):
Thank you. MZ
VV (17:14):
Thank you so much. NS
LL (17:16):
My pleasure too. SD
YF (17:18):
Thank you. NY
EM (17:21):
Thank you. SY
NS (17:22):
Thank you for having me. SM
AW (17:24):
Thank you. SDM
LC (17:25):
Thanks for having me. YY
RC (17:27):
Thank you so much for having me. GN
GC (17:30):
Thank you TB
SC (17:32):
Thank you. AD
LT (17:33):
Thank you so much. SB
OC (17:35):
Thank you.
[Trailer]Tom BARKER: When you talk about the Shanghai
recycling regime that they're introducing,if you have a durian, it is not food waste.
OF (00:10):
Because of…? TB
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina. I'm your host Oscar Fuchs.
OK, this is already the fourth special compilationepisode from Season 01, so I hope by now you
(00:30):
get the deal. For this compilation, we'relooking at how all the guests from the season
answered the question “What is your favouriteChina-related fact?” The idea of asking
this question is to provide you with the ammunitionto impress people when you're next at a polite
gathering and the topic of China comes up.So get ready to take notes, and with just
a bit of practice you could one day be asmuch of a pretentious know-all as I am.
(00:54):
[Main][Voiceover]
Gigi Chang, the translator from Episode 24.
[Clip]GC: Some years ago, I discovered that Noël
Coward wrote ‘Private Lives’ in Shanghai.OF: Really?
GC (01:06):
At the Cathay Hotel, which is the Peace Hotel. And I think he got a cold or influenza,
and he got stuck. It’s just this utterly,utterly English upper-class play is written
in Shanghai in 1930.OF: Wow.
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Zee, the Instagram influencer
(01:28):
from Episode 07.[Clip]
MZ (01:29):
你好 [Nǐ hǎo] doesn’t mean ‘hello’. I think this is the interesting thing about
translation, that we always want to have equals,equivalents, of words. “This word in my
language means this word in your language”.And 你好 [nǐ hǎo] is ‘you good.’ Literally,
‘you good.’ And it's implied there's aquestion. Whereas ‘hello’ is ‘I'm here,
but I'm not asking for your recognition (01:53):
Hello’. In the sense of, you can just say “Hello”
to an empty room. But you would never say“你好 [nǐ hǎo]” to an empty room.
[Voiceover]OF: Vy Vu, the fitness community leader from
Episode 08.[Clip]
VV (02:09):
Everybody knows the four great inventions, which were gunpowder, the compass, paper and
printing. But no one knows that they alsoinvented the fishing reel, the wheelbarrow,
kites and the umbrella.OF: And the umbrella?
Yeah, amazing really. OF
hell were they doing?[Voiceover]
OF (02:29):
Sebastien Denes, the inclusion advocate from Episode 11.
[Clip]SD: It's a very simple one, it’s 1.4 billion
people. I love this number, because it’sa mirage. The illusion of capturing this 1.4-billion-people
market, right. Having spent seven years herein China, I've seen so many companies with
(02:52):
that in mind, coming here to think they’regonna conquer this market.
[Voiceover]OF: Emily Madge, the aquarium conservationist
from Episode 14.[Clip]
EM (03:03):
One in every five people in the world as Chinese.
OF (03:09):
Is it one in five? Wow. And presumably they’re not all in China, this is the whole
diaspora included?EM: Yes.
[Voiceover]OF: Nick Yu, the playwright from Episode 13.
[Clip]NY: Traditional management in the village.
I think that's something like a dream before.That is really good.
Right. NY
(03:31):
a teacher in the county, in the village. Butbefore, he didn’t have a salary. So who
will pay him? The village would give him afield.
A field? NY
him. And all the people in the village don’tpay a salary to him, but this field, you can
(03:54):
plant, and when you have gain, you can getthe food.
So actually then, they would farm the field, and whatever they made in that field,
they would give to your father.NY: Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Greg Nance, the ultramarathon athlete
from Episode 23.[Clip]
GN (04:12):
My favourite China-related fact is that the 黄浦 [Huángpǔ] River, the river that
flows through Shanghai here, was actuallyexcavated and dredged to be created around
2,500 years ago during the Warring Statesperiod. It starts around 松江 [Sōngjiāng],
which is like far southwest Shanghai, it'sa district. And it winds its way merrily over
(04:35):
the Bund, 陆家嘴 [Lùjiāzuǐ], on to theYangtze River, which drains into the East
China Sea.OF: OK.
[Voiceover]OF: Jorge Luzio, the marketer for Sprite from
Episode 05.[Clip]
JL (04:47):
There are 675 million active gamers in China.
OF (04:52):
Wow. JL
Europe is, but I think it's less than that.So imagine more than the population of Europe
playing games every day of their lives. Sofor me that's like ‘wow’.
[Voiceover]OF: Eric Olander, the journalist from Episode
(05:12):
03.[Clip]
EO (05:13):
They created this anti-Valentine’s Day. So it was Singles Day and they picked November
11, because it's representing single people.And Alibaba, the world's largest e-commerce
company, started just discounting products.And they created this phenomenal type of culture
around selling. And so everybody, all thebrands line up, the whole country, it becomes
(05:34):
like a national holiday. So basically takeBlack Friday, Black Monday, Cyber Monday,
all of those kind of sales and put it on steroids.And this is compacted into just one 24-hour
period, they're selling more in volume thanall of the Christmas holiday shopping season
in the United States. It's remarkable. 24billion, and it just keeps going up every
(05:56):
year.[Voiceover]
OF (05:57):
Lori Li, the private club GM from Episode 10.
[Clip]
LL (06:03):
I like the stone inscriptions at tourist sites. Because every dynasty, the people saw
the same view - same mountain, same lake - butthey have different feelings. So all of them,
they put their feelings on the stone. So generationby generation, you can tell the different
(06:30):
people's feelings.[Voiceover]
OF (06:32):
Abe Deyo, the tour manager from Episode 27.
[Clip]AD: China is the only place with over 100
cities with over a million people. So there's102 cities in China with over a million people.
In the US the number is 10.[Voiceover]
Lexie Comstock, the cookie supplier from Episode 20.
(06:54):
[Clip]LC: I recently have learned about this thing
called ‘Panda Diplomacy’. Apparently Chinaowns most, if not all, of the pandas worldwide.
And they kind of use them as like a bargainingtool. So you can see the strength of the relations
between countries - and, like, your standingwith China - based on the panda situation.
(07:14):
I think that's so funny. And that these supersweet but dumb pandas are getting tossed around.
I just think that's great. So that's definitelymy favourite China fact.
[Voiceover]OF: Stephane de Montgros, the events company
CEO from Episode 19.[Clip]
SDM (07:30):
So I think the one thing we need to be aware of is that China is the number one economy
in the world today. I do enjoy that storytellingaround the world that China is up and coming
and that they will be number one by 2030.The truth is, they are already number one,
but they don't want people to know. I thinkthey understand that being number one is also
(07:54):
a burden. Because once you’re number one,you have a lot of responsibility. So I think
the Chinese are extremely smart in tryingto keep that brand of like “We are a developing
country, we are getting there, give us a bitof time”, where actually they are already
extremely strong.[Voiceover]
OF (08:12):
Nini Sum, the artist from Episode 16. [Clip]
NS (08:16):
I don't really know if this is a fact. But I like how surreal China is, and how fast
it changes. And how alive this place is. Likewhen I was young, even a can of Coca-Cola
is precious. I remember this, my parents wouldtake me to the street, and also some kind
of field trip. And I would beg them to buyme a can of Coca-Cola, this would be a rare
(08:38):
chance maybe for the whole season, I couldget a sip of that. But now if I go to a supermarket,
I see all these products on the shelves. I'mjust like "Where is this place?” It's just
a short, maybe 10-20 years, and it has changedso much. New things are popping up all the
(08:58):
time, it’s really surreal living in thisplace.
OF (09:00):
Is that what you're trying to encapsulate in your art?
NS (09:03):
Yes. And I want to keep that feeling, but also add a poetic twist.
[Voiceover]OF: Astrid Poghosyan, the violinist from Episode
04.[Clip]
AP (09:15):
You know, that put together, all of China's railway lines could loop around the Earth
twice.OF: …And they're still building more right?
Yes. So maybe it's gonna be three times. [Voiceover]
OF (09:26):
Noah Sheldon, the documentary filmmaker from Episode 09.
[Clip]NS: There was 287 million rural migrant workers
in China in 2017.OF: Wow.
NS (09:38):
Which I think is amazing, to be migrant workers in your own country. I think that's
a really interesting kind of policy, becauseof the residency permits and stuff like that.
OF (09:48):
Yeah because there could be equivalents in other countries, but they don't track it
in the same way, right?NS: You know, this is a way of controlling
things like urban slums and stuff, right?They keep people tied to the countryside.
Which is a really interesting policy.[Voiceover]
Yael Farjun, the historical researcher from Episode 12.
[Clip]YF: You know how people claim that you can
(10:09):
see the Great Wall from the moon? That isnot true.
Right. I wonder how that rumour got started? YF
[Voiceover]OF: Octo Cheung, the fashion designer from
Episode 30.[Clip]
OC (10:25):
I loved Chinese history when I was young. All the first kings of each dynasty destroyed
the previous dynasty. And you feel that it’stime to make some change. And if it’s long-lasting
or not, we didn't know. Maybe that's why Ibecame a designer. I like to create things.
(10:50):
[Voiceover]OF: Philippe Gas, the Disney resort CEO from
Episode 01.[Clip]
PG (10:56):
This is such a big country, vast geography, and one timezone.
OF (11:02):
Right. PG
for me. Don't ask me why, but that's something.[Voiceover]
Lissanthea Taylor, the pain expert from Episode 28.
[Clip]LT: I love the fact that China has one timezone.
The sun doesn't rise till 10am in 新疆 [Xīnjiāng].And I just love the ability to say “We're
(11:22):
just gonna do just one time”.[Voiceover]
Maple Zuo, the comedian from Episode 02. [Clip]
MZ (11:30):
I like strong female characters. So there was one woman called 武则天 [Wǔ Zétiān],
right?OF: Yes.
And she's the emperor, I so admire her. I can't imagine how she got through it. I
know she killed a lot of people. But like,every emperor killed loads of people.
OF (11:46):
Yeah. MZ
evil”. But all male emperors are evil. SoI feel like she must have done something so
spectacular to get there. And that inspiresme. You know, I want to be a queen some day.
[Voiceover]OF: Roz Coleman, the theatre producer from
Episode 22.[Clip]
RC (12:07):
There are 10 million Chinese people entering the middle classes every year in China. Which
I find to be absolutely astounding, but tomake perfect sense. And that when I see the
hunger for experiential art, and finding newthings to do, I can attribute it a lot to
(12:29):
a country that's really saying, like “OK,we're here, this is where we're going, this
is what we're going to do, this is how wewanna spend our time.” It's just time travel.
It's Shanghai time, it moves so fast, andI feel like you can see that in that fact,
somehow.[Voiceover]
OF (12:44):
Gina Li, the invention company CEO from Episode 06.
[Clip]
GL (12:50):
The Chinese are always good at surviving. OF
Yeah, because we have a long history of 5,000 years of change and wars, everything.
But I think Chinese do deeply inside knowthat it doesn't matter what horrible things
are happening, whatever change is out there,the best way is to adapt, to keep yourself
alive. Survive first, and then you figureit out later.
(13:12):
[Voiceover]OF: Sabrina Chen, the dance programme curator
from Episode 26.[Clip]
SC (13:18):
The cultural diversity. Because China is so big. And when you travel to Beijing,
you realise the city is completely differentfrom Shanghai. Some people like it, some people
hate it. For me, I really enjoy this diversity.And this is the reason why I decided to come
back to China after my studies, because Ifound so many interesting things going on
(13:44):
in this country.OF: I think it's more like a continent than
a country, right?SC: Yes.
[Voiceover]OF: Tom Barker, the diplomat from Episode
25.[Clip]
TB (13:55):
At the moment, I'm just, I'm really stuck on this one thing I heard this afternoon,
which is that the skin of durians is not consideredorganic matter. And so, when you talk about
the Shanghai recycling regime that they'reintroducing, and where you put certain items
of your household waste (14:11):
if you have a durian, it is not food waste.
OF (14:16):
Because of…? TB
[Voiceover]OF: Yang Yi, the broadcaster from Episode
21.[Clip]
YY (14:27):
In Chinese we call it 中庸之道 [Zhōngyōng zhī dào]. I don't know how to translate
it into English. I searched on Wikipedia,it’s called Doctrine of the Mean.
OF (14:37):
‘Doctrine of the Mean’, yes. YY
balance. Chinese medicine uses this philosophy.In Chinese medicine, if you were sick, they
didn't try to find a reason behind that. Theyjust keep your body balanced. At that time,
when the body got back into balance, you willfeel better.
(15:02):
[Voiceover]OF: Angie Wu, the jewellery craftsman from
Episode 18.[Clip]
AW (15:04):
OK, so the first time I heard this fact, I was fascinated and shocked. Shanghai itself
is around 26 million people. The entire Taiwanis no more than 23 million people. And this
just blew my mind.[Voiceover]
OF (15:23):
Simon Manetti, the business leader from Episode 17.
[Clip]SM: There are more English speakers in China
than there are in the United States. It'sa good reminder of the diligence and the approach
to education here. And also a reflection ofChina's scale.
[Voiceover]OF: Srinivas Yanamandra, the compliance leader
(15:44):
from Episode 15.[Clip]
SY (15:46):
The most interesting fact I always try to tell any visitor who comes to China
can't write your name in Chinese at all. Soif I say for example “Srini” there is
no way in which you can write ‘Srini’in Chinese. It is like mathematics. Can you
write ‘Srini’ in mathematics? No, becauseyou have got nine characters which can represent
(16:08):
the entire mathematics. And in those ninecharacters, you can't create a combination
called ‘Srini.’ And that's the most, Ithink for me, is an eye-opener, and the reason
for shutting down my Chinese classes.
[Outro]OF: Thank you so much for listening. And please
share your own China-related facts with meon social media. We are on @mosaicofchina_
(16:32):
on Instagram or @mosaicofchina on Facebook,or add me on my WeChat ID: mosaicofchina and
I'll add you to the listeners community there.
Next week, we will be at the halfway pointof these compilations, and we will also be
around the halfway point of 2020. This hasbeen a tumultuous year, and right now these
are still tumultuous times, so I'm going tocontinue trying to offer some respite. And
(16:58):
next week's episode will be on perhaps themost frivolous of all topics: the best and
worst purchases that my guests have made inChina. I'll see you then.
[Clips]PG: Thank you very much.
MZ (17:10):
Thank you. EO
AP (17:12):
Thank you too. JL
GL (17:13):
Thank you. MZ
VV (17:14):
Thank you so much. NS
LL (17:16):
My pleasure too. SD
YF (17:18):
Thank you. NY
EM (17:21):
Thank you. SY
NS (17:22):
Thank you for having me. SM
AW (17:24):
Thank you. SDM
LC (17:25):
Thanks for having me. YY
RC (17:27):
Thank you so much for having me. GN
GC (17:30):
Thank you TB
SC (17:32):
Thank you. AD
LT (17:33):
Thank you so much. SB
OC (17:35):
Thank you.
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