It's been unseasonably rainy in Beijing and BeiBei has an unintentional mini-science experiment growing on her back porch-as a broom is becoming a terrarium of sorts. Comparing weather notes, John shares that mushrooms are sprouting in his yard from the soggy soil. BeiBei says that she and her daughter did a mushroom growing project at home, and that brings them to some of the severe weather experiences they've had. BeiBei ...

Millions of people around the world, have been tuning in to TED Talks for well over a decade and BeiBei has taken notes on one in particular from David Brooks of the New York Times titled "The Lies Our Culture Tells Us About What Matters." The discussion is of the highest order, as BeiBei shares some of the main points from Mr. Brooks, and John weighs in on from his perspective as one who's given two TED Talks, and the ...

They're the most popular episodes on The Bridge: the weekly songfest that drops the needle on the universal language, music. Heyang starts the show with a powerful song by Tan Weiwe that focuses on domestic violence called "Xiao Juan" from 2020. In a major switching of gears, John loads up "Running Down A Dream" from the late, great Tom Petty. From there you'll hear music and more from Linkin Park, Blue Swed...

John & Liu Yan start the show discussing the impact that The Bridge has had on each of them, as the program has amassed over 300 episodes. John shares some thoughts on the experiences he's had around Chinese medicine when his daughter was young. The rest of the show includes music from Peter Gabriel, stories from The Good News Network and some literary commentary about writing books and the responsibility of sharing informa...

John's just back from a few days off, and shares his thoughts about "bugging out" to the Northwoods, and how it's the best way for him to recharge his batteries. Liu Yan uses tennis to settle himself when he needs a break, and Cimcie also uses nature to reconnect, and then shares the news that her sister Ashlee, just finished up post-production work on the CBS show "Celebrity Renovation" and the conversation...

The human brain is the most powerful computer we have at our disposal, but most of us don't use but a small portion of the potential this incredible organ contains. BeiBei has been watching a TEDx talk from Dr. Daniel Amen, who has much to say about how the brain works, and things that we can do to enhance its efficiency. John shares some of his thoughts regarding his concerns about damage done to the brain from sports, and he ...

BeiBei is all about finding ways to create a fulfilling life, and shares her thoughts about the nature vs. nurture concept, that the formative years contribute greatly to our long-term wellbeing. John has the long view as a parent, and adds his thoughts about how his children made their way through life, to which BeiBei shares about some of her experiences with her daughter and other children she knows, and how challenging it is to...

Super Producer Cimcie shows up with a message for BeiBei-that they are officially "Elder Millennials." The conversation covers the gamut of generational labels, which puts John in the "Baby Boomer" bracket, and how we all have been put into boxes and files only adding to the distance between people. Finally, Cimcie shares about a pair of shoes she's bought, made totally from recycled plastic, taking the show in ...

This is one of those episodes of The Bridge that have John & Liu Yan talking about anything and everything that comes to mind. From John sharing how he feels being the "hub" of the wheel, with Liu Yan, BeiBei, Heyang and Cimcie the "spokes" of the radio wheel, to the concept of "The Gaper's Block" which is a traffic phenomenon when it comes to car accidents, a metaphor that Liu Yan understands as it ...

Liu Yan is back after a couple of weeks off, and it's a serious conversation right out of the starting gate about the challenge of dying with dignity, as John shares the story of a friend of his that chose to die on her own terms after a diagnosis of cancer with no chance of recovery. Shifting gears, KT Tunstall is the topic of conversation, as John recalls his off air "tech-check" conversation before her guest appearan...

BeiBei talks about how she sleeps under a mosquito net, and had to do battle with a pesky blood sucker very early in the morning. John shares a few thoughts about how his dad used to use gasoline to wipe them out back in the day, and how his summer nemesis has been the horsefly. As the conversation continues, BeiBei admits she was in a bikini photo shoot in Thailand for a magazine, much to John's amazement. As it turns out, Bei...

Internationally known ocean educator and photographer Annie Crawely stops by to share her latest underwater musings with John & BeiBei, including giant manta rays, swimming in a school of hammerhead sharks and a dog that can smell orca scat for a mile, which helps researchers gather more information on an endangered orca pod. BeiBei shares the journey of a man who has collected garbage for years and turns into highly sought-aft...

John's taken a few days off and is just back from the Northwoods of Wisconsin, BeiBei is curious about his mini-vacay experience, so John shares his thoughts about going off the grid for a few days, the magical moments of the forest lit up by fireflies and how his vacations as a boy shaped his love for the All-American Road Trip. BeiBei shares her side of taking time off, and both agree that a little R&R is vitally importan...

Super Producer Cimcie is back on board The Bridge and it's a bit of a free-for-all. BeiBei introduces the team to the story of "The Monkey King" then Cimcie starts bringing in headlines that might have been missed, including an asteroid that was on its way to Earth and was worth more than a quadrillion bucks, and how her dad signed up for a one-way ticket to Mars, which prompts conversation around Jeff Bezos and Elon Mu...

KT Tunstall first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later with Jools Holland.
The name of her debut album, Eye to the Telescope was inspired by her childhood experiences at her father's physics laboratory at University of St. Andrews. Released in 2004, this album launched her music career. That album inspired her nomination for the Mercury Prize in 2005, B...

John starts the show sharing his amazement that he's doing a radio show on the 4th of July with BeiBei in Beijing, something he couldn't have possibly imagined when he was staring at the Tall Ships off of Navy Pier during the American Bicentennial in 1976. BeiBei brings up the fact that while Chinese history is thousands of years old, China as a nation state, is only 70 years old. Once again, John revisits history a bit, an...