The Beijing Sessions: Recent Episodes
Haig Balian
In the midst of semi-lockdown in Beijing, I got to talk to my CrossFit buddy Alice Xin Liu for this week’s The Beijing Sessions podcast. She’s a translator and writer, and we had a lot to talk about:
Which Chinese books are being translated into English right now?
Why are some writers translated to English and others are not?
Why some Chinese idioms just don’t translate well into English
Why did Alice move from literary translation to commercial translation?
Then we spoke about Alice’s formative years with Danwei, a website about Chinese media and Internet; the importance of having a mentor, and mentoring others. And finally, we talk about her experience writing her own work.
Check out Alice’s work here:
Alice’s Bio - https://www.alicexinliu.com/bio/
Alice’s Blog - https://www.alicexinliu.com/blog/
Alice’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/axliu
Alice’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alicexinliu/
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Danny Dunn is the lead guitarist of Soul Shake, the hottest professional foreign rock band in Beijing. OK, Soul Shake is possibly the only foreign rock band in Beijing. And as of Wednesday, the entire band’s been in lockdown.
Last year I spoke with Soul Shake’s lead, Tom Knight, where he told possibly the most memorable story in the entire run of The Beijing Sessions - a story of a beer promotion gone horribly wrong. Danny remembers.
Danny’s from Liverpool, home to another musical act you may have heard of. So we had to talk about Get Back, the incredible three-part Peter Jackson series that streamed on Disney + earlier this year. Like me, Danny’s estimation of Paul grew after watching the series.
Danny’s girlfriend is Christine Yang, also a friend of the program. Like Christine, Danny’s vegan - and we talk about that as well.
Etc.
Last week I wrote about Shannon Bufton, a cycling pioneer in Beijing. I expected to write a pretty straightforward profile, but things got a little complicated after I spoke with Harry Li, a Beijing-based TV commentator, who does not think Bufton is a pioneer.
Bufton, 45, is at the forefront of a cycling revival in Beijing. He’s “iconic,” said Harry Li (李陶 Lǐ Táo), a TV commentator. “He brought new kinds of ideas,” said Fù Yìqún 付轶群, a longtime Beijing cyclist. His bikes are a “ridiculously comfortable ride,” according to influential writer and cyclist Andy van Bergen.
With a new brand space opening later this month, Bufton is in Beijing for the long haul. But with previously empty mountain roads now teeming with cars and bicycles, and heart disease mostly keeping him off his bike, he’s setting his sights on new frontiers — and fending off a claim that’s downplaying his legacy as one of Beijing’s route pioneers.
You can read the feature on SupChina: Shannon Bufton, a pioneer in Beijing cycling, forges ahead
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
And... we're back. After a longer than expected break, it's volume 2 of The Beijing Sessions.
First I start with a little pandemic update (0:57). Will there be a Shanghai-style lockdown in Beijing? We'll see.
Then we catch up with musician Djang San (3:22). He's in Lijiang with the Dayan Naxi Guyue Orchestra. We talked about how being one of the only, and perhaps the last, French musician in Yunnan opened up an opportunity to spend his time with the musicians at the orchestra, where he records conversations, jam sessions, everything (6:56).
We talk about the unique culture of the Naxi (9:00) and navigating barriers. Then we get into how having a baby during the pandemic convinced him to leave the big city. (17:47) I ask if there are fewer foreign acts for his Beijing Underground compilation? (19:24) Then we talk about how Beijing is an exciting place for art and artists. (22:04)
Hi everyone. No show this week as I'm getting ready to launch a new podcast on the SupChina podcast network. Get ready for China Sports Insider Podcast with Mark Dreyer and Haig Balian. Check out the Sinica podcast next week for our launch.
The Beijing Sessions will be back soon!
Nick Cheng went from the British Navy to the stages of Beijing's comedy clubs. His persona on stage is Longhu, the Comedian in Heels - "the a*e I wished I could be when I was younger," he says in this revealing interview.
One of Nick's great passions is about using comedy as an antidote to low self-esteem, something he's struggled with throughout his life. His comedy is pure joy, a combination of shanties, stories about marrying his husband, navigating China's unique culture.
He's on tour next week with comic Carl Rappa. They'll be in Chengdu on Friday Oct. 22 and Chong Qing on Oct. 23. Check out Nick's Facebook page or Twitter page for more info.
While you're at it, follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian. The Beijing Sessions Facebook page is growing. Join in the fun at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions/
If you're enjoying the show, please consider giving the show a five star rating and leaving a comment!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
"I don't like to play the game, and I don't want to play the game," photographer Feng Yu told me near the end of our interview. Utterly brave and supremely talented, her portraits of celebrities like Jackie Chan, Ai Weiwei, Michael Phelps, Stephon Marbury, Juliette Binoche have been published in magazines like Marie Claire, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Men’s Health.
You can see her work at http://www.yu-photography.com and http://www.fromherstories.com
I also speak with Harry Reid and Tony Tse (21:04), two former executives with advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather. Company insiders recently published a book on their foray into China called In The Name of Redness. Harry and Tony take us to the late 70s and early 80s in Beijing, just as the country was opening up.
Follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions Facebook page is growing. Join in the fun at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions/
If you're enjoying the show, please consider giving the show a five star rating and leaving a comment!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
I’ve wanted to do a food episode ever since I started this podcast, and finally I get to do it.
Christine Yang is a full time content creator, and she’s a full time vegan. She combines both of those passions in her channel called A Little Vegan 叮姐.
You can find links to her work here: https://m.weibo.cn/1874719943/4661729588151831
What’s really cool about Christine is that her videos are so positive. They’re about finding alternatives, discovering restaurants, discovering meals.
The energy in the room goes up 10 times when Christine is in the room.
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If you’re on an iPhone, don’t forget to subscribe on Apple podcasts.
If you’re on Android, The Beijing Sessions is on Spotify.
And follow me on Twitter. I'm at twitter.com/haigbalian
Tom Knight is the founder and leader of Soul Shake, the band that rocks Beersmith - a fancy beer and burger joint in Beijing's CBD - five times a week.
The conversation went to places I didn't expect. There's real joy in seeing Tom and Soul Shake perform, but behind that joy there's a lot of work, and a lot of pressure.
Tom was open about the challenges of working in an industry where you're young, away from home, constantly under pressure, and constantly in and around bars.
If you stick around to the end, there is some breaking news.
Your assignment, listener: tell someone you know about this show.
And follow me on Twitter. I'm at twitter.com/haigbalian
After a longer than usual monologue, I got to talk to Dalton Grant Jr (3:45). He wants Floating World, the company he co-founded in Beijing, to be the Pixar of China. If anyone can do it, Dalton can. He's worked on Cars, DuckTales, Shrek 2, and many other projects you've probably heard about.
Then I publish a couple of pieces from Beijing's International Winter Sports Expo at Shougang Park. These were aired on Beijing Radio, but I thought it gave a sense of how the winter sports industry in China is exploding.
Check out Floating World Animation on their website.
And follow me on Twitter.
Today I talk to Huihan Lie, the founder and CEO of MyChinaRoots (7:35). Has the success of the documentary The Six inspired more people to dig into their roots? What makes China unique when it comes to genealogy? How has technology changed the game? And what are his ambitions for the company?
But first, I catch up with comic Cale Holmes. He's opening for Joe Wong this weekend.
Links:
https://www.mychinaroots.com
MyChinaRoots Discord Server
Cale Holmes on Twitter
Comedy Club China
What does it mean to be poor?To demonstrate what it means to live at the poverty line, Beijing-based artist duo Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin visited 36 countries and territories on six continents―from Germany and China to New York and London―examining poverty with regard to food.
They visit The Beijing Sessions to talk about the project, measuring poverty, the death of newspapers, and so much more.
Find the book at your local bookstore.
It's been 20 years since Dayyan Eng's breakout short film, Bus 44, was screened at Venice, Sundance, and Cannes. Since then he's directed hugely influential films, including Waiting Alone, his 2004 feature that expressed a type of youth culture that hadn't been seen in theatres before.
Dayyan joined The Beijing Sessions to talk about his films, challenging himself with new ideas, the state of China's film industry, and how he got raunchy jokes into his last film, 2017's Wished.
Watch Bus 44 on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJjje4iZPXg&t=0s
Catch up with Dayyan:
https://www.instagram.com/dayyaneng/
https://www.facebook.com/dayyan.eng
https://weibo.com/wushixian
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
Shannon Bufton is the co-founder and director of Serk, a Beijing-based outfit that designs titanium bicycles and leads some of the most ambitious cycling tours in the world.
This week, we talk about what makes Beijing one of the world's best unfound cycling destinations, some of the misconceptions about the cycling scene in China, what it was like for Shannon to ride a Serk bicycle for the first time, and much more.
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
TikTok is the fastest growing app on the planet. And, unusually for a breakout social media app, it’s owned by a Chinese company. That’s a combination that makes a lot of people in the west uncomfortable, and puts the makers of the app, Beijing-based ByteDance, in a precarious position as they navigate political and economic pressures from seemingly every direction.
Chris Stokel-Walker is a writer based in London. He’s written for Wired, the New York Times, BBC News, and other fine publications, and now he has a new book called Tik-Tok Boom: China’s Dynamite App and the Superpower Race for Social Media.
The book is available in the UK, and it’ll published everywhere else on September 30.
On the final episode of The Beijing Sessions before a summer break, I talk to Dr. Katie Cummer and Professor Lynne DiStefano about a new book they edited, Asian Revitalization: Adaptive Reuse in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore.
You can find the book on Amazon. This is an affiliate link, which means I get a small commission for purchases made through this link. https://amzn.to/35ytMnO
Here's the link to the South China Morning Post article we discuss at the top of the episode: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3137144/historic-hong-kong-post-office-hq-be-demolished-part-prime
Wei Du and David Carey of Nocturnes are here. Their debut album, Lines Written in Code, came out a few years ago. Now they’re back with a new full length album. Poetic Irony will be released on June 20.
For information about the band, check out:
https://weibo.com/nocturnesbj?from=feed&loc=at&nick=Nocturnes%E6%9B%B3%E5%8F%96&is_all=1
https://www.facebook.com/nocturnesyequ
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
A quick double header this week.
It's the American Literature Festival until June 26. It's all over China and the Internet. Kerry Wald from the US Embassy is organizing it, and she's on The Beijing Sessions to talk about it. You can check out what's happening there at http://www.americanliteraturefestival.com
Then we head over to Camera Stylo. It's a bar, a meeting place for film lovers, and a cinema. We talk to proprietor Sun Yao on the occasion of the bar's sixth anniversary.
Thanks for listening!
In 2019, students from New York City’s public school 124 staged stripped-down version of Disney’s musical Frozen. The elementary school is in New York’s Chinatown, and the overwhelming majority of the students there are of Asian descent, mostly Chinese. Directors Tong Hui and Kelly Ng were there to follow the teachers, students, and their parents, from audition to performance. Curtain Up is a documentary that deals with themes of identity, immigration, and generational conflict.
Tong Hui, one of the directors of Curtain Up, is from Beijing. He’s been screening the film in China.
If you're in the United States, you can watch the film on PBS until June 10 https://www.pbs.org/video/curtain-up-iii7ci/
The film's website is www.curtainupfilm.com
(1:50) clearing rights from Disney, (3:00) why Tong Hui wanted to make this film, (5:54) what's the hardest thing about making a documentary with children, (7:54) the stereotype that Asians can't act, (11:00) minimizing the filmmakers' footprint in the classroom, (12:30) the American audiences' reactions to a character going to Chinese military school, (16:00) the different reactions to the film from Chinese audiences and American audiences, (18:54) why following William was a 'no-brainer', (21:23) the growth of the characters throughout the film, (24:30) how the pandemic affected the rollout of the film, (28:00) feeling threatened in New York City, (31:30) what the children are up to now, (34:00) what's next for Tong Hui.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Thank goodness for standup comics. This week's guest is Alex Shi, the first Chinese comic to appear on The Beijing Sessions.
We talk about Chinese punchlines in English sets, whether she'd ever to a set exclusively in Chinese, Chinese comedy and Joe Wong's comedic formula, Alex's mom's presence in her act, getting her start in comedy, and Chinese superstitions.
In part 1, Mike Wester returns to the podcast to talk red hot chilli peppers. Then we move the topic to vaccination rates of foreigners in Beijing. Will the WHO’s move to grant emergency approval to Sinopharm have any impact on hesitancy?
In part 2, Haig speaks with freelance journalist Peter Catterall about China’s most popular sports. But are esports actually sports. Haig says no.
This podcast is brought to you by… well, no-one. Yet. However, Radio Beijing International will air segments of previous interviews on air (honest to goodness radio). This is very cool.
Meanwhile, you can follow Haig on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
If you still haven’t given up on Facebook - no one would blame you if you had - you can follow the show there too at facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
And remember: you can support the show by giving it a five star rating in Apple Podcasts (if that’s where you’re listening to the show), and leaving a (hopefully) glowing review.
There are 280 days to go until Beijing hosts the Olympic Games next February. And while the focus of the world - at least the part of the world that focuses on the Olympics - is squarely on the summer games in Tokyo, Beijing is making news of its own.
Taking us through this and other news is China sports insider Mark Dreyer from chinasportsinsider.com.
What the western media gets wrong about China (4:40); Rule 50 - the rule banning protests at the Olympics - and why some athletes may be incentivized to break it (9:00); the (slim) possibility of an athletes' boycott of the Beijing games (11:30); Olympic venues and access by foreign athletes (17:26); heptathlete Zheng Ninali's move to China (21:54); China's young and inexperienced men's hockey team is in the same round robin pool as the United States and Canada. What could possibly go wrong? (27:00).
Follow Haig Balian on Twitter at https://twitter.com/haigbalian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
Or on the web: www.thebeijingsessions.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
In the most free-flowing conversation in the entire run of this podcast, host Haig Balian speaks with Charles Pellegrin (1:50), China correspondent for France 24/stand-up comedian.
We get answers to all the big questions, like why do French pharmacists love suppositories?
And what did Belgium ever do to Charles to become the, um, butt of his jokes?
The conversation gets serious when I ask Charles about the WHO's upcoming decision on China's Sinopharm vaccine.
If you haven't listened in in a while, this is a great episode to ease you back in.
To get the latest on comedy in Beijing and China, check out Comedy Club China's official WeChat page.
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
First came ping pong, and then came Beethoven.
In 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra did something no other American orchestra had done before. They took a ten-day trip to China, part of an effort to normalize relations between the two countries.
Beethoven in Beijing is a new documentary about that visit, and its legacy. It’s streaming right now on PBS and will be available until May 14.
The film’s co-director, producer, and writer is Jennifer Lin.
She joined The Beijing Sessions via Zoom from Philadelphia, where she lives.
Watch Beethoven in Beijing on PBS (geolocked to the United States).
For more info on the film, go to their website, https://www.beethoveninbeijing.com
On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeethovenTheDoc
https://twitter.com/GPerfPBS
You can find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/haigbalian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
Or on the web: www.thebeijingsessions.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Five years ago travel writer and journalist Jonathan Chatwin set out on a 30 kilometre walk along Beijing’s Chang An Jie, Long Peace Street, from its western point at the former site of Shougang Iron and Steel to its eastern terminus, the Sihui East subway stop.
The result was a book - Long Peace Street - that’s party history, part travelogue. The hardcover was published in 2019, and now it’s available in paperback.
Jonathan Chatwin joins The Beijing Sessions over zoom from England.
You can buy the new paperback version of Long Peace Street from Amazon.
This is an affiliate link. If you use this link to buy something I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thanks.https://amzn.to/3wRsKzz
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. On a frigid evening in 1912, the passenger ship hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, killing over 1500 people. Only around 700 survived.
Six of those survivors were Chinese men. Their stories have never been told - until now.
The Six is a new documentary that tells the untold story of those men, and it's hitting theatres in China on April 16.
It’s directed by Arthur Jones and its lead researcher is Steven Schwankert. Both joined host Haig Balian in studio in Beijing.
(1:35) How the story of the six Chinese survivors is a "complete mystery hidden in something that was well known." (4:40) When an early trailer got 22 million views, things got a whole lot bigger. (5:40) Lead Researcher Steven Schwankert on the odyssey of researching this film: “the map is not the territory. ” (9:30) Schwankert on the scale of The Six: “If you get involved with anything on Titanic and you didn’t realize that it would be big from the start, then your start was wrong.” (11:30) Jones on the unique challenge of tracking down Chinese genealogy. (16:56) Schwankert: “I don’t lie in bed at night thinking about the universe or the existence of God. I think about shipwrecks.” (22:43) The Six as the story of Chinese immigration to North America. (29:27) Schwankert on building a replica of a Titanic lifeboat: It's about filtering out emotion and replacing it with evidence to create a more accurate picture of what happened. (35:35) Jones on 'women and children first'. Apart from Titanic do we ever talk about that? (38:15) On pushback from the Titanic community, who said “you just have to accept they did something wrong.” (42:10) The lengths the filmmakers went to to simulate how cold the North Atlantic water. (49:56) How a video game mockup shook up Titanic modelling orthodoxy and gave the filmmakers new avenues to explore. (53:15) James Cameron get involved with The Six. How, exactly?
Check out https://www.thesixdocumentary.com for more info about the film.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Sejin Bae is a jazz pianist, a composer, a teacher, and an arranger. Her band, the Sejin Bae Quartet, released their debut album, Direction, just a few months ago.
She’s based in Beijing and if you’re here you can see her performing at venues around town.
She came on The Beijing Sessions to talk about her start in jazz in a country where pop music is king, how her travels have made their way into her compositions, the fundamental differences in teaching jazz in the United States and Korea, and much more.
You can buy here album from Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3rDRvve
Or from her label: https://davinci-edition.com/product/c00332/
It’s also available on Apple Music, Spotify, and wherever you stream music.
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow it, rate it, review it, and share it with friends.
You can find me on twitter at twitter.com/haigablian
The website is thebeijingsessions.com
This is the first interview that bestselling novelist Edward Rutherfurd - author of epics Sarum, Russka, and London - has given about his new novel, China.
China: the novel will be released on May 18. It begins amidst the opium trade in what was then called Canton, and takes us through to the end of the 19th century and the Boxer Rebellion in Beijing.
We cover a lot of ground in this interview: why China and why the 19th century, writing about good characters doing bad things, and why it was important to describe the brutal process of foot binding (and why the gorier descriptions were left out of the final version).
China: the novel will be available to purchase on Amazon on May 18, but you can pre-ordered now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385538936/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385538936&linkCode=as2&tag=thebeijingses-20&linkId=02ceaa48a88574f61cf64f6755764ad9
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow it, rate it, review it, and share it with friends.
You can find me on twitter at twitter.com/haigablian
The website is thebeijingsessions.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Josh Cotterill is the force behind Axis Neptune. He released his new album, Reasons, earlier this year after five solid months of being locked away in his room.
He talks to The Beijing Sessions about how the pandemic affected his relationships, his catchy new single Cherry Red, why how the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have influenced his own music making.
You even hear me put my Armenian pronunciation skills to work.
If you enjoy The Beijing Sessions, please consider sharing it with friends, rating it, or leaving a comment.
Follow me on Facebook.com/thebeijingsessions or Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
Mike Fox is the anchor of Sportscene, China’s only English Sports TV show. It airs on CGTN. He covers the Chinese Soccer League, the Chinese Basketball Association, and everything in between.
We spoke about the difference between his real voice and his broadcasting voice (5:46), what explains his style of broadcasting (7:49), why he upset Maradona fans (11:09), covering Kobe Bryant's death (13:28), Mike's sports diet growing up (17:12), prospects for a return of professional tennis to China (19:51), the most nervous he ever got interviewing an athlete (20:45), interviewing Novak Djokovic (22:30), and covering the Beijing Winter Olympics (24:05).
I also spoke with Connie Mei Pickart (25:48). She’s a writer in Shanghai and wrote a piece in SUP China called China’s ‘subtitling communities’ didn’t just pirate, they helped a generation learn English.
This episode also marks the debut of WeChat Corner, which will be a regular segment where I highlight some of the absurd, funny, or interesting things people share on WeChat.
This week's entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MObkIsrpDEU
Have an idea for a WeChat corner? Let me know. Find me on WeChat at haigbalian or Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
As always, if you haven't already please follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Rate it, review it, share it.
Thanks for listening.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Claire is the impresario behind Jing & Tonic, a monthly variety show that's become a fixture in Beijing’s nightlife over the last ten months.
Last month Claire launched What the Folk, a showcase for the city’s folk acts. She’s also a member of a folk trio called Juniper. And that is on top of her day job as a green screen actor.
She comes to the Point to talk about launching a variety show in the middle of the pandemic, what it was like having her first five shows shut down by the police, and why she loves to take risks.
You'll want to follow Jing and Tonic on Instagram. You can find them at https://www.instagram.com/jing.andtonic
Also: I have a new website. It's great! Find me at thepointwithhaigbalian.com
This week's guest is William Lou, lead Toronto Raptors reporter for Yahoo Sports Canada.
I’m a massive Raptors fan, and I listen to Will all the time, but this is the first time I've, well, ever spoken back to him.
Will’s great. He was born in Tianjin, about an hour by train from Beijing. He talked to me from his home in Toronto.
In the first half of the interview we get into his story, and his place in the huge Raptors media ecosystem.
In the second half the conversation veers toward basketball as an anchor for immigrant communities and the significance of Asian representation in the NBA.
You can find Will on Twitter at twitter.com/william_lou. His work at Yahoo Sports is at https://www.yahoo.com/author/will-lou/.
If you want to hear three and a half minutes of Will’s analogies, metaphors, and similes (and who wouldn't?), head to my twitter page at twitter.com/haigbalian. Twitter is also the best way to get in touch with me.
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, and review! It will help people discover the show.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
When her first documentary, The Lucky One, reached 100,000 views on YouTube and won prizes at international film festivals, He Xiaopei came to a realization.
"From that moment, I said I'm only making films now because each time we have meetings, twenty people at most come, talking about their sexy stories. And [anyone] who knows the story after, stays in this room."
She followed The Lucky One up with films like Polyamorous Family and Our Marriages: When Lesbians Marry Gay Men.
Xiaopei came on the Point to talk about her films, her inspiration, and what comes next.
You can watch The Lucky One on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/talIgb09mfk
- If you enjoy The Point, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It won’t take long and it’ll make a difference when it comes to booking guests.
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian. I’m balianh on Instagram.
In this special bonus episode, it's part two of my conversation with New York Times bestselling author Paul French.
Paul talks about to me about Destination Peking, 18 true stories of fascinating people who visited the city in the first half of the 20th century.
You can buy Destination Peking directly from its publisher, Blacksmith Books: https://www.blacksmithbooks.com/books/destination-peking/?c=ab118e16eefe
*
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It won’t take long and it’ll make a difference when it comes to booking guests.
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian. I’m balianh on Instagram.
This week on The Point with Haig Balian, writer and historian Paul French talks to me over zoom about his new book, Destination Peking, and his new BBC Radio 3 docu-drama, Peking Noir.
Look out for the second half of the interview - on Destination Peking - next Monday.
You can listen to Peking Noir on the BBC Radio website
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r39f
On BBC Sounds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000r39f
On Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drama-of-the-week/id422037667
Or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Download the Peking Noir script
https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/radio-drama/peking-noir
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If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It won’t take long and it’ll make a difference when it comes to booking guests.
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian. I’m balianh on Instagram.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Today on The Point, musician Djang San is on the line from Kunming to talk about Beijing Underground (0:56), the new Beijing Underground compilation (3:30), and how the underground music scene in Beijing has changed since he arrived in 200 (7:07).
Then we talk about his own music, including Mask Music (11:56), Upside Down Music (14:12), and 2400 Metres High (17:07).
Finally, director Tony Sun joins me to discuss his new documentary, Light Chaser.
- Djang San's Bandcamp page:
https://djangsan.bandcamp.com
Beijing Underground:
https://www.facebook.com/beijingunderground
To learn more about the bands on Beijing Underground Compilation 3:
http://beijing-underground.com/whats-in-the-beijing-undergound-compilation-3/?fbclid=IwAR2s6JOUNBlj0gmZwRDbLPITD2AEyitNYBlp487CauEuqeWn2HuMHACIrtg
For information on Light Chaser (in Chinese):
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6857376/ - If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It won’t take long and it’ll make a difference when it comes to booking guests.
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian. I’m balianh on Instagram.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
This week on The Point: travel writer and editor Megan Eaves.
Megan drops by to talk about her new series of essays, China as I have known it (1:15); how she became interested in China (5:10); her transition to writing about China (6:10); how she got her job at Lonely Planet (7:47); how travel in China is changing (10:50); how the lockdown was an opportunity for her to think about her contribution to the climate crisis (15:00).
You can find all of Megan’s work at her website, meganeaves.com.
You can read her series of essays, China as I have known it, here: https://medium.com/@megoizzy
She’s on twitter at twitter.com/megoizzy.
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If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It won’t take long and it’ll make a difference when it comes to booking guests.
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian. I’m balianh on Instagram.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebeijingsessions.substack.com
Michael Wester, the founder and CEO of True Run Media, talks about Safe and Sane, his WeChat group that has kept the city's massive expat population safe (and sane) with timely information about all things COVID-19. (00:37)
Then, American musician Eric Allen comes on The Point to talk about his eponymous new album, an intimate tour of Americana and wartime China. (20:20)
If you're in Beijing, Eric's album release show will be at Jianghu Bar on January 23. Check this link for more details. https://www.thebeijinger.com/events/2021/jan/eric-allen-album-release-party
Eric Selley is a vice principal by day. By night, he tells jokes. A Beijing mainstay, Eric drops by to talk about why Beijing just feels colder than his native Canada (00:38), how the standup audiences in China have been evolving (4:27), what he means when he calls himself a 14A comic (6:42), why he loves fellow Canadian comic Norm Macdonald (7:44), why apolitical humour is a positive in China (9:58), fielding school recruiters while on stage (11:40), getting better as a comic in a place with relatively few comics (12:50), the ceiling for western comics in Beijing (14:36).
https://www.instagram.com/ericjselley
Edson Oouyeah came to China over a decade ago. He drops by to talk about the purpose of walls (17:28), illegally crossing the USA/Mexico border as a child (18:13), crowd control (21:00), a guide to the Beijing standup scene (21:55), what comedian Joe Wong taught him about making it in China (22:36).
Music: Twisted Bandits All Around Me by NoMBe; Life After Death by DJ Freedem
Ember Swift is a musician who has made her home in China for over 12 years. Her new album is Mid-March Meltdown.
She's also the first ever guest of The Point.
In this episode, we talk about why the new album is the best body of work she has ever created (1:00), the inspiration for her first single (4:18), Ember's experience on Mama Miya, a massive talent contest in China (11:00), hitting the Chinese rock charts with her song Laowai (17:45), singing in a tonal language and being an outsider (21:16), and staying in China during the early days of the pandemic (27:48).