Chengdu Living Podcast

Update: location, photos and more information about this restaurant is available here: Iron Pig American Barbecue on Chengdu Places

In this episode we speak with the proprietor of one of our favorite new expat eateries in Chengdu: the phenomenal American smoked barbecue restaurant called Iron Pig.

We recorded this episode just before Iron Pig opens a highly anticipated new location in the Tongzilin neighborhood of Chengdu. We talk with Justin, the proprietor of Iron Pig, about what first brought him to China 17 years ago and what led him to pursue his passion of opening the first smoked barbecue restaurant in the region.

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Download Episode #16

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You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (ours is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Topics Discussed

* 00:00 Intro My Morning Jacket Golden

* 00:55 How did the idea for Iron Pig come about?

* 02:00 About the store front opening in Tongzilin August 21st or 22nd

* 02:20 The smoker

* 02:55 How is “smoking” different from regular barbecue with a grill

* 04:30 Chengdu Living talks about their trip out

* 07:00 Justin’s background in logistics

* 07:50 The Iron Pig’s Chinese smokemaster and the differences between Chinese and American BBQ

* 11:15 – 11:45 Interlude 1M. Ward HiFi

* 11:45 Justin’s long history in China

* 13:00 Justin knows a crane vendor

* 15:00 Iron Pig’s Flower Town location is across the street from DOJO [link]

* 17:45 Iron Pig’s relationship to the other American restaurants in Tongzilin

* 18:20 The attitude you need to open a restaurant in China

* 19:30 Regulations vs. reality

* 21:30 Justin’s new cooking apparatuses

* 26:00 Plans for the Tongzilin Iron Pig

* 27:00 How has the menu evolved since they’ve opened and how does Justin choose new additions to the menu

* 29:00 Educating the customer

* 32:00 Western Entrepreneurship in the food and beverage industry in Chengdu

* 35:00 Having the discipline to do what you’re great at instead of trying to do it all

* 37:40 Justin gracefully deflects our compliments

* 39:00 Eli spins a yarn about food blogs and barbecue and ritual-embedded spaces

* 42:00 The difficulty at doing simple things well

* 46:00 Mutual appreciation

* 47:15 Where to get more info about Iron Pig + where to eat Iron Pig items, besides Iron Pig (Mike’s Pizza, Red Beard)

Recommendations Mentioned

* Homeplate BBQ in Beijing

Songs Featured in this Podcast

* My Morning Jacket – Golden

* M Ward – HiFi

* Justin Townes Earle – Wanderin’

* Leo Kottke – Vaseline Machine Gun

* Outro Avett Brothers NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Got an idea of what we should record our next podcast about? Let us know in the comments and if you like what you heard, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned for the next one!

The Natooke shop in Chengdu does bicycles and they do them well. Jacob and Larry, founders of Natooke Chengdu, came to the Chengdu Living studio to talk about their personal history with bikes, starting a Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise (WOFE), bike culture in China and the U.S.A., and fostering a budding bike scene in southwestern China.

After listening to the podcast, if you want to learn more about Natooke, their bikes and their business, you can follow them on Facebook, check out their weekly-updated thread on the Chengdu Living Forum, and follow them on WeChat (QR code below).

Download & Stream Links

Download Episode #15

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (ours is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Topics Discussed

* 1:45 How did Jacob and Larry meet?

* 4:00 What’s your history with bikes and bike mechanics

* 5:00 Bike culture in China versus in America

* 8:45 The Natooke focus on bike culture, personalization, style, and community

* 12:00 The focus on customization and personal empowerment

* 15:00 The process of opening another Natooke branch, and why it’s in Chengdu (and what is Flying Banana)

* 20:00 What were the difficulties of making a Natooke a WOFE (wholly-owned foreign enterprise)

* 28:15 Have things becomes easier since successfully registering as a WOFE

* 30:15 Natooke’s customer base, changing the customer’s perception of value, and building a reputation

* 34:45 Competition in the fixed-gear scene in Chengdu

* 36:45 Bamboo bikes, Source Cycles, and different the characteristics of different material bike frames

* 43:30 Aesthetics, fashion, and the fixed gear craze

* 46:00 What makes a fixed gear bike different from other bikes?

* 52:45 Keeping your bike safe, riding safely, knowing the rules of the road

* 1:00:00 Honking in China

* 1:07:00 Friday night rides, beer bike, Summer for Natooke

Songs Featured in this Episode

* Wayward – Hurricane feat. Michele Chiavarini

* Donna Summer – Bad Girls

* TEEN – Not for Long (Saint Pepsi remix)

* Breakbot – Fantasy

* Baccarra – Yes Sir, I Can Boogie

Got an idea of what we should record our next podcast about? Let us know in the comments and if you like what you heard, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned for the next one!

Summer is here! This episode is inspired by the explosion of sub-communities and meet-up groups in the expat scene, from group bike rides to game nights to writing groups. Beyond that, we discuss a recent article on Living with Purpose in Chengdu,  WeChat as a tool for organization, music festivals in Chengdu, and places of interest in and around Chengdu. Tune in for some suggestions on how to spend your free time and find your kindred spirits!

Download & Stream Links

Download Podcast #14

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (ours is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Topics Discussed

* 00:00 Summer in Chengdu introduction

* 02:00 Natooke Friday Night Bike Ride

* 04:00 The explosion of meet up groups in Chengdu

* 05:00 The Chengdu Gaming Federation

* 07:20 Tongzilin Pool at the Orchard Villas

* 08:30 Random WeChat groups

* 10:00 “Living With Purpose in Chengdu” article discussion

* 15:15 Sports organizations in Chengdu

* 16:15 WeChat’s one limitation and Chengdu Living forum’s advantage

* 18:30 The maturation of the Chengdu’s economy and civil society

* 19:35 Chengdu Movie Group at Machu Picchu

* 21:30 Entrepreneurship in Chengdu

* 23:45 Chengdu Living to provide a space for meet up groups

* 25:30 Summertime music festivals

* 27:00 Uber in Chengdu

* 31:00 Places in and around Chengdu for travel (Wangjianglou Park on Google Maps)

* 38:00 Recommendations

Recommendations Mentioned

* Tania Branigan on Leaving China

* Addiction by Design, by Natasha Schüll

* Foreigner for Hire on NYT

Songs Featured in this Podcast

* Gosh Pith – Smoke Below (Jonas Baseball Remix)

* Roosevelt – Hold On

Got an idea of what we should record our next podcast about? Let us know in the comments and if you like what you heard, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned for the next one!

In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Vaughn “Blud” Anderson, who has been a professional fighter in China for over a decade. In that time, Vaughn has competed with, judged and hosted professional fights all across China and elsewhere across Asia. We talk about mixed martial arts in China, the traditions of kung fu and how they fit into the the modern art of competitive fighting, and so much more.

Vaughn is not only an expert on competitive fighting but also very knowledgeable on China itself, having spent over a decade training here and working with a wide cast of collaborators. Most recently, Vaughn is working with the Singapore-based ONE Championship MMA promotion company, which has hosted over 20 professional fights across Asia since being founded in 2011.

Download & Stream Links

Download Podcast #13

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (ours is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Topics Discussed

* 0:45 Who is One Championship and what is fight promotion

* 3:00 The market for MMA in China

* 5:10 Growth of fandom and practitioners of MMA in China

* 7:30 Vaughn’s fighting background and experience living in China

* 9:40 Taiwan BJJ

* 11:45 Transitioning from contact sport to fighting

* 14:45 Vaughn’s first paid fight

* 18:45 Fighting as a form of self-expression

* 22:00 Vaughn’s decision to retire

* 24:10 Vaughn’s first loss

* 28:00 Vaughn’s first glimpse into the life of the Mainland Chinese athlete

* 30:30 Playing hockey as a child

* 34:00 China’s talent development program for MMA and free market vs. socialist sports training schemes

* 35:30 A change in outlook and training regimen after his first loss

* 39:45 K1 comes to Taiwan (Find Jun Ito fight)

* 45:00 Vaughn approaches Art of War

* 50:00 The conditions of living as a professional MMA fighter

* 53:00 The government-provided perks of being an Olympic wrestler in China

* 54:00 The trainers provided by Art of War

* 56:30 The pressure of being the only foreigner in an all Chinese camp

* 62:00 The parallels between learning martial arts and learning another culture

* 66:00 Strengths and weaknesses of China’s construction of an MMA scene

* 68:15 The challenges for MMA promotions trying to popularize MMA in China

* 72:40 How easily public opinion of fighters can change

* 74:45 The state of modern Kung Fu and the Shaolin Temple

* 79:45 Does Kung Fu have a place in modern MMA?

* 87:20 Upcoming One Championship matches

* 89:00 Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice

* 90:30 Vaughn Anderson’s keys to victory

Songs Featured in This Episode

* NBA on NBC Theme

* Joomanji – Toasted

* Ness – Magnolia

* Juno Reactor – Navras

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In this episode of the podcast, we speak to Eli about how he co-founded the Sinostage dance studio with his wife in Chengdu. Since opening over a year ago in the Poly Center, Sinostage has grown to become a landmark within Chengdu’s urban dance scene. Find out why top-tier international dance instructors now make regular trips to Chengdu to teach at Sinostage.

We also discuss Sinostage’s upcoming Arena Dance Battle, which competitive dance teams are flying to Chengdu from all over China for. That battle is this upcoming Sunday, May 24th inside the Cynn hotel.

Download & Stream Links

Download Podcast #12

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (ours is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Topic Discussed

* 2:00 What kind of dance is popular at Sinostage

* 4:00 The inspiration for starting Sinostage

* 5:30 The role of community in Sinostage, and of design in community building. Mentioned: Mojo Designs

* 10:00 The origins of the Poly Center studio

* 11:30 Hip hop in the dance studio, and hip hop’s influence on current dance styles

* 15:30 Zak joins the podcast, gives his impressions of Sinostage’s early days

* 17:00 Overcoming the challenge of finding good teachers

* 18:30 Dancers working in clubs versus becoming teachers

* 20:00 Has Eli ever participated in a dance class

* 20:30 Dan talks about his experience in a class

* 22:00 The gender breakdown of students

* 22:20 Zak asserts how international Sinostage is

* 23:00 The importance of social media

* 25:00 The most popular dance video, Shaolin

* 26:00 The specifics of social media in China, Sinostage on Meipai

* 30:00 Periscope and Meercat

* 30:45 Arena 2015 Dance Competition

* 32:00 The competitiveness of Chinese dancers

* 35:40 The teams participating in Arena 2015, the prize for winners.

* 38:30 The challenges for dancers to get visas

* 40:30 Attitudes of Chinese parents towards dance

* 43:00 The average age of students

* 43:30 The issues surrounding sexuality in dance

* 45:45 “The alchemy of globalization”

* 46:15 The Arena Block Party, May 23, at IFS antiquity plaza 3-5pm

* 47:30 Arena Competition Ticket Giveaway info

* 49:00 The future of Sinostage

Songs Featured in this Episode

* Kount x Harrison – Knight Life by The Kount

* RL Grime – Reminder (feat.

Aquafude are trying to change the way fish are raised and consumed in China. They’ve been going all over Western China changing the local fish farming practices, which includes measuring pollution levels, changing the feed provided to the fish, and much more. The result is a domestic product that they argue is fresher, healthier, and more delicious than anything else you can find in China.

I talked with Ari Jadwin and Matt Tatkow from Aquafude about importing Chilean fish feed, what the 2008 earthquake has to do with the fish farming, and what it takes to convince local fisheries to embrace a sustainable mindset.

Topics discussed:

1:00 What is an aquaculture company and what does Aquafude do?

2:00 Working with farms in Western China

3:00 What the 2008 earthquakes has to do with today’s fish farms

4:30 What kind of fish are salmon trout and why are the good for mountain communities?

6:00 Why aren’t farmers in Western China raising traditional livestock?

8:15 How did Ari and Aquafude get involved with fish farmers?

11:00 Aquafude’s business proposition to local fish farmers

13:50 What were the barriers to selling this proposition to fish farmers?

16:00 How Aquafude expanded from selling just fish feed to the actual fish themselves

19:00 Who is buying these fish now

20:30 Aquafude’s entry into farm management

23:10 Are the farmers converted to appreciate sustainability now?

23:50 Becoming more hands-on with the farmers

24:30 From selling directly to consumers to selling online + imported fish in China

29:05 Interlude

30:05 The regulatory situation for fish farms in China and for imports

31:10 Changing trends in China

31:40 Numbers on fish farming and consumption in China and the world

33:50 The current scope of Aquafude’s operation and the future

36:00 The potential issues of scaling up

37:05 The size range of fisheries that Aquafude deals with

38:40 How does Aquafude find new fisheries?

40:30 What was the existing network of fisheries in Western China and how did/do they interact

42:30 Information sharing, consulting companies, and how they’re keeping fish healthy

44:00 Density of fisheries in China compared to in the West

45:30 How are Aquafude’s standards informed and enforced

48:30 Mercury levels in the feed and the farmed fish

50:30 What is Aquafude’s commitment to sustainability and why does it matter

Songs featured in this podcast

* Pastel (et aliae remix), by Ulzzang Pistol

* 25 Mile Bossa, by Skeewiff x Edwin Starr

* Be Easy (instrumental), by Ghostface Killah

Download & Stream Links

Here are links to download or open the podcast in iTunes:

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (mine is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Got an idea of what we should record our next podcast about? Let us know in the comments and if you like what you heard, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned for the next one!

If you’ve spent any time on Chengdu Living or Chengdu Places, you’ve probably run into some mention of Johnny 5 Donuts. Johnny opened his donut parlor just 3 months ago but through a combination of magnetic personality, savvy web presence, and delicious pastries, he has quickly become a Chengdu mainstay.

In this episode, we talk to Johnny about his business, the life he left in America, transitioning to life in Chengdu, and his aspirations in China that go way beyond just baking donuts.

Special Note!

There is a contest organized by Johnny 5 and three other Chengdu restaurants that is concluding on April 11. On that night, there will be a party during which the winners will be announced. For more information about the contest and the party, follow this link.

Related Links and Pictures

* Johnny 5’s on Chengdu Places

* Johnny unhappy during construction:

* Johnny happy making donuts:

Songs and media features in this podcast:

Remixx, by Lindsay Lowend

Me de Amor, by Sango

Let’s Bake a Cake, by Lazy Town & Lil John

Pegasus, by Gems

Big City Nights, by マクロスMACROSS 82-99

Download & Stream Links

Here are links to download or open the podcast in iTunes:

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (mine is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Got an idea of what we should record our next podcast about? Let us know in the comments and if you like what you heard, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned for the next one!

John Van Way, a PhD candidate at the University of Hawaii, sat down with Chengdu Living to talk about Nyarong Minyag, the endangered language he has spent the last year researching and documenting.

John shares his experience living in Chengdu, his thoughts on the cultural and political significance of a language’s survival, and much more in this 49-minute long podcast.

Topics discussed:

00:00 Introduction

1:00 Basic details of John’s language documentation project on Nyarong Minyag

1:20 How John ended up studying this language in this part of the world

2:10 What qualifies as an endangered language?

3:10 Language-related identity politics

3:40 How to determine if a language is endangered

4:10 The Endangered Languages Catalogue and endangeredlanguages.com database

5:20 The difficulties of language revitalization and the success stories of Hawaiian and Gaelic

7:00 Latin’s status as a “zombie language”

8:15 Documenting the language for future use

8:40 The broader cultural implications of language extinction and language revitalization

10:00 John’s Louisiana heritage and personal experience with language extinction

10:45 The political implications of language communities shrinking

11:45 Ganzi autonomous prefecture and linguistic diversity in the Tibetan plateau

13:00 The rampant multilingualism of communities in the Tibetan plateau

14:50 Cantonese and Tibetan vs. the Mandarinization of China

18:30 Written Tibetan as a unifying force

19:00 The course of John’s research

22:15 John’s collaborator’s cultural documentation project

23:30 Music in this community

26:15 Wrapping your head around the process of mapping a language

28:30 How much more work is there to be done?

29:10 The sound patterns and phonology of the language

38:50 Summary of John’s time in Chengdu

41:00 A message to linguists

42:45 Endangered languages website and goodbye

Songs and media features in this podcast:

* Nostalgic Flavors (Intro), by Photay

* Aperture, by Photay + audio from a Minyag Tibetan Folktale

* Movin’ On, by Justin Townes Earle

Download & Stream Links

Here are links to download or open the podcast in iTunes:

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (mine is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

Interested in or currently pursuing linguistic research in Western China? Study languages? Speak a language? Leave us your questions or thoughts in the comments below.

Foreigners have the unique opportunity in China of getting some pretty wacky one-off gigs. Charlie and Dan grill Chengdu Living’s resident white monkey Eli Sweet on the benefits and pitfalls of this kind of work, his own experiences, and why these jobs exist in the first place.

Find links below to download or stream this 51-minute long podcast.

Topics discussed:

1:00 – What is white monkey work?

2:20 – Our experience in white monkey work

4:00 – White monkey work & China’s real estate boom

5:00 – Eli being the white monkey “inside the glass box”

10:30 – How to get white monkey jobs

12:40 – How well white monkey jobs pay

15:30 – White monkey job pro-tips

20:30 – Foreign agents for white monkey gigs & Tenzin

23:15 – Booms & busts within the white monkey economy

28:00 – Our craziest white monkey gigs

37:00 – How to negotiate wages

38:50 – Eli’s experience being Captain Morgan

45:00 – The present and future of white monkey gigs

46:20 – Closing thoughts & recommendations

48:00 – Why we should be grateful for white monkey gigs

Songs features in this podcast:

* With You, by Paisley

* Bat Box 9, by Houdinne

Download & Stream Links

Here are links to download or open the podcast in iTunes:

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (mine is Overcast, which we highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.

A Question For You:

Have you ever done any white monkey work? If so, what was your experience? We would love to hear what you think about your experiences or this podcast in the comments below.

For our first podcast back after Spring Festival, we talk about notable bits of news, soccer in Chengdu, a Reddit post about Chinese soft power efforts, and a couple of interesting posts on the Chengdu Living forums.

Topics discussed:

* Under the Dome pollution documentary video on Youtube

* Under the Dome discussed on the Sinica Podcast 

* Xi Jinping’s Push to Popularize and Improve Soccer in China [link]

* Government seizure of golf courses [recommended reading]

* Playing soccer in Chengdu and the Chengdu International Football League

* ADI Sports in Chengdu [link]

* Exporting soft power Reddit post [link]

* Chinese-Hollywood co-productions [recommended reading]

* The Confucius Institute and the pitfalls of Chinese soft power initiatives [recommended reading]

* Mark Zuckerberg speaking Chinese

* Chengdu Living Forum

* Johnny 5’s Ask Me Anything [link] 

* Johnny 5 on Chengdu Places

* Free For One Year Contest

* The Bookworm Literary Festival

* The Bookworm Website 

Download & Stream Links

Here are links to download or open the podcast in iTunes:

Or click below to listen to the podcast now through your browser.

You can also search for the podcast in your favorite podcasting app (mine is Overcast, which I highly recommend for iPhone users).

If you have any comments or feedback on this podcast or on topics you’d like us to discuss in the future, leave a comment below. If you enjoy the podcast, please share it! We look forward to recording more of these and continuing to chronicle and share the story of life in Chengdu.