What is donghua and how is it different from anime or Disney? Hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan deep dive into the century-old world of Chinese animations. From retellings of Monkey King new and old to global hits like Big Fish and Begonia, be awed by quintessential the Chineseness of donghua productions across the Golden and Silver Ages...and join us in the splendour of donghua's modern Renaissance!

Music credit: @Xomu - Lanterns

Why are Chinese films now so bad? Why can't actors seem to act? Have the glory days past? All these questions and more answered as we dive into the world of Chinese cinema and discuss famous (and infamous)  directors, capitalism, censorship and more.

Why is Boy's Love a thing? In answering this question, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan take on a topic we're seriously passionate and passionately serious about: Chinese BL. We unpack the specific aesthetics and tropes of Danmei as well as creative negotiations in Dangai unique to China. But we're not just here to fangirl—we also explore gender, sexuality, history, culture, nationalism, and many more facets of identity-formation and community-building inherent in the appreciation for BL.

Music credit: Xomu - Lanterns

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan resume their tirade against frustrating trends in CDrama that defy the logic of storytelling, including: flawless makeup in the worst scenarios, terrible CGI straight out of MS paint, historical inaccuracies and much more.

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan take off their gloves and hold nothing back while talking all things CDrama. From physics-defying war dramas to cliché plotlines, from one-dimensional characters to death threats to screenwriters, tune in to all the bizarre things in the world of Chinese drama.

Music credit: Xomu - Lanterns

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan rave about Chinese traditional pop music made popular by Jay Chou and made global by Genshin Impact. We unpack the intricate connections between Mandopop subgenres "Chinese style" (中国风) and "traditional style" (古风), and discuss how ancient Chinese styles continue to influence modern music, dance, variety shows and more.

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan continue the conversation on Mandopop–we're talking Chinese idol groups, singing contests, rap battles and the TikTokification of music.

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan trace the timeline of Chinese pop music from the 1980s to the present day. Join us as we share about the trends, the hits and the stories of generations of Mandopop icons who have made waves in the music world.

Music credit: Xomu - Lanterns

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan dive into the numerous Chinese celebrity scandals in recent years. From tax evasion to sex scandals to unexplainable conspiracies, we trace how celebrities fall from fame in uniquely Chinese ways and why things are not as simple as you might think.

Music credit: Xomu - Lanterns

In this episode, hosts Wu Fan and Jingnan recap their Chinese New Year celebrations, trace the evolution of customs (have you heard of digital red packets?), and share their takes on Chinese New Year versus Lunar New Year.

Music credit: Xomu - Lanterns