Deep Dive

Last year, vocational schools across China admitted 5.4 million high school graduates, accounting for more than half of the total annual admissions into higher education, which amounts to 10 million. However, the vocational pathway still doesn't seem to be an ideal option for many Chinese families. How did vocational schools lose favor among the general public? We spoke with CGTN Radio reporter Guo Yan on how to regain people's trust in vocational education.

Dragon boat racing has a history of over 2,000 years. It has been gaining popularity as a sports event and a tourism phenomenon. In Guangdong, people have held over 200 dragon boat events so far this year. Across China, at least 20 provincial regions have their own dragon boat racing events. We spoke with CGTN Radio reporter Li Yunqi on what's behind the revival of this ancient tradition and what economic and cultural benefits it is bringing back. Also, where's the dragon boat race in your city?

For decades, ping pong and badminton have dominated China's community sports. But new forms of community sports are spreading across China's villages. CGTN Radio sports reporter Yang Guang is watching the development of basketball in a county called Taijiang. They're famous for their local tournament, fondly referred to as the Cun-Basketball Association (Cun-BA) or Village BA. The tournament is so popular that the authority is launching a national Cun-BA game this summer. What could go right or wrong with a national basketball tournament just for farmers?

If you want to hear more about sports in rural China, also check out Yang Guang’s Sideline Story: https://radio.cgtn.com/podcast/column/other/Sideline-Story/514

This week, the Honduran President wrapped up her first state visit to China after the two countries established diplomatic ties in March. During the visit, China approved the imports of bananas, coffee beans and prawns from Honduras. For more on banana trade between the two countries, we spoke with CGTN reporter Liu Jiaxin who was among the first Chinese journalists travelling to Honduras in April.

Mountaineers and the life-threatening situations they encounter on their journeys have dominated narratives around Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest. Generations of scientists have been conducting research on and off the mountain in the past decades. Some findings have shown how vulnerable the mountain is to global warming. And much more is to be discovered.

On this World Environment Day (June 5), we bring you along a recent scientific expedition on the highest mountain in the world, with CGTN reporter Tao Yuan. She traveled with Chinese scientists to collect samples and data that could tell us more about our planet and the changing climate.

On Tuesday, China successfully launched its latest manned space mission, the Shenzhou-16, with three crew members including Jing Haipeng, a seasoned space traveler, and two university professors, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao. Among them, Gui has become China’s first civilian taikonaut. We spoke with CGTN reporter Sun Ye, who was at the launch site, to explore the new crew’s potential contributions to the space station project and what this signifies for China's manned space exploration program.

A previous episode on Tiangong: https://radio.cgtn.com/podcast/news/5/The-T-in-Tiangong-and-what-it-means/2706608

On the 72nd anniversary of Xizang’s peaceful liberation, the region’s unwavering pursuit of high-quality development has captured the spotlight. Poverty alleviation, infrastructure development and ecological conservation are among some of the most mentioned improvements. For more on the region’s transformation, we spoke to CGTN Radio reporter Li Yunqi, who recently travelled to the tourism town of Lulang in Xizang.

Enhancing connectivity is expected to top the agenda at the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit, which will take place in Xian on Thursday and Friday. It’s also the first such event that gathers leaders from China and all five Central Asian countries in person. Why is it important for China to host this summit? Why is connectivity so vital for Central Asian countries? What role is China playing here? We spoke with CGTN reporter Zhao Yunfei to find out.

A young man in China has completed an incredible trip that included eight cities and five mountains, covering 6,000 kilometers. And it only took him five days. This type of travelling is called “special force type of travel” and it’s gaining popularity among young Chinese. Why is this intensive travel plan popular? What makes it successful? We spoke with CGTN reporter Xu Xinchen.

The city of Zibo is gaining a lot of attention in China for its barbecue. Over the past May Day holiday, travel packages destined for Zibo surged more than four-folds compared to 2019.

What’s all the buzz about this particular type of barbecue? Why exactly has this small city grabbed headlines in China for over one month? We spoke with CGTN Radio reporter Dou Hongyu about this.