In the finale of “Heartland Mainland: The Iowa China Podcast,” head out to the Iowa Caucuses and flip the script on our show. After examining Iowa-China ties from our own perspective -- rooted in years of experience in China and lots of research in Iowa -- this time we ride along to a caucus with Kyle Munson, an esteemed Iowa columnist who did his own deep dive into China ties.

We take you out to Slater, Iowa to hear how Kyle stumbled into becoming one of the leading experts on connections between his home state and the People’s Republic of China. We then peer into the weird world of the Iowa Caucuses, asking how the decisions made there -- and the chaos that ensued -- will shape the US-China relationship for years to come.

Heartland Mainland is brought to you by MacroPolo, the think tank of the Paulson Institute in Chicago.

Producers and Co-hosts: Holly He and Matt Sheehan

Assistant Producer: Woojae Julia Song

Student Fellow: Shiyun Wen

Illustrator: Young Kim