Chinese paleontologist Ji Qiang proved that birds evolved from dinosaurs based on three fossil discoveries in the 1990s. Initially met with skepticism, his persistence finally led to international recognition and solved a long-standing evolutionary mystery.

Dr. Ruan Xiangyan introduced the emerging medical technique of ovarian tissue cryo-preservation and transplantation to China, giving female patients an option to preserve vital reproductive and endocrine functions. Hear her remarkable story on this episode of Footprints.

​NPC deputy Yang Baoxin, a cotton breeder for over three decades, has developed nearly 20 new cotton varieties, successfully battling a disease known as “cotton cancer” and boosting farmers’ income. From humble beginnings to national awards, he tirelessly bridges grassroots agricultural research with farmers' needs, embodying the perseverance and innovation at the heart of China's rural development.

For 14 years, Li Nannan has devoted her life to elderly care in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province. By day, she's a head nurse, tending to residents' medical and daily needs. Each spring, she walks into the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as a deputy to the National People's Congress. Bridging caregiving and policymaking, Li strives to push for reforms to improve the country's aging society.

Horses have long been a powerful and enduring motif in artistic expression across cultures and centuries. In the modern history of Chinese art, Xu Beihong stands as the most iconic master of horse painting. By seamlessly blending traditional Chinese brushwork with Western artistic techniques, his galloping horses came to embody freedom, resilience, and an indomitable fighting spirit.

In this podcast, we take a closer look at Xu Beihong and his celebrated horse paintings.

In the plains of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's Junggar Basin, a lost species gallops home. Once extinct in the wild, Przewalski's horses now reclaim the steppe, their wild hearts beating free. Decades of quiet dedication, tireless care, and unwavering hope have made this return possible.

In this episode, the hooves are replaced by horse-hair: the Morin Khuur speaks, sighs and gallops in the hands of the soloist Morin Khuur performer Chaoke Jiletu. You'll feel 180 nylon filaments tremble like prairie grass, and learn why the bow is called the instrument's "two legs." Just let the steppe gallop straight into your headphones.

In Beijing's Shunyi District, a nonprofit organization called HOPE (Horses Offering People Enrichment) is bringing children with special needs together with horses, and changing lives in the process. Founded in 2009 by American physical therapist Priscilla Lightsey, HOPE began as a personal mission and has grown into a community of dedicated staff members and hundreds of volunteers. This episode explores the power of healing on horseback.

For archaeologist Dong Ningning, horse bones are historical archives. Through scientific analysis, she interprets their clues to reconstruct the animal's profound impact on ancient Chinese transportation, language, social hierarchy and other aspects of lives and culture.

Dong Lina is the first visually impaired person in China to earn a master's degree in broadcasting. With quiet perseverance, she has charted an unconventional path, opening new possibilities for others like her to pursue their life goals.