Millennials in China

In this we do a deep dive on Qing Ming Jie, or "Tomb Sweeping Festival" as known in English, which has just passed at the start of April. We look into the origin and cultural significance of the festival and we discuss the manifold cultural practices involved with Qing Ming - Chinese people paying respect to ancestors by visiting their tombstones, bringing food and drink for the dead, as well as burning "spirit money" for the afterlife.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

We have been podcasting for one entire year! We started this podcast in the aftermath of COVID lockdowns in China, and kept each other accountable and disciplined to release one episode per week for an entire year. Now, in this monumental Episode 52, we look back on some of the best moments that we selected from our episodes - hopefully you'll find them interesting or useful!

In this episode we interview Fabian Triebe, a business consultant at the Sino-European Technology and Innovation Center in Hangzhou and an organizer of Startup Grind China. Fabian shares his story of leaving a stable banking job in Germany to start his adventure in China, and what kind of exciting business initiatives he is undertaking with European technology startups for their China market entry.

Show Notes:

• What drove Fabian to leave his professional career working at a major Swedish bank in Germany to move to China.
• How Fabian found his niche in Hangzhou's entrepreneurship and startup scene.
• Fabian's day-to-day job duties at the Sino-European Technology and Innovation Center, and what value he brings to his clients.
• What is Startup Grind China and how can people get involved.
• The biggest challenges and learning moments Fabian had from his time hustling in China.
• Two types of advice for new China entrants - one for young people just beginning their adventures, and one for seasoned overseas CEOs who might be looking at the Chinese market.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

Fabian Triebe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/f-a-triebe/

On the eve of the alpha release of their video game, Infinite Fleet, Hope and Chris look back at the growth journey of Pixelmatic, the video game startup where they work. They review how the company went from a tiny studio of 10 people doing mostly outsourcing contracts to present day's team of 40, distributed globally across 3 continents. They also look at the problems and challenges that came up as the team grew in size, and how they best dealt with them.

Show Notes:

• Introduction and background of Pixelmatic and a brief history on the company's business - from doing outsourcing contracts for bigger game titles to now designing its own massively multiplayer online (MMO) game.
• How Chris left his job managing multiple education centers to join Pixelmatic, and in turn getting a job in his dream industry - video games.
• The company's small team and lean operations when Chris first joined - 10 people wearing different hats.
• Growing pains and challenges with personnel, finding new business, and project management.
• Growing from a team of 10 to a team of 40, and expanding to a remote-working international team.
• What it's like working for a video game studio.
• Stepping up from being a service provider to creating the company's own intellectual property - Infinite Fleet.
• The challenge and excitement of launching a multiplayer online game.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

Infinite Fleet game: https://infinitefleet.com

In this episode we talk about the highly practical topic of health insurance in China with Sihao Kuo, a health insurance consultant at Pacific Prime. Living abroad means being away from your home country's comforts, taxes, and high standard healthcare system, so expats in China typically find their own means to secure health coverage. We dissect the ins and outs of health insurance coverage in China and why private health insurance is a popular choice among foreigners.

Show Notes:

• Why should someone consider purchasing private health insurance coverage? What about the "standard" health insurance offered by your Chinese employer?
• Sihao explains what a health insurance consultant is and how he is different from a health insurer.
• Varying levels of coverage, and why the average health insurance is typically only limited to grave accidents.
• Standards of healthcare providers in China, and why most foreigners prefer private and international hospitals and clinics.
• What are deductibles?
• What is the difference between inpatient and outpatient?
• Typical price range of private health insurance plans.
• Sihao's passion project in Shanghai, "Temporary Humans" - a community for obstacle course running (e.g. Spartan Race).

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

Sihao Kuo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sihaokuo/

Happy the Year of the Ox! In this episode we discuss the Spring Festival dinner table stories that came along - which led to us exploring the perspective of growing up in China prior to the country's massive economic boom. Chris shares his wife and inlaws' anecdotes on growing up in rural Sichuan and getting out of poverty, and how the life from that generation is almost unimaginable in today's China.

Show Notes:

• Chinese New Year dinner table chat - people love to talk about the past and how life was "when I was your age".
• Stories from Chris' wife and inlaws, growing up in complete poverty and grinding their way out of it.
• The age of the One Child Policy, and stories on how they managed to evade it.
• Sleeping on the side of train tracks and sleeping on hard floors.
• Working odd jobs and as migrant workers in East Coast cities, and finding the opportunity to create a life in the city.
• Hope's memories of early childhood in a Chinese city - not starving but diet mostly consisted of poor nutrition.
• Throwback to the days of taking the "hard seat" green train and standing in the aisle for overnight journeys. China's infrastructure improvement over the past two decades have been nothing short of a miracle.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

In this episode Hope asks Chris about living the Chinese family life as a married man in a Chinese third tier city. We have spoken a lot about expat life in Shanghai, which is a total outlier by China standards in terms of its lifestyle and prices, so we decided to focus some more attention on life in a third tier city. Chris gives his insights on assimilating into his Chinese extended family, and dealing with the education system for his children.

Show Notes:

• Chris talks about moving his family from Shanghai to Zhangjiagang, a city of ~1 million, which is small by China's standards.
• The pros and cons of living in a third tier city like Zhangjiagang, compared to Shanghai - cost savings vs. inconveniences.
• Being fully involved in a Chinese extended family.
• Tips for assimilating into the Chinese extended family initially - how to overcome the communication and cultural barriers, and how does Chris get on with his in-laws and brother-in-law?
• Kids' education in China's third tier cities, public vs. private schools.
• Daycare for Chris' daughter in Zhangjiagang.
• Citizenship selection dilemma for a mixed baby born in China - Chinese citizenship first and foreign citizenship later, or foreign citizenship from the start?

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

In this episode we discuss the wild event buzzing around global financial markets this week - the audacious Redditors vs hedgefunds battle over short squeezing GameStop stocks. We explain what exactly happened and why it happened, and how new age social media and information was vital for forming this powerful army of retail investors. We also look at the disgraceful Robinhood ban of stock buying and why that was the canary in the coal mine for the decentralization movement.

Show Notes:

• Why is everyone talking about GameStop and its stocks this week? What happened?
• Some basics about stock markets, shorting, short squeeze, and how GameStop stock rocketed to crazy heights.
• The r/wallstreetbets retail investor army, and why they were able to put billion dollar hedgefunds out of business.
• Shockwaves around Wall Street and the methods they took to fight back and save themselves.
• Robinhood pulling the plug on further buying of GameStop, and how this move might be seen as blatant market manipulation.
• Social media and information sharing is so powerful now that smart retail investors can have real success in the financial markets.
• How COVID and stimulus checks have made stock and crypto trading an increasingly popular pastime.
• The dire need for decentralization and overcoming the control and manipulation of centralized platforms and entities.
• Why this GameStop saga could be the canary in the coal mine that really kicks off the crypto movement.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

In this episode we discuss the video games and board games market in China, from both the player's perspective and a business perspective. Chris is a lifelong gamer who has been working in the video game industry for several years, and shares his insight on life as a gamer in China, the massive Chinese gaming market, and whether or not board games are starting to catch on.

Show Notes:

• Video game and board game scenes in China - how are they different from the West?
• The massive Chinese gaming market - now bigger than the US.
• The rapid growth and maturation of the Chinese gaming market in recent years, and the massive popularity of mobile games in China.
• How giant Chinese tech conglomerates like Tencent and Bytedance have deep reaches into gaming.
• What about board games in China? Is it popular? 
• Where to find English language or international editions of video and board games in China?
• Chris' Dungeons & Dragons journey in Shanghai.
• Sourcing game components for your board game in China.
• What about designing and distributing a game in China?

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com

In this episode we discuss the eccentric, satisfying, and weird Eastern health and wellbeing routines popular in China. Blind massages, foot massages, cupping and scraping, and even tickling your feet with minnow fish - what's the deal? And of course, hot water is the magical elixir that solves all ailments in China!

Show Notes:

• Eastern health and wellbeing routines commonly practiced by the Chinese.
• Scraping and cupping - leave a spa with bruise marks all over your back and feeling great?
• Massages in China - the infamous "blind massage" and deep tissue treatment.
• Foot massages by hand and fishes! Not for the ticklish.
• Communal bathhouses, a favourite of the past. 
• Line dancing in the square and why older Chinese people love to walk.
• Leaving windows open in the winter? The reasons and history behind this uncomfortable practice.
• Hot water - the remedy for everything.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/millennials-in-china/id1503870294

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MwEJZnnZ2sNWje7wP0GaW?si=tWqgkgwoQCueTrEfeI3-6g

Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlbm5pYWxzaW5jaGluYS5jb20vcnNz

Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6jqVbJ1SR_g9iTLFxyF1g

Podcast Website: http://millennialsinchina.com

Podcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/millennialsinchina

Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillennialsCN

Chris' Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

Hope's Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Instagram: https://instagram.com/hope_freiheit

Hope's Blog: http://hopefreiheit.com