Mosaic of China 英语脱口秀

China is the largest market in the world for beer in terms of volume. And Belgium is a country with a long history of brewing, dating back to the 12th Century. So what better guest to have on the podcast than Sean Harmon, the China head of the premium Belgian beer company Duvel Moortgat, probably best known in China for its brand Vedett.

Despite its proud status in Belgium, Duvel Moortgat started its life in China with a youthful start-up mentality, and this spirit continues to live within the DNA of its culture today. Sean talks us through this growth story, and reveals how he nowadays needs to defend his company's position in China as one of the leading brands in the increasingly competitive market for 'craft' beers.

China is the largest market in the world for beer in terms of volume. And Belgium is a country with a long history of brewing, dating back to the 12th Century. So what better guest to have on the podcast than Sean Harmon, the China head of the premium Belgian beer company Duvel Moortgat, probably best known in China for its brand Vedett.

Despite its proud status in Belgium, Duvel Moortgat started its life in China with a youthful start-up mentality, and this spirit continues to live within the DNA of its culture today. Sean talks us through this growth story, and reveals how he nowadays needs to defend his company's position in China as one of the leading brands in the increasingly competitive market for 'craft' beers.

In China, craftsmen are not always venerated as artisans. Instead, they are often denigrated as low-status workers. But there is a design team based in the Zhejiang countryside that is doing its best to turn this around, curating the myriad ancient crafts that can be found across China before they disappear, and repurposing them for modern usage. 

This week's episode is with Jovana Zhang, one of the co-founders of the Rong Design Library and the PINWU Design Studio. Her's is not just a story of design inspiration, it's a story that teaches us that respecting heritage is not the same as clinging onto the past. It's about repurposing what we can learn from the past, and making it relevant to modern times.

In China, craftsmen are not always venerated as artisans. Instead, they are often denigrated as low-status workers. But there is a design team based in the Zhejiang countryside that is doing its best to turn this around, curating the myriad ancient crafts that can be found across China before they disappear, and repurposing them for modern usage. 

This week's episode is with Jovana Zhang, one of the co-founders of the Rong Design Library and the PINWU Design Studio. Her's is not just a story of design inspiration, it's a story that teaches us that respecting heritage is not the same as clinging onto the past. It's about repurposing what we can learn from the past, and making it relevant to modern times.

We all know what to expect in a theatre. We all know what to expect in an art gallery. But in which of these worlds does Performance Art belong? 

One answer is the Ming Contemporary Art Museum (McaM) in Shanghai, and one person who can explain this world is the artist and curator, Zhang Yuan. Yuan's story also helps to paint a picture of the independent art scene in China, and the way in which performance art can convert audience members into active participants, and ultimately into a community of open-minded thinkers.

We all know what to expect in a theatre. We all know what to expect in an art gallery. But in which of these worlds does Performance Art belong? 

One answer is the Ming Contemporary Art Museum (McaM) in Shanghai, and one person who can explain this world is the artist and curator, Zhang Yuan. Yuan's story also helps to paint a picture of the independent art scene in China, and the way in which performance art can convert audience members into active participants, and ultimately into a community of open-minded thinkers.

Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding should be things that are universally understood around the world. But guess what... they're not. Societal conventions and traditions have created a disassociation between what is 'natural' and what is 'expected', leading to both cultural confusion and generational conflict.

In today's fascinating and eye-opening episode, we discuss these issues with Louise Roy, Director of Patient Support at Ferguson Women's Health in Shanghai. As a prenatal educator, labour doula, and lactation counsellor, Louise is perfectly placed to explain these historical trends, and analyse them within the context of the Chinese healthcare system.

The art of drag, with its emphasis on exaggerated costumes and makeup, has gained mainstream popularity around the world, particularly over the last decade. And China is no exception. While drag in the West can trace its roots from Elizabethan England up to the underground queer scene of New York, drag in East Asia draws its own lineage from the Beijing Opera. 

As one of the more prominent members of the drag queen community in Shanghai, Cocosanti joins this week’s episode of Mosaic of China to discuss the meaning of drag, her own personal journey as an artist, and the way in which drag queens can teach us all that… it’s OK to be a little weird.

The art of drag, with its emphasis on exaggerated costumes and makeup, has gained mainstream popularity around the world, particularly over the last decade. And China is no exception. While drag in the West can trace its roots from Elizabethan England up to the underground queer scene of New York, drag in East Asia draws its own lineage from the Beijing Opera. 

As one of the more prominent members of the drag queen community in Shanghai, Cocosanti joins this week’s episode of Mosaic of China to discuss the meaning of drag, her own personal journey as an artist, and the way in which drag queens can teach us all that… it’s OK to be a little weird.