Round Table China

Across history, three rhythms define Spring Festival: the journey home, the way people gather, and the form celebration takes. In this series, Round Table traces these transformations through a sustained conversation between ancient and modern China. We explore how going home, celebrating together, and holiday fun have been reshaped across dynasties, technologies, and generations. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Fei Fei

Forget New Year's Eve in Times Square. The real spectacle unfolds across China, where one broadcast commands a billion viewers. The Spring Festival Gala is less a television show than a shared ritual, part time capsule and part fever dream, weaving ancient tradition with viral spectacle. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun

This Chinese New Year, why not let cinema inspire your China travel itinerary? As many international visitors still hit a digital wall, China is rolling out the welcome mat with new guidelines. How will it open its digital doors? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun

A new American private school has replaced the teacher at the front of the classroom with a personal chatbot for every child. The model swaps the standard six-hour academic day for hyper-efficient, two-hour learning sprints. It is an exchange that places supreme value on personalized data transfer over human-led instruction. But can it work? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

While the nation powers down for Spring Festival, some workers are powering up. They are skipping the family banquet to deliver yours, guard the temple fairs, and keep the city humming through the holiday lull. Meet the new wave of urban stayers choosing holiday shifts over hometown reunions and cashing in on the busiest downtime of the year. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

What does camping at -30°C mean to you? A test of survival? A daredevil's feat? Today, it's being reimagined as a sought-after winter retreat. Equipped with self-powered heaters, stove-jack tents, and sophisticated insulation systems, the punishing cold is being transformed from a forbidding obstacle into a compelling attraction. / Why do hotels always give you four pillows (17:34)? On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushan

Scenes of Chinese New Year shopping were once defined by crowded markets, ornate gift boxes, and last-minute grocery dashes. Now, the tableau is increasingly painted with livestream sales, overnight shipping, and delivery trucks lining residential streets. The annual Spring Festival consumer rush has steadily migrated online, testing China's vast logistics network at its most demanding moment. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushan

Traditional marketing tries hard to pull everyone in. But what if your most powerful move was to willingly lose a customer? It sounds counterintuitive, yet a strategy called "dissuasion" is proving just that. Sometimes, the clearest way to attract your true audience is to politely show others the door. / At what time of the day do you crash(14:46)? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun

Robots are on vacuum duty, apps are delivering feasts, and AI is writing your greetings. The most traditional holiday of the year is being powered by the "Lazy Economy." Is technology saving the Spring Festival traditions or simply replacing them? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun

The Soapbox: The "no show" problem. / Hidden door handles signal sleek, electric futurism, but in an emergency, their design can become a deadly obstacle. China is now set to become the first country to mandate mechanically operable door handles, turning a design debate into lifesaving law (17:37). On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushun