Yang Yi is a Chinese editor, a broadcaster, and one of the trailblazers in the new world of podcasting in China. He is the host of two podcasts, a culture-themed show called "Left-Right", and a show called "Go! LIVE" where he invites reporters in China to share their eperiences in journalism. And he is also co-founder of the "JustPod" company, which currently produces four original and three branded podcasts. 

Yi and I discuss his personal experiences of growing up with broadcast media in China, and he makes some great observations about China's media landscape from the 1990s to today. While our interview was recorded many weeks before the coronavirus outbreak, some of the things we discuss will resonate with anyone observing how the issue is being handled in the Chinese and Western media. 

Yang Yi’s object: A radio of course. 

Yang Yi’s favourite WeChat sticker: This esoteric one of Jiang Zemin. You may need to listen to the episode for more information about this one!(Add @oscar10877 on WeChat to join the Group and see the original sticker) 

Yang Yi: The original radio made in the Soviet Union that he used to listen to as a child growing up in Anhui Province. 

Yang Yi: His hometown of Huáinán, nowadays most famous for the Piano House building. 

Yang Yi: His “JustPod” podcasting company, and two of the podcasts he personally hosts: “Left-Right” and “Go! LIVE”. 

Yang Yi: Two of the American storytelling podcasts that he referenced in our discussion: “This American Life” and “Serial”. Yi believes China is still waiting for its “Serial moment” that will allow podcasts to achieve mainstream popularity in China. 

Yang Yi: There are a couple of storytelling shows breaking through in the China podcast space at the moment. The most famous of these is 故事FM. 

Yang Yi: The overwhelmingly most popular podcasting host and distributor in China is Ximalaya (喜马拉雅). 

Yang Yi’s favourite China fact: The Confucian concept of 中庸之一 (Zhōngyōng zhīyī - Doctrine of the Mean). 

Yang Yi’s favourite word or phrase in Chinese: 好吧 (Hǎo ba), which means something like, “well... alright then”. That’s in contrast to 好的 (Hǎo de) which is a more emphatic way of saying yes or OK. 

If Yang Yi left China, he would miss the efficiency of life, including the Shanghai metro system. 

The thing that surprises Yang Yi about modern life in China is the advancement of video production apps like 抖音 (Dǒuyīn - Tiktok). 

Yang Yi’s favourite place to eat: The 大肠汤 (Dàcháng tāng - Pig’s large intestine soup) restaurant around the corner from his home. 

Yang Yi’s best recent purchase: The book "The Fifth Risk" by Michael Lewis. 

Yang Yi’s favourite song to sing at KTV (karaoke): 最炫民族风 (Zuì xuàn mínzú fēng - The Most Dazzling Folk Style) by 凤凰传奇 (Fènghuáng chuánqí - Phoenix Legend). 

Yang Yi’s favourite China-related information source: 财新传媒 (Cáixīn Media). 

Yang Yi’s selfie with Oscar.