The China Current is proud to introduce its new Culture Contributor, Tasmin Little. The world renowned violinist first visited China in 1982 as a student at the Menuhin School. In this podcast, Tasmin pays tribute to Chi Chi, the giant panda born in the wild of Sichuan — who later made her home at London Zoo.

Ge Yang is a phenomenal table tennis player — a world champion and winner of six Paralympic gold medals across the Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio games. At the age of six, he lost his right hand in an accident at home in Hebei, a province just outside of Beijing. He shares his story of becoming an Olympian. Our Host James Chau met with him in Bangkok, where they talked about the beauty of the human spirit, and how he ultimately triumphed not only in sports, but also in life.

For the first time since the pandemic, the world gathers a major cultural event. Art Basel in Hong Kong is a truly hybrid fair with an audience that is physical and virtual. Local galleries are showing physically, but exhibitors from outside the city have flown in their works — while a new digital initiative called Art Basel Live offers online viewing rooms, virtual walkthroughs, and daily broadcasts. In this special interview, James Chau, Host of The China Current, speaks with Adeline Ooi, Director Asia of Art Basel. Watch and listen to this conversation on video and podcast.

The pandemic may have reshaped the world, but it has also triggered a surge of interest in public health education. Dr. Michelle Williams is Dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which is seeing record applications from students striving to serve. Born in Jamaica, she moved to America as a child. In this conversation with James Chau, she explores the skills students require to become the global health experts of tomorrow — listening, analyzing, and communicating with communities — and the vision she brings to her role as an advisor to the Tsinghua Vanke School of Public Health.

 

Part 2: Wisdom in Health | Michelle Williams | From The Well

For a decade, Dr. Margaret Chan served as the world’s health chief. Now, she is the Founding Dean of Tsinghua Vanke School of Public Health, a center of innovation in Beijing that seeks to link "health" to "humanity" in a time of global need. It is reinventing how we approach health by addressing big global challenges in parallel, from the planet to the current pandemic. This is the first episode of 'From The Well', a new conversation series where our Host James Chau sits down with global experts.

Amidst a pandemic that continues to shake the world, we sometimes need reminding that we really are “all in this together.” Astronaut Ron Garan knew he wanted to be an astronaut since he was a child when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. Now, after 178 days in space and completing four spacewalks, he offers us an “orbital perspective” on the unity of humanity that becomes clear when looking at our planet from afar. Our Host James Chau speaks with Colonel Garan about the awe and wonder of space — and the contrast with the fear and anxiety in the world today.

As Chair of the Elders, Mary Robinson advocates for peace and justice for everyone. In this special conversation with our Host James Chau, the former leader of Ireland shares her insights on how we can achieve a future with the wellbeing of our planet at the center. In honor of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, The China Current presents this special conversation with Mary Robinson.

 

In a world still struggling to come to terms with a pandemic, Norway is one of the least impacted. Its leader Erna Solberg went in hard and early to prevent infections from taking root, a strategy that has protected the country's more than 5 million people. In this wide ranging conversation with our Host James Chau, she shares some of the fundamental lessons from this ongoing experience. This interview is in partnership with SHE—the community, conference, and movement to achieve equality in society. Join their call at sheinsight.com.

Millions have now experienced the physical and mental toll of the virus spreading globally—including Peter Piot, who in 1976 co-discovered Ebola in Central Africa. In this special interview, he revisits his recent hospitalization, and near-death experience, describing it as a state of moving “between heaven and earth.” Our Host James Chau speaks to Professor Piot who is the Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Follow us for stories on how the outbreak is shaping our modern world.

 

Part 1: I Moved Between Heaven and Earth

Part 2: A Major Shift in power relations 

Part 3: Protect Yourself, Protect Others

As global leaders continue to organize their pandemic response teams, U.S. leadership is balancing the need to maintain some sections of the economy while keeping people safe from the health crisis. It’s a hard-struck balance, and no one is exactly sure where it will lead us as some states begin to reopen. One organization, The Rockefeller Foundation, has set forth a national testing plan to meet the needs of this moment. President of The Rockefeller Foundation Dr. Rajiv J. Shah is leading this initiative to ramp up U.S. testing, all while working from home. We speak with him from his home in New York.

 

Part1: Meeting This Moment

Part2: The International Experience

Part3: Lessons From the Past