I’ve wanted to do a food episode ever since I started this podcast, and finally I get to do it.

Christine Yang is a full time content creator, and she’s a full time vegan.  She combines both of those passions in her channel called A Little Vegan 叮姐.

You can find links to her work here:  https://m.weibo.cn/1874719943/4661729588151831

What’s really cool about Christine is that her videos are so positive. They’re about finding alternatives, discovering restaurants, discovering meals. 

The energy in the room goes up 10 times when Christine is in the room.

 ***
If you’re on an iPhone, don’t forget to subscribe on Apple podcasts.
If you’re on Android, The Beijing Sessions is on Spotify. 
And follow me on Twitter. I'm at twitter.com/haigbalian

Tom Knight is the founder and leader of Soul Shake, the band that rocks Beersmith - a fancy beer and burger joint in Beijing's CBD -  five times a week.

The conversation went to places I didn't expect. There's real joy in seeing Tom and Soul Shake perform, but behind that joy there's a lot of work, and a lot of pressure.

Tom was open about the challenges of working in an industry where you're young, away from home, constantly under pressure, and constantly in and around bars.

If you stick around to the end, there is some breaking news.
***
Your assignment, listener: tell someone you know about this show.

And follow me on Twitter. I'm at twitter.com/haigbalian

Tom Knight is the founder and leader of Soul Shake, the band that rocks Beersmith - a fancy beer and burger joint in Beijing's CBD -  five times a week.

The conversation went to places I didn't expect. There's real joy in seeing Tom and Soul Shake perform, but behind that joy there's a lot of work, and a lot of pressure.

Tom was open about the challenges of working in an industry where you're young, away from home, constantly under pressure, and constantly in and around bars.

If you stick around to the end, there is some breaking news.
***
Your assignment, listener: tell someone you know about this show.

And follow me on Twitter. I'm at twitter.com/haigbalian

After a longer than usual monologue, I got to talk to Dalton Grant Jr (3:45). He wants Floating World, the company he co-founded in Beijing, to be the Pixar of China. If anyone can do it, Dalton can. He's worked on Cars, DuckTales, Shrek 2, and many other projects you've probably heard about.

Then I publish a couple of pieces from Beijing's International Winter Sports Expo at Shougang Park. These were aired on Beijing Radio, but I thought it gave a sense of how the winter sports industry in China is exploding.

Check out Floating World Animation on their website.

And follow me on Twitter. 

After a longer than usual monologue, I got to talk to Dalton Grant Jr (3:45). He wants Floating World, the company he co-founded in Beijing, to be the Pixar of China. If anyone can do it, Dalton can. He's worked on Cars, DuckTales, Shrek 2, and many other projects you've probably heard about.

Then I publish a couple of pieces from Beijing's International Winter Sports Expo at Shougang Park. These were aired on Beijing Radio, but I thought it gave a sense of how the winter sports industry in China is exploding.

Check out Floating World Animation on their website.

And follow me on Twitter. 

Today I talk to Huihan Lie, the founder and CEO of MyChinaRoots (7:35). Has the success of  the documentary The Six inspired more people to dig into their roots?  What makes China unique when it comes to genealogy? How has technology changed the game? And what are his ambitions for the company?

But first, I catch up with comic Cale Holmes. He's opening for Joe Wong this weekend.

Links:
https://www.mychinaroots.com
MyChinaRoots Discord Server

Cale Holmes on Twitter
Comedy Club China

Today I talk to Huihan Lie, the founder and CEO of MyChinaRoots (7:35). Has the success of  the documentary The Six inspired more people to dig into their roots?  What makes China unique when it comes to genealogy? How has technology changed the game? And what are his ambitions for the company?

But first, I catch up with comic Cale Holmes. He's opening for Joe Wong this weekend.

Links:
https://www.mychinaroots.com
MyChinaRoots Discord Server

Cale Holmes on Twitter
Comedy Club China

What does it mean to be poor?

To demonstrate what it means to live at the poverty line, Beijing-based artist duo Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin visited 36 countries and territories on six continents―from Germany and China to New York and London―examining poverty with regard to food. 

They visit The Beijing Sessions to talk about the project, measuring poverty, the death of newspapers, and so much more. 

Find the book at your local bookstore. 

What does it mean to be poor?

To demonstrate what it means to live at the poverty line, Beijing-based artist duo Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin visited 36 countries and territories on six continents―from Germany and China to New York and London―examining poverty with regard to food. 

They visit The Beijing Sessions to talk about the project, measuring poverty, the death of newspapers, and so much more. 

Find the book at your local bookstore. 

It's been 20 years since Dayyan Eng's breakout short film, Bus 44, was screened at Venice, Sundance, and Cannes. Since then he's directed hugely influential  films, including Waiting Alone, his 2004 feature that expressed a type of youth culture that hadn't been seen in theatres before.

Dayyan joined The Beijing Sessions to talk about his films,  challenging himself with new ideas, the state of China's film industry, and how he got raunchy jokes into his last film, 2017's Wished.

Watch Bus 44 on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJjje4iZPXg&t=0s

Catch up with Dayyan:
https://www.instagram.com/dayyaneng/
https://www.facebook.com/dayyan.eng
https://weibo.com/wushixian

Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions