In the most free-flowing conversation in the entire run of this podcast, host Haig Balian speaks with Charles Pellegrin (1:50), China correspondent for France 24/stand-up comedian.

We get answers to all the big questions, like why do French pharmacists love suppositories?

And what did Belgium ever do to Charles to become the, um, butt of his jokes?

The conversation gets serious when I ask Charles about the WHO's upcoming decision on China's Sinopharm vaccine.

If you haven't listened in in a while, this is a great episode to ease you back in.

To get the latest on comedy in Beijing and China, check out Comedy Club China's official WeChat page.

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

First came ping pong, and then came Beethoven.
In 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra did something no other American orchestra had done before. They took a ten-day trip to China, part of an effort to normalize relations between the two countries.
Beethoven in Beijing is a new documentary about that visit, and its legacy. It’s streaming right now on PBS and will be available until May 14. 
The film’s co-director, producer, and writer is Jennifer Lin.
She joined The Beijing Sessions via Zoom from Philadelphia, where she lives.
Watch Beethoven in Beijing on PBS (geolocked to the United States).
For more info on the film, go to their website, https://www.beethoveninbeijing.com
On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeethovenTheDoc
https://twitter.com/GPerfPBS
***
You can find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/haigbalian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
Or on the web: www.thebeijingsessions.com

First came ping pong, and then came Beethoven.
In 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra did something no other American orchestra had done before. They took a ten-day trip to China, part of an effort to normalize relations between the two countries.
Beethoven in Beijing is a new documentary about that visit, and its legacy. It’s streaming right now on PBS and will be available until May 14. 
The film’s co-director, producer, and writer is Jennifer Lin.
She joined The Beijing Sessions via Zoom from Philadelphia, where she lives.
Watch Beethoven in Beijing on PBS (geolocked to the United States).
For more info on the film, go to their website, https://www.beethoveninbeijing.com
On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeethovenTheDoc
https://twitter.com/GPerfPBS
***
You can find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/haigbalian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions
Or on the web: www.thebeijingsessions.com

Five years ago travel writer and journalist Jonathan Chatwin set out on a 30 kilometre walk along Beijing’s Chang An Jie, Long Peace Street, from its western point at the former site of Shougang Iron and Steel to its eastern terminus, the Sihui East subway stop.
The result was a book - Long Peace Street - that’s party history, part travelogue. The hardcover was published in 2019, and now it’s available in paperback.
Jonathan Chatwin joins The Beijing Sessions over zoom from England.
***
You can buy the new paperback version of Long Peace Street from Amazon.
This is an affiliate link. If you use this link to buy something I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thanks.
https://amzn.to/3wRsKzz
***
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions

Five years ago travel writer and journalist Jonathan Chatwin set out on a 30 kilometre walk along Beijing’s Chang An Jie, Long Peace Street, from its western point at the former site of Shougang Iron and Steel to its eastern terminus, the Sihui East subway stop.
The result was a book - Long Peace Street - that’s party history, part travelogue. The hardcover was published in 2019, and now it’s available in paperback.
Jonathan Chatwin joins The Beijing Sessions over zoom from England.
***
You can buy the new paperback version of Long Peace Street from Amazon.
This is an affiliate link. If you use this link to buy something I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thanks.
https://amzn.to/3wRsKzz
***
Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
The Beijing Sessions is also on Facebook. Follow there at https://www.facebook.com/thebeijingsessions

Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. On a frigid evening in 1912, the passenger ship hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, killing over 1500 people. Only around 700 survived.
Six of those survivors were Chinese men. Their stories have never been told - until now.
The Six is a new documentary that tells the untold story of those men, and it's hitting theatres in China on April 16.
It’s directed by Arthur Jones and its lead researcher is Steven Schwankert. Both joined host Haig Balian in studio in Beijing.
(1:35) How the story of the six Chinese survivors is a "complete mystery hidden in something that was well known." (4:40) When an early trailer got 22 million views, things got a whole lot bigger. (5:40) Lead Researcher Steven Schwankert on the odyssey of researching this film: “the map is not the territory. ” (9:30) Schwankert on the scale of The Six: “If you get involved with anything on Titanic and you didn’t realize that it would be big from the start, then your start was wrong.” (11:30) Jones on the unique challenge of tracking down Chinese genealogy. (16:56) Schwankert: “I don’t lie in bed at night thinking about the universe or the existence of God. I think about shipwrecks.” (22:43) The Six as the story of Chinese immigration to North America. (29:27) Schwankert on building a replica of a Titanic lifeboat: It's about filtering out  emotion and replacing it with evidence to create a more accurate picture of what happened. (35:35) Jones on 'women and children first'. Apart from Titanic do we ever talk about that? (38:15) On pushback from the Titanic community, who said  “you just have to accept they did something wrong.” (42:10) The lengths the filmmakers went to to simulate how cold the North Atlantic water. (49:56) How a video game mockup shook up Titanic modelling orthodoxy and gave the filmmakers new avenues to explore. (53:15) James Cameron get involved with The Six. How, exactly?
Check out https://www.thesixdocumentary.com for more info about the film.
***
Follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
Join the Facebook group
Share and follow the podcast:
Apple: https://apple.co/2OEJcBx
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13x6APM56NODu6tdpTuHPI?si=qf7wjOVBQJutWpLAWVRy1A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNDQ4ODgxLnJzcw

Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. On a frigid evening in 1912, the passenger ship hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, killing over 1500 people. Only around 700 survived.
Six of those survivors were Chinese men. Their stories have never been told - until now.
The Six is a new documentary that tells the untold story of those men, and it's hitting theatres in China on April 16.
It’s directed by Arthur Jones and its lead researcher is Steven Schwankert. Both joined host Haig Balian in studio in Beijing.
(1:35) How the story of the six Chinese survivors is a "complete mystery hidden in something that was well known." (4:40) When an early trailer got 22 million views, things got a whole lot bigger. (5:40) Lead Researcher Steven Schwankert on the odyssey of researching this film: “the map is not the territory. ” (9:30) Schwankert on the scale of The Six: “If you get involved with anything on Titanic and you didn’t realize that it would be big from the start, then your start was wrong.” (11:30) Jones on the unique challenge of tracking down Chinese genealogy. (16:56) Schwankert: “I don’t lie in bed at night thinking about the universe or the existence of God. I think about shipwrecks.” (22:43) The Six as the story of Chinese immigration to North America. (29:27) Schwankert on building a replica of a Titanic lifeboat: It's about filtering out  emotion and replacing it with evidence to create a more accurate picture of what happened. (35:35) Jones on 'women and children first'. Apart from Titanic do we ever talk about that? (38:15) On pushback from the Titanic community, who said  “you just have to accept they did something wrong.” (42:10) The lengths the filmmakers went to to simulate how cold the North Atlantic water. (49:56) How a video game mockup shook up Titanic modelling orthodoxy and gave the filmmakers new avenues to explore. (53:15) James Cameron get involved with The Six. How, exactly?
Check out https://www.thesixdocumentary.com for more info about the film.
***
Follow me on twitter at twitter.com/haigbalian
Join the Facebook group
Share and follow the podcast:
Apple: https://apple.co/2OEJcBx
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13x6APM56NODu6tdpTuHPI?si=qf7wjOVBQJutWpLAWVRy1A
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNDQ4ODgxLnJzcw

Sejin Bae is a jazz pianist, a composer, a teacher, and an arranger. Her band, the Sejin Bae Quartet, released their debut album, Direction, just a few months ago.
She’s based in Beijing and if you’re here you can see her performing at venues around town.
She came on The Beijing Sessions to talk about her start in jazz in a country where pop music is king, how her travels have made their way into her compositions, the fundamental differences in teaching jazz in the United States and Korea, and much more.
You can buy here album from Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3rDRvve
Or from her label: https://davinci-edition.com/product/c00332/ 
It’s also available on Apple Music, Spotify, and wherever you stream music.

***
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow it, rate it, review it, and share it with friends.
You can find me on twitter at twitter.com/haigablian
The website is thebeijingsessions.com

Sejin Bae is a jazz pianist, a composer, a teacher, and an arranger. Her band, the Sejin Bae Quartet, released their debut album, Direction, just a few months ago.
She’s based in Beijing and if you’re here you can see her performing at venues around town.
She came on The Beijing Sessions to talk about her start in jazz in a country where pop music is king, how her travels have made their way into her compositions, the fundamental differences in teaching jazz in the United States and Korea, and much more.
You can buy here album from Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3rDRvve
Or from her label: https://davinci-edition.com/product/c00332/ 
It’s also available on Apple Music, Spotify, and wherever you stream music.

***
If you enjoy the podcast, please follow it, rate it, review it, and share it with friends.
You can find me on twitter at twitter.com/haigablian
The website is thebeijingsessions.com