Inkstone
507 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★ - 9 ratingsA daily digest of the top China stories.
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Episodes
Chinese students want to study in America more than anywhere else
June 18, 2020 07:58 - 2 minutes - 3.97 MBGrowing animosity between Beijing and Washington could end the US’ status as a top destination for Chinese students, curtailing educational and cultural exchanges between the worlds’ two biggest economies.
China Trends: a 1980s Chinese song goes viral and Beijing on coronavirus lockdown
June 18, 2020 07:58 - 4 minutes - 5.08 MBA Chinese pop song from the 1980s is going viral – in Europe. Plus, China’s capital is on high alert after a new cluster of more than 100 local coronavirus patients emerged from a market in the city.
Salmon scare grips Beijing amid coronavirus outbreak
June 17, 2020 12:35 - 4 minutes - 5.12 MBReports that a coronavirus outbreak in Beijing was linked to salmon has resulted in China stopping imports of the fish from Europe.
‘Congee boiling in a pot’: the volcano in China they thought was extinct
June 17, 2020 12:35 - 3 minutes - 5.17 MBUnusual volcanic activity suggests there are two huge magma chambers under Wei Mountain in northeastern China, researchers say. It has not erupted for more than 500,000 years, but the surprise findings show the area is still active.
China and India blame each other for first deadly clash in decades
June 17, 2020 12:35 - 3 minutes - 4.18 MBChina and India have blamed each other for a deadly border clash between their soldiers but said they want to peacefully resolve tensions.
China Trends: a school girl’s death and China’s salmon scare
June 16, 2020 05:40 - 3 minutes - 4.11 MBChinese parents call for a thorough investigation after a fifth-grader jumped to death in school. And a new coronavirus outbreak in Beijing has caused a nationwide salmon scare.
The rise and rise of China’s national language
June 16, 2020 05:40 - 6 minutes - 7.96 MBThere are more native speakers of Mandarin than any other language. But the language’s rising prevalence has come at a cost.
TikTok knows how to open users’ wallets
June 16, 2020 05:40 - 2 minutes - 2.75 MBA short-video phenomenon has turned TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, into China’s most valuable startup.
Lockdowns return to Beijing after coronavirus outbreak at food market
June 15, 2020 11:33 - 4 minutes - 5.85 MBA “wartime” alert has been raised in the district around a wholesale market linked to Beijing’s first cases in weeks. Residential compounds were placed in lockdown, while restaurants stopped serving salmon after the virus was found on cutting boards.
Navigating her heritage, woman finds racism in both America and China
June 15, 2020 11:33 - 4 minutes - 6.37 MBBorn to an African-American father and Chinese mother, Jesse Bowens-Xu finds herself dismayed with the racism that is prevalent in both China and the US.
Coronavirus might change how Chinese families eat together
June 15, 2020 11:33 - 3 minutes - 4.43 MBUsing chopsticks to both serve and eat is an important part of Chinese culture, but the Covid-19 pandemic may be changing that.
‘I will never go back’: the Hong Kong protesters hiding in Taiwan
June 12, 2020 12:00 - 5 minutes - 6.87 MBJack Chan fled Hong Kong when he learned police were looking for him over an offense during anti-government protests in the city. He found a sympathetic haven in Taiwan, where a few dozen protesters remain.
EU parliament considers suing China over Hong Kong
June 12, 2020 12:00 - 3 minutes - 4.55 MBA draft lawsuit accuses China of violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It would be a politically sensitive move and would likely receive strong pushback from Beijing.
Takeout troubles for Chinese food delivery apps
June 12, 2020 12:00 - 4 minutes - 5.82 MBFood delivery apps are extremely popular in China. But onerous commission fees are resulting in pushback from restaurateurs.
How China engineers an alternative internet for its people
June 11, 2020 10:17 - 5 minutes - 6.62 MBBeijing has built a sophisticated model of internet control. Other governments could replicate it.
China Trends: a shortcut to Chinese universities and a viral coffee ad
June 11, 2020 10:17 - 3 minutes - 4.05 MBInternet users debate whether foreign citizens should be allowed into China’s elite universities without taking a grueling national college entrance exam. And an animated video lightens the mood among social media users in Hong Kong and beyond.
Widow of executed hawker awaits the return of China’s street vendors
June 10, 2020 12:21 - 8 minutes - 10.2 MBA government push to bring hawkers back to the streets has reminded people of the rocky history of urban management in China.
Chinese dog meat feast going strong despite pressure to end trade
June 10, 2020 12:21 - 2 minutes - 3.44 MBDespite bans on eating dogs in some cities and a national reclassification of the species as pets, canine consumption in the southern Chinese city of Yulin is business as usual this summer.
China’s rich are worried about the future of Hong Kong
June 10, 2020 12:21 - 6 minutes - 7.6 MBWealthy Chinese may publicly endorse Beijing’s move to impose a national security law in Hong Kong, but there are worries behind the scenes that their investments may be at risk.
How China controls 1.4 billion people’s movement within its borders
June 09, 2020 02:38 - 4 minutes - 5.87 MBChina’s household registration system divides citizens into two categories, rural or urban residents. The arrangement is intended to manage the flow of migrants in the country, but it also causes social tensions.
Coronavirus turns Germans more critical of the US than China
June 09, 2020 02:37 - 2 minutes - 2.9 MBThe US response to the coronavirus is a turnoff for many Germans, according to a recent poll. While many people in the EU’s largest economy are critical of China’s handling of the pandemic, they consider China a partner that is as important as the US.
China Trends: a ban on imported garbage and an air conditioning controversy
June 09, 2020 02:37 - 3 minutes - 4.15 MBThe big topics on the Chinese internet are the country’s decision to ban trash imports and a debate over air conditioning – and education inequality.
China’s coronavirus censorship at home comes at a global cost
June 08, 2020 10:24 - 9 minutes - 11.2 MBRoutine internet censorship may have slowed the initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has huge consequences for the rest of the world.
Taiwan opposition leader suffers another rebuff
June 08, 2020 10:24 - 4 minutes - 5.59 MBHan Kuo-yu, the defeated contender in this year’s presidential vote and reportedly Beijing’s preferred candidate, has now been ousted from his role as mayor of a southern city.
Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil goes ahead, with a new generation galvanized
June 05, 2020 11:21 - 5 minutes - 6.56 MBCommemoration in Hong Kong of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown took on extra meaning this year after months of unrest and with fears over a new national security law.
A stench of disapproval, but Hong Kong passes national anthem law
June 05, 2020 11:21 - 3 minutes - 4.22 MBInsulting the Chinese national anthem will come with the risk of a jail term in Hong Kong after the city’s Legislative Council outlawed it on Thursday – but not before opposition politicians made a final attempt at resisting, by throwing foul-smelling liquid.
China’s capital wants to punish people for ‘defaming’ traditional Chinese medicine
June 05, 2020 11:21 - 3 minutes - 4.13 MBA proposed ban on “denigrating” traditional Chinese medicine has prompted a backlash on China’s internet.
Online shopping is exploding in China
June 04, 2020 02:11 - 2 minutes - 2.52 MBChina has more than twice as many online shoppers as the entire population of the US.
China Trends: death of a coronavirus doctor and a Chinese official’s tweets
June 04, 2020 02:11 - 3 minutes - 4.48 MBA Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman’s tweets about George Floyd’s death and the sudden death of a doctor who treated coronavirus patients have captured Chinese social media’s attention.
How Hong Kong keeps memories of Tiananmen crackdown alive
June 04, 2020 02:11 - 5 minutes - 6.9 MBThousands of people, sometimes more, meet in Hong Kong every year to honor the memory of the crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Beijing.
Tiananmen vigil has been banned, but Hongkongers aim to keep the flame alive
June 03, 2020 11:14 - 6 minutes - 7.64 MBPolice cancel the city’s annual June 4 event to remember Beijing’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, but organizers insist they will mark the date. It comes as Beijing imposes a controversial security law on Hong Kong.
Boris Johnson vows visa overhaul to accommodate 3 million Hongkongers
June 03, 2020 11:14 - 4 minutes - 5.52 MBBritain’s prime minister promised to create a path to citizenship for about 3 million eligible Hongkongers if Beijing moves forward with a national security law that some of the city’s 7.5 million residents fear could undermine political freedom.
Beijing wants to turn the ‘Chinese Hawaii’ into a trade hub to rival Hong Kong
June 03, 2020 11:14 - 4 minutes - 5.25 MBAs China braces for a possible economic decoupling from the United States, it has revealed plans to turn its southern island of Hainan into a “free trade port” similar to Hong Kong, cutting taxes and red tape, and encouraging duty-free shopping.
The constitutional document that defines Hong Kong
June 01, 2020 12:01 - 6 minutes - 7.64 MBA former British colony, Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 as a special administrative region to be governed according to a set of principles that distinguish it from the rest of China. How those principles translate into practice continues to shape the future of the Asian financial center.
Could Asian anti-vaxers harm coronavirus fight?
June 01, 2020 10:54 - 6 minutes - 8.38 MBThe belief that vaccines are unsafe is often seen as a Western problem, but health workers say it's a growing concern in Asia too.
A teacher came out as gay in China, and paid a price
June 01, 2020 10:54 - 7 minutes - 8.52 MBCui Le, a teacher, came out to support a gay student going through struggles in China. Then the school began investigating him.
Hongkongers look for a way out after Beijing announces security law
June 01, 2020 10:54 - 4 minutes - 5.73 MBEmigration consultants have seen a spike in interest after the Chinese government announced plans for a national security law that critics fear would curtail political freedom.
China Trends: a lesbian wedding and the comeback of street vendors
June 01, 2020 10:18 - 2 minutes - 3.13 MBA wedding between two women and the authorities’ move to bring back hawkers have captured Chinese social media’s attention.
Digital gap between China’s cities and the countryside is shrinking
June 01, 2020 10:18 - 1 minute - 2.59 MBYoung people who live in China’s countryside are catching up with urbanites in terms of using the internet.
How Hong Kong became stuck between a rock and a hard place
May 29, 2020 12:01 - 7 minutes - 9.38 MBHong Kong has become a pawn in the geopolitical confrontation between the US and China. Two pieces of legislation are pulling the city in opposite directions.
Covid-19: China must not be complacent, top expert says
May 29, 2020 12:01 - 4 minutes - 5.93 MBStrict measures imposed during the initial outbreak in China – such as quarantines and contact tracing – should prevent a repeat, says the country’s leading adviser. But he recommends large-scale sample tests to be certain.
Britain may give residency to Hongkongers over national security law
May 29, 2020 12:01 - 4 minutes - 5.92 MBHolders of British National (Overseas) passports, issued to 300,000 people before Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony, could be given greater residency rights if China enacts a national security law in the city.
US no longer deems Hong Kong autonomous. Here’s what to expect
May 28, 2020 10:39 - 3 minutes - 4.53 MBThe White House must consider how to respond after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that “no reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China.”
Hong Kong scrambles after US says city ‘no longer autonomous’
May 28, 2020 10:39 - 4 minutes - 5.6 MBThe Hong Kong business community is scrambling to figure out how to adapt to the Trump administration’s potential retaliation to China’s planned national security legislation for the city.
Huawei executive one step closer to extradition to US
May 28, 2020 10:39 - 3 minutes - 3.83 MBA Canadian court cleared a major hurdle for the extradition of a Chinese tech executive to the United States, in a case that has thrown China’s relations with Canada and the US into turmoil.
Trump hints at action on China over Hong Kong security law
May 27, 2020 12:06 - 2 minutes - 3.21 MBThe US president said he may act this week against China after Beijing moved to impose a national security law on Hong Kong.
Xi tells military to step up preparations for armed conflict
May 27, 2020 12:06 - 3 minutes - 3.66 MBChinese President Xi Jinping told the military it needs to be more prepared for armed confrontation.
Chinese bat scientist says known viruses ‘just tip of the iceberg’
May 27, 2020 12:06 - 3 minutes - 4.31 MBWe work to protect humanity not endanger it, says bat specialist at lab in Wuhan where the virus was identified in February. Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo have suggested that the lab was in fact the origin of the pandemic.
China looks inwards as it plans for economic ‘worst-case scenario’
May 26, 2020 11:33 - 3 minutes - 4.67 MBThe country’s leader wants to pivot away from the export-driven model to focus on developing the domestic hi-tech sector and consumer markets. Some analysts say it could be in preparation for decoupling from the US and even the world at large.
Inch perfect: the team trying to fix Everest’s exact height
May 26, 2020 11:33 - 2 minutes - 3.45 MBA Chinese surveying expedition hopes to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain this week. If all goes to plan, their efforts could help settle a disagreement about its exact height.