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It’s truly amazing how the internet changes from time to time.  One day there is tons of information out there and many ways to get it, then the next day it’s gone.  But the next day there are 3 other sources to get information from.   Podcasts are the same way.  Easy come easy go.  But there are a few podcasts out there that we wanted to highlight because they are informative and fun to listen to.  If you are interested in what is going on in China and the regular media isn’t enough, than this list is for you.

Definition: China Podcasts in English - mp3s that are downloadable via iTunes, the subject and topic are relating to China or Chinese but the main language of the host(s) is English with occasional Chinese words spoken with close to proper pronunciation.

Our list is in NO particular order:

1.  Sinica Podcast - Relatively new, this is an awesome and informative podcast about all things political and “taboo” in China.  They are hosted by Popup Chinese, a Chinese learning podcast company, and they offer great insights from Forbes, public relation experience, failed music endeavors and journalists.  They are long, about 30 minutes or so, but quick paced and changing the topics keeps your interest.  There are also varied English accents from Britain, America, Asian and South African.  Their pronunciation of Chinese names and words are top notch and are not laughable as some of the media out there.

2.  China Business Podcasts - Kent Kedl from Technomic Asia hasn’t posted in a while but each of his podcasts are as good as his old articles in City Weekend that I used to read in Shanghai.  His focus is doing business in China for Western companies and some of his more business related shows can be slow.  But every once in a while he goes into the topic of cultural differences and leaves you laughing.

3.  ChengDu Living Podcast - Another relative new comer to the China Podcast world but not a new comer to life in China.  Sascha, Eli and Charlie are the three hosts who bring a very unique perspective from the Sichuan province.  They use the relative freedom of podcasting to use the explicit label but over all it seems like they had fun.  We look forward to more unique Sichuan and southwestern China stories from this trio.

4.  China Talking Points Podcast- I have to be honest, while researching this post I found out about this podcast but I was impressed from the get go.  Eric and Michael both came to China in the 1980s and have pretty much stayed since.  Eric has media experience and Michael has the business experience.  Together they will give you great insight into life, business and the great change that is still happening in China.

5.  M and Mx Radio – News about China – I had to include our own!  We started a couple months ago when our Shanghainese podcast had reached over 50 shows.  We strive to be apolitical and bring you stories that are of more human interest.  Anything out there that is about China and strikes our interest we’ll put it up on our show.  Quick and simple, only 5-8 minutes, M and Mx Radio is a great way to get up to date on what’s going on in China.

6.  American Chamber of Commerce/China Podcast - This one is not updated so regularly but recently they had a couple good shows.  The interviews are via phone and not really so clear but ultimately the show is interesting.  They had a show about Danwei and also we used a clip from their interview on Peter Hessler.

7.  China Watch from The Street - For those interested in China business and the intricacies of stocks and business success and failures, this show is for you.  They seem to put a couple interviews together with the constant filler music dividing each interview. Quick and simple and informative for those interested in the insides of business in China.

8.  Urbanatomy China Podcast - Explicit and outrageous, these guys are part of THAT’S SHANGHAI magazine and record in the ChinesePod recording studio if it’s open.  They report about stuff going on in Shanghai and highlight articles that are in their magazine.  If you like the magazine you’ll enjoy this eclectic podcast.  Their pronunciation in English is also varied but their pronunciation of Chinese might not be perfect.

Can you think of anymore?  Which one is your favorite?

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Shownotes and Links:

Clip from Charles Krauthammer on Bill O’Reily’s Show

Countdown with Keith Olberman on MSNBC May 25th show on his ODDBALL segment

Daily Show with Ian Bremmer from the May 13th show and Mr. Bremer’s new book about the Free Market

The Rodger Hedgecock Show and his May 7th show.

The closing music is from Ralph Litwin and the Band with a Thousand Names and the song “Good Luck Bad Luck”

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Story inspired and facts gleaned from Go Chengdoo.com

Original Article written by Magnus of MandMx.com

Earthquakes.  They’re tragic.  Disruptive.  But rarely if ever happen twice to the same person.  This is a story of choice.  Fate.  Tragedy.  Coincidence?  And the internet in China.

In the last 2 years China had 2 major earthquakes.  One was a 8 magnitude earthquake on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan Province.  The epicenter was in a small mountain town of Wenchuan 汶川 Wènchuān, Sichuan Province in Southwest China and the death toll reached 68,000; the 21st most deadly earthquake on record.  The second was about 1,000 kilometers away on April 14, 2010 centered in Qinghai Province in the town of Yushu 玉树 yùshù.  That one was a 7 magnitude earthquake that killed over 2,000 and counting.  Remember that place: Yushu 玉树 yùshù.

Two earthquakes that for all we know had nothing to do with each other.  One in Wenchuan and the other in Yushu 玉树 yùshù.  And a family, that we meet in 2008 in Sichuan Province, May 11, 2008.  The husband and wife set up a business repairing cell phones in a town of Beichuan 北川 běichuān.  Business was ok.  But on the afternoon of May 12, 2008, their shop was completely flattened by the earthquake.  The local and provincial government promised to compensate them for their loss but it was slow coming.  If they wanted to restart their business it would take a substantial loan.  A friend of theirs suggested starting somewhere else.  Perhaps a different province.  Perhaps far away.  A new beginning and a fresh start would put this massive loss and tragedy behind them.

The wife decided to post a question up on Baidu Zhidao which is a question and answer site in China for anyone curious about anything.  She asked about government compensation and her moving plans.  The post resulted in a few answers but nothing of note or interest to anyone else.

So did the couple decide to go to the big city?  Too expensive.  How about a close-by provincial capital like Chengdu, Sichuan? or Xining, Qinghai?  No, probably enough cell phone repair places there already.  The couple decided to take their friend’s advice and go to a mid size city in Qinghai province.  The idea of leaving the heartache behind was nice.  The idea of starting all over again was exhilarating.  No suppression could keep them down.  No heartache could take them out.  No earthquake could shake their confidence and their desire to run a business and provide for their family.

So they decided to move to Yushu 玉树 yùshù, Qinghai province and set up shop there.  The town wasn’t much different.  Lots of people needed their cell phones repaired.  As a matter of fact business was so good that they expanded into women’s clothes.  April 13, 2010 was just a normal day.  Husband and wife probably went to bed that night thinking of new products for their clothing store.  Perhaps that night they woke up in a cold sweat still thinking about the shaking walls and floors that fateful day in May two years prior.  The next morning at 7:45AM both were probably already at their store.  The baozi were still hot from the street vendor.  At 7:49AM the earthquake struck.  Their business was flattened.  Again.

Netizens sprang into action and searching and scouring the web for information about Yushu 玉树 yùshù and the earthquake.  One innocuous post from 2009 on Baidu Zhidao came up repeatedly because it contained the word “earthquake” and where the woman and her family moved: Yushu 玉树 yùshù.  Netizens quickly reposted the question where all could see the tragedy unfolding.  Here was a family who had already suffered from the Sichuan earthquake, could they really be in Yushu 玉树 yùshù?  What tragic coincidence!  The netizens dubbed her “tragic sister” and in 24 hours there were more than 100,000 views of her post and 1,000 plus comments wishing them well and with hopes that she will post again.  About a week after the earthquake she was able to read all the well wishing on the web and it moved her to tears.

Some wanted to donate money to her and some people set up a store to sell things and donate them to the family but they refused all help and just wanted to go back to Sichuan Province.  Some on the web jokingly wondered where they would go next to set up a business and if their bad luck would follow them there too.

Earthquakes are tragic and disruptive.  But now you know that they can happen to the same person twice.  Fate moved them from Beichuan 北川 běichuān to Yushu 玉树 yùshù.  Tragedy, coincidentally struck them twice.  And thanks for the internet for without it we wouldn’t know the story.

News Clip One

News Clip Two

Bach: Cello Suite #1 In G, BWV 1007 – Praeludium

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Shownotes and Links:

One China Myth post on China Law Blog

China Digital Times writes about Social Networking in China

CHINA GEEKS: Post about Wu Tang Clan and the Soft Power.

The street fight sound was from the street gun battle scene from HEAT.

Clip from CNN about iPads in Shenzhen China

Robin Li of Baidu speaks about their lack of a business model.

Wu Tang Clan song clip from their song CREAM.

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Shownotes and Links:

News report about Chinese government in the California Public school

Clip from the A-Team.

Forbes article by Gady Epstein.

Wen Jia Bao speaking

Black and White cat about microblogging leaders.

Song: James Taylor’s “Up Er Mei” from the album Hourglass

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Shownotes and Links:

Clip from Mark Levin Show June 22, 2010 3rd hour.

Forbes Article “Why China Isn’t in the World Cup?”

Vuvuzela sounds… ugh.

Wall Street Journal article “World Cup Making Many Chinese Ill”

Clip from South African news report about the Vuvuzela.

What do you think she is thinking??

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Shownotes and Links:

UK Daily Mail

Inside the Chinese Suicide sweatshop where workers toil in 34 hour shifts to make your iPod.

He spent 21 million Pounds on a penthouse but turns the lights off to save money: Inside the amazing world of secret billionaire Terry Gou

What do you think about this whole situation!?  Leave your comments below!

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Shownotes and Links:

Smashing stuff in Shenyang from Shanghaiist.com

Clip from the trailer of “Dead Man Walking”

Chongqing Government Official Executed from Danwei.org

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO:

Panda Accidentally sits on her cub story from LA Times

Sounds of smashing stuff from Youtube’s RanDumb Productions

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Shownotes and Links:

Usher sings in Beijing with Wang Lee Hom news from MTV

Article from CNN Go about the concert with a video

From the City Weekend website there’s a picture of Wang Lee Hom’s pants that look like garbage bags!

Audio of Usher from the YouTube page of ITN

Dylan Ratigan from MSNBC and his rant about the American people and Chinese.

Our show about FOXCONN, Terry Gou and the 800,000 employees.

A couple of tweets that already used #pigu with:

1.  @UsherRaymondIV and @LeeHomOfficial will sing a duet in Beijing. http://ht.ly/29KGq Wang Lee Hom 王力宏 will kick Usher’s 屁股 #pigu in #Chinese.

2.  “The biggest sin is sitting on your 屁股 pigu!” -Rose F. Kennedy, mother of JFK. #pigu

3.  “Golf requires goofy pants and a fat 屁股 pigu.” -Adam Sandler from Happy Gilmore #pigu

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Shownotes and Links:

AOL News about the UFO along with the video!

Confused Laowai and their post “How long does it take to Learn Chinese?”

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Quote from Adam Sandler’s HAPPY GILMORE “If I wore clothes like that I’d have to kick my own #pigu!”