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Hello, I’m Oscar. In this trailer, I introduce the new features of Season 2 of the Mosaic of China podcast, including the PREMIUM version of the show that is now available on Patreon (https://patreon.com/mosaicofchina), and the new transcripts of the show (https://mosaicofchina.com/transcripts). The transcripts have been designed for anyone whose first language isn’t English, or for listeners with hearing impairments, or for any English speakers who want to follow the words that are spoken in Chinese on the show. The PREMIUM version of the show will include an average of 10-20 minutes of extra content for every episode, accumulating to up to 10 hours of extra content over the course of the entire season. This is what I came up with to keep the show free from advertising, while at the same time create a way to accept donations towards the cost of putting this all together. So if you have anything to spare, and you want to help fund this independent project as an early Christmas present, please head over to https://patreon.com/mosaicofchina, and you can look forward to getting some great extra content too. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

If you were asked to name your favourite phrase in Chinese, would you choose something you hear every day in China like 差不多, 哎哟, and 没有? Or would you choose something deeper which reveals layers of meaning like 一山不容二虎, 养儿防老 and 而遇而不可求? In today's final compilation episode from Season 1, the guests discuss their favourite words and phrases in Chinese. So get ready to make notes in case you want steal any of them for yourself! See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

In today’s penultimate compilation episode from Season 1, we’re talking about the favourite places people like to frequent in China. And since this first season has focused on resident of Shanghai, the resulting answers are a love letter to all the restaurants, bars and cafés of this vibrant world-class city.  Whether you’re looking for recommendations of street food, high-end restaurants, bars, clubs, coffeeshops, malls or even supermarkets, you should find some inspiration from today’s episode. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

The Mosaic of China podcast has been designed to have visual elements that can be enjoyed alongside its audio episodes. Today’s show is the biggest test of that theory, since it’s a compilation from Season 1 of the guests’ answers to the question: “What’s your favourite WeChat sticker?”. In the same week that Donald Trump has threatened to ban WeChat from the United States, we take a look at one of the most popular features of the app that’s ubiquitous in China: the sticker function. And as you’re listening to the episode, ask yourself what your favourite WeChat sticker would be, and what that choice would say about you. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

This episode will touch a nerve with a lot of people. It’s a compilation of the things that the guests from Season 1 would miss the most and miss the least if they were to leave China. It was designed as a hypothetical question, but has now become a sad reality for those who left China temporarily during the pandemic but now, six months later, still have no way of returning. It is also the one question that elicits answers that might include some of the nuisances and frustrations that you pick up on in everyday life, allowing the guests the opportunity to vent a little. But I wonder now, if we were all forced to leave China, would the things that we thought we would miss the least, actually become the things about which we reminisce the most? See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

The topic of where we get our information has been in centre stage across the world, as societies debate the ideals of press freedom versus the dangers of fake news. So when I asked the 30 guests from Season 1 of the podcast about their favourite sources of information in China, I had no idea what kind of answers I would receive. The picture that emerged is an array of news and information sources, some of them official, others personal; some of them industry-specific, and others in the form of social media aggregators. And we see that, notwithstanding the very specific media landscape we experience in China, there are plenty of great information resources to discover. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina) or WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

Today marks the halfway point of these ten special compilation episodes that showcase the guests from Season 1 of the show, and I hope you've been persuaded to go back and take a listen to some of the original episodes you may have missed before. If not, let me try yet again to convince you: the theme of today's episode is the best and worst purchases that have been made in China. In a way, this episode is a window into China's shopping culture, and specifically it's unique e-commerce ecosystem. But actually it's more for just being nosy about what stuff people have got. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

If you're an annoying person like me, you will love to share little pieces of trivia to unsuspecting listeners. You will think it makes you look clever to those around you, and you will accept their polite silent nods as proof of your awe-inspiring worldliness, oblivious to the reality of your unending tediousness. If any of that sounds familiar to you, then you will love today's special compilation episode from Season 1. Today we listen to how all the guests from the season answered the question: "What is your favourite China-related fact?". We cover everything from traditions to timezones, from diversity to durians, and from railways to rural migrant workers. So let's hear from you: what is your favourite China-related fact or piece of trivia? Please contribute to the communities on WeChat, Instagram and Facebook. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

If there's one thing on which almost everyone can agree, it's on China's capacity to surprise. No matter whether you're a China outsider or someone who's been living here for decades, there will always be something to make you stop in your tracks. And this is just as much the case for Chinese people as it is for non-Chinese. Today's special compilation episode from Season 1of the podcast is an anthology of all the things that still surprise the guests about life in China. And listening to these answers together can remind us to keep that attitude of wonder in our lives. So what would be the thing that surprises *you* the most about life in China? Please contribute to the communities on WeChat, Instagram and Facebook. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

Today's compilation episode is all about the podcast guests’ favourite songs to sing at KTV, the Chinese version of karaoke. Out of all the questions asked on Mosaic of China, this one elicited the biggest array of emotions: joy, pride, embarrassment and… sheer terror. There’s a reason why karaoke is so popular in China and other East Asian societies with a Confucian heritage: it’s an important catalyst for group social harmony. Unfortunately that doesn’t always guarantee group *vocal* harmony. But since no-one really cares about that… what would be *your* go-to song to sing at karaoke? Please contribute to the communities on WeChat, Instagram and Facebook. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

In the first of 10 compilation episodes from Season 1, we listen to the guests's answers to the question: "What is your favourite travel destination within Mainland China". The answers range from cities with historical cities to the Gobi desert; from the mountains of Tibet to the lakes of Hangzhou and Nanjing; and from the beaches of Sanya to the Alpine scenery of northern Sichuan. So my question for you today is... where would be *your* favourite travel destination within mainland China? See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat) or Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/p/1005057279743869/wenzhang).

For this special end of season wrap-up episode, I asked my friend and fellow podcaster Josh Ogden-Davis to join me for a chat. We talk about things like interview techniques, the editing process, and some of the show’s influences. But the main reason for recording this episode was to announce what’s coming next. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

The final episode of the season is with the fashion designer Octo Cheung, who epitomises the phrase “East Meets West”. Raised in Hong Kong, trained in Europe, and employed in China, Octo explains how her own cultural development has helped to inform her personal philosophy and design aesthetic. You will find her observations fascinating, no matter how much you care about fashion or clothing. The most intriguing part of Octo’s story is the mystery behind her ultra high-profile private client. Did we leave enough clues for you to guess who it is? See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

We’re almost at the end of Season 1, so I’m very happy to squeeze in an episode with a scientist before the end of the series. Sanford Browne has a background in biochemistry and, at the time of recording, was the VP of Research and Innovation at L'Oréal China. He has since been promoted to the SVP position covering all of Asia Pacific and has also moved to Tokyo, so we were lucky to catch him while we could. From a scientific perspective, our discussion ranges from the cuticle angles of hair to the affects of urbanisation on skin. But the most fascinating parts of our chat are when Sanford links his knowledge of science to his knowledge of the Chinese consumer, and reveals how these two factors together are influencing the world of beauty research and innovation globally. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

My guest today is Lissanthea Taylor, who specialises in rehabilitation and pain management. We have a fascinating conversation about the different ways in which China and the West handle the natural ageing process, short-term and persistent pain, and overall mental wellbeing. And beyond that, we make the distinction between how the brain handles pain versus danger, and how medical practitioners exercise ‘receptivity’ over ‘empathy’. Recorded many weeks ago, this episode also gives us many prescient insights into what we’re all experiencing today during the global pandemic crisis. We discuss how our brains are wired to go into a protective state when faced with a negative stimulus, and also observe how patients in China have had many years of experience in accepting enforced periods of rest and isolation. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

Spending over a decade being a Tour Manager in China for international bands has taken this week's guest, Abe Deyo, to many destinations. In our discussion, we talk about some of his favourites, as well as his experiences on tour and his opinions on music tastes in the Chinese indie scene. I tried to elicit some nefarious stories of the rock and role lifestyle out of Abe, but I promise that our chat remained family friendly. Well.. for the most part. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

As Programme Director of China's first and only theatre complex specifically dedicated to dance, Sabrina Chen knows a thing or two about reading the China arts scene. In our chat, she compares the audiences in Shanghai to those of other cities in China and around the world.  To many people (your host included) contemporary dance can at first seem like an esoteric and abstract art form, which can only appeal to a small group of expert connoisseurs. But Sabrina helps to dispel this idea, and her passion is, for want of a better word, contagious.  See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

International diplomacy can deal with matters of global consequence such as trade and the environment. It can deal with the deeply personal aspects of helping nationals in distress overseas. And it can also deal with the mundane drudgery of working in a large bureaucracy. In my conversation with Tom Barker, the New Zealand Deputy Consul-General in Shanghai, we cover all of these aspects in our short time together.  I couldn’t possibly talk to a diplomat from New Zealand without bringing up the character Murray Hewitt from the HBO Series “Flight of the Conchords”. So if you’ve never heard of this TV series, then I would highly recommend watching an episode or two after listening to this podcast. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

We all take translation and translators for granted these days. There are now apps on your phone that can translate inputted text, can magically convert text within photos, and can even simultaneously translate audio as you’re speaking. But once you listen to Gigi Chang talk about the philosophy behind her work translating literary texts, you’ll know that there can be no substitute to the human touch. If you’ve worked in any kind of international arena, you will have had some experience in having work translated, be it for marketing slogans, short texts, or longer pieces. So I hope that listening to this episode will give you a broader appreciation of the process behind it. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).

Greg Nance’s business is in China, but his story will resonate with anyone around the world who is addicted to their life pursuits. For Greg, his addictions include ultramarathon racing, and his education business. If you’re a cynic, you’ll immediately be turned off by the idea of listening to someone as positive and accomplished as Greg. And about 5 minutes into our conversation, we talk about this directly. What ensues is an interview that was highly personal and highly unexpected. If you are inspired by co-founders, endurance athletes and motivational speakers, you will love this episode. And if you absolutely loathe co-founders, endurance athletes and motivational speakers, you will love this episode too, I promise. See the visuals and join the community on Instagram (https://instagram.com/mosaicofchina), Facebook (https://facebook.com/mosaicofchina), and WeChat (https://mosaicofchina.com/wechat).