The Chengdu Living Podcast

In these podcasts we discuss issues of the day in Chengdu, many of which relate to expats all across the nation. Each episode is under an hour and can be downloaded or streamed from Chengdu Living, or subscribed to in iTunes or your favorite podcast player (we love Overcast on iPhone). Each of the links below goes to the podcast post page, which has download and stream links for each episode as well as the show notes.

  • Episode #32: Health & Fitness in Chengdu: Joined by Andrew, local competitive powerlifter and Brazilian jiu jitsu purple belt, we discuss development of the fitness lifestyle in Chengdu, and how to be healthy in a Chinese megacity.
  • Episode #31: Kickstarting Augmented Reality: Shin, startup founder, software developer, and game enthusiast, joins for a discussion about his latest crowdfunding campaign: an augmented reality game.
  • Episode #30: Motorcycling in Chengdu and Across China: The creator of Chengdu’s most notorious motorcycle group joins for a discussion about getting around Chengdu and going across China on two wheels.
  • Episode #29: Mastering Chinese, Part 2: The second of two conversations with the creators of Chengdu-based Mandarin Blueprint, on how to achieve mastery in Chinese.
  • Episode #28: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Chengdu: Joined by two committed practitioners, including the most notable black belt in Chengdu, we discuss development of the martial art in Chengdu and the formation of Chengdu BJJ.
  • Episode #27: One Month in Chinese Jail: American expat Doug just got out of the Chinese jail where he spent the last month. Full account of the circumstances of his incarceration and what his experience in jail was like.
  • Episode #26: Mastering Chinese: Learn how Phil (before starting Mandarin Blueprint) achieved Chinese language mastery in just two years, to pass the HSK 6.
  • Episode #25: Moving Money Out of China & Bitcoin: Joined by two guests, we discuss how to effectively repatriate money you’ve earned in China.
  • Episode #24: Sichuan Food in Chengdu: Recorded with Jordan Porter, the Canadian founder of local culinary tour company Chengdu Food Tours.
  • Episode #23: Why Expat Businesses Fail: This episode, recorded with proprietors of Johnny 5 Donuts and Dave’s Oasis, reveal what’s behind expat businesses in Chengdu which flourish and flounder.
  • Episode #22: Co-working & Entrepreneurship: Recorded with Mike, founder of Walnut co-working space, we talk about establishing and managing a business in Chengdu as an expat.
  • Episode #21: Game Design in China: In this episode of the podcast, we speak with the director of Breda University’s Game Architecture and Design school about China’s game emergent industry.
  • Episode #20: Bicycle Share Programs: In this episode we are joined again by Chengdu bicycle entrepreneurs Larry and Jacob of Natooke to break down one of Chengdu’s most noticeable urban trends: shared bikes.
  • Episode #19: Chengdu’s Underground Music Scene: We speak with documentarians who recently released a video about Chengdu’s music scene entitled Chengdu Underground Vibes. Video included with the podcast.
  • Episode #18: Soccer in Chengdu: We sit down with veteran Chengdu expat Andy McAuley who has, along with several other foreigners, created an influential football league and athletic training company in the city.
  • Episode #17: Viral Videos & Social Media in China: After a string of viral videos from the Uniqlo sex tape to the Tianjin explosion, we talk about social media and how it spreads in China.
  • Episode #16: Iron Pig in Tongzilin: Our favorite new restaurant has finally opened up a storefront in Tongzilin after kicking off business in Flower Town. We talk barbecue and business with the founder of Chengdu’s one and only authentic smoke barbecue restaurant, the Iron Pig.
  • Episode #15: Natooke and Bicycling in Chengdu: There’s no one better to speak on the topic of cycling than the proprietors of the Natooke bicycle shop, which makes machines of remarkable quality right here in Chengdu.
  • Episode #14: Summertime in Chengdu: Our favorite time of year is filled with things like bicycles and ice cream. But there’s much more to summertime in Chengdu, which we discuss in this podcast.
  • Episode #13: Mixed Martial Arts in China: China-based mixed martial artist Vaughn “Blud” Anderson came to the Chengdu Living studio to talk about his history living, fighting, and promoting MMA in China.
  • Episode #12: Inside the Sinostage Dance Studio: Eli tells the story of co-founding the Sinostage dance studio in Chengdu with his wife. Also discussed: Sinostage’s Arena Dance Battle, featuring dance teams from all across China.
  • Episode #11: Aquaculture & Aquafude: We sat down with the founders of an aquaculture startup in Chengdu called Aquafude to talk about eating healthy and entrepreneurship in Chengdu.
  • Episode #10: Johnny 5 Donuts: We talk to Johnny about his donut business, the life he left in America, transitioning to life in Chengdu, and his aspirations in China that go way beyond just pastries.
  • Episode #9: Endangered Languages: We sit down with John Van Way, a University of Hawaii PhD candidate, to talk about documenting the endangered Sichuan-native Nyarong Minyag language.
  • Episode #8: White Monkey Work:  In this episode of the podcast we discuss White Monkey work: a colloquial term which encompasses all the odd-jobs that we’re qualified to do simply by virtue of being foreigners.
  • Episode #7: What’s New in the ‘Du? For our first podcast back after Spring Festival, we talk about notable bits of news, soccer in Chengdu, a Reddit post about Chinese soft power efforts, and a couple of interesting posts on the Chengdu Living forums.
  • Episode #6: Inside Mike’s Pizza Kitchen: In this episode we go inside Chengdu’s most beloved expat eatery, Mike’s Pizza Kitchen in the Tongzilin neighborhood, and speak to its notorious proprietor Mike. Learn about how Mike built his business from an at-home delivery operation into a local favorite, how he makes his pizza, and his history with Elvis.
  • Episode #5: Love and Dating in China: How does dating work in China, and what makes relationships here different from in our home countries? We discuss these questions and many more with our good friend and nationally-televised dating show contestant Lana, an American woman who’s been in Chengdu for three years.
  • Episode #4: All About Learning Chinese: In this episode we compare and contrast our successes and failures in learning Mandarin and share our favorite tools for acquiring proficiency in Chinese. From formal training programs to university study and self-study, we discuss all of our combined 25 years of learning Chinese.
  • Episode #3: Pollution, “Real Life in China” and Uber: In this episode we discuss recent topics relevant to Chengdu: seasonal pollution, a recently popular post on Reddit about real life in China, and controversy surrounding the emergence and subsequent crackdown on Uber in China.
  • Episode #2: Nationality, China’s Music Festivals and Bicycle Thieves: How does having a child in China work? Sascha shares his story of having two children in China and acquiring American citizenship for them both, as well as recent controversy surrounding the Big Love music festival in Chengdu. Lastly we discuss bicycle thieves in Chengdu, share our stories of bike love and loss, and impart tips on how to prevent your bicycle from being stolen.
  • Episode #1: Cancer Oil, Chengdu’s Spy Network and Water Contamination: So called Cancer Oil has been a major recent controversy in Chengdu, which we explain and break down in this episode. Chengdu’s alleged spy network and contamination of local water sources are also recent events which we discuss on this, our first episode of the Chengdu Living Podcast.

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