Footprints

Horses have long been a powerful and enduring motif in artistic expression across cultures and centuries. In the modern history of Chinese art, Xu Beihong stands as the most iconic master of horse painting. By seamlessly blending traditional Chinese brushwork with Western artistic techniques, his galloping horses came to embody freedom, resilience, and an indomitable fighting spirit. In this podcast, we take a closer look at Xu Beihong and his celebrated horse paintings.

In the plains of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's Junggar Basin, a lost species gallops home. Once extinct in the wild, Przewalski's horses now reclaim the steppe, their wild hearts beating free. Decades of quiet dedication, tireless care, and unwavering hope have made this return possible.

In this episode, the hooves are replaced by horse-hair: the Morin Khuur speaks, sighs and gallops in the hands of the soloist Morin Khuur performer Chaoke Jiletu. You'll feel 180 nylon filaments tremble like prairie grass, and learn why the bow is called the instrument's "two legs." Just let the steppe gallop straight into your headphones.

In Beijing's Shunyi District, a nonprofit organization called HOPE (Horses Offering People Enrichment) is bringing children with special needs together with horses, and changing lives in the process. Founded in 2009 by American physical therapist Priscilla Lightsey, HOPE began as a personal mission and has grown into a community of dedicated staff members and hundreds of volunteers. This episode explores the power of healing on horseback.

For archaeologist Dong Ningning, horse bones are historical archives. Through scientific analysis, she interprets their clues to reconstruct the animal's profound impact on ancient Chinese transportation, language, social hierarchy and other aspects of lives and culture.

Dong Lina is the first visually impaired person in China to earn a master's degree in broadcasting. With quiet perseverance, she has charted an unconventional path, opening new possibilities for others like her to pursue their life goals.

Nestled in the mountains of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Zheng'an County has become the world's guitar capital – producing one out of every seven guitars around the globe. Amid the hum of factories and the rhythm of craftsmanship, a 25-year-old South Korean named Kim Jung-hun has found his place. As a sales manager for a South Korean guitar accessories company, Kim is embracing new opportunities in this guitar town.

Have you ever dreamed of cycling around the world? For most of us, that seems too challenging, too expensive, and too risky. But for Luo Mingning, aka Mowgli, dreams are meant to be chased. A bike mechanic originally from a small village in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southwest China, Mowgli set off on a bamboo bicycle he had built himself. From April 2022 to November 2025, he spent four years cycling across the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Besides his own tenacity, he also was showered with kindness from friends and strangers along the way, solved many problems and discovered a world that was bigger, warmer, and more surprising than he had ever imagined.

Against all odds, researcher Zhao Zhihai pioneered the world's first hybrid foxtail millet, achieving a major agricultural breakthrough. His "Zhangzagu" varieties broke yield records and introduced herbicide resistance, transforming a subsistence crop into a high-yield, drought-tolerant solution for China and Africa.

When Shanghai police officer Jiang Jingwei was mistaken for a long-lost son, he made a decision that would change the life of a family 1,000 miles away. In 2003, in north China's Shanxi Province, an accident claimed Liang Qiaoying's eldest child and left her paralyzed, with the cognitive level of a young child. To protect her from the devastating truth, her husband, Xia Zhanhai, told her their son was away working in a city. Years later, Xia saw a man on TV who looked exactly like his lost son – Jiang – and reached out in desperation. Jiang agreed to step into that role, and that promise has lasted for 12 years, bringing hope and comfort to a family he had never met.

This July, Thomas Rabe, Chairman of the John Rabe Communication Center, was granted the Friendship Envoy Award at the second Orchid Awards in Beijing for promoting cultural understanding and friendship between China and Germany. Eighty-eight years ago, his grandfather John Rabe, a German businessman stationed in Nanjing in 1937, managed to shelter and save 250,000 Chinese civilians from atrocities committed by Japanese invading forces during one of the darkest moments in human history, known as the Nanjing Massacre. In this podcast, Thomas Rabe shares with us the Rabe family's special bonds with China which spans over a century and four generations.

Women hold up half the sky. This is a well-known saying in China. It's been three decades since China declared gender equality a basic national policy. So, what is the progress in social status of Chinese women today? In this podcast, we will find the answer from Guo Ye, Director of the Women's Studies Institute of China, who has been actively involved in the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.

​For more than a decade, Hu Zijing has championed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in South Africa against all odds. His contributions have been both foundational and far-reaching: he played an instrumental role in launching South Africa's first accredited university degree program in acupuncture and drafted the national regulations governing the dispensing of TCM medicines.

When Louis Koen first came to China in 2002, it wasn't part of a grand plan. As a teenager, he and his sister followed their mother from South Africa to Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where she had taken a job teaching English. That move kick-started a journey of connection, discovery, and belonging that has lasted more than two decades. Today, Louis teaches English at Lanzhou University in Gansu Province and has built a life in northwest China with his Chinese wife and their two lovely daughters.

The ancient city of Kashi boasts a history of more than 2,000 years. Its rich history, distinctive architectural style and vibrant ethnic culture are trademarks of its charm. Sitting in the earthquake zone in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the ancient city, whose old buildings were mainly adobe-structured, have undergone a major renovation in recent years, to improve its tremor resistance. Leading the effort was Wang Xiaodong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In this podcast, he shares with us the story behind the ancient city's remarkable rebirth.

​For over three decades, Jing Laihong has shaped China's water conservancy through innovative work on projects like the sediment-challenged Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project on the Yellow River. His engineering innovations in flood and sediment control prove that a lasting harmony between humanity and the power of nature can be achieved.

Nestled in the mountains of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Zheng'an County has become the world's guitar capital – producing one out of every seven guitars around the globe. Amid the hum of factories and the rhythm of craftsmanship, a 25-year-old South Korean named Kim Jung-hun has found his place. As a sales manager for a South Korean guitar accessories company, Kim is embracing new opportunities in this guitar town.

Join us for an insightful conversation with Dato' Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, a veteran Malaysian diplomat who spent 12 years in China. From serving as Malaysian Ambassador to China (1998-2005) to his current role leading the Malaysia-China Friendship Association, Dato' Majid has dedicated decades to fostering mutual understanding and collaboration between the two nations.

Joshua Dominick, affectionately known as "Lao Tan" in Chinese, has spent more than two decades in Beijing. Originally from the U.S., Josh speaks fluent Chinese and has become a familiar face in the local community. In 2013, he founded Krankin' Thru China, an organization dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities to engage in outdoor sports across the country.

For Luo Dingjun, traveling between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland has become second nature. Born and raised in Taipei, the 37-year-old has built a life in Shenyang, a vibrant city in northeast China's Liaoning Province. As the founder of the WeChat Official Account "Cross-Strait Youths," Luo has spent over a decade fostering connections and understanding between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Known as the world's capital of small commodities, Yiwu in eastern China attracts hundreds of thousands of sellers and buyers from home and abroad every day. Harold Mori, a young Peruvian man, is one of them. In this podcast, Mori shares his story of how he started his trading business from scratch right here in Yiwu.

She came to China to study but ended up building a home, a thriving career and so much more. Meet Nguyen Thi Lan, a Vietnamese entrepreneur who has spent over a decade in Chongqing, southwest China. From navigating student life to launching two successful businesses, she has embraced the energy of this dynamic "Mountain City." Now, as the leader of the Vietnamese Association in Chongqing-Sichuan, she's helping fellow Vietnamese expats find their place in this vibrant community.

A healer by day, a warrior by night – can these two worlds coexist? For Shi Ming, they don't just coexist – they collide. The 30-year-old is both a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner and an MMA fighter. In November 2024, she stunned the world with a crushing head kick at the Road to UFC finals, sending the crowd into a frenzy. What drives her to both heal and conquer? How does she balance these two lives?

On the tranquil shores of Lugu Lake in southwestern China live the Mosuo people, an ethnic group known for their matrilineal traditions. Right by the lake, in a village called Daluoshui in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, stands a modest yet remarkable museum dedicated to preserving this vibrant culture. Founded by two locals in the late 1990s, the Mosuo Folk Museum struggled for years to survive until a young outsider arrived to make a difference…

Zafar Uddin Mahmood, former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan and President of the Pakistan-based initiative Understanding China Forum, first came to China in the 1970s and spent decades here as a diplomat. Having personally witnessed China's reform and opening-up from the late 1970s onward, he offers his perspective on why understanding China matters not only to Pakistan but to the wider world.

​Li Qiuyi is a leading railway engineer whose innovative work has been instrumental in shaping China's world-class high-speed rail network. He has overcome great technical barriers, such as designing seamless points on bridges, enabling trains to maintain high speeds safely and smoothly. Today, Li continues to pioneer intelligent and sustainable rail technologies, driving China's rail industry into the future.

In this episode, researchers reveal the true colors of the Terracotta Warriors―the underground army of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang.

​Veteran electrician Zhang Dong has advanced power maintenance in China, developing live-line tools that prevent blackouts during repairs. His robotic innovations and training programs save hundreds of outage hours annually. Honored as a national model worker, he proves that electricity service can and should never stop.

​In this episode of "Friendship in War Fires", we honor Tang Duo, a Chinese aviation pioneer who fought in World War II as a Soviet attack pilot before shaping China's Air Force education. His daring combat missions and postwar legacy reveal a life of service, heroism and resilience.

​In this episode of "Friendship in War Fires", we honor Grigori Kulishenko, a Soviet pilot who dedicated his life to defending China against Japanese aggression during World War II. His heroism has been deeply cherished by the Chinese people since the moment he made the ultimate sacrifice in a fierce battle against Japanese forces.

In this episode of "Friendship in War Fires" series, we uncover the extraordinary story of Qian Xiuling – a Chinese-Belgian scientist who saved nearly 100 lives in Nazi-occupied Belgium during World War II. Her actions created an astonishing bridge between wartime China and Europe, proving courage knows no borders.

Young Kazakhstani Ruslan Tulenov is the first non-Chinese Global Media Officer for Trade and Investment Promotion in China's tropical island province of Hainan. He is affectionately known across China as the “Panda Man” or the “Panda Hero.”In this podcast, Ruslan takes us behind the scenes of how he became one of the most famous foreign faces in Hainan. How did he earn those endearing monikers and how has he been sharing the island's story with the world?

In this episode of "Friendship in War Fires" series, we honor the extraordinary courage of Minnie Vautrin – an American educator who risked her life to protect over 10,000 women and children during one of history's darkest chapters in Nanjing. Her harrowing diary entries provide an unflinching record of the Nanjing Massacre – a testament to both the cruelty of war and the resilience of humanity.

For 14 grueling years (1931-1945), the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army stood as China's northernmost force of resistance against Japanese aggression. Deep in the forests of Jilin Province, their first guerrilla base was set up in a remote area called Hongshilazi. Spanning 32 square kilometers, this battlefield has become an active archaeological site, revealing more than 3,300 ruins and 900 artifacts. In this episode, we follow Meng Qingxu, the lead archaeologist behind the dig, as he reveals how the past is being pieced together.

More than 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, and around 20 million tons end up polluting our environment. It's in our oceans, our soil, even the air we breathe. But what if that waste could become more than just pollution? In Pakistan, Dr. Waqas Ahmed Khan is transforming discarded plastic into sustainable eco-bricks, and in the process, reshaping how communities think about waste.

This July, Thomas Rabe, Chairman of the John Rabe Communication Center, was granted the Friendship Envoy Award at the second Orchid Awards in Beijing for promoting cultural understanding and friendship between China and Germany. Eighty-eight years ago, his grandfather John Rabe, a German businessman stationed in Nanjing in 1937, managed to shelter and save 250,000 Chinese civilians from atrocities committed by Japanese invading forces during one of the darkest moments in human history, known as the Nanjing Massacre.In this podcast, Thomas Rabe shares with us the Rabe family's special bonds with China which spans over a century and four generations.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931–1945) and the World Anti-Fascist War. In Nanjing, a city forever etched in history by the horrors of the Nanjing Massacre, memorials and museums stand as solemn reminders of a painful past. Among them is a private museum founded by an ordinary citizen – Wu Xianbin. Through his personal collection and unwavering commitment, Wu has built a space of remembrance, reflection, and resilience.

​For decades, tower crane operator Wang Chao has overcome one challenge after another with innovative solutions—developing a lightening protection system for rocky terrain and establishing a critical 3-meter braking standard to prevent collisions. His exceptional skills and uncompromising commitment to safety has ensured the success of numerous major construction projects, earning him recognition as one of Beijing's elite “Great Craftsmen”.

Professor Jiao Nianzhi is a pioneering Chinese marine scientist. He developed the revolutionary Microbial Carbon Pump theory, explaining how marine microbes capture and help store carbon dioxide. His work bridges scientific discovery with sustainable development, offering nature-based approaches to climate challenges.

For Egyptian Hany Sobhy Makary Guirguis Hanna, coming to China was totally accidental. But staying here for ten years has definitely been a deliberate choice for him. So, what's it like when an Egyptian ventures to the Middle Kingdom? And what happens when he tries to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and grow his trade business in China?

In this podcast, we meet Anyu Agga, an independent fashion designer of Yi ethnicity who has risen to fame from the grassroots of the deep mountains.

Vikash Kumar Singh is an Indian expatriate who currently teaches Hindi, Indian culture, history and literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University. With 18 years of residence in China, Vikash speaks fluent Chinese and is dedicated to fostering Sino-Indian cultural exchanges through teaching and literary translation. In this episode, we delve into Vikash's remarkable journey and insights.