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In this episode of NüVoices, Alice Xin Liu interviews Chenni Xu, corporate communications head for Alipay in North America and a board member and local chapter co-head of NüVoices in New York City. Chenni discusses her experiences navigating the corporate world, from Brunswick to Alipay and from Beijing to America. She stresses the importance of forming strong peer networks, finding mentorship, and ensuring that during a meeting you always have a seat at the table — but not as the note taker. In the recommendations and self-care section, Chenni touts the usefulness of a free meditation app, Insight Timer. Alice recommends a recent episode of the Wo Men podcast, “Cycling the Silk Road,” with Eva Yoo. If you’re enjoying the podcast, be sure to check out the NüVoices website for resources, community events, and more.
Episode 17 of the NüVoices Podcast is here! This week, Alice Xin Liu is joined by co-host Zhāng Líjīa 张丽佳. The two interviewed Zōu Shuǎng 邹爽, a director and playwright. As of 2018, she was made the artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival, following in the footsteps of legendary conductor Maestro Yú Lóng 余隆. She was recently nominated at the 2019 International Opera Awards in London in the Newcomer category for her work as a director. Coming from a musical household, Shuǎng had always been interested in performance art. The three dive into her past - first as a student in London, and her introduction to the world of opera as a director’s assistant. After returning to Beijing, she tried her hand at the formidable task of adapting European works of musical theater for Chinese audiences, the younger crowd in particular. Nowadays, she spends divides her time between the U.K. and China, working across different mediums, genres and cultures. In the self-care and recommendations section, Alice recommends the band “New Pants”, or xīn kùzi 新裤子 and their song I Love You, Wǒ Aì Nǐ 我爱你. Líjīa recommends City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death, and the Search for Truth in Tehran by Ramita Navai. To end this episode, Shuǎng recommends Miracles of Life by J.G. Ballard and the album Sleep by Max Richter.
In episode 15 of the NüVoices Podcast, co-host Alice Xin Liu interviews the co-founder and lead singer of Xiao Wang 小王, Anlin Fan. Since she started the band with her best friend, Yuyang, just a few years ago, Xiao Wang has become a staple of the Chinese rock and punk scene. When Anlin isn’t tearing up the stage, she spends her time finishing her master’s degree at McGill University. Here, she discusses growing up in China, the Riot Grrrl movement, tips on starting a rock band, her work with Rock Camp for Girls in Montreal, and her take on feminism and intersectionality. This episode also samples Xiao Wang’s new demo, “Sonic Baby,” and provides new recommendations for self-care.
Recorded live at the Beijing Bookworm Literary Festival, this week’s episode of the NüVoices podcast features a discussion with two prominent science fiction authors, Tang Fei and Ji Shaoting. The episode was recorded as part of a series of five live SupChina events at this year’s festival. Tang Fei and Ji Shaoting are both titans in the Chinese science fiction world. Tang Fei is a speculative fiction writer and a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Her story "Call Girl," which was translated by Ken Liu, appeared in Apex Magazine and was reprinted in Rich Horton's The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2014. In addition, she has authored several novels published in Chinese. Ji Shaoting, a former Xinhua journalist, is the founder and CEO of Future Affairs Administration, a professional cultural brand in China that helps aspiring science-fiction writers develop and produce their work. She is also the co-founder of guokr.com, a popular science explainer. Together with NüVoices co-host Alice Xin Liu, Tang Fei and Ji Shaoting explore the various challenges facing female Chinese science fiction writers, including widespread gender discrimination and expanding the market for Chinese science fiction works.
In episode 13 of the NüVoices podcast, co-hosts Alice Xin Liu and Sophie Lu interview Cate Cadell, a tech writer for Reuters who is based in Beijing. Cate covers Chinese tech companies with a focus on cybersecurity, AI, surveillance, censorship, and ethics issues. This episode focuses on the troubled relationship between the Chinese government, technology, and ethics. In particular, spurred by recent, disturbing news of a leaked Chinese government database that gathered data on women’s “breeding” status, the discussion focuses on how the state’s tech practices have impacted women in China. Next, co-hosts lead Cate in a round of Sophie's favorite game, "Pick your Dystopian Future,” in which players must choose their preferred dystopian scenarios. In this edition, the discussants consider which worlds are worse: One where CRISPR humans eat non-CRISPRs? Or one without memory, where people — like women — can be erased from history? The game ends with a reflection on what would happen to humans without gender and death. This episode also features Sophie’s “exit interview” as she prepares to depart Beijing for Australia. In the final segment, on recommendations and self-care, Alice recommends Leon Legothetis and The Kindness Diaries. Sophie suggests rewatching Mad Men to see men go through their own “Lean In” moment in the 1960s–1970s, with disastrous results. In closing, Cate recommends a new documentary called People’s Republic of Desire, which looks at the fascinating world of live streaming in China. For a deeper dive, check out these articles: - Discrimination against women in tech (by Cate Cadell) - Sex dolls in China (by Joanna Chiu) - Social credit system (by Mara Hvistendahl) - How automation will replace female labor (by Sarah Holder) - CRISPR babies (by Christina Larson)
In the 12th episode of the NüVoices podcast, Alice Xin Liu and Sophie Lu interview Shuilam Wong, who goes by Shui, a comic artist who partnered with Jinna Kaneko to create the Hole in the Wall Collective with Jinna Kaneko. The two high school friends met back up in the city and decided to create their own indie zines (self-published magazines). We talked to Shui about being born in Tokyo and raised in Beijing and London (where she went to Camberwell College of Arts, and where she feels like she belongs to no particular place). We also discussed her artwork, which utilizes broad brushstrokes and a free-form sketch style to depict scenes inspired by a variety of characters in everyday life. Shui notes that her style is partially inspired by Old Master Q (老夫子), a classic Chinese comic. For recommendations, Alice recommends Sexy Beijing (www.sexybeijing.tv), and especially its star and producer, Anna Sophie Loewenberg, a precursor to all the badass females in her life. Sexy Beijing was a project that Loewenberg created with Jeremy Goldkorn and Luke Mines. Sophie recommends Woman World, a graphic novel published by Drawn & Quarterly and based on an Instagram comic about a world without men. Our guest, Shui, recommends yoga and a très noir French Pinocchio comic book by Winshluss.
On the first episode of the second season of the NüVoices podcast, Alice Xin Liu and Sophie Lu are joined by Alex Li, senior editor at Vice China. Alex has a Ph.D. in gender and sexuality studies and a master’s degree in psychology. She is also the host of the gender and sexuality channel Biede Girls for Vice China. Alice was previously a guest on her podcast, Biede Girls Podcast, to talk about her bicultural background. Alice, Sophie, and Alex talk about the meaning of "queer," bisexuality, Vice China, Chris Lee (Lǐ Yǔchūn 李宇春) and Tilda Swinton, and representations of queer, bisexual, and gay figures in the media. Alex has written for Vice on Chinese female filmmakers. In the self-care and recommendations section, Alex recommends saying no to social requests, and reading fan fiction that has themes of “shipping,” which refers to when characters are paired up in relationships that did not exist in the original work. Sophie recommends In the Turn, a documentary about a transgender girl discovering herself through roller derby. Alice recommends New Seeds of Contemplation, by Thomas Merton, especially Sue Monk Kidd's introduction, as well as Janelle Monáe's fabulous bisexual performance at the Grammys and her feminist, queer album titled Dirty Computer.
In the 10th episode of the NüVoices Podcast, Alice Xin Liu and Sophie Lu interview Anete and Silvia — members of the all-female improv group Beijing Broads! Comprising participants from seven different countries and six different first languages, the group has been performing for over two years. Alice and Sophie learn to improv with the infamous "sex with me" gag. They also talk with Anete and Silvia about supporting the charity Educating Girls of Rural China (www.egrc.ca), about comedy in China — especially for women — and how to get women to believe in themselves so they can perform more comfortably onstage. For recommendations: Alice recommends Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, by Dr. Qing Li, who describes a Japanese practice that has become a popular remedy for stress in the West. Sophie recommends re-watching old movies and calls for a takedown of the movie Miracle on 34th Street, where a single mother is vilified. Silvia recommends saying "You're good enough" to yourself repeatedly and overtly, and believing it. Anete recommends the "just start" attitude to sports, whether it is hitting the gym or something else. This podcast is wholly coordinated by the NüVoices board, with production by SupChina. All opinions of guests and presenters belong to the individuals alone and do not reflect the views of NüVoices. Follow the activities of NüVoices on Twitter at @nvvoices.
In this episode of the NüVoices Podcast, Alice Xin Liu and Joanna Chiu are live from New York! Following a heady and successful launch of NüVoices' first North American chapter, they reunite at the SupChina offices in Brooklyn and interview one of their idols: Jiayang Fan, staff writer and de facto China correspondent at The New Yorker magazine. Alice and Joanna interview Jiayang about her immigrant background, long-form magazine writing (especially her piece on Yan Lianke, "Forbidden Satires of China"), the impact of her male, white predecessors, and the field of Asian-American writing. For recommendations and self-care, Alice recommends UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center (which also produces this excellent podcast), Joanna recommends "How to Rock Your Broadcast Appearance" by Sophia Yan, published on NüVoices, and Jiayang recommends that women writers — and all writers — keep a nightly journal, or that we spend 15 minutes on the voice audio app on our phones “talking to ourselves.” Jiayang also recommends the Netflix show Kim’s Convenience.
In the eighth episode of the NüVoices Podcast, Alice Xin Liu, writer and translator, interviews Eleanor Goodman with guest host Lijia Zhang, author of Socialism Is Great! and most recently Lotus, and board member of the NüVoices Collective. Eleanor is the noted translator of Wáng Xiǎonī 王小妮, a poet who has been associated with the Misty Poets (朦胧诗派 ménglóngshī pài) but who is so much more, having penned 25 books of published poetry. Currently a research associate at the Fairbank Center at Harvard University, Eleanor has many accolades under her belt, including a stint as a resident of the M Literary Residency Programme in Shanghai and the winner of the 2015 Lucien Stryk Prize. She is renowned in the literary translation world as one of the foremost translators of Chinese poetry into English. Her own book of poetry is Nine Dragon Island. In this episode, Alice and Lijia ask Eleanor about her translation of workers' poetry, Iron Moon, and about her experience writing her own poetry. In addition, Eleanor reads from her poetry collection and her book of translations of Wang Xiaoni. For self-care, Lijia recommends dinner parties, Alice recommends reaching out for help in times of crisis, and Eleanor recommends setting a daily page count of writing and academic work, and stopping when it is reached.
On the sixth episode of the NüVoices podcast, co-hosts Alice Xin Liu and Sophie Lu interview Karoline Kan 阚超群, a writer and reporter based in Beijing, currently working at the New York Times. Starting this autumn, Karoline will be the Beijing editor for China Dialogue, and her debut book, the memoir Under Red Skies: Three Generations of Love, Loss, and Hope in China, will be published by Hachette in March 2019. In this podcast, the piece that Alice mentions is “The Unwelcome Villager” in Roads and Kingdoms. Sophie mentions “My Father” from the Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel. They talk about Karoline's writing, the personal essay genre, oral histories, sitting down with your family to tell their story, and how to get a book deal! For self-care and recommendations, Alice recommends the Awkwafina song “My Vag,” plus her emotional opening monologue for Saturday Night Live; Sophie recommends Travels Through Dali: With a Leg of Ham, by Mei Zhang; and Karoline recommends the as-yet-untranslated My Father's Generation and Me (我与父辈 wǒ yǔ fùbèi), by Yan Lianke.
In the fifth episode of the NüVoices podcast, Alice Xin Liu and Sophie Lu are joined by screenwriter Joan Xu. But first, Joanna Chiu announces the launch of the revamped NüVoices website, as well as online magazine NüStories, and the New York launch of the NüVoices Collective, in an event featuring Leta Hong Fincher, Rebecca Karl, and Lü Pin, moderated by Joanna, on November 1. Joan Xu is a budding screenwriter based in Beijing, working most recently on a forthcoming web series The Circle 御姐的星途. She frequently works in the action-adventure genre on China-Hollywood co-productions. Joan holds a BA in government and economics from Harvard College and an MA in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago, and will be hosting events for the Harvard alumni community in Beijing. For recommendations and self-care, Alice recommends Why We Love by Helen Fisher, and leaving the house; Joan recommends Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, as well as “KinderCoach”; and Sophie recommends getting friends together for a brunch whilst rallying your best and worst qualities. The book Joan references in the podcast is A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini.
In this third episode of the NüVoices Podcast, Alice Xin Liu is joined by Sophie Lu, a board member of NüVoices who works in the cleantech and environment space. Sophie will be a rotating co-host with Alice and Joanna Chiu for future episodes! Our guest this week is fantasy writer Mima, known in China as Qima 七马 (she says she picked that name for her Chinese readers because “it looks like a man’s name…Of course, I don’t like that”). Her fantasy novel The Legend of Strangers 蝼蚁转 is a road adventure told in a style that melds Quentin Tarantino’s quirky violence with Miyazaki whimsy. Although untranslated (for now), The Legends of Strangers is the first in a series of six novels. Right now, Mima is working with Youku, one of China's biggest video-streaming services, scripting the novels into a hotly anticipated Web series. We expect her to be the next George R. R. Martin. NüVoices has just launched an official WeChat account, which you can follow by searching "NüVoices女音" on the social media platform, and a new website will be launched in September, so watch this space! This podcast is wholly coordinated by the NüVoices board, with production by SupChina. All opinions of guests and presenters belong to the individuals alone and do not reflect the views of NüVoices. Follow them on Twitter at @nvvoices. On a final note, we’re co-presenting, with the local arts collective Spittoon, an event in Beijing on Tuesday, August 28, called Spittunes, in which musicians and poets collaborate to create special musical pieces inspired by the poet’s words. Check it out if you’re in town! Three pairs of poets/musicians will be taking part, including SupChina’s very own Anthony Tao.
In this second episode of the NüVoices podcast, hosts Alice Xin Liu and Joanna Chiu interview Yuan Yang, the Beijing-based technology correspondent for the Financial Times, on how #MeToo has gained momentum in mainland China despite online censorship and university officials reportedly putting pressure on students to stay silent. Since Luo Xixi wrote on social media in January about how her former professor tried to rape her, many others have shared their stories and the movement has spread beyond campuses in recent weeks to the NGO, the media, and the art world. Even a high-ranked Buddhist monk has been accused of sexual misconduct. Joanna and Yuan share insights from their on-the-ground reporting, and the trio discuss ways the #MeToo conversation has been different in China compared with in Western countries and to what extent the Chinese leadership might see the popular movement as a threat. In the future of this biweekly podcast, Alice and Joanna will continue to explore the work of women in media and the arts in Greater China, the impact of abuses of power, international and domestic politics, and their own personal stories. Their guests will also, occasionally, be male. NüVoices is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. This code of conduct applies to all NüVoices events and spaces, including the website, podcast, and communities both online and off. Read the charter here: https://nuvoices.com/our-charter/. This podcast is wholly coordinated by the NüVoices board, with production by SupChina. All opinions of guests and presenters belong to the individuals alone and do not reflect the views of NüVoices. Follow them on Twitter at @nvvoices. The Chinese #MeToo cases discussed in this episode have also been covered on SupChina: Zhu Jun, VM Xuecheng, Lei Chuang and others.
Today, we’re very proud to present a new podcast in the Sinica network on SupChina. It’s called NüVoices, and it’s a show all about women in China, with a focus on women in media and the arts. It’s hosted by Alice Xin Liu, a translator originally from Beijing, who grew up in the U.K. before coming back to Beijing, and by Joanna Chiu, a Hong Kong Canadian journalist whom you’ve heard on Sinica a couple of times in the last year. Today's show is all about #MeToo and sexual harassment cases in China, and features Yuan Yang, a correspondent for the Financial Times in Beijing. We hope you like it, that it makes you think – and that you’ll subscribe (iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, RSS feed). And keep an ear out in the coming weeks as we introduce more great podcasts about various facets of China.
Alice Xin Liu and Joanna Chiu interview two Chinese women who work as news assistants for foreign media in China. News assistants are sometimes dubbed "researchers," though they really are journalists who rarely get the glory of a top-of-the-page byline like foreign correspondents, despite doing much of the journalistic legwork.