Advertise on podcast: Drum Tower from The Economist

Discussion of China’s work culture tends to stress its extremes. Some work “996” (9am to 9pm, six days a week), while others “lie flat” (quit the rat race altogether). But after decades of prioritising hard work and earning money, most people just want to work a bit less and play a bit more. Our correspondent heads to a couple of leisure hotspots to find out how China’s relationship with free time is changing–– and why it matters. Guests and hosts: Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Topics covered: Leisure in China Chinese work culture Aranya Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

When it comes to big public works, China has form. If its Great Wall was a high point, recently-built bridges to nowhere were a dead end. As the country struggles with economic stagnation and deflation, its planners are dusting off an ambitious set of blueprints for the “six networks”. What impact will they have on China and the global economy? Guests and hosts: Simon Rabinovitch, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief and Chaguan columnist Simon Cox, The Economist’s senior economics writer Gabriel Crossley, The Economist’s China correspondent Topics covered: China’s “six networks” Infrastructure investment in China Global economy Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Be warned: “Taiwan Travelogue” will make you hungry. The novel, which won this year’s International Booker Prize, is a fictional travel diary set in 1930s Taiwan, when the island was under Japanese rule. Yang Shuang-Zi, the book’s author, uses food as a way to explore female desire, her native island’s complex history and Taiwanese identity. We sat down with Ms Yang and Lin King, the book’s English translator, to find out what a work of historical fiction reveals about Taiwan today––and about attitudes towards colonialism in East Asia. Guests and hosts: Yang Shuang-Zi, author of “Taiwan Travelogue” Lin King, English translator of “Taiwan Travelogue” Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Topics covered: Taiwanese literature Yang Shuang-Zi “Taiwan Travelogue” Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

A new generation of leaders is ascending the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party. The so-called seventh generation of party leaders are better-educated and better-travelled than their elders, and the first cohort in powerful positions with little or no memory of the Mao era. Xi Jinping has torn up the rules for retirement and may remain China’s supreme leader until he dies. But when he finally goes, could China's next leader be from the seventh generation–– and what might that mean for the country? Guests and hosts: Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” James Miles, The Economist’s China writer-at-large Topics covered: Succession of power in China Seventh generation of CCP leaders in China Xi Jinping Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Metal detectors, X-ray machines for bags and guards wielding scanners. Anyone who has entered a metro station in China knows that the country takes public safety seriously. China spends roughly the same on domestic security and “stability maintenance” as it does on its military budget. But what happens when the pursuit of safety becomes performative––and the cost becomes unbearable? Guests and hosts: Jiehao Chen, co-host of “Drum Tower” Simon Rabinovitch, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief and Chaguan columnist Minxin Pei, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California Topics covered: Domestic security in China China as a security state Surveillance in China Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Life in China is competitive and stressful. A recent study found some 191m people have a mental-health disorder. While still a taboo subject for many older Chinese, a growing number of their children are seeking therapy. How do China’s changing attitudes towards mental health sit with the Communist Party's efforts to promote a happier, stable society? Guests and hosts: Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Barclay Bram, staff writer for 1843 at The Economist Topics covered: Mental health in China Online therapy in China Healthy China 2030 Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

The honour guard has rehearsed and the flyover has been scheduled. Beyond the pageantry and pomp, a lot is at stake as Xi Jinping heads to America for his first state visit since 2015. What will be on the agenda when the Chinese and American presidents sit down for their second meeting this year––and is the relationship between the two superpower rivals about to see a lasting change? Guests and hosts: Simon Rabinovitch, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief and Chaguan columnist Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Jing Qian, co-founder and managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Centre for China Analysis Topics covered: 2026 state visit by Xi Jinping to America Chinese investment in America AI safety Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

China’s internet used to be a rambunctious place. But over the past 10 years the country’s leaders have sought to tame it. A recent natural disaster and a comedy mishap reveal an online world where the flow of information is narrowing and the list of “safe topics” changes constantly. How did China’s censors gain such decisive control—and what might it cost the Communist Party? Guests and hosts: Simon Rabinovitch, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief and Chaguan columnist Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Xiao Qiang, founder of China Digital Times Topics covered: Censorship in China Speech under Xi Jinping AI and censorship Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Call it Jensanity. When Jensen Huang, boss of the chip giant Nvidia, visits his native Taiwan he is greeted like a rock star. Our correspondent spent a week with the man at the centre of the geopolitical battle for AI dominance. We examine how Mr Huang cultivated his nice-guy image, and ask how much longer he can keep China, America and Taiwan on side. Guests and hosts: Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia Shailesh Chitnis, The Economist’s global business writer Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Topics covered: Jensen Huang Nvidia AI race Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

China’s Cultural Revolution was hard on Xi Jinping. His father was purged, and at age 15, he was sent down to the countryside, where he spent years living and working as a peasant. Yet Mr Xi particularly dislikes public-handwringing about the decade-long period of violence and upheaval when more than a million people died. Fifty years after the Cultural Revolution ended, why do China’s leaders want to play down its horrors? Guests and hosts: Jiehao Chen, co-host of “Drum Tower” James Miles, The Economist’s China writer-at-large Topics: China’s Cultural Revolution Xi Jinping and Mao Zedong Chinese Communist Party history Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

China is rushing ahead on AI integration. The Communist Party wants every industry to adopt the technology in the hope it will boost growth. But behind the enthusiasm, the country’s leaders worry about workers being displaced by the tech they are promoting. Guests and hosts: Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Topics: Chinese AI China’s economy China’s jobs market Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

China has strict laws protecting its cultural artefacts. Even so, they pop up all over the world. Hong Kong serves as a major gateway for the illicit trade of smuggled Chinese antiquities. Why does the territory still have an ancient English legal principle that gives dodgy goods a clean bill of health? Guests and hosts: Emma Irving, news editor at The Economist Jiehao Chen, co-host of “Drum Tower” Topics: Chinese antiquities Hong Kong’s black market Repatriation of cultural relics Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

China is becoming more cautious about AI. Since the start of the year the government has tightened controls on domestic labs, intervening in cross-border deals and restricting the movement of its best talent. Now it is limiting how Chinese citizens interact with some chatbots. Is this the beginning of a new era for China’s AI industry? Guests and hosts: Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” David Rennie, The Economist’s geopolitics editor and Telegram columnist Joshua Spencer, The Economist’s Asia news editor Topics: Chinese AI Open-weight AI models AI companions Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Hong Kong was once a shopper’s paradise. Today the city’s residents are more likely to head to mainland China to spend. As Hong Kong’s economy recovers from the double-punch of the pandemic and protests, officials are taking a novel approach to get customers spending again. Guests and hosts: Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Simon Cox, The Economist’s China economics editor Topics: Hong Kong economy Stanley, Hong Kong Shenzhen effect Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Like its Western counterparts, China’s manosphere has its ugly, hostile corners. But China is also home to a large number of traditionally-minded men whose views on gender are supported by the Chinese government. Add to that a generation of women who are better-educated and more assertive than their forebears and the stage is set for a battle of the sexes. How worried are China’s leaders? Guests and hosts: Sarah Wu, co-host of “Drum Tower” Jeremy Page, co-host of “Drum Tower” Topics: Manosphere Chinese gender politics Bride prices Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.