The return of open-air shopping

What if you could walk out of a bad movie 20 minutes in and get your money back? A theater in Hangzhou is trying exactly that, and China's film industry is taking notice. The experiment pits audience satisfaction against artistic vision in a billion-dollar market. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

Young people in China are walking away from their screens and heading to the market. We explore the revival of Ganji and why an old-fashioned way of shopping, full of noise, street food, and human connection, is resonating with a new generation. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

A major fast food chain is putting artificial intelligence in its employees' ears. Burger King is testing AI-powered headsets that do more than take orders. The devices coach workers on their performance, track inventory, and monitor customer conversations. The technology raises an uncomfortable question about whether this is helpful assistance or employee surveillance. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushan

Step into a Chinese mall today and you might be surprised. Crowds are back, but many younger shoppers are opting for a different retail experience. They are heading to flea markets and second-hand shops, where the thrill lies in the hunt. While middle-aged consumers fuel mall spending, youth culture increasingly revolves around pre-owned treasures. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushan

Different stories, different angles, no obvious reason they belong together. But hang tight, there's a link hiding in plain sight. Beneath the surface of China's digital landscape, a single thread connects them all, waiting to be pulled. Follow it closely enough, and the bigger picture begins to emerge. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun.

A digital crustacean is scuttling across China's internet, and the race is on to catch it. Known as the “lobster,” OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent that has developers, startups, and even municipal governments hooked. But just as the excitement reaches a fever pitch, regulators have issued a sharp warning over potential data leaks. Why is that? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushun.

Many think of artificial intelligence as merely playing a supporting role, automating the routine and optimizing the everyday. But China's latest move rewrites that script entirely. Enter the "smart economy," a full-scale fusion of industrial might and machine intelligence. Here, AI doesn't assist. It drives. On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

China just unveiled an ambitious plan to shake up theater. It's probably not what you think. Forget dusty relics. This is ancient art meeting the algorithm, with vertical screen dramas, a youth surge, and serious momentum building. Can any of it turn traditional performance into the next big cultural wave? On the show: Steve, Fei Fei & Yushan

For many young people, the nine-to-five job is no longer the only or preferred option. Flexible schedules, multiple income streams, and digital entrepreneurship are increasingly part of the career landscape. In China, this has fueled the rapid rise of new forms of employment, from delivery services to livestream commerce. As lawmakers and political advisers gather at the Two Sessions, the country is taking a closer look at how this new generation of workers is reshaping the labor market. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushan

International relations aren't just shaped at summits. The real exchanges happen in classrooms and everyday conversations. In this episode of Generation Global, Round Table's Yushan talks with three young scholars from the US, the UK, and Indonesia living in Beijing. They arrived with expectations, but their time in China has reshaped how they see the country.