Why are marriage rates in China hitting historic lows?

In this episode, we unpack the structural, cultural, and emotional forces driving the shift: from gender inequality within marriage to the burdens of unpaid caregiving, from overwork culture to changing definitions of a “successful life.”

Our guest, a sociology professor from Shanghai university, shares new frameworks like "mosaic modernity" to explain how tradition and modernity now co-exist and clash in China’s contemporary transformation.

We ask: should we be worried? And more importantly, what kind of future do young women want for themselves?

*this episode is conducted in Mandarin.

"There is nothing wrong with working hard; the mistake is tying your entire self-worth to it.“

What does 'meritocracy' entails, and how does it shape the East Asian education system? How do its roots in Confucian ideals shape both our strengths and our struggles? What are we really saying when we call ourselves 'try-hards'? Join two Chinese girls as they navigate their experiences in contact with educational meritocracy and perfectionism, finding a sense of balance and examining it from a cross-cultural lens to envision meaningful change.

* This episode is conducted in Mandarin

How are western philosophy and Chinese philosophy drastically different, yet culturally intertwined? Beyond the walls of political divides and daily trivialities, what kind of philosophy does the increasingly polarized world needs today?

Sharing his journey from being immersed in Chinese philosophy to encountering Western philosophy in the US, Miller invites us to see the world from an innovative lens of philosophy: one that transcends boundaries, encourages global collaboration, and shares humanity to address universal challenges.

Check out this episode to explore how philosophy can bridge cultural gaps and forge a more interconnected future!

“Just like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, our cracks and breaks can become the most beautiful parts of our stories.”

Looking at the mental health challenges faced by the Asian community in the U.S., how can we turn to affinity spaces to foster community and resilience? Nora Yasumura, the previous Pan-Asian Student Advisor of Dartmouth College and a organizer of the Asian American Footstep Conference (AAFC) shares her family’s history of incarceration during WW2, pulling back the curtain on model minority myth and exploring internalized perfectionism, microaggressions, and in some cases, the unprocessed trauma that Asian students grapple with.

Feel free to reach out to Nora at www.norayasumura.com!

How do we approach the labels of "Asian" and "Asian American", and how does the complexity of modern cultural blends and globalization blurred their boundaries? How has categorization been historically highly politicized, and what are the political and historical context of identity labels that could be traced back to the origin of "race" as a social construct?

Through a in-depth conversation with Jessica Zhang, a senior at NMH, we dive into the fluid evolvement of socially defined identities and together reframe how we should approach categorization.