Best Clay Baldo Podcasts (2024)

1
Lockdown, Part 2: The eclipse 1:51:17

1+ y ago1:51:17

1:51:17

In this episode, Clay makes friends with Zhen Ayi, gets a whole ton of apples, quests for water, explains how the whole group buying thing works, and goes through a serious period of darkness. Works consulted: My life in Shanghai’s never-ending zero-COVID lockdown / The Guardian A fire broke out in Shanghai's Pudong / Reddit Children with COVID in …

1
Lockdown Part 1: A day in the life 1:37:27

1+ y ago1:37:27

1:37:27

The 2022 Shanghai lockdown came to Clay’s neighborhood early and caught him off-guard. Struggling with his mental health, Clay documents how lockdown works on a granular level giving listeners an audio tour of his neighborhood as it plunges into the uncertainty of all the minutiae of day-to-day life living under the control of the apparatuses that …

1
The Flower World 37:42

3y ago37:42

37:42

Xiao Xiao runs a vintage shop in Shanghai. But it’s her particular sensibility and artistry that turned the place into something really beautiful. She certainly cares about making money and success, but the Flower World has something that is really lacking in trendy neighborhoods around Shanghai — it has a soul. There are so many places around the …

1
Renminbeats 1:11:20

3+ y ago1:11:20

1:11:20

From underground rap battles to prime-time television to a fall from grace, rap music and rap culture in China has come a long way. Beginning in the 1990s, the imported cassette tapes that made it through customs unscathed by officials went on to inspire a generation. This episode features commentary from our host, Clay, as well as rapper Bohan Pho…

1
Kuang 57:54

3+ y ago57:54

57:54

Clay leaves Shanghai for Beijing to speak with Huang Chenkuang, a journalist and creative who runs the interview series Beijing Lights (published on the website of the arts collective Spittoon). She shares excerpts from her writing, tells stories about her time growing up in rural China, and elaborates on some of the exceptional characters she’s pr…

1
The Siren song, part 2 1:05:55

3+ y ago1:05:55

1:05:55

In episode 2, Clay continues his dive into the personal stories of the people behind the ultimate frisbee scene in Shanghai. Another local team to rival the Sirens emerges, and the Shanghai Open tournament pushes the team to its competitive limits. Follow Strangers in China on Facebook and Twitter, or email Clay directly at strangersinchinaofficial…

1
The Siren song, part 1 44:51

3+ y ago44:51

44:51

In the first episode of the second season of Strangers in China, host Clay Baldo explores the lives of the women of the Shanghai Sirens, China’s first women’s ultimate frisbee team. They need frisbee — they’re obsessed with it. The story of the team and its 2020 season, which was never really supposed to happen due to the pandemic, is one of self-d…

1
[Trailer] The Siren song, S2E1 4:15

3+ y ago4:15

4:15

Season two of Strangers in China will air on Friday, February 6. Subscribe to the feed for notifications when new episodes are published! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1
Season 2 Trailer: Strangers in China 2:35

4y ago2:35

2:35

Strangers in China is back with a second season on November 20th, 2020. Subscribe for alerts when new episodes are published. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1
What’s cooking in Taiwan 30:18

4y ago30:18

30:18

Have you missed Strangers in China? We have, too. Enjoy this bonus podcast, co-produced by Clay Baldo and Chris Hankin. More episodes will come in the fall. The conversations you will hear center on the experiences of students who are now attending the Kaiping Culinary School (kāipíng cānyǐn xuéxiào 開平餐飲學校) in Taipei. This school accepts students w…

1
Epilogue: In the wake of the plague 52:55

4+ y ago52:55

52:55

In a follow-up to the previous episode of Strangers in China — Chapter 8: The Plague — Clay reconnects with previous guests for an update on how COVID-19 is impacting their lives in China. On March 10, Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 toured Wuhan. The message was clear: He was declaring victory over this disaster on behalf of the Chinese people. One question remain…

1
Chapter Nine: Mulan 57:09

4+ y ago57:09

57:09

In this final episode of season 1 of Strangers in China, we meet the remarkable Jessie: She studied her way out of abject poverty in rural Hubei while raising her younger siblings. She faced down thugs who were trying to collect debt from her deadbeat father. Then, she made it to Shanghai for college, only to be told she doesn't belong. Meanwhile, …

1
Chapter Eight: The Plague 1:09:46

4+ y ago1:09:46

1:09:46

This week on Strangers in China, we hear from people all over China about their experiences during the last few weeks, as a deadly pathogen has turned crowded metropolises into virtual ghost towns. There’s a lot of fear and anxiety, but also a lot of pulling together for the common good. And boredom — lots of boredom. Hear how ordinary Chinese are …

1
Chapter Seven: We all get schooled by Wenfei 1:06:54

4+ y ago1:06:54

1:06:54

Wenfei is an education consultant in Shanghai. After he attended high school and college in America, a trend that is on the rise for students from China, he is in a unique position to counsel students that are hoping to do the same. In this episode, he compares and contrasts the American and Chinese educational systems, dives into some of the murky…

1
Strangers in China: Bonus episode 34:11

4+ y ago34:11

34:11

Hear bonus material from some of the most insightful profiles we've done so far on Strangers in China. Enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1
Chapter Six: Let’s talk dirty, cleanly 53:37

4+ y ago53:37

53:37

Let’s talk about sex. In China. Guest host Yoky joins Clay on this week’s episode to lay bare the truth about sex and sexuality in China: The two dive into a conversation with Ying, a sex shop owner in Shanghai, who shares her experiences with her customers, explains Chinese perspectives, curiosities, and apprehensions about sex, and provides a loo…

1
Chapter Five: Far from home, part 2 56:47

4+ y ago56:47

56:47

Continuing from last week’s episode, Clay and guest host Maggie follow Li and Suyi’s stories, the conditions in which they were raised, and how they ended up so far removed from their rural homes. Part 2 focuses on economic and social mechanisms that are pushing young people away from their smaller cities and toward China’s large urban centers like…

1
Chapter Five: Far from home, part 1 54:55

4+ y ago54:55

54:55

In part 1 of this two-part series, Clay and guest host Maggie follow Li and Suyi — two young Chinese individuals — and their stories of how they grew up and came to Shanghai. This episode explores what it’s like growing up on China’s economic periphery, removed from the ever-growing metropolitan areas along the coast, as well as some familiar stres…

1
Chapter Four: CINEMQ 58:37

5y ago58:37

58:37

CINEMQ is one of Shanghai's premier queer events, though it's not one you're really supposed to know about. In this episode, the organizers of CINEMQ explain the process of putting together a queer event in a city that's facing more intense governmental scrutiny. They hope to create a safe yet challenging community under tightening strictures. 9:09…

1
Chapter Three: Ashley 42:35

5y ago42:35

42:35

Ashley is a queer activist working on documenting LGBTQ life in Shanghai. She faces intense scrutiny as the censorship apparatus has taken down her videos for seemingly arbitrary reasons. After struggling through erasure by censors she has emerged tougher and more thoughtful. 4:23: Coming out to her parents 7:52: A generational disconnect 14:29: It…

1
Chapter Two: The Calm Before The Storm 39:34

5y ago39:34

39:34

Storm Xu is a comedian and the owner of a local comedy club. One of the very few comics who can perform in both English and Chinese, Storm is making a name for himself on the Chinese stand-up comedy scene as he deftly navigates between languages and cultures to connect with his various audiences. 5:21: Hip-hop influence 10:15: “Making it” as a come…

1
Chapter One: Rotten Girls 33:18

5y ago33:18

33:18

For Lily, a professional 32-year-old woman living in Shanghai, navigating the divide between the expectations of her family deep in rural China and her own desires for her future has never been easy. As an unmarried woman who long ago left her hometown, she faces mounting pressure from her family and community to find a partner and settle down. On …

1
Trailer: Strangers in China 3:26

5y ago3:26

3:26

The latest addition to the Sinica Podcast Network, “Strangers in China,” makes its debut on September 19. Join creator and host Clay Baldo in getting to know the unsung actors in the grand China story: the creative and the quirky, the misfits and the malcontents, the wise-crackers and the weirdos. Over the coming months, “Strangers in China” will p…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Clay Baldo Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Strangers in China

SupChina

1
Lockdown, Part 2: The eclipse 1:51:17

1
Lockdown Part 1: A day in the life 1:37:27

1
The Flower World 37:42

1
Renminbeats 1:11:20

1
Kuang 57:54

1
The Siren song, part 2 1:05:55

1
The Siren song, part 1 44:51

1
[Trailer] The Siren song, S2E1 4:15

1
Season 2 Trailer: Strangers in China 2:35

1
What’s cooking in Taiwan 30:18

1
Epilogue: In the wake of the plague 52:55

1
Chapter Nine: Mulan 57:09

1
Chapter Eight: The Plague 1:09:46

1
Chapter Seven: We all get schooled by Wenfei 1:06:54

1
Strangers in China: Bonus episode 34:11

1
Chapter Six: Let’s talk dirty, cleanly 53:37

1
Chapter Five: Far from home, part 2 56:47

1
Chapter Five: Far from home, part 1 54:55

1
Chapter Four: CINEMQ 58:37

1
Chapter Three: Ashley 42:35

1
Chapter Two: The Calm Before The Storm 39:34

1
Chapter One: Rotten Girls 33:18

1
Trailer: Strangers in China 3:26

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