Being locked into our compounds hasn't been a fun experience for the residents of Shanghai over the last month. But we will survive this inconvenience, and we will hopefully be all the more grateful for the luxuries of living in Shanghai, once they have finally returned. Oscar could have spent this time preparing for Season 03 of Mosaic of China. But he hasn’t. So the launch of next season is probably still weeks away. However, today we’re including an edited version of the conversation he had with the hosts of a podcast called Footprints. A big thanks to the Footprints team at China Radio International (CRI) for giving permission to share this on the feed for Mosaic of China.

If language is one of the most important keys to unlocking a culture, then today's tenth and final compilation episode from Season 02 of the show perhaps represents the epitome of what I’m trying to achieve with Mosaic of China. It's a collection of the voices of 30 people from 30 contrasting backgrounds describing 30 favourite words or phrases in Chinese. With hearts heavy under the burden of world news at the moment, please use this as a much-needed injection of joy and entertainment. And consider it a thank you from me to all those who have been following the podcast through this second season. I'm looking forward to returning with 30 brand new episodes later in the Spring of 2022.

In today’s penultimate compilation episode from Season 02, we’re talking about the favourite places people like to frequent in China. Whether you’re looking for recommendations of street food, high-end restaurants, bars, or coffee shops, you should find some inspiration from today’s episode.

We're coming up to the Spring Festival in China, so please consider this to be your Chinese New Year gift. It's the compilation episode of the favourite WeChat stickers from the guest of Season 02. With electronic communications, it’s no longer good enough to learn how to compose compelling messages; you need to be fluent in the language of images. Without including things like emojis and emoticons in our messages, they can come across as cold, blunt, and rude. And there’s arguably no medium where this is more important than on WeChat, where the use of gifs is almost universal. So take a listen to how the guests of Season 02 answer the question: “What is your favourite WeChat Sticker,” and reflect on your own fluency in these new visual languages.

To mark the final episode of 2021, we're switching away from our usual programming to include an edited version of the discussion that Oscar had on The Honest Drink podcast. Recorded a few weeks ago, the conversation covers many aspects that we don't usually have a chance to explore in Mosaic of China, so I hope you'll enjoy listening to the different themes that emerge. A big thanks to Justin, Howie and Aric for giving permission to share this on the feed for Mosaic of China. Here's wishing everyone a great end to 2021.

Today’s special compilation from Season 02 is all about where people get their news and information from about China. Around the world, news and journalism continues to get more consolidated, more digitalised, and more aggregated onto social media. And China is no exception. But there are still a lot of different sources for people to discover more about what's happening on the ground. So I hope you can find a few nuggets of inspiration in today's episode.

It's that time of year where our thoughts turn to... buying stuff we don't really need. In China, we've just had the annual Singles' Day online shopping bonanza. And the U.S. equivalent of Cyber Monday is coming up next week. So what? As someone who hates shopping, I couldn't care less about what this means, or what people choose to spend their money on. But somehow, when you ask someone the question "What's the best or worst purchase you've made?", you seem to elicit some of the best stories.

Do you know why Chinese politicians have lustrous black hair? Do you know why you wouldn’t write '1,000,000' in China? And do you know why pandas do handstands? If the answer to any of those question is ‘no’, then you should definitely listen to this week’s compilation episode, where we listen to the favourite China-related facts from all 30 guests of the last season.

This week's compilation episode from Season 02 is about the things which surprise people the most about life in China. No matter whether you're a China outsider or someone who's been living here for decades, there's always something new around the corner to keep you on your toes. What is it about China that makes you feel the most surprised? It's scale? The pace of change? The way decisions are made here? Think carefully about how you would answer this question, and then see if it corresponds with any of the answers given in today's show.

These days you don't *need* to be a fan of KTV (karaoke) to thrive in China. But it certainly helps to have a favourite song prepared, just in case your friends, colleagues or clients force you to join them for an evening of merriment and microphones... In today's compilation episode from Season 02 of Mosaic of China, we hear from 30 people about their strategies for symphonic survival. Do you agree with any of them? Be sure to get in touch to share your own favourite KTV choices.

It's time to reflect on Season 02 of Mosaic of China. So for today's special Wrap-Up episode, I invited Logan Brouse from Tacolicious to interview me, and to share his thoughts on podcasting in China, in the context of the launch of his own upcoming show: 'China on the Rocks'. As well as discussing the past legacy and future development of Mosaic of China, we also discuss the thorny issues of authenticity, profanity, and... the correct way to pronounce 'cicada'.