​For French entrepreneur Benoit Auger, his romance with a Chinese lady started a life-long engagement with her country. In 2006, he moved to live in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and began his business adventure in the clothes and fashion industry. How did Auger meet his sweetheart? Why did he choose to live and “make it in China”? Join this edition of Footprints to find out.

​Dr. Song Jianping and Dr. Li Mingqiang are among the many Chinese doctors who have gone on foreign aid missions fighting malaria worldwide over the past several decades. Using treatment solutions centered on the TCM drug artemisinin, the two have helped contain the deadly disease in countries like Cambodia, Comoros, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

For more than 40 years, Mei Jingtian, a voluntary ranger now in his 80s, has devoted himself to the preservation of the Great Wall in the northern mountainous suburbs of Beijing. His example has encouraged a new generation of career rangers, including his niece Liu Hongyan, to continue protecting this architectural wonder of the world.

In this episode of our Makin' It in China series, we tell the story of French basketball trainer Patrick Regulier with the Zhejiang Lions youth team. Regulier has been in China for 16 years and has turned his career from a player to a trainer. He has become a crucial part in the young players’ pursuit for a professional route ahead.

Never did he ever imagine that one day he would participate in the Olympic Games. "Yushuai, you did it." The moment Luan Yushuai opened the email from the Paris 2024 organizing committee confirming his qualification for the Mass Participation Marathon, his joy was beyond words. For the past seven years, Luan has been passionate about running while working as a deliveryman in Beijing. In this episode of Footprints, we delve into the marathon journey of Luan Yushuai and explore how running has transformed his life trajectory from a courier to an Olympian.

Frederic Moal is a French BMX racing coach in China. In charge of the Guizhou provincial team, he manages six young riders competing in various national competitions with his unique coaching methods. Affectionately known as Laofa, or the French papa, Moal has built a deep bond with his riders, who have almost become his family members. Hear Moal’s story and find out more about the team in this episode of our Makin' It in China series.

In this episode of our Makin' It in China series, we speak to Yaya Sanogo, a French professional footballer now playing at Chinese club Qingdao Red Lions. Sanogo became a household name when he joined the English Premier League side Arsenal when he was just 19 years old. Having played in Europe only, Sanogo decided to explore a new chapter by signing with a Chinese team in March, 2024. The decision has led to his new perspective about this country.

​Ma Dan is an experienced art and dance teacher from Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. Between 2016 and 2022, she volunteered to teach music and dance in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. By forming the first Tibetan-styled cheerleading team and assisting students to succeed in college auditions for performing arts, her passion for teaching and mentoring has broadened the horizons of her students in remarkable ways. In this episode, let's explore how she has guided her students to discover purpose in life and foster personal growth.

Climate change, environmental pollution, acidification, and overfishing are greatly endangering coral reefs around the world. Without proper interventions, scientists say the Earth’s coral reefs could disappear before the next century. What can we do to conserve the world’s beautiful underwater "tropical rainforest"? In this podcast, we bring you a Chinese version of the Old Man and the Sea. We shall find out whether the “old man” wins his battle to restore coral reefs around a small Chinese island.

​Farrukh Pirumshoev is a young Tajik entrepreneur based in the northwest Chinese city of Xi’an, engaging in the international trade of cars between China and Central Asia. Trading about 30 cars each week, his company is thriving along with the growing Chinese economy and the increasing economic exchanges between China and Central Asian countries. In this episode of Makin’ It in China, we’ll find out how he has made it in the risky business world.

In this episode of our Makin' It in China series, we delve into the inspiring story of Saulebek Kabylbekov, a Kazakh eye doctor who has illuminated the lives of thousands in northeast China. Since 1998, he has dedicated himself to treating over 250,000 patients at Daqing Ophthalmology Hospital in Heilongjiang Province. Meanwhile, his compassionate care extends beyond the hospital walls, reaching countless individuals in surrounding communities through free clinics. In recognition of his decade-long contributions, Kabylbekov was honored with the prestigious Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2023.

Indian businessman Dev Raturi oversees a booming chain of restaurants in China. Having explored in the risky business world for more than a decade, Raturi attributes his success to China’s good business environment and the friendship and assistance he has received from the Chinese people. In this episode of Makin’ It in China, Raturi shares how he has turned from a waiter to a successful restaurant owner.

Vikash Kumar Singh is an Indian expatriate who currently teaches Hindi, Indian culture, history and literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University. With 17 years of residence in China, Vikash speaks fluent Chinese and is dedicated to fostering Sino-Indian cultural exchanges through teaching and literary translation. In this episode of the Makin' It in China series, we delve into Vikash's remarkable journey and insights.

In this episode of our Makin' It in China series, we are joined by Neeraj Punhani, an Indian entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in the textile industry. Punhani has established his own company in Shaoxing, located in Zhejiang Province, east China. Join us as we explore his journey of working and living in China.

​In a mountainous region in east China’s Anhui Province, Fang Guoqiang stands out among people who have been working on the frontline to preserve the environment and achieve sustainable development. For more than two decades, he has promoted the idea and practice of green farming among his fellow villagers in the headwater region of the Xin’an River, a major waterway in east China. This green farming has in turn contributed to the local ecological conservation while increasing the income of farmers.