Chinese-language podcasts have evolved from a niche medium into an important way for many people to understand the world and make sense of everyday experience over past years. At the same time, our familiar rhythms of life, work trajectories, relationships, and value systems have also been undergoing rapid change. In an era marked by uncertainty, how and to what extent can podcasting shape the ways we interpret public issues and form judgments, and where might its limits lie?

This event brings together podcaster Ms Zhang Zhiqi and media scholar Prof Fang Kecheng to reflect on podcasting practice as a form of public engagement. Through experience sharing and a live podcast recording, the event explores how everyday experiences can illuminate public issues, how personal judgments are reshaped through public expression, and where podcasting may succeed or fall short in giving voice. It offers a live example of open, situated public sociology in practice, highlighting both possibilities and challenges of making experience public.

Speaker Biography

Ms Zhang Zhiqi

Zhang Zhiqi graduated from the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua University and the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University. She previously worked as a culture reporter at Jiemian News. In 2019, Zhiqi co-founded the podcast Surplus Value (剩余价值), followed in 2020 by Stochastic Volatility (随机波动), now one of the most popular Chinese-language culture podcasts. Zhiqi is also a freelance writer and translator, with bylines in GQ China, Esquire China, and T Magazine. Zhiqi has translated Joan Didion’s We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, and the anthropology monograph Beauty and the Beast. Zhiqi has also co-edited the art book Grid (格) and the podcast anthologies Gender: Women (性别：女) and In Praise of Not Staying Silent (赞美不沉默).

Prof Fang Kecheng

Kecheng Fang is an Associate Professor and Director of the M.A. in Journalism Program at the School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). His research interests include journalism, political communication, and digital media. He received his Ph.D. degree from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining academia, he worked as a political journalist at the Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly. He received the Early Career Award from the Association for Chinese Communication Studies (ACCS) in 2024.

Apart from his academic roles, Kecheng is also an active content creator. He writes a popular newsletter, NewsLab (新闻实验室), and hosts three podcasts, including NewsLab, Morning Sunshine (放晴早安), and Bababoom! (父能量). NewsLab focuses on innovations in the journalism industry. Morning Sunshine is a daily podcast that introduces innovative solutions to social problems. Kecheng leads a team of CUHK students to produce this “solutions journalism” podcast. Bababoom! is a podcast about fatherhood. Kecheng also runs an offline cultural space and bookshop "Beyond the Bubble Studio" in Hong Kong.

Date: Friday, 23 January 2026, 2:00 - 4:00 PM HKT

Venue: CJT-9.29, The University of Hong Kong

Language: Mandarin & English

Format: Hybrid (In-person + Zoom). The Zoom link will be sent to registrants who choose to participate online.

Moderators: Prof Tom McDonald & Ms Yinjia He

Registration Link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=104851

This talk is part of our ongoing GRF project, Chinese Podcasting Cultures: Communities, Apps and Economies (HREC Reference Number: EA240641). The event will be of particular interest to students and scholars of media, sociology, communication, and contemporary China.