'"‘How China Works’ is the most comprehensive podcast on life and business in China that I've come across. There are so many great topics to delve into, and Brendan and Yingying bring a knowledgeable and balanced approach to doing so. Keep up the good work!” - Jay Thornhill (Co-Founder, Baopals)
more feedback here
About
2023 Update:
After trying to maintain consistency during the early stages of the pandemic, amidst our mutual relocations and the ever-shifting geopolitical conversations around US-China issues, we effectively retired the show in 2021, although we didn’t know it at the time. But the archive of podcast episodes remains live on all platforms, and we are likewise keeping this website alive to maintain the brand name and provide greater access & searchability to the many wonderful guests and moments we were lucky enough to share with all of you.
Thanks for listening to and supporting us, and we look forward to seeing you in our future endeavors!
Brendan & Yingying
December 2022
"HOW CHINA WORKS" is (was) a podcast & consultancy designed to help foreigners become “China-smart” and to help Chinese people who are ready to go global. YINGYING LI and BRENDAN DAVIS use a hybrid East-West perspective - crossing cultures, generations, and genders - to find common ground and build understanding. The show is fun, friendly, and focused, referencing history and culture as it looks to the future, in order to benefit all of us. And as consultants, Yingying and Brendan bring this same unique blend of perspectives to help tackle real-world problems for their clients.
hosts
YINGYING LI is an expert consultant in cross-cultural management communications, brand strategy, business development, and thought leadership. Based in San Francisco, CA but born and raised in central China, Li's clients have included Forbes billionaires and executives from Facebook, LinkedIn, Cisco and Intel as well as educators, small businesses, and others. She is trilingual and has 10+ years' experience working in the US, China, Brazil, India, and Turkey. Li has been honored as a "Top 30 Under 30" Chinese entrepreneur in the US and is the founder of Yingfluence, Inc, a Silicon Valley-based startup that is the world's first cross-cultural talent and thought leadership network. Her lifelong passion has been increasing global understanding through better communications, and "How China Works" is another step towards achieving that goal.
BRENDAN DAVIS was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and began his entertainment career in 1990. He moved to Los Angeles in 2002 and has been a producer on films competing at Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and other top festivals. In 2013 Davis produced a US season of Chinese TV hit "Jia Pian You Yue" featuring Stan Lee, Justin Lin, M. Night Shyamalan, Sean Astin, and others. Davis has been co-located in Beijing and Los Angeles since 2013. He has guest lectured at the Beijing Film Academy and works as a producer and consultant with global partners. Davis created the podcast “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” in May 2017 in an attempt to make more sense of his new home, and he co-created "How China Works" with Yingying Li to continue his journey.
Season 1 (2018)
your “crash course in CHina!”
8 weeks of short daily episodes, organized by theme…
LISTEN / watch via the player below or search the show in all podcatchers
Show #
#000 - Introduction to “How China Works”
CATEGORY: CHINESE BUSINESS DINNERS
Show #
#001 - “Chinese Business Drinking Culture”
#002 - “The Table: Where Do I Sit, & Why?"
#003 - “Name Card Etiquette & The Rise of WeChat”
#004 - “Eating & Good Manners”
#005 - “Ending The Night: KTV vs. Sleep"
CATEGORY: DECODING CHINESE COMMUNICATION
Show #
#006 - “High-Context vs. Low-Context”
#007 - “Modesty, Humility, Hierarchy”
#008 - “Negotiation”
#009 - “Yes, No, Please, & Thank You”
#010 - “Jokes & Humor”
CATEGORY: DATING
Show #
#011 - “Romance, East & West"
#012 - “Traditional vs. Modern Chinese Dating Culture”
#013 - “Online Dating in China"
#014 - “Mixed: Being In A Blended Couple"
#015 - “Getting Serious: Next Level"
CATEGORY: MODERN WORKING CULTURE
Show #
#016 - "Corporate Lifestyle"
#017 - "Startups & 996"
#018 - "Reacting to Policies"
#019 - "Male vs. Female Leadership"
#020 - "Super Digital Life"
CATEGORY: FINANCE
Show #
#021 - “The Cultural Value of Money in China”
#022 - "Filial Piety, Wealth, & Happiness"
#023 - “Cashless Society”
#024 - “Overconsumption”
#025 - “Investing in China"
CATEGORY: MAKING FRIENDS
Show #
#026 - “Guanxi and How To Develop It"
#027 - “Social Media and Friends’ Circles"
#028 - “IRL: In Real Life”
#029 - “Sisterhood & Brotherhood"
#030 - “Who Pays? That Depends."
CATEGORY: CHINESE MILLENIALS
Show #
#031 - ”Chinese Millennials Attitudes”
#032 - “Entertainment & KOLs“
#033 - "Knowledge Anxiety"
#034 - “Nomadic Youth & Bereavement Culture ('Sang')"
#035 - "Chinese Youth Going Global"
CATEGORY: OFFICIAL MEETINGS
Show #
#036 - “Understanding ‘Face’ and How To Give It"
#037 - “Meeting in a Government Office”
#038 - “Hosting A Meeting In Your Office”
#039 - “Flow"
#040 - “Season 1 Wrapup" (audio + video available)