Why Are Chinese Consumers So Keen on Gold?
Shuibei, in southern China, is home to one of the world's biggest retail markets for gold. Over the past year, it's seen a boom in demand for the jewelry, sold by thousands of stallholders, as the Chi...
28 Jan 202513min
Americans Flocked to RedNote as the TikTok Ban Loomed. Will the Party Last?
The US ban on TikTok saw millions of users – predominantly Americans – flock to another Chinese social media platform: Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. So far, the vibe between Chinese and American...
21 Jan 202517min
South Korea Has Plenty of Botox But Not Enough Doctors
A record 600,000 people traveled to South Korea for medical procedures in 2023, with roughly half of those visiting dermatology and plastic surgery clinics. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebe...
14 Jan 202515min
Why Millions of Young Chinese Are Refusing to Make Pension Payments
China’s pension system is in danger of running out of cash within a decade due to severe underfunding. Now it faces a new threat: Tens of millions of mostly young workers are refusing to pay into it. ...
7 Jan 202513min
The Coffee Shop That's Been Eating Starbucks' Lunch in China
China’s Luckin Coffee is the nation’s top coffee retailer, overtaking even Starbucks. That would be notable itself, but less than four years ago the company filed for bankruptcy, making its comeback e...
31 Dec 202416min
Netflix’s Big Bet On ‘Squid Game’
The gory, dystopian South Korean thriller Squid Game is the most popular series Netflix has ever released. This week, it drops season two — in the midst of the company’s efforts to grow the show beyon...
24 Dec 202415min
China Had a Plan to Rescue Its Housing Market. It’s Not Working
China’s property crisis has become a massive headache for the world’s second-largest economy. Tens of millions of newly built apartments lie vacant, home prices have tumbled and cash-strapped develope...
17 Dec 202414min
The Most Powerful Families in South Korea Brace for the Next Revolt
South Korea’s family-run conglomerates – or chaebols – have been big drivers of economic growth, and because of that they’ve largely been seen as untouchable. Until now. The chaebols are being challen...
10 Dec 202417min
