1st Annual Beijing Hot & Spicy Fest
I got to attend the Fest and shot video of the scene and the chile eating contest, some of which may end up in the feature film CrazyHot - no promises! It's impossible to say what makes the final cut as of now - but a highlight reel of the footage and my day is below.
Special thanks to Kyle, Mike, Alicia, Mu, and everyone else at TheBeijinger for their hospitality, and to all the folks at the event and featured in the video!
Enjoy!
Bonus Episode: NEW YEAR’S 2017 | Brendan Davis
In this special NEW YEAR’S EVE edition, recorded and posted just hours before the champagne pops in Beijing, I discuss the “inciting incident” in my move to China, the launch and first season of the show, a snapshot of EACH guest, my recent appearance on CGTN, and I talk about what else I’ve been up and what’s coming next in 2018. Many good times were had, and there are many more to come!
BD on the “Culture Express” Year-End Special on CGTN:
https://goo.gl/D59be5
Holiday FUNDRAISING Drive - SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/
MIKE WESTER: True Run Media
#032 - True Run Media | Mike Wester
My guest this week is Mike Wester, co-founder of True Run Media, which publishes The Beijinger, Jing Kids, and more. In the episode we talk about Mike's journey from the Boston area to Taiwan, back to the US for grad school, and then his ultimate move to Beijing, a city he's called home for 17 years. Pictured above are Mike with his daughter Eloise and his wife, Toni. Mike and his team have built quite a publishing presence in China, and his thoughtful insights on society reflect a deep passion for quality journalism and the people it impacts - i.e., all of us.
In this episode I also discuss my upcoming special New Year’s show, an appearance I’ll be making on CGTN soon talking about film in China, the podcast’s holiday fundraising drive, and much more. Full details are in the show intro and all the links are available in the show notes below or via the blog post at https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/home/2017/12/27/mike-wester so check it out. Enjoy!
Mike Wester contact:
mwinchina
True Run Media brands:
thebeijinger.com
beijing-kids.com
jingkids.com
TheBeijinger QR code
Beijing-Kids QR code
Jing Shanghai QR Code
Jing Beijing QR code
AWA Health (mention the show and get a 20% discount):
4th Floor, THE PLACE mall
Guanhua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing China
137-1618-2745 (Chinese)
186-0083-9624 (English)
Holiday FUNDRAISING Drive - SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/
KYLE MULLIN: Writing & Reporting in Beijing, China
#031 - Writing & Reporting in Beijing, China | Kyle Mullin
This week’s guest is Kyle Mullin. Kyle is a Canadian journalist who works as a writer and editor at The Beijinger. In the episode we discuss Kyle’s environmentally-conscious focus, which he first discovered as a writer in college. This passion set him on a path that ended up at The Beijinger, where he writes a regular "Beicology” column (Beijing + Ecology) in addition to his food & beverage, music, and other social interests. This is my longest episode ever, but it moves fast and we cover a lot of ground; I loved going even more in-depth with this one and hope to do more like this in the future. Kyle and I discuss writing, our mutual affection for Marc Maron's WTF podcast, plus we do a special year-end look back at some of the big China stories of 2017, and much more.
This episode is sponsored by AWA Health. Whether you’re interested in relieving stress or soothing your lungs and body from being exposed to pollution, AWA Health offers great services to help you deal with the realities of living in the big city. AWA Health is offering a special Holiday VIP package combining an anti-stress flotation therapy session + an anti-pollution halotherapy session in the salt room for only 860RMB. This is normally a 1076 RMB value, so you save over 200 RMB. Book with Angelique directly via the QR code linked below, and tell her you're a "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" listener when you do!
Kyle Mullin articles and interview links:
http://www.thebeijinger.com/category/blog-tags/beicology
http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/the-odds-and-evens-of-the-sun-shining-in-beijing-arent-good/
https://thediplomat.com/2017/06/can-china-live-up-to-its-climate-fighting-promise/
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/06/ai-weiwei.html
https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2017/12/02/brendan-davis-big-fish-middle-kingdom-podcast
AWA Health (mention the show and get a 20% discount):
4th Floor, THE PLACE mall
Guanhua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing China
137-1618-2745 (Chinese)
186-0083-9624 (English)
QR code available in blog post @ crazyinagoodway.com
Holiday FUNDRAISING Drive - SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/
"Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" featured on TheBeijinger.com!
Kyle Mullin of True Run Media, the company behind The Beijinger, Jing Kids, and more, sat down with me for several hours and got the inside scoop on the podcast, my backstory in and prior to Beijing, and much, much more. A link to the fun interview is below. If you're so inclined, check it out!
- BD
"Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" on The Beijinger
http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2017/12/02/brendan-davis-big-fish-middle-kingdom-podcast
FEI WU: From Beijing to Boston
#028 - From Beijing to Boston | Fei Wu
My guest this week is Fei Wu, a “reverse laowai” who made the move FROM China TO the US. Fei is a native-born Beijinger who has now been living in the US for 17 years. Fei and I had a great talk. We discuss her origins in Beijing, her move to Maine to finish high school - where she became both the captain of the boys' hockey team AND the prom queen - and then her move to Boston for college and the cool life and business she’s built for herself there ever since. We also dive deep into WHY we both love podcasting, and oh, yeah: besides all of that, Fei is a third degree black belt, proving that not all podcasters are desk jockeys like myself. Links to Fei’s World and more are in the show notes below and in the blog post as always.
This episode also introduces our NEW sponsor, AWA Health! AWA Health is a unique facility, the first of its kind in Beijing, that among other specialities offers anti-stress flotation therapy. Listeners of the show get a 20% discount just by mentioning the show or my name when you book. Check the links below to get more information, and extract the QR code to contact the owner directly and book your session today.
And I’m pleased to be helping in a small way to support The Beijinger’s 7th Annual Hot Pepper Eating Contest, a fundraiser for the Maovember charity. I’ll be there shooting some footage for CrazyHot, a feature documentary film I’m helping produce that is the deepest dive ever undertaken into the origins, uses, foods, chilehead culture, and the medical future of ultrahot peppers from around the world. If you will be in Beijing on December 2 or would just like to make a donation to some very worthy causes, follow the links below to learn more.
Fei Wu and Fei’s World podcast:
http://feisworld.com
AWA Health (mention the show and get a 20% discount):
4th Floor, THE PLACE mall
Guanhua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing China
137-1618-2745 (Chinese)
186-0083-9624 (English)
The Beijinger’s 7th Annual Hot Pepper Eating Contest:
https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2017/11/29/gut-rupturing-peppers-prizes-chili-pepper-eating-contest
Maovember:
www.maovember.com
Punjabi:
http://punjabichina.com/
CrazyHot Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/CrazyHotTheFilm/
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/
SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/