Category Archives: Online

How a 20-Year-Old Had Single-Use Plastic Banned in Bali | Influence

Melati Wijsen was 12 years old when she co-founded the Bye Bye Plastic Bags movement. Since then, the climate activist, often compared to Greta Thunberg, has managed to create change through an environmental policy banning single-use plastics in Bali. She is now harnessing her influence and online following to tackle even bigger environmental issues and to educate aspiring changemakers. Her new project, ‘Youthtopia’, aims to teach a new generation how to become activists in their fields.

Credit: Host/Producer/Director

Wuhan’s Punk Rockers Turn Pro-Establishment Since COVID-19 | Gen 跟 China

‘Gen 跟 China’, is an insider’s view of the country as it navigates a post-pandemic world. In this fifth episode, we visit Wuhan’s punk scene and discover how the pandemic and society has made rockers less rebellious.We spoke to members of SMZB, the band that put punk rock on the map in Wuhan, as well as younger punks on the scene. Despite the pandemic, those in China seem to only sing the praises of the Chinese government.

Credit: Producer/Director

Could China’s Booming Wine Industry Lead to an Ecological Disaster? | Gen 跟 China

‘Gen 跟 China’, is an insider’s view of the country as it navigates a post-pandemic world. In this fourth episode, we deep dive into China’s growing wine industry and how its growth could lead to an ecological disaster. President Xi Jinping has highlighted the wine industry as a way to boost the economy in the underdeveloped region of Ningxia. However, in China, there is often a trade-off between poverty alleviation, big business and the environment.

Credit: Producer/Director

Why China’s Three-Child Policy Won’t Impact “Leftover” Men and Women | Gen 跟 China

‘Gen 跟 China’, is an insider’s view of the country as it navigates a post-pandemic world. In this third episode, we discover what “leftover” millennials think of their single status and their place in society, as well as why the government has introduced a three-child policy. The term 剩女 (shèngnǚ) has become pervasive in Chinese society over the past decade. It translates to “leftover women” and refers to unmarried females over the age of 27. These women usually live in the big cities, but there is also a subsection of males in the countryside who are also “leftover”. These are the extra men born during the country’s previous one-child policy. Can China’s single millennials catch a break from the government?

Credit: Producer/Director

The Power of China’s Cancel Culture on Foreign Brands Over Xinjiang Cotton | Gen 跟 China

‘Gen 跟 China’ is an insider’s view of the country as it navigates a post-pandemic world. In this second episode, we look at how Chinese consumers are cancelling foreign brands that have chosen not to source cotton from Xinjiang province, over allegations of human rights abuses. Many foreign clothing brands are being boycotted in China over their decision not to use Xinjiang cotton. We speak to a sneakerhead who decided to return his Nike and Adidas shoes for patriotic reasons and discover who is really pulling the strings of cancel culture in the country.

Credit: Producer/Director

China Might Have Found a Way to Beat the Pandemic – Increased Surveillance | Gen 跟 China


‘Gen 跟 China’ is an insider’s view of the country as it navigates a post-pandemic world. In this first episode, we look at how China’s home-grown health codes are a step up in the country’s surveillance tech arsenal. China’s big data, high-surveillance approach to the coronavirus pandemic has helped the country achieve a new sense of normalcy, far before many other nations. We look at the technology, the role it plays in everyday life and speak with experts to evaluate the cost at which this sense of freedom comes. Who are the winners and losers when collective health and individual freedoms are on the line?

Credit: Producer/Director