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Podcast subverts China's conformist culture by getting people to share private-yet-human stories

Kou Aizhe is the host of "StoryFM." (Scott Tong/Here & Now)
Scott Tong/Here & Now
Kou Aizhe is the host of "StoryFM." (Scott Tong/Here & Now)

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong reports from China on a podcast called StoryFM modeled after This American Life.

He speaks with Kou Aizhe, the show’s creator, about being inspired by American podcasts and how he’s able to get Chinese people to tell frank, honest stories that might be embarrassing or shameful, in a culture that is conformist where private things stay private.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Before joing Here & Now in 2021, Scott Tong spent 16 years at Marketplace as Shanghai bureau chief and senior correspondent. Scott has reported from more than a dozen countries, including Venezuela, Ethiopia, Burma and Japan.