Radiodays Asia, the new radio conference for Asia, to be held on August 27 and 28 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has announced Kou Aizhe, who hosts the Chinese podcast ‘Guishi FM’ as a speaker.

Aizhe was recently featured in the New York Times with an article about his popular podcast 'Gushi FM' (Story FM). Inspired by 'This American Life', it tells the stories of ordinary people living in China today in first person. 

To say that this podcast is ground breaking is true and false at the same time. The format isn't new in podcasting and the subject has been covered many times, but considering that the Chinese government still has control over much of the country’s media, to have an independent person talking to everyday people and being listened to by these same people is something special. 

Aizhe began the programme in 2017 and has more than 600,000 listeners.

As the NYT says “What emerges is a collection of unusual stories told with an authenticity rarely heard in the country’s tightly scripted, propaganda-heavy state-run media”. The episodes are only in Chinese but their content is a very real look at the stories of China today and offers a glimpse into a population that is still very much hidden from the rest of the world. 

To hear the full story of how a little bit of inspiration, a lot of hard work and the same measure of talent is making Kou Aizhe a hot property in the Chinese world of Podcasting hear him at Radiodays Asia, 27 – 28 August 2019 – Register Now. 

You can read the full New York Times article here.