Some young Chinese photographers are starting to gain worldwide attention for their distinctive and edgy portrayals of modern China. Their work depicts the anxieties and struggles of a repressed youth and is normally censored from being distributed in mainstream markets. The only way for these photographers to get their work out into the world is by using the internet for self-promotion and publishing books overseas. In this episode, we follow a new generation of Chinese photographers who painstakingly capture the reality of modern China.

In January 2016, China finally ended its 37-year one-child policy. All couples are now free to have a second child. The result has been a huge boom in second babies. The number of births for 2016 was 18.5 million. That's 2 million higher than the average over the last 5 years. Many of the mothers hoping for a second child are 35 years of age and above. Older mothers are vulnerable to a variety of risks during pregnancy and childbirth. Within 6 months of the end of the policy, the maternal death rate rose 30% compared to the first 6 months of 2015. The government is hurrying to respond to this data. Meet these determined mothers and their families who chose to accept those risks as we visit a postpartum care center in Shanghai.

For centuries, a unique culture has existed in South Korea around the breeding and slaughter of dogs for their meat. However, protests by animal activists during the Olympics severely impacted public opinion of dog meat, costing breeders their jobs and reducing sales to a fraction of previous levels. Animal-lovers seek compassion for the animals, while those involved in the industry counter that their businesses are not in violation of the country's admittedly vague legislation. In this episode, we explore this industry at the center of a complex social controversy.

In April of 2019, Japan introduced a new visa status, the Specified Skilled Worker, intended to encourage foreign laborers to boost Japan's dwindling workforce. In theory, the system appears to be a fine proposal both for young Filipinos eager to send money home, and Japanese industries hoping for new workers. In practice, however, bureaucratic complications between the 2 nations mean that making use of the system isn't as easy as it should be.

While migrant workers helped build Shenzhen into the third largest urban economy in China, many find themselves left behind by the prosperity, instead ending up exhausted and homeless. Yi Xiong is a volunteer who is a migrant himself, and spends time outside of work looking for local migrants who have been rendered homeless. He offers them warm meals, helps them find jobs, and encourages them to make the often difficult choice to return to families in their hometowns and start their lives anew.

The Banpo Labor Market located in the city of Xi'an was once known as a prime location for recruiting laborers. Now, almost all those who gather to find work are in their 50s or 60s. But to prevent construction site accidents, some major cities are passing ordinances that forbid the employment of people 60 or older. Migrant workers who need to sustain themselves accept jobs out of contract, and disputes are frequent. In this episode, we meet the workers who once fueled China's economic growth, but are now being left in the dust.

The indigenous Taroko people are taking the stage to perform traditional songs and dances to entice visitors back to their famed Taroko Gorge after being impacted by a major earthquake in April 2024.