Page 38 - 158 varsity ebook

36 /

ity of the medium grows. male media practitioners discuss so- The answer is no. But it does not
Qi Zhenyu started The Unemploy- cial issues from a feminist perspective mean that nothing can be done.
able (無業游民) with several friends is one example. “Sometimes playing with the rules
in 2018. He came to Hong Kong in The show was permanently sus- is like writing an essay with an as-
2010 for graduate study, and worked pended in February 2020 after one signed topic, and this is exactly what
as a journalist for various local media of its episodes criticised government most current Chinese podcasters,
for 6 years, including covering Chi- policies, such as shutting down Wu- who are also former professional me-
nese politics for The Initium, a Hong han city during the outbreak of COV- dia practitioners, are good at,” Qi says.
Kong-based online media outlet. ID-19, as improper. Its Weibo and The three podcasters of Surplus
Since all media outlets Qi worked Alipay accounts were also shut down. Value, after the programme was per-
for are blocked in mainland China, “Are there any podcasts covering manently shut down, established a
Mainland Chinese without Virtual controversial political issues? Have new podcast Stochastic Volatility (隨機
Private Network (VPN) cannot read any of them discussed the flood that 波動) in March 2020, using the same
stories he produced. Through pod- happened in Southern China during initials in English, covering similar
cast, Qi wants to reach to those inside July and August?” Qi asks. topics.

The 51th episode of Surplus Value is now unavailable.

the Great Firewall of China.
But it is not easy. As a former Chi-
nese politics observer, he knows well
that not a single field in China can go
beyond government’s control. Podcast Are there any podcasts covering
is no exception. controversial political issues? Have
“I am not optimistic that Chinese
podcasts could broaden the bounda- any of them discussed the flood
ries of public discussion by a large
margin,” he adds. that happened in Southern China
There is growing evidence that
podcasts aiming at discussion of poli- during July and August?
tics are under increasing pressure in
China. Podcast programme Surplus
Value (剩餘價值), in which three fe-