EPISODE · Jan 23, 2026 · 37 MIN
Episode 024 When I Was an Editor in Korea (Part 2): Ten Years After Returning Home (Chinese)
from Cross-cultural Stories · host Ray
In this episode, we continue our in-depth conversation with Producer Wanzi, turning toward life’s bigger decisions and a more enduring sense of homesickness. When her career and life in Jeju Island were at their most comfortable, what led her to make the resolute choice to return to Shanghai? As she transitioned from a cross-cultural editor to a film and television producer in China, what kinds of “disenchantment” and reconstruction did she experience?We also dive into the small, intimate habits that quietly carry meaning: a bowl of Korean soybean paste soup seasoned by hand, a fridge always stocked with Jongga kimchi, and a cup of hot water she never managed to give up. How do these everyday rituals become subtle bridges between a place once lived in and a place called home?Toward the end of the episode, we arrive at a gentle definition together:“Perhaps ‘a foreign land’ is not a geographic location, but a shared past—one we all carry, yet can never return to.”Whether you are still drifting or have already put down roots, this conversation about choice, memory, and self-reconciliation may resonate deeply. We close the episode with a shared understanding:“A foreign land is a beautiful past preserved in our collective memory, while home is the string that lets the kite fly far—yet always brings it safely back.”Timeline00:00 — The decision to return: the responsibility of an only child and the career clock at thirty03:37 — Professional disenchantment: from media editor to film and TV producer06:40 — Television memories: from guilt-laden viewing to professional analysis11:30 — Life in between: what changes and what remains in everyday food habits17:31 — Choosing not to assimilate: iced Americano and selfhood beyond appearance anxiety23:25 — The meaning of travel: from “seeing the world” to observing everyday life29:04 — Defining “foreign land” and “home”: the kite string and the past we can’t return to32:16 — Closing and invitation: to all fellow travelers with stories to tell
What this episode covers
In this episode, we continue our in-depth conversation with Producer Wanzi, turning toward life’s bigger decisions and a more enduring sense of homesickness. When her career and life in Jeju Island were at their most comfortable, what led her to make the resolute choice to return to Shanghai? As she transitioned from a cross-cultural editor to a film and television producer in China, what kinds of “disenchantment” and reconstruction did she experience?We also dive into the small, intimate habits that quietly carry meaning: a bowl of Korean soybean paste soup seasoned by hand, a fridge always stocked with Jongga kimchi, and a cup of hot water she never managed to give up. How do these everyday rituals become subtle bridges between a place once lived in and a place called home?Toward the end of the episode, we arrive at a gentle definition together:“Perhaps ‘a foreign land’ is not a geographic location, but a shared past—one we all carry, yet can never return to.”Whether you are still drifting or have already put down roots, this conversation about choice, memory, and self-reconciliation may resonate deeply. We close the episode with a shared understanding:“A foreign land is a beautiful past preserved in our collective memory, while home is the string that lets the kite fly far—yet always brings it safely back.”Timeline00:00 — The decision to return: the responsibility of an only child and the career clock at thirty03:37 — Professional disenchantment: from media editor to film and TV producer06:40 — Television memories: from guilt-laden viewing to professional analysis11:30 — Life in between: what changes and what remains in everyday food habits17:31 — Choosing not to assimilate: iced Americano and selfhood beyond appearance anxiety23:25 — The meaning of travel: from “seeing the world” to observing everyday life29:04 — Defining “foreign land” and “home”: the kite string and the past we can’t return to32:16 — Closing and invitation: to all fellow travelers with stories to tell
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Episode 024 When I Was an Editor in Korea (Part 2): Ten Years After Returning Home (Chinese)
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