You're listening to Roundtable, I'm Yuhong Lin, joined by Steve and Ding Hong.
Coming up soon, they say the library is where shhh lives.
But what if, instead of shushing, libraries became the loudest champions of innovation and community.
It's time to re -shelf our expectations of what a library should be.
And a big dinner after a workout session in the gym, yes or no, we'll be discussing this fun topic so that we can give you a better state of maintaining your health.
But now, as cities raise to develop smarter, more connected infrastructures, there is a growing focus on something timeless.
The library. Sure, we live in a world of smartphones, ebooks and podcasts, but is that any reason to turn our backs on the humble library?
These institutions aren't just about books anymore, they're about community, about providing access to resources, fostering creativity and offering a quiet escape from the noise.
Actually when I was younger, my favorite place wasn't a playground or a mall, it was the local library, our provincial library, and it wasn't just about books.
Well, they were amazing, amazing for sure, but it was the feeling of getting into a world where I can decide my life, well for that several hours what it could be.
I can borrow books, I can study, I can even listen to some music while I am studying, so that quietness, that soothing feeling and also that limited resources of information was quite amazing to me.
So, I know we are going to definitely touch the smarter side of the renovation and revolution of libraries here in the country, but what is your ideal library would be like if you can let your imagination lead the way?
Well, many books are available in multi -language books.
Maybe I can, some place where I can sip a cup of coffee or tea as company and yeah.
Different types of media available I think, different events available, different classes that would be taught where students could sign up at their own leisure, but not just elementary school students or middle school.
I am talking about anybody from the community who wanted to sign up.
That would be kind of the ideal library for me, I think.
It sounds like a culture center, it is something we have here in China, but okay so that is the ideal state.
Now let's go back to reality, what is the last time you visit a library and what was the reason?
I think I would have to say my university days was the last, no, no, no, no, well that was for study purposes.
The last time I was actually in a library was to give a presentation on the cultural differences and similarities between Canada and South Korea.
Working purpose. Demographic breakdown, yeah so I was giving a presentation.
That was the last time I was actually in a library, but for study purposes it would have been university time.
That is actually very interesting because though your reason was to give the lecture, I am pretty sure that was the reason for a lot of people to go into the library, like listening to your lecture.
So like you said, lectures activities would definitely be one factor that would trigger a lot of people to go visit a library.
How about you, Ting -Heng?
Many years ago, about a decade ago I guess.
Not actually, it was in another city, actually not far away from Beijing.
On the beach side, there was a library established upon the seaside, the beach side and yeah at the time at that very location, locality, it was an iconic architecture at the time.
So out of curiosity, yeah I paid a visit and took a look and read my own books actually.
Was that library on the sand?
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, they have one of those in Bulgaria as well.
They call it the beach library.
They have 6 ,000 books in 15 different languages right on the beach.
So people who are relaxing and getting some sun can also read a book in various languages at the same time.
Can I say the reason that you visited that library was because the library, the architecture is beautiful enough, is attractive enough?
Because it was an icon at the time.
So out of curiosity, rather than an actual need to read on that location, actually I brought my own book instead of taking the book from the library.
That is actually very interesting because a recent study conducted by China Youth Daily among over 1 ,300 respondents revealed that more than 91 % of those surveyed expressed the need to study, prepare for exams or recharge as in try to get more energy in life at libraries while 89 % hope that libraries
and other cultural institutions would offer more public learning spaces and additionally, 60 % of respondents suggested extending the opening hours of libraries, reading rooms and similar spaces would be nice for them.
So we do have the need, not only just in the studio but among young people here in China, they still want libraries.
100 % they do and so that answers the question, do we need them?
Because a lot of people wonder that, do we still need libraries anymore?
And the answer is of course, yes.
But that doesn't mean there aren't any challenges either.
Funding is one of the issues that libraries at district levels or lower than that can face.
Insufficient funds.
Regional disparities is another challenge.
The development of libraries in China is uneven.
Some regions have really high quality libraries.
Others lack good library facilities.
So that's a challenge as well, creating a kind of unified system, although I don't think that's an easily solved problem.
Book procurement, that's a problem.
That's a challenge as well, right, because of budget constraints.
So those two challenges are tied together.
If you have a budgetary problem within your library, well then the quality of the books that you're able to procure is going to be challenging because you don't want to buy cheap books that are, you know, anybody can get anywhere.
Of course, libraries, they have pride too, right?
They want the best, but that can be a challenge.
And we have already shared what kind of libraries we would like to visit in our life.
So what are some kind of libraries people that are, well, what do people truly need when it comes to libraries, especially local libraries that they have access to?
Well, I guess people have diverse needs, and the best scenario is that for those libraries to deploy diverse resources in order to meet community needs, for example, in addition to books, they can also think about services like video watching, like Steve mentioned earlier, multimedia activities or eBooks
based on the actual needs of the local community.
For example, in some, I noticed in some rural communities, there have been libraries constructed as well, and they can provide books related to say farming or agricultural science.
Some libraries, whether in rural or urban communities, they can think about offering foreign language books for residents who wish to learn a new foreign language.
In some rural libraries, I guess the collection of books did not really align with the needs of the local residents.
So many books are actually left there, largely on rent.
They are even locked in a metal cabinet instead of really being showcased to potential readers.
I went to the, I had an opportunity to visit the MIT library, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Just, I was curious about what kind of books they have in there, and, goodness me, I mean, they were in English.
They might as well have been in Chinese because I couldn't understand any of the topics that were being discussed, physics and whatever.
You take that library and you plop that into the middle of a rural community in Arkansas.
Well, that's not going to be a very popular library, is it?
Yes. So that's Dinghong's point, is that your community library has to meet the needs of the people who are going to be visiting there.
They have to have books that people want to read.
Yes, do some research before you start your library, start buying books for the library.
And another thing is the development of technology is helping different libraries be very, very creative.
They have different ways to attract people.
One library I have visited has this interactive, it's at that moment, at that time, it was only a computer type of thing, a screen showcased in the hall of the library and you can interact with it and they can pretend to have the personality of one of your favorite writers, for example.
You can ask them questions and they can based on the personality as well as works of the writer to give you a response.
It's almost like a chatbot, an AI chatbot based on your favorite writer.
And that was one thing.
And apparently a lot of different libraries here in China are incorporating that technique, that type of services and allowing these kind of AI bots to happen or to be able to interact with audience and readers in a lot of different locations.
Yeah, I was watching a video online.
It was a library in Sweden or Finland somewhere and they had augmented reality implemented into the library as well.
So when you go to a particular section and you open up your phone and you scan the image of the section itself, you can find your book.
And then if you go to the book, you can scan that and it will give you information on the author.
It will recommend other books that are similar to that and show you the location within the library, where they are, and then give you directions on how to go there and turn right and turn left in that section.
Having that type of technology I just think makes it much more convenient, obviously, but it makes the experience more fun too.
Now, to me, it's pretty interesting to somehow to note here that as we talked about earlier, in the age of digital information, IT information, we definitely have this absolute need for a library because a library is for modern residents to find peace and inner tranquility.
But in the meantime, inside these libraries, we also need to embrace this kind of new technology.
Yes. Ebooks. That's an irony.
I'm not sure irony is the right vocabulary for this, but...
We should find a balance point.
Find a balance between the old -fashioned inner room with some books and no, no, no to any alert on your phone or tablet.
Well, not in every library.
There's a library in Tokyo that encourages people to be a little noisy, if you will.
And what they do is they have specialized pods.
That's the Seike University Library in Tokyo.
So they have soundproof glass pods where if you need silence or looking for silence, you can go in there and study or whatever.
But outside in the general areas, you can talk as if you're in a coffee shop.
That's kind of a cool...
That's kind of cool.
Right? Yeah. So that's a little bit of a different take.
I just mentioned ebooks a moment ago because it's kind of an interesting issue that libraries are dealing with these days.
This is from David Blanchard of Planet Money.
He said that most books, physical books, they last about 30 to 100 loans or so, meaning you can loan a book out, a physical book, 30 to 100 times before it needs to be replaced.
So he explained that in theory, a library could purchase a single ebook and then infinitely copy it and distribute it, right?
That could be perceived though as unfair to authors.
So to address that issue, librarians and publishers, they reached a consensus.
So they decided to treat ebooks similarly to physical books.
The agreement consisted of two key points.
One, the number of users who can borrow an ebook would be limited.
And secondly, libraries would be restricted from lending out an ebook indefinitely.
There would be a set limit.
So as a result of that decision or those decisions, publishers began to raise the prices of ebooks.
Some of them cost as much as 50 to $60.
And that's only for two years.
So they saw this as an issue and they dealt with it almost immediately.
Well, that's very interesting.
We see a different trend here in China that is, they're making borrowing a book easier, more, well, more and more easier every day.
For example, a library in Jiangxi province, they actually is running the library.
Like when they run a no -man supermarket, you go into the place, you get a book and you just directly walk out because thanks to official recognition, as well as the chip on the book, you do not have to do to go through any kind of procedure.
And you can just get the book out.
And when you return the book, same thing, go back into the library, put it on the shelf.
So making it easier or relatively harder, like the example Steve mentioned, are different ways to protect the rights of the writers and improve the needs and also the attraction for readers to go into libraries.
You're listening to Roundtable.
After the break, we'll be talking about snacks after sweat or not.
Stay tuned. Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West and understanding is the goal.
It's Roundtable with myself, Neil Honglin, Steve Hatherly and Ding Hong.
They say the road to fitness is paved with sweat, determination and late -night snack runs.
From yoga pants to barbecues, fitness enthusiasts are proving that sometimes the true finish line is at the nearest food stall.
It's a true, Steve, because I know you're in in soothe -est when it comes to exercising in a gym.
Well, there's a growing trend among young fitness enthusiasts, to borrow your word that you just used, here in China and what they're doing after their workout is they're heading out for a late -night snack.
Many, you know, a lot of people work out in the evening, right?
I might say it's safe to say the majority of people work out in the evening.
If I go to the gym during mid -afternoon, it's empty.
If I go at 7pm, it's pretty busy.
So if you're starting your workout at 7pm, then you're probably finishing around between 8 or 8 .30 or sometimes 9 by the time you get out of the gym, right?
And when you're done your workout, you're pretty darn hungry.
So if you go home and eat or go somewhere and eat, it's sometimes 9 .30 or 10pm by the time that you can make that happen.
So a lot of people these days, they're going for some beef or seafood.
They're going for Cantonese beef hot pot or skewered meats or barbecues, stalls, noodle soups, rice bowls, hot pot.
I think I mentioned already.
You name it. People are going to eat it.
I'm not buying this.
I don't think they are going to these different places to eat because they've had a really good exercising session.
I think it's precisely because they know they want to eat it when they're at work, they're thinking about hot pot, they're thinking about barbecue and they decide, I'm going to go through this cute trip if I do not exercise.
So how about I exercise or pretend to exercise for half an hour and then go hit the food stall?
That's what I did. Yeah, that's the foodie's perspective.
Yeah, I feel like it's a balance.
On one hand, we do see some especially for office workers like white collar workers, who for people with busy working schedule, I think the timing of their workout is tricky, which often means that they might miss a traditional meal, a traditional dinner.
So as a result, they end up having a late night snack to make up for the delayed meal.
That's one thing. But on the other hand, you know, indeed, I think this kind of foodie's aspiration or craving for nice food late at night is true.
Yeah, like this idea that you need to have some meat, some seafood together with drinks, be it alcoholic or non -alcoholic drink, that's a nice way to help you relax.
Oh, definitely. It makes you happy for sure.
Yes. But roundtable does not choose topics lightheartedly.
We find topics worth discussing.
And the reason we're talking about this topic is the findings might be counterintuitive in the sense that for me, I used to think I cannot eat anything after workout if I am actually aiming to exercise or aiming on losing some weight, but Steve has just educated me about the real scientific way of this type of exercise.
Yeah, so after your workout, then your muscles need nutrients to grow and to repair as well.
So when you finish your workout, you need to eat protein and you need to eat carbs.
And doing that helps to replenish a glycogen storage in your body or glycogen levels.
Now, what is glycogen?
Glycogen is simply stored sugar.
We have it in our liver.
We have it in our muscles.
And this is the healthy way that our body stores energy.
And that glycogen that's in your body, that's intended to be your reserve fuel source for your body.
And whenever you exercise, what you're doing is you're using up that glycogen.
So the more you exercise or the harder you train, well, then the more glycogen gets depleted in your body.
Think about your car, the faster you drive your car, the more gasoline you're using and the faster or you'll have to get to the gas station to fill up that gas again.
It's the same thing with glycogen in our body.
So after we work out, it's important that we eat.
And some people believe that, oh, if I'm trying to lose weight, then I shouldn't eat anything after the gym.
I used to think that.
Yeah, but that's not true.
You have to eat carbs and protein.
It's just what you're eating after the gym that's really, really important.
So according to a lot of different websites, I mean, there's so much written on this topic on the internet, but your post workout meal is really, really important.
And you're supposed to eat things like bananas and oats and avocados.
And what you're not supposed to eat is soda or cheeseburgers or french fries or things with a really oily hot pot.
And the reason why is because that has a lot of fat.
So fat, when it gets digested in your body, well, the digestion starts in your mouth.
When you start chewing the enzymes in your saliva as your teeth break down the food, it starts that digestion process.
But the digestion process to, I guess, put it simply in your stomach is kind of water -based and water and fat don't mix.
So the way that I read it, as it was described, it said the fat kind of rises to the top of your stomach and only a certain amount of fat will get broken down or digested when it's in your stomach.
And it continues that process when it reaches your lower intestine.
But why you shouldn't eat fatty foods after your workout is because having fat slows down your digestion process and it slows down the synthesis of the glycogen back into your muscle proteins.
So you're doing yourself a serious disservice by eating something really fatty right after your food, right after your workout.
Yes. So on one hand, you do not get the sugar back in your liver in time, resulting in a very tired day, the day after you're working out.
And on the other hand, you intake too much energy, too much fat and oil in your body, resulting in maybe the losing of your goal when you hit the gym.
So the thing is, when it comes to, let's say, hitting the gym, many people, if you're really thinking about exercising, many people would have different fitness goals, like lose some weight, like muscle gain or some other ways to look better, to feel more energetic.
What are some other common suggestions when it comes to making sure that you realize these goals that you set?
Well, if you were talking about weight loss, some people might, some health scientists are suggesting that we can aim for a 500 calorie deficit per day.
Meaning if you are doing heavy resistance training supplements with quick digesting our carbohydrates, like fruits before your workout.
And after you exercise, after you finish, you can choose a snack with low fat protein, like Steve mentioned, and certain carbs and vegetables to promote this kind of metabolism of the fat and protect the muscle mass.
That's for the weight loss.
And I guess for muscle gain, maybe we're talking about a different scenario.
Maybe for muscle gain, eating a post -workout snack is actually recommended.
Even more recommended.
Yeah, if you're looking to lose weight, then you have to burn more calories in the day than you consume.
So that's what you call a calorie deficit.
If you're trying to gain weight, then you're looking for a calorie surplus.
So you have to eat more calories than you're burning during the day.
So it depends on your fitness goals, of course.
It's not a blanket post -workout meal that everybody will eat at the same time of day with the same dietary goals, because everybody has different goals and therefore the foods are different, too.
And one final suggestion I can give you is based on an experiment I just did several weeks ago.
I tried on a continuous glucose monitoring system that allows me to monitor my blood sugar levels without the need for frequent finger sticks.
And I actually had it for around 14 days continuously.
It provides me with real -time glucose readings and trends, and the device records glucose levels every five minutes so that I would know the blood sugar trends over time.
I would know what type of food would trigger the blood sugar rise for my body faster than other types of food.
I can also know what are, for example, different orders of food when I eat.
When I'm eating, for example, I'm eating the same amount of food, yet if I eat vegetables first and then protein, finally the carbs, actually I can see the sugar blood rises slower and goes down slower.
So you have a relatively stable blood sugar, which is much healthier to you.
And based on that, I also realize if after eating I exercise regularly a little bit, not extreme exercise in the gym kind of exercise, but just walk faster in the building for several laps or just surrounding the building.
You'll walk a little bit, walk more than half an hour.
It also controls the blood sugar level quite well.
And you can also increase fiber intake for sure and incorporate the kind of chromium and magnesium rich foods that can also help you.
So yeah, some advices for everybody.
Yeah. I mean, everybody has different goals, but always try to eat something after you workout and just be aware that the more fat or sugar, bad sugars you're putting in your body after a workout, you're really not doing yourself any favors there.
And in terms of Chinese cuisine, some local foods, they say coconut chicken hot pot and Guangdong style beef hot pot with this kind of mild broth can be beneficial if you really want to have, you know, post -workout meal.
Tasty and healthy. That brings us to the end of today's round table.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's topics.
Leave us a comment wherever you listen to your podcast, or send us an email to roundtablepodcast at qq .com.
Until next time, keep the conversations going and the ideas flowing.
I'm Yuhan Lin with Steve and Ding Hoang.
Thanks for listening.
Bye bye.
