Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu -Shen in the studio.
Coming up. The weather's perfect.
Blue skies, sunshine and a long weekend.
Hiking and outdoor adventure are booming in China.
From remote forests, to rugged mountains.
But with this surge, comes rising risks and a growing number of people getting lost or stranded.
And that is where an unexpected alliance comes in.
NGOs, rescue teams, tech companies, even smartphone and EV makers have teamed up creating a high tech safety net.
But it raises big questions.
Is tech making people over confident?
And where does personal responsibility come in when nature calls?
And we scrub, rinse, exfoliate and moisturize from face to fingertips.
But way down at the bottom your feet are quietly dealing with sweat, dirt, and who knows what from your daily travels.
So, how often should you be washing your hard -working feet?
that us at Roundtable podcast at QQ .com.
Now let's switch gears.
China's outdoor adventure scene is booming, but so are the risks.
Behind the breath -taking views and off the beaten path lies a growing need for smarter safety.
A nationwide mutual alliance has quietly emerged using satellite positioning, AI, and digital mapping.
They've successfully rescued nearly 60 people in the wild since its establishment in September 2024.
From complex terrain to no signal zones, here's how this tech -driven force is rewriting the rules of rescue in this country.
So how have these NGOs and companies come together to form this alliance and to rescue people?
Actually, this alliance was jointly founded by Chinese digital map provider AMAP and multiple rescue team organizations.
Also the off -road vehicle branch of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers under the guidance of the National Institute of Safety Science and Engineering of the Ministry of Emergency Management and the China Academy of Safety Science and Technology.
and Xinhua reports that this first mutual aid rescue alliance based on this map platforming China has successfully helped nearly 60 people out of danger since its establishment six months ago, you know, it's established in September 2024 and it rescued these people in Beijing, Liao Ni in northwestern China, Yunnan southwestern China, Guangxi southern part of China and Xizang or Tibet in western part of China.
So basically all over the country.
Yeah. So how does this Alliance operate?
So imagine the situation where an outdoor hiker gets trapped in an area where there's no people around and the landscape there is really difficult, really dangerous, there's no mobile phone signal available.
So in that situation that person can open the AMAP app on their phone and that supports the satellite communication function.
They can open that to call for help.
And then the system can push relevant information including weather, local weather, mobile phone signal status, and accurate location to the nearest outdoor rescue force.
Which means not all the you know, phones or smartphones have this emergency feature because you need to equipped with that kind of satellite communication feature.
Yep you're absolutely right.
Should that happen though and that level of communication is established, then rescue team members they get that signal and then they can plan the optimal rescue route with just one click and then they can bring off -road vehicles with rescue capabilities to the scene and then afterwards the entire rescue process data can still be retained, pardon me, facilitating a review that will help optimization in the future.
So in the past people had to rely on describing their surroundings and experience art.
That's hard. Or impossible sometimes, right?
It's just grass. It's just mountains.
Yes, and maybe also depend on the experience of these rescue personnels.
Now with these apps and features and functions both sides can see each other's approximate real time location and they can make it more efficient.
Yeah, the captain of the Beijing a Feng Shan blue sky rescue team said that he used to rely on the description of the surrounding environment by the person who was in trouble and then rely on his experiences to find the location.
Now imagine how difficult that would be, right?
Because when a person is lost or when they're in that type of dangerous situation, well even if they weren't panicked, They might have a hard time describing where they are if they're not familiar with the landscape.
But even if they are familiar with the landscape, they're panicked, they're worried, they're scared in that situation.
So imagine how much time is wasted, right?
But when you can use this kind of system that can locate them immediately, I mean even if this only saves 30 seconds or 50 seconds or whatever, that could be the difference between life and death.
Yeah and I think for a lot of everyday people who live in cities these days, it's kind of hard for us to imagine that oh there are moments, there are areas where you just have no Wi -Fi or phone signal and then you simply don't know what to do when that happens if you don't have some of these necessary skills I suppose before you go out and venture out into the wild.
And could you guys also update us with when we're talking about outdoor rescue, what technologies are at play?
So first of all, positioning function is the thing that maybe a lot of people may need when in this kind of situation.
People in distress often struggle to accurately describe their location as deepset due to maybe anxiety and the surroundings.
With the satellite communication feature, rescue teams can quickly obtain their precise coordinates and improving rescue efficiency.
Also, we will have that kind of interactive function.
The app allows real time location sharing between the persons in distress and also the rescue team.
Helping reduce anxiety and also avoid wasting resources.
For example, two rescue teams got the messages and then they head out for the same rescue at the same time and then we can avoid that.
Also, rescue in no signal areas, phones that, you know, support this satellite communication can send rescue message via, you know, the domestic Beidou Navigation Satellite System and the Tiantong -1 satellite mobile communication system enabling effective communication even in areas without any traditional telecom signals.
There's the interactive interaction function too.
Your your phone battery level is really important if you find yourself in that dangerous situation, right?
Yeah. And it's unrealistic, I think, to keep communicating with the people who are coming to rescue you during the whole operation.
Maybe, but maybe not, right?
But when you have simultaneous information updating people being trapped, this might make them feel a little bit better.
Because when you have this location sharing of both the rescue team and the person who's in trouble, then you can avoid a whole list of wasted resources.
Like the number of people who would be sent out or how many rescue forces will go to help that person.
And then the trapped person or the person in trouble can know the location of the rescue team as well.
Because think about how scared you are.
You hang up the phone or whatever, and then where are they?
Are they coming? Are they not coming?
You know, you can you can.
How long should I wait?
Yeah you can reduce that level of anxiety as well.
Yeah, and let me bring our discussion towards the really practical side of things.
That is, mountain rescue efforts have become quite stretched in a lot of cases.
This is the kind of thing that you really need it when the emergency happens.
But if it's just a regular day, you don't need it, and then there aren't really all that many resources showered on the cause anyway.
So in this alliance, as an example, who's footing the bill?
Actually, you know, this is a little bit complicated.
If people get into, you know, danger outside, let's say the range of a scenic area and require a rescue, the scenic area may request, and they have the right to actually request the people in danger to pay for the rescue costs, right?
An online survey actually titled the hikers taking the unusual paths who should bear the rescue costs, 94 .5 % of netizens voted that tourists should pay for the rescue costs that are their personal responsibility.
In practice, in fact, rescue costs are often paid by government departments, also scenic areas and volunteer rescue teams. So maybe some of them need to pay by themselves because they are actually, as you said, NGO, and they are not charging these tourists to pay for, but actually it's quite costly.
When you need to get into that mountain areas and no signal areas, a lot of the things like vehicles, team member insurance, equipment and fuel and maintenance, they could all be expensive.
And also it can be kind of a dangerous operation sometimes for when you're stuck and then you're asking other people sometimes to take tremendous risks to come and rescue you.
And that, you know, alongside what you shouldn't just provide an analysis for us, a lot of the times in public discourse, also online, people who hike recklessly and end up needing to be rescued get slammed online.
Mm, for making the mistake of being there in the first place.
Kind of like that, and there's often little sympathy for those who walk into danger and people say you're waiting to be rescued.
I don't know, how would you feel about this?
Or can you imagine this kind of discussion maybe happening in Canada?
Yeah, I can. It's hard for me to give that opinion, though.
I think it's, you know, I remember seeing stories online about, you know, someone jumps into a tiger cage or something, and people are like, what are you doing?
Right. And they have to shoot the tiger?
Yes. I'm not referencing any particular story, by the way.
It's just something I remember reading about these types of things, and people get upset, right, at that type of thing.
But that being said, just because someone may have done something that wasn't the best decision in the first place doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be rescued.
Oh, of course! Right, so.
But who's footing the bill?
Yeah I mean yeah. Yeah, it's an interesting question that has definitely solicited a lot of different opinions in China as well, and particularly in the last few years we've seen outdoor adventure experience a major boom in China, understandably.
People want to get out of the city and really experience nature, and some of these folks, they like to go into the remote terrain and follow no path.
Adventure tourism. I guess so.
So what do we know about that?
And also I wonder if you guys think that with this rise in amateur adventures, might it force some kind of rethinking of public safety and education?
You know, this is kind of referring to the previous question as well.
So, what do you guys think?
Well, I think there are improvements that still need to be made to try to keep people as safe as they possibly can.
Right? and you're talking there about setting up maybe an outdoor adventure risk management system.
So departments in that region, wherever that region should be they could establish something in line with outdoor exploration with the environment, with the social culture, with the system, and help to develop a system that would keep people safe, because if people are headed in that direction of being a little bit more adventurous with their time and with the places that they're going, the system should be in place, I think.
It's because it's better for everyone, isn't it?
It's better for the people who are doing these types of things, but it's also better for the local communities to have established systems in place.
Well, well, in sort of the defense of a lot of these local management organizations, they do set up lots of signs.
Danger! Don't go further than this.
But you've got these thrill -seeking hikers who are like, oh great, this is a no -go area?
I'm going. Then it's kind of like, ugh, who's that responsible?
Yeah, if they're not following established rules, then okay, fair to criticize.
But if there aren't any established rules, then maybe it's not so fair to criticize And I would say maybe we should have the awareness of taking the responsibility of taking good care of yourself These are choices made by you.
You would like to take the risk of going to these adventures And you should have that kind of idea in mind that There is a risk, and you know you need to take the responsibility Hmm, we're I guess very responsible people?
Yeah, technology is bridging the gaps in China's rescue efforts, bringing precision, speed, and hope.
But even the most advanced systems cannot replace personal awareness, sound judgment, and preparation.
The Great Outdoors offers freedom and thrill, yes, but it also demands respect, caution, and accountability from everyone who dares to explore it.
Coming up next, okay, serious talk's done, time to kick off your shoes literally and ask, when's the last time you gave your feet a proper scrub and how often should you do it?
Stay tuned. Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Round Table, where east meets west and understanding is the goal.
You're listening to Round Table with myself, Ha -young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly, and you should.
Your hands get soap, your face gets serum, but your feet just a splash and hope for the best. Let's talk about why your feet might need more attention than you think.
I don't know why this is … relevant?
If I should ask any of these questions?
Yeah, let's learn a little bit about our feet and how dirty they can be.
Listen, this is, I'm talking to you, listener.
Anytime you hear this kind of topic appear on round table, you can just assume that I'm the one who introduced it.
And that is true in this case.
I thought, ooh, this is fun.
Let's learn about this.
Did you know that the bottom of your feet contains 600 sweat glands per square centimeter of skin?
That is more than any other part of your body.
Did you know that or did you not?
I had no idea. It's already a useful segment, isn't it?
Yeah, but let's just jump straight.
And I just wanted to share that little factoid before we jump to the main question of how often should you wash your feet?
Let's get straight to it.
Now, when I found this story, I leaned across the table and I asked, you should, I said, hey, do you wash your feet?
And your answer was?
I do not, to be honest. That's a little bit personal, But I don't have an exact action of washing them.
If you don't mind, explain.
Because your answer and my answer are the same.
You are, I'll speak for myself and you can take over at some point.
I was kind of under the impression that when I take a shower and I'm using the body wash and I'm scrubbing you know arms and armpits and chest and, that the soap flows down, Exactly.
Thank you. To the foot area, and whilst the soap is on the feet, it's working on its own.
Yeah, and at that moment, I will add a bit of toe wiggling action.
Oh, yes. Right? Yes, to facilitate.
Yes. The cleaning process.
Hold on. Do you have your slippers on or not?
On. Okay. Yeah. Because you don't really want to go in barefoot, right?
One reason is it's slippery in the, in the room, in the shower.
Another thing is if you walk in barefoot, then I don't know which is more dirty, the floor or your feet, and then you're supposed to wash your feet, and then you come out, and then your feet could get dirty again.
I don't know. It's just very complicated.
Yeah. When we were having this conversation in the office, and I asked you, should you wash your feet?
And he said, no. And I said, yeah, me neither.
The look on Huya on his face was one of great disgust, great disgust. I thought I hid it pretty well.
So short on time, so again, the question, how often should you wash your feet?
It largely depends on who you are.
So frequent foot washing is especially important if you suffer, I did not know this, if you suffer from diabetes.
That's a condition that makes people prone to ulcers and skin infections.
And research has shown that the feet of diabetic patients contain a higher proportion of bacteria residing on the skin.
And so I learned something there new.
But should you wash your feet every day if you don't have any condition at all?
Experts argue that for most people, Yushan, you're gonna feel great about this, washing your feet every day has very little health benefit and can even raise the risk of skin problems, mic drop.
yeah look at them they're fine until now.
Would you say oh just fine to your face no you wouldn't and your feet you know carries.
It's like the base camp of your body in a way and then you know does a lot of hard work and they deserve some TCL tender care and tender love and care.
Yes I think so and actually you know guys I'm completely the opposite to you guys, I wash my feet every day.
Like scrub? A little bit more gentle than that because if you wash every day, you don't need to scrub and not exfoliate every day, I don't think.
But I think it's a good, it's a habit I would recommend to everybody.
Because soaking our feet and then going into foot therapy is a huge part of wellness practices in our Chinese culture.
And I admit, I don't have the time go to go through with a foot therapy at home so at least you know so get in hot water I like it hot and it and I I wish that the arrangement in Chinese apartments could be like this there's a basin as you enter the apartment and a nice seat and you can just wash your feet there get it they have those those These are called six -star hotels.
And then you're all like relaxed and clean and everything and then wipe it up and then get into my super comfy slippers and go into the apartment.
Sounds amazing. But here's why experts say you don't need to wash your feet every day.
Your skin relies on a community of helpful microbes to perform essential functions.
They help repel harmful bacteria and produce lipids or fats that keep your skin hydrated and supple, and even help repair wounds.
So intensive washing and scrubbing of your feet can remove those beneficial species, and that's true, especially if the water is, as you love it, especially hot.
We're living in an environment with bacteria and our skin actually needs bacteria.
then, you know, why wash your face?
you know, why brush your teeth?
you know it's like you know why fold up your duvet, since you need to open it and lie in bed and put it on your body again yeah and final point dermatologists say don't just ignore your feet altogether but every couple of days giving them a nice wash maintaining good hygiene is enough without stripping away too many of the natural oils on your skin.
Yeah, especially with a lot of physical activity, I will, I will do wash it to me.
Oh, that's important.
Dermatologists also say, if you're somebody who works out at the gym every day, yeah, wash your feet every day.
And when you say wash, we didn't mention, is it using your hands?
Well you told me you're using a toilet brush, don't you?
I have a, not a toilet brush, there's a brush that's specifically For the toilet.
For scrubbing my feet.
Oh yeah. Do you also use it to wash your toilet?
I have a special basin just for my feet.
It's got flowers in it.
That's the end of today's show.
Thank you, Steve and Yu Xun, for joining the discussion.
I'm Ha Young. We'll see you next time.
