Today's post features Jenny Zhu, my favourite host at ChinesePod.com
ChinesePod's Jenny Zhu is undoubtedly the most listened to gal in laowai land. As co-host of the mega-popular Chinese-teaching podcast she blasts out to more than 350,000 listeners worldwide, including 25,000 registered users in Shanghai every day (treble that figure if you include unregistered freeloaders like us). Nevertheless, the 26-year-old remains a mystery. She reveals so little about her private life in her podcasts – now numbering more than 700 since September 2005 – that she retains a Sphinx-like quality.
So what exactly is the riddle of this Sphinx? Who is she? What is she? Where does she come from? Does she have a boyfriend? (Beguiled males, see below at your peril.) Does ChinesePod exploit her undeniable sex appeal to peddle the show? Does she ever get hit on by infatuated Internet geeks? Is she herself an Internet geek? What's her personality? Does she even have a personality? Is she really and truly "inimitable" as she is often described by co-host and ChinesePod founder Ken Carroll? Is their joyful on-air bonhomie real or fake? And how does she see him? Is he Henry Higgins, Svengali, King Lear or none of the above? Does she contemplate life after ChinesePod? Do any of us?
Bursting with questions, we invited the inimitable Jenny for lunch. When we meet she greets us with a friendly "Hi, I'm Jenny." The voice is unmistakably familiar – the soft dulcet tones, the soothing femininity – and in so far as an individual's voice can be taken as a symbolic index of their total personality, then Jenny Zhu is what used to be known as "a lady". In short, the Sphinx is no minx. She doesn't drink; she doesn't smoke; she lives at home with her parents (and loves it, she says). She's endearingly naive about her own sex appeal, and struggles to explain why thousands of metrosexuals have voted with their digitus secundus to help turn "Cpod" into one of China's ten most popular podcasts (according to Men's Health Magazine). She admits to being "slightly" narcissistic, but even that arguable character flaw is forgivable given the coy nature of the qualifier. So here she is… Jenny Zhu, the inimitable one: demystified, deconstructed, unpodded.
that's: Who is Jenny Zhu?
JZ: I would say I'm a very intellectually aspired person. And I like to be informed. I read a lot of history books, biographies, current affairs, that sort of thing.
that's: No Danielle Steel then…
JZ: [laughs] I'm not into chick lit, if that's what you mean. Right now I'm reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, which won the Pulitzer a few years ago. It's quite depressing actually…
that's: You're don't seem a depressing type…
JZ: No, I'm naturally a very positive person. My parents raised me that way. My mom has always said strength of character and being positive are what she wants me to have most. My other interest is jazz. I'm only part-time at ChinesePod and spend the three other days of the week at Soulfire Radio. It's a high-end jazz and lifestyle show. Half talk, half music. Two hosts talking about the finer things in life.
that's: Who are some of your favorites?
JZ: Umm, Chet Baker. I like cool jazz…
that's: Are you a Coltrane fan or a Davis fan?
JZ: Definitely Coltrane. I don't really like Davis, especially his later work.
That's: Are you a typical Shanghainese?
JZ: How would you define that? Very dia and zuo? I don't think so. Many Chinese people say to me, "Oh, you don't seem very Shanghainese." Probably because both of my parents were born in Shanghai but my grandparents all came to Shanghai from other parts of China in 1949. They were all military people so my parents grew up in a very non-Shanghainese environment in the military complex and we never spoke Shanghainese in the home. I can speak Shanghainese but at home we always spoke Mandarin. So culturally we're not a local Shanghainese family.
that's: What podcasts do you listen to yourself?
JZ: I listen to The Economist podcast every week, and a few other current affairs programs. I also watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And I think I'm probably the biggest David Letterman fan in China.
that's: You went to university in Sydney, right?
JZ: Yes. I was there for four years, studying political science.
that's: Did you like your time in Australia?
JZ: I loved it. I identified with certain aspects of the Australian attitude.
that's: Such as?
JZ: To me, it is a very tolerant and open-minded place, even though you hear a lot of counter arguments. But compared to China it's a much more easygoing and relaxed place.
that's: So tell us, how did a political science major end up at ChinesePod?
JZ: I came back to Shanghai immediately after I graduated because I wanted to be a translator and there were only freelance jobs available so I wanted something more stable. So I started as an English teacher at Ken's school, Kai En [Kai En English Language Training Center]. And Ken was starting ChinesePod so he just asked me, "Do you want to be involved?" So Ken and I divided our time between Kai En and ChinesePod. It was a brand new concept but it wasn't a stretch for me because Ken is a brilliant teacher and communicator and made it very easy.
that's: You two have a very natural on-air rapport…
JZ: That's a huge compliment. Thank you.
that's: You must be aware of it, surely?
JZ: We try to work on it. My relationship with Ken goes back two-and-a-half years. Our chemistry and momentum have improved over time.
that's: Is it the same off-air between you guys?
JZ: Sure. In the lesson, the dynamic, most of it is based on genuine personalities and interaction.
that's: He never annoys you?
JZ: [laughs] No, mainly because we are both quite nonchalant. Also, we only spend a few hours a week together recording, which keeps it fun and fresh. Plus we both have a child-like sense of humor. In a recent lesson, he said the word shaokao, which means to grill. And I said, "You sure can kao a cow." Our pairing really accentuates the quirkiness in each other.
that's: How long does it take you to put each lesson together?
JZ: For each lesson our production cycle is about two weeks. It doesn't need to take that long but we want to stay ahead of time and keep a reservoir of lessons. We can do it really quickly, say from writing a lesson to recording and coming up with the academic exercises and have everything online… that can be done within three or four days. But we try to avoid the rush. We do about eight to 10 ChinesePod lessons a week.
that's: How many production hiccups do you have?
JZ: Now we try to do everything in one go. We prep each lesson really well. I sit down with Ken and John [Pasden] to prep for at least 20 minutes. We might stop a couple of times but we just kick people out when they disturb us. Now they know not to come in [laughs].
that's: Most people would agree it's a very practical way to learn the language…
JZ: Yes, I love the fact that it was started by foreigners who had a need which wasn't being addressed by traditional Chinese learning. Each of us brings some expertise to it. I'm the Chinese teacher. I wasn't trained as one, but I'm bilingual and have the cultural understanding both ways.
that's: Speaking of which, are you more comfortable in a Chinese or laowai world?
JZ: Equally. I think my experience of living abroad has given me the dexterity to navigate in both worlds. And I have pretty much the same personality in both worlds because I think… there's a tendency towards shifting personality to accommodate different environments. For me, I tend to find a lot of the differences fascinating instead of passing judgment because I feel taking that perspective enriches my life. I have good friends in both worlds. And I have a Canadian boyfriend who I've been seeing for about eight months. I think we're both very committed to the relationship, and he speaks fantastic Chinese.
that's: Do you speak Chinese or English together?
JZ: We switch back and forth but probably 70 per cent English and 30 per cent Chinese.
that's: Do you fight in Chinese or English?
JZ: English! That's why I lose every single time [laughs].
that's: Given the enormous popularity of ChinesePod, do you ever feel famous?
JZ: Hmm, not when I'm in China. When we go to the US for conferences, people there pay attention to you and they admire your work and you feel like a celebrity. But in China, they pay more attention to the sex photos of Hong Kong stars.
that's: How much fan mail do you get?
JZ: [laughs] Not a lot.
that's: Seriously?
JZ: Some of the e-mails we receive are forwarded to me…like the special, touching ones [laughs].
that's: So you never get guys asking for your number?
JZ: Not really. They restrain themselves [laughs].
that's: But you must admit that they play off on that in the ChinesePod promos?
JZ: Yes, they do. To a restrained degree.
that's: So you never feel that ChinesePod is using your sex appeal to sell the show?
JZ: No, if anything they're very protective of me because most of the key figures at ChinesePod are 30-to-40-year-old men and they're just like big brothers to me.
that's: When you meet ChinesePod listeners in real life do they assume they already know what you're like as a person?
JZ: Yes, because they've listened to me for two years or more, they're immediately warm and affectionate towards me, and because of that I warm up very quickly towards them as well.
that's: Do you like the sound of your own voice?
JZ: No! It took me 18 months before I could even listen to myself on-air. I'm OK with it now, though.
