Asia Insight - Season 14 / Year 2025

The indigenous Taroko people are taking the stage to perform traditional songs and dances to entice visitors back to their famed Taroko Gorge after being impacted by a major earthquake in April 2024.

As the coffee market in China rapidly grows, ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province, which makes 98% of all Chinese coffee, are developing a unique specialty coffee brand using their local customs.

Cambodia has set out to build a historic new canal. While some have high hopes of business opportunities and economic stimulation, concerns remain about the displacement of around 1.6 million people.

Recently popular in China are "otome games" allowing female gamers to experience romance with male characters. Services providing costumed dates have emerged as a related business for fans.

During Indonesia's occupation of East Timor, thousands of children were separated from their families and taken to Indonesia. One project seeks to reunite these "Stolen Children."

Cambodia has witnessed remarkable economic growth, and women are on track to be the next driving force. With government support, more women are opting to launch their own businesses.

Divorce is illegal in the largely Catholic Philippines, but as a bill for legalization is to be deliberated by the senate, women enduring domestic violence advocate the controversial bill.

Following 15 years of strict censorship under the former administration, Bangladeshi journalists are now seeking the truth and freedom of press in order to regain the trust of the people.

Climate change has seen vegetable harvests fall in South Korea. One group of women is embracing hardy organic techniques, while the government is training a new generation of farmers with technology.

Alampu Village, located high among Nepal's Himalayas, had long been a location of handmade slate production by the Thami people, but modernization has changed life there over the last 20 years.

In Shenzhen, factories rely on recruiters using streaming to attract temporary workers to suit the workload. Many young people attempt recruiting to earn a good living among the changing times.

In the Philippines, a lengthy COVID-19 lockdown sparked unemployment that broke families apart. One theater troupe offers sanctuary to kids who support each other through life's hardships.

50 years after the Vietnam War ended, some veterans are still on duty - not as fighters, but as volunteer guardians of their hometowns. We go on night patrol in Canh Thuy Ward.

After US President Trump announced raised tariffs on products from China, among unsteady demand and falling rates, Chinese clothing factories seek solutions such as business with other countries.

Attacks by Islamic extremists had caused chaos in Indonesia, but social programs designed to reeducate prisoners are underway, and now the former terrorists attempt to reintegrate into society.

During Syria's 13-year civil war, more than 100,000 people are thought to have disappeared. In the aftermath of conflict, families are seeking truth, justice, and hope for the future.

Many Mongolian children dream of changing their family's lives by becoming a pro sumo wrestler in Japan. We meet the members of a school sumo club as they prepare for a national tournament.

The fashion industry has faced criticism for its impact on the environment. Meet the Indonesian innovators who are using natural materials and traditional techniques to help save the planet.

In Yiwu, China, the Muslim Hui people expand trade with Arab countries using their Arabic language skills. They are becoming an essential presence as China shifts away from US trade and diversifies.

South Korea is facing a growing gender divide, fueled by a stark wage gap and cases of discrimination. This has sparked a movement of women opting out of marriage. We explore the social impact.

In Cambodia, the purge of intellectuals under Pol Pot and years of war caused traditional Khmer dishes to vanish from home kitchens. Today, chefs are working to bring them back.