The first „Berlin Living Room“ event of 2026 takes you back to the long-absent „News Scene.“
Understanding Chinese society through social media (especially short videos) is an unavoidable reality today. This means having to navigate through platform algorithms, performative content creation, censorship rules, and layers of fog before catching a glimpse of anything. Whether what we see represents the „real“ China remains unknown.
The proliferation of short videos and the scarcity of „news scenes“ are two sides of the same coin. On Saturday afternoon, February 21st, Xiang Kai—as someone returning from the „news scene“—will share with us at the Blue House Berlin Living Room his experiences from a decade of investigative reporting, the people he encountered, and the changes he witnessed in Chinese society from the news frontlines.
Xiang Kai was once a beat reporter focusing on politics, law, and environmental issues, working for media institutions such as Beijing News and Caixin, covering natural disasters, sudden accidents, legal battles, and political shifts.
His journalistic goal was to provide readers with substantial information increments, which meant he had to be physically present at the „news scene,“ break through key information barriers, conduct rigorous cross-verification, and ensure authenticity.
Xiang Kai’s work is not only unfamiliar to the masses who consume online information in the short-video era, but has also become atypical even within the journalism profession—in the post-pandemic era, many media reporters have developed the ability to write reports with a „sense of presence“ through phone interviews alone.
This time, he brings not only the insights of an investigative journalist capable of dispelling the fog, but also reflections for which he has no ready answers. „As a reporter who loves being on the scene, I feel my world is growing narrower and narrower,“ he confesses, hoping to discuss and exchange ideas with people of different perspectives in a more diverse setting.
About the Speaker
Xiang Kai is an independent journalist who previously worked as an investigative reporter for institutional media such as Beijing News and Caixin, focusing on Chinese politics, law, and major social incidents. He received the „Journalists‘ Home“ Press Award in 2019 and the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award for Excellence in reporting breaking news in 2025. His work has appeared in domestic and international media as well as academic research platforms. In 2024, he was selected for the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence Program. He currently resides in Berlin. His works include „From Death Row Inmate to Crime Syndicate: Investigation into Kunming’s ‚Local Tyrant‘ Sun Xiaoguo,“ „The Meizhou-Dabu Expressway Tragedy,“ „A COVID-19 Patient Dies by Suicide at Guangzhou Nansha Stadium Field Hospital,“ and „Unbearable Yet Essential to Remember: Bidding and Dismantling of Field Hospitals Across China.“
Event Information
- Date: Saturday, 21 February, 2026
- Time: 15:00–17:00
- Venue: Berlin Living Room (exact location will be shared upon successful registration)
- Language: Chinese
- Admission: Due to limited capacity, those wishing to participate in this event are kindly requested to scan the QR code below and complete the registration questionnaire. Upon successful registration, we shall send the event details to your email address. Should you not receive a reply, we kindly ask for your understanding.
- Registration closes on 20 February at 11:00.
Notes
- The event is open to adults and participants aged 14 and above.
- If you are unable to attend after registering, please cancel your reservation in advance to allow others to join.
- Registered participants are kindly asked to arrive at least five minutes before the event starts.
- Video recording during the event is not permitted. Thank you for your understanding.
- Photos will be taken during the event for internal use by the Blue House Foundation. Please inform us in advance if you have any concerns.