The retail landscape in Chicago is quite different from that in Shanghai. The difference might be the one between CN & US.

1. In Shanghai, shopping malls congregated at the busiest streets. one mall locates right next to another are also common. People can do all kinds of activities in one mall: dine at restaurants, shop for clothes and luxuries, but groceries, watch movies, play games, even visiting in-mall zoo! But I didn't find these kind of shopping mall a lot in Chicago. I mean of course it has but only a few! And the entertainments are not that various. Making me kind of unknown of what to do when leisure, since Chinese people always hang out in shopping malls.

2. In contrast. The retail model I observed in Chicago is like following. Known clothing stores and restaurants are independent located, which means not inside a mall but right along the roadside. And the shopping mall are mainly for clothes with few restaurants and groceries.

3. Another notable difference is for unique individual stores. The boundaries between shopping mall and busiest are not clear in Shanghai. It's common that a niche art craft store and a dessert shop run by an individual locate next to an upscale shopping mall, partly because these individual stores are also expensive. But individual stores are rarely seen at commercial core area in Chicago, most of them are located in communities next to residental areas.

4. Reason behind: lifestyle(wlb and wlmix) preference for entertainment? still need research

Short Description: Exploring the divide between comfort at the top and survival at the bottom, all in one block of downtown Chicago

I love hot pot, which is a popular traditional Chinese cuisine. Chinese people like to put a wide range of food in the hot pot, like eggs, meat, tofu, vegetables, noodles, dumplings, seafood, etc. And in China, you can see some very special hot pots, even the milk tea hot pot. So, hot pot is of great diversity!

I have been to Chinatown to taste the hot pot, which is very delicious. Apart from hot pot, in Chicago, there are so many other kinds of food from all over the world. Also, there are diverse kinds of people in Chicago: people from different places, different nations, different backgrounds... Chicago welcomes all of us, just like the hot pot welcomes all kinds of food. So, I feel like Chicago is a cultural hot pot, and I am happy to see that.

Facing Fears-exploring how people overcome big fears like heights and what that teaches us.

talking about what it feels like to jump from the sky and see the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan from above. I think it could mix adventure with storytelling

Abstract: I went to a food festival in Chicago and noticed something funny: almost everyone was selling tacos—but not just Mexican ones. There were Korean, Indian, and all kinds of tacos! So in this episode, we explore why the taco has become such a popular food in Chicago and how it brings different cultures together in one delicious bite.

On August 29 I went to Millennium Park to watch the Chicago Jazz Festival. It was really fun and special for me.

Jazz has a long history in Chicago. During the Great Migration, many musicians came here and created a “Chicago style.” I think this shows how the city is diverse and creative.

At the festival, I also saw people from many backgrounds enjoying music together. For me, it felt like jazz and the city are both about community and sharing.

So, the Jazz Festival wasn’t just a concert. It was like a window into Chicago’s culture: diverse, resilient, and creative.

I remember walking through downtown Chicago for the first time, constantly looking up at every corner. When I went to the Skydeck at Willis Tower, it truly felt like standing on top of the world. Later, at the Bean in Millennium Park, I realized that Chicago’s architecture isn’t just about height—it’s also about creativity and identity. In this episode, I’ll share how Chicago became known as an architectural capital, and why its skyline tells such a unique story about the city.

Short Description: As you can see, many things are different between northern and southern side of Chicago. Their lifestyle, culture, identity... it almost looks like they are in different city.

The Loop and Hyde Park is some kind of mixture between north and south, since people and culture from north and south both exists

For me, Hyde Park looks very unique place that southern culture is mixed with urban atmosphere of north.

On the other hand, the Loop is indeed place where all the jobs and cultural resources are concentrated, thus forming mixture of northern and southern Chicagoans.

Despite this may look like cultrual mixture, I felt that they are somehow co-existing in same place rather than mixed together.

Based on my personal experiences of living in Hyde Park, visiting the Loop and South Side, and conducting an interview in Lincoln Park, I am planning to explore this discrepancy between cultural mixing and co-existence in my podcast.

- The Music Box Theatre (Southport), or

- The Gene Siskel Film Center (downtown Chicago).

I really enjoy cinema. In my home country I tried to visit these spaces. I'd like to reflect on their role in big cities like Chicago: how they preserve cinema culture, build community, and create unique experiences in contrast to today’s streaming platforms and fast-track digital content. Additionally, I'd like to explore how these theatres may help keep diverse, non-mainstream voices alive in a globalized world.