218. Fender Jackson: An Irishman in China - Shanghai
2 June 2026
About This Episode
In this episode of The Ireland Podcast, Fender Jackson reflects on a recent return to Shanghai, a city he has now visited several times but still finds difficult to fully understand.
Through a mixture of travel footage, personal stories and cultural observations, the episode explores the strange contrasts that define modern Shanghai - colonial architecture beside futuristic skyscrapers, traditional music beside electric supercars, and quiet parks beside intense financial ambition.
Topics include:
The Bund and Shanghai’s colonial concession history
The French Concession
Chinese marriage markets
Qipao exhibitions at the Shanghai Museum
Traditional Chinese music and The Chieftains in China
BYD and China’s electric vehicle revolution
Rooftop bars and nightlife
Teaching and staging musicals in China
Everyday life and language learning as a foreigner in China
The episode also includes stories about being sketched by a street artist while recovering from gastroenteritis, discovering Irish references in the middle of Shanghai, and ending up at a Queen tribute night inside a former temple.
Fender Jackson
Fender Jackson is the host of The Ireland Podcast, a long-form storytelling podcast exploring culture, history, music, travel and Irish life at home and abroad.
Having spent years living and teaching in China, Fender combines personal experience, humour and reflective storytelling to explore places through ordinary encounters, historical context and cultural observation rather than traditional travel commentary.
His work often focuses on the intersection between Ireland and the wider world - from conversations in Irish pubs overseas to reflections on language, music, architecture and modern society.
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