Made in China - 3. Culture Vulture
How can Eva connect with Chinese culture, when she has no parents or family to guide her?
Even though she looks Chinese, Eva didn’t feel Chinese growing up with a white British family in Essex. She’s often felt pressure to embody a version of ‘Chineseness’ she doesn’t feel connected to. Now she asks how she can bring her birth heritage into her everyday life on her own terms.
Eva learns to stop feeling guilty about not having learned her birth language and discovers how food can offer much more than physical sustenance. She finds a sense of belonging rooted not in shared upbringing, but in shared disconnection - and begins to feel more confident forging her own path to her birth culture.
With adoptee Jaki Clibbon, writer and community organiser Jenny Lau and chef Irene Hua of the Zao An Collective.
Writer, producer and presenter: Eva Brookes
Executive Producer: Peggy Sutton
Sound Designer & Mix Engineer: Jeff Emtman
Artwork: Ellie Walmsley
Assistant Commissioner: Prabhjit Bains
Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer
Made in China is a Reduced Listening Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab.
Published on Tuesday, 10th February 2026.
Available Podcasts from Made in China
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Made in China webpage.