14. Were these the best jobs in history?

Full Episode description

Writer Lindsay Varty tells us all about weird and wonderful jobs from China’s past that are still being done today! Lindsay’s latest book, Sunset Survivor, is all about traditional Chinese jobs in Hong Kong.

And Year 4 kids from Clearwater Bay School give us their take on some interesting jobs – from poo collectors to female pirates like Zheng Shi! (Sorry that the sound quality isn’t great for this segment.) Thank you: Emily Blackshaw, Angel Lieu, Sheldon Wong, Charlotte Morley, Lola Bovenlander, Catherine Liu and Noah Kerr.

Questions for after you’ve listened come right at the end, after the outtakes…

Questions for after you’ve listened:

1. Why did I want to be a pirate?
2. What would you put inside a bamboo steamer?
3. What’s the name of the job for someone who makes dresses and suits?
4. What was ‘night soil’?
5. What’s a ‘honey-pot collector’?
6. Does James like writing?
7. What things do people want to take to the afterlife in China today?
8. What is a ‘villain hitter’?

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Podcast cover art by Molly Austin

Instrumental music by Kevin MacLeod

Sound effects used under RemArc Licence. Copyright 2018 © BBC