Jin, Part 1: The Serial Entrepreneurship of Survival | 1960s China & Vietnam

2026-01-29

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“In a world that often feels divided, Cultureful is about the intersections—where we put ourselves in each other’s shoes.”In the Season 3 premiere, we sit down with Jin - a 37 year old, Teochew Chinese American tech product manager from Peoria, IL- to trace a family lineage that spans the specialized merchant guilds of Southeastern China to the high-stakes escape from the outskirts of Saigon. This episode isn't just a survival story; it’s a deep dive into the historical backdrops of the 1970s—from the "Planned Economy" (jìhuà ...

“In a world that often feels divided, Cultureful is about the intersections—where we put ourselves in each other’s shoes.”

In the Season 3 premiere, we sit down with Jin - a 37 year old, Teochew Chinese American tech product manager from Peoria, IL- to trace a family lineage that spans the specialized merchant guilds of Southeastern China to the high-stakes escape from the outskirts of Saigon. This episode isn't just a survival story; it’s a deep dive into the historical backdrops of the 1970s—from the "Planned Economy" (jìhuà jīngjì) of the Cultural Revolution to the existential risk faced by the Vietnamese refugees after the Vietnam War.

In This Episode, We Explore:

The Teochew Diaspora: How a 30-million-strong ethnic group came to dominate the rice and medicine trades across Southeast Asia.
Survival by Rations: Life under China's Cultural Revolution coupon system and the preciousness of a single morsel of pork.
Saigon Conditions: The different challenges in urban Saigon versus rural outskirts during the Vietnam War.
The Gulf of Thailand: The harrowing reality of systematic pirate encounters and the informal economy of the Pulau Bidong refugee camp.

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ni3HPWHS-Rg

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Historical References & Sources

To maintain the integrity of our storytelling, we utilize peer-reviewed historical data and archival records. Key sources for this episode include:

The Vietnam Refugee Crisis: Statistics on the 1978–1980 exodus via the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) archives.
China’s Planned Economy: Documentation on the Jìhuà Jīngjì and the 1960s and 70s rationing systems via the Journal of Chinese Political Science.
Pulau Bidong: Records on the 1979 population density peak via the Malaysian Red Crescent Society.
Teochew Merchant History: Research on the Cholon district commerce via The Overseas Chinese and South East Asia historical surveys.

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Episode Credits