Children of Shanghai S2E10 Exploration Films Podcast

“Every child deserves the opportunity to live in a family”; this is the message from Robert Glover, a former footballer, who moved to Shanghai with his wife and six young children in 1998 to introduce the first foster care system in China. Glover fostered five out of over a million children that were placed in foster families, and shares their experiences in Children of Shanghai. This documentary is narrated by Bear Grylls and follows through their life experiences while teaching about this new concept that challenges social convention in a country with a one-child policy. 


Glover shares his story and how he had to face the decision to change his life and move to another country and culture. With plenty of professional and cultural challenges that he and his family had to overcome, food gave them the chance to have a cultural exchange and the opportunity to build a trusting relationship with the Chinese government. On his way to empower and encourage himself to make a better life for children, many obstacles needed to be overcome - including an element of resistance from older generations while interest was being shown by younger generations when playing football. This changed the impression about him and his goals in China with those around him.