# Colin Flahive, "The Galaxy's Last Ride: Shifting Gears in Rural China" (Earnshaw Books, 2026)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-biography-memoir-580642/colin-flahive-the-galaxy-s-last-ride-shifting-gears-in-rural-china-earnshaw-books-2026
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-biography-memoir-580642/colin-flahive-the-galaxy-s-last-ride-shifting-gears-in-rural-china-earnshaw-books-2026.md
Podcast: [New Books in Biography & Memoir](https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-biography-memoir-580642)
Published: 2026-06-15T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK8390807045.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK8390807045.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-biography-memoir-580642/episodes/colin-flahive-the-galaxy-s-last-ride-shifting-gears-in-rural-china-earnshaw-books-2026
Duration seconds: 2799

## Resource

Colin Flahive is an American entrepreneur and writer who has spent more than two decades living and running social enterprises in southwestern China. He is best known as one of the founders of Salvador's Coffee House, which is a hub of international exchange in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. In this New Books Network episode, we talk with Colin about his latest book, The Galaxy's Last Ride: Shifting Gears in Rural China (Earnshaw Books, 2026). The Galaxy's Last Ride is a rich combination of memoir, travelogue, and oral history that explores China's sweeping development through a deeply personal lens. The book weaves together several strands—a 2,500-kilometer solo motorcycle journey that Colin took across rural China during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal stories of Salvador’s employees, and recollections from Colin’s past travels—to paint a part-insider-part-outsider portrait of China’s evolutions over the last two decades. Anthony Kao is a writer who intersects international affairs and cultural criticism. He founded/edits Cinema Escapist—a publication exploring the sociopolitical context behind global film and television—and also writes for outlets like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, and Eater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-biography-memoir-580642/episodes/colin-flahive-the-galaxy-s-last-ride-shifting-gears-in-rural-china-earnshaw-books-2026/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-biography-memoir-580642/colin-flahive-the-galaxy-s-last-ride-shifting-gears-in-rural-china-earnshaw-books-2026.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.