After several years of slumber, podcasting, a content form of Web 2.0, has regained public attention since the industry revival in North America. Compared to the relatively developed podcasting industry in the United States, podcasting in mainland China is still in its early stages of development. Even so, this emerging industry has already attracted certain audience with an increasing number of independent podcasts and various topics. What’s more, some people have started to explore the possibilities of podcasting commercialization. This study attempts to explore the motivations of independent podcasters and the production process of podcasts in mainland China. Besides, the current situations faced by these podcasters are also discussed in this paper. For these purposes, twelve independent podcasters in mainland China were interviewed based on the method of semi-structured in-depth interviews. This study finds that the major motivations of independent podcasters in mainland China are personal interests and self-expression but not for profit. The commercialization of independent podcasts in mainland China is also facing challenges such as low market awareness and uncertain business models. These independent podcasters generally are not professionals for and have low willingness toward podcast commercialization. In addition, the tightening regulation of content also incurs more uncertainties and risks for such commercialization.