I just finished reading China Road, by NPR correspondent, Rob Gifford. Gifford spent six years living in and reporting on China for NPR. China Road takes place at the end of his tenure, as he prepares to return to his homeland to take up a post as NPR's London correspondent.
Gifford embarks on a journey along China's Route 312, which he describes as China's Route 66, the main artery running from one end of the Middle Kingdom to the other. Linking the developing East to the struggling West, urban China to rural China, Han China to the minority "autonomous regions," Gifford depicts Route 312 as more than infrastructure connecting one place to another; Route 312 is an avenue of opportunity, a path to something better for many of China's "old hundred names."
He begins his trip in Shanghai and finishes at Korgaz, along the border with Kazakhstan (grrreat success!). Along the way, he shares his encounters with a variety of Chinese common people, from optimistic entrepreneurs, to poor farmers, to conflicted Uighurs, and paints a vivid picture of the diverse Chinese landscape, all in an effort to present the many opportunities, contradictions, and challenges that define modern China.
In depicting the present, Gifford incorporates excellent historical context and thoughtful analysis of the many issues confronting rising China as it marches towards the future. His insights and analysis are thought-provoking, and his writing style is most entertaining. It's a great read for any China buff.
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