Drum Tower

“Born to Fly”, a new film made in collaboration with the People Liberation Army’s Air Force, recently jetted to the top of the Chinese box office. It’s drawn comparisons with “Top Gun: Maverick”, the Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Cruise...

The story of Kong Yiji, a miserable scholar-turned-beggar, written by Lu Xun in 1918 has gone viral among young Chinese. A record 11.6m of them are expected to graduate from university this year, but the unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 in cities is nearly 20%. 

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss why the story of Kong Yiji has caused an argument between Chinese netizens and the state...

Whenever Xi Jinping grabs more power for himself, critics compare him to Chairman Mao Zedong. But is it a fair comparison?

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss to what extent Xi is emulating Mao’s strongman approach or whether Liu Shaoqi, China’s one-time president, provides a better model to understand Xi’s political ambitions...

Kinmen is caught in the middle. The tiny island is 187km from Taiwan, which administers it, but only 3km away from China, which does not. If a conflict were to break out between China and America, Taiwan would be the front line. And if a confrontation began between China and Taiwan, Kinmen would play that role...

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, tackle listeners’ questions–what role does philosophy play in Chinese politics, how is the Cultural Revolution taught in schools, does the Chinese population support an invasion of Taiwan, and China’s best potato dish...

The China-US contest is entering a new and more dangerous phase.

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, are joined by The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes. They discuss what the escalation means and what can be done to defuse the tensions...

In 2019, a cold, sleepy mining town called Hegang went viral for having the lowest house prices of any big city in China. Blog posts boasted of sizeable apartments costing as little as 46,000 yuan ($6,700). Many thought it was a hoax, others saw an opportunity.

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, meet the people making Hegang their home and hear why the pressures of life in China’s major cities are motivating them to move there...

In 1966 Mao Zedong unleashed the Cultural Revolution, a deadly decade of purges and bloodletting. Wang Kangfu, a schoolmaster from Jiangxi province, was 24 when the Cultural Revolution began. Soon afterwards he was accused of committing a terrible crime—one he says he didn’t commit. 

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, examines the case of Wang Kangfu and meets his family to hear about their struggle for justice...

For decades, China’s leaders have staked their claim to rule on economic growth. Now the focus on prosperity is shifting to self-reliance and security. 

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, interpret the targets set at the National People’s Congress with The Economist’s China economics editor, Simon Cox. They discuss what this change in focus means for business at home and abroad...

This month China’s prime minister, Li Keqiang, will retire. He was once a rising star of the Communist Party and a contender to lead it, but under Xi Jinping he had little chance to shine. 

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, ask what Mr Li’s career and retirement reveals about power in China...