The Economist.
It may sound a bit pious, but it really is true.
The great privilege of working as a reporter in China
is the chance to travel to every corner of the country and talk to people.
I just ended a six year posting to Beijing and my aim throughout
when I was writing Chaguan columns while recording Drum Tower episodes
was to allow readers and listeners to hear and encounter Chinese voices.
And just before I left, I wanted to sketch a portrait of everytown China,
the sort of city that every Chinese person knows but few foreigners see.
And that took me to Yichun.
A medium sized city nestled in the hills of China's south east province of Jiangxi.
I'm David Rennie, the Economist's geopolitics editor,
and I'm here with my co-host, Alice Su, our senior China correspondent.
Over the next two episodes of Drum Tower,
we visit Yichun to gauge what ordinary Chinese feel about their lives
and ask are they hopeful or fearful about the future?
This is Drum Tower from The Economist.
David. Hello. How is it going?
I see you're recording from London. Your new base.
I am. It is a little on the early side here, but I was woken up by my truly magnificent ride.