The Economist.
So here I am at the beach in China.
It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
For centuries, China's imperial rulers saw the country's long shoreline as a buffer against the barbarian world.
In the 17th century, people were even forbidden from living within 15 to 25 kilometres of the sea.
When mass travel was taking off in the West in the 1950s and holidaymakers were jetting off to sunny shores,
most Chinese were tied to the land or factory.
I last went to a beach in China 10 years ago and it was virtually empty.
But now, millions of Chinese people are going to the beach for the first time.
I'm Rosie Bloor, The Economist's international China correspondent.
This week, Alice and David are away reporting.
And I'm taking you to Damesha Beach in Shenzhen.
Normally, we report on the struggles of contemporary China.
But today, I'm going to spend some time with people at play.
And I'm asking, what can a day at the beach on China's southern edge tell me about the country now?
This is Drum Tower.
From The Economist.
Well, it's seven in the morning and the beach is already getting going.
And this is the time for the serious swimmers.
There's a group of mostly men who have just been getting ready by the benches