The Economist.
When I was growing up in Xiamen, a coastal city in Southern China,
the beach didn't seem like anything special.
Some of my earliest memories are of sunset photo ops, accidentally swallowing seawater,
and trying to wiggle away while my mom covered me in thick, sticky sun cream.
But as I got older and as China grew wealthier,
beach holidays became something millions more people could enjoy.
And every time I go back to Xiamen now, the shoreline feels a little different.
These days, it's packed.
Families on school break, couples posing for elaborate engagement photos,
and aunties covered up from head to toe,
so not a single patch of skin catches the sun.
Sometimes the crowds are so dense
that people joke the beach looks like a pot of boiling dumplings, xiajiaozi.
So what changed?
I'm Jehao Chen, and this week, we're bringing you a much-beloved episode
from the Drum Tower archive, which first aired in 2024.
Rosie Blau, co-host of our daily podcast The Intelligence,
takes us to Dameisha Beach in Shenzhen
to explore China's changing beach culture and what it reveals about the country.