| Contents note |
Cast of characters -- Maps of events that occur in China and Shanghai -- Chapter 1. Beginnings: Chen -- Chapter 2. Chinese New Year road trip: Rocky and Charles -- Chapter 3. Two country weddings: Charles, Rocky, Guo, and Ray -- Chapter 4. "Morality is relative": Beer, Amanda, and Fifi -- Chapter 5. "A virtuous circle needs to have a beginning": Johanna, Max, and Fifi -- Chapter 6. A woman missing in the mountains: Crystal and Winnie -- Chapter 7. Disillusioned with the new China: Chen, Sarah, Charles, and Ashley -- Chapter 8. The dark side of the Chinese dream: Crystal and Winnie -- Chapter 9. Making China great again: Ray, Charles, and Fifi -- Chapter 10. President Donald J. Trump: Ashley, Ray, Chen, and Gong -- Chapter 11. Losing hearts and minds: Charles and Ashley -- Chapter 12. Rethinking the west: Charles and Ashley -- Chapter 13. Ashley's dilemma: Ashley -- Chapter 14. President for life?: Fifi, Ray, Sarah, Max, and Ashley -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgments -- Sources -- Index. |
| Summary |
NPR correspondent Frank Langfitt describes how he created a free taxi service--offering rides in exchange for illuminating conversation--to go beyond the headlines and get to know a wide range of colorful, compelling characters representative of the new China. They include folks like "Beer," a slippery salesman who tries to sell Langfitt a used car; Rocky, a farm boy turned Shanghai lawyer; and Chen, who runs an underground Christian church and moves his family to America in search of a better, freer life. |
