Special Report : Renaissance China

So far the world has come to China, but now a rising China is beginning to reach out to the world, starting with Asia, says Dominic Ziegler (interviewed here). Is that a good thing?

THE China story since Deng Xiaoping opened the country's doors three decades ago has by and large been one of discovery by the outside world. The discovery of cheap land and labour drew in more than $500 billion of foreign money (mainly from Asia) that today drives China's export juggernaut; now foreign firms are crawling over China's domestic market, hard to crack but perhaps lucrative in places. Rather newer is the cultural discovery by the West and by the richer parts of Asia of a certain “China chic”: the lush, epic cinematography of Zhang Yimou; the hyper-hip nightlife of a reborn Shanghai; and the Western infatuation with modern Chinese art, whose prices now leave a cynical smile on many a painter's face. Read More in the Economist (Subscription may be required to see the full report)