This anthology of essays invites readers on a journey through contemporary China seen at a human level through the eyes of 18 authors who have lived, worked, or traveled across the country. Their firsthand experiences offer personal insight into China’s development, and the complex narratives surrounding its precipitous rise.

Together, these essays broaden perspectives by offering grounded, experience-based observations rendered in living color, depicting not only the lives of the authors themselves but also the sweeping changes and progress that have transformed China and shaped the lives of the people with whom they interact and build relationships.

The stories collected here aim to deepen readers’ understanding of China’s development and its aspirations for the future. They range from people-centered perspectives on China’s philosophy of development to examinations of efforts to improve human rights, gender equality, education and youth development, infrastructure and public service, as well as living conditions and wellbeing.

Drawing on a wide range of voices, from economists and anthropologists to senior professionals and postgraduate students, this collection demonstrates that China’s rise is not an isolated phenomenon, but one that can serve as a catalyst for rethinking development, cooperation, and shared human progress.

About the author

Mabel Lu Miao, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and Secretary-General of Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a Munich Security Conference Young Leader, and Founder of Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD). She holds academic positions at several universities including University of International Business and Economics and is a Senior Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Dr. Miao received her Ph.D. from Beijing Normal University and has been a visiting scholar at NYU and Harvard's Fairbank Center. She has co-authored numerous books with Dr. Huiyao Wang on China's international business, migration, and global governance, including Transition and Opportunity (2022), China and the World in a Changing Context (2022), and Enhancing Global Governance in a Fragmented World (2024).