By EVAN OSNOS May 18, 2014
On a single day this spring – April 30, though it could be any – readers scanning the news on China had reason to be baffled: They learned that China is poised to vault past the United States on a measure of economic dominance, five years sooner than expected (unless it isn’t). They also learned that China is at risk of a grave economic slump, if property prices continue to sink. They learned that world-classgenetic researchers in Shanghai, flush with far-sighted government investment, have collaborated to produce new insight into aging cells. And, lastly, they learned that a Chinese journalist has vanished into detention for daring to acknowledge a date on the calendar that censors consider taboo: the 25th anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen Square on June 4.
