Red Memory is my first book, born of the seven years I spent in Beijing as The Guardian's China correspondent – writing about the Communist Party's politics, satirical novels, rural development, feminist activism, protests in Hong Kong, natural disasters, ethnic unrest and much more. I interviewed everyone from artists and tycoons to factory workers, farmers and a missile researcher turned volunteer matchmaker. What fascinated me most was the dizzying scale of the country's extraordinary transformation, which was reshaping the world, and its impact on people's lives at the most intimate level. Over time, I also came to realise that it was impossible to understand China without understanding its recent history. Red Memory is the result. I'm now The Guardian's foreign leader writer, based in London, and was previously a political correspondent and national news correspondent for the paper. I've also written for the Washington Post and The Australian.
