Duncan Hewitt writes for Newsweek and The Daily Beast and other publications from Shanghai. A former BBC correspondent in Beijing and Shanghai, he has a degree in Chinese from the University of Edinburgh. His book China: Getting Rich First: A Modern Social History (published in the UK as Getting Rich First: Life in a Changing China) focuses on social change in the country and its impact on ordinary people's lives.

Free Speech

Even as the country’s new leaders promise reform, in the past week, officials have jailed a famous pro-democracy poet, a Twitter prankster, and an investigative journalist.

Projecting Power

China’s government and people see the launch of their aircraft carrier as an important symbol of the country’s growing importance in the world. By Duncan Hewitt.

Wang Lijun Trial

The sentencing of one of China’s leading policemen to 15 years in prison could help the country move on with the pending change in its top leadership. By Duncan Hewitt.