China is one of the biggest stories in the world — and one of the most complex. That’s why The New York Times has always tried to have correspondents on the ground who can get under the surface and report out the nuances.
But the Chinese authorities have long been wary of foreign journalists. They restrict their access, surveil their movements and sometimes expel them outright. My colleague Vivian Wang, our brilliant China correspondent, recently had her visa revoked.
During her time in the country, she talked to a cross-section of Chinese society — migrant workers, academics, college students, retirees. Today, Vivian tells the story of how the Chinese authorities expelled her, what in her reporting made them unhappy and why being on the ground matters.
In February, I left my home in Beijing for a work meeting in Seoul. It was supposed to be a quick trip. I packed just a few days’ worth of clothes.
