James Carter

James Carter is an historian of China and author of books on China's modern history, most recently Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai.

What Beidaihe reveals about the changing nature of Communist leadership

From our UK edition

26 min listen

178 miles to the east of Beijing, there’s a beach resort called Beidaihe. The water is shallow and the sand is yellow and fine. Luxurious holiday villas dot the coastline. Starting from the 1950s, leaders of the Chinese Communist Party have moved their families and work to Beidaihe in the summer, making the beach resort