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"Beijing Welcomes You"

By Rich Fisher

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwgs/local-kwgs-986066.mp3

Tulsa, OK – Will the so-called "American Century" --- that is, the 20th --- eventually give way, in the 21st century, to a "Chinese" one? It's a question that students of geopolitics, history, and economics often return to. Today on ST, we hear from the journalist and writer Tom Scocca, whose new book is "Beijing Welcomes You: Unveiling the Capital City of the Future." As a critic writing for Amazon.com has noted of this volume, which was a "Best Book of the Month" at Amazon in August of 2011: "[This book] is a portrait of the future. The city of Beijing embodies China's rise as a political and cultural superpower, and during his stay from 2004 to 2010, Tom Scocca attempts to make sense of Beijing as it modernizes at a dizzying pace. He converses with architects, athletes, and artists, but Scocca is at his best when he's discussing the 2008 Olympics --- China's boldest push yet for national identity and international recognition.... The real star of the book [is] Beijing itself. It's a constantly changing, overwhelming city that may be the strongest signal of things to come, not just in China but all over the world."