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The Shanghai Free Taxi: Journeys with the Hustlers and Rebels of the New China Audiobook
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As any traveler knows, some of the best and most honest conversations take place during car rides. So, when a long-time NPR correspondent wanted to learn more about the real China, he started driving a cab--and discovered a country amid seismic political and economic change.
China--America's most important competitor--is at a turning point. With economic growth slowing, Chinese people face inequality and uncertainty as their leaders tighten control at home and project power abroad.
In this adventurous, original book, NPR correspondent Frank Langfitt describes how he created a free taxi service--offering rides in exchange for illuminating conversation--to go beyond the headlines and get to know a wide range of colorful, compelling characters representative of the new China. They include folks like "Beer," a slippery salesman who tries to sell Langfitt a used car; Rocky, a farm boy turned Shanghai lawyer; and Chen, who runs an underground Christian church and moves his family to America in search of a better, freer life.
Blending unforgettable characters, evocative travel writing, and insightful political analysis, The Shanghai Free Taxi is a sharply observed and surprising book that will help readers make sense of the world's other superpower at this extraordinary moment.
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"Langfitt's understated yet intimate interviews with his passengers and captivating descriptions of the country and food take center stage. In addition to encountering real people, listeners will learn about a unique nation as they enjoy a first-rate jaunt around its territory."
— -Audiophile Magazine
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“An engaging and dynamic narrative that offers readers an unusual perspective on modern China.”
— Washington Post -
“Langfitt excels at humanizing a country increasingly presented in purely oppositional terms…[and] achieves a breadth rarely found in journalistic accounts of the country.”
— Financial Times (London) -
“The book is a master class on how to chronicle a changing country through the personal narratives of its citizens.”
— NPR
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About Frank Langfitt
Frank Langfitt has lived in or covered China for nearly twenty years. Before taking over as the NPR London correspondent in 2016, he spent five years as the company’s China correspondent. Based in Shanghai, he drove a free taxi around the city for a series on a changing China as seen through the eyes of ordinary people. In 2008, Langfitt also covered the Beijing Olympics as a member of NPR’s team, which won an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. Langfitt’s print and visual journalism have also been honored by the Overseas Press Association and the White House News Photographers Association. He is a graduate of Princeton and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.