Shanghai Free Taxi

Shanghai Free Taxi is a great read for anyone curious about China’s most cosmopolitan city, and the people that live in it.

From a bright young professional, to a man who runs an underground church, to a woman searching for a disappeared sister, the characters are independently interesting, but, more importantly, together they paint a picture of today’s Shanghai.

Langfitt unpacks the complex feelings that Chinese citizens have towards their government and towards each other.

The pros and cons of an authoritarian government are discussed through conversations with my favourite character, Ashley. She compares Trump’s failures in a democracy to the great leaps she’s seen under Xi’s heavy handed leadership, and makes some compelling arguments.

Those compelling arguments are why I enjoyed Shanghai Free Taxi. It made me challenge some of my assumptions, and left me with more to think about. Pick this one up if you’ve got your own assumptions on China that you want to test.

Buy it here.