Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China

 By Pallavi Aiyar

China stands at a historic crossroads, where age-old traditions clash and coexist with modern ambitions, where communism grapples with capitalism, and where the boundaries between chaos and control, freedom and repression, are constantly negotiated. In this time of profound transformation, the Chinese Communist Party must walk a delicate tightrope, balancing the diverse needs and aspirations of its people—while those very people navigate seismic shifts in their material and psychological landscapes.

In Smoke and Mirrors, award-winning journalist Pallavi Aiyar offers a vivid, on-the-ground account of this rapidly changing nation through a unique lens—that of a Mandarin-speaking Indian foreign correspondent. Blending travelogue, memoir, and reportage, Aiyar explores the inner workings of contemporary China while drawing rich comparisons with her native India. Her sharp, empathetic observations reveal a complex, often contradictory portrait of two great civilizations—mirror images in many ways, yet shaped by starkly different political paths and cultural legacies.

From bustling cities to the quiet rhythms of daily life, from censorship and nationalism to education and economy, this groundbreaking book casts a warm, discerning eye on what it means to live in—and make sense of—a country in flux. Smoke and Mirrors is not just a story about China, but a reflection on India, identity, and the universal struggle to adapt in an era of relentless change.