Approaching the end of his eight-year stay in Beijing, BBC editor Michael Bristow decided to write about China's modern history. To assist him he asked for the help of his language teacher, who was born two years after the Communist party came to power in 1949. The changing fortunes of his teacher's life mirrored the ups and downs of China, which has moved from communist poverty to capitalist wealth in just a single generation. It came as a surprise though, to learn that his teacher was also a cross-dresser: as they travelled together, Michael gradually realized that his teacher's story is the story of modern China.
