In 1997, aged 32, she moved back toBeijingfromNewYork, joining a steady trickle of returnees (the Chinese call them hai gui or sea-turtles): young, western-educated professionals keen to apply their new skills in their own country, and to get rich.
As I downloaded my e-mails at 5:00 am in Beijing on Tuesday, I noticed that a friend of mine fromNewYork City had asked if he could speak to me that morning.