The new star

The Atlantic's Patrick Chovanec profiles the nine regions of China, highlighting the complex and, at times, tenuous relationships amongst them. Reading through these, I'm reminded how much China and U.S. do and don't have alike, as well as how little the average American understands about China, and vice versa I would imagine.

As China’s economy becomes more integrated, these regional differences are taking on greater importance than ever before. Each of the Nine Nations faces a unique set of challenges and opportunities in carving out its own competitive niche. Anyone who wants to do business in China, make policy towards China, or simply comprehend the dramatic changes happening there should understand the Nine Nations and the role each of them is playing in shaping China’s future.

(Nice work by The Atlantic here, I think, in design, functionality and simpleness coexisting in the graphic. Good, basic statistics (nothing too overkill), eye-pleasing and, most of all, every region has a great story, and Chovanec aptly dissected in so many words. Well done.)