Other stories of China travel

In 2004, NPR' China reporter Rob Gifford did a fascinating series;

"In a seven-part series on Morning Edition, NPR's Rob Gifford sets out on a 3,000-mile, 14-day trek across China, and discovers just how far the world's most populous nation has to go to catch up with its potential."

You can still listen to the whole series archived here.
In 2008, Gifford published a book called China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power based on this series, and I was able to find it in the Hennepin County Library.

For more ideas about books on China, check out the "Good Reads" website's China page.