Rob Gifford
When acclaimed NPR Correspondent Rob Gifford set out on a 3,000 mile journey along the “Mother Road of China,” from Shanghai into the heart of Asia, he had one big question: “Which is it going to be for China, greatness or implosion?” He found the answer in the ordinary people, caught up in an extraordinary moment in time, who he discovered along the way.
Gifford shares his compelling adventure along the Chinese Route 66 in China Road, the best-selling book that defines the great nation through the generation of people building the new China—revealing the rich mosaic of modern Chinese life in all its contradiction.
Gifford first went to China in 1987 as a twenty-year old language student. He has spent much of the last two decades studying China while travelling all over the continent, reporting for NPR's “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” Currently, he is the China Editor for The Economist.
Bearing witness to the social and economic revolution that is turning China upside down, Gifford recreates the voices of the people, and breathes life into the region, drawing audiences into the story with him. With eloquence and a dash of humor, he opens eyes and minds, revealing how the future of the West is inexorably linked to the fate of 1.3 billion Chinese people.
Topics
China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power
China Road records a two month journey along Route 312, the Chinese equivalent of Route 66. The road flows three-thousand miles from east to west, passing through the factory towns of the coastal areas, through the rural heart of China, then up into the Gobi Desert, where it merges with the old Silk Road. The highway witnesses every part of the social and economic revolution that is turning China upside down.
Gifford tells the story of his journey through the lives of the colorful Chinese characters he meets along the way: garrulous talk show hosts and ambitious yuppies, impoverished peasants and tragic prostitutes, cell phone salesmen, AIDS patients and Tibetan monks. Using the road trip as a prism to view modern China, he asks bigger questions about where China is going, who the Chinese people are, and whether we in the West should be concerned about China’s rise.
A View of the Rest of the World from Europe
Please call 800.225.4575 or contact us for more information on this speaker's speech topics.
Request More Info
| MY SPEAKER LIST | MAKE A REQUEST |
|
Rob Gifford
|
|
| Questions about booking? | |
| 617.614.1600 | |
Materials
Related Speakers
Need help finding a speaker?
The Program Consultants at American Program Bureau Are Here to Help!
Tell us about your event and we will offer custom speaker recommendations specifically tailored for your event's theme, audience, budget or any other criteria your provide. Whether you are looking for a keynote speaker to set the tone for your entire event, an industry expert for an executive briefing or workshop, a motivational speaker to supercharge a sales force, or a celebrity speaker to kick-off your convention, we can help you find the right speaker for your next event.