Rob Gifford's eight-part radio series about travelling along Route 312 was broadcast to acclaim to NPR's 22 million listeners.China is experiencing an unprecedented period of cultural and economic boom

'Fascinating ... gives us a privileged view of China's dark corners and its exhilarating vistas' Daily Telegraph 'Gifford gets under the skin of the world's next superpower ... he's the perfect guide' ***** Wanderlust 'Gifford is one of the few Europeans to have made the whole journey as a hitchhiker. On the way, as splendidly recorded in China Road, he takes the temperature of a nation' Giles Foden, Conde Nast Traveller 'An absorbing cultural trip ... Conversations with truckers, hookers, karaoke-bar hostesses and peasants are interspersed with briefings on the status, politics and past of the country' The Times