Deep-rooted problems haunt country's industrial heartland

The black clouds passing overhead added to the bleak atmosphere as I arrived at Changchun, China's Detroit, in the country's northeastern rust belt in the early spring.

Advertising boards lining the airport highway displayed automobiles and high-quality ginseng, the city's traditional strengths. Eight million residents prospered in the era of China's planned economy and extravagant spending before the national campaign to fight graft.

Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Jilin, one of three provinces in the Northeast known for heavy industry, took place a week before the world's second-largest economy is due to report what is expected to be the slowest quarterly growth rate since the first three months of 2009.