Author attempts to record history in real time

Many liken history to a river. When you are a drop of water in the river, you have no choice but to flow onward. Only when you observe it from above, can you recognize its changing course, He Fan says.

The economist now has a new book, Momentum: An Ongoing History of China from 2019-2049 Vol 1: 2019, the first of a series that looks at the changes in the country from an unconventional perspective.

The series takes the form of an annual report, with one book to be released every year. And starting this year, he will have recorded 30 years of Chinese history by the year 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of New China.