I'm about to head off on my first visit to mainland China, albeit only a few days in Beijing.

After much browsing, and after already reading Richard McGregor's The Party and Lesley Chang's Factory Girls, I've packed: Country Driving by Peter Hessler; Chinese Lessons by John Pomfret; and hope to pick up at the airport Tide Players by Jianying Zha (reviewed in the weekend FT).

I know there are loads of others I should be reading, including some much more directly concerned with the economy. After reading various reviews, Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics by Yasheng Huang is at the top of my list on that front. But the ones I have seem ideal for a long flight. The serious stuff can wait until I get back with a tiny bit of experience under my belt.