National Geographic's China Issue

National Geographic's May issue is one of the first in what is likely to be a long line of international publication's attempts to look "inside the dragon." I haven't got my hands on a copy yet, but judging from the content available online, it unsurprisingly contains some stunning images along with a whole bunch of interactive features including videos, quizzes and an interesting map made up of reader contributed photos.

In terms of the articles there's a feature by Peter Hessler, Brook Larmer takes a look at the future of the the Yellow River and there's also a couple of interesting pieces from the archive, one from 1971 and the other a Tibet-related article from 1955.

In related news, the latest issue of Good Magazine also takes on China but limits itself to the theme "Don't Be Scared of China." Kate Merkel-Hess over at China Beat comments that although their approach is "well-intentioned, it continues a particularly egocentric understanding of China as a recipient of American (increasingly presented as global) culture rather than a generator of trends of its own."

Links and Sources
National Geographic: China Issue
Good Magazine: The China Issue
China Beat: On Their Best Behavior: Good Magazine on Contemporary China
http://thechinabeat.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-their-best-behavior-good-magazine-on.html