The last time Elizabeth had been in Beijing it was as a student. Fresh out of university, she had spent two years studying mandarin in the student quarters in Wudaokou, pouring through books and podcasts by day and exploring the city by night. It had been a wild and somewhat carefree existence. And now she would be spending her days in the CBD, and her evenings wining and dining local partners. A different world indeed.

The last year had been a year of change. After returning home a series of almost bizarre accidents brought her to the attention of the Alcoa board. One of the first Western aluminum outfits to focus on China in the early 1980s, the company had rolled out more expansive operations throughout the 1990s and found itself is short supply of people like Elizabeth: smart, bilingual and dedicated staff who were as comfortable in the Orient as back home. Desperate for someone with her skills, the company had quickly promoted her to associate liaison for the China accounts. This trip would test whether and how quickly she would go further.