Ming Liu writes for some of the best-known titles in journalism: the Financial Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal. But she’s also published her first novel, a fictional account (based on her non-fictional experiences) on what it means to be a Chinese growing up outside of China, especially at a time when ‘China’ is one of the most important stories of the century. I met up with her at a tram stop in Basel, Switzerland, to explore the key trends both in culture and luxury that are being defined by 1.4 billion Chinese.