DOSSIER - China: now heading west

Beijing is undergoing a metamorphosis. Since the 2008 Olympic Games, the two-thousand-year-old capital has never been the same. It is becoming more "bobo", riding the lifestyle wave and the green trend. In terms of hotels, the range is widening, with the most select names now rubbing shoulders with designer boutique-hotels. In Wuhan, a former small town in central China on the way to becoming one of the country's most business-minded metropolises, the phenomenon is the same in miniature. This Francophile city is booming, and the opening of a direct air link with Paris only confirms its steady progress. Further west, at Chongqing airport, a new terminal is already planned to accommodate a growing flow of business travellers. With a population of 32 million, Chongqing claims to be the world's largest metropolitan area and has the highest growth rate in China. A real challenge in a country with infinite prospects. Reported by Cécile Balavoine, Florian Guillemin - Photos Bruno Pérousse