In contemporary western media, China is often portrayed as an inscrutable behemoth, a country whose culture and people defy attempts at understanding. In reality, of course, China is no such thing—no country can be reduced to a single stereotype, let alone one as complex and multifaceted as China. Nor is it complete mystery; rather, it has a history and culture that can be surprisingly easy to grasp, with links to the outside in sometimes unexpected ways.

From its long eastern coastline to its western borders with India and the Central Asian republics that once marked the southern extent of the USSR, from its sweltering tropical regions to the rolling steppes that mark its northern border with Mongolia, China encompasses nearly 10 million square km. It is home to some 1.4 billion people, or 17% of the world’s population. In many senses, there is no singular “China”—a country as vast as this is home to multiple cultures and ways of life.

But ultimately, as with any country, knowing China requires knowing its people. China’s leaders—especially its president, Xi Jinping—have been the subject of endless analysis and reportage in the west. But beyond those in the highest echelons of power, the lives of the many millions of people—extraordinary and ordinary—who form the bulk of Chinese society, receive little coverage for a general western audience.

This piece aims to offer some remedy by highlighting seven Chinese citizens whose lives reflect the complexity of contemporary Chinese society. These individuals’ stories illustrate how the lives of China’s people are shaped by both the country’s internal dynamism and its increasingly vital connections to the wider world.