The sap rises and barriers go up as China prepares for the year’s biggest political event

News Snapshot:

People walk past the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before the opening of the Two Sessions. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/Getty The magnolia tree outside my window came out overnight on Monday, a couple of dozen pink flowers peeking out of plump, furry buds that looked like overgrown gooseberries. By midafternoon, many of the flowers had opened out and by five o’clock a couple of bees were humming around them, touching down gently on each one before moving along. A neighbour came for a cup of tea on the balcony a couple of days later to admire the tree, which...