ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the habitus of individual journalists as the starting point for further scrutiny on the dynamics and structure of the field of China reporting. It taps on how different sorts of habitus bring individuals into the field and land them into different positions. The habitus of China correspondents are unpacked into demographic properties, categories of ‘journalistic habitus’ (professional role perception, professional education, work experience, etc.), and ‘Chinese habitus’ (Chinese-language proficiency, China-related life experience, etc.). It sketches out the morphology of modern-day China reporting and proposes a habitus-based typology for China correspondents (Spiralists, Sporadics, Sinophiles, and Sinojournos). This chapter also forms the basis for a subsequent discussion on how correspondents holding different sets of habitus respond differently to the pressures within and outside the field or to the existing power structure.
