They had no legal right to hold us there. Then they called in two empty police vans. Who were we to bicker about the finer details of the law?

When you are a reporter in China, it can be hard to know when you’re crossing a line with the authorities. Foreign news is censored, but reporters are still given accreditation. The local police sometimes throw obstacles and threats in the way.

These moments can be simultaneously terrifying and humorous.

Having exhausted all attempts at reason, we called a more senior official in Beijing. This man’s job is to help journalists navigate these situations. We placed him on speaker phone, and he told the police that we were not doing anything illegal. Things, it seemed, were looking up.

And then the police officer shouted back into the phone: “How am I supposed to believe you are who you say you are?”

We were right that Ruzhou would be home to some white elephants. A sprawling athletic compound had been converted to a “big data” center. When we visited, it was largely empty. Inside one sports arena, a caretaker told us the building was worth more than $14 million. When he saw the confused look on our faces, he quickly explained that millions of dollars of invisible technology was coursing through the walls. It was hard to tell if he was letting us in on a state secret or a joke.