Andrew Jacobs, Notes on the China I’m Leaving Behind; Eight years of covering its patchwork progress. New York Times, Nov 29, 2015 (in the SundayReview section).
Note:
(a) patchwork (n): "something composed of miscellaneous or incongruous parts : HODGEPODGE"
beta.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patchwork
(b) "I GOT together at a restaurant the other night with some Chinese and expatriate friends. While bossa nova played in the background, we sipped French merlot"