Beijing, China - It's just a T-shirt. Or so we thought.

The shirts were 'banned' by the Chinese government. (AFP/Getty images)

Our search for the so-called "communist Obama" T-shirt began with a capable intern scouring markets in Beijing. It depicts U.S. President Barack Obama wearing a Red Army uniform, the "Chinese communist-style" outfit made famous by Chairman Mao. On the front it says, "Serve the People" in Chinese. On the back, "Oba-Mao" in English.

Our first scan of Beijing turned up nothing. But a tip led us to the basement of Shin Kong Place. In an unassuming souvenir shop, we found a T-shirt in extra-large. During our flight from Beijing to Shanghai to cover the president's arrival, a news blitz indicated the shirts had been "banned" by the Chinese government amid worries that they may offend the American president.

Thank goodness we'd gotten ours in time!

But there was no way to confirm the government had indeed taken the shirts off the shelves, so we decided to check for ourselves. We headed to Yatai Xinyang market at a Shanghai metro stop in search of Obama-branded merchandise.

The Chinese also make wallets and trading cards featuring the "Communist Obama" image.

We found nothing but could not be sure they hadn't sold them there before. So, I chose that opportune moment to do a piece to camera with the shirt in hand. Bad move? Maybe. But it ended up being great television.

Two security guards happened to pass by at the moment I announced to the camera: "This is the T-shirt everybody is talking about." And that was it. They scrambled toward us and tried to pry the shirt out of my hands. I didn't give in.

Technically, we did not have permission to film in the market. And the security guards scolded us for not getting permission ahead of time.

There was a bit of yelling and quite a scuffle. My producer Jo Kent emphatically stated our case. Photographer Miguel Castro kept his cool. By this point, we had everything on tape.

We ended up being detained for two hours in the cold maze of a market. A crowd gathered round. More security and then police showed up. They wanted our press cards, our passports, but most of all, they wanted the shirt.

Ultimately, they confirmed that we were indeed "real" journalists (that is legally reporting in China.) But that didn't stop them from scolding us and making it very difficult to leave. After asking repeatedly and then one last time for the shirt, I refused.

Finally, they let us go. Phew!

It was worth it. The shirt got attention on the air and sparked buzz online. In fact, some members of the White House pool and a few colleagues in Atlanta actually tried to bribe me for it.

Nothing like juxtaposing communism and democracy in more ways than one. Just another day on the job.

YANGSHAN ISLAND, China – As the countdown began, my producer Jo Kent sighed. "This might be the most anticipated anti-climax ever." Clouds threatened to ruin the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, until the very last minute.

After much deliberation and intense consultation with eclipse chasers across Shanghai, we decided to post ourselves on Yangshan Island, a suburb of Shanghai. The chasers heading in this direction were very convincing. On the island, they said we'd have a lower chance of clouds and city pollution. And hundreds of them were going there. It was hard not to get swept up in the group mentality.

But by the time we arrived, it was raining. Not just raining, but thundering and lightning. I went to bed listening to thunder claps, petrified that we would miss out on the eclipse of my lifetime (and also my first ever).

CNN’s Emily Chang takes in her first eclipse in Yangshan Island in China.

Despite a dream that the heavens miraculously cleared, we woke to cloudy skies. Dark, cloudy skies. Still, the crowds there said we should stick it out.

In the elevator, one man told me: "I'm renewing my belief in God right now."

After all, the total eclipse itself wasn't happening for another couple of hours. Charles Fulco, a middle-school astronomy teacher from New York, confidently claimed he would stay optimistic until the end.

Personally, it was difficult to keep doubt from "clouding" my mind. I knew I had to stay positive for our viewers. After all, there's nothing compelling about a correspondent predicting the worst over and over again.

I was trying to put on a happy face for my next live shot when I heard "oohs” and “ahhs" in the background.

I was so flustered, I forgot to put on my eclipse glasses before I looked up. A partial eclipse was shining down on us all like a gift from Mother Nature.

The rush was undeniable. I was amazed, shocked, and most of all, relieved, that we had something to show the world.

Clouds quickly swooped in, completely eliminating any chance of seeing totality - that treasured moment when the sun is completely hidden behind the moon and its outer atmosphere (the "corona") is visible like a halo around the moon's shadow.

Nonetheless, Yangshan Island was swiftly shrouded in darkness. I mean, it happened in minutes and suddenly we were all pitched into black. The air grew cold. Hundreds of dragonflies that had been swarming for hours disappeared.

I was reporting the entire time, but wished I could take a breath and soak in this awesome, haunting feeling. The sun had literally vanished in midday.

And just as the skies started to brighten again, the clouds relented one last time. We saw another flash of light at the end of totality. It looked like a crescent moon in an evening sky, but in fact it was a sliver of the sun - the sun rising for the second time at the end of one of the most unnatural-seeming natural wonders.

Of course, there were a lot of disappointed eclipse watchers who'd traveled thousands of miles, spent thousands of dollars, to see this from beginning to end.

But these fleeting glimpses were enough for me. Our days of eclipse chasing - the cynicism, the science, the insanity of gambling to see the solar system in action - was exhilarating, even though we only witnessed a slice of astronomical glory.

SHANGHAI, China - Charles Fulco, a middle school astronomy teacher, never thought he would come to China.

Pius Ye, 7, from Hong Kong, is currently in Shanghai to view the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century.

But his passion for one of nature’s grandest spectacles compelled him to travel 7,000 miles from New York to Shanghai, to watch the longest total solar eclipse of the century.

"I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it," says Fulco. “The last one I saw was 10 years ago and it’s like it happened yesterday."

Unfortunately, Mother Nature may have something very disappointing in store for him. Yes, forecasters in Shanghai are predicting rain.

The weather on the day of an eclipse is always a gamble, and it’s frustrating too. As the CNN team sent to Shanghai to cover the big event, we’re just as desperate to find a hole in the clouds as eclipse-chasers from around the world. We don’t want to miss it either.

So, we’ve consulted the experts, multiple tour groups, all with different strategies about how to beat the clouds. We've heard words like "air convection," "cloud count" and "land temperature" thrown around.

Fulco’s team is headed to Yangshan Island off the coast of Shanghai. The theory: The closer you are to a large body of water, the less dense cloud cover will be.

But others say being locked on an island is dangerous. The most important thing is mobility. So a group of MIT and Princeton alumni have chosen a spot on the Chinese mainland, along a manmade lake.

Yet a third group of 260 Americans with Sky and Telescope Magazine, are too difficult to keep up with. They seem to change their plans by the hour, determined to move in any direction last-minute, to ensure their view is not obscured. They are entertaining both coastal and inland options. When last we talked to them, they said would make their final decision after an intense discussion at dinner.

We’ve been warned about this kind of behavior. Veteran eclipse-chasers say if you change your plans too much, you risk missing the eclipse altogether.

Nevertheless, anxiety lingers as much as anticipation.

We’ve neared our final decision, but you’ll have to watch us live tomorrow morning (Shanghai time) to find out where we landed.

(CNN) – He has all the hallmarks of the real Michael: The slim frame, well-powdered face hidden under a cocked hat, dark glasses, and the delicate swagger. He's a little shy too. 

WJ performs his MJ routine to members of the public.

"I'm grateful that my parents gave me this face," he says quietly.

29-year-old Wang Jie is China's most famous Michael Jackson impersonator. He told us to just call him "WJ."

WJ says he discovered MJ when he was a teenager and fell in love with his dance moves.

"I realized I looked like my idol by accident," says Wang. "So step by step, with a lot of hard work and study, I made it on stage. Now he's a part of my life."

Wang had no idea he would someday make a living from his looks. He has since appeared on Chinese TV shows and won contests.

I first saw Wang as he sauntered in with his "agent" to meet our crew. WJ quickly drew perplexed but fascinated Chinese crowds. If the real Michael Jackson hadn't just passed away, they might have thought it was really him.

It's when he started dancing that I really had to do a double take. Wang strutted and snapped his hips as if he'd learned from Jackson himself.

The real Michael Jackson never performed in China, but he's loved here nonetheless. Members of the official Michael Jackson Fan Club (yes, there is one in China) even rented a hotel room so they can watch his funeral broadcast live on CNN.

"I miss Michael Jackson even more. I adore him even more," said one die-hard fan.

"There are impersonators of Michael Jackson everywhere but I think they can only try to imitate him, never overtake him."

Jackson's music was some of the first Western music widely available in China. His rise to stardom coincided with China's opening up to the world. So, to the Chinese, he symbolized what was out there.

To this day, he still has a huge Chinese following. Clearly, through WJ and MJ fans throughout China, Jackson's music lives on.

BEIJING, China — The news of North Korea’s nuclear test made the front pages of the state-run newspapers here in Beijing –- a sign the Chinese government is taking this issue very seriously.

The front of this English-language newspaper reflects how seriously the Chinese government is taking this issue.

The China Daily, an English-language newspaper, ran a front-page spread with the headline, "Pyongyang nuclear test shocks Beijing," a timeline and a picture of women in Tokyo looking shocked.

Other countries responded quickly and strongly, but China took several hours to release a statement … so we can assume it was well-thought, crafted, but ultimately stern. Here is a portion:

“The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to this. Upholding the peace and stability in northeast Asia is in the mutual interest of all parties. China calls on all parties to keep calm, deal with the situation appropriately, and to solve problems peacefully through discussions and dialogue.”

What the statement does not talk about is how China intends to act with respect to the United Nations, and some might call the language vague.

Last month, when North Korea test fired a long-range rocket, China urged the world not to overreact and they seem to be taking the same strategy in this situation.

Though China is clearly disappointed and frustrated by the test, their position is do not react too strongly, do not provoke the North Koreans any further, try to persuade them to come back to the bargaining table, come back to six-party talks –- disarm through dialogue.

Much has been made of the relationship between China and the secretive North. Chinese officials feel they understand the North Korean mindset - do not respond to threats, only concession - and clearly Pyongyang does not feel like it has gotten enough concessions.

China seems to want to resume the constructive role again as liaison between North Korea and the rest of world.

I spoke with China analyst Victor Gao, who said: “North Korea has always been a very close friend of China, over the past several decades.”

“And I think recently, in the recent years because of North Korea’s attitude with regard to the six-party talks, China has had to bend backward to do whatever maneuvering and persuasion work as necessary.

“China will continue to work in that particular direction, play a very constructive role with North Korea as well as with other members of the six-party talks in order to eventually help all of us achieve the outcome of denuclearization,” he added.

But China has also always cautioned not to overestimate their relationship, saying their influence over North Korea is useful but limited.

Surely, China will be getting pressure from the international community to take a strong stance on North Korea. Going back to North Korea’s first nuclear test two years ago, China was much more outspoken, calling it a brazen act.

But Pyongyang has continued to defy the international community. Beijing has learned from that and believes it is better to be more restrained - how firm they can be while also being restrained is still a question.

BEIJING, China - My flight from Beijing to New York was unremarkable.

My flight from New York back to Beijing was a different story. When Air China Flight 982 landed, everyone stood to disembark, but the doors didn’t open. Instead, someone commanded us over the intercom to sit back down.

Four masked officials, who appeared to be doctors, came onboard each wielding what appeared to be a digital temperature “gun.” They proceeded to take passengers’ temperatures one-by-one, by pointing the gun at our foreheads.

When they came to me, the gun beeped “36.6 C – Lo.” I have to say I was relieved, since I was not feeling my best after the 14-hour flight. And being quarantined due to H1N1 fears would have been less than ideal.

So far three cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed in China, all airline passengers returning from the U.S.

All three patients have been quarantined for seven days, along with everyone on their flight and others who might have had contact with them (at least, those the Chinese government has been able to track down.) Some Mexican nationals who say they were not on any of these flights and had no symptoms have also been quarantined. They just happened to be travelling during the outbreak.

So, I was happy when the doctors passed me by. They did, however, spend extra time with one woman whose temperature must have been abnormal. They spoke to her for an extra 15 or so minutes, while the rest of us waited. Then, they took her temperature again with a manual thermometer. They must have approved of the result, because we were then all released.

The whole ordeal lasted about an extra half hour. Some inconvenienced passengers were grumbling and kept checking their watches. Others waited patiently.

With flu fears waning around the world, it begs the question is this really necessary? With the memory of SARS still fresh, the Chinese government insists on it.

In fact, an article in the state-run China Daily criticized the U.S. media for not taking the flu seriously enough: "The media there, which enshrines the principle of open information, is rather quiet on the subject ... The lukewarm response of the U.S. media may just help the flu spread further. Populous Asian countries should be careful. As many of them have less advanced health services, it would be very tough to cope with the flu if the virus spreads."

BEIJING,  China - Hillary Clinton's name carries celebrity status in China. She came to Beijing first as U.S. President Bill Clinton's first lady, now as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State. But the Chinese just call her "Hillary."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chats with a Chinese church official after a Sunday mass in Beijing on February 22.

On the eve of her greatly-anticipated visit to China's capital this past weekend, Beijingers were thoughtful.

"I think she is indeed a very powerful woman," said a businesswoman. "She has a very strong personality. I even bought her autobiography."

"I'm very keen about Hillary's visit," said another man, a banker. "Actually, I really wish I could have a dinner with her, so I can hear more about her opinions on Sino-U.S. relations."

Unfortunately, Mrs. Clinton did not have time for dinner with him but did meet with China's top brass, President Hu Jintao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Premier Wen Jiabao. It was the first time a U.S. Secretary of State chose to take a maiden voyage to Asia in almost 50 years.

"I think she chose to visit China because China means a lot to the U.S.," said one woman, a psychologist. "She wants to have a more thorough discussion with China."

It's no secret the discussion was dominated by the global financial crisis, still a source of bitterness among some Chinese who believe the U.S. is to blame for the downturn.

"Since China didn't suffer as much as the United States in the financial crisis, Hillary's looking for cooperation and help," said the businesswoman.

"I think China and the U.S. should combat the financial crisis hand in hand," the banker said. "If the U.S. only cares about its own economy, other countries will be left behind."

As first lady, Mrs. Clinton once pressed the Chinese on human rights but said the issue would not sideline other priorities on this trip.

"Well, if we compare the current human rights condition with that during the Cultural Revolution, then there have been a lot of improvements," one woman said. "But China still has a long way to go."

"I think the Chinese government should allow more freedom on news," said a student from the Communication University of China. "Chinese citizens need to know more about negative opinions of our country."

Perhaps there is hope in more visits from diplomats like Mrs. Clinton. "I think she is very talented," said the banker. "I still don't know why she dropped out of the presidential campaign."

In China, it seems, she still has a lot of fans.

HENAN, China — Now I understand why so many of China's farmers leave their homes in the countryside to look for jobs in the city, even though urban living conditions for migrant workers can be poor.

Rain-fed farms in Henan province have been at the whim of Mother Nature.

Farmwork is backbreaking, especially under an unforgiving sky that hasn't rained in months. 

We followed the drought to Henan province, one of the driest areas.  Fields of winter wheat stretch for miles, from the edge of the freeway over faraway hilltops. 

We saw farmers bent over their crops, acre after acre, watering each sprout by hand. Many worry if it doesn't rain significantly soon, their crops will die. 

One farmer told us if he doesn't have a good harvest, he will have no choice but to look for a job in the city. But jobs in the city are getting harder to find as China's economy slows down. He hadn't heard about the economic crisis.

Crops on irrigated farms may survive the drought. But in more remote areas, irrigation systems are poor or nonexistent. China's rain-fed farms, the farms that depend on rain, are the most seriously threatened. They are at the whim of Mother Nature.

Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on China's vast landscape in the last year, from snowstorms, to floods, an earthquake, and now the drought.

But the people who weather these natural disasters are resilient. There is a saying in Chinese: "Eat bitterness."  It refers to the ability of the Chinese to suffer without complaint, and still, survive. 

The farmers in Henan province are yet another example.

BEIJING, China - We do so many stories about migrant workers, jobless migrant workers, the poorest of the poor. While these are the most impacted and downtrodden faces of the economic crisis, they're not the only ones.

Wang Hao is a 25-year-old web editor at a local real estate firm, with a standard 9-5:30 (or so) job. When we met, I thought, this is an average, middle-class guy, trying to make ends meet as China's economy slows. Like the majority of Chinese, he just wants to create a life and a future for himself.

He bought his first apartment in Beijing, just before the Olympics. Just a studio, but very well-kept, I thought. A house he could call his own. Unfortunately, that was when the prices were the highest. Bad timing.

Soon after that, the bubble burst, the financial meltdown started and Wang Hao was saddled with a big debt.

He thought the best way to pay it off would be to spend only 100 yuan (about $15) per week. Well, Monday through Friday. Weekends could be more fun.

At first, he failed miserably. He was used to eating out, taking taxis instead of the subway, and buying the latest electronic gadgets. Over time, however, he mastered self-discipline. He got into the habit of cooking and taking the subway. Now he spends even less than that some weeks, by my calculations.

And the most extraordinary thing is he's inspired 100,000 other young people in China to do the same thing. They are all part of the aptly named "100 yuan-per-week club" Wang Hao started on his company's website. They communicate with each other online, sharing secrets about how to save, lamenting about the challenges.

Wang Hao's latest idea will help him buy his first car. For every yuan someone pledges to this cause, he will match their contribution. He thinks he'll have enough for the car by the end of this year.

BEIJING, China - I don't know if I've ever seen so many people in one place, even in China. There must have been thousands, if not tens of thousands, at the Beijing East train station alone, all going home for the Chinese New Year holiday.

Thousands wait for their train at Beijing Railway Station

Officially, the Ministry of Railways predicts 188 million people will make the long journey home - at least. That's more than the population of countries as big as Russia and Japan. Some think the actual number will be much higher. Travel is already up 8% compared to last year.

Last year was a bad year. Vicious snowstorms battered China just about the time this mass migration was taking place. Transportation was crippled. People were stuck for days with no way to get home.

The state has upgraded the system since then. This year, things seem to be going more smoothly, aside from scalpers and counterfeiters. But, more people are traveling no thanks to the global economic crisis.

Millions of those going home are migrant workers who moved to China's cities in more prosperous times. In Beijing, they could make three times as much as they could in the country.  But China's economic engine has slowed down so fast jobs have dried up. The migrants leaving now may never come back. In more practical terms, they've spent the last of their savings on the trip home.

It struck me that many of the migrants at the Beijing East station were carrying their lives on their backs, or sleeping on them - resting their heads against giant packs as they waited for their train to depart. Ironically they're going home to celebrate the New Year, though it may be the most uncertain and difficult year of their lives.